Vanades City was the largest trading city in the Madras Principality. It was also the largest distribution center for goods and commodities. This was mainly due to the city's excellent geographical location. It was located at the center of all transportation routes. To the south was the Andina Kingdom, to the north was the North, to the east was the Falk Principality and the Sabaji Principality, and to the west was the capital and administrative center of the Madras Principality, Shalisco City. Due to its convenient transportation, Vanades City was known as the flower of commerce in the Madras Principality.
Laurist led the cavalry archers and spent five days traveling day and night. They traveled for nearly a thousand kilometers without stopping and finally arrived at Vanades City.
Now they had no choice but to stay in Vanades City for two days. One was to scout for information, and the other was to rest the horses. After traveling two hundred miles in a day for five days, the northern horses of the cavalry archers were almost at their limit.
They rented a small caravan camp in the southern outskirts of Vanades City and settled the cavalry archers there. Peter took care of the trivial matters, and Laurist brought Padt and five guards into the city. They needed to find a good hotel to stay in.
The last time Laurist brought Ovikis' caravan back to the north, they only rested outside Vanades City for a day. Sadkamp entered the city to replenish some supplies before hurriedly continuing on their journey. This was Laurist's first time entering the city. Compared to the commercial city of Moronte City where he had lived for ten years, Vanades City was not big, but the strong commercial atmosphere was comparable. Although the streets were narrow, the densely packed stalls, the people rubbing shoulders, and the endless hawking made Laurist feel as if he had returned to the familiar Moronte City.
The Perfume and Beauty Hotel was located on the South Street of Vanades City. This was a famous high-end hotel, and it was also the favorite place for nobles and big businessmen to stay. Although the cost was not cheap, it was still full of guests and guests.
Laurist booked four suites in the wing, and after taking a shower, he sent two guards to inform Peter of where he was staying in the city. He then brought Padt and the four guards downstairs. They took two tables in the hotel lobby and ordered dinner. They listened to the conversations of the diners around them as they enjoyed their dinner.
After listening for a long time, Laurist was very disappointed. Although the merchants here talked about the blockage of the road to the Andinac Kingdom, most of them were complaining and guessing when the blockage would be lifted. The rest of them were talking about the transfer routes and the trade of their goods.
He listened as he ate, and when he looked up, he noticed that Padt was staring at something behind him. Laurist was startled. He turned around and smiled.
Behind him was a small living room that resembled a winding corridor. It was filled with gorgeously dressed women. From time to time, the hotel's guests would enter and choose the women they liked. After negotiating the price, they would bring the women back to the hotel room to spend the night together.
"Hehe, you've fallen in love? You can choose one if you want. Just leave before eleven at night. " Laurist looked at the giant hourglass on the counter in the lobby. "It's only seven now. You still have four hours if you want to choose. There's plenty of time …"
Padt blushed. "No, I just want to take a look and broaden my horizons …"
"You really don't want to?"
"No, I want to stay by the lord's side …" Padt shook his head firmly.
"It's safe here. We're just a group of merchants. No one knows me. Besides, as merchants, it'll be more conspicuous if they don't look for women in the hotel. Look at the four of them. They're staring at women just like you. If you don't want to look for a woman, come with me. I want to buy a few detailed maps of the road ahead. Give each of them a gold coin and tell them to look for a woman on their own. It'll make our group look normal, "Laurist said.
Padt turned around and gave each of the four guards at the other table a gold coin. This unexpected surprise made the four guards blush with excitement. Padt told them not to spill the beans, and to make the women leave before eleven at night. The four guards nodded vigorously, but Laurist was still there. They were too embarrassed to choose a woman right away.
The two left the hotel with Padt and went to two night markets. They bought two travel books and a few maps from a bookstore. To Laurist's surprise, the bookstore actually sold a defensive map of the Lezhada Fortress. The owner of the bookstore said disapprovingly that the Duke of Madras had sealed off the borders and roads to prevent refugees from entering. For a while, the Lezhada Fortress became a hot topic. Many people who liked to talk on paper bought a copy and invited a few friends to talk about how to defend and conquer it. This was a very normal thing.
"This map was copied directly from the filing room. It's selling like hotcakes. Would you like a copy, sir?" the owner of the bookstore said.
