Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 213 Monsoon

   For several days, the camp first moved to the southwest, and then turned to the north.

  The Hurds used a lunar calendar, and the yearly method was different from that of the republics.

   Winters had to estimate the date by himself. He remembered that the baggage team had to leave the Double Bridge Camp on January 12th.

   All the way west, crossing the boundary river, crossing the no-man’s land, and arriving at the Styx Camp should be January 30th.

   That night, snowflakes fell from the sky.

   Before that, he was just a temporarily recruited resident officer, leading a small group of militiamen, and doing some hard work of transporting supplies in Palatu.

   Since then, his world has been like a cart being dragged by a crazy horse, rushing towards the cliff all the way.

   After twists and turns, the cargo team arrived at the Bienli Camp on February 24. Twelve days later, Bianli City was broken.

   The next day, he set out on the road of retreat as the vanguard, and saw Styx again on March 29.

   He recalled day by day, and roughly determined that he woke up in Erlun's felt tent on April 16.

   Another seven days have passed, and that is April 23.

   "Have I been away from home for so long?" Winters suddenly felt like a world away.

  April, the sea blue must have been very hot.

  The men and women on the road have long changed into beautiful light single clothes, and only the elderly are still wrapped in winter clothes.

  The wharf is full of shirtless porters, and merchant ships large and small assemble in the bay, waiting for the monsoon to come on schedule.

  The Ascension Day is coming soon, which is the most important festival in Hailan.

   On that day, everyone will dress up and follow the "Consul's Golden Ship" to St. Nicholas Island.

   Waiting for them were priests holding holy water, salt, and olive branches.

The    prayer is unstoppable: "O Lord! Please bless us, bless all those who are at sea, and let the sea always be calm and peaceful."

   It was followed by a grand celebration and parade.

  The Feast of the Ascension is important because it marks the beginning of the new year's sailing season.

  After a short carnival, the Hailan people will sail to the boundless sea. Either bring back the wealth, or just disappear.

   Winters' thoughts have drifted to the shore of the sea.

   He said blankly: "Er Lun?"

   "Huh?" Erlun is doing embroidery work.

"spring is coming."

   "Yes, it's getting warmer day by day, and the wind is blowing westward." Eerlun raised his head with a smile, and Liu Ye's eyes were curved: "The old man said, it's time to take all the animals to the higher ground."

   "Find me a pocket knife."

   "Okay." Eerlun kept running the needle in his hand: "What kind of one do you want?"

   "The most common one is fine." Winters sat up propped up: "Please bring me some more branches."

   He now knew that the saber was an important "token" for unmarried Heard women.

  The man pays the dowry, and the woman returns the saber, so you can't just take the saber of an unmarried woman.

  Erron soon brought Winters a knife the size of a palm.

   The steel mouth of the knife is very good, the blade body and the handle are forged in one body; there is no grid, and the handle is wrapped in circles with leather rope; the overall style is simple and unpretentious, and it is a reliable tool for herdsmen's life. Winters is very satisfied.

  Carpenters live with specialized knives, but Winters doesn't plan to carve flowers.

  He picked up a branch, and slowly peeled off the skin, cut it off, and sharpened it.

   In this way, he moved his stiff arm muscles little by little.

   "Are you cutting wooden sticks?" Eerlun was a little puzzled: "Do you want to knit a sweater?"

   "It's just moving the arm."

  Eerlun coaxed Winters: "If you cut it in the felt tent, the sawdust will get on the blanket. Then I'll help you to go outside, okay? Sit for a while and get some sunshine."

   Winters was reluctant to leave the tent or show his face in the camp, but he would not refuse Erlen.

"it is good."

   Winters' leg injury has subsided, but it is still a long time away from being fixed.

  Eerlun helped him to walk outside the felt tent, brought a wooden box and let him sit at the entrance of the tent; he also brought a blanket and put it on his lap.

   Another day's trek, camping in a sparse coniferous forest today.

  The setting sun passes through the foliage, casting specks of light.

  The little lion came over with a deer leg and joked: "Just looking down from the neck, I thought you were the old man by the fire."

