A group of about 200 villagers, armed with ordinary's long forks, bows and arrows, and a sharpened long log, blocked the entrance of the village, preventing the imperial cavalry from entering the village, all with angry and angry expressions on their faces, staring at Azelio and them with extremely resentful eyes. Pen, fun, and www.biquge.info

Why are these villagers so hostile to us? After a moment of thought, Azeglio understood that this was on the edge of the county of East Garmont, and that the army of Aruton coming south might be affected by the flames of war, and the originally peaceful village would also be harmed. The Aruton army was not as disciplined as the Carlos army, and the Prince of Selivia was not able to restrain his noble generals, so he must have burned and looted along the way. The villagers, who had been ravaged by the Arutun army, saw that another army was coming in, and finally they could no longer bear the looting and humiliation, and they rose up angrily to resist - even the tamed animals that were forced to bite people, let alone people?

In fact, in the continental war, it was an unwritten rule in the army to allow soldiers to loot the captured areas and plunder gold, silver, treasures and beautiful women, and this was also a means for generals to win the hearts of the army -- after all, these soldiers abandoned their wives and children, were far away from their homes, were born and died, and could not see the sun of tomorrow at any time, and under the shadow of death and all kinds of heavy pressure, they could not be supported by loyalty alone. Satisfying the soldier's desire for an understandable choice and a matter of course. In addition, it is also used as a kind of revenge for the stubborn resistance of the city, killing chickens and monkeys, and intimidating people. Even Carlos, who was known for his wisdom, had no shortage of massacres of cities, but he did not indulge his soldiers too much, nor did he plunder unrelated cities and villages in his path.

And the only one who really did nothing in the autumn was Alexander's new imperial army, Alexander, who was extremely cruel to the nobles and troops who rebelled against him, and the brutality and depth of the killing made the hearers frightened and the spectators cold, but he was quite lenient and benevolent to the common people, and would not slaughter the unarmed people casually, even in the bloody purges after his siege, he tried not to affect the general public. Alex said to his soldiers more than once: "If the sword does not add to the common people, the crime is not as good as that of Li Shu, and those who violate this order in our army will be immediately beheaded!" On the other hand, he was extremely generous in the distribution of the goods confiscated after the destruction of the country and the city, half of which was used to reward even the lowliest soldiers, and the other half was collected into the treasury and not into his own pockets—this kind of fairness and honesty and clear rewards and punishments enabled him to establish an unparalleled prestige in the army, and to gain absolute support and support. For the soldiers of the empire, they could not only gain a good reputation of respect for the common people, but also maintain the honor of the soldiers, and they could also get rich rewards, they were loyal, and the soldiers followed their emperor to fight the world with all their hearts.

At this time, the villagers began to throw stones at the Imperial soldiers, while shouting: "Leave our village immediately!" Mix! Mix! Mix! All bastards - you robbers! ”

"Even if the robbers still have handouts, you armies only know how to plunder, and they are not even as good as robbers!"

"You bandits who are not as good as pigs and dogs, you have looted everything last time, and now you are back? Do you still want people to live? ”

"We're fighting with you! Avenge the women who have been killed by you*! ”

One of them, a slender and slender girl of about 16 years old, said in a poignant voice: "Give me back my father and mother!" "She had a good sword of great quality in her hand.

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After figuring out the joints, Azelio turned over and dismounted, walked over to the angry villagers, plunged his saber into the ground, and faced the villagers with his bare fists, not angry at the villagers' insults, but said gently: "We are not the Aruton troops who once harassed you, nor are we the Jacobite army who enslaved you - we are the disciplined Imperial Army!" ”

Azeglio has a convincing bearing, although the hardship and toil of the past few days have made his face haggard, and the original handsome face is also covered with a thick beard due to the inability to care about grooming, but it does not reduce his elegant temperament and general demeanor, and the kind words also make the villagers eliminate some of the hostility, everyone invariably quieted down, but the color of vigilance and doubt has not changed.

