People always have a kind of thinking inertia, and always feel that the longer they follow them, the more trustworthy they are.

This is self-deception brought about by emotional factors, and no one can escape the fog of sensuality, and Leon is certainly no exception.

It was as if now, even though Leon had guessed who Zakar's guilt was, he still didn't want to trust his own judgment......

In fact, after determining Zakhar's goal, this should be easy to judge - Zakar this time is not for looting, but for occupation. So, if Zakar captures the city, how will he defend his victory?

Relying only on those two thousand lonely soldiers, even if they can steal to Changhe City, they can't hold it.

Changhe City is the capital of the new Pande Kingdom set by Li Ang, and even if all other places are abandoned, Li Ang will inevitably counterattack with all his strength.

Unless Fort Shield and Fletcher have cooperated with the Cato to make it possible for the Cato on the steppe to drive directly into the city in a steady stream...... Other than that, nothing else.

It's Charles, and he's conspiring with Zakar.

Yes, it will only be Charles.

He was familiar with the frontier of the Gatu steppe, with the whole of Changhe County, having spent time in the village of Kwen, with the ancient garrison of the Griffin Knights, and with the military deployment of the entire kingdom of Neopande......

He was also the only one who could mobilize the Horn to summon the Rangers, Godric's longbowmen, and the defense of Fort Shield.

At the same time, only Charles had the opportunity to be in close contact with Zakar.

Charles's fiefdom was Fletcher, and after the death of Hereward, he inherited Fort Shield and was the sole lord of Shield County.

And the Cato people also began to act after the death of Hereward.

First, the entire Horn Call Ranger Regiment was recruited to Fort Shield...... It stands to reason that Harry Ward was the sergeant major of the rangers' sentinels, and the senior division commander of all the rangers and sentinels, and they should indeed go to Fort Shield for the funeral, and at the same time prevent the Gatu from taking advantage of the opportunity to go south.

Then the Cato 'fought' with Charles' forces at Fletcher, which seemed to be a matter of course, and the Cato would of course try to attack Fletcher's side with a large number of people at Fort Brave.

And the time for this battle is probably when Charles and Zakar talk about cooperation—not to arouse suspicion, but also to gather all the military forces of the entire east to the border.

So the Cato passed through the empty Noldor Forest, then bypassed the White Hart Castle and headed west, taking refuge in the ancient garrison of the village of Kwyn to ambush - a route that happened to be neither manned nor manned, and the only obstacle was the Owl Knights of Trubrun, who had discovered the Cato troops.

Zakar then led his people to move between Lion Lake City and Fletcher, half-truths and half-truths to attack Lion Lake City, and at the same time create a threat to Fletcher and Fort Shield, forcing Leon to send troops from Long River City to rescue.

In this way, the hinterland of Changhe Town will be even more empty, and the Gatu people hiding in Kewen Village will have the opportunity to conquer Changhe City.

At the same time, this can also create an illusion for the entire kingdom of Neopander - most people will think that the Gatu army alone has no way to retreat in the city of Long River, even if they conquer the city of Long River, they will not be able to defend it, and the whole kingdom is likely to slowly mobilize troops to encircle and suppress it.

But in reality, the Cato would continue to enter from Fletcher, and since Charles had cooperated with the Catu, the entire eastern region would fall into the hands of the Catu, and they would all be able to hold it......

In addition, as long as Charles spreads a false message, the Horn Summoning Ranger is likely to step into the trap and fall into the danger of destruction!

Li Ang, who had figured it out, felt quite uncomfortable, he didn't understand, why did Charles do this?

"Zakar, Shield Fortress is about to change defenses, and I have put Count Leofrick back in charge of Shield Fortress. Charles can't work with you anymore, and your original plan must not be implemented......"

Even though he was very unhappy, Li Ang still had a smile on his face, as if everything was confident.

It's fooling.

Leon did not ask Fort Brave to change its defenses, and when he was about to leave, he only ordered Leofric and Dalion to lead their troops to Long River City to prepare for the battle.

Darion is in Fort Sava and Leofrick is in Fort Karen Deer, both of which are a bit far away, and it takes time to give orders and march, and it is estimated that Leofrick has not yet been able to reach Long River City.

However, there was an expression of 'everything under control' on his face.

Zakar was stunned.

He looked at Li Ang's calm expression, stood up violently as if he was frightened, and looked at Li Ang's eyes full of awe: "You...... How do you know? Charles...... Could he be ......?"

"How do I know...... Ha ha...... You can guess – you can start by guessing why Charles would have the audacity to work with you...... He's my Knight's Oath! ”

Leon laughed, his face full of pride.

