On the road, a young traveler raised his head slightly, and the faint lines as thin as hair were reflected in his eyes. It wasn't until it completely disappeared on top of the giant city in the distance that he gently shook his head and sighed.
The young man rode a very tame stallion, carrying a large cloak with the young man's thin body. However, the half-long hair exposed in the hood was a rare gray-white color, paired with the thick and heavy hair. The dusty traveling cloak gave him an air of twilight that was completely incompatible with his age. If it weren't for the smooth and pale skin on the face where the cloak was exposed, the two small dark brown eyes would still be very attractive. With his facial expression, he might be regarded as an old traveler of seventy or eighty years old.
"Hey, is there anything to sigh about?"
Questioning voices sounded from the side, but the crispness of the woman's voice could dispel the sudden rudeness. The young man slowly turned his head and looked at the group of four riders beside him.
All four of them were wearing armor, and each of the horses they were riding was almost more than a foot taller than the young man's mount. They were obviously quite pure in blood, and the shields, lances and harnesses attached to them were also the same. They were complete and well-made, and even had the dark color of fine gold. If they didn't have any special markings on them, they could be said to be the Empire's Golden Flower Knights. It's just that the Empire's Jinjinhua Knights usually only accept the direct dispatch of the Dukes of various counties and provinces, as well as the Emperor of the Empire. They are not allowed to leave without special military duties, and it is not possible for only four of them to be together. So a more accurate guess is that they should be the private soldiers of a certain local noble.
But most private knights focus on enjoyment and must bring a large number of servants with them when traveling. It is also rare to see only a few knights traveling like this.
Before the young man could speak, the woman's voice came one after another: "Sigh. It will make the goddess of luck sneak away from you. The more you sigh, the more unlucky you will be! Hey. Why are you in a daze? Isn't it? This is a famous fable, haven¡¯t you heard of it?¡±
There was almost no room for answers in the series of questions, like a happy cuckoo singing happily in the tree. It was impossible to tell that she and the other person actually met by chance, but they just happened to walk on the same road for more than ten miles - the white-haired one. The young man raised the corners of his mouth silently and simply shook his head slowly in response. So the questioner simply gave him a displeased snort and turned his head sharply, as if he had not spoken at all.
The gray-haired young man smiled.
He did not look away, but stopped at the other person - the woman who asked the question was a girl. She has a pretty face, with high eyebrows and a slender nose. The only drawback is that her cheekbones are also a bit high, and her eyes are slightly raised, giving her face a menacing air.
So the young man's gaze did not stay on that face, but fell on her chest and abdomen Of course, there was no possibility of rudeness in this gaze, because the girl's body was wrapped in a military uniform - ¡ªFull-equipped full-coverage armor. Although it is not the exquisite full-body armor known as the 'Miracle of Craftsmen', it does have a towering and tight full-chest armor, shoulder armor and chain mail shirt, completely arming the curves of a person's body so that no trace of it is exposed.
I just can¡¯t see the curve. It doesn¡¯t mean that there is no value for viewing at all¡ª¡ª
In fact, what the young man is looking at is this armor.
"Compared with ordinary carapace, this armor has countless beautiful fold lines radiating outward from the towering chest shell. The armor is not very bright, but it has a cold aura. Closer to a weapon. "Do you add a drill to the Mulan missile? I really didn't expect it to have such an effect at the time. If you have time, can you let Elena try it?" He said softly in a language that no one knew.
"What did you say?" The female knight immediately turned her face back. The sleek helmet didn't seem to hinder her hearing at all.
"This armor is very beautiful."
"Good-looking?" The female knight sneered softly: "This is made in the magician's city! Magic armor without magic! Forget it, people like you only know how to look good!"
"Dear Miss Tahitian Baroness, by the way, how many imperial gold coins did you spend on this armor?"
Before the young man spoke, another young knight in his twenties had already taken over the conversation - obviously dissatisfied with the 'lecherous' look in the white-headed guy's eyes and the 'lucky' female knight always wanted to talk to this guy along the way. So when he spoke, his eyes were like daggers, scratching back and forth on the gray-haired young man.
"Didn't you already ask? Why ask again?"
The female knight frowned, but heard the gray-haired young man chuckle: "Of course you told me, reminding me that if I don't even have the value of a pair of armor, don't think about it.I am not thinking too much about this beautiful baroness. "
"Children are quite generous."
The eldest of the Four Horsemen laughed.
This old knight has a pair of short beards that are somewhat gray, and a few subtle scars are hidden in the deep wrinkles on his face. His muscles are hard and do not look old at all, and his eyes are bright and bright: "Are you interested in becoming a knight? Although? It seems a bit late, but there is nothing we can do.¡±
The young man looked slightly sideways.
