On a hill overlooking the river, Grand Duke Saloyan Yaria III had a table arranged. White cloths adorned with gold thread are filled with fresh fruit and pastries, and crystal goblets reflect the morning light, waiting for the wine. It's just that the chairs around the table are empty, and Grand Duke Aria III also chooses to stand, so the dust that comes with the wind will fall before the wine.

The dust was caused by the army on the road, the cavalry and infantry were advancing, and the mules and wagons were following on the side. On the surface of the river, siege weapons were dismantled into parts and were moving along with supplies, the ripples caused by the oars were intricately intricate. Saloyan stared silently at his soldiers, but his fingers tapped one after another on the counterweight ball of the hilt, indicating that his patience was losing little.

He was fifty-four years old, and although he was about to be crowned king with the conquest of Feinberg, he was distraught by the fact that he had no heirs. Alcohol, tobacco and a potbelly are extremely unlikely to give birth to another offspring, a point that even the archbishop of the Church says is powerless. What bothers him even more is that even if he quits smoking, alcohol and sweets, he is unlikely to be able to strengthen his physique through exercise: the old wounds he once suffered on the battlefield are now becoming more and more painful, and his joints are like pieces of iron that have been bent too much, ready to break at any moment. He knew that he could still live for a while, but he had been eliminated by time, and he would never be able to repeat the bravery of the past.

A courtier suggested that he have a son, who is still alive, but locked up in the deepest part of the dungeon. This kind of thing can only be thought of, and once it is said, it cannot be done. Throughout his life, Grand Duke Aria III was strict with himself, focusing on training knights and soldiers in order to annex Feinberg. He now regrets a little that he didn't take advantage of the absurdity of his youth, even if he left an illegitimate child!

What kind of medicine did I use on my son, Fitch Hall, that bastard, and completely transformed him not only physically, but also mentally, and it was a great scandal! Fitch, you really deserve to be slashed by me with a thousand knives and thrown into hell! Grand Duke Saloyan clenched the hilt of his sword with five fingers, and the long sword was even slightly pulled out of its scabbard. Just as his patience was about to run out, three horses galloped up on the roadbed, and the one who led the way was the father of the man he had just cursed.

"I'm very sorry, Your Excellency, but we came across a donkey cart on the road that broke its axle and overturned, and we moved it out of the way to get through. Count Hall jumped off his horse from a distance, and then walked briskly, making a gesture to get down on one knee, and Saloyan hastened to release the hilt of his sword and hold him with both hands.

"I'm not a king yet, you can't do that. ”

"It's just a matter of time, this mighty army will surely bring victory, and Feinberg will only be history until the fall. Earl Hall still bowed deeply and said, "So far, the news has been blocked, and according to the speed of the army's advance, even if Feinberg knows about it, it is too late to take precautions. ”

"Still can't be taken lightly, I'm still worried about the reaction from the cardinal's side. If they decide to close the border, the army will be left alone. Grand Duke Saloyan said.

"If that happens, I will personally lead the army and break through all blockades, whether it is Feinberg's front line or their capital. Count Hall straightened up and struck his breastplate with his fist: "The iron fist of justice is on your side, ready to serve." ”

"A prosperous and powerful kingdom needs loyal and brave courtiers like you. The Grand Duke pointed behind Count Hall and said, "Who are these two men you have brought? ”

The Count was followed by Feige and Shani, with Shanny wearing a veil all the time, and Feige wearing a cheap inlaid leather armor, a hood covering his mouth and nose, and a conical hat on top of his head. Feige revealed some of his demonic abilities, so the hole left for his eyes had a blood-red glow, which looked like a dangerous appearance that no one could approach. The cat teasing stick was too conspicuous, and he disguised himself as a walking stick and gave it to Xia Ni to use, while he placed the pit sword behind his back, with strips of cloth wrapped around the emblem. Shani designed the outermost blouse for the two of them, which was extremely exaggerated in the style of the elves, and then referenced some of Feige's opinions, and no one would doubt the exoticism.

"This is the strange man I recruited not long ago, the Thunder Swordsman Yan, and his sword servants...... I'm not sure if the translation is correct, it's about a combination of a maid and a sword-wielding servant, called Xia. They came from overseas, on an island further east than Elven Island. While pursuing the pirates, the ship capsized, and I went ashore with a plank, and I happened to be able to rescue him. ”

"Yan Xia, this is really a strange name, do they have any skills?"

