“...... Ladies and gentlemen, I feel very unbearable to throw such a big stall at you. Originally, I intended to stay in the county and run the territory with my arms, but now that the war in the country has not ended, and the outcome of the east and west has not been decided, as long as the western border is not pacified, we will not be at peace for a day; For the sake of this paradise that we have worked so hard to accumulate over the years, I must draw my sword and go out again. ”

"But you can rest assured that the Count of Burgundy can no longer hold on, and both the east and the west are the end of the crossbow. After this year, the situation will be eased, and I firmly believe that this is the last darkness before dawn. ”

"Ladies and gentlemen, in addition to the civil affairs I just arranged for the reclamation and expansion of land, the cultivation of wheat and the hoarding of grain, the maintenance of workshop production, the expansion of trade on the eastern and northern routes, and the resettlement of the people, we must always pay attention to the dynamics of all the people in the territory, and the people's hearts are the most unpredictable in times of crisis."

"I hope you will encourage me to walk together and tide over the difficulties."

As soon as Yat's words came out, the civil affairs officer Cooper took the lead, and more than a dozen high-ranking civil affairs officials in the mansion lord's hall stood up one after another.

"I am willing to serve my lordship!"

"I am willing to serve my lordship!" More than a dozen mouths spoke in unison.

Art got up and raised his hand to signal everyone to sit down, and then his serious expression gradually relaxed, "Everyone, this is the end of the civil council, and we will all stay at night." Today is the fiftieth birthday of our old butler, Sir Cooper......"

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

In the official room on the first floor of the Lord's Mansion of Wooden Castle, Art left the old Cooper alone.

"Cooper, the war of the country a few years ago has devastated the whole southern territory of Provence, and countless civilians have died or fled, and the people of the European merchant houses have searched for a long time in and around Alfero to find the child."

"The monk of the monastery said that his surname was also Alfde, but the child was only four years old when he was picked up and taken to the convent, and I really can't ask if he is related to you, and his parents are probably no longer alive."

Arter's original intention was to go south of Provence to find Cooper's relatives, even if they were cousins who were slightly related by blood. However, the southern part of Provence was wantonly slaughtered by the Lombards, and the natives of Alfero were wiped out, and finally the European trading house spent a lot of bounty to find a six-year-old boy who called himself "Alfred" in a ruined monastery.

Just three days earlier, the Continental Comptoir had sent the child back to the valley, and Cooper was moved to tears when he learned that it was a "congratulatory gift" specially prepared by Art for his fiftieth birthday.

Cooper was busy, and as Art's territory expanded day by day, he became more and more busy, but he also became more and more sad in addition to the unusually busy territorial affairs, and the loss of his wife and children was an indelible grief for an old man who was nearly fifty years old.

"Master, that child is my nephew, my cousin's son." Cooper came from a special background, and his only distant cousin was only the daughter of a Lombard who was married far away, but he could not refuse a sincere blessing.

Art clapped his hands, "Great! I'm also worried that those people in the trading house will find a random child to perfunctory me. ”

"In this way, this child will follow you in the future, and he will be your grandson. The child is too young to be handed over to Guy for the time being to be a junior apprentice in the parish school, and in the future he will become a civil magistrate like you. ”

"By the way, I have good news for you. The lord of Alfero who pursued you back then was killed by the Lombards. You didn't kill him, but at least the wicked man went to hell. ”

Cooper didn't show much excitement when he heard the news, perhaps because he didn't want to talk about the past.

The atmosphere in the room was suddenly a little awkward, and Art was about to find a topic to solve, when Ron knocked on the door and walked in, "Master, the kind of Zama nail workshop you designed has been completed, and here are the five pieces I sampled." ”

Ron said as he placed the string of things he was carrying on Art's desk, and greeted old Cooper by the way.

Art got up and picked one up and played with it in his hand.

This kind of iron is shaped like a wild thorn, with four sharp claws, thrown casually, three tips support the ground, one tip stands upright, pushes down the upper tip and the lower tip rises again.

This thing is made of leftover scraps when making weapons and armor, the process is very simple, the shape requirements are not strict, it is much faster than the light arrow arrow, and it can mainly be thrown in front of the military formation to nail the enemy horse, so it is called the horse nail (scientific name Tribulus terrestris).

A small hole is made in the center of this nail, and the hemp rope can be threaded through it to form a one, so that it can be thrown one by one, or it can be laid one by one around the camp or on the pass path......

"Master, the weapons workshop has made a total of 1,000 Zama nails according to your drawings and delivered them to the army first, if the effect is really as you said, they are stepping up the production."

Art tried the triangular iron tip of the horse nail with his hand, although it was only rough and rough, but it was enough to nail through the bottom of the horse's hooves without the protection of the shoe, and the consequences of a human foot stepping on it were needless to say.

"Cooper, you tell the weapons workshop to let them make another 3,000 Zama nails, and the effect of this kind of thing doesn't need to be tried." Art handed Cooper a snail.

Old Cooper was also quite amazed, "This kind of thing is definitely a weapon to break the enemy's cavalry charge!" ”

Art also nodded with satisfaction, "Ron, put away these thousand Zama nails, and tomorrow we will take them to Sap Fort and hand them over to the army......"

In the last days of June, Arte spent the last few days in the valley of the wooden fort.

Cooper's fiftieth birthday party was not too lively, except that the high-ranking officers of the army had left the valley to attend, and the atmosphere of the war made the feast a little less heated.

