The village of Verde is located in the westernmost part of the entire barony, close to or far away from Dorstenburg, the core of the entire territory.
At this time, on the muddy road leading to Dorstenberg from the village of Verde, a fat man who was exhausted, scarred, covered in dirt, and with a blood-stained armed ax at his waist was riding Simon's war horse towards him. Ride east.
"What the hell. Those disgusting bastards didn't dare to go to Verde Village. Instead, they were wandering around Xinkser Village and other villages." The fat man with thick dark circles under his eyes suddenly felt a sudden feeling on the bumpy horseback. The scarred wound on his left arm was now aching faintly, and he couldn't help but curse in a low voice.
Traveling merchants often pass by on the road from Verde Village to Dorstenburg, so bandits will ambush on the roadside, waiting for one unlucky guy after another.
During the fat man's journey to Dorstenberg, a few despicable robbers actually made a horse rope, causing the fat man to fall off his horse. If it weren't for Fatty's superb combat skills, he would have almost lost his life on that broken road in the wilderness.
God was not kind to us, and the drizzle began to fall heavier and heavier. The endless black forest was now filled with thick fog, which gave rise to the fear of the unknown road ahead.
At this time, at a small checkpoint near Dorstenburg, two soldiers standing guard in a small shed in the rain were chatting without a word.
One of them was drunk, wearing a cheap stuffed turban, dirty stuffed cotton armor, off-white soft armor greaves stained with mud and feces, and holding a short, cracked spear with a stubble on his face. The middle-aged soldier picked up a shriveled baked apple from the big broken wooden wine barrel that was used as a table, wiped it on his clothes casually, and ate it.
"Luke, I've almost had enough of this boring job." Another younger soldier seemed to be in low spirits. He yawned out of boredom and looked down at the middle-aged soldier who was chewing an apple.
"Come on, this is much better than being dragged to the battlefield by the lord to die." Luke, a slovenly veteran, touched his rosacea that had turned red due to the malt wine. He did not agree with the young soldier's point of view and continued to eat himself. of Apple, “What’s wrong with taking a nap here peacefully and looking at the scenery?”
"No matter how beautiful the scenery is, you will get tired of it after looking at it for a long time." This young soldier obviously has not experienced the baptism of war. "If it weren't for this damn obligation, I could still cultivate my own small field in my spare time. .”
"If you don't fulfill your obligation to perform military service for the lord, the lord also doesn't have to fulfill his obligation to protect you." Veteran Luke said with a drunken mouth, taking off the water bottle from his waist and spitting out the apple core in his mouth.
"Okay." The young soldier stopped talking and just looked down at a small puddle on the road that was constantly rippled by raindrops.
"Did you hear the sound of horse hooves?" The young soldier raised his head and stood up, looking into the hazy rain and fog.
"Ha, don't worry about him, maybe it's a courier or messenger sent by the master." Veteran Luke waved his hand nonchalantly, raised his water bottle and took a sip of bitter ale.
"Really?" The young soldier was doubtful and sat back on the pile of hay used as a stool.
God bless me, in this small awning without a warm fire, once I get to the Juma in the middle of the road, I have to get soaked. If I get sick, I will be in big trouble.
"You'd better go take a look." Veteran Luke, who was a little drunker than before, was already a little confused about the direction, and actually sat down on a pile of feces he had pulled in the corner of the shed early in the morning.
"Oh my god," the young soldier pinched his nose and waved his hand in disgust, "why don't you go yourself?"
"Don't make me say it a second time, or I'll put a piece of feces into your collar." Luke, the veteran who already looked like a rogue drunkard, said, actually fished it out from under his body, and directly took it The mushy, foul-smelling thing was in his hand.
"You win, you win, I'll go." The young soldier was almost sick and hurriedly left the small awning and walked towards the Juma in the middle of the road in the rain. He frowned and muttered, "God thinks What a hateful sinner I am to be placed on guard duty with this disgusting guy."
"People in front, stop!" The young soldier stood behind the horse, listening to the sound of horse hooves getting closer, and shouted uneasily into the hazy rain and fog.
The sound of fast horse hooves gradually slowed down, and a tall figure riding a horse walked out of the white fog.
"Master Hoffman!? What's wrong with you?" The young soldier's eyes widened and he looked at the scarred fat man in front of him in surprise.
"Don't worry, the savage Norman pirates are coming! Pull away quickly, I'm going to Dorstenburg to see the old baron!" The fat man said hurriedly while gasping for air.
"No, Norman..." Hearing this thunderous name, the young soldier was stunned for a moment, but he immediately reacted and frantically stepped forward and struggled to lift the horse and drag it to the roadside.
"Are you the only one standing guard?" The fat man took advantage of this short break to eat black bread soaked in rain and softened, and asked a little strangely.
"Another ugly old bastard is already drunk and unconscious." Speaking of veteran Luke, the young soldier became angry and pouted in the direction of the small awning post in disgust.
The fat man looked closely and saw the sloppy and dirty middle-aged veteran lying on a pile of feces and vomit, snoring loudly.
………
"Dolstenberg, I'm back." The fat man walked through the village in front of the castle and looked at the wooden castle that was exactly the same as before he left. After explaining his purpose, he walked past the guards standing guard at the castle gate and walked in. Inside the fort.
