A group of thirteen people galloped on the snowy King's Road on horseback.
The first horseman wears a mail hood and an iron helmet with a nose guard, a cotton armor lining inside, long-sleeved plate chain mail outside, fine iron arm guards on the elbows, cowhide boots, a fine steel dagger and a single-edged dagger at the waist, and a He wears a black heraldic cape and a black war horse. A riding bow and a sheepskin quiver hang from the horns on the left side of the front saddle, and a stainless steel long-handled knight's sword hangs on the right side. There is a leather round shield on the horse mattress cover of the rear saddle, and a cavalry short spear and a battle ax hang from the left and right sheath ropes.
The two horsemen behind them wore iron nose helmets, half-length mail, cotton armor lining, and black robes and cloaks. A heavy bow and ax was hung on the front saddle of the war horse, and a round shield and horse mattress cover was placed on the back saddle. The spear pouch was tied to the sheath rope. One of them held an eight-foot-long heraldic flag in his hand, with the bottom end on the right stirrup. Ten riders wearing various colors of cotton armor and robes and capes followed closely behind the flag. They all had bows and swords on their backs or spears on their horses.
A dozen military horses stepped on the layers of snow on the ground and raised their hooves, making bursts of rumbling noises.
·Pedestrians passing by on the road and troops rushing to the front line to change defenses all avoided this group of menacing cavalry. The disgusted expressions on their faces were filled with awe and admiration that could not be concealed.
"Master, you are so majestic! I have followed you for more than a year, and this is the most majestic time." Ron held the Blood-Eyed Howling Wolf heraldic flag in his right hand and said excitedly as he urged his horse to catch up with Art.
Matt slowed down his horse and let the horse under him walk freely for a while. Then he turned slightly and said to Ron: "This time we brought so many riders to Besançon for the sake of momentum. Don't you know how powerful our cavalry is and others can't see it? Except for a few of you sentry riders, everyone else can barely even ride a horse, let alone shoot and slash on horseback. They are all arrogant and not impressive."
Ron's pride was not extinguished by Art's cold water. He immediately turned around and glanced at the ten cavalrymen following behind him. Although he knew that most of them were just new riders who had just managed to control their horses and stabilize their bodies, he was addicted to the thrill of leading a large group of "cavalry" to charge. He straightened up and urged the horse to run for a few steps, sat on the saddle and turned to Angus and said: "Sergeant Major, we must train a real cavalry after we return to the valley!"
< Angus kicked the horse's belly and replied with a smile: "Training cavalry is not something you can just talk about, but if Lord Art can make enough money, we will definitely be able to train an elite cavalry team in the future."
In order to prevent the horses under him from getting too tired, the group of people rode on the King's Road for two days before arriving at a small town ten miles southeast of Besancon. Art ordered everyone to rest in the town for a night and recuperate before entering the city of Besancon the next day.
Although this is just a small town, it is richer than other places because it is close to Besançon, the palace of the countenance. Therefore, there are all kinds of taverns, hotels, shops and workshops in the town. The roads in the town are relatively clean and tidy. Most of the pedestrians coming and going on the carriage road are wearing thick coats and felt hats, which makes them very wealthy.
"There is a small hotel called the Homecoming at the other end of the town across this street. How about we rest in that hotel tonight?" As a native of Besançon, Angus is very familiar with the situation around Besançon.
"You are more familiar with this place than I am, so you can just make up your mind on these matters."
Matt stared at a southern goods shop in the town and asked Angus intently: "Sergeant, are there also southern goods shops in a small town like this?"
Angus recalled it and replied: "Generally There are no southern goods shops in this town, but it is close to Besançon, and there are often southern goods caravans and hawkers passing by, so there are southern goods shops. "
"Is this place controlled by the guild?"
"I'm not very sure about this, but a year ago a southern goods shop in a small town north of Besançon was ransacked by a group of unknown people. Some people rumored that it was sent by Besançon's trading guild." Angus turned to look at the southern goods shop he just passed by, and continued: "This southern goods shop must have just opened. I was here last spring, and at that time it was still a tanner. To be able to open a southern goods shop under the eyes of the guild, there must be a shadow of the guild behind this shop..."
Chatting all the way, the group soon walked into the hotel called the Returner. From the slightly panicked look on the innkeeper's face when he saw Angus, we could guess that Angus must have acted as a city gangster here who forced him to eat and drink.
Angus stared at the panicked shopkeeper for a long time, smacked his lips, took out a sheepskin purse from his arms and threw it to the shopkeeper, saying: "Ruel, this is the money I owe you, take it, the rest will be used for our food and accommodation tonight."
The thin shopkeeper looked at Angus in disbelief, and opened the door cautiously After opening the money bag filled with copper pfennigs and small silver coins, he looked up and saw a dozen well-armed guys standing outside the door. The shop owner suddenly put the money bag away and patted it in Angus's arms. He said repeatedly: "Mr. Angus, take the money back and you can eat and drink as you wish. I just ask you not to rob my shop and don't hurt my family." The thin shop owner shrunk with a cry, and he was about to kneel down.
Hunted closely behind Angus, Art and Ron had black lines on their heads. Ron whispered in Art's ear: "The sergeant major has done so many evil things before to make the shop owner so afraid."
