This rabbit meat is not enough for a dozen young men, but fortunately, they also carry some dry food with them, which can fill their stomachs.

After the soldiers rode horses for a long time, the dry food on the chest was inevitably squeezed and deformed, and the taste and appearance were much worse. But the men who are accustomed to the battlefield and life and death will never care so much, even if the bread is hard and dry, they still talk and laugh, and eat very happily.

Arnold sat by the tree next to him, silently watching these men who had just escaped death, but could still talk and laugh with each other at this time. He didn't seem to fit in with the team at all, not only because of Arnold's status as a count, but also because he himself belonged to the same category as these cheerful boys.

Judson sat next to Arnold, and from Arnold's eyes, he couldn't see envy or yearning for these things, which was not what Arnold wanted. Judson couldn't help but sigh slightly in his heart, indeed, Arnold was too gloomy compared to the average young man, and it was no wonder that he was not liked by Duke Tagman.

At the very least, from a father's point of view, he would have preferred his son to be a healthy, energetic, and likable boy like William, the Baron of Hottuburg, than a gloomy man like Arnold, who lived in seclusion in the castle all day.

"Where shall we go next?" asked Judson, trying to get the things out of his head that shouldn't be in his mind so as not to interfere with his resolve, "Is it to go to Snowlon?" Your mother is the aunt of Louis III, the current Duke of Snowlon, and you are also the cousin of Duke Louis. Moreover, as long as you explain the reason for the matter to Duke Louis, the Tamska family will be more than willing to help mediate. ”

Arnold glanced sideways at Judson. This knight has loyalty and courage, but he is not very sensitive to politics, he is just a simple warrior, no, it is not accurate to say that a warrior, even if he is a warrior, he cannot have any minds, after all, war is also a part of politics.

"Why do you think the Tamska family is helping me?"

Judson was stunned, not understanding what Arnold meant.

"Just because my mother is the sister of the previous duke and the aunt of the current duke, they will do their best to assist me in such an in-law relationship?" Arnold chuckled, but the smile also seemed to be a little self-deprecating, "It's not that simple, the so-called marriage is originally based on the premise of being able to give birth to an heir who has both bloodlines at the same time, which is not only to let the paternal side carry the blood element of the maternal side in the future bloodline, but also to ask the paternal side to seek help and cooperation from the maternal side. In other words, the marriage was established because the Figlav family needed the support of the Snowren Lord, and once the Figlaf family and the Cold Mountain Collar no longer needed this support, then the value of the marriage was not very important. ”

Judson was stunned, Arnold's words made him a little dizzy, but after all, he was a noble knight with a fiefdom, and he could barely understand these ways.

"But, ......," Judson hesitated for a moment, and said resignedly, "Lord Duke wouldn't be so ruthless, wouldn't he?" even if the Cold Mountain Leader didn't need the help of the Tamska family now, the alliance with the Snowlun Leader still had a very heavy weight, and even the Feglaf family had to pay attention to the relationship with the other party. ”

"You're right. Arnold nodded faintly, staring at the campfire, but his eyes were not focused on the campfire at all, "But that presupposes that he needs to be at peace with the Snowren Lord." ”

Judson was stunned, and then his face changed dramatically. "You, you mean, Lord Duke, he...... He wants to go to war against the Snowren Territory?"

The knight's face suddenly turned pale, almost as pale as Arnold's.

"Why, how could it be, the alliance between the two families has been maintained for more than twenty years, if the Duke suddenly reneges on the alliance and goes south...... Oh my God, the consequences are unimaginable, eight years ago, the Duke insisted on going his own way and forcibly invaded the Holy Helmet Collar, or was it thanks to the previous Duke of Snowlen that he was not punished by the royal family, if he turned to attack the Snowlen Collar now, wouldn't it mean that the surrounding lords had the precept to attack the Leng Shan Collar, and even the royal family had the opportunity to not charge the Graff family's title of Duke of Leng Shan?"

"You'll never guess how ambitious he is. Arnold sighed slightly, although he was forced to this point by Tegman, he still had to admire his father's ambition and determination, "He has long thought about attacking the Snowren Lord, attacking the Holy Helm Collar is actually just a temptation, a reaction to test the royal family and the surrounding lords, and even the mother who married me at the beginning was just to test the Tamska family's attitude towards the Cold Mountain Lord, his real purpose has always been the Snowen Lord, and he will not be willing not to take White Horse City." ”

"Why?" asked Judson subconsciously.

