Simon didn't know that the Duke of Cologne was already fueling his plan behind the scenes. He was focusing on the construction of his territory these days, especially the reinforcement of the castle walls and the improvement of new crossbows.
Lange's marriage has made Simon's sense of crisis become stronger and stronger. Only by continuously investing in his own territory and improving his strength can he gain some sense of security.
Different from the busyness some time ago, the current territory is no longer the same as when he first took over two years ago. Simon no longer does everything personally.
He lived a relatively leisurely life every day, and he did not miss the daily practice of swordsmanship and riding skills. When he had nothing to do, he would go to the carpenter shop and blacksmith shop in Keoser Village to share his golden ideas with the craftsmen.
Thanks to Ryan's smart mind and natural sensitivity to numbers, after he was appointed as the financial controller by Simon, a well-organized account book would be placed in front of the lord's desk every quarter, which would save Simon a lot of trouble. Quite a few. Of course, Simon is a generous man, and rewards are indispensable for him.
It is worth mentioning that Simon no longer thinks of his soldiers as militiamen.
To be honest, these strong, well-equipped soldiers now don't look like militiamen at all. In addition to the fact that the new recruits lacked combat experience, Miller and Hann, who were responsible for training them, swore to God that these soldiers could fight the count's private soldiers.
Simon currently has seventy armored infantry, ten armored light cavalry, twelve longbowmen, and six crossbowmen.
Only some of them veterans who survived the last battle serve as Simon's permanent guards. The rest are in a semi-off-the-job position. In addition to training every week, they have to spend half of their time working in the fields to ensure that the territory is maintained for the coming year. of grain harvest.
When war comes, these soldiers will be Simon's most elite force. In addition, when Simon's vassals gathered for war, they also brought a certain number of levies from their domains according to feudal obligations.
Fortunately, Simon left many tattered leather armors, armors, and curved weapons in his arsenal in the last war. When the levies were assembled, Simon was able to provide these unprotected farmers with Some basic armors and weapons can improve their battlefield survival rate.
After all, labor is also one of the lord's precious assets, and leaving it to fend for itself on the battlefield is tantamount to pushing one's territory toward bankruptcy.
However, Simon is not so generous and kind as to be selfless. Things lent to the levies will be counted, and they must return all the borrowed weapons and armor after the war.
Although it is a bit troublesome, the benefits are obvious - the armor and weapons give the conscripts more confidence, their fear of war will be diluted, and they can exert greater power.
"My old friend, the spy left by Sir Julian seems to be very interested in our carpenter," Ludwig hurriedly walked into the Lord's Hall like a shadow, came to Simon's throne, and attached His ear said, "He seems to be looking for opportunities to steal something from inside at night."
Simon's carpenter lives in the village of Kooser, and his shop, workshop and warehouse are located on a gentle slope beside the river. Whenever night falls, carpenters who have been busy all day will store the tools and crossbows sold in the shop into the locked warehouse behind the shop, and then go to the bungalow next to the warehouse to rest.
Although the carpenter's shop is the focus of the night patrol soldiers, Simon does not want any possible accidents to happen, because there is an unfinished winch crossbow in the carpenter's warehouse, which Simon guided the carpenter and blacksmith to build. Just another small piece assembled.
"Then let him evaporate. Remember, be clean, don't be sloppy, and don't leave any traces." Simon's eyes became cold.
If the spy were allowed to steal the winch crossbow that was about to be completed, it would not only be a matter of wasting the hard work of Simon and the craftsmen these past few months.
At this time, the spy left behind by Julian was unaware of the coming danger.
His name is Carruth. Judging from his honest and honest appearance, no one would doubt that he is an honest businessman.
During the day, he used his identity as a cover to sell some gadgets to the residents of Keoser Village and secretly collect various information and intelligence.
And when night falls, he will quietly sneak out of the tavern room and wander around the village silently like a ghost, looking for opportunities to obtain information.
