Iron Powder and Spellcaster

Chapter 220 Galloping Horse

Gold was still very weak and could hardly support the long journey.

Winters was also injured and needed somewhere to catch his breath.

While Ciel was suturing Winters' wound, the three of them had already decided on the next step: going to Wolf Town.

If it was just to recuperate, it would be best to hide nearby.

But they were unfamiliar with the land of galloping horses, and their accent alone would betray their status as outsiders.

There were no relatives or friends to provide a hiding place for the three of them - except the folks from Wolf Town.

Winters couldn't go to Consul Veneta for help. The city was probably under martial law and it would be too risky to enter the city.

The pursuers will come at any time, so they must stay away from the castles of the kings as soon as possible, the further away the better.

Of course, there is one more important reason: Winters wants to take a look at Wolf Town.

Without further ado, the three of them changed their clothes and set off immediately.

…

Winters learned his anti-tracking skills from the giant bear in Wolf Town.

Instead of taking the main road, he entered the fields and went northwest first.

When he sees streams or rivers, he will walk through the water to eliminate the smell; then he will go ashore on a hard stone beach so that no horse hoof prints will be left.

Are these methods useful? Winters couldn't guarantee it either.

But with these measures, the giant bear once escaped the pursuit of the most powerful old hunter in Wolf Town, and it should not be difficult to get rid of a few kings' fort militiamen.

After nightfall, the three of them camped out in a woodland.

Winters' wound was still bleeding and Gold needed rest, so they didn't travel all night.

They rested until the next night, and after confirming that no one was catching up behind them, they took advantage of the darkness and turned to the southwest.

The new reclamation land is located at the southwest end of Plato, and Wolf Town is located at the southwest end of the new reclamation land.

The sausage-slicing war between the Plato and Hed tribes resulted in the areas controlled by both sides being very different, and they only maintained a roughly 100-kilometer uninhabited buffer zone.

The uninhabited areas are defined based on natural dividing lines such as mountains, rivers, and rivers, and they are constantly changing.

However, Tiefeng County, where Wolf Town is located, is too remote and has reached the northern foot of the Golden Summit Mountains. Therefore, Plato has not expanded its territory from this location over the years.

The three Winters traveled at night and rested during the day, eating dried meat and meat floss brought back from the wilderness, and avoiding villages and towns as much as possible.

If you want to buy necessities, only let Ciel do the shopping.

After exiting the jurisdiction of Zhuwangbao and Xilin Province and once again confirming that there were no pursuers, the three Winters returned to their normal schedule and walked back to the main road.

Winters also bought a horse, which cost a full forty ducats, and it was not a good horse.

This price has nearly doubled compared to last year. With the war raging, the price of horses has also risen.

But Winters urgently needed to buy a horse. There were three of them, but they only had four horses, which were expensive to buy.

At first, Winters headed towards Wolf Town with some relief.

But the further he went, the heavier his heart became.

The destructive power of war on society was nakedly displayed in front of him. There was no longer an endless stream of caravans, and there were no longer farmers selling fruits, vegetables and eggs.

When the few travelers on the road saw each other, they all silently wrapped up their cloaks and held their weapons. They could not breathe a sigh of relief until they were far away.

Red rose flags have been erected in most cities, especially in the area south of the Jinliu River. They conscripted labor, built fortifications, collected supplies, blocked roads, and strictly checked passers-by.

It is said that not long ago, Blue Rose's troops crossed the Jinliu River and ruthlessly swept through the areas loyal to Red Rose.

The three Winters had to be extra careful.

…

Newly reclaimed land province, a village with no name on the map.

"No living people were found." Charles trotted back and whispered: "I didn't find anything edible either. There are a few new graves in the west of the village. The villagers who are still alive should have buried the bodies and fled."

Winters nodded.

What was in front of me was not a village, but the ruins of a small village.

This was originally a very small village, with only seven or eight households in the courtyard.

Perhaps there were men and women who worked the surrounding farmland year after year, living a hard and tenacious life here.

But now it's all gone, leaving only the ruins burned by the fire.

"Let's go." Winters climbed onto the saddle and said to Charles and Gold: "Let's go to the next village and see if we can buy some food."

The three of them galloped away, and the charred ruins returned to deathly silence.

Winters had no idea how much people were suffering because he just kept going.

But he has an intuitive feeling, that is, there are too few vendors on the road, but there are too many robbers and robbers.

