On the third day of December, the first light snow of winter fell in pieces in this Swabian border county.
Outside the city of Bufan, more than two hundred Burgundian soldiers relied on about twenty box chariots to surround a simple temporary camp, confronting more than a hundred Swabian defenders at the head of the city of Bufan. Various carriages loaded with goods continued to enter the temporary camp.
The Swabians at the head of the city were trembling with hatred, but they did not have the courage to break out of the safe city wall and actively attack the Burgundian bandits outside the city...
Last night, the army led by Art arrived at the city of Bufan without any hindrance as if they were in uninhabited territory. The Swabian defenders of Bufan City obviously did not expect that a Burgundian enemy force would suddenly appear when the Swabian army invaded Burgundy.
The Swabians were panic-stricken, and the two hundred most elite soldiers from Bufan County were sent to Count Landi to become the backbone of the plundering of the border of Yona, and participated in the glorious and profitable act of plundering Burgundy.
Now there are only a few peasants, soldiers and handymen left in the county town of Bufan and in the county territory. The hundred or so people in Bufan city can barely hold on to the city for a few days. If they want to fight outside the city, they may not be enough to fill the teeth of the Burgundian army outside the city.
Five to six hundred people showed off their power outside the city, and after suppressing the Swabian army in Bufan, Art divided the army into three parts.
LUsignan's cavalry was sent to patrol and guard the important roads south and east of Bufan City, always on guard against Landi's army stationed in Onan City or the army coming from the Swabian mansion. Once enemy reinforcements arrived, Art would decide whether to fight or flee based on the strength of enemy reinforcements;
The four flag detachments of the 1st Infantry Regiment of the Jonah Border Guard Corps temporarily followed Art in the temporary chariot barracks outside Bufan City to defend the Swabian garrison in the county;
All the remaining troops under the command, under the command of Angus and Odo, dispersed to various manors and castles in Bufan County with unoccupied chariots. Their only mission was to grab things!
At a fork in the road near Bufan City, the commander of the 2nd Infantry Regiment, Odo, was announcing the "forced recruitment" precautions to the grassroots officers of the 2nd Infantry Regiment under his command.
"Everyone, please remember that the main thing for this forced conquest is gold, silver, money, weapons and armor. The Swabians have robbed a lot of things from us over the years. It's time for us to go to their homes to do some forced conquest. Remember, Randy's old bastard's army is in Onan City, less than four days away. Your Excellency only gave us a day and a half. You must seize the time to conscript. Most of you are from civilian backgrounds. Who are the people in the village manor? Everyone must know the money, right? Please remember, we are not robbers, we can't rob everyone, and besides, we don't have time for you to search from house to house..."
"Besides, how much oil can those poor guys squeeze out of their homes?"
Otto is worried that his prisoner soldiers will rob them regardless of whether they are high or low, which will not only waste time but also not gain much.
Apparently Odo was overthinking. In the past, the prisoners stole and robbed common people because they could not defeat the peasants and soldiers guarding the nobles. Now the prisoners have become strong men with weapons in their hands and wearing armor. Of course, they give priority to the squires and nobles.
Odo's voice continued, "The targets of the forced conscription are, next, craftsmen, scholars, healers and all skilled craftsmen. Having said this, I must emphasize to everyone again that no one is allowed to enter the houses of craftsmen, scholars and healers. They and their relatives have accepted the protection of our army. Your Excellency said at the military meeting last night that if any craftsman, scholar or healer is captured, the Chinese army will reward them with thirty pfennigs. In order to allow those people to return to Burgundy with peace of mind, their relatives will also be taken away."
"The third one is chariots, horses and livestock. The chariots we carry need to carry soldiers in emergencies, so the things that are forced this time need to be transported by carriages. After you enter the village, you must collect the chariots, horses and livestock, otherwise how can those good things be transported back?" "Finally, the Chinese army ordered each force to search for the Burgundians who were plundered by the Swabians. Most of them were kept as slaves in the manor by the Swabians. This time we will rescue those brothers and let them join our army against the Swabians. After you rescue them, you can issue some simple weapons to the more courageous guys among them, and let them lead you to the rich Swabians."
"Remember our identity and mission, and don't waste time doing those sneaky things. Take good care of your soldiers. You are not allowed to hide anything more than twenty pfennigs. If you are caught, you will be severely punished by military law!"
"That's all, the flag squadrons dispersed and gathered here tonight!"
Eight miles west of Bufan City, three carriages pulling twenty-seven or eight strange soldiers were approaching the manor step by step.
This manor is surrounded by a simple wooden fence and is about the same size as the Lane Manor in Tyniec County.
The manor is not considered rich, but according to the Swabian civilians who led the way, the old knight has been operating the manor for more than ten years and has accumulated a lot of gold and silver treasures. The most important thing is that there are no soldiers in the manor. The only four manor guards immediately rolled up their leather trousers and ran away when they heard that dozens of elite enemy soldiers were coming. The old knight had to temporarily recruit more than a dozen farmers from the manor to pick up wooden forks and iron sickles and stand on the manor wall.
The old knight still had some responsibility. When dozens of murderous enemy soldiers came to the gate of the manor, the old knight dressed neatly and walked out of the manor in an attempt to negotiate with the enemy.
The old knight, accompanied by a spear-bearing peasant soldier, came to the chariot, bowed and saluted, "Dear guests, I am the lord here, Knight Logan Freeman, may I invite all gentlemen to have dinner with me in my manor?"
Rigg touched his forehead and looked at the pious knight with a puzzled expression. "What did this old knight say? He saluted me when I came to grab something. What a big deal!"
The squadron leader next to Rigg pushed the Swabian surrender and motioned for him to translate quickly.
"That old gentleman is a local lord, what's his name? He invited us to have dinner with him in the manor?" After listening to the words translated by the Swabian surrender, the squadron leader turned to the flag captain Rigg and said.
"I want to go in for dinner, but I don't need his invitation. I will go in myself. Tell the old knight that he can hold out and wait for me to attack, but don't expect me to duel with him. I can't beat him." Rigg, who was born as a bandit, does not have any sense of an officer and aristocrat.
The squadron leader said a few words to the surrender's interpreter. The Swabian surrender looked awkward. He hesitated for a while and conveyed Rigg's words to the old knight.
The old knight shook his head and sighed, leading the peasant soldiers into the manor...