   Winters cut the wood silently.

   "Are you a wooden skewer for barbecue?" The little lion was also very curious.

   He stared at the knife in Winters' hand and blinked.

   Winters nodded and continued to cut the wood.

"You, don't say a few words." Ellen came out of the tent, took a woolen knitted blanket and draped it over Winters' shoulders, and took the deer leg from the little lion: "Let Hesta Si An quietly basks in the sun."

   "Oh, it's fine." The little lion smacked his lips.

   He squatted beside Winters, watching the white wooden core being sharpened a little by a knife, and asked, "The spoils are back. Do you still want your armor?"

   Winters shook his head.

   "When I found you, you still had a pack of maps in your arms. Do you still want that?"

  Winters put down the wooden sign, thought about it, and said, "That's an item belonging to one of my elders, please return it to me."

   "No problem." The little lion agreed without hesitation.

   The two fell silent again, only the sound of a knife cutting wood could be heard.

  The little lion simply sat on the ground, looked into the distance, and said nonchalantly, "My brother is back too, and we haven't joined the camp yet. When the time comes, I will bring him to see you."

   Winters was noncommittal.

   "You rest." The little lion got up: "I'm leaving."

  These days, the little lion often comes to talk to Winters.

   It's just that Winters became more and more silent, and he was lively when he was not even waking up, and only had some words when he was with Erlun.

After    leaving his sister and Winters, the little lion did not return to his felt tent. He led out his horse and galloped eastward with his guard.

  He climbed over the hillside and ran along the stream to reach another camp several kilometers away.

   The camp where Winters and Eerlun are located is very small and is not the real "old camp" of the Chihe Ministry. Most of the surviving old and weak women and children in Bianli, as well as a small number of wounded, were inside.

   And the camp where the little lion came is only adult men, and guards wearing armor and swords can be seen everywhere.

   There are also a small number of powerful guards with bows and quivers, known as "quiver soldiers".

   When people on the road saw the little lion, they greeted him, or called him "little lion", or respectfully called him "stove master".

   In addition to the members of the Chihe tribe, there were nearly a thousand men tied together by ropes and chains behind the camp.

   These men are not wearing Heard robes, but blood-stained Platoon uniforms!

  They were captives…and slaves.

  The surrounding Heards threw food at them like feeding pigs. The captives fought frantically, even fighting for it.

   A middle-aged captive just grabbed the wheat cake with dirt and hay when another emaciated captive snatched it away.

   The emaciated prisoner tried his best to stuff the oatmeal into his mouth, regardless of the other's punches and kicks.

   Someone on the other side was screaming: "My hand!"

   It was the other people who couldn't tell the difference between the finger and the wheat cake, bit it down and swallowed it with blood.

  The onlookers laughed and threw more wheat cakes.

  Are the captives ashamed?

   shame.

   But they were so hungry, desperately hungry.

   For more than ten days, they have been trekking day after day, and they can only get very little food every day. They are fed like pigs.

   If you don’t grab it, you will starve to death.

   That hunger is asking them all the time: How much is dignity worth? What is shame?

The   Hards captured very few officers and were held in solitary confinement.

   Not only officers, but even sergeants have been stripped from the captives.

   lost the backbone and was deliberately destroyed, and their will has completely collapsed.

   A tantalizing scent floated into the nostrils of the captives, and everyone could not help but stop.

  The Hurds carried the fragrant roast lamb before them.

   The captives rushed towards the roast sheep, and were dragged down by the chains and ropes on their hands and feet in a blink of an eye, and were forced to retreat by the gleaming spears.

  The Hurds introduced a few more unkempt Paratus.

   A tall and sturdy Qingling Yu walked over, followed by a thin interpreter.

   Thin and small translator timidly translated: "The Huo Sui leader said that these slaves want to escape and will be punished."

The   interpreter was also a prisoner, but because he could speak two languages, he was far better off than the others.

   Qing Lingyu scolded coldly, and the slender translator shouted again.

   Qing Lingyu was still dissatisfied, and the slender translator cried and roared again.

   Qing Lingyu waved his hand, and the quiver beside him took out the brazier.

