"Sir, you are here."
Outside the gate of the border outpost, Dawson, who heard that Art had arrived at the border outpost, hurried over to meet him.
After Art dismounted, he handed the reins to the guard at the side. Walking slowly towards the gate of the outpost.
"Have those bastards confessed?" Art asked as soon as he saw Dawson.
intella "Oh, tell me what useful information you pried out of him."
"Yes, sir. According to the caravan guard, they were sent by the Duke of Lombardy to inquire for information. Since the Marquis succeeded to the throne, there have been voices in the Lombardy Palace to suppress the Burgundy Kingdom~"
"People sent by the Duke of Lombardy?" Art looked shocked. He really didn't expect that this ambitious guy would move so quickly. The succession war had only ended a few months ago, and he was already reaching out to his own turf.
"Where is that bastard?" Art continued to ask, his heart full of anger. While talking, the group of people had arrived at the border outpost barracks.
"Being held in solitary confinement in an interrogation room." Dawson replied.
In the interrogation room at the border outpost, the caravan guard was tied to the middle pillar. The clothes on his body were torn and stained with blood from the whipping. The mark left by the branding iron on the thigh was also clearly visible and was completely scorched black. There were bruises and swelling all over the face, and blood was still dripping from the mouth and nose.
A few days ago, the Duke of Lombard summoned this man to the court. He was ordered to go north to the Burgundy Kingdom with the caravan to collect information and find out the details of the Earl of Wales. This man is the distant nephew of the Duke of Lombardy. Although he is not good at martial arts, his mind is still flexible and he has rich experience. The Duke wanted to cultivate him, so he sent him to the north and placed him in the caravan as his confidant.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the caravan entered the border of the Burgundy Kingdom, it was thrown into prison by the border count's people. They were detained for several days without giving them any chance to explain.
Earlier today, the caravan guards were taken for interrogation one by one. The screams that came from the house a little further away made this aristocratic child who grew up in a privileged environment tremble. Although the Duke had confessed before departure, his identity could not be revealed under any circumstances. But in the face of such torture, the young nobleman dressed as a caravan guard still failed to keep his mouth shut. If I carry it on myself, I'm afraid my life will be at stake here.
Zhi～
The door to the interrogation room was pushed open, and the light that came in made it difficult for the guard to open his eyes.
Matt walked in slowly and sat on a chair near the wall.
The caravan guard slowly raised his head, opened his eyes slightly and glanced at the person in front of him. This person has extraordinary popularity and handsome face. Wearing a finely crafted mink coat, leather boots, and a stainless steel knight's sword at his waist.
"Wake him up, I want to interrogate him personally." As he spoke, Art took off the pair of leather gloves that Lottie had sewn for him, and placed them on the table nearby. Ron and others stood aside.
Dawson winked at the person next to him, who picked up the barrel and walked straight towards the dying caravan guard.
As the biting ice water soaked through the guard's body, the guy yelled, opened his mouth wide and took a deep breath, gradually regaining consciousness.
"You bastard, don't pretend to be dead. We're pretty light on you. Compared with other guys, you're lucky."
Dawson stepped forward to check on the guy in front of him and slapped him twice.
Matt stood up slowly and walked towards the guard.
"I heard from my men that you are spies sent by the Duke of Lombardy~"
The guard raised his head with difficulty and glanced at the young and promising count in front of him. Nodding in acknowledgement.
Matt walked behind the pillar, slowly raised the man's hand, and examined it.
“Caravan guard?” Art asked in return. "How dare you lie in front of me now?" Art raised his voice.
Dawson clenched his fists and was about to teach this guy a lesson, but Art stopped him.
"You said you are a caravan guard, then why are there no calluses on your palms from using the sword for a long time?"
Ron, who was standing aside, looked at his right palm holding the sword, which was full of calluses.
In Art's view, even the least popular caravan guards will leave a layer of calluses on their hands. But the guy in front of him had smooth hands and fair skin. He was obviously a noble child who was not good at martial arts. No matter how bad he is, he is still a rich young man from a big businessman's family in Lombardy.
Faced with Art's interrogation, this man had nothing to say. I had to call them one by one to avoid suffering any more physical pain.
