Iron Powder and Spellcaster

For several days, the camp first moved southwest and then turned north.

The Hittites used a lunar calendar, and their counting method was different from that of other republics.

Winters had to estimate the date by himself. He remembered that the baggage train departed from Shuangqiao Camp on January 12th.

Traveling all the way west, crossing the border river and passing through no man's land, we arrived at the Styx Camp on January 30th.

That night, snowflakes fell from the sky.

Before that, he was just a temporarily recruited town officer, leading a small group of militiamen to do some hard work of transporting supplies in Plato.

From then on, his world was like a cart dragged by a crazy horse, rushing towards the cliff.

After many twists and turns, the baggage train arrived at the Bienli camp on February 24. Twelve days later, Bianli City was destroyed.

The next day, he embarked on the retreat as the vanguard, and saw the Styx again on March 29.

He recalled it day by day and roughly determined that it was April 16th when he woke up in Erlun's felt tent.

Seven days have passed since then, and that is April 23rd.

"Have I been away from home for so long?" Winters suddenly felt like he was in another world.

In April, Hailan must have been very hot.

The men and women on the road had long ago changed into beautiful light clothes, and only the elderly were still wrapped in winter clothes.

The docks are full of shirtless porters, and merchant ships of all sizes are gathering in the bay, waiting for the monsoon to arrive as scheduled.

The Feast of the Ascension of the Holy Lord is coming soon, which is Hailan’s most important festival.

On that day, everyone will dress up and follow the "Archon's Golden Ship" to the island of Agios Nikolaos.

Waiting for them were priests holding holy water, salt and olive branches.

The prayer is unshakable: "Oh, Lord! Please bless us and all the people on the sea, and let the sea be calm and peaceful forever."

What follows is a grand celebration and procession.

The Feast of the Assumption is important because it represents the beginning of the new year's sailing season.

After a short carnival, the Ocean Blue Man will sail towards the boundless sea. Either bring back wealth, or just disappear.

Winters' thoughts have drifted to the sea.

He said blankly: "E'erlun?"

"Huh?" Erlun was doing embroidery work.

"spring is coming."

"Yes, it's getting warmer day by day, and the wind is starting to blow to the west." Erlun raised his head with a smile, his willow-leaf eyes curling up: "The old man said it's time to take all the livestock spirits to the high ground."

"Get me a knife."

"Okay." Erlun kept moving the needle in his hand: "What kind of needle do you want?"

"Just the most common kind." Winters sat up and said, "Please bring me some more branches."

He now knows that for unmarried Heder women, the sword is an important "token".

The man pays a betrothal gift and the woman wears a sword in return, so you cannot just take the sword from an unmarried woman.

Erlun quickly brought a palm-sized knife to Winters.

The steel mouth of the knife is very good, and the blade and handle are forged in one piece; there is no grid, and the handle is wrapped with a leather rope. The overall style is simple and unpretentious, and it is a reliable tool for herders' life. Winters is very satisfied.

Carpenters had to use specialized carving knives, but Winters had no intention of engraving the statue.

He picked up a branch, slowly peeled off the skin, cut it off, and sharpened it.

In this way, he gradually moved the stiff arm muscles.

"Are you whittling wooden sticks?" Erlun was a little puzzled: "Are you going to knit a sweater?"

"Just move your arms."

Erlun coaxed Winters: "If you are cutting in the felt tent, the sawdust will get on the blanket. How about I help you outside? Sit for a while and bask in the sun."

Winters was unwilling to leave the tent or show his face in the camp, but he would not refuse Erlun.

"good."

The swelling in Winters' leg injury has gone down, but it will still be a long time before the immobilizer is removed.

Erlun helped him walk outside the felt tent, brought a wooden box and asked him to sit at the door of the tent; he also brought a blanket and covered his legs.

Another day of trekking, today we camped in a sparse coniferous forest.

The setting sun passes through the branches and leaves, casting spots of light.

The little lion came over carrying a deer leg and joked: "Just from the neck down, I thought you were an old man standing by the fire."

Winters whittled away at the wood.

"Are you making wooden skewers for barbecue?" The little lion was also very curious.