"Alright, I'll have a copy too. I'll think about how to conquer the fortress when I get back." Laurist said.
"Actually, the fortress is dead. The real defense depends on the people. As long as our duchy's Guardian Legion is here, this fortress will never be conquered, "the owner rolled up the map and handed it to Laurist proudly.
Laurist nodded, deep in thought.
After returning to the inn, Laurist locked himself in his room and spent two days carefully studying the terrain between Vanades City and Liechtena Fortress Castle. He also asked the inn's attendant to find a guide who was familiar with the route to the Falkner Duchy, and asked him about the route to the Falkner Duchy in detail. He also ordered Padt and the guards to go to all the taverns and hotels in the city, and secretly ask about the military preparations and logistics for the border blockade.
In the eyes of the waiter and other merchants, Laurist was just a normal noble from the Redelis Kingdom. He was worried about how to get home.
On the third day, Laurist checked out of his room and returned to the cavalry archers' camp in the southern suburbs.
At night, Laurist gathered Peter and Padt in the big tent to arrange their next journey.
"… We will depart tomorrow morning, and head east along the road to Falkr Duchy. This is a small mountainous area with complicated terrain. I heard there were bandits and bandits here in the past. However, due to the blockade of the border, there were many merchants who took this mountain road, and the Madras Duchy had also deployed a large group of guards to guard the road. It was said that there had been no news of bandits in the past month.
It should take us half a day's journey to reach this small mountain village. According to the information we obtained, there was a company of guards stationed in this small mountain village. Not far from the small mountain village was a fork in the road. This small road passed through a large forest to the south and reached this hill. At the foot of the hill, there were two small roads. One led to the Lejidana Fortress, and the other led over the hill to the Egret Lake.
"We have two choices. One is to cross the lake. The Andinac Kingdom is on the other side, but we don't know if we can find a ferry. After all, we have more than a hundred people and five carriages. It's a bit troublesome. Fortunately, the roads are passable by four-wheeled carriages. The other way was to break out of the Fortress of Liechtena.
Look, the Lezhada Fortress is built on Lezhada Mountain. To the west is the Lezhada Mountain Range all the way to the sea. This road is blocked. To the east of the Lezhada Fortress is the main road that connects the two kingdoms. About five hundred meters from the fortress are three small stone hills. The locals call them Bread Hills. They are bald like three freshly baked buns. I heard there is a military camp built on top of them, and a large group of Iron Guards are stationed there. They control the main road on the left and right of the Lezhada Fortress.
Below Bread Hill is the Egret Lake, which is nearly a hundred miles long. This Egret Lake is the natural boundary between the Kingdom of Andinac and the Kingdom of Madras. But apart from the path I just pointed out, which leads over the hill to the lakeside, there are only swamps and primeval forests along the coast. We have not heard of a second path leading to the lake.
Watchtowers and wooden fences have been built on the open space between Bread Hills and Lezhada Mountain, sealing off the entire border. The last time Padt inquired, there were ten ballistae stationed in the military camp on Bread Hills. Similar to the one in the Lezhada Fortress, they were standard ballistae with a range of two to three hundred meters. Even if the watchtowers and wooden fences in the middle are destroyed, the crossfire from both sides can still seal off the main road.
That's why we shouldn't break through here unless it's absolutely necessary. That means we'll have to pay a heavy price. When we reach the village tomorrow afternoon, we'll carefully check the density of the patrolling guards. We'll see how vigilant they are on the side road and whether we can sneak through without anyone noticing. If it doesn't work, we'll just force our way through. When we reach the lake, we'll abandon all our carriages and swim across the lake with our mounts … "
… …
Around noon, Loriste and his men arrived at the village. After showing the Teberle Family badge to the guards, they were allowed to enter the village to rest. There were already three caravans resting in the open space in front of the village. They would continue their journey after lunch.
After finding an open space, Peter directed the cavalry archers to start cooking. The villagers of the small mountain village brought their home-brewed ale and food to sell. It seemed that the action of the Madras Principality to seal the border had brought unexpected prosperity to the small mountain village. The villagers relied on selling snacks and the mountain products they gathered and hunted, as well as game from the passing caravans to earn a lot of money. Everyone had a satisfied smile on their faces.
