The people who got the news slowly gathered from all directions, and they all had indescribable emotions on their faces.

Love for leaders, hope for the future, confidence in oneself,

I don't know who was the first to shout: "God bless Nijmegen!" ”

Soon it converged into a united cry:

"God bless Nijmegen! God bless Lord Duke! ”

I tried my best to keep the tears from falling in my eyes, and I waved to everyone so much that I was carried down the steps of the castle gate by countless hands, and the feeling of being carried down the steps of the castle gate by countless hands was truly unforgettable, and their heartfelt support and trust made me firm in my heart.

"My lord? Lord Duke! ”

Some nobles in knightly attire staggered over with joy, most of whom I knew.

"Haha, God forbid, we're meeting again!"

I stretched out my hands to receive the solemn gift of the knights kissing the rings, and although they did not wear the rings on their fingers, their saliva was still so densely printed that the backs of my hands became damp.

"Your Excellency, are you back......"

A young knight with beautiful blond hair cried like a bun, a knight belonging to the Duke's family, who swore allegiance to my family and to Serena herself, and had sworn never to marry, and to protect his mistress and her offspring with his life.

I stroked the other person's shoulder and stopped him from continuing to say, "I understand, I fully understand, aren't you back now?" God has given me a chance to be born again, and it is time to demonstrate righteousness, and you ......"

I raised my voice and looked down on all the warriors who were listening: "And you! It will become my sword of vengeance, cutting off the hands and feet of my enemies and tearing their chests open! Tell me, are you afraid of death? ”

"Don't be afraid! Unafraid! The answer was loud and resolute.

"Then are you willing to follow me as an avenging angel to cause killing and extermination?"

"Swear to the death!"

The shouts of the warriors filled the rainbow, and even the earth trembled, and the young people should be afraid, because in the face of death, they will have nothing to hide.

The furnishings in the hall are as simple as Nijmegen's, simple, clean and tough, never in pursuit of luxury or extravagance, with a long table in the center of a huge map and many woodcut models of soldiers arranged in a different way, indicating the current situation of friend and foe.

As soon as Fang sat down, I couldn't wait to ask: "How about it, how many soldiers do we still have?" ”

The blonde knight glanced at the old Watts, who had been following me indifferently, and hesitated to speak: "Ah, I almost forgot this friend who helped me a lot, arrange a room for him, get some food, and treat me well." ”

The two attendants stepped forward, neatly disarmed the Normans, firmly held him on the left and right, and dragged him out as if he were a prisoner, and in the process, the old Watts was always stunned, probably frightened enough.

"There are about five hundred people, which sounds like a small number, but they are all descendants of Nijmegen, and their loyalty and combat effectiveness can be assured."

The other knight took over, his face familiar, but he couldn't remember what his name was.

"The elite cavalry followed you to Rome, our side is dominated by infantry, throwing spears, spears and large shields, and the toughness of attacking the city is amazing." He held a woodcut model of an infantry and replied confidently.

I nodded with satisfaction, five hundred men had exceeded my previous expectations, and the soldiers of Nijmegen had never measured their combat effectiveness by numbers:

"What about the others?" I know that whether I betray or leave, I must know the truth, where did the army of my allies go? Will it become an enemy of the future?

Several people present exchanged glances with each other: "After entering Verona, there are fewer and fewer reports from Nijmegen, and Lord Kohler, worried that something is wrong at home, consciously sent a small force to occupy the main transportation routes, on the one hand, to strengthen the garrison to ensure the retreat, and on the other hand, to restore the interrupted information in time. ”

Kohler's approach was right, and it was something that should be taken into account by the generals: "Later, the news of the accident in Nijmegen spread here, even if the source was blocked for a time, but unfortunately the paper could not contain the fire, and the news still leaked, and the soldiers blew up and asked to return to their hometowns. ”

It was really difficult for him: "The soldiers of Nijmegen are all right, but the others are not, the Carinthians are the first to waver, they sense that the wind is about to change, they run faster than anyone else, and the deserters are getting more and more deserted, and then the news of your disappearance in Rome gives the Bavarians an excuse to disperse, and they are running out one after another, and the Swath himself insists until a second before you return, and the Count of Lechfeld gets the bad news that the Duchy of Hermann has passed away, and the duchy is torn apart, and has to break away from the alliance and hurry home to quell the chaos." ”

The knight's comrade handed him a scepter: "This is what the Earl left before he left. ”

I took it, groped for the smooth lines on it, and smiled with relief and emotion: "The Swabian scepter of troop transfer, when we set off, Duke Hermann gave it to Lechfeld, rest assured, our friend is gone today, but the heart is still here, they will come back." ”

"Lord Kohler went to Genoa to negotiate with the Normans, and he hasn't come back yet, will he be detained by those bastards?"