   They used red-hot iron cones to pass under the collarbone of the escaped prisoners, and put the iron rings on the collarbone of the escaped prisoners like a cow's nose ring.

   The screams of the captives were eerie, and the air was filled with the smell of scorched meat.

"The Huo Sui leader said that those who escape again will not be so lucky, and will be killed directly." The thin and small translator shouted hoarsely: "The Huo Sui leader also said that the wasteland is so vast that no matter where you run, you will be killed. Take it back."

   The captives bowed their heads, and several of them stared at the interpreter with hatred and anger in their eyes.

"The leader of Huosui wants to pick out those who are capable among you. Those who are capable will come to eat barbecue, and those who are incompetent will continue to pick up food from the ground." The thin and small translator's voice shouted hoarsely: "Among you, who would know what to do? Blacksmithing? Who would…”

  The little lion watched for a while, then walked to the big tent without a word.

  Because there are no enemies around, the Chihebu camp is no longer a structure where tents surround horses.

  The horses were taken outside the camp to forage, and the small tents of the ten husbands wrapped the big tent in the center.

On the    way, the Qingling Yu stag [Bo Han] stopped the little lion and walked side by side with him to the big tent.

   "Xunying is dead." The stag whispered and made a gesture of wiping his neck.

   "Alas, Xun Ying is a capable man, and his herd is always more prosperous than others." The little lion was a little sad: "But if he pulls out his feathers and runs away, he deserves to die."

  The stag sighed. In this battle, most of the White Lion's "arrows" were killed or injured.

   An ignominious death like the swift eagle will also be deprived of all herds, subjects and slaves.

   But because of this, many positions were vacated, and the stag was able to be promoted from Haugekota [centurion] to arrow.

  [Note: "Arrow" in Hedd represents the leader of the green feather level, and is divided into "short-range arrows and long-range arrows". They are both military and civil officials]

  When the little lion and the stag entered the tent, a quiver man came out holding a **** green feather.

   should be the helmet of the swift eagle, because the Hurds are taboo to separate their heads. If it is not a **** feud, even the death penalty will not be decapitated.

  In the big tent, everyone was sitting around the bonfire, and the Qingling Yus were arguing fiercely.

   "The vitality of the people of Paratus is severely damaged, which is a good opportunity to hit the grassy valley in the east!"

   "The Grey Eyes and the Eaters are gathering their respective warbands to prepare for this fall's raids. We should also put up the big flags, or the small tribes that are attached to us will be attracted away!"

   "Damn it! I haven't fought Grass Valley in 30 years! Even though we bleed, didn't they take us to eat meat?"

  Because of Plato's blockade, nothing was lacking on the great wasteland.

   Once defeated the old enemy, everyone can't wait to go to Palatu to grab one.

   It should be noted that the last time the tribes hit the grass valley was in the time of Que Yehan, thirty years ago. An entire generation of the Hurds had not seen what Plato looked like.

   "Fuck it! You bastards!" Tie Feng jumped up and scolded: "The fire has already burned to the eyebrows, and you still want to hit the grass? The top priority is to maintain the alliance with the Teltown Department! Protect yourself first!"

   The Qingling Yu suddenly became quiet.

Tie Feng looked at the white lion and said in a deep voice, "The Teltown Department has lost a lot of people, and we have suffered more than their losses, so we should be protecting ourselves. Are you here to kill us?"

"In my opinion, the fire roaster is not at ease." The little lion sat by the bonfire and frowned: "He didn't take the opportunity to swallow our minds? The three major parts are all poured out of the same mold. As greedy and as bad as wolves."

Tie Feng spread his hands and said helplessly: "Who made the three major divisions the direct descendants of Hongyun Khan? Who made them [the descendants of the golden man]? [the successor]? Only they can be the great khan, and they don't think about it all the time. called sweat.

   Can I understand the mind of the fire roaster? But the lion bites the throat, the wolf bites the hand, we don't beat the lion and the wolf? Just be wary. "

"What do you mean by that?" Immediately, Qing Lingyu became angry and shouted: "Tie Feng! Why do you always want to please the fire roaster? Who said that there are only three major ministries called Khan? Why can't the white lions When? I think you want to go to the Telltown Department! Take our Chihe Department as a gift!"

