Jiangbei Province, Rum County, Kaolingbao.

The old house of the Arpad family has a history of more than half a century, and it is truly an "old house".

It's not that the ancestors of the Alpad family were short of money, but because when the old house was built, the Palatuan people were still living in the shadow of the Hed tribes, and almost every autumn, barbarians came to thresh the grass and valleys.

Therefore, in order to take into account both defense and warmth, the doors and windows of the old house of the Alpad family are few and small. The core areas such as storage rooms, weapons depots, stables, etc. are all wrapped in thick walls. After stepping into the gate, you have to pass through an arrow-strewn path.

The long corridor of holes and bullet holes can truly lead you indoors.

The entire building complex is more like a small fortress than a place of residence.

For designers, sturdiness and safety are the most important needs, and comfort and beauty are obviously not priorities.

Because of this, as soon as the terrorist threat from the wasteland was lifted, the members of the Arpad family couldn't wait to move out of this damp and cold building.

The old house of the Arpad family has been idle since then, leaving only a few old and frail servants to take care of the house.

Until [Arpad Duyaum] returned to Jiangbei Province.

…

On the bloody night in the Castle of the Kings, when the members of the Red Rose faction jointly signed the order to arrest Army Major General Arpad Duyaum, they must not have expected that the situation would completely get out of control.

Even though some members felt uneasy and frightened beforehand, they finally signed their names and stamped tremblingly.

It's a pity that nothing in this world is certain, except death... and taxes.

As time enters the autumn, both the [Plato Provisional Military Government] and the [Plato Second Republic] have to accept the cruel reality: our side may be able to win, but the price of victory will definitely be high.

Far exceeded expectations.

The dream of a quick victory has been completely shattered. Facts have proved that hoping that the opponent will surrender without a fight or collapse at the first touch is tantamount to nonsense.

The demagogues who once clamored, "As long as we do what we do, the other side will do what they do" have now become mute.

As for the optimists who thought the civil war would soon be decided, they also realized that the war had just begun.

The call to "end the civil war" began to appear and became louder. The call not only came from within Plato, but even the allies were expressing concerns.

The Chief State Secretary of the Republic of Vane publicly sent a letter to the "Platuan Republic" and the "Platuan Republic", calling for "a negotiated solution to the war."

The massive plundering by the Hurd tribes this autumn just provided an opportunity for both sides of the civil war.

Thirty years later, the iron hooves of the Hed barbarians once again stepped into the land of Plato. Even Red Rose and Blue Rose, who were killing each other a moment ago, couldn't help but feel a strong hatred for each other.

There is no need to go into details about what happened after that - the Red and Blue Roses each repelled the marauding battle groups of the Hart tribes, and they tacitly agreed not to hold back the other side. After that, the two armies rested across the river and made no major moves.

As autumn turns to winter, the situation seems to have improved.

The King's Castle publicly sent a letter to the [National Assembly of the Republic of Van] and [Major General Arpad Dujaum], taking the lead in stating that it was willing to accept the mediation of the Chief State Secretary of the Republic of Van, and agreed to "negotiate the essence of ending the Republic of Palatine"

"the state of division in the world" and "no longer let a drop of Platt blood be spilled needlessly".

This extremely beautifully worded open letter is signed by [President of the Grand Council of the Republic of Plato, Grove Magnus].

At the same time, Arpad Duyaum left the army, left the front line, left the center of power of the military government, and returned to his hometown, Gaoling Castle in Rum County.

He did not stay in the apartment prepared for him by the city officials, nor did he move into a spacious and comfortable new mansion. Instead, he returned to the place where he lived in his childhood and youth - the old house of the Arpad family.

…

The days are short in winter, and the old house of the Alpad family has poor lighting, so before five o'clock, the old house is already shrouded in darkness.

The servant quietly walked into the study, put down the candlestick, and then retreated with silent steps.

Arpad stared at the corner of the study in trance, completely unaware of the servants' entry and exit, until another old servant pushed open the wooden door of the study with a square plate.

"I brought your dinner to you." The old servant stopped by the door.

Arpad nodded slightly, and then the old servant entered the study.

Dinner was very simple, just bread and soup.

When the old servant at home saw the young master - now the master - come home, he happily kept the dining room spotless.

However, Arpad Duyomu has been a professional soldier for more than thirty years, and has lived in the military camp longer than in his old house. He has long forgotten all about the so-called aristocracy. So so far,

The restaurant has not been used yet.

When the old servant was placing the tableware, Arpad suddenly asked: "Have you seen that standing cabinet?"

"I saw it, sir."

"There is a hidden compartment behind the cabinet. It should have been left by the masons. You have to push the cabinet open to see it. No one else knows about it except Klein and me."

