Iron Powder and Spellcaster

Imperial Calendar Year 537 [Note: 23 years ago, the Imperial Succession War began in this year]

Castile Peninsula, Greystone City, interior of Coliseum.

A young man in his twenties was inspecting armor and weapons. The two attendants beside the young man were so anxious that they were sweating profusely, but they could not intervene.

"Message" has no wings or four legs, but nothing can fly farther or run faster than it.

Richard [Mad] III is dead.

Some people say that he died peacefully in his sleep; some people say that he died from falling from a horse and experienced a long torture before his eyes... But the way the old emperor died is not important, people just use it as a topic of conversation after dinner.

The emperor is dead and a new emperor will be established.

From the Gulf of Cotan at the easternmost tip of the empire to the Castile Peninsula at the westernmost tip of the empire, from the shady mountains at the southernmost tip of the empire to the icy sea at the northernmost tip, everyone is waiting with bated breath for the coronation of the new emperor...especially at the same time When there are three heirs.

The door was pushed open, and a man dressed as gorgeously as a peacock strode into the room.

The man looked to be in his early thirties, and his appearance and height were three-thirds similar to that of a young man, but he was seven-fold more handsome and four-quarters more dashing.

Seeing the man entering the door, the two attendants grasped at straws and begged with tears: "Your Majesty, Duke Lothair! We really can't stop your majesty, please! Please persuade your majesty!"

The handsome man known as [Duke Lothair] signaled the attendants to leave the room, and the two attendants bent over and walked backwards as if they had received an amnesty.

The handsome man closed the door, glanced at the rifle leaning against the young man's side, then looked at the protective gear that had been arranged on the young man's body, and asked jokingly: "Are you going to play in person? Your Majesty?"

"I am not your Majesty." Only when talking to the handsome man, the young man showed a smile and deliberately drawled: "Your Majesty the Duke."

The handsome man shrugged and asked cheerfully: "I'm not a duke either? Your grandpa has a strong body."

The identity of the young man was self-evident - the eldest son of the late emperor and one of the heirs with the right to claim the throne, Henry of Suncastle.

The handsome man is Henry's uncle, Louis, Duke of Lothair, known as "Louis the Handsome". But privately, people prefer to call him "Loud Louis".

After a moment of pause, Louis Lothair put away his casual attitude and asked: "Are you really going to play in person?

Henry stood up wordlessly and began to do a simple warm-up.

His body is slender and well-proportioned, and his limbs are strong and elastic. This is a body comparable to that of a top gladiator, the reward of years of training.

"Are you really sure?" Little Duke Lothair asked seriously: "Once you step into the arena, there is no room for regret. I don't want to see your mother and my sister sad."

Louis and Henry were less than ten years apart in age and had grown up together. The two are nominally uncle and nephew, but their actual relationship is closer to friends and brothers.

For Henry, even brothers are no closer than his uncle. So only Louis could ask these outrageous words, and only Louis could ask them without saying anything outrageous.

"I don't know." Henry answered truthfully: "Because I haven't tried it."

"In that case, why take the risk? Appoint a knight! There are many people willing to appear in your name."

Henry was about to answer when suddenly, a deafening cheer came from above the two of them.

The roar of the mountain and the tsunami even shook the walls, and fine dust floated down from the stone dome.

The young Duke of Lothair brushed off the dust on his shoulders and sighed with disdain and helplessness: "Huh, Castile barbarian..."

The magnificent building above their heads is a legacy of the ancient empire. Its original name cannot be verified. People today generally call it the [Grand Arena] or [Graystone Arena].

Roughly speaking, the Colosseum has been standing for thousands of years. Because it has been used all the time, it has been well maintained and repaired.

As the only "amphitheatre" capable of accommodating tens of thousands of people, this arena has hosted almost all major public events in the Duchy of Tarlac and even the Castile Peninsula.

Every festival, mass, execution, competition, duel...nobles and commoners from Gray Rock City, the Duchy of Tarlac and even the entire Castile Peninsula will flock here.

If the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart is the faith center of the Castile Peninsula and the Prince Regent's Palace is the political center of the Castile Peninsula, then the Arena is the center of glory of the Castile Peninsula.

If you win here, you win the Castile Peninsula.

However, the thunderous cheers that echoed in the arena at this moment were not dedicated to the royal family, let alone Henry—it was dedicated to Duke Tarlac.

To celebrate the birth of his eldest son, Duke Tarlac spared no expense to hold this grand celebration.

It is undoubtedly a serious offense to make such a fuss during the emperor's mourning period. However, the Castilian nobles have always been known in the empire for their unruly nature, and the royal family's face is worthless to them.

It can even be thought that Duke Tarak deliberately chose this time to celebrate his eldest son's birthday in order to show his contempt for the authority of the Sun Royal Family.

"How many people are in the arena now?" Henry asked thoughtfully.

"At least twenty thousand." Little Duke Lothair replied: "In addition to the lords of Castile, there are many, many civilians... Gray Rock City has almost become an empty city, everyone is here."

