The morning glow in September covered the Morgen Hills and the Black Forest with a new layer of bright golden clothes.
Lorist stood by the road outside the south city gate to see Baron Camorra off. From time to time, the freed Silver Knights came to them, saluted Lorist respectfully, and then brought his attendants He and his servants led the mount and stood beside them, waiting for their companions to arrive before they set foot on the journey home together.
Baron Camorra looked at the silver knights who were gathering more and more not far away, with a gloomy expression, and finally couldn't help sighing: "Your skill is really clever, I know that they will definitely fight against the Northland Legion and the Duke when they go back. There was a big storm, but I thought about it all night, but I couldn't deal with it. Alas... Your Excellency... He did something wrong... Without the suppression of the Northern Land Legion, I'm afraid the North Land will be in turmoil from now on... "
Lorist smiled softly: "The troubled times have already arrived, so how can the Northland avoid conflicts? I have seen many wars and beacons along the way from Morente City back to the family territory, corpses starving, thieves swarming, refugees Everywhere. I thought that the Northland was blocked by natural dangers, and that it should be able to become a unified world and become a blessed place on earth where people can still live and work in peace and contentment in this troubled world. Unfortunately, I was wrong. After I set foot on the Northland, I realized that the Northland is more important than the outside world. No, there are wars everywhere, wars everywhere. You can even hear the howls of the dead and the cries of the innocent on the wind... ”
Lorist restrained his smile: "As the Grand Duke of the Northland and formed the Northland Legion, he has the responsibility to quell the war in the Northland, restore the peace in the Northland, and unite all the nobles in the Northland to the outside world. The Northland has become an enviable place to live in troubled times. But what did your lord Duke do? He made the Northland Legion a vicious dog in his hands, and became the basis for him to accumulate wealth. He learned from the lord of the Northland So much property was looted, but where did he use it? It was all used in spending time and money and maintaining a luxurious life, and it did not benefit the Northland at all... "
"Sometimes I think it's ridiculous. Why does your lord Duke want to establish the Lukins Principality in the Northland? It's not wrong to be ambitious. What's wrong is that you have no courage and no self-knowledge. Who will support him? Even if those lords are right now Your lord duke is obedient, and that is also because of the Northland Legion. No one would like to let a high-ranking lord with no talent, virtue, and incompetence squat on his head. This time your lord duke has met with our Norton family The blood was broken, the entire army was wiped out, and the Northland Army suffered heavy losses. At this time, it is time to comfort the soldiers, return the prisoners, and learn a lesson..."
"But what did your lord duke do? His head is full of gold coins, and what he thinks about is still gold coins, and he even vents his anger on the soldiers who have worked so hard for him. Does he really think it is his money? Unreasonable, heartless , Unrighteous, paranoid and arrogant. Lord Camorra, is such a Duke really worthy of your loyal service? I doubt that between a bag of gold coins and your life or death, your Lord Duke will choose gold coins without hesitation. Your life and death and disregard. I feel very unworthy for you, Lord Camorra, you are a talent, although your Duke promoted you to the bottom, but he just uses you, not appreciates your talent... "
"In addition, you are right in your accusations. I do have selfish intentions. Giving the Knights of Henned and them freedom is to let them go back and cause some trouble for your Lord Duke, and to make the Northland Legion have no time to target the Norton family. Without the Northland Legion to rely on, I would like to see what your Lord Duke thinks about my gold coins. You also know that those properties are my trophies and seizures, and I will use them for the development of the family territory and In terms of production and construction. When the outside world is raging with war, I will build our Norton family territory into a paradise on earth... "
"Developing and building a territory is not all about gold coins. You also need a lot of manpower and materials..." Baron Camorra interjected. After being told by Lorist for a long time, he still couldn't say anything. He really felt suffocated, but now he finally said Going to the place where you are good at, you can't help but feel elated: "You have gold coins, but you don't have the ability to turn gold coins into materials. What you need most is a transportation channel for foreign transactions, and you also need a peaceful and peaceful environment to build your family well." Territory, otherwise, no matter how resolute the guarantee is, it will become empty talk in the end.”
Lorist nodded and laughed: "You are right, we are doing our best to build now..."
Pointing to the Rock Castle behind him: "You should have seen it. This is the result of our recent construction. Even though we have been fighting, we have not stopped the pace of construction. It is true that gold coins cannot be turned into goods, and the Norton family does not have a A reliable channel for external transactions. But don’t forget, businessman Yuli, when the news spreads that the Norton family has money and needs supplies, there will naturally be merchants who will send supplies to the door for trading. I believe that as long as you work hard, there will always be Good results."
Knight Henned, with two attendants and four servants, rode out of the south gate of the Rock Castle for the last time, came to Lorist, nodded to Baron Camorra, and then turned to Loris He performed a special knight salute, turned the horse's head, tapped the horse's belly lightly, and the horse neighed, and ran towards the distance of the avenue. The silver knights on the side got on their horses and followed behind with their own men...
Baron Camorra let out a long breath: "It's time for me to leave... I hope they go back without causing any trouble."
