Chapter 307 A bandit = an authentic big fat pig
The news that the Salvation Army was preparing to attack the bandits in the dense cave forest quickly spread in Castle Joan of Arc.
A papal edict leaked out along with it.
"Starting from tomorrow, every hundred households in the district will thoroughly investigate lurking bandits or former bandits. Those who fail to report will be exempted from tax exemptions. If you report, you will be rewarded with a full set of iron farm tools or a big fat pig.
If If you surrender and no one accuses you of the crime, you only need to undergo labor reform for one month or pay a ransom, which can be shortened to seven days if you identify your accomplices
Anyone who takes in a fleeing bandit is guilty of the same crime as the bandit and is liable to death by hanging. ”
On the day when the decree was issued, with Castle Joan as the center, traveling monks and gendarmes on horseback left Castle Joan in waves.
After the rain, the sky cleared up. On the muddy ground, the horse's hooves stirred up splashes of muddy water, and the sloping cloak was covered with water drops from the branches shaken by the hoofbeats.
"Head of 100 households in this district, please come out quickly! "
The cavalry pulled the reins and faced the villagers hiding behind the wall.
Soon, a disheveled head of a household will arrive in a hurry. As long as the head of a household is present, the military police will have nothing to say.
"The Pope's decree..."
As everyone watched, the traveling monk began to read the decree.
After the reading was completed, a military policeman jumped off his horse, took down a small wooden bucket, smeared paste on the surface of the list, and posted the notice.
After the roving monks and military police left in a hurry, the villagers gradually gathered around. A few former armed peasants who knew how to read stumbled and read aloud.
The heads of the hundred households were not so comfortable. They probably had to run all the way to find the captain of the Guards Army first, and then summon the heads of the ten households.
"Go, go and call the public opinion representatives and the heads of the ten households. We will arrive before lunch. Go quickly!"
In the more than 300 hundred-household areas of Kush, hundreds of The anxious shouts of the heads of households and the captains of the skirmishers continued to sound.
Under the orders of civil and military officials, the skitarii carried spears and wooden sticks to convey the news to each village.
The heads of the ten households were even more frightened. They put on vicious expressions and went door to door to check and intimidate, for fear of missing a lurking bandit.
Almost as soon as the news came out in the morning, people continued to come to the headquarters of Baihu to surrender, identify and report in the afternoon.
After the head of the household handed the bandits to the returning military police in the evening, the informants came back happily driving the big fat pigs or carrying farm tools the next day.
After discovering that Horn had a big fat pig and farm tools, more people immediately rushed to report it.
Many of them even rushed to surrender. After all, if they arrived late, they might be traded by uncles, uncles, neighbors, and aunts for big fat pigs.
…………
"How many big fat pigs can buy them off?" Looking at the bandits standing dejectedly on the edge of the field, Bunaford swollen, looking puzzled.
How long has it been? The order was issued on the first day, and hundreds of them were arrested on the second day. Now at the evening of the third day, there are nearly a thousand here.
“That’s a real fat pig. Besides, in the past, if this decree was issued, it would be good if it spread throughout the Kush territory in a month.”
Unlike Bunaford, Sid As a city hall staff member, I know the efficiency of the past very well.
According to the past, it would take two or three days for the scribes to finish writing the decree.
Then several footmen and servants pushed and pushed for another day or two, and in the end it was often a few knights who reluctantly passed on the order.
Half a month will pass when the decree is conveyed to the entire Kush territory, and another half a month will pass when the first lurking bandit is discovered.
Sid couldn't understand that the people were still the same group of people, didn't they just add a few so-called traveling monks and autonomous tax collectors?
How come those low-level monks and scribes who are lazy, procrastinating and chattering all day long suddenly become so efficient?
“After all, our Pope was born on the battlefield, so he is applying the methods of managing the army to the monks.”
Looking in the direction where everyone was speaking, they saw Ernst, the leader of the dye guild, with a raised mustache: "Aren't the Cheka and the military police just military judges? The Pope can control the army to defeat the Imperial Company, and also Don’t you care about these helpless monks?”
“So, is it really possible for the Salvation Army to become independent?”
“There is a high probability that Qianhe Valley will become Meliati. Grand Duke, oh no, the territory of the Grand Monarch."
"With the appearance of Langsander County, if the Salvation Army really wins, Grand Duke Meliati might go along with the situation and seal this place to us.' Where is the Pope? ”
“That’s really not certain, as long as His Highness Horn is willing to take off his hat as the Pope, he will still retain his position as a Duke. ”
Listening to the chatter of these citizens, Sid rolled his eyes and came to a skinny old man with hands full of lime.