Hearing this, Henry looked up at the dome.

He had a strange feeling. Although he could only see darkness, he was convinced that on the other side of the thick stone slabs, thousands of Castilians were waiting.

Henry closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The young Duke Lothair looked at his nephew who was ten years younger than him and held his breath involuntarily.

"Let's go. I hope others will fight on my behalf..." The future emperor opened his eyes and raised his lance: "It will never be possible to conquer the Castilians."

…

…

Imperial calendar year 560, early February [Note: now]

wilderness

When setting out from Iron Peak County, Winters brought only a small group of troops, less than forty people.

His original plan was to visit the White Lion and raise a sum of money to relieve Tiefeng County's financial bankruptcy.

But the change was faster than planned, and Vashika brought news from Pierre, Bellian and others.

So Winters entrusted his men to the little lion, and he and Vashika sneaked into Jiangbei Province under the rule of the military government.

By the time Winters left Jiangbei Province, he already had a huge fleet of more than two hundred people under his command.

It's certainly a good thing to get back the old team, but Vashika's flattery of "there are always more and more people around the centurion" is slapped on the horse's hooves.

After a brief discussion, Winters decided to divide his troops into two groups:

The large army returned to Tiefeng County along the same route with the wounded who were physically handicapped - including soldiers injured during the suppression of bandits, as well as veterans who were disabled in the Great Wasteland Battle last year;

The small unit followed the original plan and went to the Red River Department accompanied by the little lion.

The small force was led by Winters himself, but Winters was in trouble as to who to appoint to command the larger force.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Lieutenant Colonel Moritz said matter-of-factly: "I don't know how to lead troops...Besides, I've always wanted to taste what kumiss tastes like."

"Trying to deceive me again." Anna pretended to be angry: "I knew it."

After careful consideration, there was only one suitable candidate left - Pierre Mitchell. There is no doubt that Pierre is an excellent choice, both in terms of status and ability.

But here's the thing: Pierre doesn't want to.

"I want to go to Chihebu with you." Pierre requested firmly.

Looking at Pierre's pale cheeks, Winters really couldn't bear to let Pierre sleep in the open air with him: "You have just recovered from a serious illness, so you should go back to Tiefeng County to recuperate first."

"I won't hold you back. I can already ride a horse." Pierre tried to straighten his body and suddenly changed the topic: "And I have already thought about who will command the returning team in my place."

"Who?" Winters was curious.

"My father." Pierre said seriously.

After a brief consideration, Winters shook his head: "I don't doubt old Mr. Mitchell's ability and prestige. But he won't be relieved if he leaves you alone."

"I'll convince him," Pierre replied firmly.

So a conversation begins between father and son.

In a face-to-face, equal conversation, with no other participants, Pierre finally revealed his true thoughts to his father.

"Dad, I know that deep down in your heart you still regard Winters Montagne's troops as rebels and bandits; I also know that you think that one day the Kings Castle will wipe out Winters Montagne; I We also know that Winters Montagne has no money, no food, no soldiers, and Tiefeng County’s strength is like a puppy and a lion compared to Plato..."

Facing his father's surprised gaze, Pierre explained many reasons why "the Montagne gangsters must be defeated" in one breath. If you only listen to this part, it seems that Winters Montagne will soon be defeated, and Pierre Michel has no doubt about it.

But in the end, Mr. Mitchell Jr. gave Mr. Mitchell Sr. an irrefutable conclusion: "But we have no way back."

Pierre stared into his father's eyes and repeated word for word: "There is no turning back."

"Do you still remember the story of Dusak, my hometown on the Shield River? You told it to me when I was a child. More than a hundred years ago, the Dusaks who broke the shackles rowed small boats and haunted the Dun River, robbing people. The emperor's official ship. In the end, the emperor was furious and sent troops to encircle and suppress him."

"What happened to those Dusaks back then? The Dusaks who defeated the emperor were canonized as Ataman! What about the Dusaks who couldn't defeat the emperor? They were all killed!"

"If Brother Montagne can hold Tiefeng County, we have a chance to surrender; if Brother Montagne can conquer new land, we have a chance to be re-accepted; but if Brother Montagne loses, loses , we don’t even have a chance to surrender. All that’s waiting for us is liquidation! All of our heads will be chopped off and replaced with military exploits.”

"So, Dad, no matter you want it or not, no matter what you think." Pierre drove in the last nail with a smile: "We have no way to turn back."

After listening to his son's words, Gilad Mitchell was silent for a long time. When he spoke again, he seemed ten years older.

Old Mitchell said hoarsely: "Even so, you should go back to Wolf Town with me first. You and I have been away from home for so long, and your mother must be looking forward to our return."

"No." Pierre said firmly: "I can't go back now!"

"You come home with me to take good care of yourself first, and we can discuss other matters in the long run."

