"This little man, I told you all, we really went to Tignets to find someone, he is the owner of a grain store north of Tinets. Please let us go, or I'll give you whatever you want. The fat old man began to lean over and open his package, taking out a couple of rye bread and a handful of bits and pieces.

"Alright, okay, what am I going to do with you? I just want your people. ”

The old man fell to his knees with a thud, and the two guys behind him also knelt down.

This is the second wave of refugees who refused Ron's recruitment, and when the previous few wanderers who were drinking porridge in front of the copper pot learned that Art wanted to send them to a village fort at the foot of the Boge Mountains in the southeastern border region of the Count of Burgundy, they were so frightened that they threw their wooden bowls and knelt down to beg for mercy, they regretted being blinded by the thin porridge overflowing with the smell of wheat, and believed that these guys who let them eat and drink for nothing were the traffickers who abducted slaves for their slave owners, although they were now reduced to homeless outcasts, but at least they still retained their status as free people, If you are deceived into becoming a serf or even a slave, then there will really be no day.

Ron was already a little discouraged, he ignored the homeless people who fell to the ground, and came to Art's side who was sitting by the fire sharpening his sword, "Master, how is this~ different from when we recruited homeless people before?" You can see how active the homeless people were when we recruited before. ”

Art took the polished knight's sword back into its scabbard, got up and patted the dirt on his buttocks, stared at the homeless people who were "guarded" by Jason and said, "Ron, think about it, if you were in this deserted place, suddenly a group of people with swords and swords came out and said to you that you were going to take you to a completely unfamiliar place to live a good life, would you go?" ”

Ron thought for a moment, shook his head and said, "Probably not, if they are evildoers, I can't run away if I want to." ”

"What if one person says the same thing to a group of you?"

"Then I will think about it, after all, there are many of us, even if the other party is a wicked person, he will be afraid of our large number of people and dare not mess around."

Art turned his head to Ron's eyes and said, "Now we are the ones who stand in the way of those who are considered "evil". ”

Ron realized, "No wonder the first few times we talked about eating and drinking to recruit homeless people, they scrambled for alternatives, it turned out that the wolves were more fleshy and less courageous. ”

"But sir, we have been waiting for so long, and we haven't seen a large group of homeless people pass by, and the three or two homeless people who occasionally pass by don't dare to respond." Ron was scratching his head again.

"I didn't expect it to be like this, I thought there would be a lot of displaced people fleeing to the north at this time." According to Yate's plan, he also copied the experience of recruiting homeless people in the previous few times, cooked a pot of steaming wheat porridge in the place where a large number of homeless people passed, and then announced the recruitment of homeless people to open up wasteland and farm land when the homeless people's saliva dripped to their jaws, and then took the recruited homeless people to Andmatt Fort and handed over to Baron Antaas to receive the money and finish the work.

However, the current situation is a little different from what Art expected, he does not know that Provence has strictly ordered all parts of the north to prevent a large number of refugees from fleeing north, and the large number of displaced people in the east has been blocked in the northeast town of Kitsby, and most of the refugees who fled from this trade route to the Count of Burgundy during this time are scattered and leaked, and a small part are "rich" refugees who do have relatives in the north and can buy checkpoints to let them go.

"Ron, let's do it another way." Art thought for a moment, then came to the refugees.

"Alright, all of you get up, I'm not going to leave you behind."

The fat old man glanced up at Art and said, "Master, are you willing to let us go?" ”

"What if I don't let you go? But you can't just leave after eating my food. ”

The fat old man looked at it clearly, took out a few copper fennigs from the package, and planned to hand them to Art.

Art waved his hand and refused, "Do I look like someone who covets your copper plates?" See that little stream? Go into the stream and gather stones and pile them on this mound, and I will let you go in the evening, and I will give you another meal of porridge before you go. ”

The fat old man didn't understand what Art was trying to do, but since they were willing to let them go, he had no choice but to do it.

Art turned to the few displaced people who had come from Jason's temporary custody and said, "You are the same, you have to do things for me after eating my food, go and carry stones, and I promise God that I will let you go in the evening." ”

Simon looked at the five or six homeless people who had gone down to the stream to pick up rocks, moved to Ron's side and asked puzzledly, "Brother Ron, what are you doing here?" We're here to recruit displaced people, not to dredge the river, what's the use of that? ”

"I don't know what the master wants to do, but since he does it, it must make sense......"