Of course the old servant knew who Klein was, but he didn't know how to respond. Because Kleinheisler—Arpad Duyomu's closest brother—had died on the Bloody Night in the Castle of Kings.

"Sir." The old servant changed the topic and lowered his head to report: "Captain Bode wants to see you."

Arpad, who was immersed in memories, returned to reality and gave the old servant a cold look.

The old servant hurriedly explained: "I have informed Captain Bode that you will not see guests. But he still insists on seeing you, and he brings something - your thing."

After saying that, the old servant took out an object from his arms and presented it respectfully.

It was a square hip flask, a very delicate flask. Unfortunately, it was no longer usable because half a lead bullet was embedded in it.

…

An old servant with gray hair sat by the door of the reception room, looking at the ground like a puppet.

Apart from the old servant, there was only Winters in the reception room of Noda and a row of armchairs against the wall.

Winters observed the murals on the wall with great interest. The murals had no theme, just some decorative patterns. And the painting was very poor, probably by an amateur painter.

Instinctively, Winters was far more interested in this fortress-like house than in the murals.

On the way from the second door to the reception room, he noticed a patio in the center of the house.

In order to keep warm in winter, houses in Plato rarely have patio structures. Winters can think of only one reasonable explanation: collecting rainwater.

Why do ordinary houses need to collect rainwater? To deal with siege?

Considering the location of the house, Winters speculated that the ancestral house of the Arpad family should be a transitional building between a castle and a residence, and it would not have been built too early.

Although there are many sentries and guards, the defensive capabilities are still not strong in Winters' opinion.

Kaolingbao is not the capital of Rum County, nor the administrative center of Jiangbei Province. It is just a small town under the jurisdiction of Rum County.

Arpad returned to Kaolingbao with only a few followers, but the military government could not let this leader return to his hometown alone.

The small town was almost packed to the brim with the guards and military and political dignitaries who followed Arpad to Gaolingbao.

Fortunately, Winters' entry into High Ridge Castle was smooth and he was not subject to any interrogation.

He doesn't need to pretend, because he is a genuine commissioned officer. His uniform, his "United Province accent", and every part of his body are the best proof of identity.

He only brought one Dusak escort - Vashika, who was also a genuine Dusak.

Winters also wrote a pass for himself, forged his signature according to the commendation order issued to him by Arpad, and finally spent half an hour getting a seal.

For Winters, the biggest risk when traveling in areas under the military government is being recognized by a senior or classmate.

The so-called "academic" officers are actually a very small group. When two graduates meet, they can expose all lies with just a few casual conversations.

Therefore, Winters took Ouashika with him, deliberately avoiding towns where there might be garrisons, and traveled through the stars and nights to reach Kaoling Castle.

The door to the reception room opened, and another old servant with gray hair walked slowly to Winter and whispered: "Please follow me."

At the end of a dark corridor, the old servant opened the door for Winters, and Arpad Dujame was sitting behind the desk.

Compared with the energetic, energetic, brave and capable cavalry general who seemed to have endless energy in Winters' memory, it is easier for people to notice the fact that Alpad Dujame is half-stepping into his twilight years at this moment.

.

While Winters was looking at Arpad, Arpad was also looking at Winters.

"Are you married?" Arpad frowned and asked for no reason. His voice was not as loud as before, but it was still full of energy.

The old servant wisely exited the study and closed the door.

Winters hypothesized that there were many conversations, and none of them started with "You're getting married."

The relationship between Arpad and Winters is far from close or acquaintance. The former is a high-ranking major general and the latter is just an insignificant centurion.

Therefore, Arpad's question puzzled Winters, and he didn't know how to answer it.

Arpad gestured for Winters to take a seat: "Bard Gates has a daughter."

Winters was not polite - he was no longer Alpad's subordinate - and sat calmly in front of Alpad: "I just borrowed Colonel Bode's surname."

Arpad did not continue the topic and asked instead: "Do you have any news about Bod Gates?"

"Yes, he is still alive." Winters considered his words: "Currently...Colonel Bode should be in Maplestone City."

Arpad frowned slightly, then sighed as if relieved and stopped frowning.

Winters remembered that Colonel Bode's original position was the chief captain of the Sixth Army. In other words, Colonel Bode was Alpad's deputy. The relationship between the two of them was probably closer than Winters originally thought.

Arpad did not continue asking about Colonel Bode's current situation. He glanced at Winters and said, "The new reclamation officer sent me a letter of reprimand. Adams said you became a bandit."

Arpad sneered: "He even held me accountable for this and asked me to send someone to deal with you."

Winters originally thought he would be angry, but he actually had no emotion: "Oh? How did you reply to him?"
To be continued...