"I~I am the distant nephew of the Duke of Lombardy. This time, I am serving as his eyes in the caravan, secretly collecting information about the Burgundy Kingdom."
"Besides your caravan, is there anyone else sneaking into the Burgundy Kingdom?"
The guard bowed his head and remained silent.
"Say!" Dawson stepped forward and slapped the guy hard, then stabbed the wound on his thigh that had just stopped bleeding with his finger.
「啊！我说，我说！我们还有一支人马经科多尔省进入勃艮第侯国，一路北上打探消息。我们这支人马的任务主要是来摸清威尔斯省伯爵的底细。」
「另一支商队有多少人？」亚特问道。
"More than twenty people." The guard replied.
"Okay, then I will leave you alive for the time being. If I find out that you are deceiving me, I will cut off your head and hang it on the border gate!"
Yate said a harsh word.
………
"Master, are we going to let this guy go like this?"
After walking out of the interrogation room, Ron caught up with Art and asked.
"Yes, sir. We cannot let these bastards go so easily." Dawson agreed.
"Save their lives first. Especially the nephew of the Duke of Lombardy. Even though he is just a distant relative and nephew sent to die, I still expect the Duke of Lombardy to spend a lot of money to redeem his people. Let the doctors in the valley give them some treatment, and we cannot let them die like this easily. Then take them all to Boulder Town and imprison them."
"Yes, sir."
"Ron, when you go back, ask Bob to notify Stanley immediately and ask him to send someone to find another caravan for me. Once you find their traces, report them immediately!"
"Yes, sir."
"Now that the Duke of Lombardy has sent people to investigate him, I'm afraid that bastard Ward has also learned that I am still alive~" Art muttered to himself.
Before leaving the border post, Art ordered the officers at the border post to strictly inspect incoming merchant travelers from now on to prevent enemy infiltration and secret sabotage.
………
"Hurry, hurry up."
In the dense forest in the mountains fifteen miles south of the workshop area, two guys dressed like laborers were struggling to move forward among the weeds.
Last night, the two of them stole enough dry food for ten days from the shack at the construction site not far to the south of the workshop area. Then under the cover of darkness, he fled along the flat land south of the valley and river. After finding a hiding place to rest for the night, we resumed our journey early in the morning.
"Hunter, wait for me~" The fat man named Aleph panted heavily while dragging his feet to catch up.
"Hurry up." Hunter leaned on a stone and looked at the fat man impatiently.
"When can we arrive~" Aleph caught up and sat down on a dead tree nearby.
"Norman said that since they are building a road to the south, it means that we can directly reach the north of Lombardy from the valley. Judging from the time it took us to detour from Lombardy to Provence, if we move quickly, we should be able to get out of the valley in seven or eight days. Let's go quickly, hurry up and hurry up. If we tell Count Valais the news one day earlier, we will complete the task one day earlier~"
The two of them then opened the road and walked south with the help of wooden sticks.
………
Ever since he heard at the palace meeting a few days ago that the new earl of the southern border of the Burgundy Kingdom was named Art Wood Wells, Ward Burley could not sit still.
In addition to sending people to Wales to inquire about information, the robber-turned-count also strengthened the security forces around him. The guard team of thirty people before turned into sixty people, half in the light and half in the dark, never leaving. In addition, he also re-screened the handymen and servants in his mansion, and drove away all those whose identities were unknown. Now, even his own food is delivered by a fixed person, and the food delivered to Walder Burley's table is also tested for poison by a dedicated person. It's not that he was unnecessary. The servant who died tragically in his own home is the best example.
Now, all business travelers entering Walder Burley's territory will be strictly interrogated by the city guards. Those with Burgundian accents were imprisoned and interrogated severely. Even if those "innocent" guys are not spies sent by the enemy, they will be blackmailed by this guy for a sum of money.
Just taking these measures is certainly not enough. Ward Burley has been active in many ways in recent days, taking the initiative to contact many powerful officials and wealthy businessmen in the Principality of Lombardy, spreading the word that Lombardy is about to suffer an "invasion" from the north. Many noble merchants who originally intended to suppress Flanders were inflamed by Walder Burley and responded one after another. Some guys are even suggesting that the Duke of Lombardy take advantage of the unstable foundation of the Burgundy Kingdom to take advantage of the situation and lead an army to defeat the Burgundy Kingdom and seize all its territory.
