Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 469 Rekindling Spark (1)

   [Vogne County]

  [Oak Town]

  Old Mattia Miklo woke up early, but he just lay rigidly on the bed, staring silently at the dome in the dark.

   So did his wife.

  In the spacious bedroom, only the slow breathing of the two could be heard.

  I don't know how long it took, and finally, a string of screeching roosters pierced the repressed silence.

   A series of sounds came from downstairs, and old Ma Tiya listened silently.

   The morning noises in the ears of other people drew vivid pictures in his mind:

   Old Tasso, an elderly valet, yawned, pushed open the door that lacked lubrication, hammered his knees that were also lacking lubrication a few times, and walked slowly towards the stable with heavy steps;

   The live-in maid put on her coat and walked lightly through the corridor, holding the milk jug to the cowshed;

  The hound outside the house and the hospital dog in the distance seem to greet each other and bark one after another;

  The cowherd rang the copper bell and drove the cattle into the pasture...

   Surrounding this beautiful two-story wooden building, awakened by the crowing of cocks, there is also the most extensive, fertile and beautiful farm in Oak Town - Mattia Manor.

  Old Ma Tiya listened carefully, not missing even the slightest noise, until the sun rose.

   When the first beam of light entered the bedroom, old Ma Tiya immediately got up from the bed mechanically, opened the window, and inspected the manor in the morning light as usual.

   His old wife walked to the closet silently, took out the luggage prepared the night before, and carefully helped her husband get dressed.

   "I will bring him back." Old Matia turned her back to his wife and said dumbly, as if making a promise.

   His wife did not speak, but only touched her husband's hand.

  Tasso, the personal servant who served Martiya Milok for many years, brought the best four horses in the manor.

  The horses have been fed well in advance, and Old Tasso got up early to give them a meal, so they are all full of energy, and they will definitely be able to withstand the long journey.

   But Matia Miklo examined the four slender, muscular, and smooth-furred horses carefully and changed her mind at the last minute.

   He shook his head and told Tasso: "Prepare the bald-tailed horse."

  The old servant couldn't help widening his eyes: "Those old horses are not strong enough. If we ride them, we won't be able to go home before dark."

  Matiya Milok has no explanation.

   The old servant was accustomed to the "employer"'s taciturnity. He muttered and brought the four good horses back to the stable. After a while, he came out with the four bad horses with bald tails.

  The bad horses are getting old and know that they are going to go far. They are restlessly biting the iron bits in their mouths, and their white spit can't stop dripping down.

  Matiya Milok greeted him with his saber. He patted the horses' necks lightly, pressed the horse's back with his left hand, and jumped into the saddle.

  Old Tasso saw this, he also tightened the belt on which the saber was hanging, and mounted the horse in the stirrup.

  Mrs. Madia walked out of the room with a saddlebag in both hands, and handed the saddlebag to her husband.

   Without saying goodbye or seeing off, Milok and Tasso's master and servant, each with a horse, left the manor before the sun fully rose and set off for [Artemis].

  The sky is still dark, there are few pedestrians on the road, only a few shepherds rushing out to eat grass.

   If it was in the past, Matia Milok and Tasso might have encountered caravans and travelers who also went to Artemis, and they might have happily accompanied the latter.

   But now, the master and servant do not want to meet any "companion".

  The war changed everything around people so profoundly:

   Villages and towns became closed and exclusive, and high walls were erected to deny visits from strangers;

  The communication between the settlements ceased to exist, and only rogue bandits and lawless rout roamed the wild;

  Isolated farmhouses will turn to ashes overnight. After losing order, farmers who originally abide by their duties may also turn into devils in a single thought;

   As for those travelers who have a reason to travel, they are always clenching their weapons, pricking up their ears, and vigilantly watching every nuisance in their field of vision.

   However, before the sun reached the treetops, Mattia Milok was overtaken.

   "I'll go with you!" Matia Raul gasped and announced loudly: "Dad!"

  The old servant Tasso glanced at the horse under Raul's crotch, and couldn't help but folded his arms and pouted.

  Matiya Milok stared at his younger son without saying a word, looked at the latter's childish eyes, at the latter's beard that had not yet grown, and at the latter's sweat-soaked hunting suit.

  Raul felt uncomfortable when his father saw him, and his chest filled with shame and anger for no reason. He pulled out the saber from the saddlebag with his backhand, and said angrily, "Don't underestimate me!"

  Old Ma Tiya was silent for a moment and asked, "You...know where you are going?"

   "Go to Artemis." Raul looked directly at his father without fear.

  Old Ma Tiya asked again: "Do you know what to do?"

   "Ransom." Raul pursed his lips and replied in a low voice, "Or redeem corpses."

   "Do you know who you are going to see?" Old Ma Tiya asked again.

