Eagle Town's eyes were cold, and he said hatefully: "There are also the banners of the Saxon Kingdom, the Rhine Kingdom, the Viking Kingdom...... Even the kingdom of the Lord has come. Hum! The scale is quite large, and it is another time that the five kingdoms are all dispatched. ”

A similar situation has occurred before, when the five southern kingdoms joined forces to attack Suolong Pass, with at least one million troops. They adopt a system of rotational warfare, and neither side can back down. On the barbarian side, relying on the terrain of the pass and cooperating with flexible tactics, the two sides went back and forth, and finally evolved into a long-term stalemate.

Looking at the artillery pieces that were fortified under the protection of the white infantry in the distance, Shi Zhenghao sighed: "Let's give a defense order, their shells are coming." ”

Skirmishes were only a prelude, and at the end of each contact battle, the white army would fire artillery and bombard the Lock Dragon Pass indiscriminately. Limited to the current technology, high-power rear-loading guns have not yet appeared, and solid cannonballs do little damage to the city walls, but as long as the elevation angle is raised, there will always be cannonballs fired at the head of the city, causing casualties to the garrison soldiers.

In response to this situation, a number of shelters were built inside the pass, so that the soldiers could temporarily leave their positions to avoid attacks during the shelling. The large-caliber artillery of the whites did not have the ability to fire warp, and the mortar, although simple in structure, was not a product of this era.

Hu Yongxian nodded slowly, he had no opinion on Shi Zhenghao's proposal, and finally glanced at the battlefield full of corpses, he turned around and said in a dull tone: "Let's all go down!" Gather a meeting of the main commanders to see how the next battle should be fought. Those damn white people...... They weren't like that before. ”

After decades of fighting, it was the first time Hu Yongxian had seen such a fierce white soldier.

This is not normal.

Shi Zhenghao turned around and followed the pace of the coach, and lowered his voice: "The situation is not quite right this time, do we have to pray to the guardian saint?" ”

Eagle Town happened to walk closer, and when he heard this, his body couldn't help but tremble: "Not really!" The last time we prayed to the patron saint was more than a decade ago, and the gods warned us ———— never pray again until we had to. ”

Hu Yong was first upset by the two of them, and his face was gloomy: "Praying to the patron saint is our last resort. Leave this alone, and gather everyone to discuss first. I have a hunch that the white people's actions this time are different from the previous ones, and they should not stop fighting this time, and it is inevitable to lock the dragon pass. ”

……

Southern continent, Saxon Kingdom, Dorset, Montt City.

Densely populated cities rarely see large green spaces, and the real estate concept of "every inch of land is valuable" in the era of civilization is also applicable here. Under the reign of the king, the park became the exclusive domain of the aristocracy, and the spacious and luxurious buildings were not related to the lower classes of the common people.

A servant in a blue coat led the way, and Elizabeth walked along the gravel path into the garden. The view is obscured by a tall wall, and when you walk in, you will find that the trees are sparse, only a few tall cedars, but the shrubs are very luxuriant and diverse, especially raspberries and forsythia, which are pruned by the gardeners and make for a beautiful landscape.

Baron Black loved the garden, especially as there were few secluded places in Montt that amounted to this size. He is a nobleman and a county guard, because of his limited financial resources, he can't own a castle like the old family, so he can only use his power to open such a courtyard in the downtown area under his jurisdiction, which is not enough to be compared to the above, and more than the bottom.

The baron was old, but in good health. The view here is wide, and you can see Elizabeth walking along the trail in the distance. She wore a goose-yellow dress, a style common among the aristocracy, with beautiful silk embroidery on the waist and chest. The ingenious transformation has added a lot of color to her, and she has set off her delicate face more and more.

She approached and curtsied before the baron.

