The convoy stopped at the edge of the mountainous area, and several captains gathered around Art.
"Baskazak, take your squad to escort the convoy, wounded soldiers and prisoners back to the Talburg, tell Odo to strengthen the defenses, and be prepared to withstand the Swabian army's attack on the Talburg from now on."
"Tuba, you take the fourth squad. I will then select some stronger men from among the serfs and slaves with two teams of peasants and soldiers, and dig holes for me along the way from here. I will dig them as deep and as large as I want. I will also dig holes on the edges of the hillsides, and then plant some spiked wooden stakes in the deep holes to make it difficult for the enemy to move even an inch."
"Pats, lead the third team with tools and go around to find out if there are any detours. If there are any, set traps for me, just like the wolf traps I taught you when hunting in the valley."
"Sergeant, has Ron come back?" Let’s go to the south and take a look later. Ron and Jason should be on their way to catch up with the brigade.”
It was almost daybreak, fifty miles south of Bilten. When a fast horse borrowed from the villages around Bilten ventured into the southern manor through the night, Baron Jeffrey, who had worked hard all night, was sleeping on the belly of the manor owner's secret mistress.
After the captain of the guard learned the bad news that Biltenburg had been attacked, he was so frightened that he rushed directly into the guest room where Baron Jeffery was staying. He woke up the drooling Baron Jeffery and reported the bad news that Biltenburg had fallen and all the defenders were killed.
Hence, Baron Jeffrey broke out in a cold sweat and lost all sleep. He jumped out of bed, grabbed the captain of the guard by the collar and yelled: "What the f*ck did you say?"
Chief of the guard. He was also a little confused, and he replied nonchalantly: "My lord, Biltenburg was captured, the defenders were killed, the castle was robbed, and the lady and young master were also captured."
"The lady and the young master were kidnapped by the enemy~"
"Ah!!!" Baron Jeffery collapsed on the bed. After a long while, he slowly got up. He drank a glass of wine handed over by the mistress of the manor before regaining his composure.
The woman beside him pulled the captain of the guard out of the room and ran towards the army camp outside the manor...
At noon, seven fast horses ran back to Biltenberg with foam on their faces, and Jeffrey almost dragged himself into the castle.
Howlings and cries filled the entire castle. On the streets, civilians in groups were transporting the corpses of the stripped-off defenders to the cemetery outside the city. Some corpses were surrounded by wailing relatives. Fragments of items were scattered on the street. The doors of the better houses on both sides were also broken, and the houses were in a mess.
Before returning to the inner fort, there were still piles of tables, chairs, benches and old clothes in the open space that the enemy had not taken away. The gate of the inner fort had been cracked, and there were several piles of ashes from burning thatch on both sides of the door.
In the inner castle, the surviving servants were still cleaning up the messy lord's hall. All decent things in the entire inner castle had been taken away, even the iron candlesticks on the walls and the baron's armchair were taken away.
On the way back, the messenger had told Jeffrey that the people who attacked Biltenberg were a group of Burgundian troops disguised as a baggage convoy. After capturing the castle, they killed all the defenders, plundered all the supplies in the castle, and then swaggered into the western mountains with more than a dozen ox carts full of goods.
Baron Jeffery immediately thought of the Burgundian army stationed in Talburg, and he also guessed that the so-called "gathering of bandits" was just a conspiracy by the Burgundian army. They deceived most of Jeffrey's army into the southern manor and took the opportunity to raid the defenseless Biltenberg.
"Bastard! Devil! Shameless person!" Baron Jeffrey stood at the door of the lord's bedroom in the inner castle and roared three times towards the vacated room, with deep shame in his anger...
An hour later, the seven horses, which had not had time to rest, endured fatigue and ran towards the mountainous area to the west under the kick of their master's spurs.
—— ——————
On the carriageway east of Talburg, a few dead leaves were gently blown by the breeze, and a thin layer of new soil was exposed under the dead leaves. The gradually setting sun is scorching the earth, and the dazzling afternoon sun makes it difficult to open one's eyes.
The smoke from the seven fast horses filled the entire carriageway. Leading the way was the captain of the guard under Baron Jeffrey. He was wearing fine iron chain mail, a mail hood, and a blue plaid robe. He held a spear in his hand and a long sword at his waist. He was very powerful.
"My lord, if we go further we will enter the mountains. I am worried that the enemy will set up an ambush on the roadside. Should we assemble the team before going in?" The captain of the guard tightened the reins and turned to Baron Jeffrey, who was following closely.
Baron Jeffery stood on his horse and observed the road and both sides for a while. There was no sign of an ambush. However, since the enemy could think of the conspiracy of "bandits gathering", he could not guarantee that there was absolutely no conspiracy set by the enemy on this road.
Jeffrey thought for a while and said to the two cavalrymen behind him who were borrowed from the owner of the southern manor: "You two will go to the west along this carriage road to scout out and return when you encounter the enemy. We will wait here for the army behind."
The two cavalrymen are just temporary guards hired by the owner of the manor. They are not willing to take risks for others. After all, Baron Jeffrey is not his employer.
