When the last pile of snow melted away, dots of green buds began to appear on the yellow-brown ground.
Today is a sunny day. Although the cold wave coming from distant Scandinavia still makes people shiver, the pace of spring has arrived first.
Sir Hunter rode his beloved horse, led the surviving cavalry and the pack horses carrying supplies and forage, and gradually approached the siege camp outside the village of Verde.
"Your Excellency Hunter, although it is a pity that we did not bring back all the food and grass, at least we dealt a major blow to Keoser's territory and army. They now have no strength to confront us head-on!" Fox, who was riding next to Hunter, The fat on his chin trembled with the horse's hooves, and he said in a rough dress.
"Yes, yes, instead of talking to me here now, it is better to think about how you are going to explain it to Lord Quinnier later." Sir Hunter looked uninterested and snorted coldly, Pay no more attention to the chattering Fox.
Fox wriggled his lips and wanted to say something, but looking at Hunter's gloomy profile, he had to give up.
When Hunter led the cavalry and supplies past the soldiers on guard at the entrance of the camp, the young messenger who was resting in front of a small tent quickly put down the half-wooden cup of beer in his hand, stood up, and shouted in the direction of the center of the camp. Shout: "Lord Hunter is back!"
"Um?"
After returning to the siege camp, the first thing that caught Hunter's eyes were a few depressed and pale-faced mercenaries in the open space nearby, who were tied tightly and wore only dark light armor.
Sir Hunter didn't know what happened that night. He just thought that these guys might have dirty hands and were caught stealing things in the camp, so they were tied up.
Look at their outfits, they are really no different from the bandits outside who have been wandering around the mountains and forests all year round.
"Benson, what happened in the camp recently? How is the mood of Lord Baron?" The sharp-eyed Fox spotted Quinnier's personal servant who was adding feed to the manger not far away, so he turned his horse's head lightly and rode towards him. past.
"Sir Fox, you are back." Benson stopped what he was doing and wiped his sweat. "The day after you left, our first attack failed. It is worth mentioning that the night before yesterday After the attack failed, I didn’t expect those son of a bitch mercenaries to want to confuse the public and put the blame for exposing their whereabouts on Satan, which made the Baron very angry."
"Oh my God," Fox crossed himself, "what's the general situation in the camp now?"
"Ever since the night attack, rumors have been quietly spreading in the camp, and fear is spreading out of control. Lord Kunir couldn't control what they said, so he had to ask the military chaplain to hold a simple exorcism. Ceremony. But now the new problem is that our food and grass are almost exhausted, but fortunately you brought some back."
"Okay, thank you, Benson!" Fox nodded thoughtfully, not forgetting to reward Benson with a copper coin before turning around.
At this moment, Hunter also tied his horse, and a servant came from the direction of the central tent and said to the two of them: "Dear Lord Hunter, Lord Fox, and Lord Quinnell said he was waiting for you in the tent. .”
………………
"We don't have much time to waste."
When Hunter and Fox entered Baron Quinnir's camp, they found that all the knights under Quinnir had gathered here and they were holding a military meeting.
"My Lord, Lord Loon, sent a messenger to ask me what happened that delayed me for so long. My colleague, Baron Jubes, has successfully completed his mission and joined Lord Loon." Backrest in the center of the camp. Baron Quinnier, who was sitting upright in the chair, said with a straight face and some displeasure.
He didn't want to be upstaged by Baron Jubes. There is no harm without comparison. If he does not solve the problem of Barony Dorsten as soon as possible, maybe his monarch will think that he is a waste and not worthy of entrusting him with important tasks.
"We can launch a general attack after Master Carlo's siege tower is completed this afternoon, capture the village of Verde in one fell swoop, leave some soldiers to garrison, and then rush to the town of Dusseldorf to meet Count Lowen." Gera Captain Mu said thoughtfully.
Just the evening before yesterday, Master Carlo completed the construction of the siege engine.
Considering that the village wall of Verde Village was not high, Master Carlo immediately organized people to continue building a simple siege tower in the woods next to the siege camp after seeking the consent of Baron Quinnier. According to the progress of the project, it will be completed by this afternoon.
"Very good, this time, we are going to kill all the rats on those village walls!" Baron Quinnier said viciously.
After the meeting, Baron Quenier left Hunter and Fox alone.
Hunter and Fox first reported on the results and spoils obtained in the past few days, which made Baron Quinnier, who had been filled with bad news for several days, finally relax his brows.
However, after hearing that they were attacked by the cunning Dorsten army and lost twenty elite cavalry and nearly half of the loot, Baron Quinnier's anger seemed to be like a clump of hay lit by flints, and he threw himself on it. It burst into flames.
"Two losers, you could obviously bring back all the people, horses and supplies safely, but you just slacked off at the last moment!"
Hunter and Fox lowered their heads and said nothing.
"This damn Fox who messed up everything. Just now he was flirting with me on the road. He was talking logically and rationally. Now he's fine. When he needed to explain himself in front of Lord Quinnier, he talked to a mouse who had seen a cat. Like!" Hunter also held back his anger, but had nowhere to express it, so he could only glare at Fox with hatred.
After scolding for a while, Baron Quinnier's anger subsided a little. His sanity was returning, kicking away the anger bit by bit.