While the two were talking, Art was back at the fire.

"Simon, you go watch those guys, don't let them be lazy."

"Jason, continue to cook the porridge, add some bacon and salt to the pot and bring out the aroma for me."

"Ron, go and stand at the bridge, and if there are any displaced people passing by, tell them that we need people to work here, and whoever is willing to contribute will have a full meal. After eating, you can leave after work. Don't mention the recruitment of displaced people. ”

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

So, in the middle of the day, there were a few more guys who had eaten white food and were working on the "construction site" that came and went to the creek and the mound.

Before evening came, there were seventeen or eighteen homeless people around the mound, and when they learned that they could get food by doing a few simple tasks for the lords, they all went down to the stream without hesitation and began to move stones......

After dinner, the first five or six homeless people had already left. But there are still a dozen or so displaced people here in the mound who chose to stay and continue to work, because a few "good people" who provided them with food and drink said that they would need someone to collect stones and cut wood tomorrow, and they decided to stay here and mix a few more full meals, and then leave when the work here is finished.

At nightfall, two bonfires were lit around the mound beside the stream, one was crowded with well-fed homeless people, and the other was Yate, who was skewering bacon with sticks and roasting it on the flame, and the smell of burnt meat was already spreading.

Ron bolted the horse and the green mule and returned to the fire, "Master, the war horse and the green mule have been fed, Simon and Jason are in charge of taking care of the livestock supplies tonight, those homeless people seem to be quite honest, no one should have bad intentions." ”

"Well, tell Simon to be careful."

Ron continued: "Sir, you have a great way to keep these scattered homeless people with a meal of wheat porridge, and if we continue like this, we will have to gather more than a hundred or so homeless people here in less than two days, and then we can recruit enough homeless people and soldiers for Baron Antaas among them." And by the way, we also collected enough stone and wood in advance, so we could save a lot of work by building the outpost at that time. ”

"But sir, we only carried four hundred and fifty pounds of grain this time, plus the rations we each carried were enough to supply fifty or sixty people for ten days, and besides, we had to take the recruited outless soldiers to Fort Andermatt."

Art tears off a chunk of the oily bacon and asks Ron to deliver it to Jason and Simon. When Ron returned, he tore off a piece and handed it to Ron, and he took a bite of what was left in his hand, chewing for a long time before replying: "Ron, I know that there is not enough food, but we can buy food on the way to Fort Andermatt, as long as we recruit enough outcasts, Baron Antayas will pay the bill according to the contract, and we don't have to save money for him." ”

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

By the afternoon of the second day, the mound had been turned into a lumber and stone dump. Ron led seventy or eighty homeless people back and forth between the mound, the stream, and the dense forest at the foot of Mount Carmel, a mile and a half away, cutting down and carrying timber and stone, and on the mound, seven or eight slightly older homeless people and half-grown children trying to stack fifty or sixty pieces of wood of various thicknesses and large piles of stones neatly on top of the mound.

Five large cauldrons have been erected under the mound, and several old women are adding firewood to the fire, and fragrant wheat porridge is boiling in the cauldron.

On the sixteenth day after leaving Fort Andermatt, with only four days left before the agreed time with Baron Antaas, Art decided to recruit new villagers and garrison soldiers for Baron Antaas among the seventy or eighty outcasts.

Twilight had not yet fallen, but the fiercely burning fire stood out in the slightly gray wasteland.

Ron stood on the top of the mound and said loudly to the homeless people waiting around the campfire to put the porridge: "Brothers, the porridge will be cooked in a while, our lord said that you have worked hard for the past two days, your work has been done, tonight's porridge has been added with minced meat, everyone can leave after eating and drinking enough." ”

There was a commotion in the crowd, they had been doing some light and heavy work here for the past two days, but they were able to mix three meals of wheat porridge a day, such a cheap was rare to encounter on the way to escape......