"You're a liar! The Imperial Army is trapped in the city of East Garmont, and it is impossible to appear here! One of the old men, who looked like the village chief, said in a tone of disbelief.

Azelio raised his left hand lightly and said in a majestic voice: "We are truly the Imperial Army, the glorious army of His Majesty the Great Emperor Alexander!" If you don't believe me, please look at the insignia and flag of our army! ”

But he saw a middle-aged man with a slightly bookish atmosphere coming in line, walked up to the imperial cavalry, looked at it for a while, then turned to face the villagers, and said excitedly: "Fire Phoenix Banner, Two-winged Tiger Emblem - they are really Imperial King Divisions!" When I was in the imperial capital, I admired the Imperial Army! ”

The villagers immediately laid down their arms and cheered, which showed that the Imperial Army was extremely popular among the civilians, which was also the result of Alec's painstaking management.

Azelio said at the right time: "We are just passing through your village, and we want to borrow land for a night, and we have no intention of harming your village. Please rest assured - our army strictly abides by His Majesty's strict orders and will never disturb the people! On the contrary, we are here to expel the rebels who have brought disaster to the country and the people! ”

The Imperial soldiers were happily welcomed into the village by the villagers.

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After setting up camp in the village, Azelio couldn't help but hesitate about the matter of grain and grass - at first, he did plan to collect grain and grass from the villagers to solve his urgent needs, and he intended to use it, but at this time, he became hesitant in the face of the villagers' trust and expectation. The villages that had been devastated by the Aruton army were already in dire straits, and how could there be any surplus food to supply the Imperial army? If you forcibly collect the little food that the villagers have, then you will be taking food from the hungry people -- how can you do such a unconscionable thing? In that case, the prestige of the people that His Majesty had worked so hard to build up for the Imperial Army and that Ze was in the east would be lost, and it would be difficult for the Empire to govern the eastern counties in the future......

Just as Azelio was struggling to make up his mind, the village chief Walter and several villagers came to him, along with the middle-aged man who had confirmed their identities at the entrance of the village, and several young hunters.

The village chief took the initiative to offer food for the imperial army, it turned out that although they were located in a remote area, many of the children in the village were living outside the village and had seen the world, among them, the middle-aged man with a bookish atmosphere named Daser had lived in the imperial capital for a period of time, and his knowledge was even more extraordinary, so after learning the news of the outbreak of war, he understood that the iron cavalry was there, and the village would not be spared, so he secretly hid most of the grain of this year's harvest in the cave. Walter even offered to raise more food and grass for the Imperial army to travel to nearby villages.

With the help of the villagers, Azelio was ecstatic, as if he had seen the dawn of hope, and expressed his gratitude to the village chief.

At this time, Daser suddenly said: "The general has come from afar, but to relieve the danger of His Majesty's imperial capital?" ”

Azeglio didn't hide it, and nodded calmly to show his intentions.

"That's right, the young hunters in our village are familiar with the environment and paths in this area, if the general needs it, they are willing to lead the way for the general, and lead the imperial king to take a shortcut to the back of the Arutun army, although the road is rugged, but it is better to be secret, and the foot can be saved by half, it only takes less than two weeks."

Azeglio was even more overjoyed, and couldn't help but say excitedly: "Thanks to your village's food donation and guidance, it can be described as a deep kindness!" I, Your Majesty Azeliod, on behalf of the Empire, would like to say to you: Thank you! Please accept Azelio's bow! ”

After speaking, he bowed deeply to everyone.

Walter and Darther hurriedly helped Azelio up, and the chief of Walter said, "Don't do this great gift, General!" We are also the people of the empire, the rise and fall of the country, the husband is responsible, although we live in the borderland, we dare not forget the country! There was the James Rebellion in our village, with heavy taxes and harsh taxes, and it was miserable; Later, the Aruton army was harmed, burned, killed, looted, and suffered many disasters...... The villagers are all eager to get out of the sea of misery and return to the empire, and now the general has led the king and his army to the army, not hesitating to risk his life and drain blood on the battlefield, in order to expel the tiger and wolf, loyally protect the lord, stabilize the country, and save the people of Li from the deep fire and water - this is the true benevolence and righteousness, and the majesty of the heavens! What is our little help in comparison? This is the duty of the people of the Empire......"

