The lord led his team to run through the night, one man and two horses, and arrived at a place he was very familiar with as quickly as possible.
Near Seven Forks Fortress.
This is the place where Li Ang led the businessmen to make a fortune...
Now south of the Sava River, the hilltop where the Double Eleven exhibition was once held belongs to the Lionheart Kingdom.
Since Sir Rayman took charge of Seven Forks Fortress, he deployed some fortifications on both sides of the Sava River. In this way, he completely controlled the Sava River section near Seven Forks Fortress, and controlled the bridges on the river - he even began to levy a 'bridge tax' and a 'boat tax'...
Of course, these are all privately added taxes and are not very legal.
However, the lords these days rely on mountains and rivers to feed themselves. Of course, if they rely on rivers and bridges, they have to collect some tolls...
Besides, Seven Forks Fortress is a military fortress with few residents around it. Even military supplies can only be supplied by Lion City. How can the soldiers live their lives if they don't have any way to make some money?
Therefore, a makeshift 'toll station' was built at the southern end of the bridge Seven Forks Fortress. Several rows of horses blocked the bridge, and a group of soldiers sat at the bridge end, wielding their spears and yawning.
"Hey, captain! It seems like a caravan is coming over there? There are at least twenty or thirty people!"
A soldier looked eastward twice and became excited.
Not many people are crossing the bridge recently, so it's not easy to meet a caravan of dozens of people - since tolls were collected, there aren't many people on this road...
Of course, there are advantages to not having many people passing by, at least it is good for defense, which is a good thing for a military powerhouse like Seven Forks Fortress.
But of course the soldiers at the Qiaotou toll station hope to have a few more people. They are on duty in rotation, and the opportunity to guard the bridge is a benefit that only comes once a month...
"But they may not be able to cross the bridge... maybe they are going to Lion City..."
A halberdier called the captain stood up with his halberd and took a look, then suddenly became excited. "Hey! That seems to be Xingar, ha, it seems we have income!"
It was a Xingar horse team of more than twenty people, with several carriages covered with awnings. They looked like Xingar merchants—perhaps slave merchants, because the riders seemed to be skilled warriors.
But no matter what kind of business he is in, for the soldiers guarding the bridge, collecting tolls is the most important thing.
That team of Xingar is indeed coming here, and it looks like they are going to cross the bridge.
"Stop!"
The halberdier led this group of fully armed infantry to stand behind the horse at the bridge head.
"Ah... Thank you for your hard work, brothers, we are the businessmen of Xingar..."
The leader Xingar was a bearded warrior, and he was the only one riding an armored hunting horse. The others were all light riders.
"It's the same for everyone... the toll! Five dinars for everyone!"
The halberdier started to speak loudly - there were too few people passing by today, so he temporarily raised the price, which was a little outrageous.
"What?!"
The bearded man had already started touching his money bag to prepare a bribe, but when he heard the price, he was furious on the spot. "Why don't you go and grab it!"
But just after he finished speaking, he changed his words: "Damn it! You guys are robbing me openly!"
"Ha! You don't want to live, you wild donkey! It just so happens that the large troops in our fortress haven't come out to suppress the bandits for a long time..."
The halberdier sneered and used the contemptuous name Lion Territory people gave Dexian people.
This bridgehead is indeed very close to Seven Forks Fortress, only a few miles away. You can see Seven Forks Fortress's bastion from a distance with the naked eye.
"You guys are..."
The bearded man was originally very angry, but after looking back at Seven Forks Fortress, he suppressed his anger and began to search for the money bag.
But there didn't seem to be much cash in his bag. After opening the bag and looking at it twice, the bearded man gritted his teeth and threw the bag directly to the halberdier. "Take them all! Let us pass!"
The captain of the halberdiers squeezed the money bag slowly. "This is not enough... one, two, three... you twenty-four people, get one hundred and twenty dinars!"
It seems that this halberdier is pretty good at math and can probably be regarded as a cultured person in this era...
