In addition to the daily plundering of the robbers, there are also some materials left over from the evacuation of the Imperial army, crossbows and arrows are almost unusable due to improper preservation, and the only valuable ones are the chain mail that has not yet deteriorated and the mutant sword (hand half sword), this weapon between the one-handed two-handed sword is not the standard equipment of the Imperial Legion, but the Bohemians or Hungarians are more familiar with similar equipment.

As soon as Kalujie dragged her body into the warehouse, her eyes lit up, and she couldn't put down a conspicuous weapon to her waist.

There were also some Groschen silver coins scattered on the ground, and it seemed that the thieves had a wide range of operations, not only from the Empire and Hungary, but also from Austrian caravans and civilians in the Principality of Bosnia.

"Your Majesty, this gang of thieves has a packed bed and a lit fire, so that Her Highness the Princess can rest first. This group of people should just be ordinary robbers. The knight named Itney tore off the animal skin hanging on the wall and wiped the blood from his face, then bowed and saluted, "We have been slow for a long time, Baron Morey and the rest of the knights should be almost there." Until then, we should be ready to defend. ”

The so-called defensive preparation is actually quite simple. After throwing all the corpses into the fire to prevent decay and spread the plague, several men carefully "counted" the dried meat, black bread, and various fruits and vegetables stored by the robbers without any manners.

A total of two bed crossbows and a light stone thrower were placed on the north wall. These things can cause greater damage to dense armies. Merely...... The number of secular knights is really limited, and it is difficult to divide the manpower to collect the ammunition of these defense equipment, and even if the ammunition is at hand, it is quite troublesome to reload.

But look at the height of the wall...... As ambush soldiers, the mercenaries who came to assassinate John and the others probably did not be equipped with large equipment such as horn carts, rushing carts, and ladders. Leaning on just one wall, you should be able to hold out for a long time if you have enough food.

"Itney...... There were two more horses in the stable, right? ”

The secular knight nodded.

"If those men are equipped with siege weapons, then two knights are not much different from one, and if they are not equipped, there is not much difference......" John muttered as he intertwined his fingers beside Sophia's bedside, "and the map is up to you...... You now take off your armor and travel lightly to any nearest frontier outpost, stronghold, town, or fortress where there is an Imperial garrison for support......"

"Your Majesty, although Her Royal Highness the Princess can't ride a horse at this time, you have ...... at all."

After being glared at by John, Itney quickly shut his mouth in understanding.

From the burqa to the inner armor, the secular knight's armor has a total of four layers, and it is also an absolute humanoid fortress. A simple sword chop can hardly even leave a scratch on the outer armor.

"Your Majesty! Mistress Morey has arrived! ”

……

Without warning, a "premeditated civil strife" broke out in the city of Epirus.

The extremely small garrison of Trabzon led by Nikephoros and the Fourth Legion, at the behest of their respective supreme commanders, inexplicably confronted their former comrades.

Although both Ossini and Nikephoros restrained the scale of the bloody conflict, a civil strife in nature quickly escalated when both sides felt the imminent threat to their lives. The people of Trabzon, who finally learned of the news and did not know the truth, were deliberately manipulated by Nikephoros and began to accuse the Fourth Army of acting without regard for the dignity of the empire for the sake of immediate interests. At the same time, Ossini and Livia were portrayed as demons.

Because Nikephoros deliberately reduced the number of standing troops and disbanded the citizen levy in advance, the innocent soldiers who died in this bloody show for the final victory were only a small part, and in the honorable battle between Nikephoros and Orsini himself, Orsini's saber also pierced into Nikephoros's ribs quite "accurately".

When the snakeskin bag filled with dog blood bursts open, the whole show reaches its peak.

Even the reaction within the Fourth Legion changed from initial confusion to immediate panic.

What Ossini did was to assassinate the Archduke of the Empire, the leader of the Komnenos family, a staunch and loyal royalist nobleman, and one of Princess Sophia's henchmen.

The pacification on both sides naturally did not fall, but the impact caused could not be eliminated in a short period of time. Tensions between the Fourth Legion and the inhabitants of Trabzon, the local nobility, and the Komnenos intensified. Even the guards patrolling the streets were often victimized by the inhabitants, and in a flash, the rotten apples became the best-selling fruit in Trabzon.

"If you stick two more inches into it, I'm afraid I'm going to see God." Nikephoros touched his tightly wrapped chest. Even if Ossini is very measured, in such a fierce conflict, if you want not to arouse the suspicion of others, you really have to perform in place, "The rest is up to you, let me rest and rest." If you delay on the road for a few days, there will be only one city left in Trabzon. ”

……

Things didn't turn out in the slightest way that John had expected. When the multi-meter-high walls appeared in front of the mercenaries, their faces seemed to be filled with despair.

John, protected by the secular knights, stood in the middle of the city wall, looking down on them with rage.

The escape route of Morey and the rest of the dozens of secular knights can be described as quite bizarre. Despite the sheer number of pursuers, the wideness of the mountain road was the biggest obstacle to their pursuit.

After leaving behind three groups of knights, Morey managed to shake off his pursuers at a drawbridge for most of the day. After all, the mountain road is faster than the dense forest road, and although there will be occasional contact with small groups of pursuing mercenaries, the result is naturally one-sided and overwhelming.

In the end, Morey even took two prisoners of war and swaggered into the fortress of Sinwaze.

"Leave now, you still have hope of surviving until the Empire's troops arrive." Morey's round-tongued Latin struck at every mercenary's heart, and even if not everyone could understand the meaning, the threat was too strong to speak.

However, it is clear that the mercenaries' employers are offering quite generous commissions, or they have to make another bet due to the losses they have suffered before. The mercenaries are not without siege engines, and the defenders are just about two dozen knights.

As long as their instruments were transported through the mountain roads to the city walls, endless wealth would allow them to enjoy for the rest of their lives.

Book Keju Reading Website: