Three of the four days of the journey from Sapsburg to Midsummer City were on the way to climb the mountain, even if Art was a man who was accustomed to hardship, he was tired, not to mention the war horse under him, he knew that he would have to go up and down through so many large and small peaks, Art would not come on a war horse at all, maybe it would be more appropriate to ride a mule, at least he would not feel distressed.

He really couldn't bear to let Jin Gui's war horse suffer on the last stretch of the road, so he ordered all the guards to dismount and walk to save horsepower.

"Father-in-law, these roads are so rugged and difficult to navigate, how did the heavy midsummer wine be transported out of the country using this mountain road? Could it be that the road on the southern slope is smoother than on the northern slope? We only had one carriage with us, and it was a struggle. Yate didn't understand how the Midsummer people used wine for the sea trade was so difficult to get around.

Baron Galwin continued to straddle his horse and beat his waist, and replied, "The road conditions on the southern slope are similar to those on the northern slope, and the heavy goods of the Midsummer people are not transported by mountain roads at all, they are transported by river."

"Huh? River transport? Art was full of doubts.

Seeing that Art was very confused, Galvin explained: "The road leading from Longxia City to the southern continent is difficult to walk, and it is not easy for horse-drawn carriages loaded with heavy goods to pass, but there is a river that flows through Longxia City, and that river flows from the mountains to the western border of Provence below. The merchants of Midsummer put the wine in barrels made of a special hoop iron and threw it from the city of Longxia into the river, and in half a day the barrels filled with fine wine floated down the river to a cargo terminal on the border of Provence called Ransom Beach, where the people of Midsummer collected the goods that had drifted down the mountain. Sometimes they also put some furs, dried fruits, bacon and other things into barrels and float downstream. ”

After hearing the incredulity, Art questioned: "Can this work?" Surely the rapids of the mountain rivers on their way to the lowlands are indispensable, and even the sturdy barrels cannot withstand the impact? Besides, won't the barrels run aground or be intercepted by people along the way after they flow downstream? ”

Galvin laughed and replied, "So, the wine of Midsummer has only begun to become famous in the Southern Continent in the last ten years, because the previous generations of Midsummer rulers have not been able to solve this problem. ”

"And how did they solve it?"

"How? It all starts with a little story. ”

"It is said that twelve years ago, when Flender was thirteen years old, the mischievous Flender took a group of half-grown children from Midsummer City to swim in that river, and a group of guys who were not afraid of death actually swam all the way to the edge of the river, but the river suddenly became turbulent, and a group of people did not have time to go ashore, so they were swept by the river and drifted all the way downstream. When the old Count finally led them to find them, Flender was lying in a river beach near the mountains of Provence, and Flender and the two surviving wild fellows had survived holding on to a rotten log, and the rest of the poor children had all drowned. The tidal flat where Flender came ashore is now the Salvation Beach. ”

"Since then, Flender has changed his sex, become more calm and more intelligent, and it was that year that he came up with a genius idea that completely changed the dilemma of midsummer wines."

Galvin didn't solve Yate's doubts for a long time, "Father-in-law, you haven't said how to solve the problem. ”

"Oh, yes. In fact, the solution is not too complicated, from Midsummer City to the drifting beach there are a total of fifteen large and small sharp bends and dangerous shoals, but wherever it is possible for the barrel to hit the reef bank, there is a buffer wall enclosed by a wooden fence, and when the barrel rushes down from the upstream, it will hit the curved wooden wall and be led downstream, so that it will not be broken; There are no high cliff waterfalls along the way, and those low waterfalls are also deep pools below, and the barrels cannot be broken. As for your concern that barrels will be intercepted and stolen along the way, Flender has set up outposts to patrol places along the way where the water is slow and easy to be intercepted, and Flender has made the most severe decree on this river, and the slightest person caught in intercepting stolen goods will have his hands chopped off. ”

"When the casks arrive downstream, someone will pick up the wine, and the empty casks will be transported back to Midsummer City by horse-drawn cart, making it much easier to load the empty casks and walk the mountain road."

"That's what Count Flanders came up with? Or at the age of thirteen? Art was incredulous.

"Well, that's right, at least that's what I heard the merchants say, and I haven't asked Flender for confirmation, but it's true that Flender was almost drowned when he was thirteen." Galvin shrugged.

Art stopped and pondered for a long time.

"Sir, what are you thinking? We're almost at the wall. Ron reminded Art.

