The castle of the Blaine family, on the hill behind the civic center of Hutu Bene, in the middle of the emerald green lawn, a white castle that does not look grand, but makes people feel bright-eyed, stands there,

Behind him is the turquoise sky, in front of which is a water-colored corridor with bright water, graceful straight lines, revealing a pleasing beauty, the simple and bright white frame makes people feel elegant from the heart, and the sky blue back and the white of the castle constitute a dreamlike picture.

It seems to have been abandoned for a long time, and several corridors outside the castle have just been cleaned up, but traces of the original scattering can still be seen.

The flowers and plants on both sides of the cobblestone path have also been uprooted, and all the precious varieties have been uprooted.

The murals on the corridor aisle already have a lot of black dust, and on the window sills on both sides of the corridor, there is also a thick layer of dust, and the red carpet on the ground is also a little dilapidated, and the surface has just been cleaned, leaving a lot of traces of brooms.

It is said that the northern governor Jehardo, who has lived here for nearly 2 months, does not like the castle of Hutu Beien, which is a little too romantic.

Believing that a man would lose the courage of a Mamunuk knight after living in such an environment for a long time, he set up his office in the town hall under the castle, which for a while became a "forbidden place" off the beaten track

In fact, most of the people of Hutu Benn know that the new Governor has a lie about any depravity and courage in his mouth, and the real reason for idleness of this beautiful castle is to erase the last trace of the Bryan family's thoughts in the hearts of Hutu Bun's benefactors, but the Governor of the North himself did not expect that the Blaine family, which was expelled from the mansion by force by him, would return here so quickly, and he became the target of expulsion

After a brief report, the fat man was arranged to meet the former royal minister from Kyoto in the meeting room, the fat man and Nilai sat down in front of a long elm table, his eyes swept over the living room in front of him, the fat man's eyebrows were a little frowned, and Nilai was cold, and his eyes flashed with inexplicable love

The living room looked very simple, not at all as grand and luxurious as the last time I came, some of the ordinary furniture, and a few other long wooden tables that I don't know where to scavenge, it became a living room, and its shabby Cheng dù made the fat man who had been here once, seen the luxury of the Salander aristocracy, and felt a moment in his heart.

"What the hell is going on? Why haven't you seen Hutu Beien for a few months, and Hutu Beien is so depressed?" The fat man looked slightly stunned, and took advantage of the time when Duke Besa had not yet arrived, and asked Nilai next to him softly, the empty and cold scene he saw when he entered the city just now made him, a person who had a great influence on Hu Tu Beien, feel extremely shocked

Now Hutu Bain is a complete mess, this beautiful city that was once known as the Garden of the North, withered like a rose that has just suffered frost, ruined towns, mostly ruined villages, and an empty castle, the last time the fat man came, there were about 20,000 citizens in the city, and now there are less than 7,000 people who remain in Hutu Baun, including a large part of the refugees who have been resettled from Vik

"This is all the result of the residence of the Mamunuk knights under the command of Jhardo," Nilai said with a cold face, "Because of the tight financial resources in Kyoto, the kingdom has already privately acquiesced to the Mamunuk knights' embezzlement of war spoils last year, which undoubtedly greatly increases the power of the Mamunuk knights, even above the local lords!"

When force is unrestrained, violence becomes the most terrible calamity," Nellai's voice paused, her white slender fingers clenched together, and there was a wave of anger in her tone. During the two months they were stationed in Hutu Beien, two-thirds of the shops in the city were brutally looted, the precious furniture and decorations in the homes of the nobles in the city were forcibly demolished and transported away, the people's livelihood withered, and the economic situation deteriorated day by day.

