Mercenaries and Adventurers

A large number of militiamen walked wearily with torches, and behind them, donkey carts followed one after another.

After running for a whole day, these animals lost the energy they had when they set out in the morning. They were exhausted and let humans drive them, hoping to find a place to rest as soon as possible.

Team after team of militiamen entered the cleared area under the command of the leading Rumi knight. Every team of militiamen gathered together, sitting back to back on the ground, beating their calves, or taking off their boots, looking back and forth at the soles of their feet or the soles of their boots after walking all day.

More, they are more sorry for the wear and tear of the boots.

After all, the vast majority of militiamen don't have the money to buy a pair of such 'well-made' boots.

In their respective villages and hometowns, they at most bought a small piece of animal leather leftovers from hunters who had hunted prey, and used layers of leather as soles to barely make a pair of limp ordinary fur shoes.

Few villagers have mastered skilled leathermaking techniques, so these fur shoes often wear out after a while. Every family only prepares a pair of these things for their own children who are barefoot all day when the boys and girls at home become adults, as a kind of adult gift.

Everyone will only take out the preserved shoes from the wooden box at home during festivals or celebrations, walk out of the house decently, exchange greetings with poor neighbors as in the past, and join the celebration.

Young boys and girls often dress themselves up at this time, and then expect to meet, socialize, and start a family with their beloved each other in various activities.

And the elders in charge of each family need such a decent moment, to give them some dignified people who are afraid to talk to them when they usually see them, with respect in clothes. Often at this time, they will open their mouths to talk to those big shots about the difficulties encountered in their work, hoping that the big shots will show mercy or help.

After the logistics convoy stopped in the open space, the town militiamen who drove the vehicles immediately unshackled the animals, and then led them to the place where hay and water tanks had already been prepared to feed and drink the animals.

The clerks accompanying the army commanded teams of militiamen to set up tents on the spot. Everyone was busy. Driven by exhaustion and sleepiness, everyone couldn't wait to fall asleep.

This is of course impossible.

Someone has to keep watch in the camp, right?

In terms of sentry arrangements, Knight Crowe and Knight Rumi both believed that the first half of the night should be handed over to some militiamen for sentry, and in the critical second half of the night, more reliable town guards should be used as sentries.

Some militiamen who had just unloaded their equipment were cursing and could only put on their equipment again. They yawned and came to various parts of the camp. Some lined up and shuttled through the camp, while some sat on the top of some vehicles. Arrows of crossbow bolts were distributed, some people stood with torches, and some sat cross-legged on the carriage without torches, as secret sentries.

The town guards under Knight Crowe went to rest in their tents except for those who guarded the damned fake merchants.

After everything was settled, Knight Crowe patted Keir's chest: "I planned to conduct a test, but if something like that happened, let's talk about the test later. Go back to the tent and go to bed early."

Keir frowned: "My lord, what is the purpose of those people? And who is the person behind it?"

After staring at Kiel for a while, Knight Crowe looked at the brightly lit north gate of the checkpoint not far from the south, and said slowly: "There is a lot involved in this, and you should not know it. Go back and rest, and I will definitely give it to you tomorrow." It's for testing. After you have passed a series of tests and I have mastered your abilities, the formal knight training will begin. Are you ready? This method is not easy, and you need to suffer more .”

Kiel didn't hesitate: "Get ready. To become a strong man like you, no matter how hard you suffer!"

Kiel is full of confidence. After all, he worked very hard in order to study in his previous life. He has experienced many mental and physical hardships. He has gone through all those things, and he is very confident in experiencing these things in this life.

The knight nodded and waved Kiel away.

In the center of the camp is where the tents of the baron and the two knights are stationed.

Because he is the knight attendant of Knight Crow, Kiel's tent and carriage are also next to those of Knight Crow.

The horses in his carriage had already been fed and brushed by the knight's two guards. Keel led the horse he had been riding, and came in to greet the two guards guarding the unoccupied camp.

Turning around, it turned out that the two had helped Kiel set up his camp.

Thanks to the two, Keir untied all the saddles and other burdens of the horses, and simply tied the two horses to the pony carriage, then took out his own bedding from the carriage, and spread it out in the tent.