This etiquette is extremely standard, every movement is just right, Baron Blake nodded slightly in admiration, and pointed to the chair placed opposite with a smile: "It is worthy of the Elpsor family, sit down!" ”

When people get older, they tend to become interested in something special. Black wanted a higher title all his life, but he was reluctant to exchange his position as a county guard for the king. He was obsessed with family heraldry, and over the years he studied it, he became a recognized authority on the subject. A lily, a partridge, a bunch of laurel...... These family coats of arms, which seemed incomprehensible to ordinary people, had their significance, and Blake expanded his study to include the daily lives of the nobility, especially etiquette.

Young people nowadays don't follow the rules, and they don't understand the meaning of what constitutes a curtsy gesture. The angle at which the knee is bent, the position of the arm, why is the middle finger and index finger side by side...... They didn't understand anything, almost all of them were perfunctory, but Elizabeth's approach made Blake's eyes shine, she was so natural, but her movements were not rigid, she was the model of etiquette that old Blake had seen all the young nobles in this year.

The Saxons are fond of afternoon tea, and Blake can talk about the origin for several days, and he wanted to habitually express some opinions in front of Elizabeth, but he was attracted by the elegant tea drinking action of the aristocratic girl, and he couldn't take his eyes off it, and couldn't help but clap his palms lightly.

"Miss Elpsor, you are a true nobleman." This admiration comes from the heart, has nothing to do with the desire for harmony between men and women, and is purely an academic reward for ceremonial actions.

"Thank you!" Elizabeth replied with a smile, decently and generously.

Blake felt the sun shine brighter than usual and the air freshened. He smiled mildly, "Very few people are willing to spend twenty gold pounds on tea with me for a question. Say, what do you want to talk to me about? ”

Everyone has their own way of making money, and Blake, as a county warden, wants to carve out an alternative to his normal income. In connection with his own scholarship and aristocratic status, years of research must be rewarded, and under the title of "heraldic scholar", anyone who wants to learn consulting is exchanged for money.

Twenty gold pounds for an afternoon is not expensive.

At least that's what Blake himself thinks.

For many years, he had not received a penny from this.

It's not that there are few people who are curious, but that Blake has imposed many restrictions, the most important of which is that the student must have a noble status that matches his own.

Elizabeth was the first person willing to give real money, which was also approved by Black.

But her purpose is clearly not to talk about the family coat of arms.

People are old, and Blake still has this eyesight.

He was willing to talk to this beautiful aristocratic girl, and it was a pleasure, as if he had a master-level work in front of him, elegant and free, and people were willing to take the time to appreciate it carefully.

Family coats of arms take time to settle before they can manifest their meaning. Black is old, but he is not confused.

Elizabeth showed a comforting smile. The small, lightweight round table obscured her skirt and her delicate handbag that swung in her lap. The movement of her shoulders and arms indicated that she was pulling something out of her bag, which happened to be in the shade of a tree, and the sparse dappled sunlight slanted down through the gaps in the leaves, shining beautifully on the smooth satin fabric.

With her slender and smooth fingers, she placed a box of black suede jewelry on the table and gently pushed it in front of the old baron.

The box is not large, the volume is equivalent to a walnut, the body of the box is exquisitely made, and there is a beautiful slender ribbon in the middle, which is tied into a bow at the opening of the box.

"What is this?" The old baron asked with a smile, and he sat there without moving.

"My gift to you." Elizabeth's smile is full of girlish youth, this smile is the product of long-term training, the cheeks, teeth, and eyes are all closely coordinated, and must not be arbitrary, and must make the person who sees this face feel the affinity, with a little temptation, and cannot bear to refuse.

The old baron shook his head slightly, this gesture was not a denial or rejection, but a sign that he released his inner doubts. Picking up the jewelry box, pressing the lock, and when the lid popped up, he saw a diamond embedded in the soft velvet lining, almost the size of a hazelnut.

Blake was immediately fascinated by the expensive treasure, and he took the diamond out of the box and approached it to take a closer look.

It is a pure diamond with a pale blue shimmer and a long strip shape, with dozens of large and small surfaces polished on the surface, and it can be seen that it is the crystallization of the finest craftsmanship made by top craftsmen.

