Chapter 645: Dilemma
"Mr. Bishop!" Art turned around and saw the figure of Bishop Olof.
"I just heard from the guard that you are here, come and take a look." Bishop Olof's footsteps were brisk. When Art saw this, he immediately turned around and faced him.
Kneeled down and kissed the ring on Bishop Orlov's hand.
"May my Lord bless you, my child." Bishop Olof stroked Art's head gently and then helped him up.
After a few people exchanged pleasantries, they walked into the house where Flanders was.
There is a large wooden table placed on the side of the room against the west wall. It is filled with dark glass medicine bottles of different sizes and colors. Next to the glass medicine bottles are several large rolls of cloth for bandaging wounds and tools packed in a wooden box.
There was a wooden barrel placed under the table, filled to the brim with strips of cloth stained with dark brown bruises and residual potion. There was a basin of water on the table above the barrel, specially used to wipe Flanders' body.
There was a wooden shelf placed next to the bed, and the armor that Flanders wore during the war was hung neatly on it, reflecting golden light under the firelight in the fireplace on the north wall.
At this time, lying on the velvet bed, Flanders no longer looked as tall and strong as before, and even looked a little thin.
The wound opened by the poisonous arrow had already turned dark black, and the surrounding skin was infected by the spreading venom, extending from the entire face to the neck. The originally reddish lips were as dark as night, and the swollen eyes were almost blind.
The exposed hands are covered with black markings, and the blood vessels on the epidermis are also purple-brown.
It is difficult to detect the ups and downs of Flanders' chest between breaths and breaths, which makes his whole person look lifeless, and his soul seems to have slowly left his body.
After a while, the son came outside the house again.
"Your Majesty, Bishop, there is something I must confess to you." As soon as he came outside the house, Art said softly to Bishop Olof.
Olov didn’t respond for a moment. The moment he saw Art, he already had the answer in his heart. Although Dr. Thomas treated Flanders day and night, he did not see any improvement.
"Child, I think I already know what you are going to say." Bishop Olof rubbed the ring on his thumb, his voice as calm as usual. "We have done everything we should do. Since this is God's decision, we can only accept it."
"Amen!"
"Amen!"
Before leaving the monastery, Art informed Bishop Olof of his decision to send Flanders back to Besancon tonight. Bishop Olof called Art aside, chatted for a few words alone, and then hurried back to prepare for the journey back north.
After nightfall, a carriage team of more than 200 people set off from the north gate of Santia City, carrying torches and heraldic flags and walking along the commercial road towards the northern border of Lombardy.
On the north wall of Santia City, Art, Odo, Angus, Father Robert and others watched the retreating team without saying a word.
The howling north wind violently tore the blood-eyed howling wolf heraldic flag hanging on the city wall. The stars and moon hanging high were like daylight, and the scattered moonlight shrouded the entire city of Santia.
It was not until the northbound team disappeared into the gentle hills that Art turned around. The cold wind on the city wall made his face numb and his hair was a mess. He rubbed his hands and wrapped his robe and cloak tightly around the heat emanating from his body.
“My lord, what should we do next?” Odo asked seriously. After saying that, he wiped away the snot that was about to flow to his mouth and threw it towards the city wall.
Gulu Gulu~
As soon as Odo finished speaking, Art's stomach made a sound. From noon to now, arrangements have been made for the convoy to return north. There have been a lot of things going on these days, and it's been a long time since I had a good meal.
Matt immediately decided, "Don't worry about anything else first, let's fill up our stomachs!"
So, the already hungry people got off the city wall in three steps at a time, got on their horses, and ran straight towards the largest tavern in Santia City·
After nightfall, most shops in the city are closed. Only places like taverns, inns and the Moulin Rouge, where men spent their time, were still brightly lit.
After the war is over, the soldiers and officers whose pockets are already bulging will definitely work hard for themselves. Even though the war caused many shops and warehouses to suffer considerable losses, the always shrewd Lombard businessmen could always smell opportunities to make a fortune.
Although the outside of the store is in a mess, as long as you put up a sign in front of the dilapidated store, set up a few tables, and shout a few times, you can always attract soldiers who wander around the city on their holidays.
A pot of apple stew with a few barrels of low-quality beer and a few loaves of wheat bread will satisfy these soldiers who are tired of eating military rations. At this time, the city of Santia, which has endured the war, is no longer as prosperous as it used to be. As early as the beginning of the war between the two sides, a large number of wealthy businessmen and nobles in the city fled here with their families and valuable belongings, and went further south to escape the scourge of war. Most of those left behind are small and medium-sized traders who have difficulty giving up their family business and do not have much property. These people account for most of the city's permanent population.
