The residential area southwest of Solburg City has been emptied of people due to years of war. After the outpost stationed in Solburg, they directly occupied five or six stone houses next to each other as barracks.
A mansion left by a fleeing Provence businessman was arranged by the baggage officer Spencer to be given to Art as the commander's barracks. The mansion that had been ransacked countless times was already empty, but Spencer got some lounge chairs and exquisite furniture from nowhere and sent them here to decorate them. With Spencer's tinkering, it still felt like a wealthy businessman living here.
At was lying on the lounge chair in front of the fireplace, holding a glass of wine and chatting with the caravan steward. This was a rare leisure time.
"Sart, have you delivered the things for Lord Viscount Balian?" Art swung the delicious wine in the glass and gently clinked it with Salt's glass.
"My lord, the delivery boy has returned. Lord Balian sent someone to bring you a message, saying thank you for your generosity and that he will remember the name Art Wood Wells." Salter, who was sitting on the wooden chair, replied with a relaxed expression. He was very busy during this period, so it would be good to sit down and take a rest in the midst of his busy schedule.
"In addition, Lord Balian has promised to request the Provence court for us to grant the privilege of trading southern goods after the war has eased, so you can rest assured." At this point, Salt leaned forward slightly.
"Well, your caravan should contact Viscount Balian more in the future. If Viscount Balian needs the caravan to do anything, even if it means a slight loss of money, he must try his best to do it. Viscount Balian has become a new noble in the Provence court. After the war, whether we can establish a foothold in the southern goods market in Provence depends on Viscount Balian's help.
"Sir, I understand this. I will manage my relationship with Lord Balian carefully. In addition, there is one more thing that needs to be decided by you." Salt put down the wine glass in his hand.
They bought some southern goods and sold them to the eastern border counties of Burgundy through Fort Andermatt. "
Art picked up the wine glass and stood up from the lounge chair, and replied: "Cooper also said this in the letter, and Baron Antayas also sent someone to look for him."
"What do you think?" Art walked up to Salt and asked.
Salt quickly stood up from his chair and replied: "I think you can consider asking Baron Antayas to join us. After all, he has made it clear that he will only take the Andermatt Castle route to transport southern goods from the southeastern mountains of Burgundy to the eastern part of the country for sale. This route There is no conflict with the southern goods trade route we operate. And it is better to let your friends get a share of the southern goods trade than to let those profiteers in the north make all the money in the east. But I am afraid that Baron Antayas will not be able to successfully open up the southern goods market."
Salt went on to explain his doubts: "However, Baron Antayas is also a border guard baron after all, and he also has troops. He is not afraid of bandits along the way. Moreover, he has found us, which means that he has found a way to open up trade routes and markets. Sir, if Antaas If Baron Yas can really open up the trade route from the southeast to the east, then we will have an additional channel for selling southern goods. This can be regarded as a win-win situation. As long as we can firmly grasp the source of southern goods trade, Baron Antayas will always be our friend."
At stood in front of the fireplace, shaking his glass and thinking for a while, and then ordered Salter: "When you go back, tell Baron Antayas that I am willing to let my friends share the pie. And the money for the goods we sell to him in the first six months can be paid after he sells them. If the goods cannot be sold, the goods can be returned to us. And the price of the goods sold to Baron Antayas in the future will be 10% lower than others."
"This matter is settled. After you return north this time, you will go to Andermatt Castle in person to discuss the matter with Baron Antayas." Art ordered.
"By the way, after the capture of Solburg this time, I recruited a group of craftsmen and workshop workers, and they were temporarily put under the management of the baggage team. These people were enslaved by the Lombards for several years and suffered terribly. I told them about the Knights of the Valley. After living in Wo, they are all willing to go to the valley to work for me. When you return north this time, you will bring this group of people back to the valley. Tell Cooper that these people are rare talents and ask Cooper to make good use of them. "
Sart nodded.
"There is one more thing I have to tell you. The Dean family has been too quiet recently. This is very abnormal. A wolf-like wealthy businessman like old Dean is not so easy to defeat. I suspect that the Dean family is holding back evil~" Salter felt a little inexplicable about the recent quietness of the Dean family.