"Hey! Don't go too far! You also saw that this is all the money I have!"
The beard had already suppressed his anger, but now it's hairy again...
"Don't you have more than twenty brothers? Ask them to help you. I don't believe that so many of you can't make up a mere one hundred and twenty dinars..."
Judging from the meaning of this halberdier, it is obvious that he wants to drain all the oil and water out of these Xingar...
The bearded man pursed his lips and looked around a few times, then turned around and went back to find his brothers.
"Captain, look behind him... is that the Noldor Sword?"
The sharp-eyed armored infantryman kept staring at the weapon on the bearded back, and suddenly asked softly.
"It seems really... this is very valuable..."
The halberdier threw the money bag to his men and took two steps forward with his halberd. "Hey! Stop! Put down your weapons! This is a military controlled area!"
To be honest, this is really a military controlled area. If someone intends to enter the territory of the Lionheart Kingdom from here, it is a normal requirement that they are not allowed to bring weapons into the country.
But the problem is that they don't intend to enter Lion Territory, but simply cross the bridge - they came from the Sanguang area in the east and plan to return to Dexia through this bridge...
Therefore, as soon as the halberdier said these words, veins popped out on his beard and forehead, he turned around and directly pulled out the Noldo Rune Sword from behind.
But after his face twitched a few times, he actually looked at the sword in his hand, then slowly put the sword on the ground, spread his hands and took a step back.
The halberdier smiled proudly, moved the horse in front of him, and stepped forward to pick up the sword.
"Can we go?"
The bearded man asked in front of him.
"Don't worry, what kind of goods are you transporting? Are they slaves?"
The halberdier leaned over to pick up the sword and answered nonchalantly. It seemed that he was still thinking about how to squeeze out more oil and water.
"... Yes, slave."
The bearded man took a step forward while talking.
"Boom!"
Just when the halberdier was squatting on the ground looking at the sword, Beard rushed up with a lunge and gave him a hard blow to the knee.
This knee touched the halberdier's face, sending him flying two meters.
Then, he rolled over, picked up the sword on the ground, and chopped off the shoulder armor of the halberdier with one sword stroke, but the blade stopped accurately at the neck of the halberdier.
"Now you are my cargo too, slave!"
The bearded man spat aside and looked at the halberdier with a ferocious smile.
"Tie him up!"
The bearded man kicked the halberdier whose face was covered with blood after being hit by his knee to his own men, and he lifted the sword and overturned the horse in front of him.
The bridge deck is blocked by several rows of horses, which must be cleared first, otherwise cars and horses will not be able to pass.
The more than twenty Xingar also dismounted, took out their weapons and rushed forward.
The halberdier's mouth had been gagged, and his hands had been tied behind his back in a matter of seconds. The speed at which these Xingar tied people up was extremely astonishing.
The dozen or so infantrymen looked at each other, a little at a loss.
"Are you going to war with the kingdom?"
An armored archer shouted loudly.
But the bearded man turned a deaf ear and continued to clean up the horse.
"Fire arrows! Block the bridge and light the beacon!"
The archer gritted his teeth and issued an order that was reasonable in the current situation, but had serious consequences. It seemed that this armored archer was probably the deputy captain of this team.
Seven or eight Lion Territory armored infantry blocked the bridge, and five or six archers also started shooting arrows. There were more than a dozen infantrymen in this group guarding the bridge. They were all elites stationed on the border. If a fight really came up, they would not be timid.
But they really didn't expect that these Xingar would really dare to attack them!
After all, they are the regular army of the kingdom, professional soldiers stationed in the Seven Forks Fortress border defense zone. Attacking them is tantamount to declaring war on the Lionheart Kingdom!
The individual combat capability of Bearded's men is obviously much better than that of these Lion Territory soldiers. Those who appear to be Xingar riders have actual combat capabilities that are definitely not lower than those of the knights on this continent.
Moreover, all of these people use Noldor weapons!
