"Enough!"

The signs of my worries have finally erupted, the contradiction between the knight representing the orthodox force and the enides representing the dark force has been a long-standing existence, belonging to the existence of good and evil, each adhering to deep-rooted prejudices, in the past, under the cover of Nijmegen's smooth sailing, everyone reluctantly sought common ground while reserving differences, at most the small friction that hindered each other, now encountered a great change, the contradiction is no longer difficult to hide, and immediately sharpened, even rising to the point that I dare to clash in front of me at this moment, and the internal volcano has reached the warning line of eruption.

"What are you doing? There's a lot of extra energy, isn't it? It's not pleasing to look at your own people, and you want to stab you with a knife, right? Okay, let's fight, you throw off your arms and do a good fight, the kind that will rest until you die, what's the matter? ”

I sneered and swept over everyone present, including Codename Four, who didn't know when he hid in the shadows:

"But before you do these things, you have to tie me up and give it to the enemy, you ask why? Because I can't afford to lose that person, instead of witnessing the ugly drama, it is better to go to the enemy's side as a prisoner, and people will at least treat me as a guest, and I will not worry about food, drink, food and clothing, and I will be very comfortable, and the most important thing is that I don't have to watch these disgusting things you do anymore, understand! ”

"My lord......" Owen's tone softened, as if trying to justify.

"Shut up!"

I flatly reprimanded:

"I, Randy Adrian Hoffman, Duke of Nijmegen, your feudal lord and master, testify by God, every word spoken at this moment must be strictly implemented and enforced, and I have no time to pay attention to your grievances and grievances, and when I should be angry with the enemy, the internal regeneration of suspicion is tantamount to cutting off my siblings, and from now on, those who create friction will be tantamount to treason and will be severely punished!"

Everyone was silent, some of their eyes were in a trance, some of them looked down at their toes without squeaking, and some were drenched in cold sweat and silent.

"Even if you pretend, you have to pretend to be intimate with me until I regain lost ground!"

"Yes!"

The weak answer is like a mosquito humming, lingering in the throat for a long time and not jumping out.

"I can't hear you louder!"

"We promise, sir!" Owen took the lead in shouting at the top of his throat, three points of guilt, and more of anger.

"It's almost time, we need to meet Count Richfield."

Taking the reins from the squire, I jumped on horseback, with Deved as the flag bearer, and five cavalry and a dozen infantry escorts, who were purely to support the field, and could only be used as cannon fodder to accompany the death in case of emergency.

After a few hundred meters along the rocky shore, the water flows into a gentle channel, and the shallows on both sides are lush with reeds, but unfortunately after the prosperous season, all of them turn yellow and wither, and dance with the swaying of the breeze, and the embellishment of the thin snow, which is very desolate.

On the other side of the river there were people waiting with torches, and the one who was clustered in the light of several great torches must have been the Earl of Lechfield, but I could not be sure of the distance.

"The Honorable Count Schwartz-Esslingen Djolbach, owner of Lechfeld and his possessions, leader of the House of Dejolbach with antlers and swords, is here!"

The high-pitched flag bearers were the first to announce their names, revealing their shields adorned with antlers and swords to prove their identity.

Owen asked for my consent with his eyes, and replied in a loud voice:

"The lord of Nijmegen and Friesland, the rightful lord of Denmark, the liberator and protector of the Vatican, the sword of God, Randy. Adrian. Lord Hoffmann salutes the Count, may the glory of God be upon you! ”

There was a long silence on the other side, the red flame of the torch flickering and trembling in the wind, as if he did not believe the identity of the person he was talking to.

"The Duke Great... Man, is it really you? Someone asked.

"Lord Earl, it's me, your friend Randy."

I loosened the reins a little and hurried the horse two steps forward:

"Farewell to Constance, I don't realize that a few months have passed, how are you doing?"

"God, it's really you, the Duke!"

I heard the tired but not old voice of the Earl of Richfield, as neutral as ever:

"Why are you here, my lord?"

"I'll ask you this question instead, my friend, aren't you going home?"

I put my palms together into a horn and said clearly word by word: "Besides, there is no need for swords and swords between friends, please move across the river, or I will go over, let's talk about the old days in person, okay?" ”

Silence, silence, and silence, the flying sparks startled the warhorse, and the beast rose to its feet with a manic neigh, and the rider on its back barely controlled it with all his might.

"I'm afraid I'm sorry, Lord Duke, but please accept my kind wishes as a friend, and thank God that you are safe."