After eating lunch and resting for an hour, Buckingham ordered them to pack up and prepare to depart. This was a secret signal. It meant that Wuji had to take advantage of this opportunity to forcefully break through the checkpoint at the fork in the road that was guarded by a small squad of guards. Everyone had to be prepared for battle.
While he was sorting out his equipment, there was a hustle and bustle at the entrance of the small mountain village. Then, a small group of arrogant guards escorted seven or eight people who were tightly tied up and dressed as mercenaries into the village.
Padt went over to take a look, and his expression changed. He returned to Loriste's side, "My lord, it's bad. They're capturing Redi and Jim …"
"What? What did you say? " Laurist paused for a moment and turned around to take a look. The people who were tied up like dumplings were Redi and Jim. Jim's shoulder was still bleeding, and it seemed like he was captured after a fierce fight. The rest of the mercenaries were also injured.
The platoon leader of the garrison troops stationed in the small mountain village came out of a wooden house while cursing. His clothes were disheveled, and two red hickeys could be seen on his open chest and neck. It was obvious that the arrival of these captives had interrupted his good deed.
The platoon leader squeezed through the crowd and spoke to the squad leader who escorted them. He then ordered the captives to be locked up in a stone cell.
Loriste went up to him and asked curiously, "Hey, captain, what's with these captives? Why are you capturing slaves? "
"My ass ….." The captain scolded. He then remembered that the person in front of him was a noble. Even though he was not a noble of the duchy, he was still a viscount. His position as a captain could not be compared to him. He quickly tidied up his clothes, "Greetings, my lord viscount. These people illegally crossed Egret Lake into the duchy and violated the Grand Duke's ban. That's why they were captured. "
"How are you going to deal with them? Are you going to sell them to the slave traders? They look like strong men and can be sold for a good price. "Loriste said.
"Damn nobles, they're also slave traders." The captain cursed in his mind, "We don't do slave trading. If they are caught illegally crossing the border, they will be beheaded after interrogation. My lord, look at the trees on the east side of the village. Those are the decapitated heads of the people who tried to cross the border ….."
Loriste then realized that there were more than thirty heads hanging on a tree on the east side of the village.
"What a pity. I wanted to offer a good price ….." Loriste said with a regretful expression.
"Please forgive me, my lord viscount. This is the Grand Duke's order, and we can only obey. I'll take my leave first. I wish you a safe journey. "The captain bowed and left.
Loriste walked back with a gloomy expression. He said to Pat and Peter, "Think of an excuse to stay. We'll figure out the village's defenses in the afternoon and kill them at night. We'll rescue Redi and Jim."
"My lord, why don't we do it now?" Peter asked.
Loriste shook his head, "There are too many people now. There are already five or six caravans around us. We can't guarantee that information won't leak out. If we do it, the guards around us will be alerted and surround us. We only have a small group, and there's a large group of guards in charge of this road. I don't want nearly a hundred of you to get lost just to save a few people.
If it's night time, there won't be any caravans here. It's only half a day's journey from here to Vanades City. No one will stay here overnight, and we can guarantee that we won't alert the guards in other places. "
The house that the captain went to was occupied by the prettiest woman in the village, a young widow. There used to be many young men in the village fawning over her, but they had nothing to do with the captain's arrival.
Her mood had been disturbed by the smuggled mercenaries, and she had just entered the alley when she heard someone knocking on her door.
"What happened now?!" The captain was furious. The man who had been on his horse just now was scared shrunk into a ball.
"Captain, the viscount you were talking to fell off his horse when he was about to leave. He seems to have broken a few bones, and they can't walk anymore. The viscount fainted from the pain, and his men have already gone to Vanades City to get a pharmacist. They're going to set up camp in the village now, "the man outside reported loudly.
"Haha, that's good news. Even that damned viscount has such bad luck." The captain was delighted, "Tell them to set up camp in the village and behave themselves. I'll visit the viscount at night. Don't disturb me if there's nothing important! Get lost! "
He lowered his head and said to the young widow, whose face was full of love, "Baby, use your little mouth to help me …"
…
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