"Fuck you!" Tie Feng was furious, pointed at the opponent's nose, spitting and questioning: "If I have bad intentions, I will bring troops to help you? Ten years ago, the Chihe Department was shoveled like ashes. Ping, who helped the white lions gather the troops? Who borrowed troops to the white lions? Wow! You guys think my words are ugly, I will bring some Yinglin battalions now!"

   After saying that, Tie Feng waved his hand and was about to leave, and the little lion hurriedly stopped his uncle.

   Qing Lingyu, who was on the opposite side, was speechless by the words that seemed like a string of arrows, and bowed her head in a sullen mood.

   "Uncle." The silent white lion finally spoke, his hazel eyes like deep pools. He said softly: "I never doubted you. Please don't be angry."

Tie Feng shook off the little lion and sat back by the bonfire angrily. He said to the white lion earnestly, "More than a hundred years ago, Hongyun Khan and the tribes slashed nine animals and swore an oath, stipulating that only the descendants of the Jin people can be called Khan. Although times have changed, But there is still such a thing in the minds of the people.

  You must not be in a hurry to sweat, and don't have this thought, the ministries will not be convinced! If one day the Chihe tribe will dominate the grasslands, and you want to be a big sweat or a chanyu, I will not say a word. "

"Hahaha." The white lion looked up to the sky and laughed bitterly: "How can I have such a mind? When I was a child, I just wanted to feed my mother and my younger siblings; my mother's younger siblings were gone, and the assembled partners were also killed. I just want to take revenge when I get everything. Later, more and more people follow me, and I just want them to live in peace. If the fire-boiler can do it, it’s okay for me to lead a horse for him!”

   The green feathers around the bonfire were also aroused by sadness, and everyone looked sad.

  Different from other clan tribes that are connected by blood, the tribes of the Houchihe tribe come from various clans. Because the tribe was separated and the family was destroyed, they gathered under the command of the white lion one after another.

  [Note: The post-chihe division is different from the former Chihe division, which was leveled by the white lion blood relatives and was levelled by Arpad]

   For 30 years, the Paratus have continued to attack the tribes, and the tribes whose living space was squeezed attacked each other. I don't know how many tribes have been crushed in the turmoil, and which Hed has not lost a loved one?

  The little lion jumped up suddenly and shouted: "Brother! How can you say that? What is a fire roaster? He deserves it too?"

"That's right, he's not worthy!" The white lion punched his knees heavily, with a firm tone: "He is too greedy and too ruthless, and will only treat us as slaves. I don't want to leave the Chihe tribe to him. willing!"

   "I don't want it either!" The Qingling Yus responded: "Me too! The three major departments want to come to beat us, so let them come! Kill them!"

  Tie Feng sat silently on the spot, looking very tired.

"First, we must continue to maintain the covenant with the Teltown Department, and it is fine to be their vassals in name. But we will not migrate to their pastures, nor will we join forces with them. We must make an appointment with the fire roaster. , if Haidong and Suzi want to attack us, he doesn't have to help, just loot the enemy's old camp."

   "Woo!" The Qingling Yus clapped their chests and shouted in unison, which was a way of expressing their approval.

   "Uncle." The white lion looked at Tie Feng: "On the side of the fire roaster, please send an ambassador."

Tie Feng was stunned for a moment. He put away his tiredness and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry. In my opinion, even if you don't make an appointment with him, the fire roaster will go to the other two old camps. We bleed, and they eat meat. things, the fire roaster is happy."

"Secondly, the healthy eaters and the gray eyes are not of the same mind. This is an opportunity to let them restrain each other. If the words are used in the right place, they can be worth ten thousand soldiers. I have asked the great shaman to go to the eastern part of the sea and the Suzi department to help They explained the benefits. Although our strength is damaged, we help whoever wins, and whoever we fight loses. I am willing to reaffirm the oath of the Red Cloud Khan, and only the descendants of the golden people will be the Khan." The white lion spread his hands: "I would like to swear again. , I will not be called Khan in this life, or I will die under the arrows of ten thousand arrows."

