Chapter 75: Rally the army, sacrifice the flag, and set off!
At nine o'clock in the morning on December 3, 1193 in the Guangming calendar, the weather was overcast and the north wind was howling.
Outside Eagle Castle, there is a group of two hundred pack horses, crowded together, carrying grain, grass and military supplies tied up in sacks and ropes on their backs. Each horse weighs hundreds of kilograms. The heavy load, gathered together, is spectacular.
Through this group of pack horses, you can see a more orderly, high-spirited and stronger group of war horses.
They wear black cloth vests with eagle patterns embroidered on them; they snort a few times from time to time, and hot air is constantly sprayed from their mouths and noses, which is blown away by the north wind.
Beyond the horses, there are three neatly arranged phalanxes. The recruits are holding their own weapons and wearing thick cotton robes. Under the cotton robes are newly made semi-warcraft leather armors.
Their faces that were red from the cold had nervous and serious expressions, as well as a hint of anxious confusion, as they were all worried about their future fate.
At the front of them, Eric stood in full armor, like an iron tower.
On the periphery, there were many people who came after hearing the news. At the front were Denise and Old Gordon, followed by Fili and some big businessmen in Goldsmith Town, and behind them were They were the citizens who came to watch, mainly private soldiers and their families.
Click, click, click...
The crisp sound of horse hooves sounded, and in the direction of Eagle Castle, the horses automatically opened a gap, and a two-meter-high, snow-white war horse stepped out.
On its back is a knight wearing jet black leather armor. The leather armor is plain and simple, but it reflects a metallic luster. It is completely different from ordinary leather armor at first glance.
The knight's shoulders were covered with a fur cloak as white as snow, fluttering in the wind like a flag.
His face was three-dimensional and cold, and his black eyes were as sharp as an eagle, making everyone who was swept by this gaze consciously lower their heads.
Behind him was a dark red war horse with bloody eyes, and Nancy was riding on it. Although her expression was serious, there was uncontrollable excitement hidden in her eyes.
Vesdon, who was also riding a blood-eyed war horse, was slightly half a body behind Nancy.
He was wearing a polished enchanted chainmail, his prosthetic hand was holding the enchanted half-sword, and the other hand was holding the reins. His face was tense with excitement and nervousness.
After that, there are Raven's soldiers, nineteen in total. They all ride on half-warriors that have been strengthened by magic cores. Simon and Volaf at the front are wearing plate armor and chains respectively. A, followed by seventeen people, is Qing Yishui's gray-black semi-warcraft leather armor.
The horse stopped and Raven tightened the reins: "Eric, how are the preparations?"
Eric stepped forward, beat his chest with his right hand and shouted loudly: "Eagle Army" The first battalion of the first army, the three brigades, a total of 108 people, are all here!”
"Please give the order, Lord Baron!"
"Very good!" Raven nodded, looked past Eric and fell on the soldiers of the first battalion, and raised his voice: "I know, you are now We all want to ask the same question: Where are we going? "
" Now, I will answer you.”
“The target this time is the Bloody Highlands!”
Although I am deeply disturbed by this news, I have spent four months in the military camp and nearly half of it. More than a month of intensive training has allowed them to maintain a very high level of discipline.
There was no noise or movement. The soldiers looked at each other and saw fear and panic in each other's eyes.
They had already heard the news, and they all had speculations in their minds, but when they heard the answer with their own ears, they were still quite scared.
Bloody Highlands!
That is the home of horse thieves and bandits, the most dangerous place in the world.
And Raven actually wanted to take them to that dangerous place.
This uneasy feeling spread quickly. Raven saw this and asked loudly: "It seems that you have different opinions. Who will stand up and talk to me?"
Soldiers, look at me and I look at you. Many people have their eyes on White.
This boy is the recruit who made arrogant remarks last time and caused the entire team to vomit.
White lowered his head, refusing to be the first person even to death.
Although he knew that the Lord Baron was very tolerant and that he deserved to be beaten to death for the mistake he made last time, in the end he was only allowed to run more than twenty laps.
Of course, this is also very painful, but it is much better than being beaten into a disability.
Seeing that White did not intend to continue, the soldiers began to exchange glances with each other again.
The Baron has always been open-minded, and now is the best opportunity to persuade him to take back his life.
Finally, a soldier who looked to be in his thirties stood up: "Lord Baron, I think you should think about it carefully. Bloody Heights is really too dangerous."
"Last year, a group of bandits came in. Mailin, a blacksmith and a two-meter-tall strong man, was chopped to death with one knife! We are definitely no match for them!"
"Very good, very good, that's it." Raven nodded slowly.
Everyone thought that Raven would consider accepting his suggestion or find a way to communicate with him.