"You don't understand! Dad!" Pierre's cheeks became a little flushed with excitement: "I can't go back! Too many things happened in Tiefeng County during the time I left! I couldn't make any achievements! I I missed too much! When I left Tiefeng County, I was the adjutant of Brother Montagne. Now that I go back, I am nothing! I can’t go back, at least not now.”

"Captain Montagne will not forget you." Gilad reassured his son: "He will take care of you."

"You...still don't understand me..."

There was another moment of silence.

"Then...what are you going to do?"

"I want to stay with Brother Montagne." Pierre has already made up his mind: "Dad, please take the others back to Tiefeng County."

…

The personnel arrangements of the two teams are gradually becoming clear.

Winters repeatedly streamlined, and finally decided to retain only sixty capable subordinates; the rest of the troops were all commanded by Girard and returned to Tiefeng County along the original route.

What's more interesting is that when he learned that Mitchell was going to the Red River Ministry, Father Carman, who had never given Winters a good look, lowered his profile and asked to go to the Red River Ministry with him.

Vashika, old Sergey and his son also appeared in the team heading to the Red River Department.

Vashika couldn't let go of his brother, and old Sergey couldn't let go of his son. Both father and son were good players in Dusak, and Winters was happy to take them with him.

The taciturn Balian was the last to approach Winters.

"Centurion." Balian said calmly and calmly as always, "Please take me with you."

"I also want you to go to the Red River Department, but I'm worried that you will have an accident in the Red River Department." Winters expressed his thoughts: "And I promised Carlos that I will bring you back to Iron Peak safely. county."

"In this case, you should take me with you. Carlos is safe in Gevaudan, so I have nothing to worry about. If you want to find out about the possible iron ore in the Red River Department, you need an expert." Leon paused for a while: "You have helped me and Carlos so much...ask me to do something for you."

So the list of sixty people was finally finalized.

After learning that Balian was included in the list of sixty people, the team returning home was disappointed, while the team heading to the Red River Department was greatly boosted in morale.

"[The army relies on its stomach to fight]." Winters thought to himself: "The old marshal really didn't lie."

…

…

The third day after leaving Feiyubu wintering ranch

wilderness

At dusk, the team camped at the foot of a leeward hillside.

As usual, everyone used carts connected end to end to form a circle in a circle as a temporary fortification. They let the horses outside to graze, and then went to fetch water, light fires, and prepare food.

There are no lights in the grassland, only campfires.

There is no moon tonight and the stars are surprisingly bright.

Anna dressed up in men's clothing and looked up at the stars until her neck felt sore: "It's so strange, I've never seen so many stars when I was in Hailan."

For those who have never seen the vast Milky Way, seeing the sea of ​​stars for the first time is an indescribably shocking experience.

But since arriving in Plato, Winters has had countless experiences stargazing.

He coughed a few times, but in the end he still couldn't suppress the desire to make inappropriate remarks: "It wouldn't be strange if you could see him every day."

Although the light from the campfire was dim, Winters was sure he saw Anna glance at him.

Anna turned her head and ignored the disappointing guy.

A few steps away, the little lion stood guard next to Balian's stew pot and began to talk about "The Book of Hunting" with great interest.

"Hunting in the mountains and forests is one method, and hunting on the meadow is another method. Falcon hunting has the skills of falcon hunting, and dog hunting has the skills of dog hunting, but the most spectacular and challenging thing is 'circling' . Hunting is called 'Aba' in the Hud language, and it is the most important event of the year."

As the little lion spoke, he took the first bowl of meat from Balian's hand. He couldn't help but praise: "Blacksmith, you are so capable that you would be embarrassed to work as a cook for the Great Khan!"

Balian smiled in thanks and continued serving soup to the others.

"We also hunt every year." Vashika hurried back to the camp following the scent and interjected: "In autumn, we collect the crops and hunt rabbits and foxes in the fields. There are no straws and weeds, and there is no place for rabbits and foxes to hide. A dozen An accurate one."

Vashika looked at Winters curiously: "Centurion, do you Veneta people hunt?"

This stopped Winters from asking. He thought for a while and said with a smile: "I don't know much about Veneta's customs, but people in the United Provinces hunt waterfowl every year, and some people raise hounds that are good at swimming."

Just like Winters couldn't restrain his desire to make inappropriate remarks, when it came to hunting, the little lion couldn't restrain his desire to brag. He shook his head pretending to be lofty: "Compared with the hunting I'm talking about, it's just nothing." It’s a child’s game.”

"That's awesome!" Vashika said not to be outdone: "When will we be able to see it?"

"Ten more days!" The little lion wiped his mouth and motioned for Balian to have another bowl.

He laughed heartily: "The final paddock has been decided at the beginning, just go there - the storage will surprise you!"

Facts have proved that the little lion’s estimate was conservative.

It didn't take ten days, but only three days. Winters and his team reached the edge of the hunting ground.

[One chapter is not finished...so the first half of this chapter, "The Oathbreakers in the Arena" and "Winters in the Wasteland", seem a bit torn. But it’s no big deal, just read it with the next chapter]