In one of the wooden rooms, Viscount Herva was walking around with a wine glass, the wooden floor creaking beneath his feet, and sometimes he stopped to think about it, but then he walked back and forth again.

The banquet for the reception of the Count of Montina continued until late in the evening, and the Viscount and his men expressed the highest respect and gratitude to the Count and his army.

It was only at the arrival of Montina's army that the viscount was happy but also had a vague apprehension, which became more and more intense as the banquet continued, so that when the banquet was finally over, the viscount sent Alexander and his officers back to the camp in the nearby wooded clearing, and the viscount walked up and down the room anxiously.

The sound of the door opening came from behind the Viscount, and Viscount Helva turned his head to see the two men who walked in.

"What is that Count Montina doing now?" The viscount asked with a slight frown.

"My lord, the Earl's camp was still very lively when we came out, but it should have rested by this time." One of his men said, "We went into his camp and saw the Count's army, and their appearance struck me a little strange. ”

"How weird?" The viscount asked curiously.

"The count's soldiers look like a group of knights," said another of his men, perhaps not thinking that was clear enough, "they are dressed and behaved very differently than any army we have seen, and almost all of them are very clean, and I have seen many soldiers washing their clothes and armor by the river, which resembles the Ottomans." ”

The words of his subordinate made Viscount Herva a little strange, and his brow furrowed even tighter.

"You saw this after watching it for a long time? Do you see anything about the equipment and bravery of his army? ”

"My lord, we may not see anything in this, but I can assure you that the Earl's soldiers are very disciplined."

The Viscount looked at the man, then nodded slowly.

"So, sir, do you think he will be the one who can help us?"

Looking at the two retinues with hopeful expressions on their faces, Viscount Herva sat down slowly, he felt that he needed to think about it first, and after the excitement of suddenly seeing the count, he could not help but wonder whether the arrival of the Count of Montina was good or bad for him.

"The Count is from Rome, and although he claims that he was not sent by the Pope, this is still a rare opportunity for us," one of his subordinates said to the Viscount with a little excitement, "My lord, the Count can be a symbol of our call to all the faithful to reunite around you, please do not forget that your father, His Royal Highness the Duke of Signacci, is the leader of the Croatian proselytism, and you have a natural advantage as the son of the Duke, if there is another one from the Vatican at this time." 'Emissary', I believe that not only Croatia, but also the Bosnian nobility will have people who will support you to become king. ”

The voices of his subordinates were full of excitement and even a hint of anxiety, they were like a group of people who had fallen into a desperate situation and were completely desperate, but suddenly found that they not only saw a glimmer of light to get out of the predicament, but even behind this light was the bright sun that could bring them to heaven, this sudden change made these Croatian nobles who had been in hiatus for too long no longer be able to calm down.

"But we don't know why he came to Bosnia," Viscount Herva coldly poured cold water on the two retinues, "and we don't know if we can come up with something that will impress him, and we don't even know what he wants." ”

The two retinues looked at each other, and the Viscount's words cooled their newly heated mood a lot, and they knew very well that this was indeed the key, after all, no one would be naïve to think that the earl had come from afar because he admired the reputation of Duke Signacci.

The viscount began to walk back and forth again, when suddenly he stopped and commanded his subordinates, "Go and call Morco." ”

At this time, Morco was washing his mount by the fence at the edge of the camp, and a broom tied to the leaves kept brushing on the horse, and when it didn't hit some places, the tall war horse would sometimes arch its back and rub it a few times, and when he noticed this action, Morco would be very intimate to brush a few more times in this place, in exchange for a comfortable low snort in the mount's nose.

"Morco, you're taking care of your horse again." A voice that made Morco's heart beat came from the darkness, and Miss Alosia stepped out of the shadows of the house.

"Why did you come out so late," Morko looked at the aristocratic lady who wrapped herself in a thick shawl in surprise, "You know it's not safe to come out at this time, not to mention that there are outsiders in the camp." ”

"Didn't you bring these outsiders with you," Miss Alocia glanced at Morko, her big eyes shining in the moonlight, which made Morko's body even hotter because of the strength of brushing the horse.