He stared at the knife in Winters' hand and blinked.

Winters nodded and continued whittling the wood.

"You, say a few words." Erlun walked out of the tent, took a thin woolen knitted blanket and put it on Winters' shoulders, and then took the deer leg from the little lion's hand: "Let Hesta Let’s bask in the sun quietly.”

"Oh, okay, okay." The little lion smacked his lips.

He squatted next to Winters, watching the white wooden core being sharpened little by little with a knife, and asked: "The spoils of war have been divided. Do you still want your armor?"

Winters shook his head.

"When I found you, you still had a pack of maps in your arms. Do you still want that?"

Winters put down the wooden pick, thought for a moment, and said, "That is an item belonging to one of my elders. Please return it to me."

"No problem." The little lion agreed without hesitation.

The two fell into silence again, and the only sound they could hear was the sound of a knife whittling wood.

The little lion simply sat on the ground, looked into the distance, and said casually: "My brother is back too, and he hasn't joined us yet. I will bring him to see you then."

Winters was noncommittal.

"You should rest." The little lion stood up and said, "I'm leaving."

These days, the little lion often comes to chat with Winters.

It's just that Winters has become more and more silent, and he is not even as lively as he was when he first woke up. He only spoke a few words when he was with Erlun.

After leaving his sister and Winters, the little lion did not return to his felt tent. He took out his horse and galloped eastward with his escort.

He climbed over the hillside and ran along the stream to another camp several kilometers away.

The camp where Winters and Erlen were located was small and not the real "old camp" of the Chihe tribe. Most of them were the surviving old, weak, women and children from the border area, as well as a small number of wounded.

There were only adult men in the camp where the little lion came, and sentries wearing armor and swords could be seen everywhere.

There are also a small number of capable guards with bows and quivers, who are called "quiver warriors".

People on the road greeted him one after another when they saw the little lion, either calling him "little lion" or respectfully calling him "stove master".

In addition to the Chihe tribe members, there were nearly a thousand men tied up in strings with ropes and chains behind the camp.

These men were not wearing Hurd robes, but blood-stained Plato uniforms!

They were captives... and slaves.

The surrounding Hurds threw food at them like pigs. The prisoners scrambled for it like crazy and even fought over it.

As soon as a middle-aged prisoner grabbed the wheat cake with dirt and dry grass, it was snatched away by another skinny prisoner.

The thin prisoner tried his best to stuff the wheat cake into his mouth, regardless of the fists and kicks of the others.

Someone on the other side was screaming: "My hand!"

It was the other people who didn't care to distinguish between their fingers and the wheat cake, bit it in one bite, and swallowed it with blood.

The Hurds who were watching laughed and threw more wheatcakes.

Are the prisoners ashamed?

shame.

But they were so hungry that they were desperate.

For more than ten days, they trekked day after day and received only very little food every day, feeding them like pigs.

If you don't grab it, you'll starve to death.

That sense of hunger is asking them all the time: How much is dignity worth? What is shame?

The Hurds captured a small number of officers, who were held in solitary confinement.

Not only the officers, but also the sergeants have been separated from the prisoners.

Having lost their backbone and being deliberately destroyed, their will has completely collapsed.

An alluring fragrance floated into the nostrils of the prisoners, and everyone couldn't help but stop.

The Hud brought the fragrant roasted lamb in front of them.

The prisoners pounced on the roasted sheep, but were pulled down by the iron chains and ropes on their hands and feet in a blink of an eye, and were forced back by the gleaming spears.

The Hittites pushed out a few more unkempt Platoans.

A sturdy Qing Lingyu walked over, followed by a thin interpreter.

The thin interpreter timidly translated: "Chief Huosui said that these slaves want to escape and must be punished."

The interpreter was also a prisoner, but because he could speak two languages, his situation was much better than the others.

Qing Lingyu scolded him coldly, and the thin interpreter shouted again.

Qing Lingyu was still dissatisfied, and the thin interpreter cried and yelled again.

Qing Lingyu waved his hand, and the quiver beside him brought out the brazier.