It became increasingly difficult for him to buy supplies, and even the smallest villages closed their doors to strangers.

After leaving the King's Castle Direct Territory and Xilin Province - the actual control area of Red Rose's forces - Winters encountered roadblocks almost every day.

When he entered the new land, this frequency increased to twice or even three times a day.

Most of the robbers were farmers with frightened faces. When they threatened Winters, their own hands holding pitchforks and hatchets were shaking.

There are also many gangsters who have seen blood, and peasants who don't even have shoes are being held hostage by defeated soldiers.

For the former, Winters couldn't bear to kill and just knocked off the opponent's weapons; for the latter, he only killed those leaders who were obviously habitual gangsters.

"Go away!" Winters didn't know what to say: "Go home!"

The robbers dispersed, but they would come back again.

"Wolf Town must be fine." Winters told himself over and over again: "With Mayor Girard here, Wolf Town is still so remote, everything must be fine."

He tried not to think about the terrible thing and hurried on.

…

The sun was setting in the west and it was getting dark.

Across the Blackwater River and along the rammed earth road over two hills, you can see the bell tower spire of the Wolf Town Church.

Winters knew this road very well because he had walked it many, many times.

Winters has only lived in Wolf Town for less than half a year, but for him, Wolf Town has a hometown-like feeling.

When he left here, he was a high-spirited young man. The boys of Wolf Town sang songs and followed him to war.

When he returned here, the laughing and joking young men of Wolf Town were gone, and Winters only brought back scars all over his body.

When he went through all kinds of hardships and stood on the hillside again, he failed to see the spire nailed with brass skin.

"Did I make a mistake?" Winters asked Ciel, his voice trembling.

"Yes, this is Wolf Town."

"Walk!"

Winters stabbed his horse in the ribs and galloped down the hill towards the Wolftown town square.

Wolf Town was right in front of him, but he didn't recognize it.

Church, ruined.

The white-painted outer wall was burned to charcoal, the bell tower collapsed, and the bell was sadly half-buried in the ruins.

Only the original stone structure of the church remains. The stone wall stood alone, and the wind blew through the holes in the wall, whimpering.

Old Misha's blacksmith shop was destroyed.

Alzi's grocery store was destroyed.

The town hall and the police station have also been burned to the ground.

Many graves in the cemetery were even dug up and the bones were scattered around the tombstones.

"This...this..." Charles was surprised, angry and sad. His hand holding the reins was trembling: "How could this happen?"

"It must have been a thief." Gold whispered: "Dig up the coffin and steal the funerary items..."

Winters suddenly whipped the horse hard and bolted toward the Mitchell Manor.

He thought of the generous and generous Girard, of the gentle and kind Mrs. Mitchell, and of Scarlett, who was about the same age as Ella and was like his sister, holding his arm tightly when the Mitchells quarreled.

"Don't die." Winters was praying: "Don't die."

If there really is a supreme being in the dark, he prayed to Him for the first time.

The thriving Mitchell Estate has completely changed.

The tobacco fields all over the mountains and plains are now overgrown with weeds, and the fences surrounding the manor have collapsed in the wind and rain.

There are no working people, only flocks of birds fluttering up.

Fortunately, Winters saw a plume of smoke rising from the Mitchell mansion.

A glimmer of hope ignited in Winters's heart. He drove his horse very fast, jumped directly into the manor from the damaged fence, and ran straight to the house behind the oak tree, startling the birds all the way.

People in the house also heard this series of hoofbeats.

They calmly ran inside and outside the house to hide jewelry and poultry and livestock.

A small figure ran out of the house from the front door and ran towards the cowshed.

But when the thin figure saw who was running towards them, she froze.

Winters reined up his mount in front of the steps, jumped out of the saddle, and the thin figure cried and threw himself into his arms.

It was only then that Winters was shocked to realize that this skinny boy was actually a soft girl, Scarlett, the apple of the eye of the Mitchell Manor.

"They said you were dead." Scarlett cried uncontrollably: "Mom! Mr. Montagne is back!"

Winters didn't know what to do, so he gently patted little Ms. Mitchell on the back: "It's okay, it's okay."

Mrs. Mitchell walked down the steps. She also became thinner, but her temperament remained the same, and her waist was still straight.

Mrs. Mitchell smiled sincerely, but she could not be as reserved as her daughter.