"No way."

My determination surprised everyone, and they all looked at this side suspiciously: "Remember, the Normans are now our allies, and it was with the help of Duke Richard that I was able to escape the assassins' pursuit and reach Turin safely. ”

"We ...... Is...... Friends? ”

This sentence is abrupt and makes the atmosphere in the room take a sharp turn, everyone looks at each other, yes, Nijmegen and Normandy have been divided and combined I can't remember how many times, there have been times when the nose is blue and the face is swollen, and there have been times when it is too good to be like glue, like a pair of young couples in love, love is deeply responsible, hurt thoroughly, and love vigorously.

I was silent for a long time, and my mind wandered out of the world and suddenly returned to my shell: "Yes, we are friends again, think about it, a relationship of love and hate is more trustworthy than help for no reason, it is a good thing to be able to talk to the Normans about interests, when simple benefits do not work, then we are really isolated." ”

I turned to the map spread out on my desk, and the meandering, blackened Alps stretched in the middle, separating the mountainous Swabian from the rich Lombardy, like a stout python, forming a natural boundary between the two places.

"Let's think about going home first."

I love the feeling of stroking the map with my fingers, and the tanned parchment brings a pleasant touch, and the countless mountains, rivers, castles, and towns come alive on the paper with the flow of my fingertips, and then they are all in my hands with a little force.

"Who's going to tell us about the situation?"

The crowd introduced a knight, the latter with long hair and a shawl, looking particularly uninhibited and free, I knew this man, he was Serena's guardian knight, at least once was.

"My name is Owen, Lord Duke, and I am Lady Serena's Knight of the Sunflower."

Owen pushed aside the crowd and stood in the front row, bowing slightly.

Sunflower is the name that Serena gave to her guardian knights, because there are more and more people who admire them, and they have to be integrated as necessary, so the first ten knights to belong are canonized as sunflowers, and they can decorate the sunflower symbol on the smock and shield, and it has also become a symbol of status and status.

These ten people can enter the boudoir of the mistress without notice, and the grace they have received can be imagined in the era when the social atmosphere has not yet been fully opened.

"I remember you, Irving Cavaliers, coming out of the limelight in the championship and sealing the win with a beautiful touchdown."

When it comes to the ball game, everyone's emotions are excited, which eases the oppressive atmosphere in the room a lot.

"Then tell us about it."

"Willingly obliging, sir."

Owen walked to the table, supported himself with his hands and looked down at the map, as if pointing to the commander of the country, who was planning majestically, he took a deep breath, picked up a woodcut model of a soldier, and placed it near the mountains.

"This is Turin, where we are now."

and put another soldier model on the shoreline.

"This is where Genoa, the Duke of Normandy, is stationed, and the distance between the two is about two days' foot."

Owen again pinched up the model and placed several side by side: "From Turin to the northwest, the trail through the Penni Mountains is the shortest route back, passing through the Normans at Aosta and Kurmayer, and in the past it was the domain of the Duke of Burgundy. ”

His finger rested on a point on the map, and I squinted at it, reading Martini's name.

"Martini?"

"That's right, Martini, the estate of Baron Léman, is located in a barren mountain valley, and the whole town is spread by an unknown river, and although it is not the main trade route between the north and the south, there are many smugglers passing through it, and over time it is much richer than the poor villages around it."

Owen told me so much that I remembered his biography of the pilgrimage to the Holy Land before he defected to Nijmegen, and in the Middle Ages, when most people died of old age and could not live within a fifty-mile radius of their homeland, this journey was enough to increase his knowledge and boast all his life.

I fiddled with my beard and fixed my gaze on the Chapel of the Cross, outlined with simple lines......

This represents a town, and only the upper towns have a parish priest who patrols the nearby villages.

"According to you, Martini is the only way, isn't it?"

"It's also possible to detour around the St. Garre Pass in Colico, and if you're willing to add five extra days to your trip, it's fair to say that route is safer, free of hostile forces, and easy to resupply."

Owen dotted the blue-painted Lake Como and the Alpine Pass sign behind it.

"No caravans were willing to take the plunge through St. Galle, where there is now a thoroughfare, and what used to be Swabia."

