After sleeping on a soft bed for two days, the cold was replaced by a hard marching tent, and the hypocritical back was really a little uncomfortable, and the protest was sore all night, which made me toss and turn and couldn't sleep steadily, and counted the sheep to one thousand one hundred and eleven with a sad face, but fortunately the whole night was uneventful, and I fell into a deep sleep of exhaustion in the second half of the night.

The next day's itinerary was still boring, and it was perfectly complemented by the monotonous scenery of the Hasri Valley, forming an oppressive backdrop for the lonely traveler.

After three days of stumbling and walking, the lakes and mountains of Uri alternated with the snow-capped peaks of Valais, and the road leading from Ticeno to St. Gart appeared before us, and perhaps because of the war, the usual busy straight road was almost invisible to the rushing caravans, only flocks of noisy crows flew overhead, and the joyful celebration finally had a food provider delivered to the door.

"Rest here, I'm going to throw up."

Complaining, I climbed down, and the attendant sat on the side of the road with me in his arms, and Codename Four appeared like a shadow, as if he knew that he was looking for her.

"You're here? Have you sent scouts to observe, what's unusual? ”

Codename Four grimaced, causing the attendants around her to involuntarily keep a safe distance from her.

"There is a big river twenty miles ahead, and it is impossible to swim directly to see the width and flow speed, so the attendants searched five miles upstream and downstream, and found a relatively narrow shallow water area in the upper reaches."

Her voice was as cold as ice cubes falling into a porcelain plate, and the words were calm and clear, and the closer she got to Nijmegen, the less she looked like a normal person with feelings.

"At the current pace of marching, it would be nice to be able to arrive before dark, and it would be impossible to cross the river at all."

"Then set up camp on the bank of the river, rest for the night, and cross the river tomorrow."

I rubbed my aching waist and asked, "After crossing the river, how far is it to St. Gar?" ”

"It's only a day at full speed, if your Violet doesn't hold back." Codename Four said this as he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, deliberately dragging out the long tail.

"Very well, go ahead and arrange it, I promise to reach the river you said when the sun goes down."

I don't miss any opportunity to be sarcastic, is it my fault that Violet is all low-quality farmers, but this little bit of interest is one of the few human touches she has left, who wants to always face a stinky face.

"What about other news? The situation in Lombardy, the situation in Normandy, the situation in Burgundy......"

"We have activated the backup intelligence network and established a communication channel with our own people on the Lombard side, everything is normal at the moment, the Duke of Normandy's injuries are not serious, Kohler and the others have already set off and are coming to St. Gart non-stop."

Sunny noon was the most annoying thing for Code Name Four, and she carefully covered every inch of her skin under her black burqa, as far away as possible from any light.

"As for the enemies outside the Château Vevey, they must have learned of the death of the Count of Saint-Louis, and it was only a matter of time before Paris received this letter."

"God is fair, it's time for them to be broken."

I pulled the corners of my mouth disdainfully, and said meaningfully: "You have done a good job, continue to monitor, it is best to get in touch with the dark line in Nijmegen, there are very few quasi-letters over there, and unreliable gossip is flying all over the sky, which makes me quite ......"

Codename Four asked sensitively: "Are you worried about little Martin?" ”

"It's not just Martin Jr."

I frowned, looking at the tired peasants around me, their simple faces did not see any worries about the future, life is more like grazing with the sheep, as long as he does not fall behind, whether he has a hungry wolf peeping or not, the bad things are up to the shepherd.

"Leonardo's old fellow......"

The sky in the mountains seems to be darker than the plains, the red sunset sits lazily in the air, dyeing the white snow-capped peaks into the color of blood, and the shadows on the mountainsides on both sides hide a few families, like a shrine that no one worships, a withered and barren scene.

The big river mentioned in the code name four lies between the hills and ravines, and the clear flowing water is as clean as a mirror, reflecting the flowing clouds and birds in the air, which is too beautiful to say.

"The scenery is quite exquisite."

The soldiers scattered one after another to make preparations for camping, and I hurriedly ran to the river to vassal Fengya, shaking my head and thinking for a long time, and I couldn't find the right verses to express my feelings, and I came to the Middle Ages for so long.

God is talking more and more slippery, and he forgets all the poems he memorized when he went to school.

"Ah...... Uh-huh. ”

I pretended to be calm and cleared my throat so that no one could see my embarrassment.

