When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

On the burnt-out wooden bridge, there were still remnants of dark red firelight.

The ground was pitch black, with broken walls and ruins. The bodies of the night watchmen were neatly arranged, emitting a strong stench of corpses.

A butterfly danced in the morning sunlight, bypassing this small and somewhat adorable mountain of corpses.

Kleiant and Bellard stood before the ruins.

Their faces showed neither sorrow nor joy, revealing a calm and detached demeanor after a great enlightenment.

It was the numbness after despair, the awakening after numbness, and the despair when facing reality after awakening.

Bellard led 800 soldiers, Kleiant led 500 soldiers, and nearly 1200 militiamen of the armed peasant type were drafted, totaling 2500 soldiers, and thirteen checkpoints were set up.

Yet they failed to stop Horn's 1200 farmers carrying all sorts of baggage.

"Which way did they go? Have you tracked them down?" Facing Kleiant, Bellard's tone was unusually calm and friendly for the first time.

Kleiant looked up at the azure sky: "Their footsteps are mixed with those of the refugees. It is possible that they ran away with the refugees, or it is possible that they went back to the mountains."

"I see."

"Yes."

The two fell into a long silence again.

"Captain Kleiant, Captain Bellard, the 'short hairs' left some writing on the wall by the roadside, but we can't understand it..." A follower walked slowly and said hesitantly.

"Go take a look?" Kleiant asked.

" I can still say what." Bellard spread his hands, and when he saw that Kleiant didn't understand, he explained, "It means 'What else can I say?' in Elvish."

"Take us to see it. We have nothing more to lose," Kleiant said to the follower.

Following the follower to the wall, rhyming knight poems were written on the wall in a proper manner.

However, compared with the poems in 'The Legend of the Rose of Rumm', it was still too vulgar, but it was just right for Kleiant, the roughneck, and Bellard, the cultured man, to appreciate both the refined and the popular.

"Ahead are fake knights, wandering like the blind.

Behind are foolish mercenaries, cowardly like mice.

Good old Argon, a hundred miles away from me."

After a long silence, Bellard's face gradually turned red, then from red to green, from green to black, from black to white, and finally back to red.

"Ah—" Drawing his sword and stepping forward, frantically slashing at the words on the wall, Bellard roared in impotent rage.

Kleiant's skin was thick, so he was a little calmer, but his slightly trembling hands still betrayed what he really thought in his heart.

"If I don't vent this anger, I, I cough cough cough, uh, cough cough—er—" Bellard said, suddenly raising his hands and falling straight down.

He struggled to get up, but his sleeve was stepped on by a hoof, and finally he couldn't catch his breath and fainted.

"Lord Bellard? Call a physician, quickly."

………………

High Fort City, High Fort Cathedral.

In the magnificent hall, the gentle midday sunlight fell on the walnut carved long table. At the table legs, you could see the carved baby angels flapping their wings.

"According to our investigation, the 'short hairs' are very likely to have gone to the Black Bone Swamp, and they have also recruited seventy or eighty young and strong men from the refugees."

Argon sat in a corner of the table, white-haired and slurring his words.

"I do have a small mistake on this matter." Prince Condé crossed his arms and readily admitted his mistake. "I really didn't expect that there would be a 'short hair' spy in the White Maple Mercenary Group. I should have sent a few different mercenary groups."

In addition to an infantry mercenary group signed for ten years, Prince Condé also temporarily recruited elite infantry such as Guido da's Death Squad and Griffin's Eagle Squad nearby.

It wasn't that he didn't want to maintain a standing infantry force, but he didn't have the money.

Maintaining nine Edict Companies was enough to make him struggle, and sometimes he had to sell his own manor to maintain his financial turnover.

Prince Condé also owed the old king, the Pope, the Eyre Free Bank, and several Norn Grand Dukes tens of thousands of gold pounds respectively.

Therefore, what attracted these mercenary groups to Prince Condé, in addition to his reputation, was only his excellent loot distribution policy.

While Horn and his men were trekking through the High Plateau Mountains, a major event occurred in Small Pool City.

Local citizens threw the bishops into the cellar and locked the cellar door, which was called the "Toss into the Cellar" event.

After the Toss into the Cellar event, the citizens seized the city.

Because Small Pool City was relatively wealthy, local and nearby nobles and priests offered high prices to invite mercenaries to take back the city.

As a result, Prince Condé's Edict Companies and mercenaries all ran to besiege Small Pool City.

The citizens of Small Pool City immediately received the support of Huannuo and a group of local monks.

They raised funds to hire several mercenary groups and sent people to Norn to invite foreign forces to join in the grand event.

The one who connected the dots was Duchess Moliati of Hema Stone, but Moliati's status and identity were special. She held three royal bloodlines from Fran, Leia, and the former King of Norn.

Moreover, her grandfather voluntarily gave up the throne of Fran and gave the title and throne to the current King of Fran's father, resolving the civil war that almost occurred in the Kingdom of Fran.

Moving her, be careful of Fran's friendly allies being alarmed.