"Have our eagle eyes in the North noticed any changes in the Dean family?" Art asked.
"Is there any change in the Dean family that has not been discovered, but news from Besançon said that the situation in the court of the County of Burgundy has been quite delicate in recent months. There are rumors that the Marquis of Ivrea has become extremely weak, and the toddler eldest son Robert is about to take over the power of the county. However, another voice is getting louder in the dark - Robert is not the Marquis' biological son, and the Marquis also intends to take over the county. It just so happens that at the cusp of this crisis, Flanders Hugues, Count of Longchal, who has been staying in the southeastern corner of the Principality of Burgundy, visited Besançon and entered the palace to visit his cousin who no longer had much emotion. "
Art squeezed the wine glass in his hand. It seemed that the undercurrent that Bishop Olof told him had begun to stir up the waves.
Art placed the wine glass on the wooden table next to the lounge chair and whispered to Salter: "I will tell you a secret."
Salt listened.
"Since the beginning of autumn last year, the Earl of Flanders has begun to contact his old relatives. My father-in-law, Baron Galvin, is a relative of the Earl of Flanders, so he is also among the contacts. According to the information provided by my father-in-law, the Earl of Flanders has received support from the court of the Principality of Burgundy. Perhaps the rumors you heard are true~~"
"Ah!!! Isn't there going to be civil strife in the County of Burgundy?"
"In the past few months, we have just recruited a group of small businessmen from various places who have been devastated by the war to enter the European trading house. Our idea is to expand the business as soon as the war stops. If the Count of Burgundy is a volume, this trade road you have painstakingly built can be~"
Sart was worried that the unrest would lead to the interruption of trade routes, and the painstaking trade routes might be blocked again.
Matt expressed relief: "Some things are beyond our control, so let's just go with the flow. Besides, sometimes a war can cleanse the original stubborn forces, and we may also be able to benefit from the war."
Matt and Salt had different ideas. He felt that war might not be a disaster for a newly emerging business momentum.
Seeing that Salt was still uneasy, Art changed the subject and asked: "You have been back in Provence for several months. Have you found your children?"
Sart's expression softened obviously when he mentioned the children. "Thank you for your concern, sir. I have found my children in a small castle west of Provence."
"Oh, really? Congratulations. How about your ex-wife, will you let you take the children to the valley?" Art asked with concern.
Salter looked proud, "That old woman often didn't have enough to eat since she joined the farmer. Provence was full of wars, and her humble farmer husband was starving to death himself. He had food to support other people's children."
My ex-wife even wanted to follow me north back to the valley with the children.
"That's good, your family can be together again."
Sart looked disdainful, "I really can't let go of my son and daughter, but I have no attachment to that yellow-faced woman. Now that I'm traveling south and north, as long as I have money in my pocket, am I afraid I won't find a beautiful woman?"
"Haha, you have to choose carefully." Art said with a smile.
"The south is not peaceful. You should bring the children back to the valley as soon as possible. I will tell Cooper that your son will enter the parish school as an apprentice and let him grow up to become a better person than you. As for your daughter, please arrange to be a maid next to the madam. The madam likes children very much."
Of course Salter was very grateful to Art. He knew that the parish school was actually equivalent to the knight academy, and those who could learn from it would definitely become extraordinary people in the future. "Sir, my son is thirteen years old. It is God and your mercy and love that he can enter the school as an apprentice. But my daughter is only five years old. I am afraid it will only cause trouble for Mrs. Lottie."
"Scott's elf daughter is only five or six years old. That little guy is now Madam's most favored maid. Your daughter is about the same age as Camille, so it's more interesting for the two little guys to be together. In addition, I will also let Emma take care of your daughter's food, clothing, and daily life, so don't worry."
"Okay, I am one of the most capable confidants around me. You don't have to worry about anything, so you can work harder, and I do it for myself."
Sart immediately expressed his position, "Definitely. Try your best to do things for the adults! "
After talking with Salt about some trivial matters about how to expand the power of the European trading companies, Art left his barracks and visited the wounded soldiers in the nearby warehouse that was used as a temporary treatment center for wounded soldiers.
In addition to the wounded from Art’s outpost, there are also many wounded sent by other legion teams.