My attention was instantly seized by a detail: "Wait, what did you say?" ”

"Huh?" He was stunned.

"No one has left the trade route of the St. Gart Pass?"

"The caravans are almost extinct, there are wars everywhere, and the lords have no time to take care of the trade routes, so the bandits are rampant, and the security is very low, and only those who have the deep pockets and can afford to hire a large team of bodyguards dare to go there."

Owen Knight frowned, and seemed to be quite worried about the mess.

"So, the Martini Trail is the best choice for business travel, right?"

He shook his head: "Not all, in fact, as soon as the war began, the merchants basically came to a standstill, the big chambers of commerce were busy hoarding supplies, the small traders were almost bankrupt, and the traffic of the Martini Trail was still much inferior to the off-season of the St. Gart Pass, but it was indeed the main trade route today." ”

I sat back in my chair and pondered for a long time, and finally made up my mind: "Let's go from Martini!" ”

"My lord, but ......"

Owen hesitated to say something, but the person next to him pulled the corner of his coat and held back the words that followed.

I could see their little movements: "It's okay, you say." ”

He bit his lip, as if organizing the language: "Your Excellency, you should know that Burgundy's relationship with Nijmegen, they will not be able to let it go at all. ”

I nodded to show that I understood, and Owen continued: "In other words, there will be a tough battle, and it needs to be resolved quickly, our numbers and combat effectiveness will not fall behind, but the other side is defending the fortified city, relying on the mountains, and the troops cannot be spread at all, if we want to gradually invest, the battle damage may be difficult to control, these soldiers are our only hope to go home and turn the tables." ”

"So extraordinary means need to be used."

I hugged my shoulders with confidence, and Owen's expression changed slightly: "We'll disguise ourselves as a caravan and sneak into the city, and then act cheaply." ”

"What if the Martini don't cooperate?" He asked worriedly.

"Not cooperative?"

I wiped my neck and made a murderous gesture: "Then do it!" ”

The knights discussed one after another, it was good to be able to go home, and everyone was prepared to make the necessary sacrifices, but they all disagreed with this not-so-upright means to solve the problem.

I observed everyone's expressions and subtle movements, guessing the possible resistance, Nijmegen's combat methods have always been non-mainstream, or belong to the side of the times, the soldiers who have been fighting with the army all the year round have long been accustomed to my kind of unreasonable soldiers, but Serena's guardian knight is the first time to directly accept my command, compared to the peasant children of Kohler, bull and others, they are from the nobility and have experienced the training of orthodox knights, they prefer the head-to-head confrontation of gongs and drums, Because the first rule of the rules of the knighthood is to be fair and just, and worthy of God.

"Five hundred...... Do you want to disguise yourself as a caravan? The target is a bit too big, and it will definitely arouse suspicion. ”

Between reality and morality, the stubborn knights have to choose to survive, and on the real battlefield, they are all stubborn minions like them who die, and those who survive by unscrupulous means are those clergy and nobles who profess their faith, and life is indeed very wonderful.

"No, select a dozen Clever Spirits to sneak into the city first, and the others are ambushed outside, waiting for the opportunity to join in and out."

I made a fist-humming gesture: "Forgive it for a little barony that can turn the sky upside down?" If you take the town, you will immediately replenish the supply on the spot and search for Roman horses, and if you don't have enough numbers, you will find donkeys to make up the number, and you have to climb over the peaks above the snow line, and it will be difficult for the beasts to carry supplies without carrying supplies and relying on manpower alone. ”

Clear battle plan, although the bend in everyone's thinking has not yet turned, but has begun to gossip about enriching the details of the process, you say a word, it will not take much effort to finalize the specific action personnel and steps, and Owen, who is well-informed and familiar with geography, is naturally in the list.

"Baron Lemon is a good knight, but unfortunately with an insatiable brain and a cruel and tyrannical character, having such a lord is a disaster for the lords."

He looked distressed, but it seemed to me that he was making excuses for himself, looking for a consolation of conscience, knights, and he must act in a proper way.

"If you're hungry, tell the kitchen to prepare a meal."

After finishing the business, I felt so hungry that my chest was pressed against my back, and I looked out the door, the yard seemed to be a lot darker, and the sun should be about to set, so everyone looked for a place to sit down, talked to each other and waited for the meal.

"Remember to send scouts to explore the way, how can the big move of more than 500 people not be discovered by the enemy?" I pushed the flask to Owen and whispered.

This book was first published from 17K, the first time to see the genuine content!