In late April, the southern border of Burgundy was full of spring.

The nomadic camp in the open space outside the county of Tignets has become increasingly empty, and the northward refugees from Provence either continue to go north to beg for work, or are taken in as serfs by the lords and gentry of the county, but more people know that the war in Provence is calm and the war is about to subside, so they all end their wandering and return to their hometown devastated by the war~

On the flat land hundreds of steps south of the camp camp, a temporary army camp was set up here, which was the temporary camp designated by the county magistrate Tignets for the Nangui army.

The camp was surrounded by a simple horse-barring fence, and the exit to and from the camp was guarded by two sentries in armor and weapons. From time to time, there were a few noisy chatters and laughter of soldiers in the tents in the camp.

In the middle of the camp, in a tent that must have been a little larger, Otto was listening to the report of the baggage officer, Spencer, "...... This is the case, Sir Odo, Viscount Pierre once again rejected the request of our soldiers to enter the city for repairs, saying that he was worried that the soldiers would disturb the order when they entered the city. ”

Otto waved his hand and sighed: "Forget it, if you don't let you enter the city, you won't enter the city." But is it always okay to send someone to buy food and vegetables? The sergeant major has recruited too many people, and it will take at least three days to reach Tinets, and we don't have much food for the army~"

"That's fine, but Lord Pierre only allowed the soldiers to carry the wagons into the city. He said that if we bought all the supplies in the county, the citizens and soldiers in the city would not have enough food. ”

Odo was a little annoyed, and asked, "Even if we add the wounded soldiers and new soldiers, we have less than one hundred and fifty men, and don't we have a material reserve of one or two hundred people in a huge county town?"

"This~ Anyway, that's what Lord Pierre said, I don't dare to say anything more~"

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

Tignets South Arrow Tower.

Viscount Pierre stood behind the battlement, looking solemnly at the quiet barracks outside the city.

Viscount Pierre's chief of guard, Jerry, stood behind him and said, "My lord, did you say that the one in the south is also too strong?" Three years ago, he was just a small hunter who lived by selling animal skins and mountain goods, and in just a few years, he has become a court frontier baron~ If it weren't for the palace newspaper and documents, I wouldn't have believed it. ”

Pierre was still staring straight at the barracks outside the city, and did not answer.

Jerry continued: "Now the court has assigned the barren valley in the south to Tignets, and the one in the south will also become a noble under your rule, but looking at his momentum, it is a flint in the fireplace, and it is very hot~"

"It is said that they have been recruiting displaced people, bankrupt farmers, and all kinds of craftsmen everywhere, and they have been purchasing food and materials from all over the country through those two caravans. And the officials we sent to the border town to collect and pay commercial taxes have been sent away by them several times, and now you can't return to the palace as planned, and then we will not only have to face those difficult lords in the county, but also have to be more vigilant against the upstart in the future~"

Pierre's eyes moved, and he scolded sideways: "Who to guard against?" Are they enemies? Don't say that later! ”

Jerry found that he was talking too much, so he quickly apologized: "My lord, it's me who talks too much~"

"Tell the county soldiers to keep an eye on the military camp outside the city, and if they dare to mess around, they will be severely punished!" With that, Viscount Pierre glanced at the barracks again, turned and left~

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

After another four days, just as the army outside the city was about to run out of food and grass, a large contingent finally appeared in the north of the county of Tignats.

The procession numbered about 200 people, dressed in a variety of clothes, some carrying bulging and shabby burdens on their backs, some carrying shovels, hoes and flails and light ploughs on their shoulders, some pushing two-wheeled wooden carts loaded with spindle looms and scraps of cloth, some carrying anvils and heavy hammers, and some wearing coarse cloth clothes and walking in the procession empty-handed.

Around the procession, there were five or six riders on war horses cruising and escorting.

At the head of the team, two leaders in heavy armor and swords at their waists held the reins lightly and let the horses under them pace along the road......

That's right, this team is a "people's army" that Angus was ordered to recruit, and the first two of the team are none other than the newly promoted court frontier baron Art? Wood? Wells and Army Adjutant Angus? Doyle.

After Besançon was presented to the court, Art immediately set out for the south, and caught up with Angus and his party at the city of Letersre, north of Tignez.

Seeing that the procession was getting closer and closer, the county town of Tignats closed its gates and sent several cavalry to investigate......

After a while, the cavalry of the county town returned to the city on horseback and went straight to the lord's hall.

"What? Hundreds? Where did he get the hundreds of people? Pierre stood up from the lounge chair in the Lord's Hall.

"Yes, my lord, Baron Arte said that this is a group of lords he recruited from the Northlands, and he is going to take these people to the south to reclaim his fiefdom~" Jerry, who was standing at the door, replied.

"Herald! Let Baron Art come to my office! ”

"Yes!"

Jerry, the head of the guard, had just walked out of the hall of the lords, and Art was already walking towards it with a few guards.

Jerry immediately turned back to the lounge and reported to Pierre about Art's visit......

