Chapter 723 Nantu
At noon, there was still some time before the military meeting was held, Art came to the Lord's Hall of Sauronburg with a few guards.
As soon as they entered the door, the group was shocked by the luxury and solemnity here~
The dome of the Lord's Hall is more than twenty feet high, and twelve thick granite columns support the majesty of the entire military fortress. The surface of each column is engraved with reliefs of the military exploits of past owners, but the latest addition of gilded scenes seems out of place - it is the ceremony scene of Walder Burley being named Earl.
The walls are hung with three layers of staggered trophies: the bottom layer is rusty chain mail fragments and broken lances, the middle layer hangs the Lombard heraldic shield inlaid with ermine, and the top layer is the silk tapestry that Ward Burley looted from the Eastern caravans.
In a Venetian tapestry depicting the feast of Poseidon, the trident is cleverly replaced by a Lombard cross sword, and the tip of the sword is facing the obsidian fireplace at the end of the hall. At this moment, what is burning in the furnace is not wood, but bundles of debt contracts. The sound of the parchment bursting when burning is like the cry of the dying.
The long oak table in the center of the hall is fifteen feet long, and the knife marks on the table are filled with gold powder. This was made by Ward Burley, who ordered the craftsmen to use molten gold jewelry from defeated nobles to show off his wealth. Six bronze candlesticks were cast in the shape of kneeling prisoners holding them up. Three of the figures still had marks on their necks - according to the prisoners, these were molds cast from real slaves. Candle tears flowed down the prisoner's empty eye sockets and condensed into bloody amber on the table inlaid with malachite.
Four stained windows filter the sunlight into cold tones: the west window uses the story of St. George slaying the dragon to cover up the original cracks, and the dragon scales spliced with stained glass are actually a deformation of the Ward family emblem; the newly replaced glass of the east window still has the warmth of the workshop, the goddess holding the scales is stepping on the Lombard war flag, and the wolf head emblem outlined in gold lines is faintly hot in the sun. When the north wind passes through the arrow-shaped ventilation window, the Milanese steel swords hanging there will play a killing music. These swords that once belonged to the knights who died in battle have now become the skeletons of wind chimes.
There are two contradictory combinations standing on both sides of the fireplace: on the left is a warrior statue with full plate armor and sable trim at the joints. The gaps in the face armor are filled with Venetian gold coins; on the right, the marble fountain has stopped flowing, and there are fragments of silverware cast from the church on the bottom of the pool. Three gold-plated iron piranhas still hold half of an ivory cross between their teeth. Walder Burley's most proud design is undoubtedly the human skin map behind the throne - a map of the entire Lombardy patchworked with the backs of twelve enemy scouts. The military flag covering it is now exuding light yellow traces of grease.
The floor was covered with three layers of carpets from different periods: the lowest layer was a blood-stained wool military blanket, the middle layer was a hand-woven rug from Persia with holes worn out by horseshoes, and the finest Florentine gold thread rug was stained with wine. When Art's heavy boots stepped on the triple history, the secret compartment under the military blanket would make a muffled sound. There was a secret message that Ward could not take away, and the poisonous kiss mark on the paint had been scratched by the captain of the guard's dagger.
The bronze chandelier in the middle of the hall swayed in the draft, and twelve tallow candles projected the crossed swords emblem on the mottled stone wall.
After Art walked around the lord's hall, he slowly walked towards the big leather chair that once belonged to Lord Sauronborg~
Not long after, the officers of the Welsh Army who participated in the military meeting arrived one after another and sat down in order of their positions.
Att, who was sitting at the top of the long oak table, ran his fingers across the sheepskin map in front of him, and the mail wristband made a rustling sound against the leather scroll. The sound of rough leather rubbing caused the officers sitting on both sides to straighten their backs unconsciously.
"When we traveled south from Burgundy more than a month ago, there were still twenty empty grain trucks mixed in with the heavy train." Art's voice stirred up an echo under the dome, and his brown eyes scanned the people present, "Now the gold in this secret room is enough to buy the entire Provence wine estate."
Chinese Army Secretary Bob unfolded the list in due time. The hanging shadow of the parchment was still stained with blood spots from last night's interrogation: "470 complete sets of mail armor, 2,300 fine steel swords, 600 war horses, and food...,
"Let's talk about what we lost first." Art suddenly raised his hand to interrupt, and the candlelight danced on the wolf head relief on his mail shoulder. "Ninety-three people were killed, and sixty-seven were seriously injured and lost their combat power. This is equivalent to three complete squadrons of soldiers disappearing forever."
The hall suddenly fell into silence, with only the crackling sound of the burning pine branches in the fireplace.
The silver spurs of Cavalry Captain Lusignan drew a semicircle on the ground. This fierce general who once broke up Count Terman's guard on horseback was currently staring at his left hand that was missing his little finger.
"The ambush tactic was successful~ But the second wave of logs was supposed to roll down the gentle slope on the north side, but the route was blocked by the forage truck that was ignited in advance." Flag Captain Rigg's face instantly turned red. "My subordinates have checked all the traps, but the location where those Lombard bastards set the fire..."
