Not so long ago, Luka was part of the attacking phalanx, where his close friends and fellow villagers were there, and now he had to stand by my side with his armor and sword.

"The people of Basel never back down, and it is the cursed Italians who are the spokesmen of rats and loaches who really drag us down."

Lukka said indignantly, "You should line them up separately, my lord, the Basel people will show you their bravery!" ”

"Have you learned to question my command again, Squire?"

I looked at Oden quietly, who was shouting hard, his hoarse voice like a hen with her wings grabbed, and he could only express his anger with a wail that tore through his throat.

"You're talking too much."

"I'm sorry, sir."

Lukka hurriedly made amends, his rough edges and corners have not yet been sharpened, and frequent beating is beneficial to the rapid physical and mental health, not everyone is as mature and restrained as Kohler, looking at the bull who has been able to take charge on his own, growth comes at a price.

"Then keep your mouth shut."

I put my finger to my mouth and made a silent gesture: "Use your here, here, and here to communicate with me, not here." ”

Fingers swept over the eyes, ears, and brains, and finally stopped at the mouth: "If you are controlled by your emotions here, not only will you lose my trust, but you may also lose your life quickly, understand?" The wise man never speaks first, remember it, squire. ”

Willing to listen and willing to be a foil, he can often stand on the cusp of the storm, and whoever laughs last will laugh the sweetest.

Lukka certainly didn't understand me, his expression was the same as the bull he saw for the first time, if he hadn't crossed over to the knight, I would have been a skilled carpenter, but now I had to carve the truth I realized in my past life and this life into every texture of two pieces of rotten wood, unfortunately, one of them was harder than the other, I shook my head and ignored him, and turned to pay attention to the situation on the battlefield.

People who wake up in their sleep are generally not good-tempered, let alone a large city with a population of tens of thousands, and Rome stretches its hands and feet, ready to teach those who dare to disturb themselves a lesson that will last a lifetime.

The rushing waves of the Tiber could not hold back the defenders of the city shouting back and forth, and more and more shadows flashed in front of the campfire, agile like a bobcat that pounced on its food.

The archers, probably more than 100 people, the sound of arrows raining through the clouds breaking through the sky is far less dense than during the day, and some should still be on the way, it stands to reason that a city like Rome, which is covered with war clouds all year round, is unlikely to have a shortage of arrows.

Or is there a conflict within the aristocracy that is determined to resist? The aristocracy of Rome was not a good man or a woman, and even fratricidal forces for the sake of profit, so that these families with all kinds of grievances and entanglements should be united, unless they faced a common dilemma, it is obvious that Nijmegen has a good relationship with many of them, and there is no need for everyone to tear their faces and do things, and I believe that as long as the interests are tempting enough, the opponent at that time may not be able to become friends at this time.

It seems that old Demar's lobbying has made a difference, and with his clever tongue it is easy to pull a few centrists into the water, and perhaps Rollo also played a role in the middle.

Spokesperson and confidant of the Duke of Nijmegen......

With a little brain, I can imagine what kind of image De Mar has packaged Rollo in the foreground, and the rest is bargaining and verbal promises to deceive fools.

As soon as the door opened, the promise of going out was not as good as farting, and the knife holder on the neck had to be settled after the autumn, and besides, why should I believe that Demar was not a cunning rabbit?

In any case, the laxity of the enemy's defenses is a good thing for me, fewer archers means fewer casualties, and when the ladder reaches the city, no amount of archers will help.

What about trebuchets and scorpion crossbows? Does that thing have night blindness? The charging soldiers have already entered the range of fire of these mass killing weapons, but they have not fired for a long time, and they will turn into a pile of waste a few hundred meters ahead!

"Hurry, hurry, don't grind......"

I nervously pinched my knuckles and turned slightly white: "Is this God's favor?" ”

Perhaps Mars, the patron saint of Rome, was drunk in the chariot of the sun god Apollo, and did not care about his little brother left in the world.

"Something must have happened among the Roman nobility!" Isn't it always their strength to pass the buck, secretly mend the knife, and do something that is quick for relatives and enemies?

As if in answer to my question, the screams of a few unfortunate soldiers came to an abrupt end, and the sound of the scorpion's scorpion crossbow taut and the roar of the trebuchet in operation echoed each other, completely shattering the last remaining silence of the moonlit night.

If the charge just now is compared to the frolic of two children throwing snowballs at each other, then the war at this moment has really entered Gao chao, and the children on the other side have instead thrown bombs with hissing fuses!

Sure enough, the sudden stone bullets and iron arrows showed a powerful destructive power, although it was not clear to see, but the exclamation of the crowd basically outlined their panicked fleeing state, and the team composed of Basel and surrendered prisoners of war collapsed again, and the weakness and insignificance of ** were dwarfed by the strangulation of the machine.