If it were not for the fact that Provence was in the middle and beyond reach, the Duke of Lombardy, who had intended to expand his territory, would have probably begun to prepare for war. The spies previously sent out to collect intelligence should have entered the territory of Burgundy. Once the situation is clear, Flanders's power is clear, and the details of the southern earl are known, it will not be too late to take action. The Duke of Lombardy was at his wits' end.
In addition to the Duke of Lombardy being interested in the newly born Burgundy Kingdom, the Principality of Swabia, which has "taken advantage of the situation" many times before, is also keeping a close eye on this piece of fat.
A year ago, when the Liberation Army and the Thorne Army in the West were fighting fiercely along Besançon, the Swabian army took advantage of the lack of troops in the East and launched a brazen raid, capturing several cities and fortresses in the East of Yona Province in one fell swoop. If the sudden appearance of reinforcements hadn't disrupted their deployment, the meat that had been swallowed into their mouths would have long since become Swabia's territory.
Nowadays, Flanders, the ruler of the Burgundy Kingdom who started as a mercenary, relied on the power of France to defeat the Thorne army, unified the country, and turned the former Burgundy County into the Burgundy Kingdom. Now it is much more difficult to take the opportunity to send troops to occupy the territory of the Burgundy Kingdom.
However, difficulty does not mean that there are no opportunities.
In recent days, spies have reported that the Duke of Lombardy and other noble bureaucrats in the south regard Flanders as a thorn in their side. Lombardy is also feeling crisis-ridden due to the changes in the situation in the north. Now, all it takes is a match to ignite the lion of Lombardy and extinguish the raging fire of Burgundy.
Successive rulers of Lombardy and Swabia hoped to annex the County of Burgundy and the Duchy of Provence. Unfortunately, the former Count of Burgundy had the Duchy of Burgundy as its backing, so it was difficult to swallow it all in one go. Provence and Lombardy are equally powerful. The two sides have been banging each other for years, but Lombardy has not made substantial progress.
Now, a golden opportunity lies in front of the Principality of Swabia. Previously, the Count of Burgundy had the backing of the Duchy of Burgundy. Now, the two have terminated their suzerainty relationship, and the Burgundy Kingdom has returned to the Kingdom of France. Although the Kingdom of France is strong, it is separated by the Duchy of Burgundy, which has already suffered a dumb loss. Even if France sends troops to support, it has to consider the "stumbling block" of the Duchy of Burgundy.
As long as the two powerful principalities of Swabia and Lombardy jointly send troops to encircle and suppress the Burgundian kingdom with an unstable foundation, it will be much easier to annex its territory step by step than before.
After deciding to unite with Lombardy to attack Burgundy, the Duke of Swabia did two things.
First, a group of fifty spies disguised as refugees were sent to the territory of Burgundy to inquire about information and collect intelligence. On the one hand, find out Flanders' strength and prepare for future attacks. On the other hand, unite those who oppose Flanders and use them as internal agents to assist Swabia in penetrating into the Kingdom of Burgundy step by step.
Second, send a special envoy to the Principality of Lombardy to persuade the Duke of Lombardy to invade the Principality of Burgundy together with the Principality of Swabia. Once the Burgundian kingdom is annexed, the territory will be divided equally between the two countries.
………
Swabia is like a jackal, always on the lookout for its prey. Once it seizes the opportunity, it will try its best to pounce on the prey, kill it, and swallow its internal organs one bite at a time. But Lombardy in the south is like a tiger and a leopard, and will never allow others to get involved in its territory. Even if the opponent has not shown any aggression, the smell it emits is enough to make Lombardy feel in danger. Rather than waiting for prey to come to you, it is better to take the initiative to avoid future troubles.
Sandwiched between the surrounding principalities, the Kingdom of Burgundy has always been a piece of fat in other people's mouths.
Now that the princely state has just been established, it is surrounded by crises. How to stabilize the interior while preventing ambitious guys from surrounding areas from encroaching on their territory will be a test for the rulers of the Burgundy Kingdom, as well as for the various counts under the Burgundy Kingdom. Especially the Earl of Wales in the southern border of the Burgundy Kingdom - Art Wood Wells.