February 16, cloudy.

Without the burden of infantry and rations, it took less than five days for the all-fast Besançon audience to reach the western border of the province of Jonah and enter the territory of Besançon, the capital of the country.

In addition to Atte, Caitland, and Banting, Besançon's team of 50 men was present, all of them were armed on horseback, and the tail of the team was accompanied by a dozen pack horses.

In addition to carrying the food and forage consumed by the audience procession, these pack horses were more valuable goods that the three lords specially brought to Besançon, and when they finally came to the national capital, they must visit the magnates who were about to become important ministers of the kingdom with generous gifts, and at this point Art was also vulgar, and he had the most things, half of the pack horses were the goods that Art carried, because he had to visit the most people.

When the team passed through Vaal City, Art stopped and stayed for a long time, because there were still eighty or ninety prisoners sent from the east to defend the city in Vaal City, and there were originally more than a hundred people sent from the east, but in the past few months, people have escaped one after another, so there are still these eighty or ninety people left.

Keeping his promise and announcing the restoration of their free status, the prisoners were laid out and the weak fighting force was entrusted to the garrison commander of Vaal City to resettle them, either to dismiss them or to keep them in the castle.

Beyond the Vaal City, the crowd was surrounded by ruins and rubble, and the closer they got to Besançon, the more erosive they became.

War is the demon that devours all good, and after only half a year of fierce fighting, the wealth of the national capital has been reduced to scorched earth and ruins.

In the past, the fertile land was full of moldy crops, men were forcibly conscripted to fight on the battlefield, the elderly, women and children stayed in their hometowns and became the objects of slaughter and anger after the war. The once prosperous towns and castles and the simple houses and mansions of the castles and towns are all charred and desolate, the stone walls have been smashed, the wooden houses have been burned, the mills have been demolished, and it is difficult to see a complete building along the road except for the church.

The surviving peasants who had ceased to fight began to return to their homes, kneeling in front of their flattened houses and weeping, before dragging their fragile bodies and rebuilding their homes......

Sir Banting rode on a tall horse and watched the fields on both sides of the road, and from time to time the old peasants were hunched over or simply lying in the fields, "What are those untouchables doing in the fields?" ”

"Lord Banting, these farmers are picking up the grain that has not yet rotted in the field to satisfy their hunger, the war came too quickly, and the farmers didn't have time to harvest the grain in the field, these things just rotted in the ground~" Ron answered Banting's question in a deep voice, he was born as a "pariah" He is too familiar with such a scene, no matter who wins or loses in the outcome of the war, it is these untouchables who will lose in the end.

"These must be lowly rebels who support the Western Army, and they deserve to starve to death!" Banting was born as an earl and inherited his father's lordship, and of course he would not sympathize with these lowly inferior people in the slightest.

Art was worried that Banting's words would irritate Ron, after all, Ron was born as a pariah, but he inadvertently glanced back at Ron and found that Ron's cold face did not move in the slightest, "Sir Banting, these farmers will be the subjects of the new country in the future, and starving to death will always damage the national strength of the country." ”

Banting didn't think that the death of some untouchables would damage the national strength of the country, but he didn't dare to directly refute Art's words, so he wiped them out.

As Art paced past the old farmer on the side of the road, the old farmer looked up at the people passing by, and there was awe in his eyes, but he could also see a trace of hatred and murderous intent.

"Maybe the old farmer's relatives were killed by people like himself, maybe his home was burned down by people like himself, maybe he was bullied and op......pressed by people like himself," Art thought to himself, and looked at the old farmer for a full moment, then turned his head sharply and kicked the horse to move on.

After walking for a while, the group arrived at a makeshift outpost set up beside the road, which was already close to the city of Besançon, and the guards were becoming more and more rigorous.

Ron immediately stepped forward to inform the identity of the team and handed the palace book to a small officer in charge of the outpost for inspection, the small officer was estimated to be illiterate, he only glanced at the seal at the end of the document book and immediately bowed to Ron, and then ran to the Yat and several people and bowed and saluted, and stepped forward to take the reins of the Yat warhorse, "Ladies and gentlemen, ten miles ahead is Besançon City, do you want to stop at the outpost to rest and then continue on your way?" ”

Art glanced at the temporary outpost that controlled the road, that is, a few broken wooden houses with wooden planks, there was really no place for people to rest, "Forget it, we are going to the palace in a hurry to restore our lives, and we will not rest." ”

The junior officer nodded again and again, "Then my lords, please walk slowly, and remind my lords that Besançon City and its vicinity are not very stable, and there are often killers of the Western Army lurking everywhere to attack officers and dignitaries recently, so you must be extremely careful; In addition, the palace has recently summoned refugees from all over the country to return to their hometowns to farm, and the Chinese army command camp has also strictly ordered the army not to disturb the people. ”

Art glanced at the petty officer, he was worried that these brave cavalry in his team would loot the surrounding civilians, so he reminded him.

Art admired the Flender cousin more and more, and he at least knew how to clean up the rotten situation as soon as possible and restore the country's strength as soon as possible.

"Thanks for the reminder, we'll take notice."