  Qingling Yu and the others looked at each other in dismay, but someone broke the silence and said happily: "The great shaman is on our side, so what are we afraid of?"

   "Thirdly, this fall, I don't plan to convene a warband east to the Grass Valley."

  The big tent was quiet, and everyone felt a little regretful: "At least send some people? It's a pity not to eat meat."

"Not only do we not go, we have to persuade the three major ministries not to go." The white lion pondered: "The interior of Palatu is a boiling kettle, and they rely on their success to relieve the pressure. They suffered a big loss this time, and they are very There may be some turmoil. We rashly send troops over, but they will be united again.”

   involves strategic issues, and everyone has unlimited trust in the white lion. Although a little regretful, they still shouted in unison: "Woo!"

"Fourth, we need to find a way to unite the small and medium-sized tribes around. Although the three major groups are powerful, they are not weaker than the small and medium-sized tribes. The leaders of the Canine Army and the Black Water Ministry are willing to persuade the tribes for us. ."

   "Woo!"

   "There is one last thing." The white lion smiled: "According to the old rules, divide the spoils."

   "Woo!!" The cheers broke through the tent and reached the sky.

   For the wars of the Hurds—or looting, the two are the same word in the Hurds—the most important thing is the loot.

   The worst punishment next to the death penalty is deprivation of the spoils.

  What are the so-called trophies of the Hurds?

  Anything.

  A carriage? good stuff!

tent? good stuff!

  Iron tools? good stuff!

  Armor weapons? It could not be better!

  Everything discarded by the Platos is good for the Hudds.

   But there are only three things that can really be put on the account: people, horses, and armor.

  The war songs of the Heard tribes do not sing about how much gold and silver cloth was plundered, but they certainly record how many men, horses, and armour were snatched.

   The Battle of the Styx was over, and the coalition forces were basically disbanded.

  The white lion doesn't want to cross the river to pursue, and the others who want to cross the river to pursue, also have no ability to organize. Even if the white lion thinks, he lacks the capacity.

  The Hurds failed to capture the mules and horses, because they were all taken away by Sekler.

   There are quite a few armors, and plate armor and tie armor have more than ten thousand collars.

  The plate armor belonged to the Palatine army, and the zha armor was captured by the Palatine army from the Heders.

   There are also many hot and cold weapons, muskets, swords, and so on.

   For the Hurd tribes in the cold weapon stage, the combat effectiveness of armored soldiers and unarmored soldiers is incomparable.

   So armor is a treasure, a pair of armor can be passed down for generations, from one tribe to another. Plate armor is the baby of the baby.

  According to the prior agreement, the armors of the various ministries will be returned to each other - there are marks on the leaves of the armor, and the plate armor of the Palatine will be divided according to the amount of effort.

   Adding up the two, the Chihe Department got nearly 3,000 sets of armor, and they also shed the most blood.

  Although all the tribes are hot-eyed, they are not allies in one second, and they will slash with knives in the next second.

   In addition to armor weapons, there are slaves.

Although the   Platoons destroyed the bridge temporarily to block the pursuers, they also left the horses who did not have time to cross the river on the west bank.

The    divisions captured more than 2,600 prisoners, most of them auxiliary soldiers and wounded.

  According to the market situation in previous years, the value of Palatu slaves is very high, because in the past 30 years, the Hurds have no chance to catch Palatu slaves.

   And the Hurd tribes captured the slaves of Palatus, and in addition to their daily work, they mainly let them farm the land.

   Yes, there is also arable land in the wasteland, and the Hurds also need crops to supplement their food sources.

   In order not to let the slaves of Paratus escape, the leaders of the tribes even married slaves of Hed to the slaves of Paratus.

   If it is a skilled slave such as a blacksmith, mason, or carpenter, the value will be higher.

   But now the season is not right, the Hurds captured the slaves of Plato to ask them to plant the land, but now the season for sowing has passed.

   caught too many prisoners in one breath, and the Platoon slaves were also rapidly depreciating.