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Azelio's 4,000 imperial cavalry stayed in this village called "Calga" for three days, on the one hand, to rest and recuperate, after all, after a long journey, the physical exertion was very great, and most of the time in a semi-starved state of marching, was already exhausted, even the iron body could not bear such fatigue and tossing; On the other hand, it is necessary to replenish food and revise tactics and strategies based on environmental information and shortcuts provided by the villagers.

On this day, Azelio was walking in the wilderness in the mountains behind the village, but he met a village girl unexpectedly.

Azeglio recognized her at a glance as the delicate girl who cried to him in a mournful voice, "Give me back Daddy and Mommy". At that time, the grief-stricken accusation and the slender and graceful image of the girl left a deep impression on him.

"General!" The girl called him, and her voice was as melodious as the chirping of a oriole.

"Hello Miss! Is there anything wrong? The famous general of the empire, who had received a good aristocratic upbringing and a gentlemanly demeanor since childhood, politely owed a debt to greet her.

"I apologize to the general for my rude behavior at the entrance of the village...... "The girl gently grabbed the hem of the plain dress with both hands, crossed her legs in front of her, leaned forward with her head bowed, and then bent down and knelt down, which was actually a standard aristocratic lady salute to Azelio, which surprised Azelio, who did not expect that an ordinary village girl would also understand aristocratic etiquette.

After the girl finished her salute, she said in a low, slightly trembling voice, "Your Excellency...... Are you willing to forgive the little girl for her recklessness and disrespect for a while? ”

Azelio smiled gently, "I don't mean to blame Miss, it's just a misunderstanding. ”

"Thank you, General!" The girl also smiled, maybe it was because of her bleak background, there was always a faint sadness in her smile, "I'm just a lowly village girl, please don't call me Miss...... My full name is Emma Covia, and if the generals don't dislike it, call me Emma! ”

"Emma, don't call me a general, I'm Azelio." Azelio said, but suddenly the conversation changed, "Alright, Emma! Now that we've known each other, we're friends. Can you tell me what you're looking for now? You've been following me for a while......"

Emma, the girl who had been exposed to her little tricks, couldn't help but blush, and said, "Mr. Azelio, I have no ill intentions...... You can't blame me, do you? ”

It turned out that Emma had often wandered around the camp of the Imperial Army in the past two days, but she didn't dare to go in to find Azelio, so she had to stay outside, hoping that Azeglio would get out of the camp. At this time, Emma couldn't help but feel weak, peeked at Azelio's expression, and found that there was no blame on his face, so she felt at ease, but found that Azelio was so young and handsome after grooming and removing his beard, exuding a mature manly atmosphere, with a tall body and a compelling momentum, he was even more heroic.

It was only when she came into contact with Azelio's inquiring and playful gaze that she realized her gaffe—she had been looking at the fine man in a daze, and her face couldn't help but turn red again.

Azeglio was also looking at this girl who was prone to blushing but talked extraordinarily: her skin was white, her body was thin and slender, her delicate melon seed face was fluttering with a faint red glow at this time, her crescent eyebrows crossed the soft lines, the black and long fan-shaped eyelashes on her eyes were gently covered with a pair of apricot eyes like autumn water, and under her straight and beautiful nose was a small cherry mouth bent into a laugh line, and her white teeth were exposed when she smiled, and there were two small pear vortices next to her cheeks. But even when Emma was smiling, there was always a hint of sadness on her face, and her thin and slender body seemed so weak that Azeglio couldn't help but feel pity.

At this time, Emma finally mustered up the courage and said, "Mr. Azelio, I heard that you are going to fight the Aruton army, can you ...... Can you take me with you...... too?"

