5 January 1704, Capital of the Duchy of Valstad, Fort Midknight.

The cuirassiers of the Guards lined up in columns, closely following the two princes, and the red feathers on the top of the knights' helmets trembled with the jolting of the horses, and the gorgeous cuirass that shone as bright as a mirror.

At the center of the procession was the Duke's sumptuous carriage, covered with colourful glass, precious stones, and gold leaf. The hull was towed by six heavy horses with beautiful manes, protected by several senior officers on each side, and the Guards infantry, who were responsible for maintaining order, lined up on either flank to block the crowd that was too close.

Prince John Midknight and Prince Pato Midknight rode at the front of the line on white and brown steeds, respectively.

The two princes, who waved to the crowd frequently, inherited the gray-haired and gray-eyed characteristics of the Midnight family, both were muscular and elegant, and their ornate hussar uniforms were slim and decent, adding to the charm of young men.

两位王子引领着这支壮观的队伍，沿着米德奈特堡第一大街缓步前行，两侧房屋的窗棂上挂满鲜艳的飘带和旗帜，彩条和花瓣漫天飞舞，街道两侧也挤满了热情的市民。

Even the well-educated ladies were completely unreserved in the face of the handsome prince, and they pushed against the wall of guards and shouted at the two princes, just to get their attention.

A short and fat girl pushed the soldier in front of her away, and she shouted:

"Your Majesty! Look here! Look over here! Please! Just at a glance! ”

Prince John turned his head, looked at her with deep grey eyes, and smiled at her in return, and the prince reached out and tore off a dark blue silk ribbon from the saddle and threw it at the fanatical fat girl.

The fat girl tightened her grip on the ribbon and tucked it into the hidden pocket of her skirt to prevent it from being snatched away by the other ladies, and she was so excited that she almost fainted, and the people around her hurriedly held her up.

Prince John's smile made the girls even more crazy, and if it weren't for the guards to maintain order, the convoy would have been unable to move an inch.

The Home Secretary and the top of the army rode at the back of the Duke's entourage, chatting with each other.

Marshal Simon Gallieni took a puff of his pipe and said with a relaxed face:

"Dude, this meeting makes me feel younger, as if time has gone backwards, the two princes are very much like the duke when he was young, and the ladies are as crazy as they were back then."

The generals of the Guards who listened to him looked worried:

"Marshal Simon, you can laugh, look! My men were torn apart by these crazy women, and those military dresses cost a lot of money!

Hum! This is all to blame on His Majesty the Duke, he didn't let us be rude to the people, as a result, every time the escort mission was trampled by the crowd and injured, some market hooligans did not dare to fight back, and even took advantage of the chaos to snatch the soldiers' firearms, it was really bold and reckless!

You must mention this to the Duke! ”

Marshal Simon laughed:

"Hahaha, I sympathize with you, man. went to the battlefield to be responsible for the battle, but was beaten by the masses when he got off the battlefield, and he was ordered not to fight back.

Well, having said that, His Majesty the Duke is really a genius in image promotion, and he regards every trip as an opportunity to promote the image of the royal family, so he arranged the two handsome princes at the front of the team.

My old man, even the two princes have been patient in pleasing the people, so don't complain. Look at today's meeting, Your Majesty is supported by the people, and our efforts are worth it. ”

"Yes, who would have thought that just a few years ago, His Majesty's plan to unify the peninsula was criticized by the newspapers as wishful thinking and daydreaming of vanity.

Now, daydreams are about to become reality, and the unification of the peninsula and the revival of the empire will no longer be said to be wishful thinking. In the centuries since the fall of the Empire, no Duke has ever achieved such feats, and His Majesty deserves the cheers of the people. ”

At this moment, the advance of the ranks suddenly stopped, and a captain of the cavalry of the Guards rushed from the front of the ranks, and he tightened his reins and reported to the generals and marshals at the end of the ranks:

"Ladies and gentlemen, there is an accident ahead, the road is blocked, His Majesty the Prince has instructed us to wait for the traffic to be cleared, and the queue will stay for a while."

Marshal Simon frowned: "What? Something happened? This is the capital's first street! Can such a wide road be blocked? ”

The cavalry captain explained: "My lord, there were two large wagons carrying wine barrels in the middle of the road, one of them overturned, the cargo fell, the rolling barrels smashed the mule that was pulling the other car, the driver was also injured and carried to the hospital, only the driver's daughter remained in place, the little fellow was so anxious that he cried and was completely overwhelmed. The prince himself has led people to clear the road, please rest assured. ”

At the same time, the front of the line.

Prince Pato and Prince John dismounted to check on the situation, and the scene of the accident was a mess, the ground was littered with wood and straw, the broken barrels were leaking wine, a rose-red wine pool had accumulated in the low-lying part of the road, and the smashed mules had fallen to the ground with a piercing scream of pain.