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

In the official room of the lord's hall, Pierre waved off the servant, he picked up the bottle on the table, poured himself and Art a glass of wine, held a glass in each hand, and walked up to Art and handed it a glass.

Art quickly got up and took it with both hands, and then sat down gently.

"Baron Arter, this glass of wine is my congratulations on your promotion to baron." After saying that, Pierre raised his neck and took a sip.

"Thank you, Lord Viscount, for your kindness!" Art also drank it all in both hands.

After the polite two sentences, Pierre's face began to sink, "Baron Art, you first sent an army of more than 100 people to surround the county, and now you are coming with hundreds of "people's army", isn't it too ostentatious, fortunately, I know you, I am afraid that someone else will have to ring the alarm bell." ”

"Lord Viscount, I think you must be overbearing, my army has no dissenting intentions, they are just too tired to rest in the county town of Tignac. As for the more than 200 recruited displaced people and peasant households, they were only invited to my fiefdom to reclaim land for me. This was allowed by the court. ”

Pierre didn't want to dwell on these trivial matters with Art, he went straight to the point, "I won't dwell on you about these things, I'll tell you directly about the county's plans." ”

"You say~" Art put down his glass and sat up straight.

"You are now a court frontier baron with a fief, and according to court rules, your fief should belong to a barony under the jurisdiction of Tiniez County. Now that you've been granted the right to the court, you must have known the obligation to pay land taxes to the county and war taxes to the army? ”

"And you set up a checkpoint in the border territory to forcibly collect the past commercial tax, which was originally said to let you collect it for a year, but you have turned it into a border town, and I am afraid that part of this commercial tax will have to be paid to the county~"

Viscount Pierre, fearing that Art would become another stubborn lord who ignored the collection of taxes in the county, took advantage of Art's lack of fledgling wings and demanded that Art collect taxes.

Art had been prepared for this for a long time, and of course he would not agree to pay taxes and commercial taxes to the county so easily, "My lord, I am willing to faithfully fulfill all my obligations as a vassal. ”

"But ......"

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

"My lord, has Viscount Pierre been completely offended by us?" On the way back south, Otto asked Art, who was on horseback.

Art looked indifferent, "Don't offend Viscount Pierre, we have to pay one-tenth of the land and commercial tax revenue to Tignets County every year, our annual tax income is not high, one-tenth is not too much, if our tax increases greatly in the future, one-tenth of the annual share, how big is that?" ”

"But our caravan must pass through the county town, and often stop in the county town, if Viscount Pierre intends to make things difficult for us, I'm afraid~"

"I will be in arrears to the county and the court, but I have hinted that Viscount Pierre will give him ten thousand pfennigh of the "special tax" every year, and this amount will increase with the amount of taxes paid on my fief. ”

"Viscount Pierre's head is not wood, and I am not the only vassal in Tignets who does not pay taxes to the court, and I offer to give him a separate sum of money every year, so he has no reason to break with me."

Otto looked aware.

At this time, the sentry cavalry of the wayfinder returned to the front of the procession, and the owner of Wincheston Manor led a group of family members to greet Baron Art on the road, "My lord, old Dean hopes that you and the other officers will be guests in the manor, and they will welcome the new baron with the highest courtesy. ”

Art looked forward to it left and right, and said with a smile: "It seems that the Dean family wants to block the road and rob, let's go, let's go to Dian House for dinner today."

"Sir! The Dean family has bad intentions, I'm afraid that the master has a knife hidden behind his back~" Captain Ron of the guard stopped Art.

"Old Dean isn't his stupid son, he won't do such a stupid thing."

Arte paused, "Just to be on the safe side, Otto and the guards will follow me into the manor, and the rest of the people will be stationed outside the manor to guard the place. ”

That night, Art enjoyed a delicious meal of wine and food at Wincheston Manor, and the elder Dean delivered enough food and meat to feed the hundreds of troops and lords stationed outside the manor for two days.

The lord of Wincheston Manor, Dean Knight, was still in Besançon, so his father, Dean the Elder, presided over this grand and lavish banquet.

Obviously, Yate was overwhelmed, and Lao Dian's attitude towards Yat and his party during the whole banquet was respectful, and the compliments were also said appropriately, revealing a rich businessman's style everywhere.

Art and old Dean pushed the cup and changed the lamp, as if they had been friends for many years......

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

"My lord, this old Dean is indeed not like his son~ Is he praying for peace with you?" On the way back to the camp, Odo, who was not greedy for cups, asked the red-eared Art.

Art looked back at Old Dean who stopped at the gate of the manor, turned his head, the drunken confusion on his face suddenly disappeared, and there was a burst of killing intent in his eyes, "This is a real poisonous snake!" ”

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

In the next few days, Art led a huge team of hundreds of people all the way through the city, and the lords and squires of the village estates and large and small settlements along the way waited on the road next to the village with food supplies and valuable goods, "gifting" the new baron to cross the border......