"Master Faunt, I heard that your grandson Witte is working for the Pope on Qiumu Island?"
"Yes."
"Then Fawn Does Master Special have any news about the Salvation Army's next plans, such as the Ibe Knights in the south..."
"I don't know," Master Mason interrupted with a serious face, "Witt decided to go on his own. That has nothing to do with me.”
Rockel next to him suddenly coughed violently, but Master Fatel decided to ignore it and just looked at the passing military police indifferently.
Sid did not say anything. Unlike the widow Isolde, these workshops and guilds had many choices.
Although people have to bow their heads under Horn now, there is really no telling in the future.
There is a fertile Ibe Plain in Jinhe Township, which can produce thousands of knights.
Others may not know it, but Sid knows that there are still three hundred temple knights and one titled knight stationed in the Red Copper Fortress in the important town of Black Snake Bay.
This red copper fortress is located at the junction of Black Snake Bay and Langsander. If the two sides really want to fight, it is not certain who will win, and Sid will not spend all his money to support Horn.
Especially when the power of former Justice Sid was eclipsed by Chief Judge Martial.
…………
The hunter’s cabin in front of the forest is one of the most common outdoor buildings in the empire.
Such huts are not uncommon on the edge of and within the cave jungle.
But the hut standing on the mound in front of me is different from other places. The interior is reinforced with wooden boards and iron nails, and the door has iron bolts and chain hooks.
The hut was now filled with dancing firelight, and several men in patched clothes were sitting beside the fire bed.
The firewood in the fire pit crackled, and five or six strong men put their feet beside the fire pit, releasing streams of foul-smelling vapor.
“How many of you were arrested over there?”
"Five people from our village were arrested."
"What about you?"
"A few of them surrendered. Those who had no lives on their hands or who did not kill directly, all surrendered. "
"This monster Horn..." the bandits gnashed their teeth and cursed.
"You are still fine. I ran away, but they suppressed my wife and son every day and shouted in the wild." Stirring the fire bed, a tall bandit cursed, "Don't touch my family if you can." .”
"Me too... Oh, retribution. When we kidnapped others, we should have thought of this day..."
The bandits and robbers who had fled here sighed again and again.
“Dong dong dong——”
“Is there anyone inside? We are the Skitarii.”
The bandits who were accustomed to being surrounded and suppressed by their peers and lords immediately All movement stopped.
The leader winked, and someone tiptoed to the ladder and quickly ran up the beam.
"Open the door if someone speaks. The Pope has ordered that free peat be distributed to poor families. We are here to bring warmth."
Stepping on the beam, the robber carefully pushed open the cover. , stuck his head out to check.
"...Is anyone there? I heard your voices, don't be afraid, we are good people..."
"How is it? Speak!" A robber lowered his voice , shouted towards the probing robber.
"Bang!"
The waiting person didn't wait for his response, and a corpse with a bloody face fell heavily from the beams.
The corpse knocked over the fire kang, and tiny sparks flew.
Almost at the same time as the screams sounded, the warm voice outside the door suddenly changed to "Cheka, open the door!"
"Japanese goats, run from the cave!"
The remaining bandits stood up with their buttocks sticking out, and rushed towards a box, fighting for it.
There was an explosion sound from the iron gate, sawdust flew everywhere, and even penetrated into the robber's skin.
"Ah! Run."
A rope hung from the roof cover, and Cheka, wearing black patent leather armor, landed on the beam: "Stop! "Stand where you are!"
But these gangsters would not listen to him. They opened the tunnel entrance disguised as a box and tried to escape.
Seeing that the dissuasion failed, the young Cheka directly picked up the keel whistle hanging around his neck and plugged his ears at the same time.
"Beep——"
The sharp whistle seemed to turn into visible ripples, and the several lagging bandits immediately stiffened. He seemed to be frozen in place.
Only one robber was immune to the sound. He pushed his companions away in fear and jumped into the tunnel, rolling and crawling.
As soon as he jumped into the tunnel, several bullets of lead flew past the hem of his clothes, and with the sound of broken boards, the box flew up and shattered.
"Made, let him run away!"
Sliding down the ladder, the young Cheka kicked Mazar over in anger.
After calling off the gunfire, Cheka looked at the tunnel again, only to find that there were multiple entrances, and he didn’t know where they went.
At this moment, the attack team at the door finally broke open the door and ran quickly into the wooden house.
"Caught it?"
"One escaped." The young Cheka whispered, "It's still too late to send people to chase."
"Stop chasing." The Cheka officer looked at the dark cave, "It's too dangerous. There’s no need... We’ve caught enough, filled the hole, and let’s go.”
(End of this chapter)