Art said as he took out a few copper fennigs from his bosom and threw them to the junior officer, "Guard the road, take it for a beer after changing guards." Pick up the reins and continue on your journey.

"Thank you for the reward......"

As Yat thought, along the way, you can see the displaced people returning to their hometowns one after another, and some people wearing official clothes are registering the returning homeless people on the roadside, so that they can return to their original village and fort manor as soon as possible to continue cultivating the land.

When they arrived at the city of Besançon, there were countless refugees gathered under the dilapidated walls of the eastern city to receive the clear soup and wheat paste distributed by the palace.

"Oh my God! Which is this still Besançon? It's hell! Sir Banting cared no longer for the refugees who had returned, for his eyes were full of broken walls and devastation.

After two months of assembled offensive and defensive battles, Besançon City was beaten to a thousand holes, not to mention other places, only in front of the east city wall in front of you there are three collapsed gaps, through the gaps can also glimpse the inner side of the city wall was smashed to pieces, burned black houses and buildings.

The free market town that had been built on the city walls had long since been flattened, and the burned and smashed siege equipment was scattered everywhere, and many civilians were removing the wooden planks of the abandoned and broken siege equipment to build shelters or as firewood for heating on cold nights.

If the civilians who dismantled the planks paid a closer look, they would have found that the timber used to make the siege equipment was probably the beams or slab walls of his house's house outside the city......

Without saying much, the group entered Besançon City after being checked by the soldiers guarding the gate of the East City, and the Besançon City was also in tatters at this time, and it was obvious that the Eastern and Western armies had fought fiercely in the city.

There were not many free citizens in the city, and those who had lived in the city had fled to the west long before the Eastern army besieged the city, because the Besançon court at that time spread rumors that the Eastern army was massacring the city.

The citizens who had stayed in the city and escaped the slaughter of the war were completing the temporary labor assigned by the court, transporting the dead and ruins of the city outside the city to be discarded and buried, and in return they received a thin meal of wheat paste from the court, so many scrambled to serve.

When Art and his party passed by, they saw several carriages out of the city, most of which were broken bricks and tiles, and among them was a corpse that had been stripped naked and beaten to pieces, which seemed to be the recalcitrant Western army hiding in the city.

The streets of the city were patrolled by soldiers in armor and armed with spears and axes, these should be the newly formed Praetorian Legion soldiers in the national capital, and Art knew the burqas on the soldiers, they were soldiers belonging to the Longxia Legion.

The soldiers patrolling the army who entered the city were also very vigilant, and two waves of people had already come forward to inquire and inform them that their troops must immediately be stationed in the barracks in the city for foreign troops according to military orders, and the soldiers were not allowed to go out at will.

In fact, Flender has always maintained a strong sense of vigilance, and the entire city of Besançon is responsible for guarding and patrolling the Midsummer Legion, and the court where Flender is stationed is also served by his hundred-man guard. Art can understand, after all, the war has not subsided, and danger is everywhere.

After taking his army into the barracks in the city's church square, Banting went directly to find the new residence of Earl Balwin, after all, he was a retainer of Earl Balwin's inner palace; Ron brought the book of the audience and the book of merit to the court, and waited for the court to arrange the audience; Art and Caitland took Robert and a small entourage of guards to find an inn to rest, bathe, and change clothes.

After the war, it was not easy to find a hotel that was still open in the middle of the city, but not easy does not mean that there is none. Before Art left the camp, Stanley had already made a sentry through the city with a few task force soldiers, so Art went straight to a hotel on the west side of Cathedral Square.

The owner of this inn is called Emory, the fat man who was beaten by the drunkard Angus and his nose was swollen. Today, Emory also has a secret identity - Art's Hawkeye in the Northlands, who is also the head of intelligence in Besançon.

After the Battle of the Successors began, the intelligence network that Art had worked so hard to build in the Northland was almost completely destroyed, and Hawkeye, who was hired by Art to collect intelligence information, died or fled due to the war, but Emory survived strongly.

After helping Stanley's task force gather information about the Western Army six months earlier, Emory went into hiding, burying the drink under the stables in the backyard of the hotel, then closing the inn and fleeing to a monastery outside the city to hide; Half a month earlier, the Liberation Army had captured Besançon, and Amorie had run back into the city and opened the inn.

Emory was sociable, and upon his return to the city, he immediately befriended a number of officers of the Liberation Army with his drinks and money, and with the help of these people, he quickly recruited some bankrupt citizens to rebuild the inn in dilapidated houses.

By the time Art and the others arrived, Emory was already waiting at the door of the store, accompanied by Task Force Leader Stanley.

After a long time, the innkeeper was even more bloated, and it was evident that he was living well in the monastery outside the city.

"Dear Lord Arte, I would like to express my highest respect and blessings to you." Emory strode to Art's horse and bowed deeply, with great sincerity and respect.