They used a red-hot iron awl to pass under the collarbone of the escaped prisoner, and pierced the collarbone of the escaped prisoner like a nose ring on a cow.

The prisoners' screams were horrifying, and the smell of burnt meat wafted in the air.

"Chief Huosui said that anyone who escapes again will not be so lucky and will be killed directly." The thin interpreter yelled at the top of his lungs: "Chief Huosui also said that the wasteland is so big that no matter where you go, you will be killed. Catch it back."

The prisoners lowered their heads, and several stared at the interpreter, their eyes full of hatred and anger.

"Chief Huosui wants to single out the capable people among you. The capable people will come to eat barbecue, and the incompetent ones will continue to pick up food from the ground." The thin interpreter's voice was hoarse: "Who among you can Blacksmithing? Who would..."

The little lion looked aside for a while, then walked to the big tent silently.

Because there are no enemies around, the Akagawa camp is no longer a structure of tents surrounding the horses.

The horses were taken outside the camp to forage, and the small tents of each team of ten husbands wrapped the big tent in the center.

On the way, the stag with green feathers [Bo Han] stopped the little lion and walked side by side to the big tent with him.

"The Swift Eagle is dead." The stag whispered and made a gesture of wiping his neck.

"Well, Swift Eagle is a capable person, and his herd is always more prosperous than others." The little lion was a little sad: "But if he plucks his feathers and runs away in battle, he deserves to die."

The stag sighed. After this battle, most of the white lion's "arrows" were killed and injured.

A disgraceful death like Swift Eagle would also result in being deprived of all herds, subjects, and slaves.

But because of this, many positions became available, and the Stag was promoted from Haugkota [centurion] to Arrow.

[Note: "Arrow" in the Hud language represents the leader of Qinglingyu level, which is further divided into "near arrows that shoot short range, and far arrows that shoot long distance". They are both military and civil officials]

When the little lion and the stag walked into the tent, a quiver came out holding a bloody green feather.

It should be the helmet of the Swift Eagle, because the Hud people tabooed the separation of the body and head. If it weren't for the blood feud, even the death penalty would not be beheading.

In the big tent, everyone was sitting around the bonfire, and Qing Lingyu was arguing fiercely.

“The people of Plato are greatly weakened, so it’s a good opportunity to go east to clear grass in the valley!”

"Grey Eyes and the Eaters are gathering war groups to prepare for the plunder this autumn. We should also put up the big banner, otherwise the small tribes that are attached to us will be attracted away!"

"Damn it! I haven't beaten grass in thirty years! It's obvious that we bleed, but you don't take us to eat meat?"

Due to Plato's blockade, everything is lacking in the Great Wasteland.

Once the old enemy was defeated, everyone couldn't wait to go to Plato and grab a piece of it.

It should be noted that the last time the tribes plowed grass and valleys was during the era of Queye Khan, thirty years ago. An entire generation of Hedians had never seen what Plato looked like.

"Let's fight! You bastards!" Tie Feng jumped up and scolded: "The fire is burning to your eyebrows, and you still want to beat the grass? The top priority is to maintain the alliance with the Teldun tribe! Save yourself first!"

All the Qing Lingyu suddenly became quiet.

Tie Feng looked at the white lion and said in a deep voice: "The Terdun tribe has lost many men and horses. We have suffered greater losses than them. We should work together to protect ourselves. Gray Eyes and Healthy Eater said they were going to the grass valley. Who knows? Are you here to destroy us?"

"In my opinion, the one who is warming up the fire has no good intentions." The little lion sat beside the campfire, frowning: "Didn't he take the opportunity to swallow up our thoughts? The three major parts are all poured from the same mold. They are all the same. As greedy and as bad as wolves.”

Tie Feng spread his hands and said helplessly: "Who made the three major tribes the direct descendants of Hongyun Khan? Who made them [descendants of the Jin people]? [successors]? Only they can be the Great Khan, and they think about it all the time. Called sweat.

