With the order of the leader of the Monks, a large number of black-clad friars mounted their horses and galloped westward along a road leading to the northwest outside the village of Hoth. At this time, Isabel ignored the two Scottish mercenaries lying on the ground and was half-dead, and called Francis Swift to a side of the clearing: "Did the people who guarded the road outside the village of Hoth also left?" ”

"Yes, Your Excellency, 30 people have been rushing towards St. John's Church outside the village of Gasdale." Francis, who wears a silver mask, speaks in a very powerful tone.

"Very well, now go and get rid of these two Highlanders. Then, catch up with the members of the Friars in front. ”

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Thor and his other lieutenant stood at the heads of the two Scottish Highlanders lying on the ground, nodded at each other, and then drew their Cross Knight's sword from its scabbard almost simultaneously, holding the hilt upside down with both hands, pointing the tip of the sword down at the Highlander's chest. Thor was the first to stab his sword into the chest of the highlander who had insulted Isabel, and his colleague stabbed another highlander to death in the same way.

The two lieutenants then threw the bodies of the two mercenaries into the water of the Yule River on one side. The trio then mounted their horses and followed their leader with the rest of the Friars to the village of Gasdale, about an hour's ride.

Under the cover of darkness, the group galloped like a gallop on the road. By this time, Isabel, who had investigated the topography, landforms, people, religion, administration, and judicial systems of the neighbouring counties, had already recalled the situation in the village of Gasdale.

This sheep-based village is a border village in the northwest of England on the border of Westmoreland and Richmond and Yorkshire. Due to its location in the depths of the vast Yorkshire Highlands, it is one of the most popular places for thieves from the nearby three counties.

The Scottish mercenaries, led by Peter MacDonald, would have chosen such a place as a hideout. But after sunset this morning, two of his men were forced to reveal his hiding place under torture conditions.

After all, waterboarding is an extremely brutal form of torture. According to the CIA, 80 percent of people who have been waterboarded will say anything the interrogator wants to know, and the remaining 20 percent will drown while being waterboarded.

Isabelle Walton and her members of the Blackfriars learned that the Scottish mercenaries were hiding in the village of Gasdale, which was under the jurisdiction of Kandal Castle in the county of Westmoreland. So, in order to get rid of the target quickly, you must avoid the eyes and ears of the county magistrate or the border patrol officers of Kandal Castle.

Coincidentally, Kandal Castle was the birthplace of Catherine Parr, the future sixth wife of Henry VIII, whose family had owned Kandal Castle and nearby land since the 14th century. Catherine Parr, who is only 24 years old, is married for the second time and is now a baroness in the home of her second husband, Baron Latimer III of Yorkshire.

The crucial question of how to control the timing of the clearance operation and how to avoid alarming the County Patrol officers with fights and fighting was always on the mind of Isabel as she was on her way to the village of Gasdale.

Thor who was in the vanguard seemed to spot some Blackfriars and horses in the darkness of the night in a large pasture outside the road ahead. Hurriedly reined in the war horse and slowed down, turned around and sent a signal to the large number of people behind him.

The 20 or so blackfriars who followed him also slowed down after hearing Thor's whistle. Francis, who was riding on the outside, hurriedly said to Isabel, "Your Excellency, Thor has seen the man who has gone to investigate the enemy's situation. ”

Isabel looked at him and nodded, and whispered, "Let Thor come back immediately, I have something to say." ”

Francis hurriedly asked another deputy to call Thor back. Thor was about to dismount when he rode up to the leader, but Isabel just said, "Thor, you don't have to dismount, listen carefully." ”

"Yes, Your Excellency."

"Go find the person in front of you right away and bring 10 more people back. Tell the rest of the group to split into two squads and ride north and south along the county boundaries of Westmoreland County until you spot the County Sheriff or Fort Candal's County Border Patrol. ”

"What does this mean, Your Excellency?"

"Do you want to keep the county patrol officers as far away as possible from the village of Gasdale where the battle is about to take place?"

"Your Excellency, what should I tell our men if there is a fight with the patrolmen?"

"Avoid fighting with patrol officers as much as possible. Be sure to make them remember that their task is to lure the patrol away, not to fight. ”

Thor thought of another possibility, and said suspiciously, "Yes, Your Excellency. If the patrol is chasing too closely, will our men be able to fight to protect themselves? ”

Isabel thought about it, nodded her head and said, "If you have to fight, you must kill each other." Take away weapons, armor, and horses to give the county magistrate or nobles the illusion that they have been robbed. ”

"I see, Your Excellency."

"Time is urgent, go quickly."

As Thor galloped away, the blackfriars rode behind Isabel. Francis said with admiration: "Your Excellency, your order is very timely. ”

Isabel shook her head and said, "The Friars have used 50 men against the Scots today, which is bound to alarm the County Magistrate or the County Patrol at Fort Candal. In order to get rid of the Scots completely, I was able to use a part of my force to divert the patrolmen away from the village of Gasdale. ”

Sure enough, as she expected, a squad of Blackfriars heading north actually encountered a county patrol of the county magistrate. Since they were ordered not to disobey the order, the 10 Blackfriars "fled" for their lives away from the village of Gasdale. Fights with patrolmen are only possible when their own lives are threatened.

Isabel and the others left all the horses in a ranch far from St. John's Church, and left five blackfriars to guard the horses. This, together with herself, was a total of 26 blackfriars who quietly walked to the church to deal with 15 Scottish mercenaries. Perhaps, the number of mercenaries is more than 15, and it may be more, more.

As she led a group of 12 blackfriars from a large cemetery behind the church to approach her target, she stumbled upon several graves covered with what appeared to be freshly dug up. Isabel didn't think much of it, but simply thought that these cemeteries might be new tombs that had just been buried.