She knelt down and greeted Winters: "It's great to have you back..."

Winters nodded in return: "Mrs."

Ciel and Gold were driven a good distance by Wintesla, and they finally caught up.

They were also very happy to see that the Mitchell family was safe and sound.

"Mr. Charles." Mrs. Mitchell bowed and saluted: "Mr. Gold."

"Madam." The two took off their hats and nodded in return.

Guys like the old pirate were equally respectful in front of Mrs. Mitchell.

"Mrs. Medellin." Mrs. Mitchell called to the others in the room: "Please boil some water to prepare a bath for the three gentlemen."

A woman with a black veil on her head - which meant she was a widow - nodded and turned back to the house.

Gold scratched his head and laughed: "You are still thoughtful. After hearing what you said, I feel a little itchy."

"What are you talking about?" Ciel kicked the old pirate in dissatisfaction: "Be respectful!"

"Isn't it just a bath?" The old pirate was puzzled.

"Scarlett, please take Mr. Montagne back to his room to settle down." Ellen asked no questions. She settled the three of them calmly: "I will arrange the rooms for the two gentlemen. Mammy, prepare dinner. I I’ll help you in a moment.”

"No, no, no." The old pirate shook his head desperately: "I'll just live with this guy in the servants' room."

"How is that possible? Please come with me."

The hostess always arranges everything in an orderly manner and everyone is busy.

The desolation and desolation disappeared, and the place suddenly turned back into the vibrant Mitchell Manor.

Scarlett wiped away her tears, smiled and took Winters' arm: "Let's go, Winters, your room has not been touched. I will clean it for you every day."

Winters felt a strange sense of intimacy, as if he had returned to Hailan's home, and in a trance, Scarlett's face turned into Ella's face.

In this way, he was led up to the second floor and returned to the small nest where he had stayed at the Mitchell family.

Nothing has changed, the setting sun fills the room from the west-facing window. The same bed, the same twill bed set, the same oak table.

Winters stood at the door, not daring to step inside.

Ella pushed him in and said with a smile: "You rest first. When the water heats up, I'll tell you to take a bath. You, your body is sore, so you need to take a good wash."

After saying that, Ella closed the door.

Winters moved to the bed step by step and sat on the bed blankly.

He smelled the familiar scent of soap locust. Brother Rhett walked into the room carrying a cane and explained to him what "politics" was as if he had just been there.

Oh, by the way, Brother Red is no longer here either.

He brought back Brother Red's ashes.

Winters carefully took out Brother Red's urn and placed it safely on the table.

"Don't worry, old guy." Winters thought: "I will take you home sooner or later."

The east wind gently knocked on the window lattice, as if an old magician was laughing.

"Winters!" Scarlett called him downstairs: "You can come down and take a shower."

Winters took off his shirt, took out the items he carried with him, and placed them all on the table.

A broken wine flask.

One hundred and sixty-four unused wooden cones.

Erlun's knife.

Anna's locket and wood carving.

Finally, he found a small iron box from the hidden pocket of his coat.

Winters opened the small iron box, and inside was a bunch of silver-gray mane.

He gently stroked Qiang Yun, and suddenly tears flowed down uncontrollably.

After escaping from death, he never cried again, not even once.

But at this moment, as if the inner dam finally collapsed, Winters cried like a helpless child.

He leaned against the wall and sat down on the ground little by little. He cried more and more fiercely, and finally he was almost wailing.

Ellen and Scarlett downstairs noticed something strange upstairs. Scarlett wanted to go upstairs to check, but was stopped by Ellen.

Ellen quietly dismissed all the servants from the house.

Charles and Gold also returned to the first floor - Charles was also sobbing quietly. Gold sighed and led him to the courtyard.

Then Ellen took her daughter on her arm and went for a walk.

The Mitchell mansion became empty, with no one else left.

When Ellen and Scarlett returned from their walk, Winters came down the stairs.

His eyes were still red, but there was no serious problem, and his appearance had returned to its previous appearance, except that his left leg was still a little stiff.

"I can cry again," he said.

"Tonight, let's eat my specialty chicken stew." Ellen replied, "After you take a bath, please chop some firewood."

…

It’s another Sunday morning, early in the morning.

According to past habits, Catholics should rush to the town church early in the morning to attend the ceremony.

But since a group of soldiers defeated the town center and changed it beyond recognition, no one went there anymore.