As long as she doesn't come out openly, Prince Condé really can't do anything about her and can only spend time under Small Pool City.

In addition to Small Pool City, Prince Condé had to put some of the Edict Companies in the south to guard against the Secret Party from Black Snake Bay trying to enter Thousand River Valley to help out.

If Prince Condé didn't take charge, then Thousand River Valley would probably be in chaos.

Horn's group had enough fame, but not enough wealth. Their attractiveness was relatively small, so the Prince forcibly ordered the White Maple Mercenary Group, a top mercenary group, to suppress them.

The White Maple Mercenary Group sent almost half of its men, but due to Bellard's arbitrary actions and Kleiant's dragging his feet, they were unable to engage Horn and his men throughout the entire process.

The only time they engaged, Horn had nearly five times the force, and they almost let them run away.

It can only be said that their luck was bad.

"I was also wrong. I thought the two commanders could cooperate sincerely, so I let them command jointly. I didn't expect it, I didn't expect it." Argon shook his head.

The most ⊥ new ⊥ small ⊥ say ⊥ in ⊥ six ⊥ 9 ⊥⊥ book ⊥⊥ bar ⊥⊥ first ⊥ hair!

"Alas, I'm old and confused. I'm not ashamed of being humiliated, but these two commanders are very hot-tempered and want to continue the pursuit."

Hearing Argon's words, Barney Foss quickly stated: "If I had known, I shouldn't have let Kleiant go. This old rogue, he fails repeatedly but fights repeatedly. Except for being loyal and not having 'short hair' spies, I really don't know what use he is."

Hearing Barney Foss's words, Argon twitched as if in a dream, raised his head, and stared at Barney Foss's face.

"I have received a piece of news." Argon, who was originally dozing off, suddenly became energetic. "Bishop Barney Foss, do you have a priest named Boner under your command?"

"Yes." Barney Foss answered while lamenting, "He is an absolutely good young man. He is my student, my companion, my brother, and a brother as close as a father and son.

The entire High Fort knows about his relationship with me. Under my influence, he is too upright. Because he is unwilling to submit, he has been cruelly killed by the 'short hairs'."

"Oh, wait a minute."

With a smile on his face, Argon folded his hands and said to Prince Condé, "When the 'short hairs' tried to drown a monk, the rope was not tied tightly, so the monk was lucky enough to survive.

He told me an important message: the reason why the 'short hairs' were able to deceive and open the checkpoints was because someone helped them forge church documents.

Our monks saw his face and remembered his appearance.

According to the comparison and confirmation of the people present, we have sufficient evidence to prove... that person is that Priest Boner."

"Poof... cough cough cough." Barney Foss, who was originally slowly drinking clear water, instantly sprayed the water all over the table.

The attendant next to him immediately came up to try to wipe the table, but Barney Foss pushed him aside before he could wipe it twice.

"What do you mean? Are you saying that I am also a 'short hair'?" Barney Foss's eyes flashed with resentment.

Argon did not speak, but simply pushed the two-finger-thick document from the wooden table to him.

Picking up the file, Barney Foss suspiciously opened it and began to read the evidence.

But soon, he flipped faster and faster, and faster and faster. In the end, he simply closed the document forcefully.

Clearing his throat, Barney Foss forced a smile: "Let me state that I have nothing to do with this Boner."

"Didn't you just say that you and Boner were brothers as close as a father and son?"

"I am brothers as close as a father and son with everyone. Messiah tells us to love others as ourselves, and all believers are brothers and sisters." Barney Foss argued with his neck.

"Wasn't he influenced by you?"

"Don't slander me, he is slandering me, Your Highness, he is slandering me!"

"Okay, okay." Prince Condé pressed his hand to stop the dispute between the two. "Let's each take a step back. Everyone has made mistakes."

Under Barney Foss's resentful gaze, Argon sat down leisurely, and fell asleep again after only two seconds.

He had been in the church for so many years, and he was too skilled at playing the two great tricks of to smooth things over and to muddy the waters.

Want to push the blame? You, Barney Foss, a post-00s (born in 1401), want to play this trick with me? You are still too young and naive.

"In that case, how should we announce it to the public? You know, there are rumors everywhere, and everyone is not having a good time." Barney Foss asked again after a moment of silence.

Argon coughed and said: "Since the 'short hairs' have so many spies, it's not that we are too incompetent, but that the 'short hairs' have been deeply involved in the land of Thousand River Valley for many years, have understood the minds of the people of Thousand River Valley, have set up a new cult matrix, and have realized the break the circle of the Secret Party.

Let's just say that we have found that the number of 'short hairs' exceeds 100,000, and there are spies and sympathizers in all walks of life in various places. It is with their help that the 'short hairs' were able to escape successfully."

"Then the 'short hairs'... will we just ignore them?"

After thinking for a moment, Prince Condé pulled out a piece of paper and began to write a transfer order.

"I will transfer an Edict Company from Small Pool City to continue the pursuit. Of course, if they seek death and go to the Wild Spider Forest, then that's another matter."