Although the narrow place on the bridge obviously restricted the performance of these riders, just a few minutes later, the dozen infantrymen guarding the bridge all fell at the bridge head, but none of the Xingar riders died.
However, the beacon tower next to it has been burning brightly in these few minutes, and the raging black smoke is rising high in the sky. Seven Forks Fortress must have seen it!
"Quickly retreat!"
Seeing that smoke and dust seemed to be rising in the direction of Seven Forks Fortress, Wu Xiu immediately led his men away quickly, not daring to waste any more time dealing with the corpses and beacons, and just took away the already tied halberdier.
That's his slave. A strong halberdier is also very valuable in Xingar!
Just ten minutes later, the cavalry team of Li Ang arrived here.
The lord stepped forward and looked at the corpses, then at the beacon that was still burning, and frowned.
"My lord... this is the wound caused by the Noldor sword! This is the work of those Xingar! The blood is still hot, and they are not far ahead!"
Vendathir was now dressed as a human female explorer, with a helmet covering her long pointed ears.
She has studied sword skills for three hundred years and is very familiar with the Noldor sword.
"Vendathir... I know this was done by the Xingar slave-catching team... but this is the border between the Lionheart Kingdom and Bacchus Empire! You probably don't understand what it means when these garrison troops were killed and the beacon fire was lit..."
The lord sighed deeply, "They are declaring war on the Lionheart Kingdom! These Xingar will cause chaos in the world!"
"Sir, there is no other way. We still have to pursue it immediately... but we can't take this road when we come back! Do we want to put out the beacon fire?"
Risadiran can understand this situation better - there will soon be countless troops blocking this place, and it is likely to trigger a large-scale war!
"No, it will only make things worse if they are destroyed! Don't worry about it, let's catch up with those Xingar first!"
Li Ang knows that he cannot inform Seven Forks Fortress that Xingar did it - otherwise Lionheart Kingdom will have no choice but to declare war with Duchy of Dexia!
Facing Bacchus Empire is already very troublesome, and then declaring war with Dexia...Emperor Marius of the Bacchus Empire will definitely be very happy, and it is estimated that White Deer Fortress will have to face another bloody battle!
He couldn't extinguish the beacon or do other extra things, because Seven Forks Fortress must have seen the beacon here long ago. If it suddenly went out now, it would only lead to a greater misjudgment - if the bridge was not occupied after the killing, but the beacon was extinguished, it would look more like a large-scale enemy force setting up an ambush.
Moreover, it is difficult for Li Ang to explain to the Lionheart Kingdom people why he is chasing those Xingar - he can't just say that he is trying to save Noldo maidens, right? Then Li Ang is not only treason, but may also be said to have betrayed humanity...
Just ignore it for now! There is really no time to waste now, Li Ang can only lead the troops to pursue it as soon as possible.
Half an hour later, another group of people also came to the bridge.
This force is very large and carries a red double lion flag.
That's Lion Knight Order led by Ryman.
From the moment they saw the beacon fire to completing the army preparations and rushing from Seven Forks Fortress to the bridge a few miles away, it took Ryman's troops only forty minutes - this is a very efficient way to lead troops. It takes more than ten or twenty minutes to put on armor.
Moreover, he brought with him more than five hundred people, one hundred Lion Knight and more than four hundred Lion Retainers, which are all the members of Lion Knight Order who stayed in Seven Forks Fortress.
"Master Ryman, there is indeed no body in the river..."
Several wet guys popped their heads out of the smooth and clear Sava River: "Sir, with the weight of the Halberdier's equipment, if it falls into the river, it will definitely sink to the bottom, but there is nothing in the river."
"In other words, a beacon fire was lit here more than half an hour ago. The team guarding the bridge was all killed, and the leading halberdier was missing..."
Ryman looked at the corpse and muttered, then stood up and gave the order, "Send someone to send a message to Lion City! The enemy has invaded! Moreover, the enemy has captured a captain who knows the defense zone and passwords to be the leader. The situation is very serious!"