Miss Aloxia walked up to the warhorse, stretched out her hand and gently stroked the long horse's face and said to Morco, "Is this count really here to help us?" ”

"It should be, after all, we are all Catholics, not to mention that you have also heard that your grandfather has such a high reputation in the Vatican, and he may soon be canonized as a saint, isn't it normal for that earl to come and help us?"

Seeing Morco's expression, Miss Alosia sighed secretly, as the niece of the Viscount, of course, she had heard more than Morco, so for this kind of reason, which was taken for granted for most people, she could not be easily impressed.

"I hope you're right," Miss Alosia looked at the camp in the woods outside the camp with some distraction, it was the camp of Montina's army, most of the campfires in the camp had been extinguished by this time, and only a few shining places could see faintly swaying figures, "I don't know how I don't like those people very much, you know what, they are different from us. ”

Morco also walked over to the railing and stood side by side with Miss Alosia looking at the camp in the distance, and though he thought that maybe it was just a woman's usual whims, he could still understand her thoughts somewhat.

But then he smiled and said, "They are indeed different from us, after all, they are from Rome, their soldiers look so beautifully dressed, and their weapons are very exquisite, of course I don't mean that they must be very powerful, but I think this seems very novel, doesn't it?" ”

Miss Alosa nodded and was about to say something, when a distant sound of footsteps disturbed them, and from the footsteps they could tell that it should not be a person.

"Are you there, Lord Viscount has sent someone to look for you."

Hearing Daddy's deliberate loud reminder, both of them couldn't help but be startled,

Miss Alosa tried to hide in the shadow of the house, but the man seemed to be coming from that side, which made her stoop through the crack in the railing in a hurry, and then immediately crouched down on the bank of the creek that was lying low beyond the railing.

Seeing that Miss Alosia had already hidden, Morco responded loudly: "I'm here!" ”

"You, it's the baby horse," the old man shouted from afar while secretly looking around, and when he was sure that he didn't see anyone else, he quickened his pace and walked over with confidence, "The viscount is looking for you, hurry over and don't let the viscount wait for a long time." ”

Morco peeked behind him, but at the urging of his father and his retinue, he hastily bolted his horse to the railing, and followed the two men towards the viscount's big house.

It wasn't until the footsteps of Morco were completely inaudible that Miss Alosia crept up from the shadows, but just as she was about to leave her body, a long horse's face arched over her.

"Do you want me to keep brushing you?" Aloxia looked at Morco's mount with amusement, she knew that Moleco loved this horse very much, which made her sometimes even a little jealous, "You unreasonable little girl, do you know that I am the granddaughter of Duke Signacy?" ”

Having said this, Aloxia picked up the leaf brush and began to brush it lightly on the horse's body, but I don't know if it was because of her lack of strength or the wrong method, and soon the horse seemed to move a few times because of the itchiness, and then it suddenly let out a snort, and then jumped over the not very high railing, and ran towards the stream.

Alosia was taken aback, she knew that Morco liked the horse very much, and although she knew that the horse would not run too far, she was afraid that the stones by the brook would hurt the horse's leg at night, so she quickly climbed over the railing, lifted her skirt, and trotted after her.

The war horse that ran to the stream was not naughty anymore, it first lowered its head and drank a few sips of water, and then rubbed its long horse face on a stone a few times.

Alosia caught up with a little gasp, and was about to reach out and take the reins of her drooping horse, when a neighing suddenly came from the other side of the stream.

Morco's horse lifted its head suddenly, its erected ears moved slightly, and then took a few steps toward the brook, as if to cross the other side of the stream.

Alosa quickly grabbed the wet reins that had fallen into the water, but her strength was obviously unable to stop the mount, and instead she was led by the horse and slid several steps into the stream.

"Valgina, stop! Stop! ”

Aloxia whispered the horse's name and tugged back until she stepped into the icy stream, which drenched most of her skirt.

"Who's there?"

A voice came, and Aloxia couldn't help but be startled!

Then she realized that it wasn't Bosnian or Croatian, but it was the Latin language she had learned from the Romans.

"Who is it?"

With another sound, Aloxia could feel that the other party seemed to be closer, and there was a neighing of horses.

As if in response, Morko's mount neighed across the stream, and Aloxia saw a tall horse trotting across the stream.

Behind the horse, a familiar figure was slowly following.