Can I understand the thoughts of those who are warming themselves to the fire? But a lion bites its throat and a wolf bites its hand. Why don’t we fight lions and wolves? Just be careful. "

"What do you mean by this?" Qing Lingyu immediately became angry and shouted: "Tie Feng! Why do you always want to please the fire-warmer? Who said there are only three major tribes? Why can't the white lion? What? I think you want to defect to the Teldu tribe! Use our Chihe tribe as a gift!"

"What the hell!" Tie Feng was furious, pointing at the opponent's nose, spitting and asking: "If I had bad intentions, would I bring troops to help you? Ten years ago, the Chihe tribe was shoveled like ashes. Ping, who helped the White Lion gather the tribesmen? And who lent troops to the White Lion? Wow! You think my words are unpleasant, so I will lead part of the Yinglin camp now!"

After that, Tie Feng waved his hands and started to leave, but the little lion hurriedly stopped his uncle.

Qing Lingyu on the opposite side was speechless by the barrage of questions, and she lowered her head and sulked.

"Uncle." The silent white lion finally spoke, his hazel eyes like deep pools. He said gently: "I never doubted you. Please don't be angry."

Tie Feng threw away the little lion and sat back angrily by the bonfire. He spoke earnestly to the white lion: "More than a hundred years ago, Hongyun Khan and various tribes killed nine animals and made a blood oath, agreeing that only the descendants of the Jin people can be called Khans. Although times have changed, But there is still such a thing in the hearts of the people.

You must not be in a hurry to express your sweat, and don’t have such thoughts, the tribes will not be convinced! If one day the Chihe tribe unifies the grasslands and you want to be the Great Khan or the Chanyu, I will not say a word. "

"Hahahaha." The white lion looked up to the sky and laughed sadly: "How could I have such thoughts? When I was a child, I just wanted my mother, brothers and sisters to have enough to eat; my mother's brothers and sisters were gone, and the friends who gathered together were also killed. I just want to take revenge. Later, more and more people follow me, and I just want them to live in peace. If the fire-warmer can do it, it doesn't matter if I lead his horse!"

Qing Lingyu around the bonfire was also reminded of sad things, and everyone looked sad.

Unlike other clan tribes that are maintained by blood, members of the Houchihe tribe come from various clans. Because the tribes were separated and their families were destroyed, they gradually gathered under the command of the white lion.

[Note: The Later Chihe Tribe is different from the former Chihe Tribe, which was razed by Arpad’s troops and was dominated by white lion blood relatives]

For thirty years, the Palatuan people continued to attack various tribes, and the tribes whose living space was squeezed attacked each other. I don’t know how many tribes were crushed in the turmoil, and which Hed people have not lost their relatives?

The little lion suddenly jumped up and shouted: "Brother! How can you say this? What is a fire-warmer? He deserves it too?"

"Yes, he is not worthy!" Bai Shi punched his knee hard and said firmly: "He is too greedy and too ruthless. He will only treat us as slaves. I won't hand over the Chihe tribe to him. willing!"

"I don't want to either!" The Qing Ling Yus responded: "Me too! If the three major ministries want to come and attack us, let them come! Beat them to death!"

Tie Feng sat silently, looking very tired.

"First, we must continue to maintain our alliance with the Terdun tribe. It is okay to be their vassal in name. But we will not move to their pastures, let alone camp with them. We must make an agreement with the fire-warmers. , if Haidong and Suzi want to attack us, he doesn’t have to come to help, he only needs to plunder the enemy’s old camp.”

"Woo!" The Qinglingyus beat their chests and shouted in unison, which was a way to express their agreement.

"Uncle." White Lion looked at Tiefeng: "The one who is warming the fire, I would also like to ask you to be an envoy."

Tie Feng was slightly startled. He put away his tired look and said in a deep voice: "Don't worry. In my opinion, even if we don't make an appointment with him, the roaster will go to the other two old camps. We bleed and they eat meat. This kind of thing Things, the fire-warmers are happy to do.”

"Second, the healthy eaters and the gray eyes are not of the same mind. This is an opportunity for them to restrain each other. If words are used in the right place, they can be worth tens of thousands of troops. I have asked the great shaman to go to the eastern part of the sea and the Suzi tribe to fight for They made their interests clear. Although our strength is damaged, whoever we help will win, and whoever we fight will lose. I am willing to reiterate the oath of Hongyun Khan, and only serve the descendants of the Jin people as my khan." White Lion spread his hands: "I am willing to swear again. , Do not sweat in this life, otherwise I am willing to die under thousands of arrows."