Art was pulled back in his thoughts, looked up at the towering stone wall, and said to Ron, "Ron, I have given you a task, you must remember!" ”

Ron thought that Art was going to give him a special combat mission that was urgent and dangerous, so he stood up straight, "Legion Commander, please give the order!" ”

Art patted Ron and said, "It's not for you to charge, I'm for you to return to the valley this time to select a few soldiers who are good swimmers from the legion to start from the river in the workshop area, and explore downstream along the river to see if the river can flow to the Duchy of Lombardy, you have to note down the rapids and terrain along the way, the terrain of the valley is much lower than the county of Longxia, maybe we can also float the wine produced in the valley to Lombardy downstream through that river~"

"Huh? How long will it take to walk to finish~" Ron didn't expect such a special mission.

"Ahhhh I didn't let you finish a day, so you should be looking for a sightseeing tour! ”

"Oh~" Ron reluctantly accepted the task.

"Brother-in-law! So what are you waiting for? It's coming soon. Felix led the horse past Art, and with a word of urging, followed Galvin's back......

............

"Father-in-law, this~ This is Longxia City? There are no walls! Art froze.

After passing through the high-walled pass of the heavily entrenched canyon, the view suddenly widened, and the high wall of the canyon where Biat stood was a slightly lower place with a flat and vast hilltop (not a plain}, and several streams flowed from the slightly higher mountains on the north side to the city of Midsummer to form a river, and the land on both sides of the stream was covered with green shoots, dotted with peasants in twos and threes.

It is in stark contrast to the narrow mountain valleys and mountains and valleys along the mountain road, and it is hard to imagine that there is such a place on the top of the mountain that has been cut off by God without seeing it with your own eyes.

What surprised Yate even more was that the city of Longxia, which lived in the middle of the flat hills, was actually a city surrounded by no walls, which was unimaginable in this era of no walls and no cities.

Anyway, from this point of view, it seems that Midsummer City is a gathering area formed by a patch of buildings of different heights, roughly estimated to be four or five times the size of Tignac City, but it is certainly not as large as Besançon and Lucesinn, and even the city of Thorne is far behind.

It is no wonder that although there are also vast plateaus around Longxia City, it can be seen that the land suitable for cultivation is only a few parts on both sides of the stream and river, and for the entire Longxia Territory, most of the people are scattered in the scattered settlements of the three counties, and it is difficult for people to gather in one place without a large piece of land as a link.

In the southern part of the city, there is a large military camp, which is composed of hundreds of tents of different sizes, and the barracks are surrounded by low fences, which is the only area with a "wall" in Midsummer City.

Galvin looked surprised, "Midsummer City is indeed a rare city without walls, but it is not entirely right to say that there are no walls, there are only two passages in and out of Midsummer City, which are two mountain roads in the north and south. You also saw the high wall of the canyon just now, as long as you close the gate of the pass and send a hundred and ten gōng nǔ hands to defend the wall, no matter how many enemies you come, don't even think about approaching Midsummer City. ”

"As for the so-called mountain trails around me, I'm afraid only hunters and wild beasts dare to walk them. Moreover, the army of Longxia is not grazing, and the rulers of Longxia have firmly believed that the army is the strongest city wall, and you can feel the martial spirit of the mountain people of Longxia for a while. ”

"Let's go."

Galvin followed the two guards leading the way towards Midsummer......

Baron Galvin's mouth is not an exaggeration to say that the martial style of the mountain people of Midsummer has made Art deeply aware of what he has seen and heard along the way since entering the mountains.

Generally speaking, the lords of the realm would not allow the ordinary people of the realm to have weapons, and many lords would keep even iron farming tools such as sickles and axes in their hands.

This is understandable, if the lords have weapons in their hands, then the lords who exploit the subjects should not be able to sleep.

However, the situation was very different in the Midsummer region, where most of the young men I saw along the way had a short knife or sword stuck in their waists, and even the farmers who were digging and weeding in the mountain land were full of swords and axes, and the black and rough appearance of the leaders was full of fierceness.

Moreover, there is a special decree in the Midsummer Domain, in other places the hunting rights are exclusive to the lord, except for a few permitted hunters who can hunt a few kinds of wild animals, ordinary civilians do not dare to hunt in the lord's mountains and forests.

However, the Midsummer Domain is just the opposite, since Flender inherited the title, he repeatedly encouraged the lords to go into the mountains to hunt on their own, and the captured prey only needed to pay a very small part of the nominal tax as a tax, and he also strictly ordered the lords to hold a "group hunt" during the hunting season every year, and the lords at all levels must personally lead the territory and the people into the mountains to round up.

Art also thought of this, and he also allowed the barons of the valley to hunt in the mountains, but the valley had enough land, and the lords could survive on the land, so most people were not very interested in hunting activities full of dangers, so the peasants of the garrison often went into the mountains to hunt under the leadership of Bass to supply the army with meat.

