Chapter 670 Exploring Solenburg at Night
".—I didn't expect it to be quite wide in here~"
Ron, who was walking at the front half-crouching, briefly checked the secret passage leading to Sauron Castle with the weak light of the torch in his hand.
"Brother Ron, you don't know something. It took me three years to open this secret passage."
"Three years?"
Angus, who was following Rocky, was extremely shocked after hearing this.
"Yes, three years." Rocky replied calmly, looking back at Angus, "At first, the passage was only half its current width and height. Later, I gradually had people expand the space inside, and used logs as supports in some loose soil areas to prevent the top from collapsing."
At, who was walking in the middle, carefully protected his head for fear of hitting the rocks sticking out of the dark place.
Due to the small space in the tunnel, coupled with the exhaust gas and smoke produced by the burning of the fire, Art felt a little short of breath, and beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead.
"How many people know about this secret passage?"
Art wiped the thin sweat on his forehead and asked softly.
"Don't worry, sir, I secretly dug this secret passage with my old subordinates, and no outsiders know about it. Over the years, I have been sending valuable goods into the castle through this secret passage, and there have never been any mistakes." Rocky said with excitement. It was clear that he was extremely proud of his feat.
Att slowed down and subconsciously glanced at the ground that had been trampled flat and hard through the faint light of the fire. The footprints of varying shades left on the ground have been there for some time, and there are no traces of insects or rats on the earth walls on both sides of the secret passage. Apart from making people panic, there is really nothing wrong with the passage.
After about an hour of sneaking in the dark passage, the group finally arrived at the exit at the other end.
The moment they walked out of the narrow passage, a group of people sat down on the ground in unison.
Yete wiped the juice from his head with his sleeves and breathed in the fresh air greedily. Then he opened his armor and tried to let in the cool air to cool down his body temperature.
The constricted space in the tunnel made his face flush. At some moments, he even felt that he could hardly breathe.
The other people traveling with him were in a similar situation. Everyone was sitting on the ground, first gasping for air, and then squeezing their already stiff and sore waists. Angus simply fell to the ground, spreading his limbs to relieve the pain on his body.
"I say, Sir Lodge, this is your secret passage." Beads of sweat broke out on Ron's head, and smoke was coming from his throat. He stopped abruptly in the middle of what he said and shook his head repeatedly. In his opinion, the soreness in his lumbar muscles caused by walking out of this passage was more intense than after spending a night at home with his wife Ollie.
After resting for a while, Art gathered his energy and stood up, looking at the wide space connected to the entrance of the cave.
Speaking of space, this place is more like a secret room.
This square space was about thirty feet long and wide, and no more than seven feet high. The surrounding walls are all built with small strips of stone, and the valuable goods stored by Lodge here are neatly stacked against the walls.
Through the smell floating in the air, Art concluded that a large amount of spices must be stored here. Just as he was following the smell with the fire stick, a faint yellow light suddenly emitted from the wall of the secret room.
At turned his head and saw that the candlestick hanging on the wall had been lit. Rocky then lit other candlesticks around the wall. In an instant, the dark space suddenly became brighter.
At put away the fire sticks in his hand, and then asked Rocky: "Are these the valuable goods you said?"
Rocky took a few steps forward, smiled slightly, and replied: "Sir, of course these things are nothing, they are just some spices. Those truly valuable belongings, I moved them to other places early in the war..."
At looked at this old member of the family, and couldn't help but secretly admire his unique vision and rigorous attitude towards doing things.
On the other hand, the spices, which he considered to be valuable goods, turned into something not worth mentioning in Rocky's mouth, which really surprised him.
You must know that the price of these things will increase several times when transported from Lombardy to the northern continent, and they are extremely profitable valuable goods in the north. But here, to these Lombard merchants, these were relatively ordinary goods. Art couldn't imagine what kind of rare treasures his old subordinate was talking about.
But due to his identity, Art did not continue to inquire.
During the break, Rocky told Ye Te about the causes and consequences of digging this secret passage and how much taxes were saved through this secret passage. He also shared with Art a lot of valuable experience he had accumulated over the years of doing business and a large number of contacts he had made.
Ron and Angus also sat aside and listened to Rocky's narration, marveling at Rocky's experience from time to time~
In this way, more than a dozen people have been staying quietly in this secret room. On the contrary, in the small tavern above the secret room, it was in full swing.
In recent times, the inconspicuous tavern in this fort has been crowded at night by officers and soldiers who are taking turns to rest.