The Qing Ling Yus looked at each other a little, but someone broke the silence and said happily: "The great shaman is on our side, so what are we afraid of?"

"Third, this autumn, I do not plan to summon a war group to march eastward to the Grass Valley."

The big tent became quiet, and everyone felt a little regretful: "Can you at least send some people there? It would be a shame not to eat meat."

"Not only do we not go, we also have to persuade the three major ministries not to go." White Lion muttered: "The inside of Plato is like a boiling kettle, relying on the constant victory to relieve the pressure. They suffered a big loss this time, and it was very difficult for them to go." There may be some turmoil. If we rush over with troops, it will make them unite again."

When it comes to strategic issues, everyone has unlimited trust in White Lion. Although a little regretful, they still shouted in unison: "Woo!"

"Fourth, we must find a way to unite the small and medium-sized tribes around us. Although the three major tribes are powerful, they are not weaker than the small and medium-sized tribes when they are kneaded into a group. The leaders of the Dog Soldiers Department and the Black Water Department are willing to persuade the tribes for us. .”

"Woo!"

"There is one last thing." The white lion smiled: "Follow the old rules and divide the spoils."

"Woo!!!" Cheers broke through the tent and reached into the sky.

For the Hird wars - or raids, the two words are the same in the Hird language - the most important thing is the spoils.

The most severe punishment, second only to the death penalty, is deprivation of spoils of war.

What do the Hedians call booty?

Everything.

carriage? nice one!

tent? nice one!

Iron tools? nice one!

Armor weapons? It could not be better!

Everything that the Plataeans discarded was good to the Hittites.

But there are only three things that can really be recorded in the accounts: men, horses and armor.

The war songs of the Hurd tribes will not tell how many gold and silver cloths were snatched, but they will definitely record how many men, horses and armor were seized.

After the Battle of Styx, the coalition forces basically disbanded.

The white lion did not want to cross the river to pursue, and the others wanted to cross the river to pursue but were unable to organize it. Even if White Lion wanted to, he lacked the ability.

The Huds failed to capture the mules and horses, as they were all taken away by Szekely.

There is a lot of armor, plate armor and pierced armor exceed Wanling.

The plate armor belonged to the Palatine Army, and the armor was captured from the Hed tribes by the Palatine Army.

There are also many hot and cold weapons, such as muskets and swords.

For the Hurd tribes who were in the cold weapon stage, the combat effectiveness of armored soldiers and unarmored soldiers was not the same.

So armor is a treasure. A piece of armor can be passed down for several generations, from one tribe to another. Plate armor is the treasure among treasures.

According to the prior agreement, the armor of each tribe was returned to each other - there were marks on the armor leaves, and the Plato plate armor was divided according to the amount of effort.

Combined, the Chihe tribe obtained nearly three thousand sets of armor, and they also shed the most blood.

Although the tribes were jealous, they were not allies one second and then slashing at each other with swords the next.

In addition to armor and weapons, there are also slaves.

Although the Platuan people destroyed the bridge to temporarily block the pursuers, they also left the people and horses on the west bank who had not had time to cross the river.

The various tribes captured more than 2,600 prisoners, most of whom were auxiliary soldiers and were wounded.

According to the market situation in previous years, the value of Platuan slaves was very high, because in the past thirty years, the Hud people had no chance to capture Platuan slaves.

The Hed tribes captured Plato slaves and, in addition to daily work, mainly let them farm.

Yes, there is arable land in the wasteland, and the Hed people also need crops to supplement their food sources.

In order to prevent the Platuan slaves from escaping, the leaders of the tribes even married the Platt slaves to female Hird slaves.

If they were skilled slaves such as blacksmiths, stonemasons, and carpenters, their value would be even higher.

But the time is not right now. The Hittites captured the Plato slaves to ask them to farm, but now it is past the sowing season.

