"They burned down the hamlet near Portsmouth Harbour and fled east. According to the scouts, their number has increased significantly. and ......"

"What else?"

"Another army has appeared on the northern border of the territory, and it seems that it is also a rebel army."

A second rebel army?

Could it be the reinforcements called by the fleeing group?

Tous remembered that a month earlier, a barbarian army in collusion with the rebels had landed on the southern coast and occupied Salisbury, although it was said that those barbarians had been completely wiped out by the army sent by the palace two weeks earlier, but from this incident, it was known that there was a route in the southern sea that could bypass the British navy and allow barbarian soldiers to land in Britain, and if the rebels were their collaborators, they would naturally know that way.

The rebels must have sent two forces this time, one by sea to join the exiles at Portsmouth Harbor, and the other from the north.

From the point of view of common sense, it is impossible to send so many troops if it is only to rescue the exiled army, in other words......

"Looks like it's real this time." Tous cupped his chin.

"The subordinates also think that the rebels are planning to invade Hamp in full force this time." Brad nodded, "According to the scouts, the total number of rebels coming from the north is between five and six thousand. Including the fleeing exiles, it is estimated that there are more than 7,000 people. ”

"Seven Thousand ......"

Although most of the members of the rebels were peasants or street gangsters, and the proportion of professional soldiers was small, they were a large number of them, and together they were a force to be reckoned with.

So Tous was skeptical.

In addition, since the Tous family was one of the kings, although they were given the right to pay taxes on their territory, they also had to fulfill a special obligation.

It's called Gifted Soldiers.

The so-called gift of soldiers is a special law established since the establishment of the court, which requires the kings to enjoy the right to exempt from taxes at the same time, every five years must train no less than 500 professional soldiers to serve in the court, otherwise they still have to pay taxes, for the court, this can not only limit the strength of the kings who do not need to pay taxes, prevent rebellion, but also save the court from recruiting and training the two steps of trouble, directly get the available soldiers.

Therefore, the total number of defenders of the Hamp, ruled by the Tou family, which is a century-old family, is only more than 3,500 people, which is nearly half of the total number of rebels who attacked this time.

“…… Now that there is a sign of this, I command you to inform General Patrice and General Madur in the barracks, that they should each take a combined army of two hundred cavalry and eight hundred infantry to guard the northern border against the invasion of the rebels. Then order you to lead another 500 cavalry to chase down the exiled rebels and destroy them. ”

Although the rebels in exile are small in strength and weak, if they are allowed to attack the village at will, it will surely cause panic among more people in the territory, so it must be eliminated as soon as possible.

"Yes." Brad replied, his turquoise eyes seemed a little confused, "But, my lord, if you want to meet the rebels in the north, with the strength just now, will it be too little......

The combined forces proposed by Tous, together with the troops already stationed on the northern border, could only meet the rebels with a total of only 2,500 men, and the rebels had 7,000 men, and it was unknown whether there were follow-up reinforcements, so in Brad's opinion, this was a very dangerous move.

"Do as I say." Tous sighed, "If we move all our forces to the front, what about the rear?" There are also some defenders in the territory. ”

"Or ...... Ask the court for help? Brad asked cautiously in a suggestive tone.

"Nope." Tous shook his head without hesitation.

A few months ago, the affairs of the palace council were still under our minds.

The person who proposed to leave the parliament in the first place had Tous himself, and now what face did he have to ask the court for help?

In addition, according to the information of the informant sent to the royal capital to collect information, it is said that the Gallic Empire has recently been invaded by Rome, and it seems that it has recently taken the initiative to contact the upper echelons of the court to ask for reinforcements.

"The court will not agree." Tous sighed.

"Then, then, look for the surrounding territories......"

"Are you serious?"

"Sorry......"

In today's situation of serious domestic confrontation, the lords everywhere have an attitude of sweeping the snow in front of their doors, how can they lend troops to the territories of other lords? For them, it is more beneficial for them to wait for the rebels to occupy the land before acting, because in this way they can invade the land in the name of exterminating the rebels, and even if the lord is still alive, he can take the opportunity to assassinate him, falsely claim to have died in battle, and finally take charge of the opponent's territory in the name of justice, and the court will not have any opinion.

Of course, it can't be said that every lord is so selfish.

For example, his old friend Ektor.

Baron Ector was Tous's friend when he was young, the lord of the Isle of Wight, but he hadn't been in touch for many years, and Tous couldn't put down his son to ask for help.

Coupled with the situation on the Isle of Wight, he himself knew that pirates were full of aliens, and I was afraid that he really couldn't lend him many soldiers, so Tous didn't plan to ask anyone for help.

"Three days later, I will also leave for the north, you can accompany me for a while." Tous sighed.

"Your Majesty Tous...... Are you going to war too!? Brian was a little surprised, because since the lord's daughter Etil fell ill, Tous had not been on the battlefield for many years, and now agreed to risk his life to participate in this war, so Brian was confused and incomprehensible about Tous's decision.

"Do you think I'm in the way?" Tous smiled bitterly, "Although I'm old and can't fight much, I'm also the lord here." How can I just watch you die and stay in the back with peace of mind? ”

"Your Majesty Tous......" Brad was stunned for a moment and nodded movingly, but then he looked embarrassed, as if he had thought of something.

Seeing this, Tous couldn't help but ask, "Do you still have any scruples?" ”

“…… No, no, it's just that one thing came to mind. Brad shook his head and said, "In the past few days, my subordinates have heard from the people in the black street that in order to occupy a certain territory, the rebels sent people to secretly attack the mansions of local nobles or wealthy merchants, and kidnapped their families as hostages, so as to coerce the other party to surrender and win the war.......

"Are you saying that they might have sent someone to attack the Lord's Mansion?" Tous understood what the other party was trying to explain.

"Yes, my subordinates are afraid of what if...... Maybe the subordinates are thinking too much. Excuse me. (To be continued......)