But in reality, his heart was dripping blood.

Hemp eggs.

Originally, he was not completely sure, but now it is certain, it is Charles.

"This ...... You actually arranged it on purpose?! ”

Zakar looked at Leon in a daze, clenching his back molars: "What a good means!" ”

"You should have heard of Zakar, I am the child of prophecy...... You should also know that I have been a great help to Charles, why do you think he would betray me? ”

Leon stared into Zakhar's eyes and said with a smirk.

In fact, Leon was also thinking about this question in his heart - Charles, why did you cooperate with the Catotes?

Zakar gritted his teeth and remained silent, his eyes flickering.

The two looked at each other for a moment, and Zakar sighed and sat down opposite Leon again: "His acting skills are good...... So, my troops have probably fallen into your trap? They...... Can you still come back? ”

"Whether they come back or not depends entirely on you, Zakar."

Li Ang smiled casually, continued to eat mutton, and said with a smile while eating: "I am a businessman, I don't like to fight and kill, and I have brought you a good business." But if you don't want to do business with me, then you might be able to go to Singal and buy some of them back in the future...... It's up to you to choose what you want, and I'll accept it. ”

Life is like a gambling game, when the cards in the hand are not good, you don't necessarily have to pass, and occasionally you can try bluffing and stealing chickens - if the total number of chips is more than the opponent, you can scare the opponent with stud.

After all, it's unlikely that your opponent's hand will be a royal flush either.

Leon had to take a stud gamble now, or he wasn't sure if Zakar would kill him here - if he couldn't, then Zakar could indeed kill Leon and go ahead with his original plan.

Of course, taking out Leon wasn't a good option either - it would lead to the Lion, the Noldor, and Bacchus going all out to encircle all the Cato at all costs, and the two sides would turn into a never-ending race war, as Zakar must have known.

And if Zakar is bluffed, then not only Leon's safety can be guaranteed, but the problem of the Gatu people can also be solved.

Now, it's up to Zakar to dare to stud......

Leon knew that he had a good chance of succeeding in stealing chickens.

This is because Zakar has fewer total chips than Leon, and Leon looks bigger.

Above all, Zakar is not an idiot, nor is he an impulsive reckless.

If all this was indeed ordered by Leon, and if Charles had taken refuge in the pretense of taking refuge, then most of the Gatu troops who had entered the village of Kwen would not have returned, and they would have given Leon 4,000 horses.

If what Leon said is true, then after losing these elites, there will be a race war with the New Pander Kingdom...... Is it cost-effective?

Zakar really didn't dare to bet.

"Your Majesty Li Ang, I will withdraw to the grassland tomorrow, and I hope you can release my people back......"

After being silent for a long time, Zakar asked faintly: "In addition, what are the specific arrangements for the free trade zone you mentioned?" ”

"Five sheep for one person, three sheep for one horse, this price is very fair, right? Give you a discount, send 20,000 sheep to Fletcher, and I'll release your troops. ”

Li Ang ate the meat without raising his head - mainly because he was afraid that Zakar would see his expression of success in stealing chickens: "As for the free trade zone, I will make a list of goods for you, and then we will go to Fletcher to set the price together, I guarantee that the prices are very cheap and will not let you suffer." ”

…………

Early the next morning, Zakar began to withdraw his troops.

Li Ang also led his men on the road back to Changhe City, of course, nominally, he wanted to 'hurry back to prepare for the free trade zone, so as to avoid unnecessary friction between the soldiers on both sides'......

However, there were fewer people on the way back......

Raphael and the few Horn Ranger he brought with him were not on the band, nor was Sigismund.

Raphael's interpreter didn't come in handy, so he was given another task - to gallop to Fort Shield before the Cato reached Fletcher, and have the Horn Call the Ranger to take over Fort Shield and capture Charles.

Leon wanted to know why Charles collaborated with the enemy - when he still had the system, Charles was once marked by the system as '100 favorability', and he would betray the collaborator when he was full of favorability? Leon was a little puzzled.

Only Sigismund is really going to Fletcher to prepare for the free trade zone.

On the way back, Li Ang was in a hurry.

For he had to hurry up and seal up the two thousand Cato who were hiding in the village of Kwen.

This kind of thing is bluffing, once the fraud is successful, then it should be done immediately - in fact, this is the difference between the charlatan who does not enter the stream and the big man with empty gloves and white wolf.

Stealing chickens is used to buy time and space, to let lies serve the truth, not to deceive for the sake of deception.

