On the Bighorn River, a small boat loaded with rocks floated along the river, heading towards the pontoon downstream.

At the same time, in the wilderness on the southern outskirts of Jevaudan, Dusak [Tulin], whose tail had been bitten by the Tertun people, was galloping on his horse.

Túrin kept looking back, and seeing the Hud barbarian pursuing him, he dug his spurs into the horse's ribs with redoubled force.

Stimulated by the severe pain, the war horse [Ink Blue Black] exerted its strength like crazy, and its hooves struck the ground with a "dong-dong" sound.

Tulin stood up in the stirrups, trying to reduce Mo Lanhei's burden as much as possible.

The four legs of the dark blue and black are slender and powerful, and the hooves and wrists are flawless. They are the blood descendants of the Shield River Horse brought from the north thirty years ago.

On weekdays, Tulin cherishes Mo Lanhei very much, and rarely uses his whip.

But at this moment, the blue-black abdomen and sides were covered with sweat mixed with blood.

The Teltun people's war horses are short, and in terms of speed they are no match for Mo Lanhei.

But the Hed's horses were as tough as their masters. They chased after the dark blue black and refused to give up.

The battlefield seemed to be shrouded in fog, and both armies sent a large number of scouts to look for traces of the enemy.

Tulin, a scout cavalryman, unexpectedly encountered the Tellun sentry. Seeing that there were many barbarians, Tulin retreated decisively, but the Tellun people followed him.

The two sides crossed the wilderness, crossed the stream, and climbed over the mountains one after another, chasing from the southern suburbs of Gevaudan to the town of Shenk.

The Teltun people wanted to capture Túrin alive, and Túrin was also leading the Teltun people into an ambush.

Turin drove through a deserted farmland and passed through a country road surrounded by two rows of birch trees. Reinforcements finally arrived.

More than a dozen Tiefeng County cavalry outflanked the Teltown people from the left and right wings. The leader was carrying a powerful red-brown horse, which was none other than the ponyboy Angelou.

"[Hedian] means big beard!" A Terdun man couldn't help but exclaimed after seeing clearly the appearance of the rider and the iconic saber.

With his beard, forehead hair, and silver earrings, Dusak can be distinguished from ordinary Platons at a glance.

The long years of war left a deep impression on the Hud people on these two-legged men with superb riding skills and ferocious fighting skills. The Hud people specially gave Dusak a nickname with a mixture of hatred and awe - "Big Beard".

Terdun Hong Feiyu originally wanted to retreat, but seeing that there were not many cavalry surrounding them, he became a little bolder.

He whistled and called his men to come closer to him.

War horses were galloping, scimitars were whizzing, and Angelo led the Dussacs to fight against the Teltons.

Soon after, the fire-warmer and the old interpreter learned of the small-scale encounter.

The fire-warmer's eyes were bright, and he asked the red feather in front of him in a deep voice: "[Hudian] The tent of the two-legged people is in the southern town? You saw it with your own eyes."

"[Herdese] There are ruts and ruts everywhere, you can't fake them." Hong Lingyu's face turned pale and he grinned as he replied: "[Herdese] There are also a lot of beards!"

The small-scale cavalry battle was about horsemanship and swordsmanship, and Dussac was the best at it. Hong Lingyu lost half of his ear, and if it hadn't been for the iron pieces sewn into his sleeves, even his arm would have been chopped off.

The person who warmed the fire rewarded Hong Lingyu with a gold medal and promised him two tents, wealth and slaves.

After Hong Lingyu withdrew gratefully, the fire-warmer's face suddenly turned gloomy: "[Herd] has already arrived in the south? How could it come so fast?"

The old interpreter tugged at his beard and only furrowed his brows: "[Hidden] Taichi's tribe has probably been raised to dust!"

"[Herdese] How can it be?" The fire-warmer was shocked: "[Herdese] How many days have it been?"

"[Hidden] Otherwise it doesn't explain why the other party responded so quickly." The wrinkles between the old interpreter's brows became deeper and deeper.

The fire-warmer slapped his thigh, and a fierce light flashed in his eyes: "[Hedian] Come as soon as you come! Just kill them all in one fell swoop. By then, this place will be free for you and me to plunder!"

"[Hedian] If the opponent rushes towards you with a burning tail, then let's fight. The opponent has just fought with Taichi's tribe. They are tired and hungry and can easily crush them to death." The old interpreter said in

Pacing in the tent: "[Hud] But the other party stopped in the southern town and was not in a hurry to come back for reinforcements. If you push a cow to the cliff, the cow will go after you, so you can't fight recklessly."

"[Herd] What should we do?" the fire-warmer asked impatiently.

"[Herdese] Foxes hide in burrows. If you want fur, you have to force them out." The old interpreter stood still and said firmly: "[Herdese] The biggest knot in the rope is this small city. If the city on the south bank is in danger,

, the other party has to come even if he doesn’t want to come.”

The fire-warmer stood up suddenly: "[Herd] I will send my troops to attack the city right now!"