Too many were captured and captured at once, and the value of the Plato slaves was rapidly depreciating.

The Hede tribes simply distributed the work directly by head without distinguishing between craftsmen and laborers.

The Red River tribe still had more than a thousand sheepskin bags on hand, so the White Lion arranged for people to work as boatmen on the Styx River, collecting captives as boat fare - there were tribes who were not satisfied with the harvest and wanted to cross the river to pursue them.

The leaders of the various tribes are all very shrewd. It should be noted that almost all the elites of Plato's army are on the east coast.

Chasing a man to death was nothing more than a pair of plate armor - the Platoans would never have the strength to take away the body and armor again.

Because of this, in the chase battle in the 100-kilometer no-man's land, the Hed people were united by tribes, instead of the "coalition forces" like before.

Other tribes may not need prisoners, but the Chihe tribe, which has lost many tribes, is in urgent need of supplementary labor force.

So the Chihe section had thousands of prisoners, and they needed to take these slaves back and try not to let them die on the way.

All of the above are allocated at the coalition level. Within the tribe, there is another division.

Many leaders simply do not share the spoils of war with their subordinates, especially when the spoils are mainly military supplies.

But the spoils of the Akagawa tribe will be distributed to everyone as much as possible, no matter how much.

Each member of the tribe can receive his own share, and the family members of the deceased also receive pensions.

This may result in a slave having multiple owners, and according to the established rules of the Chihe tribe, one of the owners can be redeemed.

If they couldn't afford it, everyone would share a slave.

The Red River Army's will is much firmer than other troops, partly because the White Lion is fair and willing to share the spoils with everyone.

[Note: The concept of trophies is not limited to war, hunting prey is also a trophy. The distribution of spoils is an important part of Hurd society]

The Qing Ling Yus happily counted the details with their fingers.

"What do you want? Little lion?" Tie Feng asked.

"Me?" The little lion smiled: "I only want a Veneta person."

…

The Venetian man whom the little lion said was currently making a pulley block.

Winters had no other tools but a knife.

The tribal healer said he needed to move his knees and ankles, little by little, to avoid getting to the root of the disease.

Erlun assisted Winters in his "rehabilitation" every day.

But given Winters' height and weight, it was difficult for Erlun to just support him.

Moreover, she usually has to take care of Winters' daily life, and Winters really can't bear to see her working so hard.

Winters had to make a set of pulleys and hang them from a brace so he could move his knees and ankles on his own.

It also allows him to move his upper body muscles.

He still had things to do and couldn't just lie here.

…

At the same moment, the castles of the kings.

Under the afterglow of the sun, Arpad led two guards and rode into the city.

The remnants of the expeditionary force have returned to Plato for more than a week and are currently stationed at the Plato army distribution center, which is where Winters set out - Shuangqiao Camp.

Although he has returned to his homeland, the situation is even more severe than in the wilderness.

The expeditionary force was not disbanded, not only the standing army was not disbanded, but also the auxiliary troops were not disbanded.

Not only that, Arpad also took over the garrison of Shuangqiao Camp and recruited militia.

His appeal is simple: "First, resolve the issue of pensions for the expeditionary force."

Before the war, the army headquarters and the standing officers and soldiers agreed that all rewards would be distributed in the form of land.

The expeditionary force brought back countless ears of Hurd barbarians. They had fought bloody battles and should be honored.

"Second, mobilize the troops and prepare for war. This battle has not been lost, and the Platuan people will fight back again."

Arpad knew very well that the tribes of Hed were like a pack of wolves surrounding a lion.

Now that the lion's deterrent power has weakened, its claws have been broken, and the wolves have begun to move.

Over the past thirty years, the Palatuan people have been able to keep the border prosperous. It's not about defense, it's about offense.

The standing armies of the two legions were scattered along the long border like salt in a lake.

If the barbarians occupy the offensive position, they can launch surprise attacks from various positions, grab a handful and run away.

The Platuan people will face the strategic dilemma of the ancient Muluo Empire. There are wars all over the border and the standing army is exhausted.

The size of the army had to continue to expand, but it could not earn enough profits.