Lorist laughed again: "The Northland has been undercurrents for a long time. Duke Lukins used the Northland Legion as a dam, thinking that everything is safe. All I did was to open a small hole in the dam. As for the dam When it will collapse, then I don't know. Parting is imminent, let me send you a word, if things don't work out, stay safe, our Norton family welcomes you with open doors... "
This is the meaning of public solicitation. Baron Camorra was stunned for a moment, and wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he stopped talking, got on his mount, and waved to the four guards who escorted him in the distance. Raise the whip and drive the horse away.
Lorist went up to the tower in a hurry, but saw Joost leaning on the jagged edge of the city wall watching the fading smoke and dust.
"Didn't lead the team to practice today?" Lorist asked.
"No, let Pete take them there." Jost replied.
Pete is the wandering knight recruited at this knight tournament. His original name was Piek Priest, and his nickname was Pete. He is very famous among the wandering knights in the north, he is only twenty-five years old this year, and he is at the second level of silver. He was also the winner of the archery event of this conference. Sedkamp said that there was a golden-ranked sharpshooter in the family, which touched Pete's heart and was successfully recruited.
Jost once praised Pete in front of Lorist, thinking that he was the most talented person in archery besides himself. At that time, Lorist scolded: "Day, are you boasting or showing off yourself... "
"Here..." Jost handed over a thick piece of animal skin paper.
"what?"
"Knight Hinned gave it to me before he left, but he didn't say anything."
Lorist opened the animal skin paper, and at this time there was a hand-drawn map, with rope bridges, castles, manors, cities and towns on it, and lines of numbers written beside it.
The more Lorist watched, his eyes widened, and he finally burst out laughing.
"Isn't it just a military layout? Why are you so happy?" Jost said.
"No..." Lorist was very happy: "Joe, look, we don't have to worry about Duke Lukins sending troops to attack us again. The rope bridge checkpoint, the fortress castle, and the capital Gildusk City, these three places need three A brigade of the Northland Legion is stationed, and three manor castles and seven towns need ten squadrons to defend. Hehe, it turns out that the Duke uses the Northland Legion as a territorial garrison. It's really thanks to him that he figured it out...
Of the more than 20,000 people in the Northland Legion, we have wiped out more than 4,000 people. Now there are more than 17,000 people left, minus the 12,500 people in the garrison, and the most that can be transferred is five. About a thousand people. Four thousand people are gone, do these five thousand people dare to come over? Although that bullshit grand duke is not dead-hearted, even if he has an expeditionary force, he must have someone to lead him. Henned will no longer be willing to serve the duke, and maybe he will stab the duke. It will take another year for Tabek to lie on the bed, and the two golden knights will not be able to leave. Hehe, the Duke wants to deal with our Norton family, but he is powerless. "
"So we won't continue to fight, right?" Jost asked.
"Perhaps, the Kenmes family turned their target to the eastern part of the Northland, and also expressed their goodwill to reconcile with us. You already know the situation of Duke Lukins. The knights like Henned will definitely make a big fuss when they go back. If the Northland Legion is panicked, there may be a mutiny, and the Duke will definitely be overwhelmed. Before the Northland Legion is stabilized, it is impossible for him to send troops to our family.
Generally speaking, then we should have a period of stability. But we can't relax either. Viscount Kenmes has always held a grudge for being robbed of his private money. If he has the opportunity to bite us, he will definitely not let it go. As for the Duke of Lukins, he is a lunatic, and we cannot guess what he will do next with the thinking of a normal person. Maybe he will fight us to the end with the Northland Legion for the sake of gold coins.
Therefore, we must be prepared for war, be vigilant at all times, and be prepared. By the way, Joe, I want to leave the Rock Castle for a while. When I'm not here, I can only rest assured that I will be in charge of you. "Lorist looked at Josk and said.
"Where do you want to go?" Josk asked.
"I want to go to the team. I have been worried since I received the letter from Ruhr and Mod. I am afraid that something will happen to the team. I can't sleep well at night. There is always a feeling of uneasiness in my heart, so I took advantage of it I will look for this short period of peace..." Lorist said while looking into the distance.
"Then who are you going to take?" Jost asked again.
Lorist thought for a while and said, "I'll take Pat with me. Everyone has their own duties. I'll let Paul Binns take over Pat's management of the new barracks, so Pat can leave."
"No way..." Jost shook his head: "You only have two people with Pat, it's not safe. Think about it, there are only two of them left on the road with twelve people from Ruhr and Mod. It's too dangerous. How about it? , since you asked me to stay behind, I can promise you, but you have to bring the archer squad over there, and I can rest assured that I have Pete and the others to follow. If you refuse, then I will pack my luggage and go with you immediately."
Lorist said helplessly: "Okay, okay, I'll take the bow cavalry team with me. In fact, you should know that with my skill, it's impossible to be in danger under normal circumstances. Don't you think I'll take the bow with me?" Will the riding squad be too ostentatious?"
Jost said seriously: "My lord, it's not peaceful outside now. If there are two of you, there will definitely be a lot of troubles for you. But if you bring a bow and cavalry team, that troubles will avoid you. Only in this way can you go all the way." With the wind, we will soon find the northbound convoy.”