"They value their vows and are willing to protect them with their lives, a tradition engraved in their souls. I saved his life, and he swore to protect me. This person's swordsmanship is very good, and he should be a champion if he participates in the tournament. Count Hall looked at the food on the table and rubbed his hands: "Your Excellency, have you eaten?"

"I'm so happy to see you that I forgot basic politeness. Sit down, what do you want to drink? I've got some of the best wine from the county of Milan, just in time for the army to go on a campaign. ”

"I'm more than happy to toast to the victory. Earl Hall hurried to pour the wine, and then without hesitation took the glass and drank it all. "It's a good thing, the servants in my vineyard are so unskilled that they never make such a good wine, which leads to losing money every year, which is a real headache. ”

"It's not the servant's problem, it's the soil and the rain. Land and water are always the most important, and everything else is just at the service of both. Kante, I know there are a couple of nice vineyards in Feinberg, are you interested?"

"Yes, how can you not have it?" said Earl Hall, smiling, but soon with a sad look on his face and a sigh, "but who are these vineyards left to? Andrew now has his own territory to run, and Sheila is always going to marry." ”

"How's Landon Hale? I've heard he's smart, but he hasn't started his knight training yet, why?"

"He was born weaker and couldn't start training earlier than his two older brothers. ”

"As long as his surname is Hall. "The Grand Duke just doesn't say anything about Fitch, and doesn't even want to maintain an atmosphere of harmony for him on the surface, let alone pardon him.

The corners of Earl Hall's mouth twitched, and he immediately chose to remain silent. He grabbed the red fruit from the fruit bowl, pierced the three layers of ham with his fork, and then sandwiched them together in the bread slices, squeezed them vigorously, then stuffed them in his mouth and chewed them loudly. Reaching out and flicking the scraps of food that had been stained on his beard, the Count looked up as if to make some comment, but in reality he simply poured himself a glass of wine and poured it down vigorously to clear his throat.

"Everything we do is for the sake of the children," said Grand Duke Saloyan, secretly pinching his fingers and staring at the army, but the words were to Count Hall: "As long as the children are good, then everything is worth it." The children's affairs will naturally be resolved when the children's age comes. ”

This means that when the crown prince ascends the throne and becomes king, he will naturally be pardoned at that time. It's just that the words "then" and "never" have almost the same meaning. Count Hall ate another homemade sandwich, then nodded, wiped his mouth, and stood up: "Your Excellency, I have already eaten. Where will the lighthouse leader and my men be arranged next, and what are the tasks?"

"Does Andrew want to take the Beacon Leader's army into this battle as well?" the Grand Duke asked knowingly, "No, I don't want to affect the relationship with the Church Leader because of his enthusiasm, so the Beacon Leader's army will stay in the Beacon Territory." But Andrew could have come to the front and see, what's that word called? yes, observer. It would have been a great help if he could report what he had seen to the cardinal in a better way. ”

"I'll let him come. The Count just stood, and had no intention of leaving.

"As for you, Lord Count, your battle position is by my side. I don't need you to charge, I have enough knights to do this. The Grand Duke smiled, but there was little sincerity in his smile: "Within a few days, the nobles of Feinberg will understand that their defeat is assured, and that many will come to surrender at that time." I want you to join me as my retainer to receive the defectors. ”

"It's my pleasure. The Count answered, and the Grand Duke announced that he had removed the table and set out with the army.

Feige had been quietly watching all this, and he had no hope of having Archduke Saloyan restore his surname, but was this what Count Hall wanted to see and hear with his own eyes? Feige wasn't sure if Count Hall wanted to say, "I've done my best, and your brother did my best, and the obstacle was this Archduke, not anyone else"? If this is the case, does that mean that there is only one possibility left between the Hall family and the Aria family?

He thought about it for a moment, then became more and more sure of the idea. The situation is largely determined, and the parties now simply lack a noble justification. On the bright side, Grand Duke Saloyan had stronger troops, a higher status, and at the same time was about to become a king, occupying the initiative. Especially once the situation on the battlefield is stable, then you can unload the mill and kill the donkey at any time.