Att just smiled softly and shrugged.
Angus was very embarrassed by the innkeeper. In the past, he often ate and asked for food in this inn, and he also beat the innkeeper and robbed the inn of money. But now he has changed his ways. In the past six months, his military pay and military rewards have accumulated to a thousand penny. This time, he really plans to ask the innkeeper to pay off his debt.
Seeing that the awkward situation was at a stalemate, the clever Ron quickly stepped forward and said to the innkeeper: "Standing in front of you is Angus Dao, the security patrol officer of the southern border of the palace and the adjutant of the army under the trainee knight Sir Art. Your Excellency."
Hence the shopkeeper didn't understand for a while, so Ron patiently explained: "We are the troops returning from the palace's Eastern Expedition. We come to your shop for food and accommodation, and the money we use will not be less than half a copper coin from you."
The store owner’s frightened expression eased after he realized that the group of people outside the door were not the robbers brought by Angus to rob the store’s goods.
Angus was already very impatient by the shopkeeper, "Why are you still here? Go and prepare drinks and meat!"
The shopkeeper quickly put the money bag into his arms and ran into the store's kitchen to prepare food with a smile.
"Master Art, I made you laugh~I'm sorry~" Angus rubbed his head in embarrassment and brought Art into the store.
The few wandering mercenaries sitting on the longest and largest wooden table in the store saw a dozen guys in armor and swords rushing in, and quickly stood up to make room for them.
The group of people took their seats one by one, and soon the shopkeeper and two bartenders carried a wooden tray and brought food to Art's table - half a roast lamb that had been prepared in advance, several large wooden bowls of minced meat porridge, a large bucket of onion stew, two pots of apple jelly pears and a whole barrel of light beer. The shopkeeper did not dare to offend the group of soldiers, so the dishes on the table were filled with meat, fruits and vegetables.
Matt was thoughtful and was not very interested in the large pots and barrels of food in front of him. He ate a piece of mutton and drank two glasses of beer before returning to his room to rest.
The remaining people at the table, especially the ordinary soldiers who rarely ate with Art on weekdays, only relaxed their restraints when they saw Art leave. The saddle horses have been tired these past few days, and when rushing on the road, I often eat a few bites of hard rye bread with snow water on the roadside. I have been complaining for a long time. As soon as Art left, everyone unbuttoned their clothes, grabbed the meat, vegetables, wine and wine on the table and stuffed it into their mouths. They kept talking loudly about their stay in Tarburg. After years of battles and enemies killed, the guests in the hotel soon gathered around the long table and listened to the legendary stories that happened in the southeastern mountains. The owner of the hotel was busy serving food and wine for everyone, and the money bag in his arms jingled as he jumped forward and stomped back.
The excitement in the hotel lasted until late at night. It was only when the food in the owner's kitchen was almost exhausted that everyone returned to their rooms to rest with their round bellies...
The next morning, Ron opened the door to Art's room and brought a bowl of steaming bread and mutton soup. Art stood up and put on a heavy chain mail suit with Ron's help. Then he picked up the wooden bowl, poured the mutton soup and bread batter into his mouth and swallowed it.
Matt wiped the corner of his mouth and asked: "Have all the soldiers had breakfast?"
Ron replied while tying Art's belt: "The guys have all eaten and are resting downstairs now. They can set off at any time. ”
Matt was very satisfied. He thought that the soldiers were still asleep in their rooms after partying all night last night, but they were ready to go, “Okay, let’s enter the city of Besançon.”
........................
When a group of thirteen cavalry rushed towards Besançon from the southeast, the garrison commander at the east gate of Besançon was really sweating, because there was no cavalry team with the heraldic flag of the bloody-eyed howling wolf around the city of Besançon, and a dozen cavalry troops A single charge could overwhelm a team of hundreds of peasants and soldiers, so the sudden appearance of a strange cavalry team shocked the city guard commander. Worried about an emergency situation, he quickly ordered the city guards to close the drawbridge and close the city gates. The archers on the city also rushed to the crenellations to prepare to release arrows.
At saw the unusual movement at the east gate of the city, he waved his hand to stop the team behind him, and then called Ron to give some instructions.
Holding the heraldic flag, Ron walked slowly to the foot of the city wall on horseback alone, announced his identity to the garrison on the city, and handed over the palace documents. The garrison commander called the literate tax collector in the doorway to read the documents and double-checked them carefully before letting the drawbridge be lowered and opening the door to welcome the army returning from the battlefield.
After entering Besancon, Art asked Angus to take the cavalry team to the military camp in the church square in the city, and he took Ron into the palace to hand over the documents for completing the military service to the clerk. When Art wrote his name on the parchment on the clerk's official desk, After writing the words and stamping the seal, the war between the Count of Burgundy and the Principality of Swabia was of no concern to him for the time being. All that was left was to wait for the palace to spare the energy to commend the merits of this batch of canonized trainee knights. The swallow tail on the Art heraldic flag might be cut off soon.
Matt walked out of the palace gate, took his weapons and mounted his horse, and said to Ron who was following him: "Ron, let's go back to the military camp to pick up gifts and visit Lord Baldwin. I don't expect the dignitaries in the palace to take the initiative to think of the blood we shed in Tarburg."
…