"What the hell are you going to do this time?"

"The elder hasn't returned from the governor's fort yet, and maybe it's time to collect taxes or levies again."

This caused a commotion in the tavern, and the drinkers on all sides soon surrounded the long table as if they were besieging the city.

"Our 10 heads of households said that the county might have to hold a court meeting."

"Maybe it's because of the people who got caught." One would venture to speculate that his words inevitably silenced the drinkers.

According to the law, the county was likely to give ten families a share of the ransom, and everyone knew that, at least this time, the Dane's tyranny was unusually justified.

At this time, the king of England was riding westward, with the knights of Edwin, through the wooded valley and into the western frontier of Mercia.

"Your Majesty, should you slow down?" Edwin felt his buttocks burn like a fire, and to be honest, the nobles rode their horses, but they were far less comfortable than the vendors who rode in large carts along the way.

"Don't stay in this place, haven't you heard the rumors of those robbers? Maybe an arrow from behind a leaf will go through our throats. ”

The houses of the village disappeared from view, but the scenery was quite beautiful, like a pastoral picture of a mosaic, the small lake in the distance also reflected the light like a jewel, and the sound of herons could be heard from time to time.

"What a nice place, does this forest belong to your father?" The king asked Edwin, who was only a horse away from him.

"Unfortunately, this is not the case, this place is the territory of the old Lord Oda, and since the old Earl Godwin returned, it has been owned by Harold, so ......"

"Now this is my territory?" The king was a little surprised, he had never noticed that he had such an inheritance, and that the patrols and egrets of the little lake in the woods were all his property.

"Yes, Your Majesty, it's a pity that according to the previous news, this place is now the 'hunting ground' for those bandits."

Soon, a well-grown rye field came into view, and there was a high ground nearby, from which the sound of an axe could be heard, and there were carpenters there, presumably building a fort.

"Interesting." Edgar stared at the high ground, "Is this also the castle I ordered to build?" ”

"Of course not, Your Majesty, this must be a fortress built by those fellows in private."

"Just to guard this rye field?" Edgar expressed doubts that the land itself was clearly not worth committing to any garrison.

"And that field of flax and hops." Edwin added.

"Go ahead, it looks like we expected it right." The king's words were beyond the comprehension of the knight of Mercia, but the young man didn't really care either.

The road bent into the woodland to the south, and the sun brought a hot and damp feeling, and the speed of the procession had to be slowed down, and then, as complete as a tapestry, the pastoral picture was cut apart, and at the end of the road appeared a herd of beasts, and the king's cavalry was excited, as if even the horses felt the breath of their kind.

In the glow of the armor, the hussars drew closer, and Edgar could almost hear the snorting of their mounts, and from among them emerged a tall knight.

"Long time no see, Lord Roger."

The other party took off his peaked helmet, revealing his short shaved hair: "Your Majesty, all the cavalry of Hereford, at your disposal." ”

With the addition of the Norman knights of Roger, Earl of Hereford, Edgar's ranks became a small army, and eighty-six heavily armed knights swept north in a devastating manner, heading straight for Shrewsbury.

"Hide your blades, and remember that we're not going to fight this time."

Even so, Count Roger still couldn't hold back the excitement in his heart, he finally had the opportunity to show his skills in front of the king, after returning from Normandy, he had always felt like a rusty sword, and his status in the court was far inferior to that Spaniard, this time the king was going to deal with his opponent, and Roger dispatched all his elite in one go, determined to fight a good battle.

It is naturally impossible for an iron horse of this scale to be silent, in fact, as soon as Edgar and his party entered the north of Hereford, Ederik family's Ethemmer knew the news.

"My lord, what are we going to do?"

"Nonsense, open the door, of course!" Ethermer of Hereford almost gave his men a kick, and at this time the king was in person, and no matter what the purpose, he could not stop it.

Upon entering the courtyard walls, Edgar's knights immediately took over the manor, and Ethermer bowed in silence before the king, and then heard the voice of the other party without a trace of emotion.

"Are all the people we want ready?"

Ethemor almost scolded at this moment, he didn't expect that the king had come for the Buckingham incident, he had persuaded his uncle, but it had no effect, and now he couldn't answer the king like this.

"Your Majesty, all the robbers and hostages are in Shrewsbury, and we will send them out at once."

"Well, we won't rush a second time, we have to take people away before sunset the day after tomorrow." Edgar's fingers twitched, motioning for Ethermer to return to his seat.

Knight Edwin, son of Earl Mercia, seemed to understand something, but he still couldn't understand the king's handling of the king, and it wasn't until after a rather dreary dinner that the chief of the guard secretly asked King Edgar about the Edric family.

"Of course it's their people, besides the Edric family, who else in the west of Mercia has such a force, and it will be your father?" Edgar nodded, "And the silver mines they have also need enough slaves, Wales may have been able to provide this kind of manpower in the past, but now Boas in the west is our garrison, and the mine slaves can't be transported out, so they naturally began to rob the population as robbers." ”

"But, Your Majesty, if that's the case, why don't you just convict them?"

Edgar glanced back at the Mercian and was silent for a moment before replying, "That Ethermer's father was a warrior known to the Normans back then, and this time we only want to warn. ”

Edgar didn't say any more, of course, he didn't want to attack the Edric family, not to mention that Edric could be regarded as his distant relative - his ancestor "Marauder" Edric married Edith, the daughter of the "Unprepared King" Ethric, and was executed in London by King Canute for following the royal family - even the power of the Earl of Morka in Mercia did not allow him to purge the Edric family casually. Mercia had its own king in ancient times, so the royal family of Wessex would never allow a monopoly in this area, although Edwin was considered his own cronies, but he would not always be his own bodyguard, and when he inherited Moca's inheritance and sat on the city, it is difficult to say whether he would be as loyal as he is today, and leaving the Edric family meant that the royal family always had another choice.