Stumps, severed arms, corpses flowing with fresh blood, tomorrow's crow and wild dog's feast from the sky, I can't say sad or helpless to close my eyes, but my ears still faithfully perform their duties, not letting go of any subtle information.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency!" Lukka was calling to me, his bell voice driving away all the sounds that were desperately pouring into his ears.

"What?" I asked in a trance.

"It's time to go." Mouse Barberini prepares a surprise.

I casually ordered the nobleman who responded: "Then who, you will take over my command." ”

The hustle and bustle of the battlefield faded away, and the night regained its charm and gentleness, even quieter than before, and the walls of the former Salviadi Gate were deserted, while St. Peter's Church, which was visible on the top of the Vatican Hill, was brightly lit, with butter lamps and torches blazing.

What are the greedy clergy plotting? Continue to weave lies, discuss escape routes, or change your mind?

No! They can never really give up the benefits they have already gained, just as a wild dog will not spit out a bone that has eaten its mouth, a mature domestic dog will at least gratefully wag its tail at the owner who threw the bone, and an ungrateful wild dog will only take revenge with a grinning tooth, and they will not care whether the bone is a good meal for the well-wisher.

The excavation of the walls seemed to be going well, and the broken bricks and mud piled up along the base of the walls to produce child-high bags of earth, led by the soldiers in charge of the sentry, and I clinged to the walls and crept up to the long-lying warriors, who were sweating profusely and in the heat of Barberini, resting from his shift.

"Your Excellency, you're here......" His voice was so low that it sounded like a rodent hiding in a corner "squeaking" and nibbling on newspapers.

I nodded, and looked past him to the few people who were digging with their backs to us, all of whom were afraid that their movements would be too great to expose their targets, so they held their breath and did not dare to gasp, but instead highlighted the sound of tools hitting the masonry, much like the fine friction of a knife blade scraping against a bone, which was very uncomfortable to listen to.

"How? How much longer? "That's what I'm concerned about, the attack from Portetey's side is going to fall short, but it's been bought quite a bit of time.

Barberini's eyes sparkled in the darkness, like a beast foraging for food at night, giving shivers to his watchful opponents.

"It's dug through, but it's not enough for anyone to get through, unless it's a cartilaginous python."

He measured the size of his neck with his hand: "It's fast, I promise." ”

Then hurry up, time is a merciless *, and she doesn't want to wait for anyone.

I still nodded, not saying these words, waiting is indeed an anxious chore, I closed my eyes slightly, and followed the sound of the shovel in my heart......

One, two, three......

In a trance, I don't know how many I counted, and Lukka gently pushed my shoulder on the side, as if falling from the clouds.

"Bang!"

The dream is shattered......

"My lord, it's all right."

Luca urn was blowing hot air on my ears, I don't know why, every time he whispered in his ear, it was like two childhood sweethearts biting their ears, and the numb electric shock went down the roots of the ears to the tips of the toes, I was horrified to dispel this thought, and it was terrible to think about it.

Barberini's shining pupils, still conspicuous even from such a distance, he half-crouched on the ground to look at the newly dug hole, and after making sure that it was the right size and there was no danger inside, he shrunk his neck to drill, Barberini's twisted body reminded me of the cartilaginous python, yes, the chainmail python, with a sharp dagger instead of deadly fangs, but no less swift and dangerous.

When Barberini's feet passed through the hole, we could not see him at all, and everyone was engrossed in using all their senses to search for clues about him, and after a moment of footsteps, all the slightest sounds disappeared, like stones thrown into a pool of stagnant water, except for the ripples that slowly reverberate.

Is it dangerous? The enemy who was waiting for the rabbit to ambush over there happened to catch Barberini, and now that I think about it, did his feet pass too quickly, was someone dragging him?

Old Demar, the name that came to mind, the duplicitous man with the honey-bellied sword, the deepest poisonous snake, he guessed that I would use the trick of the dark Chen Cang, so he was prepared.

Yes, how can a smuggler who has seen the wind and waves take a fancy to the little things I promised, and he has a reason to betray me, and if the Duke of Nijmegen were captured alive, he would become a hero in the defense of Rome, and when the time comes, the nobles and clergy who are grateful will agree to any request, and the fanatical people will push the copper-smelling merchant whom they once despised to supremacy, and I will be trampled on as a stepping stone, or a hideous head adorned with victory, and the heads of Rollo, Barberini, and others will be put on the same page, Rots and deteriorates in the sun.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency!"

There was a voice calling, and in disbelief, I listened carefully and pinpointed the location of the source.

"Barberini?"

"It's me, my lord."