Art jumped off his horse and tapped Emory's head lightly, "Thank you for your kindness, God bless you, my friend." ”

Emory raised his head in fear, the amazing 'big man' in front of him was too polite to him, "Lord Art, please, I have prepared a room for all of you. ”

The first floor of the hotel was full of guests, most of them were soldiers and officers, and the only soldiers who wanted to enjoy wine and meat in this time of war were the only soldiers who exchanged their lives for money.

After five or six days of tossing and turning on horseback, everyone was tired, and Art went to the quietest and cleanest room that Emory had specially arranged, and the bartender had already prepared a bucket full of hot water for Art, and Art took off his clothes and took a comfortable hot bath, which was the first time he had enjoyed a hot tub bath in recent months......

For dinner, the innkeeper personally prepared a long table full of food and the best quality drinks for Art and others in a separate room on the second floor.

The food on the long table was not luxurious, beef and bacon pie, fatty pork pie, boiled fat sheep, barley, radish and onion with pork broth, the staple food was wheat bread and a few refined wheat white bread for the nobles, accompanied by a large barrel of wine, and the delicate Emory also specially asked Ron to prepare a honey roast rabbit for Art.

Emory was able to prepare food that was not extravagant but absolutely sumptuous in the wartime season, and for the people who had been fighting in the East for more than half a year, such food was enough to fill their mouths, and after a brief sentence between Art and Caitland, everyone feasted.

The wind was whirlwind, and a large table of food was quickly wiped out by seven or eight hungry men, and then the feast was dispersed with burps.

Back in the room, Art summoned Ron, Stanley, and the innkeeper, Emory, to discuss the secret.

After everyone arrived, Art patted his bulging belly, got up and glanced at the few people in the room, "You are all people I trust." ”

Art paused for a moment, "I estimate that this audience with the court will honor my title of viscount, my territorial fiefdom will continue to increase, and our power will continue to expand. ”

"With the expansion of our power, our horizons should also be broadened more and more, in order to broaden our horizons, we must get more and more timely news, from the major decrees and court decrees of the country to the trade of southern goods and even the price of food and materials I need to understand. And these things need eyes to see and ears to hear, and that's what the ears and eyes are. ”

"But this battle of the successor has almost destroyed the eyes and ears we have laid before, and the Hawkeye we have planted in various places have either died or fled, and have basically lost contact, and I have called you here today to discuss how to rebuild our eyes and ears."

"Father Robert once said that I was weaving a spider's web throughout the country, and I found this very interesting. Father Robert is right, I am going to weave a spider's web that will envelop the whole country. ”

"Now that the whole country is still in chaos, and there is no fixed force on all sides, I want to take this opportunity to plant eagle eyes at various critical nodes."

"At the moment our focus is on three places – the court of Besançon, the court of Counts of Balwyn, and the city of Dijon."

As soon as Yat's words came out, everyone was shocked, before Yat's hawkeye was only arranged in various cities, but now he pointed clearly, and it seems that the plan is not small.

"Flender has just entered the palace, and the palace guards must be served by the guards of the Earl of Longxia, but the court servants and servants are estimated to be recruited from all over the country, so the first Hawkeye starts with these court servants; The same is true of Earl Balwin's mansion, where the servants of Balwin's original mansion were all killed by the Western army, and he must have to recruit them aggressively; Things are a bit difficult in Dijon, but you can do it from the experience of setting up Eagle Eye in Besançon, mainly about the Count of Burgundy. ”

"The rebuilding of the cobwebs will be done by the three of you, Ron is the main one, Stanley and Emory are the auxiliaries, and when the cobwebs in the Northland are built, Emory will be in charge of the weekday jurisdiction."

"I'm going to give 200,000 fennigs to the three of you, and you will complete this task within half a year."

"Emory, there are many idle shops and hotels in Besançon City now, you go find a shop large enough to build the largest hotel in Besançon, and recruit some more wandering warblers and wild swallows, eat, drink and have fun, and the name is Moulin Rouge."

"The Moulin Rouge is a luxurious hotel brothel on the surface, but in fact I am in the center of the spider web in the northland of Burgundy, and I will be called the Octopus Spider in the intelligence you collect and transmit in the future."

"In addition, you have managed to recruit some pigeon trainers to give us the news of our pigeon training."

"My lord, it may not be safe for carrier pigeons to convey those top-secret messages, and once they are intercepted or lost, the letters can be easily exposed......," Stanley pointed out the shortcomings of carrier pigeons.

Art waved his hand, "Of course, in order to prevent the top-secret information from being intercepted by carrier pigeons, we need to use ciphertext. ”

The crowd had never heard of such a strange thing as "ciphertext".

"The so-called ciphertext is a symbol that no one else can understand except ourselves."

"Last year Bishop Orlof sent me two copies of the Bible transcribed by the diocese of Lucesen, which was personally supervised by Bishop Orloff, the two books are exactly the same, one will be kept in Besançon, one will be kept by Ron, and you will correspond the text to a certain word in the Bible, and then write the page number and line segment and order of that word on the secret letter, and three sets of numbers represent a word......"

"Such a secret letter can only be found in these two Bibles......"

Tips: Enter "Panda Literature" in the search engine, you can find this site, thank you.

Chapter 372: Post-War Reconstruction