"Master, why are these people staring at us so closely?" Ron muttered softly.

After entering Midsummer City from the houses scattered on the outskirts of the city, the city lords they met along the way gathered on both sides of the road and watched vigilantly at this group of strangers on horseback and sword, their faces did not have the slightest fear, and Art could imagine that if someone suddenly ordered to attack his group, those guys with short swords and short swords pinned to their waists would dare to pounce.

Art didn't answer Ron's doubts, his eyes were fixed on several middle-aged men with missing arms and legs and scars on the side of the road, and asked Galvin softly, "Father-in-law, what are those guys doing?"

Galvin glanced at the group of people and replied in a low voice: "Those are the wounded veterans of the Flender Mercenary Legion, there are many such wounded soldiers in Midsummer City, they are all veterans who have followed Flender through the battle formation, these people were seriously injured and withdrew and were placed in the city to live. Most of them have saved a lot of military salaries, and there is an elder's house in Midsummer City dedicated to these veterans who have made military achievements, and they enjoy high courtesy, and the elders of the elders' house can participate in territorial rule and army battles. ”

Art was shocked when he heard this, it seemed that Midsummer was indeed a place of military pride, and he even wondered if this Count of Flanders had a special identity like himself.

In this way, under the gaze of the people of Longxia City, the group awkwardly passed through the city and came to the Longxia Earl's Mansion in the center of the city.

The Earl's Court of Longxia made Art change the perception of the word Earl's Palace. In his memory, the Count's Mansion was a symbol of luxury, sophistication and power, not to mention the luxurious mansions and palaces of the Lombard counts who occupied the rich area, even the Counts' mansions in the Count of Burgundy were all wide and high-walled, among which the gardens were scattered and the courtyards were lined up, and the inner mansions for the counts and their relatives were extremely luxurious.

However, the above things have nothing to do with the Earl's Mansion in Longxia, there is no wall, no garden, no courtyard, no exquisite sculptures and fountains of water, the so-called Earl's Mansion is just a three-story stone building in Longxia City, which occupies a slightly larger area, and the building is large enough, I believe that the Earl's relatives and a group of servants will not feel crowded in it.

In front of the mansion was a flat clearing, flanked by low stables and barracks and an arsenal of barracks, where several tall earl's guards stood guard and patrolled.

Flender, the Earl of Longxia, had already taken his wife, two sons and a group of subordinate servants to greet him at the edge of the open space in front of the mansion, and when he saw Galvin dismounting and leading the team, Flender took a few steps forward and hugged Galvin with open hands, "Uncle, welcome to Midsummer City!" ”

"Flender, thank you for your kind invitation." Galvin replied to Count Flender, then looked sideways at Felix and Art and the others behind him, and introduced: "Flender, this is Felix, you should know each other."

Felix took a half step forward and bowed to Flender, "Dear Earl, dear Cousin Flender, I am Felix. ”

Flender smiled and gave Felix a hand, patting him on the shoulder, "Felix, you were only twelve years old when I last saw you, and I heard from my uncle that you are now a frontier knight and army commander. ”

Felix smiled a little shyly.

After introducing Felix, Galvin walked to Art's side, holding Arte's back and solemnly introducing Flender, "Flender, this is Lottie's husband, the knight of the court guard of the Count of Burgundy and the baron of the frontier?" Wood? Wells, who was also the commander of the Wells Legion in the south of the court. ”

"Arter, this is Flender, Count of the Frontier of the Duchy of Burgundy? Hugue. ”

"I've seen the Earl!" After hearing this, Art stepped forward and bowed deeply to Flender respectfully.

Flender hurriedly stepped forward and held Yat tightly, and said: "I have also heard of Baron Yate's reputation, you are the husband of Lottie's cousin, just call me Cousin Flender, you don't need to be an earl."

The moment Art straightened up, he glanced at Flender, the twenty-five-year-old count had a deep scar on his face, a clear white stubble in his short black hair, and a smiling face that could not hide the composure and solemnity.

Weathered! This was Yat's first impression of Flender.

Flender also quickly glanced at the young man with legendary experience in front of him at the moment when he helped up Yat, and their eyes met for a moment.

Flender shifted his gaze to Ron and Robert, who were behind Art, and asked, "Are these your attachés?"

Art quickly turned around and introduced, "These two are my chief of guard, Sir Ron, and the legion's chaser, Priest Robert."

Flender nodded to Ron and Robert.

"Uncle, two brothers, come with me, today I have prepared a rare family banquet to celebrate the reunion of the old and new generations of our Yuge family......"