Early the next morning, Bran released the men, along with a horse brought back from the outpost, and asked the captured sentry officer and his assistant to go back and lift the ban on their companions.

When Ambu lifted the restrictions, he gave the two men a kick and spat on them.

When Hochul received the information this time, Bran was going to the north to buy gray bamboo raw materials.

Hauhel thought that Bran would probably go back to Florence, so he waited for Bran on the way back, ready to look at Bran's angry gaze, but he didn't expect Bran to dare to go straight over.

By the time he led the men to chase them, Bran was out of sight, the outpost was in shambles, and he took a dozen scouts to arrest them with all his might.

But they were still one step away, and they had already walked out of the border and into the periphery of the Alps.

"My lord, you can't chase it anymore, this is the territory of other lords, we don't know which one, in case we chase the wrong one?"

"When they come back, I want them to look good! You guys are all looking at me from now on, and they're not allowed to import raw materials. ”

In fact, this method did not work, because Albert had already taken the right to transport the raw materials and was escorted by Florence, but Bran would have to share 60% of the profits.

……

Bran first entered the territory of the two northern Italian lords, both of whom were independent little counts, and they relied on whoever came to fight.

From time to time, they often change allegiance to the lord.

After paying a few tolls, Bran was able to pass easily.

Further inward, the Alps become more and more visible, majestic and majestic, like giants.

From the Dark Ages, many of the people who lived in the mountains, known as mountain people, fled to the mountains to escape the persecution of their secular lords or disease.

The Alps are home to thousands, if not tens of thousands, of mountain dwellers, some say more than 20,000. But there is no definite answer.

Due to the snow when the temperature drops, the mountain people have also carved out some mountain land that can be cultivated, and exported the game and fruits that are abundant in the mountains and forests to other countries.

Vulnerable to persecution by other lords and thieves, the local mountain people gradually united and formed a hierarchy of rulers and ruled to organize force against foreign persecution.

In each valley, they set up arrow towers and fortresses, and those who ruled the valley were called "mountain lords."

It probably corresponds to the local village "knight" class.

Their rights are not as great as those of the flatland nobles, and when they want to deal with the death of a mountain person, they must also go through a public trial and let the mountain people defend themselves.

There was a mountain lord who traveled to a foreign country and later returned to the mountains and founded a mercenary group called "Zurich"

This regiment only recruits mountain people to join, and its origin is close to the bloodline, so this mountain mercenary group is very united and fierce.

Although there were only a few hundred men, they were scattered throughout the mountain range and could repel an army of thousands if they were dispatched.

They politely refused the conscription of foreign lords, such as Swabian or Frankish in the north, and only accepted nominal rule from the Holy See (paying only a small tax, and the Holy See gave them the right to believe and rule over the mountains).

According to Bran's information, there are currently eleven mountain owners, and these mountain owners are also officers of the Zurich mercenary regiment.

The man who had the deepest deal with Bran was a mountain owner named "Bergman Vassy".

The valley under Bergman's rule was adjacent to northern Italy, and the gray bamboo was also produced in large quantities, and because of the proximity and ease of transportation, Bran made a great deal of trade with him during the year, which enabled him to accumulate considerable wealth.

The Duke of Niever had stopped contact with Bergman for a time due to the war, and he sent to the Florentine estate to find out what was going on.

Bran just told Bergman to relax, and he would come for himself.

Bran stayed in the village at the foot of the hill and rested for the night, where he was warmly received by the villagers, who knew that this was the merchant with whom they had been trading a lot lately.

Bran left Jack with five men to guard the carriage.

After hundreds of years of valley development, between the valleys, complete mobile mountain roads have been built, and bridges have been erected and mountain houses have been built in those places that are not passable.

If you control the whole mountainous area, it is very convenient to go south to Italy, or to the north of the countries, or even to the east.

Heroes will always appear everywhere.

This place also has the record of the Grand Duke of Shange, when the mountains were invaded by the Kingdom of Austria (which was still the kingdom at that time), and the Grand Duke of Shange repelled the enemy army, and the statue erected by the mountain people for him was stored in the valley where Bergman was located, and stood with his mountain fort.

The beautiful name is that the mountain people built it spontaneously, but the valley is poor and there is a lack of materials, so this big statue is actually transported by Shangge people.

As a token of relief, for fifteen years, the Duchy of Venice was able to transport land goods from this place to the northern kingdoms faster, safer, and to make it difficult for the Italian lords with whom he competed.

But wouldn't it be better if this place could be owned by oneself?

He is one of the hero kings, and when he has this idea, he immediately implements it.

When the 8,000 soldiers were ready to storm the mountains, Shange suddenly fell ill, and these selected elite soldiers turned to support the new master, and Shange also chose a loyal regent before his death, so that Howard lived a peaceful youth......

……

The snow in the Alps has not yet completely melted, and when you look at the mountains, they are covered with a layer of snow.

It's cold, but the cold also makes the mountain people strong.

Carol carried Howard in the center, the others carried their belongings, Bran in front, Desley in the back, and trained to walk the mountain trails.

The soldiers in the mountains, out of nowhere, don't know how they pop out of the cracks in the rocks.

Crossing a small suspension bridge, an ancient snow-covered mountain fort appeared, all made of rocks.

The mountain lords also followed the example of the local noble lords, each with their own unique emblem of coat of arms.

The mountain lord is not necessarily passed on to the son, but also to some capable and talented people, but in the past, these people often had a relationship with the old mountain lord (recognizing the godfather), or married.

And continue to make the coat of arms of the hill castle with the surname.

Berkmann's valley is called "Piri", decorated with a fire pattern under the stars, when the Austrians were first resisted, the people of this valley carried torches to attack the enemy at night, and were seen by the Grand Duke Shange on the heights, like a spark.

Later, the ornament was given by Grand Duke Shange, and the valley lord at that time gladly accepted it.

The drawbridge and gate were lowered, and Berkman of the valley lord came to greet him in suit.

Bergman Vasy is young, currently eighteen years old, only two years older than Bran, but both are the same height.

But he was as thin as a weed in the mountains, and he seemed to be unsteady on his feet.

Unlike other mountain forts, there has been no outsider in the past fifty years, and Mount Piri is in the hands of his relatives.

It also represents the love and identification of the people of the valley with the Vasi family.