“…… It's beautiful! The old baron exclaimed in heartfelt admiration. The value of the diamond itself is self-evident, and he appreciates the workmanship even more. Jewelry was a pass to high society, but it was extremely expensive, and Blake, who had been a county warden in Sosetshire for many years, had quite a family and did not have much spare money to spend on such luxuries, let alone such a dazzling blue diamond.

It's worth at least twenty thousand pounds.

"It's too precious." The old baron admired it, put the diamond back in the box, closed the box, and looked at Elizabeth again with a more cautious gaze than before: "Miss Elpsor, this is beyond all my net worth. I'm sorry, but I can't accept this precious gift. ”

To be a man is to be self-aware, which is why Blake has been able to sit in the county guard position for decades. Title and power are a two-way choice, and it is impossible for a king to give real power to nobles above the rank of earl, which is related to the monthly tax levied. Dorset, for example, nominally belonged to a certain marquis, but it was limited to him and his family enjoying the local produce, wine, bread, sausages, game, fruit...... The marquis himself could invest in minerals or other businesses, the controlling stake belonged to the king, and the nobles could only share dividends.

The county warden is the actual administrator, and the reason why the king arranged Baron Black to serve as a magistrate under the marquis is naturally to set the marquis in the air and govern the local area through the nominal feudal system. So Blake can only be a small aristocracy, with the power to control the place, but not rich.

"You are the most just elder I have ever met, and the most clean official." Elizabeth saw the old baron's hesitation, and she said bluntly: "I need your help. ”

"That's right." Blake does not refuse to tout, and the aristocratic maiden compliments it just right. There was no exaggeration, no excess, justice and honesty were the old baron's self-proclaim, and in fact he did a good job, and the commoners of Dorset did not have much bad opinion of him, which was rare among the officials of the kingdom.

"So, tell me, what does this diamond represent?" The old baron couldn't help but glance at the jewelry box again, to say that it is impossible to be possessive, the key is how to turn this diamond into his own legitimate personal belongings: "Miss Elpsor, what do you want from me?" ”

"Inheritance." Elizabeth didn't hide it, she said with a smile.

Blake froze.

As a county warden, he was certainly aware of the internal strife between the heirs of the Elpso family. Since the death of Count Elpso, his children have been fighting for the title of earl. Behind closed doors, you live and die, and all kinds of intrigues and dirty methods go without saying, and the old baron has no interest in knowing. However, the rule is here———— whoever inherits the title must submit a certificate of succession to the king in accordance with the decree.

Things are not as complicated as they seem, as long as an agreement is reached within the family, a recognized heir is proposed, and various documents are sent to the county guard's office, and Blake's job is to stamp the last page of the documents, send someone to the capital, file them in the royal archives, and get the king's signature.

There are too many nobles. In the Saxon Kingdom, for example, there were thousands of nobles of all sizes. Especially for those hereditary families, the king did not know the current heir at all, and just went through the motions, signed the paper, and fulfilled the promise of the king's ancestors to the noble ancestors.

It turns out that things are so simple!

The old baron was in an inexplicable mood, he had a keen insight, and Elizabeth was completely transparent in his eyes at the moment, especially in the matter of the earl's succession, there was not the slightest secret.

"Hehe, you're a smart kid." Blake smiled, he raised his right hand, and his index finger tapped lightly on the surface of the jewelry box: "How did you think of asking me for help?" ”

"You're the only one who can help me." Elizabeth had a pleasant voice, and she accurately grasped the rhythm of the conversation.

Only with the approval of the magistrate, such as the county guard, can the title succession document be sent to the capital. This process may seem simple, but it's important. Under normal circumstances, the magistrate would not deliberately make things difficult in such matters, unless there was an irreconcilable conflict with the local nobles. Officials never refused such an application for succession, as it would cause public outrage in aristocratic circles. There are several allies among the families who have a common interest in the matter of the succession of knighthoods. However, officials have a lot of power, they can throw the inheritance documents into a corner, wait for a thick layer of dust to accumulate before "accidentally remembering" and slowly find out and deal with them.

It's normal to procrastinate, from a few months to a few years, and you have to be patient.