But the next moment, Raven's right hand suddenly raised, spitting out a few weird syllables, and a ball of flame condensed on his fingertips.
Just when everyone was shocked and didn't know what Raven wanted to do, the fire broke through the cold air and crashed on the soldier!
“Ah——”
The flames rose, and the man let out a shrill scream and fell to the ground. The raging fire enveloped his whole body, scorching the cotton robe and drilling through the leather armor.
He was rolling and struggling on the ground, and his voice reached the ears of every soldier, but no one dared to take any action. Even the closest ones did not look away and did not dare to look at him. .
All the soldiers of the first battalion, their faces were pale, they stood up straighter, not daring to move.
At this moment, they realized that Raven's generosity and kindness in the past were all illusions. What he had was a heart as cold and hard as stone!
The order of Lord Baron cannot be questioned!
Especially White, his palms were covered with sweat, his heart was beating very fast, and he felt as if he had just passed death.
"Good job!" Nancy said in her heart.
Raven's behavior today was very in line with her appetite.
Previously, Nancy felt that Raven was too tolerant of these serf-born guys, and even asked them to give any opinions.
This should have been done long ago to deal with these guys from untouchable backgrounds!
She was even a little eager to try. If there was another guy who didn't know how to live or die, she would take action.
Eric had a stern look on his face, and the screams that filled his ears made him realize once again the Baron's determination.
He did not sympathize with the soldier because he violated a taboo that should never be touched -
The majesty of the Baron cannot be violated!
You know, the Baron killed his uncle Donald with his own hands!
Vesdon's heart was even more complicated. On the one hand, he really realized how tolerant Raven was to him. When he interrupted the training, he only scalped him.
On the other hand, they laughed at the recruit who couldn't see the situation clearly and didn't know how terrible Raven could be when he was ruthless.
He still remembers the arrow that Raiven shot at him when the rogues attacked the city!
Fili swallowed secretly, and the flames of ambition that had been slightly inflated by taking over Goldshire were extinguished with a pop.
The screams gradually disappeared, leaving only a burning corpse on the ground.
"Now, does anyone have any opinions?" Raven's voice echoed throughout the audience.
This time, no one spoke.
Lei Wen snorted and suddenly changed the subject:
“He said that he had seen the brutality of the bandits with his own eyes, so he could not go against them.”
“Yes. I said, this is shameless! ”
"In the past, you were civilians, and it was understandable to be timid, but now, you are soldiers!"
"It is your bounden duty to obey orders; it is your duty to go into battle to kill the enemy."
< br>"Be timid before fighting, are you worthy of your status? ? ”
“If you don’t go now, will you wait until next year when the rogues attack your home and cry in tears?”
He glanced at the soldiers! , they all lowered their heads, and no one dared to look at Raven.
Taking a deep breath, Raven said loudly:
“So, today I will take you to fight!”
“If they can rob us, we can rob them!”
“Use their blood to wash away your shame and build your honor!”
This speech deeply penetrated into the hearts of everyone present. The emotions in their eyes were surging and changing. different.
Excitement, self-blame, anger, disdain... but less fear.
The originally stiff atmosphere, low morale, and scattered thoughts were gradually pulled back a little, and became a rope again.
"Now, I want to ask you." Raven took a deep breath and shouted loudly: "Are you all ready!?"
"Ready, Lord Baron!" Rick was the first to respond.
"Ready, Lord Baron!" Gower, Link, and Mosingan followed closely.
"Ready, Lord Baron!!!" the soldiers shouted in unison.
"Hmph, not bad!" Raven laughed and ordered:
"Put up the flag and mount the horse!"
Hearing this, Vesdon quickly took off the side of the horse. The battle flag was raised with one hand, and amid the sound of flapping, the black eagle battle flag with a red background fluttered in the wind!
The soldiers, led by their respective captains, mounted prepared war horses. They were not qualified knights, but they could still march on horseback.
When they all mounted their horses, Old Gordon removed his guard and asked their relatives to come forward and give them the last bowl of wine before leaving.
This is the tradition of Nord province.
It’s not angel’s tears, but ale with a higher alcohol content that can warm you up better.
Denise glanced at Raven with a complicated expression, then walked to the side of Vestron's horse and handed over the wine glass in her hand.
Weston took the wine glass and smiled apologetically, remembering what happened yesterday: "Mom, don't worry, I'll be fine."
Denise's eyes suddenly turned red and she nodded lightly: "Well, take care of me. Myself."
Nancy didn't have any family members present. The person who brought the wine to her was Jenny. The maid was too short and had to step on a stool to deliver the wine to Nancy.
She whispered: "Miss Nancy, if you feel uncomfortable, remember to come back and I will make your bed."
Nancy's nose wrinkled: "Hey Yeah, you are so, I will not be a deserter.”