"What? Could it be that these Mamunuk knights don't even let go of their own countrymen?" The fat man's two eyebrows couldn't help but twist into a dignified Sichuan character in the center of his eyebrows, and it was the first time that the knights who plundered their own people heard it,

"In the eyes of these Kyoto people, the north is a potential enemy, how can they really treat us northerners" Nilai's eyes flashed, and the corners of his mouth pursed disdainfully. You may not know that after Hutu Beien was placed under the direct jurisdiction of His Majesty the King, Jehardo was able to cover the sky in Hutu Beien, and the Mamunuk's knights who came from Kyoto and considered themselves superior naturally regarded this beautiful city that once represented luxury and wealth as their most proud trophy, and the situation in the city was relatively better, and the surrounding villages were the hardest hit areas."

"Village! I came all the way just now, and found that many places that used to be villages are now in ruins, what is going on?

"What else could it be, naturally it's the work of those Mamunuk knights who are crazy about money!" Nylai said angrily These Mamunuk, knights of the kingdom who fought against the Normans, extorted almost all the villages in the name of collecting protection money, and if they could not scrape together the money within the specified time, they forcibly drove all the men, women and children of the village to the center of the village, and then set fire to their poor and thin thatched huts one by one in front of all the villagers with the blazing torches in their hands.

Let these poor people who have just escaped the war just watch their lives and hopes turn gray in the red flames, you know how cold it was last winter, if it weren't for my order to open the borders and contain these poor people, I'm afraid that most of them would only freeze to death,

But just this winter, more than 3,000 people died of frostbite in the villages near Hutu Baun, 80 percent of whom were frail and sick elderly and children, almost a third of the population of Hutu Baun."

After listening to Nilai's complaint, the fat man felt a fire burning in his heart, he didn't expect Salander's attitude in Kyoto to be so cold-blooded, this wanton plundering behavior is simply treating the north as a colony for himself.

Although Nilai didn't say it, the fat man knew that these unscrupulous and brutal acts would never happen without the tacit consent of the military commander Jehardo, and if the whole north really fell into the hands of such a person, it would really be the deepest disaster.

"Okay, now that I'm here, this qiē will pass! In three years, I will make Hutu Beien more prosperous and stable than before!" the fat man comforted softly, holding Nilai's hand under the table that was slightly trembling with exertion,

The silky feeling came from the palm of his hand, a heart-to-heart feeling spreading, he could feel the grief and indignation in the heart of this beautiful duchess, no wonder he came to Salander again this time, Nilai originally had some yearning for Salander Kyoto and seemed a lot more indifferent,

"You promised me to bring peace to Sarande!" At this time, Nilai's delicate body shook slightly, and she suddenly raised her beautiful neck, looking at the fat man with a pair of pretty eyes, and her voice was cold and heartbreaking, "I used to fantasize about living peacefully with Kyoto, but Hutu Beien made me understand that in addition to not blatantly killing and setting fires, in the eyes of these Kyoto people who thought they were collecting booty, the north was just an object of their casual plunder,

Nilai paused in his voice and said, "The only fortunate thing is that Jhardo is an ascetic knight, and the power of the knight comes from the bloodline, and it is strictly forbidden for the knights under his command to rape women, so that many women of Hutu Beien escaped." Otherwise, it would not just be some small bloodshed, but a fierce resistance of the whole Hutu Baun, and blood would be shed in every inch of the city, I really don't want to think about it!"

At that moment, there was a sound of footsteps in the direction of the door of the living room

Bernlake walked in very respectfully with a middle-aged nobleman about 50 years old, this nobleman was dressed very ordinary, but there was a look of self-satisfaction when he walked, at first glance, he was the kind of person who was surrounded by people in the center all the year round, seeing the fat man's touch, Duke Besa's face looked a little unnatural, and the expression of gain and loss made his face full of frustration

"Hello, honorable Duke Besa, I'm Vicseton of Vic Realm! This is my administrator, Duchess Nilai," the fat man stood up and introduced himself, while Nilai next to him saluted,

This strange combination made Duke Besa stunned for a moment, his gaze first swept over Nilai's beautiful and flower-like face, and then fixed on the fat man's too-ordinary face, his blazing eyes were filled with heavy surprise and curiosity,

Victonse, the little marquis who rose like lightning in the north, felt the influence of this man all the time from the moment he entered the north,

From the outpost of Kuronze, to the dozen or so territories he had traveled through, this man's name was as familiar as the leader of the North, but the well-informed Duke of Besa. I still can't connect with this stupid fat man in front of me

"Your Excellency is the Marquis of Victor Thorn of the Northern Territory!"