   "I know." Raul avoided his father's gaze and looked at the toes of his father's and son's boots: "That person."

  Old Ma Jiya is like a stone statue carved with a knife and an axe. Although he has facial features, he is expressionless: "Who?"

   Under the coercion of his father's gaze, Raul was half disgusted, half fearful, and reluctantly said the name: "Blood Wolf... Your Excellency."

   But saying that name was like removing some invisible burden, and Raul simply said it all at once: "So what? I'd like to see what's so great about that person!"

  Old Ma Tiya looked at his younger son, for some reason, neither taught him a lesson nor asked any more questions.

   Old Tasso behind him smacked his lips and broke the stalemate between father and son: "Master, in my opinion, even if you drive Master Raul away now, he will catch up again."

  Old Ma Tiya said nothing.

   In this world, there is probably no one who knows how to please and persuade Mattia Milok better than the old servant of Madia Milok.

I saw Old Tasso blinking and half-truth complaining: "Oh, it's true, it's just like you, they're all stubborn donkeys, stubborn donkeys! Alas...or else...or take labor first. Master Er goes to the county seat? After Artemis, I want to find a place to settle Master Raul... It shouldn't be difficult."

  Old Ma Jiya pondered for a moment, and pulled the reins lightly. The old horse he was riding on immediately understood and turned around at a pacing pace.

  Matiya Raul was stunned for a moment, then ecstatic, and made a face at his Uncle Tasso.

  Tasso also silently patted Raul on the shoulder, took out a sweat towel from the saddlebag and handed it to Raul.

   A group of three set off again.

  [Oak Town] and [Artemis] are both located on the west bank of [Anya River], and the straight-line distance between them is about twenty kilometers.

   You can get there in at least two hours at the full speed of your horsepower.

   But because the three of the Madia family consciously avoided the settlements and towns along the way, they took a long detour, which took a lot of extra time.

   In addition, the four old horses they were riding were old and weak, so it was noon when the three arrived at the "rebel" outpost on the outskirts of the city.

  The provincial road leading to Artemis in Oak Town is [Deer Mountain] to the west and the Anya River to the east. The "rebels" set up cards in the narrowest part of the terrain between the mountains and rivers, and there is no way to avoid it or to get around it.

   The three were stationed on the hillside. Looking at the congested checkpoint in the distance, Tasso couldn't help but look embarrassed.

   "Master." The old servant suggested in a low voice, "Otherwise, why don't you just avoid it?"

Raul laughed dumbly. Although he was young, his brain responded quickly: "Detour? Where else can we go? Can we go back the same way and go around Lushan? In case there is a checkpoint on that road, and then What should I do?"

   The old servant gently shook his head towards the young master, signaling the latter to stay safe.

  Old Ma Tiya silently observed the outpost in the distance, and finally nodded slowly.

  Tasso's heart tightened - because he knew that Matia Milok had already made up his mind.

  …

  [After half an hour]

   "When will it be our turn?" Raul couldn't help shouting.

   The "congestion" you see from a distance is completely different from the "congestion" you are in.

   In front of the three-person line of the Ma Tiya family, there was a long queue of more than 30 double carriages;

  In the rear of the three-member Matriya family, there are more single and double carriages.

   And the speed of the entire long line was so slow that it was horribly slow, and the noon scorching sun overhead was extremely vicious. Many coachmen simply hid in the shade of the roadside and took a nap.

  Raul could only withstand the sweltering heat, waiting eagerly for the convoy to move forward slowly at an anxious speed.

   Fortunately, the old Tasso who went to drink the horse returned quickly, and brought back two sheepskin sacs full of water.

  Raul cheered, took off the water bladder from the saddle, bit off the cork, and drank happily.

   Drinking alone wasn't enough fun. Raul held the water bag high above his head, poured the remaining water in the water bag on himself, and washed the sweat with the heat.

   On the other side, old Matia took another water bag from old Tasso, took a sip, put down the water bag and looked at the old servant.

  Old Tasso, of course, understood what it meant, and replied with a smile: "I'm full by the river."

  Old Ma Jiya nodded, took a few sips of water slowly, and then carefully tied the sheepskin bag tightly and put it back on the saddle.

   After a while, Old Tasso had already taken out the hay sack, and was sneaking in some extra food for the bald-tailed old horses.

  After all this was done, Old Tasso rubbed his sore shoulders and walked back to the "old employer" and the "small employer".

"The convoy in front is from [Mace Town]." Old Tasso lowered his voice: "Behind, it's from [Shannan Town]. There are also a few 'compatriots' from [Oak Town], but they are all gangsters. Guys, just follow."

   "How do you..." Raul was dumbfounded.

   "When I was drinking horses, I asked about it by the way." Old Tasso and old Ma Tiya looked at each other: "Don't worry, no one recognizes me."