From the age of 7 to 9, a boy works as a page in a regular knight's family, and becomes a page at the age of 14. Finally, at the age of 19, he has the opportunity to be inspected and promoted by the local lord to become a knight - this is what the so-called regular knights in this world must do. path of. It seems ordinary, but it is full of thorns. You must know that the so-called servants and attendants are actually not much different from slaves. Not only are they often beaten and tired, eating rough food and sleeping in stables, but the wooden weapons used in training can still kill people. Most of the knights who are willing to recruit squires are also rough people, with no teaching experience, let alone patience and mercy. It is common for squires to be injured, disabled and died during training. In the end, most of them are just private soldiers and truly become regular knights. , ten do not save one.
However, for commoners, this is the fastest and only way to be promoted to nobility.
¡°Your Excellency, are you the trainer?¡± he asked.
The so-called trainer is just a conventional and informal title. But in fact, there is no formal title - as the name suggests, it is the person who trains knights.
Only the heirs of great nobles are eligible to be exempted from the service period. But it is only limited to high-level people above the Marquis. Even the Earl is only exempted from serving as a page boy for five or seven years. However, this iron law of the emperor has long been indifferent and corroded by the passage of time. Today, thousands of years later, most nobles, even barons, can give their sons a knighthood at will. Among the descendants of nobles who are twenty years old, "I have been a knight for more than ten years!" ¡¯ It¡¯s not even a boast anymore.
So I don¡¯t know when it started, but someone made up a casual tune, called knights as many as dogs, and attendants walking all over the streets.
The long-lasting peace of the empire has also allowed these knights to roam around like dogs. The way of survival and focus have completely changed - the knight title is a necessary status for the children of the big nobles, but the knights in small places have to support themselves and the two eloquences of the necessary mounts, and exchange their lives for the opportunity to get rewards. Limited to those years when access to the Central Mountains is available. Those who cherish their lives don¡¯t even have that chance, but it¡¯s impossible to pick up a hoe with a hand that¡¯s accustomed to holding a sword So apart from occasionally accepting jobs like killing monsters, the knights can only teach some servants, servants, and noble children. Riding and swordsmanship in exchange for a small sum of money, or a stable position to support the family.
Of course, this tutoring job is not that easy. The children of common people cannot collect much tuition, and the young masters of nobles are often not learning materials, and their teaching methods are even less likely to be as arbitrary as ordinary attendants, who are usually engaged in this job. Most of them are old knights with high abilities and reputations, who can restrain those arrogant little devils.
If the person in front of you really relies on his strength. They are just ordinary people riding on the threshold of high-level knights, but in terms of reputation. Maybe it's extraordinarily different?
The old knight did not answer this question, but smiled modestly. People who meet by chance on the road should have a certain tacit understanding with each other. It is a taboo in the world to avoid inquiring about the identity of the person and to talk to them in depth no matter where they are.
After pondering for a moment, the gray-haired young man shook his head slightly: "Thank you, no need. I probably can't learn the knight's tactics."
So among the two young knights, the older one kept sneering, obviously laughing at the stupid white-headed guy for missing a huge opportunity, while the other provocative one was furious, obviously taking the other's attitude as a slight, but in The old man did not dare to be rude in his eyes, he could only press the hilt of his sword angrily.
"Hey, umwhat are you going to Illyria for?" The female knight couldn't help but ask again.
Along the way, she always saw that strange young man sighing there, not knowing what he was thinking about. His face did not look like he had experienced any vicissitudes of life, but there were already three vertical lines of deep thinking between his eyebrows. It seems that there is already a lot of trouble in this world involving him.
Although the girl is a knight, she is also the most lively and active age, curious about everything. Along the way, besides the shady green trees, there is only dusty loess. Even if she wants to add something to the boring journey, The only fun left is the few people around him. Those who are familiar with him have nothing to say. Naturally, they can only try to find some fresh feelings from this guy.
"Oh I'm just looking for something to eat, it's not a big deal."
His words were light??, but it was watertight, but it sounded cunning and harsh to the ears of the older girl. He couldn't help but feel a little angry in his heart, so he became even more tit-for-tat: "There is no good food in Illyria now. The teacher has said that he will help you." You are so busy, don¡¯t you know what opportunity you just missed? Hum, you will regret it sooner or later, but it will be too late!¡±
"Didn't you say that there is a shortage of manpower everywhere nowadays? Although I can't become a soldier, I can write and calculate. I should be able to find some way to survive, right?"
¡°Now that manpower is being reduced everywhere in the metropolitan area, who will hire a kid of your age?¡±
"This kind of guy, even if he can become a knight, is still a straw knight who is greedy for life and afraid of death and can only make ends meet"
The ¡®conversation¡¯ between the two seemed to be getting more and more intense. The younger of the two male knights finally couldn¡¯t help but interrupt:
"Writing and calculation? A man like that could fit a thousand carts into a cart in Illyria! Which knight is not a descendant of a noble? Has he not learned writing and calculation?"
"But I heard that Illyria is not just recruiting knights? Aren't the city guards and retinues also recruited? There are no enemies that can attack Illyria, right?"