Unarmed and unarmored, Keel crawled into the dog-skin bedding in only his spring singlet.

Although he wanted to think about the fake businessman who wanted to assassinate the baron's troops today, he still couldn't beat the tiredness and fell asleep soon.

-

Knight Crowe didn't sleep, so he didn't return to his tent to rest.

As a strong knight, as long as he wants to, he will not sleep for a long time, and nothing will happen.

He came to the baron's tent, nodded in response to the baron's personal guard who saluted him, he lifted the curtain of the baron's tent and walked in.

When the team entered the camp just now, Knight Crowe greeted the Baron and Knight Rumi, and explained the situation in brief words.

As soon as he came in at this moment, he saw the Baron himself sitting on a folding wooden chair with Knight Rumi, drinking a drink and frowning.

"Crow, what happened?"

The younger knight Rumi was the first to ask the question. He and the baron's team walked behind and took care of each other, so the news was the same.

Knight Crowe didn't go to sit on the wooden chair, just sat where he was, frowning and explained the ins and outs of the matter.

"Damn fat man! I knew he didn't have a good idea. As a great nobleman, he can only use such indecent methods." The baron threw the drink cup in his hand to the ground.

The brazier in charge of lighting in the camp center was almost extinguished by these drinks.

"grown ups?"

A servant with attendants outside the camp asked questions.

But soon the baron said it was okay: "It's okay, you don't need to come in, just stay outside."

"Yes, my lord." At this time, the attendants brought by the baron in the battle are the real followers of the Kendall family for many generations. They have been the servants of the Kendall family since the empire period, and they followed all the way to the Kingdom of St. Halls , The entourage of the blue thread is beside the family, and has never betrayed their family, so Baron Kendall and the others never shy away from the entourage of the attendants outside the camp.

Knight Crowe will continue the topic: "Although the method is indiscriminate, if it succeeds, well, the effect is hard to say, but there must be a lot of trouble."

Knight Rumi answered: "For example, it will consume additional divine power of the priests accompanying the army."

The baron also continued: "It will still delay time. Once a large number of militiamen fall ill or are exhausted, the speed of the entire team will be greatly reduced."

Knight Crowe answered again: "We will miss the agreed time with the southern border nobles. According to the agreement, if we are late, the final division of interests will be greatly affected."

"How did that guy know these things?" The baron was a little puzzled.

Knight Crowe waved his hand: "Don't fall into skepticism. This time the troops were sent to support the nobles in the southern part of the kingdom to compete for the border iron mines. It is impossible for the other party to know. Although it is impossible and will not be possible for the Earl to send troops to join forces, some scouting news The spies are probably indispensable."

"That's right. Those people recruited connections in the kingdom last fall. Everyone knows about it. Well, it's nothing. However, I can't swallow this breath!" The baron clenched his fist and slammed it on his thigh.

As a result, a magic barrier burst out where the fists and legs met, buffering against his own light smash.

Knight Rumi wanted to say something, but couldn't speak, so he had to look at Knight Crowe and wink at him.

Knight Crowe nodded: "My lord, I have endured so many things over the years, so what if I endured another one? Yes, you have to vent your anger. I can take hundreds of militiamen through the ice flood pass tomorrow." Take it here directly when the time comes."

The baron looked at Knight Crowe with an unpredictable expression on his face.

Knight Crowe was still serious: "But what happened after that? You and the earl have completely torn skins. In the noble council, how should you respond to other people? Oh, the other party sent a few people to disgust our troops and plot to assassinate us. That's why we broke the previous resolution of the parliament and won the Ice Flood Pass, where the benefits are evenly shared?"

"No, but then we have to meet the other party's counterattack. He will use this as an excuse to let the other wolves in the council rush up and tear us apart. I just ask: Are you ready to beat Kendal County to nothing? Are you ready?"

Before the troubled Baron Kendall answered, Knight Crowe pointed to Knight Rumi and himself: "We are ready. If all the militiamen are in a hurry these years, there will be about 3,000 people, and there may be some Militia numbers are repeated over the years, but that doesn't matter, it just means those guys are better trained.