A thin old man squeezed out of the crowd and said loudly to Ron on the mound, "This little man, can you talk to your old man and let us all work for a few more days?" I think you're planning to build a house here, right? We can do the coolies for you, as long as you can give us a full mouthful of food. ”

Ron had a look of embarrassment when he heard this: "This ~ in a few days, we will have people come here to build houses, and there is no need for people at all." You see how much food you have to eat in a day, which was intended to be given to the workers who came to build houses, but my lord gave it to you out of kindness. But now there are too many of you, we just can't afford to raise them. After you have eaten this porridge, hurry to the road while it is still early. If you go north for another three or five days, you will encounter people, although there are a lot of bandits and robbers along the way, but you are already so poor that you have nothing, and you are not afraid of robberies from the bandits, these guys generally do not kill people, at most they will scare and scare you to cut off one or two arms and legs or something. ”

The thin old man's face began to turn frightened.

"By the way, I must warn you that it is best not to stop at a village called Ryan, four days north from here, where the lord is a murderous demon, and I have seen several waves of outcasts killed by him, and those who survived were sold to slave owners."

"Also, Tinets is also short of food now, you'd better not stop in Tinets, just bypass Tignets and walk north for another ten days, and there may be a way to live in Lucesen City, where the people are slightly better for the homeless and beggars from the south, at least not like Tignets City from time to time to slaughter some old and weak homeless people~"

There was a cold gasp in the crowd, they had been mentally prepared for the hardships of the road to the north, but they had never imagined that it would be so dangerous.

"Little master, don't talk about it, I've seen the behavior of all the masters in the past two days, and you must all be good people. If you sympathize with us poor people who have lost their homes and lands, show us a way to live. The thin old man took the lead in pleading with Ron, and a cry of pleading rang out among the displaced people who came to their senses.

Unmoved, Ron continued to yell loudly, "How can you do this? Is it possible that my master still has to provide you with food and drink every day? Everyone, don't say anything, leave as soon as you're done. ”

"We're going to have to go south to Kitsby tomorrow to recruit farmers?"

Ron's second sentence was not loud, but the thin old man must have heard it, "Little master, you said that you are going to Kitsby to recruit farmers to farm?" ”

"Well, yes, we recruited for a noble lord. This year, the old man's territory has a bumper harvest, and he plans to recruit more farmers to farm. Therefore, the noble lord entrusted us to recruit a group of displaced people to cultivate the land for him in the south, and those lords were kind-hearted, and said that as long as they went, they would distribute the land and distribute food and farm tools, and it was not impossible to go home in the future. However, the conditions given by the people are superior, and the requirements are high, and they must be strong farmers and peasant women. ”

"Little master, why did you go to Kitsby to recruit farmers? Aren't we ready-made here? The thin old man said, and a few people around him echoed it piecemeal.

Ron looked disdainful, "The noble lord said that you must be a strong man and a strong woman, you look at you all as thin as dry firewood, that is, my lord is kind enough to let you do some work to reward you with a few mouthfuls of food." Now Kitzby is more young farmers, and it's easier for us to recruit there. ”

At this time, another slightly sturdy man shouted: "Little master, now the court of Provence has not allowed the exiles to flee north, and we have all escaped quietly." Besides, we are all hungry, and if we can eat enough for a few days, we will still be strong men. ”

Ron was a little impatient, "But my lord has already agreed with the archon of Kitsby in advance that he will go to Kitsby to recruit peasants, and he has no intention of recruiting people here. ”

The thin old man was anxious, "Little master, please tell the old man that we are all strong laborers, but it is only because we have been running for too long and it is difficult to eat and dress will we look weak, as long as we can eat enough, it will not take half a month for everyone to have energy." ”

"This~I~ How can I say~ You better eat the porridge and leave." Ron said as he jumped down the mound to the cauldron to distribute the porridge to the crowd.

Several outcasts who felt that they could be picked came up and surrounded Ron, and they all said that they wanted to ask Ron to intercede on behalf of everyone.

At this time, Art, who had gone out hunting, "coincidentally" returned, and Ron could not bear the pleas of the crowd, so he had to agree to intercede on behalf of the people, and Art finally had to "reluctantly" agree to recruit farmers and soldiers among the homeless people after several refusals......

In this way, after two days of waiting and a poor performance, Art succeeded in recruiting thirty-six outcasts and ten soldiers, which basically met the requirements of Baron Antaas, but Art did not select many strong men, and all those who were willing to stay were recruited.

And the thin old man who sang and harmonized with Ron would also receive ten pfennig's "hard money" and twenty pounds of food from Art upon arrival at Fort Andermatt......

That night, the reluctant refugees reluctantly left after dinner.