"Where do you think that is? A third-rate mercenary group? They say they are recruiting city guards, but in fact they must be auxiliary soldiers. They are used to fill the moat. It's safe but the advantage is that you don't have to look for it. , a guy like you. Maybe as soon as you enter the city, you will be caught by the gang of soldiers."
The young male knight finally grasped some of the opponent's weaknesses. Laugh as much as you like.
"No one is immune to death in war, but how many and who dies depends on the commander, right?"
The gray-haired young man shrugged. But the seemingly casual words seemed to make the old knight feel a little emotional: "This sentence is quite interesting. It still depends on the commander, but what do you think, how to command can reduce the death of soldiers?"
"have no idea."
"Actually, there are just a few ways."
The three young knights couldn't help but put on their horses' reins - they probably knew that once the old knight was aroused, he would talk about what they had heard many times:
"On the battlefield. Those who died the most were actually recruits. There were many reasons, but the most important one was that they were too excited You must let them overcome that abnormal tension or excitement. They have never been in a war. Guys, when the officer tells them to go to the battlefield, they are not only excited but also nervous. Excited guys have to fight, otherwise they will die the fastest Moreover, many failed battles in history were caused by this kind of guy. Originally At the beginning of the Undead War, the failure of the human side was said to be caused by an unlucky baron who rushed out too excited and disrupted the attack sequence? Thirty thousand troops were buried with him alone. It almost caused the human side to fall. Go in So, deal with the excited guys and tell them that going to the battlefield is not fun at all. Be careful! You must obey the knight's arrangements, and you must not blindly underestimate the enemy because of excitement. But for those cowards. You must find a way to make it more effective. They build confidence in victory and make them believe that victory belongs to our side. We will definitely survive on the battlefield!"
"So, those who have not been trained will probably not go to the battlefield, right? If I were really captured to be a soldier, I would run away as soon as I saw that I was going to be trained."
The old knight was stunned and laughed.
Compared to the girl, the old man found that he really liked the reaction of his half-way travel companion. He was steady and cautious. Although he had the desolation of a mercenary, he was also very smart. Even if he met someone he had never met on the road, he really had the intention to accept more from such a stranger. Students - at least should be more worry-free than those noble children. But as a trainer, the old knight is naturally good at reading people, and he knows that this young man is not that simple without even looking carefully.
A child of a big family who hides his noble identity and is undergoing some trials? Or the descendant of a down-and-out little noble? Or is he just a mercenary?
It seems possible, but also seems wrong.
"His Majesty is seriously ill, but the three princes The Imperial Elector is expanding the Knights at this time. Obviously, he must support the little prince Now the slaves of the mages in Tuminis are stepping up their efforts. Offensive, I'm afraid the front linewell, I hope there won't be any problems."
"I heard that Prince Alec Wilder has already called himself the emperor"
"It's just common people's nonsense. How can it be so easy to be an emperor? There are nods and ceremonies in various temples. Moreover, His Royal Highness Prince Alec Wilder is not a stupid person. If he really becomes the emperor, what will he do? Facing his father, his younger brothers, and??¡Well, in short, he is wise¡¡±
"Madelanli was attacked by the Tuminis before, but the result was that the entire Kendemros defense circle was panicked. The Tuminis retreated. They were still talking about long-distance and precise teleportation, allowing the army to raid anywhere These nobles now are really Well, just one harassment knocked away most of their courage. I don't even think about the fact that if those Tuminis people really had any powerful power, they would not have to give up the occupation. city, and instead encroach on the front line bit by bit?¡±
The old man was well-informed and talkative. When he started talking, he gradually got involved in some sensitive matters, causing the three young knights around him to frown frequently. Fortunately, there is a city on the horizon in front of us.
This is the southwest periphery of the Kendemros defense circle, but it is still some distance away from the city wall near the Illyrian Vansen Hills. It is just a fortress built on a hill, with a capacity of less than ten thousand people, but this kind of fortress is no better than those A big city that looks majestic, but can be bypassed in a battle - it is located near the transportation line, and it is a very annoying thorn for attackers If it is attacked, at least several thousand people will be lost, and it can be bypassed. , not only is it difficult to supply, but it may also be attacked from the front and rear.
Of course, for travelers, this city is just a place to stay halfway, which can be entered or not. However, when the four riders passed by the foot of the hill, the gate of the castle opened, and a group of more than a hundred riders rushed out of it - the city The training and mobilization of cavalry between them is not a problem, but this group does not look like it. The momentum of the horses galloping down the mountain is particularly anxious. The dust and smoke stirred up, turning the few people hiding aside almost into natives. The female knight was so angry that she couldn't help but curse loudly!
However, the dust and smoke in front of him cleared away, and the old knight's eyes immediately stopped for a while on the person who was leaving, and suddenly said: "Let's go and see what happened." (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature, the novel is better and more updated. quick!