It was about five o'clock in the morning, and the sky was still dark, but the camp was bustling with activity.

William, who had slept for less than three hours, woke up slowly, opened the wooden door of the tent, and when he looked up, he saw that Faller, Sir Hubert, and Osborne's butler were busy, and it seemed that they had not rested much.

At this time, Faller, who was commanding the soldiers to treat the wounded near the baggage carriage, ran over, touched his chest with his right hand and saluted: "Young Master William, you better go and rest, there are still us here, there will be no problem." ”

"It's all right, Faller, have the wounded soldiers been treated, and how are they doing now?" William waved his hand and shook his head.

"Don't worry, Master William, the wounded have been treated by the army doctors, and as for the cavalrymen who have lost their strength, they can return to the team at any time as long as they rest for three days." Faller patted his chest and said confidently.

"Faller, you're doing a great job. Two Javelin cavalrymen have been killed in this battle, and I have already asked the Osborne steward to bring back their ashes, and their families will be provided for in my estate, so you can rest assured. William patted Faller on the shoulder with his right hand and comforted.

"Shhhh Master William, you have been so kind to us, and we will all be grateful to you. Faller couldn't help but sobble when he heard William's arrangement.

"Well, you can go back and rest first, and there will be a sumptuous feast later, and the white bread knights can eat openly, and you have the greatest credit for it, and the queen's toast bread can be eaten to your heart's content." So saying, William dragged Faller back to the tent to rest.

Here William has to say a little more about the bread of the Middle Ages.

The bread eaten by Europeans in the Middle Ages was not at all the same thing as the fluffy bread that had been fermented and added with white sugar and cream, but a kind of unleavened bread that resembled a compressed biscuit, which was dry, hard and cracked.

Typical medieval brown bread was baked with wheat flour mixed with a large amount of bran - this method was already considered a fine black bread in the Middle Ages, and it was usually eaten by knights and some minor nobles.

There are even some black-hearted bakers who cut corners and often deliberately add wood chips, small stones and other miscellaneous items to the black bread, which is the staple food of free farmers and serfs.

White bread is made by sieveing the fine flour of the wheat bran, fermenting it, and baking it. In the early Middle Ages, when there were no water-powered mills, flour was made from wheat milled into flour and contained a lot of wheat bran. And to get the fine flour for baking white bread, you have to sift off the wheat bran through a sieve over and over again, which is a very laborious thing, and the average knight nobles do not have so many serfs to sift the flour for you, so naturally you can't eat soft white bread all at once.

In addition, in medieval Europe, there was a "queen's bread" made from refined flour with eggs, milk, honey and vanilla, and brewer's yeast instead of ordinary dough, which was carefully fermented and baked. The taste of this bread is similar to that of modern high-end brioche bread, or even better, and the precious ingredients added to it are all natural and handmade, many times better than modern industrial bread made from synthetic cream.

Speaking of bread, William was also hungry in his belly, and when he smelled the smell of sweet bread wafting from the air, he involuntarily came to the cooking camp.

In the cooking camp, two toasters with huge wheels and some kitchen utensils taken down from the wagons were placed in this two-meter-five-meter-high and five-meter-wide shed, while two bakers and several cooks were busy baking bread and making dishes.

The smell of sweet bread wafting through the air comes from here, and it's clear that there are a lot of sweet ingredients added to the bread made today.

William walked up to Osborne, the butler who was directing the cook's work, and said, "Steward Osborne, what dishes have been prepared for today's celebration banquet, and how much white bread is there, is it enough for the knights to eat?" ”

"Back to Master William, today we have prepared for the soldiers a large amount of whole wheat bread mixed with a small amount of bran, many white breads baked with fine flour, and some elaborate queen bread and pretzels. In addition, side dishes include beetroot soup, roasted beef soup with carrots, braised hare soup with green onions, trout boiled with almonds, barbecued meat sausages, stewed lamb chops, fried steak with honey, lettuce fruit platter, roasted apple and pear, and many more. Butler Osborne took William on a tour and pointed to the dishes cooked by the chefs.

"It's so richly prepared, and it's not easy to prepare so much food in the barracks. By the way, Steward Osborne, do you have any wine for you, the soldiers can't have fun without it. William retracted his gaze and said to Steward Osborne.

"Of course, Master William, we have not only prepared the barley wine and wine we have brought, but also purchased some cider, pear wine and other fruit wines from the nearby villages, so that the soldiers can be satisfied." Butler Osborne said confidently patting his chest.

"Don't let the soldiers get drunk, we still have a boat to continue our journey at noon." William reminded uneasily.

"Please rest assured, Master William, the strength of these wines is very small, and many of them are fruit wines, which will not make people drunk." Steward Osborne said with a confident smile.

"Okay, I won't bother you, Steward Osborne." So saying, William turned and walked towards Sir Hubert.

William walked up to Hubert and said, "Sir Hubert, how are the eight Viking captives you brought back for interrogation?" ”

"Returning to His Highness William, the eight captives we captured, except for one of the deputy chiefs, were all ordinary Vikings, and their leaders have been killed in your charge. The deputy leader didn't know much, he had only seen the Viking leader organize the attack after meeting a masked man from the western land, and the deputy leader didn't know anything else. Hubert put his right hand on his chest and bowed.

"So some nobles want to use the hands of the Vikings to get rid of me, Sir Hubert, inform the knights and levies for the feast, and we must sail to the port of Lenebor on the upper Seine before noon." William pondered for a moment, then looked up at Hubert and said.

"Obey your orders, Master William." Sir Hubert commanded.

......

"Aha, I'm so happy to eat fluffy white bread, I've never eaten such delicious bread in my life."

"It's so happy that this whole wheat bread tastes so soft and there are no wood chips."

"I love this cider, it reminds me of the taste of home."

...

The atmosphere of the banquet was very warm, accompanied by light music, knights. The conscripts gathered in twos and threes, some lamenting the delicious food, some recalling the fierce excitement of the battle, and everyone enjoyed the relaxed and pleasant atmosphere of the moment.

In the central tent, in addition to Faller, Hubert, and Osborne, William also hosted a banquet for three cavalry captains such as Jeffrey, Wayne, and Harrison, who were very fortunate to eat the delicacies that only kings can enjoy—the queen's toast bread and pretzels, and they were very proud in their hearts, and their loyalty and gratitude to William deepened.