After the meeting, the nobles hurried back to their fiefdoms, recruited troops to prepare supplies, and the long distance did not even have time to attend the evening banquet, so they hid in the kitchen and hurriedly left.

I set the date for the assembly on August 9, the day before the St. Lawrence Day, and in order to reduce the cost of supplies as much as possible, the assembly site was set at Constance, not far from the St. Garte Pass, and there was really not much time left for them.

The last nobleman humbly walked out backwards, the attendant gently closed the door, and the maid, who had been waiting for a long time, came in from the back garden with all kinds of cutlery and cleaning utensils, and began to clean the room in an orderly manner, which will be used as a venue for the evening banquet to entertain the nobles who spend the night here, so it is necessary to clean and set up the tables and chairs.

A well-made carved gold candlestick is neatly placed on the table, the new dull yellow candle reveals a light-colored wick, and the fat column looks greasy, probably made of some kind of animal fat refining and condensation, which will produce an unpleasant smell when burned, and often rich nobles will mix precious spices into it to improve the smell.

This is different from the white beeswax often used by the church, the kind of high-standard pure candle is regarded as a symbol of the Virgin, and is generally only used on important religious occasions, as the main in-kind tax paid by beekeepers, the duke's cellar must have hoarded a lot, but the banquet at night is not of high standard, they are all their own vassals, so take some low-grade animal oil candles to fill the number, you must know that even this kind of low-standard candle is not something that anyone can afford, and many small and medium-sized nobles have to light torches at night.

The Duke of Hermann stood side by side by the window with me, and the fields outside the city had been abandoned for a long time by war, and half of the crops had been destroyed, and the peasants were still harvesting some of the intact wheat, and the whole land was green and black like a child's graffiti, and the jumble of colors was woven into a colorful canvas.

Perhaps the breeze outside penetrated into his neck, and the Duke wrapped his body tightly and slowly spit out a sentence that seemed to be nothing:

"Over the snow-capped peaks of the Alps, there is a completely different world on the other side of the mountain, you have pushed yourself too hard, my lord, the knights of Nijmegen are exhausted after continuous battles, and the horses have not rested and relaxed, and it is likely that a long journey will be more than auspicious, and crossing the cold mountain pass of St. Garle will cost you a large number of elite living forces."

"Besides, I still carry heavy supplies and mountain infantry like oil bottles, although I haven't fought for a long time, but I know some basic truths, and even the horses of the gods have moments of exhaustion, my lord, don't forget this simple folk proverb."

"Thank you for the kind reminder, Master Herman."

I helped him cover the corner of his shirt that had slipped to his shoulders again, and patted his back a few times with concern: "It's a pity that there is not much time left for us, and I don't dare to ventilate until now. ”

"Have you ever thought about the worst possible consequences of the war?" Herman leaned against the wall by the window, staring at me with his deep-set pupils.

"The worst possible consequences?"

I repeated his words in confusion, and asked suspiciously, "Everything is going well at the moment, isn't it?" ”

"Paris, I'm talking Paris."

Herman raised his right hand tremblingly, pointed to the end of the horizon and replied, "Your aggressive offensive is indeed sharp, easily defeating an ill-prepared enemy, while scaring other potential opponents who have not yet jumped to the surface, but have you ever thought about it?" Once the main force of Nijmegen crosses the St. Gart Pass, it will lose control and deterrence of the northern lands, and those shameless people who react will continue to wait patiently? ”

"Counting on the garrisons and allies who remain in various places? Please, they're not as powerful as a mob with a straw fork, so why defend the fruits of your victory? Think about it, Master Randy, I'm not an alarmist! ”

I nodded in understanding, and asked in an uncertain tone, "Are you talking about the little fox of the Capetian family?" ”

"It doesn't matter who it is, my friend, expect too much of you to only look forward, but forget to always pay attention to your own back, the lonely division travels thousands of miles, every step forward is a step away from home, logistics supplies, personnel morale, war damage and death are all problems, just like a rope around the neck, quietly and gradually tightened, it is not only a fetters and obstacles for you to continue to move forward, but also a safety rope to ensure that it will not go out of line, and the seemingly distant target is the tempting bait, tiptoe to bite it, and I am almost exhausted, If it is too far away from its position, the rope is tightened, and the person is finished. ”

Duke Herman's sallow complexion and exaggerated expression constitute a strange and terrifying portrait, Rao is a self-proclaimed bold as a cow, I am so frightened that my hair stands on end, and a question mark wells up in my heart, what kind of message does this somewhat neurotic adult want to convey to himself?

I didn't have time to think about it, and with vague questions, I set out on the journey again.