  Raul looked at his father and then at Old Tasso. After digesting it for a while, he asked in amazement: "From Mace Town and Shannan Town? That's more than a day's journey..."

   Having said that, Raul stood on tiptoe and looked forward and back, the size of the convoy stretching along the provincial road was already too large to be "abnormal".

   Maybe two or three years ago, this was normal.

   But in the present situation, what is normal is not normal.

"It is said." Old Tasso was also very puzzled: "The 'rebels' are buying wildly in Artemis, grain, hemp, oil, smoke... No matter what, as long as it is transported to Artemis, it can be sold twice as much. To the 'rebels'. That's why the gentlemen are going to be mad to send carts of good things to Artemis."

"The price of food is going up again?" Raul suddenly came back to his senses: "Send it to Artemis, and the 'rebels' will buy it? Blood Wolf... Where did your Excellency get so much gold and silver? Could it be a trap... "

  Old Tasso leaned on his saber and shrugged nonchalantly.

  Old Matia was silent.

   There was a sudden commotion in front of him, and the driver who was dozing off in the shade of the roadside was awakened and looked towards the checkpoint for unknown reasons.

   Suddenly, a coachman ran towards his carriage. Afterwards, the other coachmen were like blindly following a frightened herd of horses, rushing to their respective carts.

   Hong bell-like voice came from the front:

   "Get your passes ready!"

   "The car in front and the car behind, the distance between two horses!"

   "Don't dawdle! Move fast! Run! Run!"

  “…”

  Old Matia and Old Tasso couldn't help looking at each other, while Raul couldn't help looking up.

  The voice became clearer and closer, and the idle people who were blocking the way avoided one after another. The three Ma Jiya family finally saw the appearance of the "sound source":

   It was a handsome young man, of medium height, but he looked sturdy; though he was wearing an old military uniform that had been washed and faded, his leather boots were excellent;

   Even more striking is the luxurious saber hanging from the youth's belt.

   Judging from the exquisiteness of the knife alone, the saber should also be enshrined on the fireplace as a family heirloom, and should not be casually hung on the belt by two belts.

What    was even more impressive than the saber was the piercing eyes of the young man.

   The sharp eyes shot from those eyes are like sharp arrows, wherever they go, everyone subconsciously avoids them.

  Matiya Raul also felt the scrutiny of the young Sabre youth, instinctively made him want to escape, but he gritted his teeth and stared back in disobedience.

   Until the end, Raul did not avoid the opponent's sight.

   However, perhaps it was this brief exchange of glances that made the young man with a sword, who had already passed by the three of them, turn back.

  Don't be in a hurry when the Sabre Youth turned back, but several "rebel" soldiers who followed behind the Sabre Youth immediately surrounded the Majiya family.

   glanced over, and the young man with saber found the real leader among the three. He looked at old Ma Tiya: "Pass?"

  Old Ma Tiya nodded, took out a letter from the saddle bag—the pass signed by the mayor of Oak Township, and handed it to Raul beside him.

   "To whom?" Raul asked, stubbornly choking his neck.

  The young man with a saber politely extended his hand.

   Old Tasso raised his eyebrows, Raul's eyes were a little more mocking, and old Ma Tiya still had a stern expression.

   However, contrary to the expectations of old Tasso and Raul, after the young man with saber received the pass, he did not take a fake glance and waved his hand, but "read" it carefully.

   "Mr. Ma Tiya?" the young man asked.

  Old Matthew nodded slightly.

   "Who are these two?"

   "I'm a horse feeder." Old Tasso answered first, then motioned to Raul: "This is our young master."

   "The reason for the trip is..." The Sabre youth frowned slightly: "Visiting friends?"

  Old Ma Tiya nodded slightly.

  The young man with a saber measured the top and bottom of the three, and slowly folded the pass back to its original shape.

  Raul insisted and asked: "What else can we help?"

   "Don't be nervous." The Sabre youth showed a hearty smile. He raised his hand and pointed to the checkpoint in front of him: "The freight carriage needs to line up here, you can go directly."

  Raul looked at the checkpoint in front of him, then looked at his father and old Tasso, his annoyance was palpable: "Then what are you waiting for?"

  Old Tasso looked at Old Mattia inquiringly.

   "Thank you." Old Ma Jiya nodded in greeting.

  The young man with a saber nodded in return, indicating that he would lead the way. The three members of the Ma Tiya family, either actively or passively, followed the Sabre youth to the checkpoint unimpeded.

   However, just halfway there, Raul suddenly stopped, widened his eyes, and looked forward blankly.

  Old Tasso followed Raul's gaze and looked forward, his pupils dilated.

   The distance was far away before, and it was blocked by trees on both sides of the road, so the three of them could not detect it.

   But where they were at the moment, the previously invisible scene was clearly displayed in front of them:

   The huge oak tree downwind of the checkpoint was covered with human corpses.