"Sir, do you think Bacchus Empire did it?"
Lion Knight asked next to him.
"The injuries on the corpse were all caused by very sharp swords. This does look like Bacchus Empire's style..."
Ryman shook his head, stood up and looked in the direction of the Bacchus Empire: "In any case, we can only stay here to see the situation. Send someone to send orders to the surrounding towns to be prepared and search for any traces of suspicious people! If we don't find the enemy until tomorrow, then we will just like the enemy and cross the bridge to visit Bax! If the enemy wants to fight, then fight!"
"Ha! Glory is my life!"
The Lion Knights under Ryman shouted in unison.
Near Turdah Fortress, a group of men in black were silently marching northwest. There were about three hundred people in total.
'Good Brother' Ramon is among the team.
His unit has no name and is unknown.
Because those who can see this army have basically been reincarnated.
Most of today's Xingar are Ramon's 'good brothers'. This unit has not been deployed in large numbers for two or three years.
In fact, these men in black are not the army. They work for Ramon and are his employees in Xingar, a large entertainment city that integrates hotels, casinos, auction houses, taverns, brothels, etc.
Of course, the work content is not too fixed. Sometimes I have to serve tea and water, sometimes I have to squeeze my shoulders and beat my back, sometimes I have to stab people with a knife, and sometimes I have to dig holes and bury corpses.
Before working for Ramon, these people had another identity - they were all slaves at the lowest level.
They are the kind that are bought and sold like cattle in the Xingar market.
They are either sinners who have lost their civil rights, or prisoners of war who have not been redeemed. In any case, they are the kind of animals with no future at all, that is, "untouchables" whose descendants can only be slaves.
However, after they were bought by Ramon and became Ramon's "good brothers", no one would treat them as slaves anymore.
Ramon gave them new jobs and lives, allowed them to get married and have children, and even allowed their children to receive education - even the dead brothers, wives and children would still receive such care.
--This alone is enough to make them die for Ramon!
As long as Ramon is alive, their wives and children will still be treated like normal civilians. The wife will not be reduced to selling her body in the alleys of Xingar, and the children will not compete with wild dogs for food.
Perhaps this is the true sense of the brotherhood. Although Ramon is not a good person, he is at least a good boss.
"Sir Ramon, Fruuz's convoy is in the valley ahead."
A cavalryman in black came to Ramon to report.
"Very good... go tell him that I'm here to pick him up..."
Ramon waved his hand and followed the cavalry into the valley alone.
The men in black behind him consciously spread out and surrounded him in an arc.
Not long after, Fruuz, the same bearded man from before, saw Ramon.
"Sir Ramon! Why are you here? Are you here to greet me? Hahaha... That is such an honor!"
Fruuz looked surprised.
"Ha, shameless guy, have you got the goods I need?"
Ramon smiled and rode to Fruuz.
"Of course, I, Fruuz, have taken action. When have I ever disappointed anyone? I can catch any slave!"
Perhaps thinking that meeting Ramon meant he was safe, Fruuz looked quite proud.
"Let me see... you didn't waste these valuable goods, did you?"
Ramon rode straight to the carriages, pulled out a sword from the waist of one of Fruuz's riders, and cut off the ropes binding the tarpaulin.
Fruuz's riders certainly recognized Ramon and cooperated by opening the tarp.
The carriages in front and behind carried a lot of Noldor equipment, and there was also a Lion Territory Halberdier whose face was covered in blood.
In the middle carriage, there were three Noldo maidens rangers who were gagged and tied into rice dumplings. One of them, Noldo maidens, was wearing an exquisite headband and had purple eyes.
"We will not have trouble with the dinar... Sir Ramon, everyone knows that the price difference between girls and women is at least ten times!"
Fruuz smiled even more proudly, "This is a big harvest. I can probably retire and enjoy the blessings! That is a real Noldor noble girl! She is probably related to a certain Elf King!"