"So you are not prepared enough." Art tapped the table with his finger, and the ring left a crescent dent on the oak wood. "When the enemy does not flee according to the route you imagined, where is the contingency plan?"
Rigg bowed his head and said nothing. In this battle, six of his soldiers were killed, three were seriously injured, and seven were slightly injured. The victory that could have been achieved at a smaller cost resulted in greater casualties.
Although Art was a little angry, he did not publicly accuse the backbone of the legion who served him.
After calming down, Art continued, "Now let's talk about the reward~"
Before he finished speaking, the secretary had ordered someone to lift up the iron box and come forward.
The moment the box lid opened, golden light illuminated everyone's suddenly contracted pupils~
Amidst the sweet sound of gold coins flowing, Art pressed three silver coins with patterns on the table: "The families of the fallen will receive twenty silver coins, the seriously injured will receive fifteen, and all soldiers participating in the war will receive an additional three months of military pay." He suddenly grabbed the gold coins and let them go. The fingers slipped, "But I want you to remember that no amount of money can buy back the young people who lost their lives in this damn war."
When the iron box containing gold coins was closed heavily, the sound of armor clashing came from the corner. Bangada, the deputy commander of the company in charge of the defense of the south gate, suddenly stood up and said, "Sir, six soldiers tried to hide their loot with their helmets last night——"
"Hang at the city gate for three days." Art's voice was colder than the gold in the secret room. "Tell the soldiers that I allow them to search the enemy's houses on the battlefield, but who dares to touch the relics of the fallen compatriots~" He suddenly swung out the dagger, and the cold light passed over the long oak table and submerged into the stone wall. "This dagger will go in through their eye sockets next time!"
When the sun shines through the colored windows, the military discussion enters the most critical part. When Art announced that he would send three teams deep into the hinterland of Lombardy, Angus, who had always been silent, suddenly picked up a wooden sculpture with a short knife - it turned out to be a miniature terrain around Sauron Castle.
"Each team is equipped with two scouts who are mountain hunters." The tip of Angus's knife made three dents on the wood carving. "There are many caves in the south.
can hide troops; the oak forest on the east side is suitable for ambush cavalry; as for the trade road to Milan..." Wood chips were flying, and the depressions were filled with tinder. "A beacon tower was set up every five miles, using black powder as a fuse. Once there was an enemy situation, the beacon fire was immediately lit to report the military situation -"
In the afternoon, when the officers filed out, the sound of craftsmen's hammering on the city wall had begun to sound. Art stood on the balcony of the inner castle and looked out, seeing that the captured Lombard heavy armor was being melted into molten iron and cast into barbed city gate bolts.
Sir, Chief Ron is back. ” Before the guard finished speaking, the captain of the guard, who was full of energy, strode into the hall. His black cloak was covered with ice, but it couldn't hide the strong smell of herbs.
"Have those bastards given up?" Art asked without looking back, and the quill in his hand made a squiggle on the letter to Lottie.
“Using some “little tricks”. Ron smiled, showing his white teeth, and threw the emerald ring of a certain Lombard nobleman on the table. "Now they are willing to use the location of two secret granaries in exchange for the promise not to send their wives and daughters to the Burgundy brothel."
Tell the flag captain who is guarding the Lombard officers to provide pen and paper to the captured nobles. Art tore off the letter paper and dipped it in ink again, "Let them write letters for help to their respective territories, remember to use the family secret language."
When Ron smiled knowingly, cheers suddenly came from the east of the city. The two of them looked out the window and saw twenty carriages full of wine driving into the square, and the logo of the Lombardy Chamber of Commerce on the wine barrels was being scraped off with a shovel.
"They are moving fast enough~" Ron looked at the fat man dressed as a businessman who was directing the unloading, "I heard that he brought two squadrons of young girls with him?"
When dusk fell, Art led the guards and began to patrol around.
In the injured barracks, the soldiers with broken legs were trying to support their bodies and walk with crutches just made by the carpenter. "
In the craftsman area, molten heavy iron was poured into the arrow cluster mold. —
In the market, the silk merchants from Genoa were already bargaining with the quartermaster. When the last light of day disappeared from the horizon, Art climbed up the north tower alone. He took off his sword and touched it lightly against the wall tiles. The sound of metal scraping startled the nocturnal ravens. It was here that his father took him to escape twenty years ago, and now the cold wind of the ice field is still wrapped in the smell of blood.
"Not far enough." He muttered to the starry sky of Lombardy, and the tip of his sword carved a new wolf's head emblem on the crenellation. Under the city wall, the reconnaissance team heading south overnight was crossing the plain with torches. The dancing firelight was like the sparks escaping from the gate of hell, drifting towards the warmer south.
In the invisible shadows, four secret letters written in special codes are being written at a rapid pace. They will arrive at the palace finance minister Galvin's residence in Besançon, the command camp of Count Balian's central army approaching from the southwest, the residence of the earl of Wellsburg in the valley, and the task force base camp in a city tavern south of Sauronburg.
When the spring snow melts, the battle flag of the Welsh Army will be planted step by step on the ruins of the fortress of the southern county of Lombardy. The battle of Soronborg has been decided, and Art is already preparing for the next "Nantu"·