   Dozens of corpses swayed regularly in the wind, as if performing a terrifying group dance.

  Raul suddenly felt a huge force rushing up from his stomach; although old Tasso remained calm, his face was not good-looking; old Matthew turned his body and did not look at the oak tree again.

   The young man with a saber caught the expressions of the three of them. Perhaps he felt that this scene was a bit too shocking, and he took the initiative to explain: "Those are all bandits and criminals who were sentenced to hang. They didn't have time to hang a gallows for them, so they hung it on a tree."

  Old Tasso leaned on his saber, swallowed a mouthful of spit with difficulty, and forced a three-point smile: "Your Majesty Blood Wolf's methods are really... unusual..."

"The way of punishment lies in less punishment and more severe punishment." The young man with a saber glanced at the convoy in front of the checkpoint, then glanced at the tree of hanging corpses in the distance, and asked calmly: "Don't hang them on the tree, good people. How dare you go out?"

   "Less penalties, heavy penalties." Old Tasso stared at the young man with a saber for a while, and finally lowered his head: "See you."

   "I didn't say that." The Sabre Young Man smiled: "Your Excellency said it."

  The rebels' checkpoints are divided into incoming and outgoing sides, with a small gate and a gate on each side.

   In front of the gate, the "rebel" soldiers on duty are checking and counting the cargo of a double cart. That's probably why there was such a long queue behind.

  From the establishment of the newly reclaimed land province, the toll tax has been one of the important sources of income for the prefectures stationed in the village. There are cards between counties, and sentries between towns. It can be said that there are cards everywhere and sentries everywhere.

   is not only a businessman, but the common people also hate it, but there is nothing they can do. So even Raul, who has no travel experience, knows what the "rebel" soldiers are doing.

  Old Tasso spoke on behalf of the "employer" family. With a flattering smile, he asked in a low voice, "This, I don't know? Toll tax?"

   "No." The Sabre youth said amazingly.

  Old Tasso couldn't react for a while: "Nothing?"

   "There is no toll tax." The Sabre youth repeated it, he thought for a while, and added: "At least not for the time being."

  Raul couldn't help but ask: "Then why?"

   He raised his hand and pointed to the "rebel" soldier who was checking the truck, and there was no need to say more in the second half of the sentence.

   "By the order of Your Excellency Bard Tribune, the toll tax is exempted." The Sabre youth replied politely and politely: "But the declaration and inspection still have to be implemented."

   After saying that, the young man with saber raised his hand and said, "Please."

   In the "surroundings" of the "rebel" soldiers, the three of the Majiya family walked to the checkpoint step by step.

   For some reason, Raul's heart beat faster with each step he took. But when he saw that his father's pace was still steady, he also resisted the feeling of dizziness and vomiting, and followed him forward.

In front of the    checkpoint, the rebel soldier on duty asked coldly, "What should I declare?"

  Raul shook his head.

   "Yes." Old Ma Jiya answered succinctly: "Gold."

   He reached into the small saddle bag hanging in front of the saddle, took out two short stick-like pottery sticks, and slammed each other.

  The surface of the terracotta was chipped and peeled off, and part of the contents was exposed.

   In the noon sun, there is a breathtaking luster.

   [Return from the **** battle]

   [OrzOrzOrz]

   [Sorry, there are too many things in life and work recently. I've been writing, but I can't make use of the fragmented time]

   [Additional explanation about bandit suppression]

   [Whether it is in the East or the West, no matter what dynasty or generation it is, bandit suppression is a policy that unconditionally wins the hearts and minds of the people. Bandits, must be suppressed, not suppressed.]

   [Among the various policies promulgated by Napoleon after he obtained the status of the first ruling party, [Exterminating the Rural Bandits] is the most popular policy among the French, and there is no one among them.]

   [In the vastness of France (compared to the small German state of the same period), banditry has never disappeared. The Bourbon Dynasty, the Jacobins, and the Directorate also issued orders to suppress bandits, but none of them succeeded in eradicating bandits in France. Only the First French Empire has exhausted all means, and only the French banditry that the First French Empire has successfully eliminated]

[In November 1799, 40% of France's territory was under martial law, but within three years, travel within the country was safe again, and commerce was restored; even Napoleon's brilliant victory in Italy was not as good as [suppressing bandits]. People's Hearts - "Napoleon the Great"]

   [In the Holy Roman Empire, the neighboring country of France, the most common method for the leadership of free cities to increase public support is to suppress bandits]

   [The city-states in the German region will organize [severe//strikes] every three times and five times. It goes without saying that murder and arson are divided by capital punishment, and petty theft will also be severely punished. These [bandit-suppression activities] can not only strengthen public security, but also provide entertainment activities for the people (observation of punishment), and the people of that era loved it.]

   (end of this chapter)