The church's gold and silver sacrificial vessels were robbed, Father Anthony was angered to death, and the church itself was burned to the ground, even the dead soldiers were not spared.

The coffins were dug up, the burial objects were taken away, and the bones of the deceased were scattered throughout the cemetery.

The war lasted only three months, and all the horrors were revealed.

"Just live on." People say: "Live one day at a time."

In the corner of the Mitchell Manor, a man was chopping wood.

He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of trousers, revealing the shocking scars on his arms and chest.

With each chopping process, the muscles on his body surged like mercury.

It seemed that he didn't use much strength, but the thick piece of wood was split into two pieces in front of him.

The chopped firewood was piled almost into a hill under the eaves.

But the man continued to chop wood tirelessly.

Gold walked quietly from behind the man. The old pirate was at a loss, hesitated again and again, and finally said to the man's back: "Sir, you don't need to blame yourself."

Winters continued to chop wood and said nothing.

"You can chop enough firewood to support the Mitchell family for a hundred years." Gold found a tree stump and sat down, and said murmuringly:

"I can't speak either, as long as you understand what I mean.

Think about it, if you hadn't come to Wolf Town, wouldn't the war have stopped?

If you don't come, who will lead the Wolf Town militia to be recruited? Isn't that old Mr. Mitchell?

Old Mr. Mitchell leads the troops, can you lead them well? Wouldn't the end be worse?

Just like when I was a pirate, I told myself, if I don’t rob them, won’t they be robbed by others? Damn it, you're going to die sooner or later. Meeting me means that God has plans for them..."

As he spoke, Gold suddenly spat and complained to himself: "Hey! What the hell are I talking about... As long as you understand what I mean, there is no need to blame yourself. They are lucky to have met you. .”

"I don't blame myself, Gold." Winters picked up a piece of wood and placed it on the tree stump: "I was thinking about other things."

The wood split into two pieces with a "bang" sound.

"That's good." The old pirate stood up politely: "We can almost leave. Let's stay in Wolf Town and go back to Veneta."

"Gold." Winters asked without looking back, "Why are you helping me?"

"Me? I don't know either." Gold sat back on the tree stump, thought for a long time, and then said in a dull voice: "I... I am the youngest son of the family, and my parents are tenants. If you can't support me, you can Send me to the ship to be a sailor. Life on the ship is very bad. The captain bullies others, and the sailors also bully others. I am the meanest one on the ship.

If the captain could regard me as a human being, I would rather die than follow him to the ends of the earth. If other sailors would treat me better, I would not betray them under any circumstances. Later, the ship was robbed, and the pirates asked if anyone wanted to join the crew. I didn't hesitate at all when I agreed.

Anyway, that's it, I don't know why I ended up here. Even if I return your bottle of water. "

Winters split wood in silence, and Gold sighed and turned away.

After Winters returned to Mitchell Manor, the news that "Montagne's resident officer was back" gradually spread throughout the villages.

Many villagers came to visit him.

It was also from the villagers that Winters learned about the suffering that Wolf Town had suffered in the past few months.

When Gilad Mitchell was the mayor, only Hedong, Hexi and Dousa villages respected him. The two Protestant villages often had problems with Gilad.

When Girard was called up and replaced by Big Bendine, even the Protestants began to miss Mayor Mitchell.

First there was the urgent demand for land payment and tax collection, and then there were rounds of levies and grain levies.

Landless hired workers fled one after another. When the authorities couldn't catch enough people, they forcibly took away the farmers.

The men did not dare to sleep at home and hid in the woods at night.

In mid-May, an officer who came to recruit soldiers disappeared. Bendine fled to Gevaudan overnight, and Wolf Town was completely out of order.

The big men are fighting on the horizon, but the defeated troops are running into the newly cultivated land.

Wolf Town, which lost its mayor, had no peace at all, and there were waves of broken soldiers and bandits. The villages were able to barely protect themselves, but they could not save the town. The center of the town was burned to the ground during that time.

April and May are the lean years, and the surplus grain is wiped away again. Farmers are waiting for the winter wheat harvest in early June.

We endured hardship until June, but what awaited us was an even greater disaster.

Three groups of people came to the newly cultivated land to collect food and people.

What's more terrifying than requisitioning food and people is that they harvest their wheat fields before farmers do.

If a farmer dares to show up to stop him, he will be drafted on the spot.