  Hard's ministries simply did not distinguish between craftsmen and labor, and were directly allocated according to the head.

   There were still more than a thousand sheepskin sacks in the hands of the Chihe Department, so the white lion arranged for a man to be a scorpion on the Styx River, collecting the prisoners as a boat fee-and the tribe was not satisfied with the harvest, and wanted to cross the river to pursue.

   All the leaders of the various ministries are very shrewd. It should be noted that the essence of Plato's army is almost all on the east coast.

   Chasing a person to death is a piece of plate armor - the Paratus would never have the strength to take away the body and the armor.

   It is precisely because of this that in the pursuit of the 100-kilometer no-man’s land, the Hurds are all based on tribes, rather than the “coalition” as before.

  Other tribes may not need prisoners, but the Chihe tribe, which has lost many tribes, is in urgent need of replenishing labor.

  So Chihe has a thousand captives, they need to bring these slaves back, try not to let them die on the road.

   All of the above are allocations at the coalition level. When it comes to the tribe, it is another way of dividing.

  Many leaders do not give some of the loot at all, especially if the trophy is mainly military supplies.

   But the spoils of the Akagawa Division will be distributed to everyone as much as possible, no matter how large or small.

  Each member can get his share, and the family members of the deceased also have pensions.

   This may result in a slave having multiple owners, and according to the customary rules of the Chihe Department, one of the owners can redeem it.

  If you can't afford it, you can share a slave.

  The will of the Chihe army is far stronger than other troops, partly because the white lion is fair and willing to share the spoils with everyone.

  [Note: The concept of trophies is not limited to fighting, and the prey that is hunted is also trophies. The distribution of spoils is an important part of Heard society]

  Qing Feather happily counted the accounts with their fingers.

   "What do you want? Little lion?" Tie Feng asked.

   "Me?" The little lion smiled: "I just want a Veneta."

  …

  The little lion said that the Veneta people are making a pulley block at the moment.

   Winters had no other tools, he only had a pocket knife.

  The tribal doctor said that he needs to move the knee and ankle joints a little bit, so as not to get the root cause of the disease.

  Erron assisted Winters in "rehabilitation" every day.

   But Winters' height and weight were placed there, and it was difficult for Eerlun to support him.

   And she usually takes care of Winters' daily life, and Winters really can't bear to see her working so hard.

   Winters is going to make a set of pulleys, hanging from a bracket, so he can move his knees and ankles on his own.

   can also move his upper body muscles.

   He still has things to do and can't lie here.

  …

   At the same time, the castles of the kings.

  In the afterglow of the sun, Arpad and two guards rode into the city.

It has been more than a week since the remnants of the    expeditionary force returned to Palatu, and they are currently stationed in the distribution center of the Palatu army, which is where Winters set off - Shuangqiao Camp.

   Even though he has returned to the mainland, the situation is even more severe than in the wasteland.

The    expeditionary army was not disbanded, not only the standing army, but also the auxiliary troops.

   Not only that, but Arpad also took over the garrison and conscripted militias of Camp Two Bridges.

   His appeal was simple: "First, solve the pension problem of the expeditionary force."

  Before the war, the Army Headquarters agreed with the standing officers and soldiers that all rewards would be distributed in the form of land.

The    Expeditionary Force has brought back countless ears of Heard barbarians, who have fought **** battles and should be honored.

   "Second, mobilize the troops and prepare for the war. The battle has not been lost yet, and the Paratus have to fight again."

   Arpad knew very well that the tribes of Heard were like a pack of wolves surrounding a lion.

   Now the lion's deterrent power is weakened, the lion's claws are broken, and the wolves have begun to move.

   For the past three decades, the Paratus have been able to sustain the prosperity of the frontier. Not by defense, but by offense.

   The standing armies of the two legions, scattered over the long frontier, are like pouring salt into a lake.

   If the barbarians are in the offensive, they can launch raids from various positions, grab a handful and run away.

  The Paratus people will face the strategic dilemma of the ancient Muluo Empire, with beacon and smoke everywhere on the border, and the standing army is exhausted.

The size of the    army had to continue to expand without making enough profit.