The conditions are limited, the meal arrangement is quite simple, vegetable soup and dry flour cakes, stuffed all the filling, the moon slowly occupies the mainstream, the darkness reigns all, the campfire is building, the dark night comes, and falling asleep is the only sustenance.

In line with the crisp rhythm of flowing water, Code No. 4 suddenly broke into the camp tent and hurriedly reported: "My lord, the traces of an unknown army have been found on the other side of the river, the number of people is not yet known, and the scouts are further verifying the situation. ”

"What?!"

I sat up from the marching bed and looked around for my clothes:

"Have the scouts figured out, are they friends or foes?"

"I'm sorry, sir, for my negligence."

Codename 4 lowered his head reproachfully: "I thought it was safe to get close, and sent all the scouts to a distant place, damn it!" ”

She frowned, and rarely burst into a foul mouth: "A team of nearly a thousand people appeared as if falling from the sky, they should have discovered the campfire here, and it will definitely be too late to hide." ”

"Tell the whole army to be on alert!"

I put on my coat, but the buckle of my belt could not be fastened in any way.

"Extinguishing the Campfire......

With a roll of his eyes, he thought about it: "Wait, tell the soldiers to order a few more torches per person, so as to create the illusion that there are many people, regardless of whether the other party is friend or foe, bluff to scare them first." ”

Owen opened the curtain a few times, his clothes and armor were crooked, and he obviously just got the news:

"My lord, in case the situation is not good, the river is a good support, at least we can confront each other until dawn tomorrow."

After straightening the buckle of the chain mail, Owen took the lead in saying: "My hyacinth is absolutely fine!" ”

"Do as I say, light more torches, and temporarily confuse the other party, so that they don't dare to act rashly."

I took the long sword handed by the attendant, and it seemed that I instantly had a bottom in my heart:

"Be calm, don't be afraid, you're more nervous than we are with those over there, wait for the latest news from the scouts."

The veterans were accustomed to sudden emergencies, and they carried out the orders in an orderly manner, and the recruits who were chaotic were the inexperienced recruits, and the words of encouragement and comfort from the soldiers came from time to time, although they could not hear clearly, but they played a certain role in calming the morale of the army.

I stared at the flames of the campfire as it subsided, and quickly calculated what might happen next.

"Your Excellency!"

Code Four came from the shadows: "According to the scouts, the number of the other party is more than 1,000, and they are also ready to go all out to defend against the enemy, I am afraid that the comers will not be good." ”

"What about the flag? Who exactly? Owen asked eagerly.

"I didn't see too much of the black light."

Codenamed 41510 reported: "Whether it's friend or foe, you can't avoid it, do you want to contact it?" ”

She looked at what I said after the latter and asked cautiously.

"Don't take it lightly."

I pinched my chin and groaned for a long time, then hesitated and said, "Hyacinth is on standby, pansies and irises are on guard, and the rest of the army, as the reserve of the whole army, must be mentally prepared for a tough battle, understand?" ”

"My team has nothing to say, I promise to complete the task!"

Owen patted his chest and said: "The proportion of hyacinth veterans is high and experienced, and there is nothing to say about fighting!" ”

"So do we!"

Not to be outdone, several other people patted their chests and shouted: "The head has fallen off the bowl and there is a big scar, just give the order!" ”

"Now is not the time to be reckless, the other party has the advantage in numbers, but fortunately, we occupy a favorable position, and we will not be able to fight for a while and a half, and they can't make up their minds."

I was nervously pacing in the tent, sweating profusely on my forehead, and the life and death of hundreds of people were decided by a thought, and I had to be cautious and cautious.

The fourth general manager of the code appeared at the critical moment, and she didn't wait for me to ask before she opened her mouth to report: "Scout, the flag is still not clear, but the other party is very hostile, and a sparse line of defense has been arranged along the river, cutting off the possibility of negotiation, the arrow is already on the string, and it has to be sent, Lord Duke." ”

"Since the visitor is not good, we don't need to be polite, thanks to God's blessing, this dark and windy night is suitable for fighting against the wind."

I clenched my fists to cheer everyone on: "Pansy go upstream, cross the river through the shoals that the scouts have explored in advance, ambush in advance, take the enemy's back path, and wait for my orders." ”

"What about our mission?"

Owen couldn't hold back and asked, "Give the front to Hyacinth, keep it so that the enemy can't cross the river!" ”

"No!"