Although they experienced two sacks, the Lombards, who were based on commercial trade, were not completely bankrupt. Coupled with Art's "enlightened" policies, the city of Santia recovered quickly after the war.
As soon as the war ended, the small vendors in the city started pushing wheelbarrows through the alleys of the city to sell goods, without any fear of being embarrassed by the soldiers in the city. Because a few days ago, the Burgundy soldiers who took over the city went through the streets and posted "people's notices" everywhere, encouraging shops, warehouses, hotels, etc. in the city to continue to operate. Except for the special goods that were "controlled" and were not allowed to be traded, other things were not restricted.
Of course, doing business and selling goods will naturally require you to pay some taxes to the "occupying army". However, compared to the high taxes collected by the Lombard court, the occupying forces were uniformly halved. In this way, not only will the commercial activities in Santia City be restored as soon as possible, but also the vendors in the city will receive a lot of benefits.
For the merchants in the city, as long as they can obtain profits, it does not seem to be that important who manages the city.
Ate and his group were riding horses on the main road in the city. Although they were wearing comfortable casual clothes, the dozen or so attendants in black robes behind them were awe-inspiring. The large group of people attracted the attention of many passers-by and the stewards soliciting customers. If it were not for the personal guards behind them, the few people riding in front would have been invited into their own tavern by these "hospitable" guys.
"Senior gentlemen, come in and take a look, we can provide you with the best wine and fine venison in the entire Southern Continent—"
Seeing Art and others passing by the door of his tavern, a man wearing a cotton robe and a fur hat shouted hard, trying to attract the attention of the group.
Att held the reins with both hands and let the tall horse move forward. He glanced at both sides of the street from time to time and ignored it.
Odo and Angus were half a horse's head behind Art, following closely behind. Ron led the guards and fell behind a few people, watching everything around him vigilantly...
The evening breeze that crossed the street from time to time caressed Art's face, and the coolness caused his body to tremble slightly. The echo of the crisp sound of horse hooves spread to the other end of the street and disappeared into the endless night.
Although the night was cold, Art suddenly felt happy and breathed a long sigh of relief.
He couldn't remember the last time he rode a horse on the road as slowly as he did tonight. Maybe it was to inspect the large wheat fields in the valley before setting off, or maybe it was to go south to explore the deep canyon sides.
Happy days are always short and make people miss them. The happy moments in our memories are always easily suppressed by the current problems we are facing.
Reason quickly brought Ater back to reality~
Looking at the devastated city, Ater couldn't help but sigh. The bustling city of Santia more than a month ago has now fallen into deathly silence, and the ruins everywhere tell the story of the cruelty of war. Although the Welsh Army occupied the land here, it did not get the corresponding wealth. In other words, what Lombardy left to Art was almost an empty city. Most of the wealth in the city has been transferred, and those who remain are lowly commoners, prostitutes, beggars, and small traders. The only thing that makes Art happy is that he has obtained a lot of labor.
· Now that the two sides are in a state of hostility, commercial exchanges have been interrupted, resulting in a shortage of materials in the city and the inability to effectively carry out commercial activities. Over time, the situation will inevitably become unstable.
The top priority is to restore Santia’s business and trade and get the city back on track.
Today, the Welsh Army uses Sandia City as its main camp in Lombardy, guarding the north and south chokepoints of Lombardy, which is tantamount to a nail in the heart of Lombardy. If complete preparations are not made, once the Lombards counterattack, the city of Santia, which has an unstable foundation, is likely to become the trigger for the collapse of the Wells Army.
As a result, everything gained in the Southern Expedition will be in vain. This is a consequence that Art cannot bear.
Gulu gulu~
There was another low growl in my stomach.
At came back to his senses, lightly kicked the horse's belly, and quickened his pace.
Passing past the church in the center of the city, there is a path three hundred meters away from the church that can accommodate a carriage. Thirty meters further down the path, behind a large shop, is the largest tavern in the city of Santia.
On the stone wall outside the tavern, two candles covered by glass covers gave off a charming light. Outside the door, in addition to stewards and bartenders soliciting customers, there were also groups of three or five bartenders in colorful costumes who kept teasing the wandering passers-by.
"Well, let's go back and eat—" Art suddenly stuttered.
"Here, my lord, we are all at the door——""
Odo interrupted Angus with a sudden slap on the shoulder.
Angus paused for a moment, suddenly realized, and immediately echoed: "Yes, yes, you have a noble status and you cannot come to a place like this."
After saying that, Art turned his horse's head and walked alone in the direction he came from.
Angus seemed to be unsatisfied, he kept looking back, looking at the seductive figure of the girl at the door, which made him feel a throb in his heart.