In addition, each farm and village has received simple training, and there are nearly a thousand local militiamen who can barely guard the town. In addition to the urban militia and gangsters in the city, a maximum of 500 people can be drawn to fight. These people have included most of the young men in Kendal County. Of course, if you are willing, you can also let the Saturnalia Church organize the last part of their believers, who are all middle-aged men and women who are strong and able to fight. "

After a moment of relief, Knight Crowe continued: "We still have fortified farms, cities, and villages. Although the Imperial Border Knights on the border will not participate in the disputes among the nobles within the kingdom, they will intervene at the most critical moment and let everyone Enforced truce has this ability too. We fed them for so many years, and this thing can still be done.”

"In addition, the two masters of rivers and lakes, if necessary, the other party also said that they can create sudden floods. On the plains on both sides of the Kendall River, this can also be used as the ultimate means. Just do it like this, Except that Kendall City is safe on the high ground, all the farms outside the city will be destroyed. Of course, the coalition forces of nobles who attack us will also be finished. But they said that in this way, Lake Umi in the northeast of the county will dry up After all, they can't conjure water out of thin air, they can only rush the water of the entire Great Lake into the Kendall River at a critical time, making the river surge like in spring."

After Knight Crowe said so much, Baron Kendall listened nervously at first, but then he closed his eyes and did not intervene or express.

At this moment, Knight Crowe finished speaking, and the baron finally opened his eyes and let out a sullen breath after closing his eyes and thinking.

"Huh, in this way, the accumulation of many years will be finished."

"That's right, but at least he will win. If the Earl leads the team himself, he might die in the war."

Knight Rumi raised the corners of his mouth and said with a smile: "Not only that, maybe the nobles on the northwest border of the entire kingdom will be hit hard. Maybe you can lead a team to fight out?"

Both the Baron and Knight Crowe were amused.

It's not impossible to fight out, but what about after that? It will only usher in a stronger counterattack from the noble council.

If there are no more troops, the other party will report to the capital and let the leader of the aristocratic council, His Excellency the King of the King, send the Knights of the Kingdom or the Knights of the Guards that Claude Knights once served to defeat them.

The Imperial Border Knights may be able to fight against those high-end troops, but as long as they are not fools, who would do this kind of hedging?

"So, I have to endure it?" the Baron asked seemingly aggrieved.

The two knights glanced at each other: "What can you do if you can't bear it? Just bear it."

"Yeah, bear with it. As long as you participate in the fight for the mine veins this time, no matter how much the team loses, you can at least get a substantial discount from the nobles in the south. With enough metal, the weapons and armor used by the army, There are also pioneering and developed agricultural tools that can be made cheaper. Weapons and equipment can be armed to the militiamen who returned from the war, and they will be reorganized. If the situation is good, they will be officially changed into patrol soldiers. And a large number of ironware, You can hire more Saturn priests, let them carry out the big ceremony, strengthen the soldiers, and give them treatment."

The Baron spoke more and more vigorously. With a last breath, he said loudly: "Damn it, I will bear it for the sake of defeating that fat pig who only likes music and treasures in the future."

Knight Crowe chuckled: "If you really can't stand it, why don't you do the job of executing those fake merchants after passing through the Frozen Pass tomorrow?"

The baron hammered Knight Crowe: "Excuse me, I don't want to see them. I dealt with them secretly, don't let one go. The guy sent someone, and we eliminated him secretly. Tell him cryptically, we are not being His low-handed methods can hurt."

"Yes, my lord." The two knights got up and agreed.

-

The next day, it was just dawn.

Everyone rose to the sound of the roaring Kendall River beside the camp.

The cooks were the first to get up, after all, they went to bed early last night. After they got up, they first refueled the fire, and then nervously started cooking meals for the entire army.

Every time the team stopped, they would mix wheat flour and make some dough to take with them. At this moment, the slightly sour dough was taken out of the jar and cut into small pieces with the dagger they carried with them. With a pinch of skilled hands, the chefs knead the small piece of dough into a wheat cake.