It was not because there were no doctors or barbers to treat the wounded in the legion, but mainly because the chance of survival under the hands of those people was too small. They often resorted to bloodletting, amputation, and enemas. A small wound was treated by these quack doctors and went directly to see God. Therefore, those officers who had seen the survival rate of wounded soldiers under Arte sent their injured elites to the outpost treatment center.
But these are not free.
When Art came to the rescue center, it was already full of injured patients. The baggage officer Spencer is helping the army priest Robert to cut off the carrion of a prisoner of war who has been detained and tortured by the Lombards for several months and has long since changed into a human form.
Seeing his master coming to inspect, Spencer quickly put down the bloody razor in his hand and ran straight to Art, ignoring the glance of the "chief surgeon" priest, "Sir, you came to visit the wounded soldiers again? You are really a kind and great man. Don't worry, I will definitely let the (medical) soldiers They take good care of the guys."
Art smiled at the baggage officer, nodded, and praised: "Spencer, I can rest assured about your work."
Spencer received the encouragement and praise, and his smile was as bright as a flower.
Hatta, accompanied by Spencer, walked to Father Robert, "Father Robert, thank you for saving the lives of these warriors with the hand of God."
Robert picked up a sharp razor with minced meat and said to Art: "Master Art, I can only save these poor people who are about to cross the line of life and death as much as possible for God. It is you secular noble officers who decide whether they are close to this line of life and death. Without the swords you handed them, these children should have been bathing in the holy light of God and enjoying the joy of the harvest after hard work."
Another anti-war faction.
"Anyway, I have to thank you." Art said very respectfully.
Robert also knew that an officer like Art could not influence a war, so he said no more, turned around and lowered his head and continued to clean the broken flesh on the injured shoulder.
As Art was about to leave, he glanced at the injuries on the wooden board and felt they looked very familiar.
"Spencer, which flag corps does this wounded soldier belong to?" Art asked Spencer beside him.
Spencer glanced at the dying guy and replied: "This man is not a legionnaire. He is a prisoner of war held by the Lombards in the dungeon of Saule Castle. This morning, several Provence guys will He sent it to us and said that this guy seemed to be a wandering knight who came south from Burgundy to fight. He seemed to be called Reyek Harred. No, it should be Reyek Harold. The Provence guys called him Golden Cask."
"Sir, this guy looked like he was captured by the Lombards and imprisoned and tortured. He didn't have a piece of good flesh on his body. He was originally sent to the legion's baggage team for treatment, but it turned out that he couldn't be cured at all. His Provence subordinates heard that we can treat serious illnesses, so they sent them here. I thought that this guy is a knight after all, and after he recovers, he can always get some money to pay for the treatment, so I took it..."
Matt didn't hear Spencer's words at all. His eyes were fixed on the guy lying on the wooden board who was being pulled by Robert's knife. The tattered linen coat had been torn and ground into strips, the soles of his feet were full of chapped mouths and pus, his ankles and wrists were scabbed by the iron shackles, and his shoulders He is still broad and tall, but the protruding ribs on his chest and the hollow belly have taken away his majesty. The big brown beard and short, lean hair of the past have been tied into thick and hard plates and hung loosely on his head. The deep-set eye sockets and high cheek bones tell the story of the suffering he has suffered.
At last, he remembered this familiar face. Three years ago, in the Free Buffalo Tavern in Tyniec, the brown-haired bearded knight was talking freely and threatened to prepare his own weapons and armor and go south to fight in Provence.
At the saddle shop, Art also set a silver cross on the warrior's saddle.
· After several years, Art did not expect to meet again in this place and in this way...
· "Sir~"
· "Sir."
· "Sir!"
· Odo woke up Art, who was in a trance.
"Hmm? Odo, what's the matter?" Art asked after coming back to his senses.
"My lord, Sir David would like to speak to you." Odo said.
"Sir David? Okay, I understand, you ask him to wait in my barracks, I will go back immediately."
At turned to Spencer and said, "Spencer, this injured patient is an old friend of mine. You must save him!" He turned and left.
"Huh? This is your friend?" Spencer hadn't reacted yet.
"Okay, we will try our best, we will try our best." Spencer chased Art out of the warehouse gate.