   That's right, the Palatine Standing Army is now making money.

   Relying on loans, mortgages, bonds, and a dizzying array of "financial instruments", each of Plato's three decades of war for the Heard minions was a profitable business.

  When the army went out to expedition, the land in the no-man’s land had been divided, bought and sold, and flowed into the warehouse of the army headquarters and the grand council as military expenses.

   Not to mention the consequences of defaulting — just the thought of it gave Alpad a splitting headache.

   Just by changing from strategic offensive to strategic defensive, the standing army of Plato will change from a cornucopia to a bottomless pit.

In an open letter to the Great Council, Arpad clearly wrote: "To resolve the issue of pensions for the expeditionary force, I am willing to take off my military uniform, tie my hands, and bear all the responsibility for the failure of this campaign. As for General Yanos's I'm nominating Brigadier General Sackler, the only one who can be ready for the next battle."

  Alpad thinks he's doing the right thing—he's inherently bad at failure.

   In the face of failure, his first reaction is always "I didn't lose, I want to fight back".

   His opinion was also supported by the Palatine Army.

   Army Headquarters sent General Adams to the Great Council to explain Arpad's reasons to all members.

   But in the view of the Great Council, this is betrayal, this is coercion, this is "forcing the palace" - but it is also true, because Arpad is trying to force the palace.

   With resentment, he learned that the pontoon bridge was destroyed, and he immediately sent someone for help.

   But the Great Council only sent him five orders to withdraw troops.

  Alpad was furious when he remembered this: "Remove your mother! I was bitten on the tail by the barbarians, can I go without a fight?"

   In his opinion, if the Great Council could "mobilize quickly, react quickly, ignore the Hurd raiders, and directly send troops to rescue" as he once demanded, he would never have been reduced to where he is today.

  Alpad has made up his mind: he can take the blame, and he can deal with it casually if he wants to kill or cut it. But this battle is not over, and everything he does is for Plato!

   And how did the Great Council react?

  In the eyes of the members of the Kings Citadel faction, Arpad Duyoom has been treasonous.

  The kings and castles are dominated by the burghers. They have always advocated limiting the power of the army, and imitated the Republic of Veneta to bring all the powers of the army under the parliament.

   In the eyes of the blue-blooded congressman, although General Arpad did something abruptly, his intention was good and his opinion was right.

The origin of the   Blue Bloods is the second stage of the Sovereign War—in the Civil War of the Duchy of Palatu, the aristocratic officers who followed the old marshal were integrated into the new republic.

  Their bases were vast rural areas, local councils, and a class of "free men" who relied on military merit to grant land.

  The so-called "free people" are citizens who have the right to participate in the election of parliamentarians.

   They must be male and possess enough property or merit to generally play an important role in local life.

   The number of "free men" in Palato is currently less than 5% of the total number of adult men.

  As the White Lion observes, all internal contradictions can be overcome by victory in a triumphant advance.

   But once the momentum is setback, the cracks will be so obvious that one has to pay attention.

  The two factions of parliamentarians quarreled endlessly. One faction insisted that Arpad disband the army unconditionally, while the other faction firmly opposed.

The    Grand Council staged several performances of all martial arts, and the Blue Blood faction members with a strong military background beat the King Castle faction members.

   In the end, the two sides reluctantly reached a compromise.

The   grand council decided to agree to Arpad's request: to give relief to the remnants of the expeditionary force - although it was not known where to get the money; to agree to appoint Sackler as the commander of the army - but to agree that the real order of appointment was issued by the army headquarters.

   Arpad needs to disband the army and go to the Grand Council to report his duties.

   Riding across the suspension bridge, Arpad was filled with emotion. He has walked here many times, triumphant with cheers and flowers.

   At that time, he was a hero, proud of the spring breeze, full of smiles, fresh clothes and angry horses crossing the long street.

   And this time he walked into the castles of the kings, and when he came out again, he would be a criminal.

   But he will not become a criminal. He has worn this military uniform all his life and is too lazy to take it off.

  The small poison bottle was placed in the secret pocket of his heart.

   After his debriefing, he drank it in front of all the MPs before the guards arrested him.