"Pagassos, you undead fellow, you're still so dishonest."

Alexander looked at Pagasos, who was standing in the stream with his neck stretched and kept smelling the body of the horse opposite, and wondered that it should be a mare, and then he looked at the owner of the horse who was also looking at this scene in a daze in the moonlight, and thought about it a little: "If I'm not mistaken, you should be the niece of the viscount, right?" ”

"Yes, Earl," Aloxia nodded a little stunned, she didn't expect to meet the Count again in such a strange situation, "My uncle introduced me to you at the banquet just now. ”

"Yes, I remember you, miss." Alexander nodded slightly, and then he could see the embarrassment of Aloxia, who was shivering in the water.

"I think it's Pagasus who is in trouble," Alexander knew what was going on just by looking at it, he turned around and grabbed Pagasus's reins and tugged a little harder, and when he heard Pagasus whisper as if he was angry, Alexander secretly pouted and whispered in Pagasus' trembling ear, "You have nothing left and you like little girls so much, you bad thing." ”

"Is your mount called Pagasus?" Aloxia asked, a little surprised, "The Pegasus of Greece?" ”

"Yes, it's fast, but it's dishonest." Alexander patted Pagasus on the neck dotingly, and when he saw that he was about to stretch out his nose to the 'little girl' opposite, he pulled it slightly.

Aloxia's face was slightly hot, but then she shivered.

"Miss, I suggest you hurry up to the shore, this kind of night is the easiest to catch a cold."

Alexander looked back as he spoke, and when he saw a few hunters who had come after him, he ordered them to light a bonfire quickly.

"Pagasus is very squeamish, so I have to take care of it myself," Alexander said and patted the horse's neck again, as if sensing his master's intentions, Pagasus reluctantly twisted his head and rubbed Alexander's shoulder a few times, "And what about your horse, what is it called?" ”

Alosia opened her mouth to explain, but then she just said, "Valgina, it's called Valgina." ”

"Valgina, that's an interesting name." Alexander looked at the horse with some curiosity, he knew that the word Valgina was actually derived from a word that came from the north, and looking at this war horse named "Valkyrie" by its owner, Alexander liked it a little.

Pagasus seemed to sense something, and his mood became slightly irritable, and his nose kept rubbing against Alexander's shoulder, and bursts of hot air sprayed into Alexander's ears.

Obviously, even if that opportunity was no longer available to Pagasus, it was natural for him to like the little girl, and that his master was interested in other horses, which was not what he wanted to see.

Aloxia apparently noticed Pagasus's amusement as well, and she looked at the jealous horse amusedly, until Alexander beckoned her to the bonfire that had been lit.

"I'm sorry Earl, but I'll have to dry my clothes here first." Alozia didn't want the maid to see her skirt and shoes soaking wet, because if the maid asked, she would probably find out that she had secretly met with Morco at night.

Alexander nodded, he didn't ask anything, but sat down and leaned under a tree not far from the campfire, then forcefully took off his wet boots and handed them to the hunters next to him.

In the light of the fire, Aloxia watched the hunters roast the boots over and over again, and polished them repeatedly with a few pieces of something that looked a little dry and hard, which made her a little curious.

"It's the mutton fat on the frost," Alexander explained with a smile when he noticed her eyes, "so that the boots don't look cracked by seeping water and baking, otherwise they look ugly." ”

Alosa nodded as if she didn't understand, she remembered what she had said to Morko before.

She said that she didn't like this foreign army very much, but in fact, it was not just her feeling, or it was not necessarily that she didn't like it, but a strange and inexplicable sense of alienation.

Just like now, she was baking her boots, but just to keep them from getting wet and uncomfortable to wear, she didn't particularly care if the leather of the boots would be dried and ugly.

But the person in front of him cares about these things, which makes Aloxia feel like a girl from a small rural aristocratic family who has never seen the world, facing a young master from a big city.

"Miss, it might be better to have some hot soup," Alexander took the hot soup handed to him by the man next to him, and motioned for the guards to bring a plate to Aloxia, too, "I don't want to see you suffer from the cold because of my stupid horse." ”

A smile appeared on Aloxia's round face like a ripe apple, she didn't expect that this count was not so difficult to get along with.