Yes, Plato's standing army is profitable now.

Relying on loans, mortgages, bonds and a variety of dazzling "financial instruments", every war Plato has waged against the Hud tribes in the past thirty years has been a profitable business.

When the army went on an expedition, the land in the no-man's land had been divided, bought and sold, and flowed into the treasury of the army headquarters and the Grand Council as military expenses.

Not to mention the consequences of breach of contract - just thinking about this gave Arpad a splitting headache.

Just by changing from a strategic offensive to a strategic defensive, the Platonic Standing Army would change from a cornucopia to a bottomless pit.

In an open letter sent to the Grand Council, Arpad clearly wrote: "To solve the pension issue of the expeditionary force, I am willing to take off my military uniform, tie my hands, and bear all the responsibility for the failure of this battle. As for General János's I recommend Brigadier General Szekler to take over the position of commander of the Grand Army. He is the only one who can prepare for the next battle."

Arpad thought he had done the right thing - he was not good at failure.

When faced with failure, his first reaction is always "I haven't lost, I have to fight back."

His opinion was also supported by the Plato Army.

Army headquarters dispatched General Adams to the Grand Council to present Arpad's case to all the members.

But in the eyes of the Grand Council, this is betrayal, this is coercion, this is "forcing the palace" - but that's right, because Arpad wants to force the palace.

With resentment, he learned that the pontoon bridge was destroyed, and he immediately sent someone to ask for help.

But the Grand Council only sent him five withdrawal orders.

Arpad became furious when he thought of this incident: "Get rid of your mother! I am bitten by the tail by a barbarian. How can I get away without a fight?"

In his opinion, if the Grand Council could "mobilize quickly, respond quickly, ignore the Hurd raiders, and directly send troops to rescue" as he once requested, he would never be where he is today.

Arpad has made up his mind: he can take the blame and deal with it as he pleases. But this battle is not over yet, and everything he did was for Plato!

And what was the reaction of the Grand Council?

In the view of the members of the King's Castle faction, Arpad Duyaum was tantamount to treason.

The King's Castle faction is mainly composed of citizens. They have always advocated limiting the power of the army and following the example of the Republic of Veneta in bringing all power of the army under the parliament.

In the view of the blue-blood congressmen, although General Arpad did something a little abrupt, his starting point was good and his opinions were correct.

The Blue Bloods trace their roots back to the second phase of the Sovereignty War - the Civil War in the Duchy of Plato, the product of the aristocratic officers who followed the old marshal and integrated into the new republic.

Their base is the vast rural areas, local councils, and the "free people" class who rely on military merit to grant land.

The so-called "free people" are citizens who have the right to participate in the election of parliamentarians.

They must be male, have enough property or merit, and generally play an important role in local life.

The number of "free men" in Plato is currently less than 5% of the total adult men.

As White Lion observes, in times of great success, all internal contradictions can be bridged by victory.

But once the momentum is frustrated, the cracks will become obvious enough that people have to pay attention.

The two factions of MPs quarreled endlessly. One faction firmly demanded that Arpad disband the army unconditionally, while the other faction firmly opposed it.

Full-scale martial arts were staged several times in the Grand Council. Members of the Blue Blood Faction with strong military backgrounds beat up the members of the King's Fort Faction and fled in panic.

In the end, both sides reluctantly reached a compromise.

The Grand Council decided to agree to Arpad's request: to pay for the remnants of the expeditionary force - although it was not yet clear where to find the money; and to appoint Sackler as the commander of the Grand Army - but agreed that the real commission order would be issued by the army headquarters.

Arpad needs to disband his army and report to the Grand Council.

Arpad was filled with emotions as he rode across the suspension bridge. He has walked here many times, triumphant among cheers and flowers.

At that time, he was a hero, proud of the spring breeze, smiling broadly, wearing bright clothes and riding an angry horse through the long street.

But this time when he walked into the King's Castle, he would be a criminal when he came out.

But he will not become a criminal. He has worn this military uniform all his life and is too lazy to take it off.

The small poison bottle was placed in the secret pocket over his heart.

After debriefing, he would drink it in one gulp in front of all the deputies before the guards arrested him.