"This beast can't be saved, give it a good time." A cavalry major checked the condition of the mules and then came to a conclusion.

Prince Pato nodded in agreement: "This cry is so unpleasant, let this poor fellow be free, I'll leave it to you, Major." ”

The Major walked over to his mount, drew a new carbine from the holster on the side of the saddle, expertly loaded his ammunition, approached the head of the aiming mule, and pulled the trigger.

With the "Bang! There was a muffled thud, and the smoke cleared, and the mules stopped hissing, their eyes still open, and blood and brains flowed out, mingling with the wine on the ground.

The driver's daughter cried even more when she saw the soldiers carrying away the corpses of the mules with a sail.

Prince John leaned over and comforted: "Don't be afraid, little one, we are here for its good, come, stretch out!" Take this silk handkerchief, pretty, right? It's for you. By the way, what about your father? ”

The girl clutched the gorgeous silk handkerchief and sobbed, "Your Majesty, my father fell from the car and injured his leg, and he was taken to a nearby medical station. ”

"He'll be fine, don't worry! Our guys will help you deliver the rest of the barrels to the tavern. Your father will get a new, healthy and strong mule, and your family's business will not be affected in any way, I assure you as a prince! ”

"I ...... I don't know what to say...... Thank you, Your Majesty! ”

Seeing the prince treating the commoner girl so gently, the surrounding people cheered and applauded.

At that moment, a ragged beggar came out from behind the cart, and the officers and men of the Guards who were present quickly gathered around the two princes, and pressed their hands on the hilt of their swords alertly, and did not let their guard down until the beggar ran away.

"It's okay, everyone, relax, don't be nervous......" Prince Pato had just said half of his words, when something happened at the rear of the team, and the direction of the duke's carriage suddenly shouted loudly, and the officers and soldiers were in chaos.

I heard someone shouting from afar: "Urgent alert! Someone shot a horse with a crossbow arrow! His Majesty's carriage can't move! There are assassins! All of them! Urgent alert! ”

Before everyone could react, they heard another voice shouting: "There are three big cars rushing down the ramp!" Can't stop it! Fast! Protect Your Majesty! ”

The two princes exclaimed in unison, "Father! ”

Is it a coincidence that the accident ahead blocked the road and another car rushed down the ramp? Sensing that something was wrong, the princes looked at each other and hurriedly turned on their horses.

Suddenly, dozens of barrels around the princes suddenly exploded! The little daughter of the driver turned to ashes in an instant, and the terrifying flames were as high as more than ten meters! Flying rubble and smoke obscured the sky.

At the same time, three carts rushed down the ramp and crashed into the duke's carriage, and the Guards soldiers reacted quickly, killing the pack horses pulling the cart and the masked charioteer, but the three carts continued to move forward with the momentum of the downhill slope, completely unstoppable.

"It's too late to dodge! Pull your majesty out, quick! One of the officers shouted hoarsely.

The soldiers opened the door, and without any regard for courtesy, they grabbed the duke by the arm and dragged him out of the carriage.

At this time, the Duke of Easter Midknight, who was still half-asleep because of the fatigue of the previous day, left all the trivial matters of the convoy to his two sons, and he himself planned to take a nap in the car, and at this moment he was sleepy-eyed and groggy, and had no idea what was happening.

The loud explosion woke the duke, and he looked at the huge fireball rising in front of the team in amazement, and suddenly came to his senses:

"Oh my God? This...... This? …… What's going on? John...... Pato...... Fast! Someone's coming! Save my son! ”

As soon as the Duke finished speaking, the cart that rushed down the ramp slammed into the side of the luxury carriage, and the barrels on the cart tumbled off, followed by another violent explosion.

By the time the smoke cleared, the shards of wood, clothes, and human bodies were still burning......

There were rivers of blood on the road, and it took a while for some of the blown limbs to fall down and smash heavily on the blackened stone pavement, the charred corpses smoked, and the screams of surprise of the officers and men were mixed with the miserable cries of the wounded, and the confusion was chaotic.

Everything happened so fast, a moment ago it was a moment of flags waving, petals in the sky, beautiful scenes were fleeting, and now, the whole street is like purgatory, full of despair and death.

The high-ranking officials at the end of the procession were not affected, and the old marshal Simon Gallieni, with tears in his eyes, rushed straight to the center of the explosion, despite the dissuasion of others, risking the possibility of another explosion.

He forced his mount over the flames with his spurs, gritted his teeth, trembled with excitement, and cursed viciously with a look of grief and indignation:

"Who did it? Bastard thing! …… Shameless! It's murder! Murder! Damn cowards! How can this be? Look what you've done! ”

A veteran like him who has been through the storm is of course aware of what has just happened.

At this time, even some illiterate drunks on the side of the street could see that some of the barrels in the cart were not filled with fine wine, but ...... Full of ...... Gunpowder......