"Count, how long have you been in Bosnia?" Alozia asked cautiously, she knew that her uncle was a little concerned about the earl's intentions, although she knew that she would not get anything useful by asking like this, but since she had this opportunity, she still wanted to help her uncle inquire about some news.

"Less than a month." Alexander couldn't help but frown slightly as he said this.

This period of time made him feel that there was a lot of deviation from his previous plan, whether it was Kaniola or Bosnia, the situation was much more complicated than he had imagined, so that he had to change his plan on the fly, thinking that he had to speed up if he wanted to cooperate with the Viscount of Herva and get the attention of Bucharest as soon as possible.

"The Count hopes I didn't bother you." Alosa felt that Alexander's mood didn't seem to be very high, so she stood up a little stubbornly, although the boots were still a little wet and cold, she still gritted her teeth and put them on, "Then thank you for your help, I have to go back." ”

Alexander stood up, knowing that the girl might have sensed his emotions, which surprised him with the girl's acuity and secretly reminded himself not to be affected by the chaos of the situation in front of him.

"Let me send you back, after all, you can't look like this, and it's not reassuring for you to go back alone." Alexander looked at the end of the creek in the distance, it was impossible for Alosia to wade back, and the wooden bridge should be farther away, and it was not appropriate for a girl to walk such a long way on such a night.

Alosia was a little anxious, of course she had to find a way back to the camp, but she didn't want to be discovered, and as Alexander said, she was obviously uneasy to walk around the camp and cross the river by herself.

Seeing Alocia's hesitation, Alexander guessed the reason after a little thought, and although he didn't know why she didn't want people to know that she had run outside the camp with a horse at night, he had little interest in asking anyone about it.

"Let me send you back, rest assured that I will only send you to the vicinity of the bridge, and no one will see it." Alexander said with a smile.

Aloxia secretly breathed a sigh of relief, she felt that this was the best.

Looking at the young earl in the moonlight, Aloxia felt that he was not so disliked.

In order not to be seen by the people in the camp, Alexander ordered the hunters to take away Pagassos, who seemed to be a little reluctant, and then walked alone with Aloxia along the side of the stream towards the wooden bridge that could not be seen in the distance.

The moonlight shone brightly, shining on the bodies of the two men and the horse, dragging a long shadow by the stream.

"Count, can your army fight the Ottomans?" Alosya asked suddenly, she raised her head with a slight hint of hope, "Those who killed my grandfather, some of them were in collusion with the Ottomans. ”

Alexander was not surprised by these words that Aloxia suddenly said.

Although the Ottomans imposed their faith after the conquest of Greece, the long-term sultans did not just resort to repressive measures, but on the contrary, both Mehmed II and his descendants took a very flexible approach in the following decades, and even installed several Christian states as their vassals, as is the case with the Bosnian governor in Sarajevo today.

The flexible means of rule and the art of diplomacy allowed the Sultan to break the resistance of the Balkans to the Ottomans again and again on the basis of strong force, and the Ottoman crescent banner patiently encroached on the southeastern corner of Europe.

"I'm here to help your uncle, and although I admit that I have my own purpose, it's good for us now that our purpose is the same."

Alexander casually explained to the fallen noblelady of Zagreb, and although he did not know if these words would have a chance to reach the apparently suspicious Viscount Helva, it was not a bad thing to say a few words.

"So your army is not afraid of the Ottomans?" Miss Alosa still asked a little stubbornly, and then deliberately said in a slightly provocative tone, "Our people are not afraid of those Ottomans. ”

"Then I'm glad for the Viscount that he has such a brave follower," Alexander smiled disapprovingly, and seeing that the noble lady did not seem satisfied with his answer, Alexander continued, "Rest assured, my army will surely help your uncle, and if possible, you may even become a princess of Bosnia." ”

Aloxia's face showed surprise, she didn't expect this young man to boast of such a sea mouth.

But by this time they had reached the vicinity of the wooden bridge, and Alocia could only stop and prepare to leave.

It's just that she just opened her mouth and didn't have time to speak, but the originally dim front of the camp gate suddenly lit up!

With a cry of "Alocya! Viscount Helva, surrounded by a group of men who followed behind them with torches, strode towards them.