   "Poisoned? Cheaper than me," he thought.

   He willingly took responsibility for the failure of this campaign—yes, not a war, but a campaign.

  In Arpad's view, this is just a part of a war. He hasn't lost, this war has not been lost, and Prato has not lost.

"Yasin, you child." Alpad recalled the past and couldn't help shaking his head with a wry smile: "I really learned a lot... But why didn't you come to Palatu with me? Well, why didn't I keep him forcibly? What about Plato?"

   He habitually reached out to touch the jug, and felt empty again.

   "That kid...should be dead." Alpad suddenly remembered the proud Veneta man: "He was still so young, I promised to let him go home, but I killed him."

   He felt like he was aging rapidly, each breath more tired than the last.

  The slate-paved street was quiet, no one was there.

  Suddenly, a man with blood on his clothes jumped out from the alley, and grabbed the reins of Arpad tightly: "Duyoom! Go! Go!"

   The two guards turned pale in shock, and drew their sabers with a "swoosh".

   The sky was dark, but Arpad could still make out who the man in front of the horse was.

  Because the man in front of him was his younger brother, the president of the Great Council—Alpad Klein Heisler.

   "What did you do?" Arpad was about to dismount immediately: "How come you have blood on your body!"

   "Go! They're going to kill you! Kill us!" Klein Heisler cried and pushed his brother towards the horse.

"boom!"

   A shot rang out.

  Klein Heisler became silent, the back of his head was shattered, red and white splashed all over Arpad, and he slowly fell to the ground.

  Alpad stood still, his brother's hand slipping from him.

   More gunshots.

   There are also footsteps and hoofs.

   "Kill to Kill!"

   "Don't go Arpad!"

   "Death or life!"

   Arpad roared furiously, he drew his saber, and was about to go up and fight.

   Two guards stopped in front of him, forcing his warhorse to turn his head, and kicked his warhorse fiercely.

   Arpad's steed galloped him towards the city gate.

   His two bodyguards charged towards the enemy.

   The suspension bridge was slowly rising, and Alpad stabbed the horse's ribs.

   Before the **** of the drawbridge was about to become unclimbable, Arpad's warhorse leaped over the bridge deck, flew over the moat, and fell heavily on the ground.

   Immediately, the warhorse carrying Arpad disappeared into the night.

   Sackler and the castles sent Grove David, the leader of the councillors, to the gate.

  Grove was furious, and slapped the gatekeeper hard, he roared: "How could he let him run away!"

   Something unexpected happened, the sound of hooves getting closer and closer, and Arpad actually came back.

   He reined in his horse in front of the moat and asked angrily, "Sackler! Is there still you?"

   "There is me." Sackler replied blankly.

   "Traitor!!"

   "No!" Sackler's voice was cold and firm: "I am only loyal to the Republic!"

   Arpad laughed in despair, took out the poison bottle, smashed it, and rode away.

   At the same time, the special envoy sent by Grove was rushing to the Shuangqiao Camp with the "Grand Council Order".

  The roar of thunder resounded through the fields, and the night of lightning was like day.

   The monsoon is here.

   [As to whether Arpad will be liquidated, I can finally give an answer: of course. Not only did the book friends know that he would be liquidated, but even he himself knew that he would be liquidated]

[Also, the Battle of the Great Wasteland is similar in a strategic sense to the Battle of the Teutonic Forest, or the legendary Battle of the Fall of the Ninth Legion (the field forces of the British Isles are annihilated, Rome is officially turned to strategic defense, the building of Hader) Liang Great Wall), and of course Sarhu... It is not the same as the westward movement, and the disparity between the strengths of the two sides is not as great as that of the westward movement. The enemy is also much harder to deal with...]

   Thank you book friends for reading, subscribing, recommending tickets, monthly tickets, tips and comments, thank you all.

   Yesterday's debt is paid off today, and two chapters are still owed.

   The first name of the natives of Paratus is followed by the last name. same as us.

   It will be reversed when it is formally written - in order to adapt to the official document writing format of the alliance.

   Immigration is still "first name first, last name last".

   (end of this chapter)