"Let's continue on our way, hoping to gain something in the next village." Baron Balian sighed and kicked the horse's belly.
They have been wandering around Tyniec County for two days, but they have gained very little. From Wincheston in the north to Lane in the south, from Sapp in the west to Bulla in the east, all the villages and castles passing by treated them with a surprisingly consistent attitude - first of all, they expressed a warm welcome after hearing that their purpose was to buy grain, because the old grain in the lords' homes had begun to go moldy, and of course they wanted to exchange the "uneatable" grain into sparkling silver coins as soon as possible. But upon hearing Baron Balian's request that the food must be sent to the Provence border, the smiles on everyone's faces immediately turned into wrinkles.
The reason is very simple. In this chaotic season when people usually go out in small groups, carrying knives and swords, if they take the eye-catching food on the road, it is no different than a stunning woman who takes off her clothes and walks among a group of hungry and thirsty men. The road to the southern border of Tyniec You have to pass through countless dense forests and wilderness, deep valleys and hills. Behind every tree and every stone there may be a group of ferocious bandits grinding their teeth, waiting for their prey to come to you. And those rogue bandits who are worried about food will never let a grain of food leave safely from their "territory".
In these troubled times, this is an indisputable fact. Without dozens of strong soldiers guarding the formation, no one dares to carry a large amount of food through a place where bandits are raging. Now, the lords everywhere can only organize the thin peasants to pick up wooden forks and hoes to "protect" their sacred territory from greedy bandits and bandits.
After being rejected several times, Baron Balian had already raised the price of grain to twice that of an ordinary year, and promised to pay a large sum of money for transportation. In the end, only a squire who was emboldened by silver coins agreed to Balian's conditions and bought the three carriages of old wheat that had started to go moldy in the barn to Baron Balian at a high price. Three serfs who were stunned by the squire's flattery were hired as grooms to drive the cart.
"Sir, at this rate, the soldiers in Fort Kalk will starve to death before we can raise enough food~" The long-brown attendant said with his head hanging down while carrying two thousand pounds of food towards the east.
“There is a place called Fort Andermatt in the far east. Let’s try our luck there. If we still can’t raise enough food, we will return to Kitzby.” Baron Bellian was already discouraged. He brought enough money to buy tens of thousands of pounds of food but only bought less than two thousand pounds of moldy old wheat. Dozens of soldiers from Fort Kalk might I had just been hungry and used my last bit of strength to kill the last enemy who jumped onto the city wall, but I was wandering around here in vain...
………
In the dense forest leading to Andermatt Castle, a group of bandits who had gathered recently were planning a big deal here.
The bandit leader was carrying a giant hand ax used by lumberjacks. He twisted his ugly face and asked the bandit who was responsible for inquiring about the information: "One eye, can you see clearly? Are they three people? Are there a large group of people behind them?" He replied: "Big Chief, I swear to you with my remaining eye, there are indeed only three people, three horses and one mule, and it seems to be the same riders who passed by two days ago. But this time they are not followed by more than a dozen soldiers."
One eye continued to encourage, "Big boss, there is no heraldic flag or military flag. Although the three of them are wearing black robes and cloaks, there are no military marks. They should be armed escorts of a few wealthy caravans. I think those horses are good, just in time to snatch them for a hero like you."
The leader of the bandits was originally an ordinary farmer in the neighboring county to the west of Tyniec. When he was twenty years old, the family's cattle suddenly went crazy and injured the village knight. The usually strong knight died of serious injuries. He began to vomit blood within a few days, and died soon after. After getting into a terrible disaster, he had to flee for his life in a foreign land and blocked the road. The plundering and lone businessmen were barely making ends meet. The war in the south and the increasingly severe security in the southern border of Burgundy made him feel that his time had come, so more than half a year ago he began to recruit a group of crooked melons and dates to join his team. In just a few months, they had already looted several small settlements and obtained some food and a small amount of coins. A few small victories allowed the leaders to experience the pleasure of robbery by the bandits, so their appetite grew...
The big leader looked back at a dozen of his men who were resting on the grass under the trees in the forest. They were all newly-joined refugees and serfs who had escaped from the manor. Having lost everything, they used their lives as the last bet for food. Therefore, despite their rudimentary weapons and incomplete armor, they could always succeed in robbing houses and houses with their bravery and risking their lives.
"The bastards have started working, and I'm excited. After grabbing this ticket, go home to drink and eat meat."
The minions scattered in the dense forest roared, picked up the farm tools and sticks around them, and followed the big leader and a few "old brothers" towards the carriageway in the northeast.
On the carriage road returning west from Andermatt Castle, the Art trio were galloping. The road back was never quiet. Not far from Andermatt Castle, three or three groups of bandits loomed in their sight. They were like hungry wild dogs, not daring to attack the lion rashly but always sniffing the scent of their prey and waiting for an opportunity to strike behind them.