Art's raid on Kodor was indeed unpredictable, so in the last few days before the expedition, Art accompanied his wife and children at the Woodcastle Mansion, and also visited several villages in the valley during the period......

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

On the 2nd of July, it was predicted that the chariots from the south and the army going west would arrive at Sap Territory almost soon, and Art finally set out from the valley with 20 cavalry guards, and without the delay of the infantry, Art and the guards could reach Sap Fort on horseback in a day and a half at most.

The Chinese army commands the camp tent guards, referred to as the Chinese army guards, with a total of 20 people, all armored cavalry. The Chinese Guards were born out of Art's Baronial Guard, which is essentially Ath's Guard, but they are now responsible for guarding the Wills Legion's command tent (institution) in addition to Att's personal safety.

The Chinese Guards are under the jurisdiction of Ron, the guard officer, and the soldiers of the guards are carefully selected by Ron from among the captains and soldiers of the legion, they are all elites who have fought in the legion for at least two years or killed more than two enemies, and the strong, loyal and brave elites of these people's origins, personalities, and backgrounds have been strictly screened by Ron, and they are absolutely loyal to Art.

The twenty men were divided into four five-man squads, and all the guards had to be proficient in trumpets and drums, commands, banners, and most importantly, they had to be absolutely loyal to Arter and always be able to protect the lord's safety with their lives.

These people have heavy tasks, and of course they also enjoy treatment beyond ordinary people, and the most ordinary guards soldiers also have the rank of sergeant, and they often also serve as flag bearers, heralds, and other military positions.

The most important thing is that the soldiers from the guards will become the henchmen of the main general, and when the time is ripe, they will be promoted to the army. For example, the guard officer knight Ron, such as the guard captain knight squire Stanley was promoted to a trainee knight again because of his sentry skills in Thorne and Kodor, and the guard Matthew, who was assigned to the second flag team of the third company after following Yat for two years and became a military law sergeant, and I think he will be promoted again in the near future.

By the time Art and Ron rode toward Sapp surrounded by the Guards, the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Wells Regiment led by Otto and Kazak and several units directly under the Chinese Army had already left the mountains and appeared in the mountain passes east of Sapburg.

The lord of Sapp, Viscount Galvin, was absent from the territory all the year round, and now the owner of Sapp is the new Baron Felix.

Felix received the order from the commander of the camp of the Welsh Regiment in advance, and knew that the first detachment would go to Sappburg for a temporary stay, and estimating that the time was approaching, Felix took his baronial guard to meet him in person at the mountain pass east of Sapp.

In the mountain pass, hundreds of soldiers of the Welsh Legion dressed in light armor (heavy armor were carried from the south by chariots) armed with weapons came out under the cover of cavalry, and the two men who led the team were the deputy commander of the Welsh Legion, Otto and the commander of the first sub-regiment, and the deputy commander of the first sub-regiment, Kazak.

Felix stepped forward, jumped off his horse after a dozen steps, and walked straight forward with a slight limp and saluted to Odo, "Deputy Commander of the Legion, Felix, Commander of the Second Detachment Sapu Company, salutes you!" ”

With that, Felix turned slightly and nodded to Kazak.

Otto hurriedly jumped off his horse, straightened his chest and clenched his fists in return, "Baron Felix, you are a baron and a military adjutant in the south, I can't afford this military salute." ”

Felix, who was once young and frivolous and empty-eyed, has been reborn after experiencing the baptism of war again and again, he still has arrogance, but that arrogance has been subdued, not to mention his sincere admiration for Odo, who has gone through the battle and walked step by step from a civilian to a knight of the banner in blood and fire.

In front of these knights who have been promoted purely on the basis of military achievements, Felix has self-knowledge.

"Lord Odo, although I was lucky enough to get the barony, but in terms of actual military position, I can only be a company captain of the Wells Legion, you are the deputy commander of the legion and the knight of the square flag, you can really bear this military salute!" Felix was also very sincere.

"Well, you still call me Felix, and I call you Otto, so that there is no difference." Felix offered a compromise.

Otto stopped talking about this title, handed the reins to his soldiers, and then walked with Kazak around Felix, "Felix, you have received the military order from your lordship, how are you arranging things?" ”

Felix straightened up, "I'm ready for the two things arranged by the adults to seal the border and prepare military rations. ”

"Since three days ago, the stone fort has been completely blocked, and I have also ordered all the local lords to close all the mountain trails that can lead to Kodor, and the Sapp Territory has carried out a sweep, and all non-Sapp Territory leaders have been strictly controlled and monitored to prevent anyone from running to Kodor to inform, and I have asked Mar (Sap Orion, Sapp Officer) to sneak into the Kodor Hills to sentry out, and they will be able to return tomorrow afternoon."

"As for food, we have prepared seven hundred soldiers and one hundred horses for five days."

"Otto, in the past year, Sap Ling has experienced a lot of battles, and our food reserves are not too much, and we are indeed a little tight when thousands of men and horses suddenly pour in, but we will unconditionally obey the orders of our lords."

Otto turned his head to look at the troops who were lining up out of the mountain pass, "Rest assured, the chariot convoy led by the sergeant major is making a detour to Provence and advancing south towards Sapbourg, and that convoy is carrying a lot of emergency rations in addition to heavy weapons and armor; And we won't be in Sapsburg for long......"