"Poison to death? It's an advantage for me." He thought.

He willingly took responsibility for the failure of this battle - yes, not a war, but a battle.

In Arpad's view, this was just a part of the battle in a war. He had not lost yet, nor had he lost the war, nor had Plato lost.

"Yasin, you kid." Arpad recalled the past and couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly: "I really learned a lot... But why don't you come to Plato with me? Oh, why didn't I force him to stay? What about in Plato?”

He reached out to touch the wine bottle out of habit, but found it empty again.

"That kid... should be dead." Arpad suddenly thought of the proud Veneta man: "He was still so young, and I promised to let him go home, but I killed him."

He felt like he was aging rapidly, and every breath he took was more exhausted than the previous one.

The stone-paved street was quiet, with no one around.

Suddenly, a man jumped out of the alley. There were blood stains on his clothes. He grabbed Arpad's reins tightly: "Duyaom! Let's go! Let's go!"

The two guards were shocked and pulled out their sabers.

It was dark, but Arpad could still make out who the man in front of the horse was.

Because the man in front of him was his biological brother, the Chairman of the Grand Council—Arpad Kleinheisler.

"What did you do?" Arpad immediately wanted to dismount: "Why is there blood on you!"

"Come on! They are going to kill you! Kill us!" Kleinheisler cried and pushed his brother onto the horse.

"boom!"

There was a gunshot.

Kleinheisler became silent, and the back of his head was smashed into pieces. Red and white splattered all over Arpad, and he slowly fell to the ground.

Arpad stood frozen on the spot, and his brother's hand slipped from his.

More gunfire.

There were also the sounds of footsteps and horse hooves.

"Kill without mercy!"

"Don't leave Arpad!"

"Dead or alive!"

Arpad yelled frantically. He drew his saber and went up to fight for his life.

Two guards stopped in front of him, forced his horse to turn around, and kicked his horse hard.

Arpad's horse galloped towards the city gate carrying him.

Two of his guards rushed towards the incoming enemy.

The drawbridge was slowly rising, and Arpad stabbed the horse hard in the ribs.

Just before the slope of the suspension bridge was about to become unscalable, Arpad's horse jumped out of the bridge, flew over the moat, and landed heavily on the ground.

Immediately, the war horse disappeared into the night carrying Arpad.

Szekely and Grove David, the leader of the parliamentarians of the Kings Castle, rushed to the city gate.

Grove was furious and slapped the gatekeeper hard. He yelled: "How could you let him run away!"

Something unexpected happened. The sound of horse hooves got closer and closer, and Arpad came back.

He reined in his horse in front of the moat and asked angrily: "Szekler! Are you still there?"

"I am." Sackler replied expressionlessly.

"traitor!!!"

"No!" Szekler's voice was cold and firm: "I am only loyal to the Republic!"

Arpad laughed desperately, took out the poison bottle, smashed it into pieces, and rode away.

At the same time, the special envoy sent by Grove was rushing to the Shuangqiao camp carrying the "Grand Council Order".

The rumble of thunder resounded throughout the fields, and the lightning illuminated the night like day.

The monsoon is coming.

[As to whether Arpad will be liquidated, the answer can finally be given: Of course. Not only did the book lovers know that he would be liquidated, but even he himself knew that he would be liquidated]

[And, in a strategic sense, the Battle of the Great Waste is similar to the Battle of Teutoburg Forest, or the legendary battle of the destruction of the Ninth Legion (the field troops in the British Isles were completely wiped out, Rome officially switched to strategic defense, and built Hard Liang Great Wall), and of course Saarhu... It is different from the Westward Expansion Movement. The gap in strength between the two sides is not as wide as the Westward Expansion Movement. The enemy is also much more difficult to deal with...]

Thanks to book friends for reading, subscribing, recommending tickets, monthly tickets, tips and comments, thank you all.

Yesterday's debt was paid off today, and I still owe two chapters.

The natives of Plato have their given names last and their surnames first. Same as us.

When written formally, it will be reversed - in order to adapt to the alliance's official document writing format.

Immigration is still "first name first, last name last".