"Why?" Arnold repeated, and then couldn't help laughing, "because he doesn't want to be trapped in this mountain for the rest of his life, to be a mountain monkey who is ridiculed by the people of the imperial capital." He didn't want the supply of salt from the cold mountain to be controlled by Snowlon's port forever, and he didn't want the gold coins that his warriors had exchanged for their lives to fall into the pockets of those merchants in Whitehorse City. He wants to change this, so he wants war, because the only means that can change these things is war, and only war can satisfy his ambitions. ”

Judson was silent, Arnold said these reasons, he was not incomprehensible, the cold mountain lord was trapped in the mountains, and he was the only duke with the mountain people, and it was also the duke with the most barren land. The Serodib people of Wangji would laugh at them that they had become mountain people, no different from mountain monkeys, and even the merchants of Snowren looked down on their warriors in these barbaric lands, believing that the people of the cold mountain territory were nothing but physical strength. However, whether it was the three wars of conquest against the Ascar Alliance, or the offensive and defensive battle that helped the Norsvian family defend the city of Vodahara more than twenty years ago, it was their Cold Mountain Lord's men who stood at the forefront of the front line, providing the first line of defense for the Imperial Legion and the armies of other lords, and in every war, they suffered the heaviest casualties, but they had no regrets, because this is the man of the Cold Mountain Lord, a soldier who can compete with the strongest White Land army by mixing the pride of the mountain people and the tactics of the Serodib people.

Around the campfire, the men were still singing songs with a strong country accent, and although it might attract enemies, it was their custom, so Judson didn't scold them. A fluttering sound came from the depths of the woods, and Judson couldn't help but get nervous, and quickly grasped the hilt of the sword at his waist, but Arnold quickly stopped him.

"Don't be nervous, it's Beatrice. As he spoke, Arnold raised his arm, and in a few moments, a crow flew out of the darkness and stopped on Arnold's arm, "It must be Selena who sent us news." ”

Judson nodded silently, then stared at the crow. This crow, named Beatrice, was the pet of Arnold's sister, Miss Serena, and to be honest, no one knew why a beautiful Duchess and Miss would like a bird like a crow, but if I had to say, this bird that would make people feel inexplicably uneasy was indeed very much in line with Miss Serena's mysterious character and image.

Arnold took a note from Beatrice's lap and spread it out in his palm, but Judson didn't see what was written on it because of the angle and the light.

With the help of this firelight, Arnold hurriedly skimmed through the note, and put it away with a solemn expression.

"What's written on it?" Judson asked curiously, after Arnold was canonized as the Earl of Fort Gloomy half a year ago, Miss Serena and Miss Isabella also followed Arnold to live in Fort Gloomy, after all, their brother and sister's biological mother, Mrs. Althea, who was born in the Tamska family, had passed away when she gave birth to Miss Isabella eight years ago, and the current mistress of Fort Lionheart, although Lady Abigay was good to their brothers and sisters, she was a stepmother after all, not to mention the matter of William, Baron of Fort Hottu, their brothers and sisters had never been able to accept Mrs. Abigai.

Arnold turned his face sideways and didn't look at Judson, but he was slightly unhappy in his heart. Perhaps on the battlefield, Judson would be a good knight who could give all his loyalty to the lord, but this knight was too straightforward, and perhaps Garcia's mountain blood had made him forget what was the right way to interact with nobles, and his straightforward personality had caused Arnold's displeasure.

He deliberately spread the note in the palm of his hand, just not wanting Judson to see what was written on it, but Judson still asked.

However, since he asked, Arnold had no choice but to answer, after all, his safety now depends on this knight.

At least until that "person" comes.

She said that a group of responders had been prepared for us in the town of Creek in Fokenre, and that we could get help as soon as we got there, and then we would go all the way to Vortagan. ”

"What about Miss Serena?" asked Judson, "and now that Gloomy Castle is probably in Harper's hands, if they are still there......

"No problem!" Arnold interrupted Judson, "either way, they are daughters of the Figlaf family, and since they are daughters, there will be no problem. ”

Judson was stunned for a moment, and then lowered his head, it is true that in the character of Duke Tigerman, he will not attach much importance to these two daughters, for him, the value of daughters lies in marrying with other families.

And in the corner where Judson couldn't see, Arnold clenched his palms tightly.

Wait, all this hatred, I will return!

Beatrice's eyes fixed on Arnold's pale face, and then she let out a sudden snort.

——————————————

In the forest, Payne and a team are silently moving forward.

Arnold was followed by the best and most loyal soldiers of the Davide family, and after he departed, Harper's scouts caught up with them and informed him of the Duke's request. Therefore, in order to keep it as secret as possible, he only chased his own elite overnight, leaving those in the personal guard on the outskirts of the forest.

Payne's severed left arm was still aching, and now he could only hold a sword in one hand, which was a very bad thing for a warrior, which meant that he had lost half of his strength when fighting the enemy.

There was another wolf cry in the forest, and the team immediately stopped, and everyone listened carefully, for fear that a pack of wolves would suddenly run out and attack them.

Even the best hunters would not dare to fight a pack of wolves in the dark forest, which is their territory, not human's.

After a while, there was no follow-up movement, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and it seemed that their luck was not too bad to be bad.

Payne shook the large arm of his left hand and listened more closely to the wolves than the soldiers. Immediately afterward, he covered his mouth with his right hand and began to imitate the sound of a wolf's howl.

The wolves soon responded.

"The wolves are heading west. Although he is still relatively young, he has a lot of experience, and he quickly judged the number of wolves and the direction of action from the wolf bell, "The number of wolves is not much, only seven or eight, and they go west, which means that there are Arnold and Judson in the east!"

The soldiers nodded silently, then adjusted their formation and began to march east.