The old earl's face was white and miserable in the firelight, and his next words seemed to come from a cold snap in the depths of the Alps, which froze the excitement of seeing my old friend, and instantly fell into an ice cave.

"I have to officially inform you that Swabia and Nijmegen are already at war, we are enemies, sorry!"

"Enemies? Why! ”

I subconsciously raised my voice and leaned forward, eager to know the answer: "Aren't we friends?" Even after the death of Duke Herman, I still have in my hand a document with the Duke's seal, which allows me to mobilize all the knights of Swabia! ”

"I regret to inform you, my lordship, that document has been invalidated, has lost its legal validity, and the scrap of paper in your hand cannot be reconciled by even a Swabian shepherd boy riding a donkey."

The voice of the Earl of Richfield drifted with the murmuring of water, and the rhythm of the melodious rhythm was like a powerful iron fist, striking me hard at the heart one after another.

"When the new Duke succeeded to the throne, his first order was to invalidate that document."

"Wait, the new Duke of Swabia? Who is he! ”

I was so dizzy that I almost fell off my horse, and my instincts told me that this successor duke was anything but good.

"Are we talking too much, Lord Duke? I formally inform you that the two sides are in a state of war, and that I have received an order to defend the Saint-Gart Pass and not to let anyone cross it. ”

The old earl paused, and his tone softened a lot:

"My lord, if you have any doubts in your heart, please wait until you are defeated by me before pursuing them."

He turned his horse's head to leave, and muttered hesitantly, "Or, you come and beat me......"

"My friend, please stay!"

I shook the whip so hard that the horse took two steps in pain, and as soon as it touched the cold water, it immediately screamed and raised its neck.

"Damn brute, get out of here!"

The whip of the hand fell, the sound entered the flesh, the war horse's swollen nostrils spewed white gas, no matter how much I whipped, I didn't want to go anymore.

"Your Excellency. Adults, stop fighting! ”

Seeing this, Deved hurriedly ran and pulled the whip in my hand and pointed to the other side of the river in the darkness.

"Look, they're all gone, what's the use of you just beating horses!"

"Bastard!"

I couldn't suppress the anger rising in my chest, my jaw trembled nervously, the sudden reality once again ruthlessly shattered the world I thought was whitewashed and refined, despair was never far away, it was like a cunning lone wolf, always hovering not far away, waiting for the opportunity to pounce on its prey.

The squires took great effort to calm the frightened horses, and I looked in despair at the place where Count Lechfeld had just stood, the infinite darkness completely swallowed up the remnants of the torches, and the surging water seemed to laugh at my frustration, singing with joy, and the silver snowy peaks magnified the reflection of the moon's rays, becoming the unique presence of the kingdom of night, and it also squinted its eyes and gazed at me condescendingly, like a tiny ant.

"Behold, how ridiculous that man is!"

Who's talking? Ghosts, God, or my heart?

Deved and I changed mounts, as a knight, the war horse is equivalent to a second life, and he loves it even more than a lover, and he is naturally distressed to see the Duke so crazy tormenting the precious horses that are now scarce, so Deved refused the squire's kindness to change horses, and led the injured war horse on foot, touching it with pity while walking, looking like a loving mother who licked the calf and asked for warmth.

Dejected, I don't remember how to go back to the camp, Owen and they got the news beforehand, and they all gathered around to comfort them with concern:

"Adult ......"

As soon as Owen opened his mouth, he opened his mouth to stammer, and just helped me off the horse diligently: "Do you want to have some hot wine to warm up?" ”

"Who's that?" I lifted my eyelids and swept the people around me.

"I'm here, my lord." Code No. 4 didn't go far, and immediately appeared when he heard my inquiry.

"Why? Why don't you know such important news? ”

There was no hope, and the obsession had long since been seen, so I gently pushed the attendant who was supporting me, stared into her eyes, and asked an unanswered question.

"More than 500 people, from Italy to Lemons, have fought no less than four or five battles along the way, the fewer people fight, but the enemy fights more and more, and if it goes on like this, the invulnerable heavenly soldiers and generals will have to play eggs!"