Lorist nodded: "Okay, you convinced me. You tell the guards to inform the archer team to get ready, and we will set off tomorrow morning."
…
This is the border city of Nadgas City between the Kingdom of Antinac and the Principality of Madras. Outside the city is a densely populated area where tents are stationed. The camp of the northbound convoy is in the middle of this tent area.
Everyone in the big tent was downcast and frowning...
"Why on earth is the Principality of Madras refusing us to enter the country? They even sent the Iron Guards to block the border, and refused to let even a single person pass through?" Shredder asked, looking at his worried colleagues.
Bodfinger thought about it and replied: "We don't know either. The city of Nadgas is only more than a hundred miles away from the border of the Principality of Madras. It could have entered its territory through the Liechtana Fortress. But when our forward arrived However, we found that the fortress of Liechtana was heavily guarded, as if we were facing an enemy, and the guards refused to let us pass. A few days ago, even the Iron Guard Corps was transferred. When we went to negotiate, the commander of the Legion sent an adjutant to say, except They will not let our convoy enter the Principality."
Shredder was having a headache. In fact, everyone understood that the reason for being rejected was just that he was unwilling to speak out because of his face. This is the aftermath of the convoy's armed massacre in the Antinac Kingdom. He hanged more than 80 nobles from the territory and ransacked their homes. The reputation of the demon Shredder has long been spread everywhere. The Principality of Madras is naturally no exception. When they heard that he was going to lead a convoy through the Principality, no one dared to let him enter, not to mention that there were nearly 100,000 refugees behind his convoy. It's the locusts passing by, and everything along the way will be wiped out.
"Can't we pay the toll?" Shredder asked with hope in case.
Baldfinger looked at him with a wry smile and shook his head.
"What about breaking it into pieces? Can a caravan of dozens or more than a hundred vehicles in the name of the Antinac royal family pass?"
"It's useless. The adjutant of the Iron Guards Corps said that the border is going to be sealed off for a year or so. Let alone caravans, even pedestrians are not allowed to pass through." Terman interjected.
"Alas..." Shredder turned to an accountant he had promoted beside him: "How much grain do we have left?"
"My lord, you have raided the entire province of Verbasya, and the food and grass you have seized is enough for our convoy and the refugees behind us to feed us for three months. But it is already September, and winter will come in more than a month. Those refugees still have warm clothes It's a big problem, if you don't prepare for the cold in advance, it is very likely that a large number of old and weak people will die from the cold..." the accountant replied very respectfully.
"As the order continues, the treatment of the family's armed forces will remain the same, and the team members will have three meals, but the portion will be limited. The refugees behind will have two meals a day, one bowl of porridge per person, as long as they don't starve to death. Let them eat when the team leaves. Hurry up with all your strength, Mr. Bodfinger, let the convoy be armed to strengthen the control of the refugees, and suppress any resistance immediately. Also, let the refugees dig caves to collect firewood and prepare for the winter. In addition, we will send troops to buy Grain and clothing, just in case."
What Shredder now hates the refugees following the convoy is gnashing his teeth. If it weren't for these refugees, how could the convoy end up in the current predicament? Maybe he would have gone to the Northland to see Lorist a long time ago. Originally, he wanted to bring all these refugees to the north, but now he only hates himself for being too greedy, so why can't he wait for the convoy to arrive in the north before sending out troops to gather the refugees? It was I who caused the team to be in a dilemma.
"It's not good, Lord Shredder!" Dolles of the chariot team slammed into the big tent, panting, "Edmar and Wan Pu have taken refuge with the Second Highness, and they also brought two squadrons of family soldiers..."
Both Edmar and Wanpu are one of the old students of Dawn Academy who organized a convoy to go to the Northland with Schreidtelman and the others, and they are both squadron leaders now.
Ever since the armed convoy swept up all the nobles in the province of Verbasya for refugees and food, the Second Highness easily followed with five thousand armed people to receive the refugees in the territory, rectify order and develop production, if not for him After cleaning up the mess, there will be more than 100,000 refugees following the convoy.
However, after knowing that Bodfinger and others were former officers of the White Lion Army, the Second Highness often went to the convoy camp to talk about their relationship, but Bodfinger and the others rejected the Second Highness's solicitation. On the contrary, Shredder's cheap father-in-law Injerek was very tempted, and privately persuaded Shredder to join the Second Highness, but was scolded. In the end, Shredder said that if the adults knew about it... Injerek, who was afraid of Lorist to the bone, hurriedly begged for mercy.
His Highness the Second Highness couldn't recruit the senior management of the team, so he immediately started to think about the old students of Chenxi Academy. In less than a month, seven old students have been poached. But today was really too much, even the convoy was armed, and soldiers from the two Norton family squadrons were also brought over.
"It's unreasonable to send troops to surround the city of Nadgas. If the Second Highness refuses to return our family soldiers, we will declare war on him, and then turn around and march towards the imperial capital, smashing the entire Antinac Kingdom to pieces!" Shredder fiercely His fist hit the table...