He now felt a little annoyed for not controlling his emotions just now. Hell, the bad news that had come one after another recently made his temper worse and worse.
"But at least, you have done something, so I won't hold you accountable this time!" Kunil's mood finally returned to normal, and the two men, who lowered their heads, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Listen up Hunter, in the general attack in the afternoon, you lead the cavalry on foot behind the siege tower, and you will definitely capture their village wall! If you can't even kill those militiamen, don't come back to see me. I will take back your territory and title, I don’t need an incompetent waste to serve me.”
"Don't worry, my lord!" Hunter felt a numbness on his back and cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
He could feel that Baron Quinnell was not joking this time. Quenier was really anxious this time. If he couldn't take Fort Ford in this general attack, there was no doubt that, as he himself said, his monarch, Count Loon, would think he was an incompetent waste.
When Hunter walked out of the camp, he felt as if a big stone was pressing on his heart, making him breathless.
The soldiers around were chopping wood to light a fire and preparing ingredients for today's lunch. They worked lazily and chatted, laughing rudely from time to time. It seemed that they did not know that the meal some of them had for lunch today might be the last meal they had in their lives.
Hunter turned his attention to the village of Verde. The cold wind blowing from the east blew the rising smoke in the village towards the Rhine River. He saw the trebuchet tower on the west wall of the village, and vaguely, he had a bad feeling.
………………
The moat in the town of Dusseldorf is dark red.
To be precise, this horrifying phenomenon occurred after Count Loon led his army to besiege the place.
Due to the severe cold, a very thin layer of ice formed on the moat, which slowed down the circulation of the river water. At this time, there was a large amount of urine and feces floating in the moat, which was neither wide nor narrow, as well as the rotting corpses of the siege soldiers and the attackers. Bunches of dirt and hay used by the city to fill the river.
The open space in front of the moat was full of dark red stains of dried blood.
The corpses and wounded had been brought back by the people sent by Count Luo Weng, so there were only siege ladders that had been pushed down by the defenders on the battlefield, arrows stuck in the soil and on the defense shields, and arrows that had not been picked up in time. Walking weapons, shields and river filling tools.
Now the town of Dusseldorf has become a veritable island. Count Berg watched anxiously on the town wall as Count Lowen's baggage convoy continued to bring them supplies, while his own granary was moving at an alarming rate. The speed is exhausted.
None of the messengers sent by Count Berg before the siege came back, because the messengers had just set out for a few hours that day. Count Lowen's army surrounded the town of Dusseldorf and sent troops to guard the west side of the town. There are three town gates on the south and north sides.
Count Lowen could block the town gate, but he could not block the airspace of Dusseldorf. In the past few days, carrier pigeons have been flying from all directions in the territory into the pigeon cage of the pigeon intelligence officer in the town, but the news the carrier pigeons have brought back is really worse than ever.
The damn Earl of Loon expected that Earl of Berg and other nobles in the territory might attack him from both inside and outside, so he sent two elite troops to attack his vassals who were still scattered.
Now, except for the Baron of Dorsten in the north and the Baron of Vitral in the south, which is remote and easy to defend and difficult to attack, and is still resisting, the other territories have suffered huge blows, and the lords have fled to death. , it is difficult to muster effective resistance.
"Wellerman, I feel like God has abandoned me." Count Berg, who was standing on the town wall, looked at Count Lowen's siege camp in the distance and said in frustration, letting the howling cold wind blow him away. His neatly long hair froze his face into unconsciousness.
Quartermaster Old Wellerman sighed: "At least, Baron Cooser and Baron Wolfe have not been completely defeated yet, and part of their forces have been restrained. This can be considered a blessing among misfortunes."
"The casualties on both sides of ours were heavy. Yesterday, they returned with an army that plundered my vassal's territory and received supplies of soldiers and food. If Keother and Wolfe cannot hold on, Earl Loon will get more supplies again. More supplies, but we will always only consume. My God, what crime have I committed to punish me so cruelly?" Earl Berg shook his head unmoved, minding his own business. said.
"Sir, there is actually some good news. I heard the news returned by the spies using flying pigeons. Baron Quinnier, the capable general under Count Loyon, encountered a tough problem this time. He attacked a knight in Fordeburg. It’s been almost a week and we still haven’t taken over the castle.” The lean spy leader at the side said encouragingly.
"Huh?" Earl Berg turned back in confusion, "Is it Sir Simon's castle?"
"That's right!"
"Then I'm not surprised." Earl Berg nodded, feeling a little better.
He still remembered Simon, the young man who was good at creating miracles, who left a deep impression on him.
Whether it’s God’s appearance in the territory to increase production, resisting the invasion of Norman pirates, or his dazzling performance in the Dresden Arena, this guy and his territory are really growing at a speed visible to the naked eye this year. As he grows, his fame comes faster than his people.
"Hahaha, that means that Lord Loon's right-hand man, Baron Kunir, is like a waste. He spent a week but couldn't even defeat a mere knight's castle! Maybe we can let everyone know this An exciting piece of news will boost the soldiers' sluggish morale!" Old Wellerman, the quartermaster, suggested with a smile on his face.
"What a great idea. It's time to boost the morale of the soldiers! That's it." Earl Berg nodded approvingly.