The person who brought Eric the wine was his wife, who was unexpectedly well-maintained, showing that she had not been mistreated. She looked at her husband with worried eyes.
She came up and held Eric's hand tightly, then took the wine glass from their son Tony and put it into her husband's hand.
Eric said to his son in a deep voice: "Take care of your mother."
The one who brought the practice wine to Raven was Lux.
In the cold weather, she wore a somewhat thin priest's robe and held the wine glass in both hands:
"Don't forget, you still owe me two thousand gold coins."
Raven took the wine glass and said with a smile: "Then you should pray to the Lord of Light to protect me."
The time to say goodbye always passes quickly, and relatives reluctantly leave in the urging.
The drums sounded.
Old Gordon raised his glass and shouted:
"Advictoriam!"
This is an old proverb from Nord, which means -
Invincible!
The farewell relatives jointly expressed their blessings:
“Invincible!”
In the midst of this slogan, everyone raised their glasses and drank the ale.
The hot wine entered the throat, and the eyes of all the soldiers began to become firm.
Led by Raven, they turned over the wine glasses and then all threw them to the ground!
Leaven raised his arm and waved violently:
“Let’s go!”
He swung the reins, waved the whip, and drove the horse away at a gallop.
Behind him, the war horses raised their hooves and followed closely. The sound of horse hooves sounded intensively, and the horses rushed like a tide!
It wasn’t until long after the soldiers left that the crowd slowly dispersed, and Denise returned to Eagle Castle with Angel’s support.
Without Vesdon and Raven, Eagle Castle was only missing two people, but it seemed empty.
"Go down, I want to stay by myself for a while." Denise said.
"Yes, ma'am..." An Qi turned around and left.
Pushing open her door, as soon as she entered the room, Denise threw aside her high-heeled boots, revealing the flesh-colored stockings inside, and immediately put on a pair of slippers to cover them.
Pushing the door open with a bang, she pulled off her fur coat and threw it on the bed, shook her waterfall-like hair, unbuttoned her belt and let her petticoat fall to the floor.
A feeling of relaxation and emptiness came to her mind. Denise bit her lip gently, her consciousness suddenly went blank, and she took a moment to untie her waist.
Wearing only close-fitting clothes, she walked to the window and looked at the gray sky and turbid land. Denise poured herself a glass of Angel Tears. She didn’t drink it, but just stared at the deep purple liquid. Lost in thought.
She thought of Vesdon's words again, and there was a trace of tears in her eyes: "The child is getting older..."
Thinking of Vesdon, she couldn't help but think of the culprit who brought him to the bloody heights - —
Raven.
Denise is now increasingly unable to see through Raven’s intentions.
Did he drag Vesdon to the Bloody Highlands to take advantage of this opportunity to get rid of Vesdon, or did he really have a deeper meaning?
It wasn't that Denise was deceiving herself, but Raven's layout ability forced her to think deeper.
Using Donald's death to create a trap, and through her greed, she had to jump.
At that time, Denise only thought Raven was crazy enough, but the various things that happened after she spoke out made her gradually change her view of Raven.
Trap and kill Anderson and take back Goldshire.
What shocked her the most was Raven's treatment of Judra.
When he was still extremely poor, he thought of using gold coins to win over and control Judra.
And it actually succeeded.
Compared to Raven, who was just twenty years old, Judra, who was thirty-five, looked like a child.
She could not see the urgency of this action at first, but now the results have begun to show.
The most threatening nobles around the Eagle Territory are the Wharton family. Seizing Judra's handle is equivalent to planting a nail in it that cannot be pulled out.
In this way, Raven can safely go out with all his troops, leaving only some militiamen who have been recruited for less than half a month, without having to worry about possible small moves of the Wharton family.
This kind of foresight reminded her of Raven's previous change in attitude towards Vesdon.
Long before announcing the attack on Bloody Highlands, Raven's attitude towards Vesdon had already improved.
I am afraid that from that time on, he has already reached this stage.
As for Denise herself, she was still ignorant and did not notice Raven's thoughts and Vesdon's changes at all.
Denise crossed her legs, hooked her toes on her shoes, swayed, and sighed:
"I am not wronged for losing to you."
She took a sip of Angel's Drink. Tears, the feeling in my heart became more and more complicated.
On the one hand, she was extremely dissatisfied with Raven's behavior in coaxing Vesdon into the battlefield; on the other hand, she had to admire Raven's careful thinking and deep thoughts.
Perhaps, under his leadership, the Griffith family can really shine with new glory.
"I really want to see what you will accomplish in the future."
Denise picked up Angel's Kiss, applied a drop of perfume to her wrist, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes:
"So, you must return in triumph."
......
(End of this chapter)