I categorically rejected his proposal: "Gradually extinguish the campfire, create the illusion of retreating, induce the other side to cross the river, and find an opportunity to fight a good battle first!" ”

I stood outside the tent and watched as two soldiers picked up the snow on the ground to extinguish the bonfire, and the white snow melted as soon as it met the flames, and sprinkled into the fire one after another, making a hissing sound, and a faint wisp of green smoke rose immediately, and then the smell of smoke and fire came as expected.

"As you commanded, my lord, the campfire is half extinguished."

The herald rode a speckled mare to and fro to report the situation, and the best that could be found was to remove the mounts of the knights.

"It's not enough, reduce it again, reduce it to a third!"

After pondering for a while, I shook my head and issued a new order: "What about Pansy, are you going?" ”

"Forget it, don't let the soldiers mess around."

Codename Four came from the shadows, and the long black robe seemed to be an extension of the darkness: "The other party has sent a letter, and they have sent a messenger to identify themselves and ask to meet with you and have an equal dialogue to avoid possible conflicts." ”

"Conflict can be avoided after meeting, in case enemies meet......

Owen muttered, was glared at by Codename Four, and immediately swallowed the second half of the words back into his stomach.

The Knights' feud with Enides is really nerve-wracking......

I sighed helplessly, turned around and asked:

"You said that the other party identified themselves, who are they?"

Prior notification of identity was the norm of aristocratic warfare, and Nijmegen was considered an outlier to carry out surprise attacks at every turn, and was often despised and despised.

"Speaking of old acquaintances, at least the meeting will not be embarrassing."

Codename Four was sold, and she seemed to enjoy the embarrassment of everyone stretching their necks and staring at each other.

"A favorite of the Duke of Swabia, Hermann II, and your former ally, the Count of Lechfeld."

"Is that him?"

The moment I heard the name, I couldn't tell what I was feeling in my heart, joy? Of course, the Earl of Richfield had fought side by side with him, and he was a good man and cultivated, and to some extent he had a bit of a temper with me, so the two sides had a very personal relationship, suspicious? Perhaps, his decision to break away from the alliance and lead the army back to Swabia is understandable, and no one has a second choice in this situation, but it is not good for him to stay at home to quell the rebellion or support his own army, and what is he doing with a thousand men running to St. Gar? There must be a ghost when something goes wrong, go see it, and simply ask to understand.

Having made up my mind, I stopped the knights' arguments, and made several prepared arrangements one after another, the so-called heart of harming people is indispensable, the heart of defense is indispensable, and the lesson of hiding a knife in a sweet belly sword and smile is still less?

"Don't light the extinguished campfire for the time being, so that the other party can't figure out our troops, tell the pansy to continue to cross the river as originally planned, find a safe place to hide and wait for orders, don't startle the snake."

My eyes fell on Irving, who was always chattering and complaining, but his tactical understanding and execution were far superior to the others, and he was the only one who could reassure me in the absence of Kohler, the Bulls, and others.

"Also, your hyacinths build a defensive line along the riverbank, the archers occupy the shooting points with a wide field of vision, and if necessary, you can tear down some tents and build simple fortifications, so that everyone can negotiate the best harmony, in case the comers are not good at talking and collapse, you can also have a certain level of vigilance."

"Why don't I go with you, my lord."

Owen took a step forward and pleaded according to the long sword, really using his kung fu to rely on his kung fu, three or four big men could not get close, and he could indeed protect my whole body.

"You stay and complete the assigned task, and I'll take the others there."

If necessary, the commander must have the courage to go to the meeting alone, and with my knowledge of the Earl of Richfield, he has not yet gone to the level of taking hostages: "I believe in the count's character, and I am willing to gamble." ”

"But we can't afford to lose, my lord, the hope for Nijmegen's revival is all pinned on you, and you can't risk your life at any time!" Before Owen could finish speaking, everyone nodded in agreement.

"What are you doing with me? Furnishings? I dare to pack tickets for the safety of adults! ”

Codename Four interjected and was very dissatisfied with Owen's contempt for Enides.

"Can I trust you? No kidding, it's because I trusted you too much before, how did it turn out? Nijmegen is being attacked by the enemy, what about you? What about intelligence? The home is gone, the loved ones are gone, there is nothing left! ”

Owen was red-eyed, stood face to face with the codename-for-tat, and roared through gritted teeth: "A mistake...... One critical mistake is fatal, but tell me, how can I trust you? You say! ”

(End of chapter)