"[Herd] Don't fight too hard, but you must build up enough momentum. Since the opponent's tent is in a small town in the south, then send a few hundred cavalry teams to go around the opponent's side and intercept their young men.

They will burn their grain carts; they will also send tribesmen to collect grain and grass, and gather scattered tribesmen..." the old interpreter added slowly.

The man warming the fire kept nodding his head. Although he usually called the old man Echige [father], the two of them still had a master-slave relationship after all.

However, at this moment, in front of the old interpreter, the man who was roasting the fire really seemed like a son who had received his father's teachings.

At the same time, Angelou also rushed to Winters' command post with Turin.

Winters' troops were assembled in the town of Saint-Centre, and their headquarters was located in the church of Saint-Central.

As soon as he entered the church, Turin reported anxiously: "Sir! Gevaudan has not fallen yet!"

Because of the echo structure of the church, Turin's voice sounds particularly ethereal, and the content is no less than the gospel.

The other people in the command center were refreshed. Winters, who was overlooking the map, suddenly raised his head and signaled Tulin to speak carefully.

Gévaudan has been surrounded by the Terton people, and the south bank is full of patrolling Terton sentries.

The transmission of messages inside and outside the city was completely cut off, and the messengers who had gone around the north bank had not returned yet. Tulin was the first scout under Winters to break through the blockade.

Tulin did not dare to take credit for his fault. He looked around at the crowd and spoke loudly: "The barbarians patrolled with many people and horses, and my subordinates were not able to enter the city. They only took a look from a distance on the hillside to the west. But I dare

Guarantee, the flag on the city wall is still our blue army flag, not the barbarian’s horse-tail flag!"

Many of the clerks in the command post are citizens of Gévaudan, and their families are all in the city.

Hearing this, the clerks couldn't help but cheer loudly, and the gloom that had accumulated over the past few days was swept away.

The sound spread outside the church, spreading the news that "Gévaudin is still holding on".

The soldiers and civilians who were building fortifications around the town dropped their tools and started shouting like crazy to vent their pent-up emotions.

In the sea of ​​madness, only one person remained calm and restrained.

Winters tapped his fingertips lightly on the table and asked Tulin slowly: "Is Gevaudan's city defense still intact?"

"Complete!" Turin replied without thinking: "The city walls are all in good condition. There was no fire in the city. I also saw carriages and pedestrians walking on the bridge, as if they were carrying things!"

Bud strode into the church and asked happily as soon as he entered the door: "I heard that Gévaudin is safe and sound? The senior is really capable!"

"It's safe and sound. Now that senior is guarding Gévaudan, we have more choices." Winters unconsciously stroked an unmarked knife, lost in thought.

Upon seeing this, Bard signaled that everyone was the only one left, and the church fell into silence again.

Winters stood thinking under the altar, and the sun shone on him through the mosaic glass on the church wall, illuminating his figure mottled.

The subordinates and clerks looked at this scene devoutly, and some prayed silently in their hearts.

"Bud." Winters said word by word: "All people over the age of fifteen and under sixty in Tiefeng County will be recruited."

…

The messengers carrying green flags rushed in all directions, carrying two orders.

The first order was to recruit all men over fifteen and under sixty years old from Zhong Tiefeng County and Upper Tiefeng County to serve as militiamen; all those who participated in the war were given a hectare of land, and three times the number of those killed in battle.

While the second order was still being copied, it had already spread throughout the town of Shenk.

It has no official name, and everyone whispers its nickname - the Order of Beheading - with a hint of fear and trembling.

That is, everyone in Tiefeng County, regardless of gender, young or old, soldiers or civilians, who captures an enemy's head and has a helmet, clothes and hat as proof, will be given a hectare of land.

Land is Winters' capital, and it is Winters' only capital. But when it comes to using it, Winters is never stingy.

…

Mason also received a message from Winters - the courier who passed through Kingsbridge and crossed the river finally arrived at Gevaudan.

"What is written here?" Mason sighed as he slapped the desk and handed the letter to Moritz: "Is it the special spelling method of the Veneta people?"

The hastily created passwords are too simple and cannot carry a large amount of information.

However, the risk of being intercepted cannot be ignored, so Winters' letter was written in code.

Mason couldn't understand.

Listlessly Lieutenant Colonel Moritz took the letter, glanced at it and simply handed it back: "No."

The lack of food meant that no one was making wine, so Moritz suffered from severe withdrawal reactions during this period.

At this moment he was playing with a small silver flagon, in which was the last bit of Gévaudin's spirit.

The lieutenant colonel observed every detail of the jug with concentration, as if just touching it could quench his thirst.

Only Mason knew that the Lieutenant Colonel saved the last of his liquor for the battle.

"What else did Tribune Montagne say?" Mason asked the messenger helplessly.

"Says the tribune," replied the messenger: "Go to A and B."

…

Generally speaking, within the army, A refers to Lieutenant Don Juan, and B represents Moritz.

Don Juan has been missing for some time, but Mason knows that there is another A, and that Ms. A is in Gevaudan at this moment.

Ms. A——Anna Navarre took the letter, looked at the garbled letters, and frowned slightly.
To be continued...