With nowhere to relax, these Lombard soldiers could only come to the tavern in small groups to drink and eat meat to pass the long night.
At this time, the steward who was urging the bartender to serve food in the backyard kitchen was extremely busy.
In addition to receiving guests in the store, he also has to be responsible for the scheduling and arrangements of the kitchen. He has to make the final decision on all matters big and small. His body, which was not strong to begin with, became thinner and thinner after being busy for several days. Although he complained a little, he still held it in his heart.
In recent days, these soldiers have to drink until late at night the next day before leaving. After cleaning up the mess they left behind, the stewards and tavern clerks often didn't get to rest until dawn.
Before three o'clock at noon, they should get up early to prepare the food and drinks they need for the day.
Because the city gates were closed and the prices of vegetables and fruits kept rising every day, he could only grit his teeth and bear it. Given that most of the tavern's customers are now soldiers stationed in Solonborg, although the cost of purchasing wine and food has increased significantly, the prices of the tavern's dishes and drinks have never dared to rise.
A few days ago, the tavern opposite raised the price of a plate of apple stew by 10%, and the steward was severely beaten by drunken soldiers. These troublemaking soldiers also looted all the valuables in the tavern and then left.
Since witnessing what happened to his colleagues on the opposite side, the steward had no choice but to swallow his anger and entertain the soldiers stationed at Solonburg.
The manager knows very well that in today's troubled times, the only way to make a good relationship is to have a good relationship with the powerful men who hold swords
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The steward who was walking towards the front hall carrying a plate of freshly baked wheat bread heard a shout from the other side of the curtain and quickened his pace~
"Here it comes! Here it comes!" As he spoke, the steward opened the black curtain on the door frame and walked towards a guy who looked like an officer with a smile on his face.
"Master John, this is the fine wheat bread you asked for." The steward said and placed the bread in front of the guy named John.
The officer picked up the fine wheat bread and took two bites, then picked up the wine glass and took two more sips of beer.
Looking at the bottom of the wine glass in the officer's hand, and the oak barrel on the table being drunk by these guys, the steward said cheerfully: "Sir John, I will go get you another barrel of wine, consider it as my gift to you~"
When the steward said this, the officer was naturally very happy and said unceremoniously: "In this case, we will not be polite!"
Several soldiers nearby also looked happy because of the steward's generosity. From time to time, they grabbed a handful of peas and put them into their mouths, chewing them to their heart's content. -
It was not until late at night that these guys who had eaten and drank enough helped each other to leave the tavern.
After cleaning up the leftovers and discarded sundries in the front hall, the steward told the guys in the tavern to go back and rest early. Then, he closed the front door, put out the candlelight, and checked the movement on the street through the gap. After confirming that everything was normal, the steward walked quickly towards the chicken coop in the backyard. Later in the middle of the night, there was a sudden abnormal sound from the top of the sealed wooden board on the top of the wooden ladder leaning against the wall~
At this moment, Ron, who was sitting on the ground, suddenly got up, instantly drew out the long sword from his waist, and stared upward. The relaxed expression on his face a moment ago suddenly turned serious.
His sudden move caused the other guards to immediately become alert. They all held the hilts of their swords and stared in the direction of the sound.
The guards carrying crossbows had already prepared their bows and arrows, aiming at the exit.
"Master Rocky~"
"Don't move!" As a familiar voice came, Rocky quickly signaled to the surrounding guards not to act rashly. "One of our own! One of our own!"
Art, who had already heard the noise, opened his slightly closed eyes and looked at the wooden board that had been lifted. "My lord, Mr. Rocky, I have kept you waiting!" After covering the wooden board in the corner of the chicken coop and restoring it to its original state, the steward hurriedly ran out and said to the two of them.
At stood in the backyard and looked towards the high city wall behind him, his eyes moving along the left side of the city wall. In the darkness, the familiar outlines of those buildings evoked some memories buried deep in his heart.
"Master Rocky, this~" Seeing that Art was acting strangely, the steward lowered his voice and said.
Lodge raised his hand to signal the steward not to interrupt, and he remained silent.
After a moment, Art turned around, thought for a moment, walked up to Rocky, and asked: "Your people are familiar with the city defense here, can you show me around."
In order to be well aware of the situation, Art planned to personally lead people to find out the situation in Soronborg so that he could formulate a targeted battle plan after returning.
Rocky looked at the steward, hoping to get an answer from him.
The steward did not hesitate and nodded slightly, his eyes firm.