One of the cavalrymen glanced at the calm carriage road, then at the surrounding hills, and declined: "Baron, this journey is not very peaceful, and there may be ambushes. Master Charles just asked us to go back to Biltenberg with you, and did not say that we would also go to the enemy's outpost~"
Baron Jeffery pursed his lips and took out two coins from his arms. The silver shillings were thrown to the two of them, "If you can find any useful information, I will give you two more."
The two cavalrymen took the thrown silver coins, looked at them carefully in the sunshine, put them into their arms with a smile, and said with a shy smile: "Don't worry, Lord Baron, we two brothers will definitely touch the base of the wall of Talburg, and grab another tongue and come back to ask for your reward."
As he said that, he bypassed the captain of the guard in front and rode forward. The two of them were very good at riding. The horses stepped on the ground, kicked up dust, and galloped toward the west with their hooves polished.
Looking at the two cavalrymen leaving in the dust, the chief guard became interested in talent and said to Baron Jeffrey. "Sir, although these two guys are a bit slippery, they are still two good men. We can consider hiring them for our use after we come back."
Baron Jeffrey nodded lightly as he looked at the two people's speeding backs.
There was a loud thump on the other side of the road, and the figures of the two horses suddenly disappeared from the calm ground, followed by a burst of war horses neighing and human voices screaming... Talburg, twenty miles away, was bustling with activity at this time.
There were more than 90 soldiers and laborers garrisoned in Tarburg. In addition to the caravans that had not left the army and the prisoners released from Bültenburg, there were already more than 130 people stationed in Tarburg. There were also a group of enemy prisoners and several captured craftsmen in the inner fort cells.
Odo and Cooper, who stayed behind at Tarburg, were very busy. Otto not only had to arrange the returning troops to various parts of Tarburg to strengthen the defense, but also received the captives and prisoners brought back. He also had to be responsible for arranging the wounded soldiers and preparing food for the returning troops. Spencer, the baggage officer under Odo, was so tired that stars appeared in his eyes.
The army that raided Biltenburg brought back a large amount of loot. These things were too complicated. Cooper and Salter, who were responsible for counting and making books, could only roughly organize the records. Those goods that could be quickly sold at high prices in the Northland were selected aside. The army caravan will leave with this batch of goods before the Swabian army attacks; those that can be used for the defense of Talburg or to maintain the operation of the military fortress. A small amount of weapons and armor, some tools, and most of the food were piled in the hall of the inner fort. These things were temporarily kept and dispatched by Odo's baggage team to meet the daily expenses of the military fort; and those items such as clothing, furniture, copper pots, pots, and pottery pots that were not needed yet and were not easy to sell were stored in the repaired military fort warehouse, waiting to be brought back to the wooden fort in the valley when the army evacuated Tarburg.
Talburg's defenses had been carefully prepared for the army's surprise attack on Bültenberg. A trebuchet on the top of the inner castle tower was modified by a carpenter into a four-man traction puller. Next to the trebuchet were several piles of stones the size of clay pots. On the corridor fighting positions on the outer wall, there was a soldier holding a short spear and carrying a round shield every five steps. Each of the city defenders There is a pile of neatly stacked stones beside the soldiers, and a combat group of soldiers patrols back and forth on the outer wall; ten bundles of arrows are stored in the two arrow towers on the front of the outer wall, and four temporary archers and crossbowmen are stationed in each arrow tower.
There is an oak door leaning against the entrance of the castle gate. In case of enemy attack, the gate will be embedded in the groove of the door and supported from the inside with two thick bars.
The wooden bridge over the hole outside the fort gate became a simple suspension bridge. Two thick ropes were stretched diagonally on the front of the outer wall, and two soldiers were responsible for retracting and releasing it.
On the hillside on the right side in front of Tal Fort, three combat soldiers and five peasant soldiers were stationed in the waiting platform. Six infantry bows, two crossbows and 800 arrows were prepared here. The gentle slope in front of the waiting platform is covered with potholes and traps of various sizes. The earth and rocks on both sides of the gentle slope have been dug out to build walls. If the enemy wants to occupy the waiting platform, they can only attack from the gentle slope full of traps in the front.
….
On the road east of Tarburg, Angus and Ron galloped back. As soon as they saw Art, they reported that the two enemy riders who came to scout at the entrance of the mountain valley fell into the trap they had set up all night. "Master Art, haven't you been a hunter in the past few years?" It was all in vain. Now the carriage road five miles from the east valley entrance to the west is full of trap holes. Even if the enemy doesn't step into the trap, it will take them a whole day just to fill up those holes." Angus couldn't suppress the excitement on his face.
Matt also laughed a few times, and then said to Angus and Ron: "Sergeant Major, Ron, you two take a few soldiers with good archery skills and nimble legs to the east to attack the enemy. You must lurk well, and when you encounter a suitable opportunity, shoot a few arrows from a distance. If the enemy sends troops to pursue you, , you immediately escape into the hills, and when the enemy soldiers return, you stick up to harass them. It doesn't matter whether you can kill the enemy, anyway, as long as they are still on this road, you cannot let them live in peace. From now on, you are the hunters in the forest who deal with wild wolves, and they are the prey..."