This place is much larger than Simon's wooden castle, and the various fortress walls and arrow towers are stronger and taller. Most of the soldiers standing guard were equipped with a leather hat or stuffed turban, a cheap cotton armor or thin leather armor.
"Sir Simon's squire Hoffman has arrived." The old castle messenger stood at the gate of the castle and shouted with great effort.
When the fat man walked into the door of the big wooden tower, he was greeted by the warmth from the fire pit in the center of the hall, the aroma of roasted venison, and the scent of precious spices. There are several servants in the hall who are busy with their work.
"Hoffman, why did Simon send you here?" A curly-bearded man in the castle, who was dressed well and well-dressed, looked at the fat man who had just entered the door with his gloomy eyes, looking miserable and miserable like a refugee, and said sarcastically. He said, "You're so hungry that you can't stand it anymore, are you coming here to have some barbecue?"
"Quiet, Jonas," the old baron, who was sitting on the exquisite wood-grained bearskin chair, waved his hand calmly and called a servant from the side, "ask someone to boil a large pot of hot water. Take Hoffman there first. Take a bath and change him into clean clothes."
"My respected master, I didn't come here to beg for food like this bastard said." The fat man glanced disdainfully at this disgusting former friend of the tax collector Fox, "There were nearly seventy Normans in Master Simon's territory yesterday. Pirates have landed and are in urgent need of your rescue."
"What!?" The old baron opened his eyes wide and was shocked.
"My lord, you should have heard that the village of Verde has been blessed by God and has gained a lot this year." The fat man raised his head and looked at the old baron, "But this news was also known by those damn pirates. This time Three ships of people have arrived, and as expected they are attacking Fordburg now!"
"Yes, I first heard a passing vaudeville performer talk about the situation there. I thought it was a joke at first and didn't take it seriously. But when more and more people around me talked about it, I felt that I was very It is necessary to go there in person to see what magical magic my little Simon has that can make a poor mountain village reborn like a transformation," the old baron said, stroking his beard and looking very happy, "It's a pity. It was too humid in the castle a while ago, and my rheumatism was very serious, so I didn't go. No, I just felt better in my legs and feet recently, so you came to report to me. "
"That's right, sir," the fat man nodded with deep understanding, "You can finally go and see it in person these two days, and kill those damn Norman pirates by the way!"
"Well," the old baron's face suddenly became serious and he narrowed his eyes, "Those damn guys have been too bullying and have robbed my territory twice. This time, I must kill them all!"
"But sir, we don't have a lot of grain in the warehouse. If we call out farmers and soldiers on a large scale..." Financial Controller Jonas, a sinister man, pretended to be frowning and looked at the old baron with an embarrassed look.
"Foolish fool with shallow eyes," the old baron shook his head with hatred, "not to mention family ties and blood feuds, if we let those bandits attack and plunder Verde Village, the food problem in our territory will only become more serious this winter. !”
"Okay, sir, I didn't think well." Financial Controller Jonas seemed to realize his mistake and humbly bowed his head to admit it.
"Very good, we have to take a long-term view." The old baron stood up and walked to Hoffmann by the fire pit. "Boy, you have worked hard too. Take a good rest."
At this time, Jonas, the financial controller, stepped aside, called a young clerk, and gave instructions in a soft voice.
"Go and ask Alan to prepare food and fodder, and summon peasants and soldiers. But ask him to pay attention. You can try to go as slowly as possible, or even drag it. Try to prepare everything properly."
"Okay, sir." As a loyal confidant of Financial Controller Jonas, the young clerk naturally knew what he meant, nodded, and left quickly.
"My old friend Fox, you can't see that that annoying little kid is in big trouble now. I haven't been able to stand him for a long time. This time I'll give him a little stumbling block and let him taste the pain." .” Jonas thought to himself and walked back to the Baron with a smile.
When he and the clerk had a low-pitched conversation in the distance just now, his expression was normal, as if they were discussing ordinary work, nothing strange at all.
And his old friend Fox, the tax collector, has clearly felt the old baron's sinecure arrangement and his gradual alienation since he swore an oath to abdicate and escaped. Then one day he couldn't stand it anymore, so he took all his equipment and belongings and said goodbye to the baron and his friends in Dorstenberg, and headed west.
He disappeared from everyone's sight. No one knew which lord he was working for now, or whether he had died in the hands of some young robber on the road.
Since Jonas's confidant Fox ran away from Simon, he, with his sinister and cunning personality, felt more and more lonely and resented Simon, who he already disliked.
"But my lord, I'm afraid that it will take too long to gather the peasants and soldiers. By the time the army goes out for battle, Master Simon's wooden castle will have already been breached." The fat man looked at the old baron anxiously.
"Oh, really," the old baron fell into deep thought, "I am old and my brain is not working well, and I actually forgot about this."
"Master, I think we will take the elite soldiers around you, and then send people to go to various territories to recruit free peasant cavalry. After all, the Vikings are attacking the city, and their numbers are not superior. If there is someone at this time With a team of elite soldiers and cavalry working together with Master Simon inside the fort, it is not difficult to defeat the Vikings." The fat man said clearly.
"You are right, just do as you say," the old baron nodded in agreement, "Courier, immediately ride to the village of Dostan to find Lange, recruit cavalry, and set off to the village of Verde as quickly as possible!"
On a cold rainy day, the hall of Dorstenberg was comfortable and warm, but Jonas's face was as cold as eternal ice as he turned his back to the side door and left.
