Before parting, the two discussed some more questions about the hostages and the ransom, and Isabel said to Ferguson, "Sir, is the letter to Lord Darlington ready?" ”

Ferguson nodded and said, "Last night, I was ready as you said. ”

"So, what about my request?"

"At your request, the letter will be delivered to the Governor of Barnard Castle in three days."

"Well, sir, let your brother know that the Governor must not identify the messenger as the one who robbed the Lord's eldest son."

"Don't worry, ma'am, my brother knows how to do it."

After thinking about it, Isabel said, "One more thing, if your brother finds that the Lord's man has not done what the letter asks, you have to ask your brother to terminate the transaction immediately." ”

Ferguson asked curiously, "Ma'am, why is that?" ”

"Sir, this is done to save your brother from merciless revenge."

"Well, well, I'll let the liaison know this afternoon."

"Also, your brother is to go to Scotland or Ireland as soon as he gets the ransom."

"Ma'am, I think you're thinking too seriously about this. According to previous precedents for ransom, the captured Joseph would have been treated courtesy by my brother in most cases. If Lord Darlington is unwilling to pay the ransom, my brother also has the right to dispose of Joseph as morally permitted. ”

"Sir, I believe the truth of what you say. But the reality is that we not only captured the lord's eldest son, but also ransacked his army that was transporting the honorarium. While plundering a large amount of honorarium, he also killed an entire army of people! In the darkness of the night, Isabel's words made people shudder.

Ferguson sat on horseback, allowing the horse to raise his left foreleg and stomp on the ground. When the horse snorted again, he laughed and said, "Madam, my brother is not afraid of death, nor is he afraid of Lord Darlington sent to destroy their army. ”

Isabel pursed her lips and replied, "That's true." However, I don't want to fill this up with someone I don't trust before the next operation... Order of Blackfriars. ”

"The Blackfriars? Ma'am, how did you come up with such a name? ”

"I associate it with today's looting. Centuries ago, Christ and the Poor Knights of Solomon's Temple (the Knights Templar) were founded as a congregation of monks at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount. So, why can't we form a friars? Of course, our slogan is not 'God's will'. ”

"Hahaha, then it should be called the Black Knights."

"Sir, this will give people the illusion that the Knights Templar are back. Moreover, His Majesty the King was trying to get rid of the control of the Pope and the Holy See at this time. If an army of knights, nominally supported by the Holy See, were to move freely within the kingdom's territory, do you think Henry VIII would be merciful enough to spare us? ”

"Isabel, you always have amazing ideas. So, what is our slogan? ”

"Money comes first! What do you think, sir? ”

In my opinion, this slogan can almost be equated with the slogan of the Knights Templar. Simple, straightforward, and purposeful. ”

"Sir, I think that in this world, there are no eternal friends, no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. Isn't today's looting aimed at that goal? This famous quote from the 19th-century British Prime Minister Palmerston was unceremoniously borrowed by Isabel.

"Ma'am, do you mean that one day, perhaps, we too can be friends with our enemies?" Ferguson said with a puzzled look at her.

Isabel said calmly: "Yes, just like the foreign policy of His Majesty the King in his early years against France and against Spain. It was not until after the Reformation that the kingdom became an enemy of Spain. ”

Then she said, "Sir, wouldn't you like to acquire a great deal of wealth for a better life?" ”

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Before returning to the home of Sir Augustine and his family, Isabel dismounted and hid herself in a remote corner. He took off his knight's mask, took off his dirty, smelly, blood-smelling monk's uniform, and put it in a linen pocket tied to his saddle. After a quick tidying up of his clothes, the quiver he was carrying, his custom-made longbow, and two daggers in his left hand, he mounted his horse and walked towards Sir's house as if nothing had happened.

On Sunday Mass, except for punctual attendance at Mass in the church of Nazareth, the rest of the day is the only time of the week for everyone to rest. Henry, Lord of Nottingham Castle, was able to spend the day without studying, as did Isabel's sister Euphemia and brother Alfred.

It is customary for all able-bodied men between the ages of 12 and 65 in Richmondshire and Nottingham Castle to practise archery at the Guards' training ground after Mass. However, the population of England by this time had greatly exceeded the population of the reign of Edward I.

As a result, civilian men living in the county could only go to other training grounds in the county to practice archery. The training ground of the guards only accepts men who live in the castle for archery training. Of course, there were jobs where someone had to be present, and Lord Henry didn't let them strictly enforce this law.

And because it's autumn and winter when the nights are long and the days are short, archery training usually starts at 3 p.m. just after sunrise. In the time leading up to training, Ferguson asked Augustine to sit down with him to listen to Isabel's explanation of "pirate plunder".

Meanwhile, Sir Anthony, the governor of Barnard Castle, had already sent a knight back to Darlington Castle to report to his lord, Viscount Darlington, of the attack on the Honorarium's army.

Lamberton Swift has always had a headache for the thieves who often haunt the North. On the one hand, he suffers from the limited forces at his disposal and cannot fully use it to exterminate the thieves, and on the other hand, he does not have enough money to spend on the cost of exterminating the thieves.

It wasn't until he learned from the knight that his eldest son, Joseph, had been captured by thieves, that he realized that this time he had to deal with these Robin Hood thieves. Not only must the eldest son be rescued and the reward recovered, but also the thieves who should go to hell must be completely eliminated.

The exact implementation of this plan to exterminate the thieves was subject to further consultation between him and the Earl of Durham, the county magistrate, and Baron Crook, the county magistrate. Now, the first thing he had to do was to appease Clarissa Swift, wife of his eldest son, Joseph, and the eldest daughter of Bernard Harrison, Viscount Carlisle.