Seize the opportunity of fraud and turn fake things into real things, so as to get real results.

In order to quickly return to the city, Leon escaped the sight of the Gatu people and galloped to the south, the great lake behind the city.

A few of the best brothers in the water put together a simple raft by the lake, and it only took half a day to row directly across the long river and lake dozens of miles wide.

This is the fastest way to get back to River City from the Northern Wasteland, but it is also the most tiring way - the improvised rafts and pulp are not easy to control, and several brothers are about to break their arms, which is considered non-combat attrition.

Leon rushed back just in time, just in time for Dalion and Leofrick to return to River.

The Griffin Knights are fully cavalry, and there is a surplus of horses - a lot of them have been captured from the Serpent Cult, and now they have achieved one man and two horses, and the marching speed is relatively fast. Although Fort Sava was farther away than Karen Deer Fort, they arrived at about the same time as Leofric's troops.

Leofrick was immediately appointed by Leon as the Warden of the Shield and the Chief of the Eastern War, and once again led his troops to the Shield Fort.

The Griffin Knights, on the other hand, are to deal with the two thousand Gatu people in Kwen Village together with the Silver Hand.

……

At this time, Fort Brave.

By the time Raphael Pegasus rushed back to Shield Fort, the Horn Summoning Rangers were no longer here.

Ralph wasn't there either.

The defenders of Fort Shield were all Charles' men.

Since the Cato had already entered the country, Charles had the Horn Call Rangers and Sentinels disperse into several bands and send them to the areas of Herminerd, River, and McChanel, on the pretext of 'ensuring that there is no danger in the jurisdiction of Long River'.

Charles currently has high authority to summon the Ranger Regiment on the Horn - everyone sees him as the heir to Count Oden.

The Sentries of Long River were already under his command, the Rangers would not refuse his arrangement, Ralph trusted him, and even Godric, who remained in Long River, trusted him - if it wasn't for the confirmation that Charles was working with the Gatu, Leon would have trusted him very much.

Charles was the first knight under Leon to have a fief, and from the beginning, Charles had complete autonomy in his fief, Leon did not impose any restrictions on Charles's fiefdom, and was able to seek Leon's help when he was in trouble - this was the highest degree of trust.

And Charles's performance in the past few years has always been worthy of this trust.

He has always been honest and low-key, never causing trouble, and never afraid of things.

He has faced the army of the Three Prophets without changing his face, he has also faithfully fought with Godric to fight with the outnumbered, and he has also chased the murderer for justice with Dalion.

He has no shortage of courage, loyalty, and righteousness, and can even be regarded as an example for most knights.

But why, at this time, when Leon had already established the kingdom of New Pande, when Charles was already in a high position and held a county, when he had almost attained the same status as his father, Count Auden, did he still collaborate with the enemy?

Raphael did not understand.

But no matter why, you have to complete the task assigned by Leon first.

At the moment, Ralph and the Horn Call Ranger are gone, and Raphael has to do it alone.

Sometimes pressure can make people grow, Raphael was originally a straightforward and bloody guy, but now he has been forced to become a gangster who knocks a sticking in the back......

In the hall of the lord of Fort Shield, Raphael drove away Charles's guards on the pretext of passing on Leon's secret order, and then took advantage of Charles's unpreparedness to pick up a chair and stun him.

Then, he took out a bag of marijuana from his bosom and carried the unconscious Charles out directly - everyone in Shield Shield knew Raphael, and no one would question him.

Then, before Charles' guards could find out, Raphael escaped from Fort Shield with sacks of Pegasus, intending to make all the way south through the Noldor Forest to Fort White Hart, a place where Charles' men could not interfere.

"Raphael? …… You...... Why? ”

In the forest, Charles woke up and seemed very tired.

But looking at Raphael, who was full of murderous face, Charles seemed quite calm.

"Why do you say? Let's tell me why you're colluding with the Catu...... Charles, seriously, I don't understand, you are now powerful, powerful, famous, and so young...... Why destroy your future? And you are the first Knight of Oath of His Majesty Leon! ”

Raphael had already tied Charles tightly and was saddling his saddle beside him.

"I ...... Alas...... Raphael, if I say I was forced, would you believe it? ”

Charles did not argue, but sighed deeply.

"Forced? Do you think I believe it or not? Everyone knows that your loved ones are no longer alive, how can you be forced? ”

Raphael shook his head.

"Take me to Your Majesty...... You won't believe it, I can only confess to Your Majesty in person...... But, Raphael, I did not betray Your Majesty. ”

Charles stopped talking and closed his eyes.

(End of chapter)