Tonight seemed a little different from the past. The thick clouds were soon driven away by the strong night wind. The bright white moonlight hung in the starry sky like a hot and bright oil lamp, providing a faint light for the dark earth. .
Carruth took off the cowhide pointed hat on his head in the guest room of the wheat tavern, took off his blue woolen robe, put on a set of dark linen clothes, closed the door gently, and walked quietly He walked down the stairs of the tavern and slipped out through the unattended back door of the tavern.
Every few houses on the street were lit by torches, but even so, many parts of the village were shrouded in darkness. These places can only be illuminated by night guards holding torches.
Carruth was both excited and nervous. He carefully took out a well-maintained hunting bow from his back, then took out a light arrow from the calfskin quiver on his waist and placed it on the bowstring. In the past few days, he had figured out the habits and patterns of the night watch soldiers, so he decided to take action tonight.
As a child, Carruth was afraid of the dark. Whenever he stuck his head out of his home and looked out the window at night, he would feel that there were hideous devils and monsters that preyed on children in the bottomless darkness outside.
But now, when he was as nimble as a light feather in the darkness to avoid the soldiers patrolling at night, he found that he liked the feeling of being bathed in darkness.
"This is the carpenter's shop," Carruth whispered to himself, squatting and walking along the eaves of the dark back of a house. "This vote must not be missed. Lord Julian promised me, If I can get something valuable, he will reward me with at least ten deniel silver coins."
Carruth's eyes were intently staring at the reflection of the firelight in the alley ahead. When the shadow of the heavily armed night patrol soldiers became longer and longer, and the footsteps got farther and farther, Carruth licked his dry lips and pressed his steps. Moving forward silently.
In the darkness, Carruth touched the fence gate in the backyard of the carpenter's shop. He raised his head, peered into the carpenter's backyard, and immediately locked his eyes on the locked warehouse - for him, there was a swan that could lay golden eggs hidden in that warehouse.
Just as he was about to open the fence door, a pair of thick, calloused hands covered his nose and mouth from behind. Carruth's eyes widened, and the suffocating feeling flooded him like a tide.
At the same time, another pair of hands tied his hands and feet with strong ropes like cold iron pliers.
Perhaps because he was afraid that Carruth would be suffocated by him, his calloused hands moved down a little, allowing Carruth's nose to regain oxygen. Suddenly, there was a sound of heavy and rapid breathing in the alley. sounded.
"It's tied up." A low whisper came from the darkness.
Immediately afterwards, the hands left Carruth's mouth, but before he could react, a large ball of fishy and smelly linen was stuffed into his mouth, making him unable to make any sound, and even I was a little fainted by the strong smell.
Two men carried Carruth toward the old mill in the north of the village. It was the mill that originally belonged to Colliff, leaning against a large forest that extended to the Principality of Flanders in the north.
When they came to the old mill along the path, an armed soldier leading a donkey had been waiting there for a long time and was pacing back and forth impatiently.
The three people worked together to put Kalus on the donkey's back, and then led the donkey toward the dense forest.
Under a certain thick beech tree in the forest, a large long pit had been dug during the day. Soon it will be refilled, and the hairy beech will receive a new supply of nutrients.
"Simon, they succeeded." Ludwig walked into the Lord's Hall. To his surprise, Simon was sitting next to the fireplace and taking a nap. "The mouse has evaporated as you wished. Additionally, we found this item in his guest room."
With that said, Ludwig handed a parchment to Simon. The writing on it was crooked, which made Simon's eyes dazzled.
"It mainly records the names of the nobles who interacted with you during this period, the number and equipment of the soldiers, and the main defense locations in the territory. Fortunately, we killed him in the cradle before he collected more information." Ludwig swallowed.
"Very well, my old friend." Simon threw the parchment into the fireplace, and the fierce flames quickly devoured it. "Well done, go to Lyanna tomorrow to get five Denier silver coins as a reward. Reward yourself and your men."
"Thank you, my friend," Ludwig said with joy, "those boys will definitely work harder for you."
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