Rome lay quietly in the arms of the Apennines, like a box of biscuits at my fingertips on a cupboard, and with just a gentle step on the stool that I had painstakingly brought to the feet, I could not be a step away from victory.

The knights marched in two columns, their squires driving horses with their baggage and secondary guns, and one or two spare horses and charging horses on their backs, the whole team seemed to be a moving kingdom built on horseback, and the hard hooves trampled the tenacious weeds on the road and raised billowing smoke and dust.

"Goodbye, my lord, may God and all the saints bless and bless you, and I sincerely hope that the final victory belongs to Nijmegen, Amen!"

The Duke of Hermann, who was unable to ride a horse because of his health, could only lean on the carriage and pant to bless me, and he put his close cross in my hand and said earnestly:

"This is a cross made of sacred bones, I have always kept it close to me, and now I give it to you, Lord Randy, there is a long way to go, I'm afraid I can't go any longer with you, but Swabia will always be a friend of Nijmegen, this is a vow witnessed by God!"

I hung the delicate little cross around my neck, took the duke's protruding hands, and shook them emotionally: "Don't worry, friend, God will bless the two of us, Nijmegen and Swabia are like lips and teeth, and no one can guarantee their own safety without each other." ”

The three-day march was tedious and long, but it was only a drop in the bucket compared to the upcoming journey, and the further you went, the less vivid green scenery there was, and the more white it was, which was a great test of endurance and confidence, although I had followed the emperor several times, climbed over the snowy peaks and reached the plain of the Po River, I still did not dare to be 100% sure that the march would be foolproof.

Nestled on the shores of Lake Constance in the blue waters of Lake Constance, Constance has a long history of nearly 1,000 years, and perhaps since the days when European civilization sparked, it has been home to industrious ancestors.

The Romans settled here at an early age, and Constance got its name from the Roman Emperor Constantius I, who fought the Alemanni in the vicinity, the predecessors of the Swabians, and built strong fortifications for the small town.

Probably at the end of the Merovingian dynasty, Constance began to serve as the residence of the bishop of the fieger, laying the foundations of what would become an important religious center, becoming the leader of the Upper Swabian region, and at its peak the city was inhabited by more than 5,000 citizens, about a quarter of whom were clergy and devout believers from all over the world.

With the opening of the St. Gart Pass, which towers over the Alps, transshipment trade flourished, and the fact that Constance had the only bridge in the region to cross the Rhine, made its strategic position very important.

Successive bishops of Caiyi gradually amassed a great deal of wealth by collecting bridge taxes and selling the fine linen that was abundant in the region, and then expanded their armed forces, using their religious authority to meddle in secular affairs and act as the vanguard of the Holy See's control of the interior.

The tents of the people gathered here in advance were spread all over the banks of the Rhine, and all kinds of people carried colorful flags through it, as if they were holding a unique camping party, which formed a sharp contrast with the solemn and silent monastery on the hillside of the river, the gray stone walls absorbed all the light that shone on it, and the oppression made the chest suffocated, especially the gilded cross at the top of the bell tower, covering the rising sun behind it, like the scepter of death, looking down on the toiling masses of people and disdaining to be in company.

The main nobles lined up to welcome me, and there was a long line from afar, and the horses were full of strange young faces, and of course, the uneasy old father escorted his proud son, and he bowed awkwardly, and I smiled and nodded in greeting, and whistled lightly, trying to ease the dreary atmosphere of the scene.

The marching tent prepared for me was in the centre of the whole camp, and it was comfortably furnished, and even the wine was chilled with snow and water from the top of the mountain, so it is evident that some people had taken the trouble to study the likes and dislikes of the Duke of Nijmegen, and to preset them as he pleased.

As soon as I settled down, I found an excuse to fight the flattering aristocracy, and was anxious to meet the famous Swiss Guard, a legion of a thousand mountain dwellers provided by the Count of Basel.

According to the earl's eldest son, Auden, who had the same mouse's beard as his father's, and had thin sharp lips, he always liked to squint at people with a high-toed expression.

"Are you satisfied with the wine in the tent, sir?" Auden said in a weird throat, and goosebumps came all over his body.

"It was a gift from our father and son, an absolutely high quality Haute Burgundy wine, five years in the cellar of the abbey."

"Oh? I haven't tasted it yet, but just listening to your description, I can imagine its sweet and soft taste, thank you father and son for your good intentions. ”

Despite my contempt, I still pretended to accept it on the surface: "Rather than enjoying the elixir from heaven, I would like to review Basel's army first, after all, we will be fighting side by side, and it is necessary to increase mutual understanding." ”

Auden bent down more and more flatteringly, and made a gesture of invitation: "Of course, Lord Duke, assure God that Basel is the only one to watch." ”

(End of chapter)

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