In the longhouse, under the warm orange light of the fireplace, Simon was sitting in an armchair with his old friend Iser Baron Bruce, drinking beer and talking.
As the war in the north continues, Baron Iser wants to purchase a batch of crossbows from Simon.
The crossbow is a rare weapon among the principalities on the Wadden Sea.
People here are used to hunting with bows and arrows. Precision crossbow machines are complicated for craftsmen, expensive and not cost-effective for hunters and archers. Therefore, there are few in these principalities who can do it. Crossbow's Carpenter's Shop.
Baron Iser last heard from the messenger that many of the soldiers guarding the castle in Simon's territory were holding crossbows. He was surprised and was reminded of a memory - a battle a few months ago. , he noticed a mercenary from the Mediterranean coast. Although the crossbow in his hand looked inconspicuous, the flying crossbow arrow penetrated the strong chain mail on the chest of a knight. This shocked him.
The price of a finely crafted and powerful crossbow is not a small sum in the Northern Principality, and even the rich and powerful nobles would not have the luxury to purchase it in large quantities for their subordinates to equip.
Baron Iser thought that Simon must have mastered the craft of making crossbows, so that he could make crossbows popular among his castle guards.
Now, the Duke of East Frisia is becoming more and more weak in the war, and the army of the Principality of Flanders has begun to attack the city on the land of East Frisia. This can make all the lords in the principality worried.
Although Baron Iser is very confident in the walls of his castle, what he is most worried about is the enemy's heavily armed knights who are worth ten.
Archers' arrows could not penetrate chainmail, and the private soldiers could not compete with the knights who had been trained since childhood in close combat. Only crossbows could effectively penetrate their armor and kill them.
Therefore, Baron Iser came to Simon's territory in person, and by the way, he also escaped from all the annoying things in his territory and relaxed for a while.
"My friend, to tell you the truth, my personal craftsman can indeed make crossbows." Simon knew that this matter must not be hidden. It would be better to tell the truth to his allies. Lying would damage the trust between the two. Bringing crack, "I understand the predicament you're in, and I'd be happy to have them stop what they're doing and make you a batch of crossbows."
"God bless you, thank you so much, my friend." Baron Iser finally showed a relaxed smile. The various things that had happened recently were almost overwhelming him. "I think, five crosses A crossbow should be enough.”
Baron Iser did not tell the whole story. In fact, his financial situation was stretched thin, and the budget allocated for the purchase of weapons could only afford five crossbows.
"No problem, my friend, but you may have to wait for a while to receive this batch of crossbows. According to the craftsman's production speed, it will take at least three days to make a crossbow."
"As for the price..."
"If you order a crossbow from the craftsman in Cologne, the price is twelve Denier silver coins per crossbow. Of course, for the sake of our friendship, you only need to pay eight Denier silver coins for each crossbow. .”
"Thank you so much, Simon. You must know that on the battlefield, the fall of knights often causes a huge blow to the morale of enemy soldiers. If these crossbows are used properly, I think I will definitely have the last laugh from the enemy's siege. .”
After bidding farewell to Baron Iser who left a deposit of twenty deniers with a smile, the sky began to get dark.
"Sir, Lord Lange's subordinate, Sir Julian, wants to see you." Little Klein, who had been standing in the corner, said to Simon.
"I know," Simon's face that was still full of smiles just now turned cold, "You can let him in now."
In fact, when Julian was still drinking in the tavern in Kooser Village, the informant he planted in the tavern immediately came to the longhouse to inform him of the news.
Now, soldiers and guards from the entire village are scattered around the longhouse intentionally or unintentionally. If Julian and his party make any changes, they can capture them immediately.
"You can go in now." The soldier guarding the gate said to Julian who had been waiting for a long time.
The fire in Julian's heart burned again. As he stayed outside the door from afternoon until evening, he felt a bit like Simon's court jester, coming and going when he was called upon.
He entered the yard, but Cuthbert, who was following him, was stopped.
"You cannot go in," said the young soldier, taking Cuthbet's arm. "I have orders to let Sir Julian in, not you."
"Let me go, you idiot looking for trouble." Cuthbet's heart, which was already full of dissatisfaction, became more and more irritable. "I have never heard of any lord not allowing a guest's attendant to enter the house!"
"Cathbet," Julian turned around, "wait for me outside."
"But……"
Although Cuthbert was extremely reluctant, he still glared at the guard's eyes and took two steps back, muttering ugly curses.
As soon as Julian entered the door, he saw Simon lying in a comfortable posture on the armchair next to the fireplace, looking at him with eyes full of vigilance and suspicion.
"What brings you here, Julian, or rather, Lord Julian."
"Your Excellency Simon, I have sent greetings to Lord Lange. He will hold a wedding on the first Sunday of next month. He hopes that you, as his brother, can attend his wedding banquet on that day." Zhu Li An's expression was not very good. He took out the parchment sealed with burnt red fire paint from his pocket and handed it to Simon.
"Really? Then please send him my blessings for me when you go back. At that time, I will personally choose a gift for him, a gift that is expensive enough to be worthy of a count." Simon Pi smiled. He responded, letting little Klein standing behind him take the parchment from Julian's hand.
"Of course, I will convey it to him," Julian nodded, "In addition, I also sent greetings to your vassal Gabriel, who warmly entertained me during my trip. I have to say , he was a very good host.”
"I know." Simon's brows wrinkled slightly.
Is Gabriel secretly hooking up with Lange's people? Probably not, otherwise Julian wouldn't be so foolish as to praise him in front of him. This sounds more like a divorce plan.
"Is there anything else?" Simon stretched and asked lazily.
"No, I wish you and your family good health, respected Baron Simon." Julian was keenly aware that Simon was chasing away guests. He did not expect Simon to stay with him for dinner. To be honest, this was just like He realizes that he just wants to leave here quickly.
Watching Julian leave the longhouse, Simon took out the dagger from the sheath on his belt, opened the sealing wax on the parchment roll, and read Lange's letter.
"Ha, Count Wolfe's daughter Josephine is a perfect match." A sneer appeared on Simon's lips.
Count Wolfe was the second earl to be ennobled in the Duchy of Cologne. In fact, in the war with Earl Loon at that time, the territories with the least losses were the territory of the Dorsten family and the territory of Baron Wolfe.
Not long after the Duke of Cologne consecrated Lange as Count Dorsten, he also conferred the title of Count on Baron Wolfe, who was loyal to him. Like Lange, the Duke also gave him an enclave in the former earldom of Loon.
Therefore, there are now two earls in the duchy, and five barons who directly belong to the duke.
Simon thought that if Lange used marriage to become an in-law ally with Count Wolfe, then he would most likely turn the gun around in the next step, forge claims to his own territory, and provoke a war.
In addition to developing more productivity-enhancing tools and more powerful weapons, he also has to unite more nobles and form more alliances to gain strength for himself and defend his territory.
After all, the combined power of the two counts was far beyond what he alone could bear.
"Sir, what kind of gift do you want to choose for Count Lange?" Little Klein asked when he saw Simon getting up to go out, taking off the cloak on the wall.
"Perhaps it can be a big carpet woven with wolf skins," Simon touched his bare chin and said the second half of the sentence silently in his heart, "A person can walk on it without making a sound. Carpet. Well, I hope I never have to use it.”