Duke Besa seemed to feel that it was a very rude thing for him to be staring at him like this, so he hurriedly tidied up his clothes and returned the gift to the fat man very solemnly, and the frustration that was still spreading on his face just now seemed to be much darker because of this name,

"I heard that the Duke needs help in some difficulties?" the fat man gestured to Duke Bessar and asked straight to the point, "If I can help Victonse, please just say it, as long as it is not something that violates the rules of nobility, I Victor will never stand idly by!"

Seeing what the fat man said cheerfully, Duke Besa sat down in the seat opposite, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Has the Marquis heard of the Southern Decree that has just been promulgated in Kyoto?"

"Yes, I've heard a few! It's a very bad decision," the fat man nodded, and he could tell from Duke Besa's tone that the duke's disgust at the new decree was in a tone of indignation

"I don't know what's going on in Kyoto, when it's most important to unite a force against the Normans, but first drop the butcher's knife on the heads of my own people! Despite the loss of their land, the southerners are not weak, they are still fighting against the Normans, even if it is at the cost of their own precious lives, I heard that in the latest battle, more than 10,000 southern warriors were killed, and Kyoto fell into the stone at this moment, even we northerners feel cold!"

"Thank you very much!" Duke Besa's pale face was a little rosy with excitement, his eyes flashed with a hint of crystal moisture, and his voice trembled, "In the eyes of most Salanders, it is the cowardice of our southerners and the loss of charts that attract the murderous Normandy beasts, and only Your Excellency is the first lord I have heard a positive evaluation of our southerners"

"Actually, this time I came to the north, not only to ask for help, but more importantly, to give something to the northerners!" Duke Bessa's voice paused, his face was resolute, and he suddenly took out a golden scroll from his arms, put it on the table with great caution, and said in a condensed voice. This is a treaty that has just been secretly signed by the royal family, which will determine the fate of all Salanders, and it is also the greatest source of uncovering this unreasonable move, before I came to Hutu Beien, I had secretly visited the Duke of Russia and Germany in the northern mountains, and he said to me with great caution, this thing should be handed over to you, Marquis Victense!"

"Oh. What treaty?" the fat man's face was stunned for a moment, he could see from Duke Besa's cautious face that this thing was extraordinary, and what could make the old fox of Duke Russia and Germany feel tricky must be something extraordinary

"At the beginning of March this year, the royal family of Salander has secretly opened peace negotiations with the Normans!"

Duke Besa's face was heavy as if he was about to drip, and he looked extremely distressed, "In other words, the kingdom is ready to abandon the plan to recover the south, and is ready to focus on the area north of Kyoto!"

We stole a copy of this treaty from the royal family at a very high price, and it was precisely because of the discovery of the leak that King Sultan Manhad ordered the Southern Decree to be activated in advance, brutally suppressing anyone who might rise up against him, among which the southern nobles were naturally the mainstay!"

"What? how could this be!" the fat man stood up with a shocked face, he now knew why Duke Besa was so depressed,

In doing so, the royal family of Salander undoubtedly sold the entire southern aristocracy, as well as the southern lands, to the Normans, which was a real act of treason.

"No wonder he did not hesitate to use force to suppress the voice of opposition, I see!" the fat man paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, and the atmosphere in the hall was solemn

"And the Kyoto army has been moving frequently recently," Duke Besa said with a wry smile in his mouth, "As far as I know, the navy that was originally suppressed in the inner harbor has been activated, and about twenty-five thousand troops are gathering in the port area,

According to the analysis of the Grand Duke of Russia and Germany, it is very likely that Kyoto will attack the north at the same time from both sea routes! The territory of the Grand Duke of Russia and Germany has already begun to mobilize, and he strongly recommends you to me, saying that if there is a war in Kyoto, the Otto-German family is willing to side with you."