Two of the groups would fight each other when they met, and many wheat fields were burned to ashes.

For farmers, they don’t understand the difference between red roses and blue roses.

For them, it's just groups of people coming to snatch their food rations.

Even the homesteaders could no longer survive. Some people nailed their doors and windows and fled.

Their sheds were open and empty, and their dilapidated courtyards were becoming increasingly desolate and unbearable to look at.

The remaining farmers did not want to leave the land. They planted barley, prayed for the autumn harvest, and struggled tenaciously.

The flames of war have not yet reached the newly reclaimed land, but the devastation to the people in the newly reclaimed lands has not diminished at all.

Because they don't belong to any party, no one cares about them.

Hearing the broken stories of people in Wolf Town, Winters became increasingly silent.

The people of Wolf Town have been bruised and bruised by rounds of expropriations, but when they heard that Montagne’s resident officer had a leg injury, he brought him precious eggs, flour and even a small strip of pickled food left at home. Meat.

Winters could only persuade the villagers to take their things back over and over again.

He also remembered that Mrs. Mitchell made chicken stew the first night he returned to Mitchell Hall.

At the time, I just thought it was delicious, but now that I think about it, it was the hen that laid eggs in the Mitchell family.

Winters could only chop wood silently and tirelessly.

He dragged logs from the woods, sawed them into sections, and chopped them into firewood. The chopped wood was almost piled into a hill.

He repaired one broken fence after another on the Mitchell property.

He wanted to leave money to Mrs. Mitchell, but was the Mitchell family short of money? When the world becomes like this, what’s the use of money?

…

Winters' new injury has scabbed and swollen, and Gold's body is recovering quickly.

The day of separation finally came.

The Mitchells and their daughters packed their bags and prepared dry food for Winters.

"I'm sorry," Winters said to Mrs. Mitchell.

"Don't say this, Mr. Montagne." Ellen lovingly helped Winters straighten his collar: "Without you, Pierre would not have come back alive. You are the benefactor of the Mitchell family, forever and ever. "

Scarlett's eyes were slightly red, and she stood behind her mother reluctantly, but did not say a word of condolence.

"I'm sorry." Winters lowered his head.

Ellen gave the young Veneta a rare hug and turned to her daughter: "My dear, please go and get Botayun out."

Scarlett was prepared in advance. She nodded and led a horse as white as clouds from behind the house.

"The fate of Qiang Luck...I'm sorry." Ellen didn't need Winters to say anything. When she saw that Qian Luck didn't come back and saw Winters' cane, she understood everything: "This horse pleases you." Bring back Venetta. Don't ride her on the road, and don't tire her. She is my husband's best stallion, and Girard will want to give it to you too."

"No." Winters shook his head desperately: "I can't have it."

"You must accept it." Ellen said softly, "She has the blood of strong luck."

Winters was completely stunned, his body trembling involuntarily.

Scarlett also gave Winters a hug, then she wiped away her tears and put the reins into Winters' hands.

Winters got on his horse and left Mitchell Manor. He didn't dare to look back, he just kept walking forward.

Charles and Gold followed silently.

The three of them rode silently and just walked like this.

Go all the way to the fork in the road leading to Hexi Village and Wolf Town.

An old woman with disheveled hair stood at the fork in the road, wrapped in dirty rags.

She was leaning on a wooden stick and looking straight at the road to Wolf Town.

"Come on, my lord," Gold whispered. "That's a madman."

But Winters recognized who the old woman was. She had been sitting by the threshing floor, carrying her little granddaughter on her back, talking and laughing as she washed clothes and watched the men practice javelin.

Winters took out all the money he had, dismounted, and walked over to the old woman.

The old woman who looked like a stone sculpture suddenly reached out and grabbed Winters' arm. She stared at Winters' face, as if she recognized who the person in front of her was.

There was hope in her eyes.

"My lord," the old woman asked, "have you seen my son?"

Tears welled up in Winters' eyes.

"Come on, my lord," Gold whispered.

Winters thought of Hailan, Kesha, Antonio, and Elizabeth, as well as the big general and the little general.

He remembered what Brother Rhett said: "This is the easiest and easiest way. I have already pointed it out to you. Why are you still hesitating?"

He thought of Anna's smile and her beautiful hair.

He remembered everything about his hometown.

…

"Boom."

There were three knocks on the door, and a sobbing Scarlett opened the door.

Winters stood outside the door.