The wheat cakes made of rough flour look bad, but they are baked on the iron plate over the fire, and then a large number of wheat cakes are placed on the iron plate, but when you go out to urinate, these cakes will swell . The chefs turned them over with wooden shovels, and a strong smell of burnt wheat grains lured the militiamen who had just woken up from the camp.

The yawning militiamen lined up next to the carriages with large buckets and filled their respective kettles with clean water, and then they were attracted by the smell of wheat cakes and thick soup. Amidst the scolding, they lined up according to the size of the team, gathered in various cooking places, and waited for the meal.

The thick soup with chunks of fat is extra delicious. If it wasn’t for the fact that the team would pass through the Ice Pass and the logistics vehicles would be replenished, the cooks and logistics clerks wouldn’t give them such an open meal full of energy. What about the chunks of fat?

While everyone was eating, some of Crow's knights from the town guard drove a wagon through the camp. The carriage was full of bolts from a small barrel of bolts.

The most deadly crossbow arrows have not been issued to the militia before, and the distribution has officially begun at this time.

Of course, there was no intention of guarding against the soldiers of Bingxun Pass at all. It was just because they left Kendall County and entered the territory of other nobles because they left Bingxun Pass and went south.

Of course, even though I have already greeted the other party in advance, and I will take the business road where caravans frequently travel, I will pass through many cities along the way, and there will be more towns and villages, so there will be no problem with supplies.

But after all, it was a formal army passing through the opponent's territory, and those nobles would also send soldiers to accompany and monitor the baron's large army along the way.

Prevent Baron Kendall from doing anything to destroy the country by false means.

Although there is no such idiom here, the meaning is the same, and such things were often done among feudal nobles.

Each militiaman was given a barrel of crossbow arrows, thirty of them, which were enough for short-term battles and crusade against bandits.

After distributing the crossbow bolts, the Rumi knights began to organize the team, asking everyone to bring their things and not to leave anything behind. It's best not to leave anything but rubbish.

Knight Crowe stayed with Baron Kendall, and Keir stood silently behind the knight.

"My lord, wait a moment, are you in the team, or are you going to meet those idiots with me?"

Knight Crowe was blunt. After all, in his opinion, those who manage the Ice Flood Pass are really useless eaters who rely on nepotism.

It's not that relying on family ties or nepotism is not enough, but Bingxun Pass is an important place, and the earl who they have drawn as an enemy has only sent such a bunch of wine bags and rice bags to manage it, which really makes him unconvinced.

A few years ago, if the earl hadn't relied on his status to rob this place, this would have been the territory promised to him by the baron~www.readwn.com~ If the family can completely control this place, there will be no shortage of wealth and strength.

Although Knight Crowe is not confident in making this place more prosperous, at least he will not allow any bandits to exist near Bingxun Pass.

With the help of his attendants, the baron rode on his war horse in colorful 'clothes' and waved his hand: "Go, I don't want to talk to those guys now. Remember that matter, and deal with it secretly."

He glanced at the fake businessmen who were **** by the guards not far away.

These people were being **** by the guards, and then they were forced into the logistics vehicles while these people were writhing.

Everyone is very relaxed. After all, no one is going to check the army's vehicles unless he wants to live.

"Okay. Keel, follow up."

After speaking, Knight Crowe took Keel to ride a horse.

After riding on the horses, the two still ordered the guards and militiamen from yesterday, and dozens of people walked towards the north gate of Bingxun Pass one step ahead of the large army.

-

The north gate of Bingxun Pass has been opened ahead of time, and there are only a small number of soldiers at the gate blocking the business travelers who want to pass through the gate.

Knight Crowe snorted, and then led people through the north gate of the checkpoint.

Keir still remembered that the last time he went out from here, he brought a large amount of coins back to Kendall City. He also fought with some gangsters who were open-eyed to money, and killed some blind-eyed guys.

He actually likes this place quite a bit. Compared with the regular and orderly Kendall City, although it is more chaotic here, relatively, there are more opportunities here.

He got a lot of wealth from the bandits related to Bingxun Pass.

Pat the long sword on his waist, most of the cost of this guy's reforging materials is earned from here.