Code name four, my excited emotions relaxed slightly, and replied without humility or arrogance:

"Our intelligence network has been dealt a fatal blow, the dark lines have been broken, countless excellent Enides have been exposed, and they are silently gone, Nijmegen has been blinded by the enemy, why would the Flemish people capture our castle? Why are you being hunted all the way in Italy? Why did the former allies defect to the enemy's camp one by one? You know all these reasons. The enemy we are facing is another Enides, exactly like themselves in the mirror, they are everywhere, omniscient, omnipotent, and when a person's name is written into the assassination blacklist of the highest decision-makers, God cannot save him! ”

"The reason why you are able to scold me so vividly is that I am protecting you, and in order to bear your anger at this moment, I have lost three of my best men these days, and I have not seen anyone alive or dead! To say sadness, who is present without feelings? Who hasn't lost a family member, a comrade-in-arms in this bitch-of-bitch war? It's normal for you to be angry and angry, but please don't use a condescending tone to question and doubt your own loyalty! ”

I didn't quite believe what my ears heard, and I sneered and asked:

"How dare you talk to me like that? Miss Crescenty, believe it or not, I'm going to kill you right now! ”

"As I said, my name is code name four, there is no one in the world called Crescenty, for God's sake, sir, please stay sensible, strong and optimistic is not what you usually teach us? Where is the original Master Randy, who is good at making fun of suffering? Be sure to take heart, today is not the end of the world, and neither will tomorrow! ”

Every word of Codename Four was deafening, and she brutally peeled open my wounds and stripped away the rotten flesh so that the new flesh inside could be exposed, helping to heal faster.

I shut up, my chest panting and heaving, yes, who am I angry to show me? Isn't it expected that Swabian has changed to a duke? Herman II is dead, and his son has no news of Nijmegen with the fall, this one is considered an absolute heir, but there are others who covet the throne of the duke, speaking of those greedy pretenders, there must be no friends in Nijmegen, in accordance with the old duke's will to support Herman II to ascend the throne, I almost offended the de jure heirs of Swabia, and by the way, the relationship with their relatives and the supporting forces behind them is also very stiff. In the final analysis, my nonsensical anger is more venting, and it is the same as the analysis of Code Name 4, carrying too many burdens, and I have to pretend that the strong Duke can't hold it anymore, and I lose my temper and start to splash and roll......

"Owen, how's the position arranged?"

With a frown turning, my face turned faster than in June, and several of them were caught up in a moment.

"What, stupid?"

"My lord? No...... Well, the banks of the river in front of us are dominated by large rocks, and the current is so fast that there is no possibility of forcing the crossing unless the enemy has wings, but I have strengthened a few shallow beaches and arranged a certain number of archers to ensure that any intruder will not return! ”

Owen adjusted his mood and immediately followed my train of thought.

"Also, my opinion is that the enemy will not attack from the front, and will need to pay more attention to the direction of the Pansy crossing the river, which is the only breakthrough point nearby."

I pinched my chin and started my brain at high speed: "Schneider is cautious, and he will act cheaply when there is a situation, and I am not worried about him." ”

Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that something was wrong, so I turned around the place twice with my hands behind my back, and Codename Si noticed something strange and took a few steps forward.

"Did your people follow them?"

"There are not enough people, and one of them is watching the enemy's movements while taking care of them, and the last time the news came back before you left for negotiations."

She stopped abruptly when she said this, and her eyes were full of worry:

"I'll send someone again, but this time I'll have to draw from the security guards around you......"

"It's okay, just tune."

Before the words fell, I added: "It's enough to have you here." ”

But Codename IV disappeared into the boundless darkness of the night, and there was no trace of it, and I scratched the back of my head, and when I left the monastery, my washed hair was slightly oily, and it smelled sour to the touch, and a raised bump arched through my scalp, and it hurt hotly.

"Hehe, flea's masterpiece."

Talking to myself, my thoughts gradually became clear, didn't Count Richfield say that he could not tell the answer until the battle was over, and then I would give him a convincing defeat, and as for him trying to defeat me? Stop dreaming!

"Light all the torches, and make a strong noise."

I waved my hand, and the herald hurriedly bowed down to obey the order: "Be alert to the enemy situation within three miles of each upstream and downstream of the camp as the origin, to prevent the opponent from copying the rear road, cornflower as a reserve, must ensure the safety of the rear, if I can't win, I don't want to even have a chance to escape, understand?" Deved pressed his hand on his right chest and bowed solemnly.

"What about us?" Owen and Gauder asked in unison.

"Wait, wait for intelligence, wait for opportunity, wait for the enemy to make a mistake first."

I hugged my shoulders and faced the moon as it gradually rose in the sky:

"We and our opponents, like two cobras with their wings puffed out, the confusion of darkness helped us, the same helped them, the river held them back, the same way we stopped. Since the hole cards are the same, spell is skill, fight is patience, anyway, I have nothing to love, no loss to lose, rather than trembling and frustrated, it is better to fight happily, God forbid, I hope the old earl will make mistakes first......"

(End of chapter)