Feige has his natural position, and he will be very determined to side with the Hale family, there is no doubt that he is ready for battle. However, the man in front of him, Earl Hall, would have allowed the battle to take place? Judging from the previous arrangements, his "father" was by no means a fuel-efficient lamp, and Feige absolutely did not believe that he was not secretly prepared. It's just that these court intrigues are not a play on words, and they are not Feige's forte. Even if he stared out his eyeballs, he couldn't see the clue now.

Feitch and Shane followed Count Hall, who followed Archduke Aria III, who led his army down the river towards Van Berg. In the afternoon they came to a castle called Laco, which guarded the river from the Patriarch's Territory to the gates of Feinberg. From a long distance they could see the rising gray plumes of smoke, and it was clear that the battle was long over.

Laco is just a small castle where the Zantar family lives. The best title in their history was no more than viscount, and now they can only maintain the rank of barons, how can they stop the sudden army? In less than half an hour, the castle was breached, and the Zantal family gave their lives "to defend Feinberg".

The army did not stop, they had to attack another fifty miles before they were discovered, seize the strategic place of Gfate, and then they could reverse the encirclement of the large army that Feinberg had placed on the front line, and even draw their hands to directly attack Feinberg's capital and take this land in one fell swoop. Along the way, Count Hall was explaining the battle to Feiqi, and the names of places that Feige was unfamiliar with made him dizzy.

"Why, are you impatient? I see that you haven't spoken for a long time, and you haven't even spoken back, you must be absent-minded. Earl Hall glanced at Feige, and even through the mask, the father could see a lot of information. "I'm wondering now if it would have been better if I had changed the position between you and your brother in the first place?"

"Obviously, even if he changes positions, Andrew won't castrate people. "I really didn't want to hear it anymore, because the situation on the battlefield doesn't matter at all. Now that Saloyan has the upper hand, even if he makes a few mistakes, it will only increase casualties and losses, and will not affect the victory - unless the cardinal reacts quickly and the army supports Feinberg, which will not happen at all. The battlefield is only a continuation of politics, politics is the expression of the economy, and the economy is the appropriation of the resources of survival. So, let's think about how to deal with the Grand Duke first. Are you ready for anything, can you tell me in advance?"

The Count glanced at Feige in surprise, then nodded, "You're right, but it's not time yet. It is only when Archduke Aria III becomes King of Aria that everything will be clear, when he is full of ambition. Feinberg couldn't stop him, even if he didn't open up this flank battlefield. In order for you to be pardoned and go home, your brother Andrew took the initiative to invite the Grand Duke to pass through here, which is a very pedantic act, and you should not follow his example. Remember: your own requests will be discounted, and let others put forward what you want in order to really get it. ”

"Wait, you mean to say that Andrew didn't talk to you about this behavior?"

"Nope. The Count snorted, "Did you consult with me before you castrated the Crown Prince? ”

"Isn't there still you who can see opportunities in trouble?"

"It's good, at least you can understand that trouble is opportunity. The Earl said, "For so many years, the battle between Aria and Feinberg has come and gone, and it seems to be fierce, but in fact there are no waves, and it is as calm as stagnant water. It's too calm, but there is no place to focus and exert force, so our Hall family didn't invest energy there. Your brother's reckless and naïve actions, although it was an accident, finally revitalized the stagnant water in front of him. Next, it depends on who has more friends and whose means are more clever. After so many years of war, there are already many people who are dissatisfied with Aria's stubbornness and ambition, and if you don't make money once you fight, then it's like you said: economy leads to politics, and politics leads to war. Hey, who taught you this passage, I don't remember me teaching it. ”

"I was never a good student. Feige shook his head, then pointed ahead, "Look, black smoke is rising again." ”

"The vanguard has already begun to attack Gfate, which is to be expected, after all, a small castle like Laco does not need the full strength of the large army, so it must be the main force to bypass and attack forward, leaving only a part of the infantry to ensure that the river can be cleared. This time Saloyan was in charge, but the real conductor was Marquis Asters Zieg. This man is the confidant of Grand Duke Aria III, and he is a very powerful fellow. ”

"Is it an opponent, a friend or a passerby?"

"Passerby, oh, I see what you mean. He's neither. The Count sat on his horse, watched as the Grand Coach began to slow down, and said, "It seems that we are going to spend the night in Laco tonight." Wake up, you know?"