His voice sounded like it was coming from underground, probably because it was across the city wall: "It's safe here, there aren't any guards nearby, come here!" ”

So it succeeded? The imagination that was floating in my mind just now was all boundless speculation? Suspiciously, I leaned back against the cold, slippery brick wall, and Lukka leaned in to ask:

"My lord, can I go first?"

"You!"

I watched Lukka from top to bottom, not to mention his shoulders as wide as his wheels, and his melon-sized head alone couldn't fit through the narrow hole, and his stature was too unfit for such sneaky things.

"You're afraid you won't be able to get by, Luca, you're going to get stuck there, or you're going to overturn the entire wall!"

With an exaggerated grin, I dragged him to my side and motioned to the others, "You're going to be over!" ”

Luca watched as others passed by one by one, looking anxious like a fish out of water, and twenty carefully selected warriors all passed, and Barberini approached the entrance of the cave to reconfirm the code of contact:

"San Pancrazio Gate, my lord, I will draw a circle in the air with a torch when the deed is done, if there is no signal here before dawn, then please give up, we will not surrender to the enemy until we die."

"May God bless you, he will surely bless you, forget? This is Rome! "I held against the wall and encouraged him, twenty dead men, no matter whether they succeed or fail, one will not return.

"Yes, this is Rome."

Barberini's voice grew quieter and quieter: "Tomorrow morning, this will be your Rome, the Rome of Nijmegen!" ”

There were only a few of us left, and at the last minute of yesterday's finalisation of the plan, I gave up on the idea of going in with them, because I needed more control than the thrill of going deep into the tiger's den.

The moon has completely risen to the position of the right space, and it is still close to consummation, but its light is not inferior to the full moon, and the moon god and Chang'e will squeeze if they live on it, right? What's more, there are also neighbors Wu Gang and Marshal Tianpeng, who often come to visit the door, I was amused by my own crankiness, and temporarily forgot the urgency and iron-blooded demeanor of being on the battlefield? Well, I'll admit it for sure.

The process of touching the gate of San Pancrazio along the root of the city wall is like going back to the time when I got up early and was late to climb the wall, the same caution and fear, the only difference is that I was caught climbing the wall and waiting for me was the teacher's whip, and now there is only a dead end when exposed, how thrilling!

The Porta San Pancrazio is located in the southwest corner of the city of Rome, and further south is the Porta Portais, where the battle is raging, but the distance between the two is still seven or eight streets.

The wharves of the Tiber River are mostly concentrated on the left bank, when the trade is prosperous, there is a lot of people and ships entering the harbor in an endless stream, most of the taverns and brothels for the crew to relax are set up along the river, the lights are bright and green all night long, the right bank is closer to the Vatican where the Holy See is located, so it is mostly quiet cemeteries and neat monasteries, many aristocrats also put their own courtyards, placed very close to the monastery to show piety, many poor people from other places or beggars who want to live for a living, entrenched in the monastery and the mansion of the rich, Relying on the regular alms of the clergy and the occasional alms of the wealthy, the narrow open spaces near the walls were filled with the shacks of the homeless, a haven for thieves to hide and sell their stolen goods, and Barberini survived a troubled childhood.

The other team, who had been in ambush for a long time, were stronger and braver than the one that had sneaked into the city, they were knights, and when Barberini took the gates, they quickly extended their success, some of them went straight to the Vatican, and some of them cooperated with the troops outside the city to flank the enemy at Porta Portay, if the attack continued.

I said that time is a thin love*, she doesn't want to wait for anyone, but I didn't say that time is also a little girl who doesn't look at colors, the more impatient you are, the more you like to stick to it, they love hotly but don't care about their lover's feelings, they just want each other to accompany themselves more.

I'm afraid the herald is lost, right? I changed two places, no wonder he couldn't find it, and occasionally there was a fierce shout of killing in his ears, and after a while, it disappeared like when it came, and everyone's heart couldn't help but tug up.

Who is the one who commands in his place when he leaves? I frowned and thought about it, but I couldn't remember anything, no matter what, so many people could always hold on a little longer, right?

There are no forests and meadows outside the city of Rome, and there are no insects and birds chirping, which is especially boring at night, a paved road in Roman times is out of step with the surrounding environment, as if the Tang costume is tied with a tie, and there are countless pairs of feet stepping on the sidewalk, so to be called, it is the exclusive passage of the unworthy use of the stone road, the footprints, ruts, the hoof prints of all kinds of livestock are everywhere, and the abandoned shacks and ponds that draw water complement each other, which is the vein that really keeps the huge city running.

The people scattered in the villages outside the city, like the roots of Rome rooted in the soil to absorb nutrients, are gray and dusty and live in the darkness all day long, but they offer tender branches and delicate flowers above the surface, but the flower thieves who want to keep the flowers for themselves do not care about this, they rudely break the stems of the flowers, or simply uproot them.

The roots are dead, but the flowers are still there, ://bqg3