Ron's fear of the unfamiliar jungle has taken root deeply in his heart.
Every time he passed through a dense forest, he would always ride a horse and gallop at the edge of the dense forest. After making sure that there was absolutely no ambush, he would pass through nervously like a mouse crossing the street.
"Sir, there is movement in the jungle ahead. I'm not sure if it's dangerous. Should I take a detour?" Ron ran back from the edge of the jungle.
Att glanced into the dense forest and didn't feel anything unusual. But since Ron said there was movement, he'd better take a detour. There are only three of them. If they are entangled by a group of bandits in the dense forest, it will be difficult to escape smoothly.
Art took off the riding bow from the saddle and held it in his hand, and ordered Jason who was following him: "Jason, there is a river blocking the way to the north and you can't go around. You follow the dense forest a stone's throw away and look south to see if you can bypass this dense forest. If there is danger, return immediately."
Jason made a promise, turned the horse's head and ran south.
Watching Jason's back gradually disappear, Art jumped off the horse, handed the reins to Ron who was dismounted, and said: "Ron, let's rest here. You come and feed the horse some food and water, and I'll go and guard the surrounding area." Then he took out a light arrow, climbed up on a raised stone on the side of the road, and looked around.
After a meal, Jason rode his tired and panting horse back to the rocks beside the road to find Art. He said, "No, sir, the terrain in the south is getting steeper. We may be able to climb around it on foot, but we have horses and green mules, so I'm afraid we won't be able to climb up."
Art called back Ron, who was watching the surrounding area, and asked, "Are you sure there is anything unusual in the dense forest?"
Ron nodded and replied: "Sir, although I am not sure that they are the bandits who are lying in wait, I am sure that there are definitely people in the dense forest, and there is more than one."
Matt believed Ron's words. When they came, there were a few tails following them near the dense forest for a long time. It was only because of the large number of people that they did not dare to attack rashly. Now that the three lonely men have returned, those tails may be turning into teeth.
At looked at the surrounding terrain, there was a wide plain to the east. There was no cover except for dense forests. He should not be attacked. Even if there was danger, he could escape on horseback.
"Let's go, find a place to make a fire to cook."
"Sir, did I hear you right~ Make a fire to cook? Are we not on our way?" Ron is ready to counterattack the enemy's back like he did in the birch forest south of Lane last year.
"Otherwise? You said there might be danger in the jungle, why should we rush to die?"
"But we can't go around this dense forest."
"I don't plan to go around the dense forest, but we are not in a hurry. It doesn't matter if we wait for a day and a half. If there is an ambush in the forest, they will not have the patience to wait for so long. They will either retreat or rush out of the dense forest to attack. Attack us. All we need now is for the men to keep their swords and horses unsaddled. After eating and drinking enough to build up enough power, we can mount our horses and run east if there is any danger."
"That's right~ Anyway, we can run away, and we are not in a hurry, so just wait. Jason, go and collect some firewood, and we will grill bacon for lunch today."
…..
On a gentle slope in the dense forest, a dozen bandits with numb hands and feet were still lying here. They all tilted their heads and twisted their necks, looking at the road to the east of the dense forest.
The buck-toothed man crouched next to the big leader finally couldn't bear it anymore, stood up and roared: "Big leader, can those bastards still come? My fucking neck is about to break. If you ask me to rush out with an axe, it's okay. I have to. What kind of ambush are you doing~"
The big leader lay on the ground, twisted his neck, stared at the strong man, and said fiercely: "If you don't get down, I will chop off your pig legs."
The strong man. Knowing that the big leader really dared to chop off his pig legs, he lay down on the ground angrily, muttering: "I'm so f*cking panicked, I might as well go back and continue to be a bandit~"
The big leader just pretended that he didn't hear the strong man's words. He grumbled, turned to the eye next to him and said, "You blind man, are those bastards here?"
While I was wondering, a sentry guy ran back.
One eye stood up and kicked him: "Asshole, who asked you to run back? Where are the people?"
The little guy quickly got up, patted the footprints on his body, and stammered: "Two~Second Leader~ Those bastards are making a fire and cooking in the open space in front of the dense forest~"
"What? Make a fire and cook!! Are you blind? What time of the day are you going to eat if you are not on the road?" One eye kicked the little guy to the ground again.
The little guy was about to cry. He lay on the ground and replied with a cry: "Big leader, second leader, what I said is true. They are still grilling bacon~"
The bandit leader stopped the third kick that One Eye was about to kick, pointed at the faint black smoke floating in the sky outside the dense forest and said: "Okay, a bunch of trash. Come on, follow me and fight out!"