Under the wind of the late autumn forest, Emma gently told him about her tragic experience: although the villagers were mentally prepared for the arrival of war, they did not expect that Arudon's troops would come so quickly - one evening, a cavalry force of about 200 people, led by a cavalry captain, suddenly attacked the village, and this army, which was supposed to attack the city with Aruton's army, burned and looted in the name of collecting food and grass, and all the way down, they reached this originally quiet mountain village, and not only swept away the valuable items, And when she saw a village woman with a slight appearance, she was ravaged on the spot. Emma's mother was brutalized to death by the cavalry captain and several cavalrymen, and her father, who was humiliated by his beloved wife, resisted, but was cut off in the head by the cavalry captain. And the reason why Emma was able to survive is because at the moment when the army entered the village, her parents hid her in the dark compartment at the bottom of the stove, when the army ransacked, Emma crawled out of the bottom of the stove, but witnessed the tragic death of her parents, she couldn't help but be grief-stricken, she passed out, and after being rescued by the villagers, she didn't eat or drink for several days, and washed her face with tears all day long, and then fell seriously ill and almost died.

Listening to Emma's tragic experience, looking at the poor girl begging for help in her to avenge her, and the sad expression on her beautiful face full of tears, Azelio's heart was full of tenderness, and the idea of protecting this lonely girl arose......

"Emma, I promised to avenge your parents, but I can't take you with me - I'm in danger of dying on this march, and military life is extremely difficult, and with a group of us men, you are a weak girl, it is difficult for me to take care of you thoroughly...... said Azelio.

"Mr. Azelio, please take me there!" Emma raised her little face, stared at him with a persistent gaze, and said stubbornly, "I won't be a burden to you!" I'm sixteen years old, I know how to take care of myself, and I don't cause anyone else any trouble! And I went to school, and learned horsemanship, and swordsmanship—my father was an imperial official in Constantin, but he resigned from his position unwilling to serve James's Eastern Capital, and took my mother and me to a distant relative in the village of Calga, and I wanted to live a dull life of seclusion, but unexpectedly misfortune struck......"

"Well, you can follow me from now on! We go on a blind date as brother and sister, and I will take good care of you! After the war is over, I will take you back to the imperial capital, so that you can re-enroll and receive the best education - if you stay in this mountain village, you will be buried, and you should have a better future! Azelio was deeply touched by Emma's sad background, mournful expression, and strong performance. A sixteen-year-old girl, in the flowering season, should be living a carefree life, with countless beautiful visions for the future, but in the mood for love, she suddenly encountered a tragic change...... In the depths of Azelio's heart, a string was plucked—and the steel became a finger twist......

"Brother Aze!" Emma called sweetly, but suddenly her eyes turned red, and tears could not help but burst out of her eyes, and she couldn't help but throw herself into Azelio's arms, burying her head in his chest and crying.

"Sister, don't be sad...... Big brother will protect you well so that you will not have to be sad in the future! Azeglio patted her softly on the back and comforted her softly.

"I'm not sad...... I'm so happy - because Emma has relatives again......"

Emma suddenly realized that the two were too close, but Azelio's firm and warm embrace made her extremely affectionate, and Azelio also noticed that it was inappropriate, but he was unwilling to let go of this warm feeling. Both of them fell silent in unison, only to hear each other's heartbeats violently.

In this tranquil mountain village, spring belongs to Azelio, so he skips the twilight of autumn and crosses the winter to come to the world in advance......

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On December 7th, Azelio and Emma bid farewell to the village of Calga, and under the guidance of the Orion of Calga, led 4,000 light horsemen along the hidden shortcut between the mountains, forests and hills, and after more than ten days of rapid marching, they unknowingly appeared in the rear of Eden's army.

Just as Azelio was about to launch a surprise attack, he discovered that there was an unusual move in Eden's army - the entire Eastern Capital suddenly changed the situation......

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