Determining the Location
The two farmers felt uneasy under the gaze of the black-armored knight, and a fine layer of sweat broke out on their foreheads. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with hesitation and fear.
Finally, one of them gritted his teeth and forced himself to speak, "Sir... sir, we don't really want to cause trouble either! Although we are the Duke's direct subjects, that Lord Dede is a formidable figure!"
I heard he has powerful backers, and even the tax official from the county has to give him some face!
Therefore, he was the absolute authority in our village, and everyone was terrified of him. They even shifted his grain tax burden onto us..."
Just as he was about to utter his last words, he suddenly felt his mouth being tightly covered. It turned out that his companion, who was standing next to him, had quickly stopped him.
Upon seeing this, the farmer immediately put on a big smile and bowed to the man in front of him, saying, "Sir, please don't take it to heart. My brother is just a coward. He gets so scared when something happens that he loses his composure and speaks without thinking."
But don't worry, he absolutely didn't mean anything by it!
Then, the farmer changed the subject again, continuing to flatter him, "Look at our highly respected Master Dede, he's known as a very kind person! He takes special care of us poor people, hiring us to do chores for him from time to time so that everyone can have something to eat."
Without his generous help, our entire village would probably have been forced to flee!
At the same time, the other person whose head was being pressed down also nodded hurriedly in agreement, indicating that he completely agreed with every word the farmer had just said.
The black-armored knight's sharp eyes easily discerned the two men's subtle movements, but he said nothing. He simply waved the reins slightly, signaling a Cavalry behind him to step forward. The Cavalry quickly approached, pulled a small cloth bag from his robes, and then ruthlessly threw it at the feet of the two farmers.
The black-armored knight spoke in a calm and firm tone, "Very well, I have now obtained the information I wanted to know."
This is your reward, mostly copper coins and copper plates, with only a few Silver Coin.
That should be enough for you to purchase a large amount of grain, right?
It's not that I don't want to give you gold coins, but I'm worried that you might not be able to keep them, and that would endanger your lives and fortunes.
As for those few Silver Coin, you'd better hide them well!
I hope to see you both again when our army returns victorious!
After speaking, the black-armored knight immediately turned his horse around and led the Cavalry unit away, quickly merging into the main force and disappearing from sight.
Upon seeing this, the two farmers rushed forward and picked up the cloth bag. When they opened it, they found it was indeed full of copper coins and copper plates, just as the black-armored knight had said.
Just as one of them excitedly reached out to pour all the coins into his pocket, he suddenly felt something heavy—a few glittering Silver Coin!
The unexpected windfall filled the two with joy, but at the same time, a sense of fear welled up within them.
Knowing they couldn't linger, they turned and hid in the nearby dense bushes without hesitation.
Time passed second by second, and finally, the huge and mysterious team gradually moved further and further away, eventually disappearing completely on the distant horizon.
After confirming it was safe, the two farmers cautiously crawled out of their hiding place, only to find that the cloth bag they had been holding was gone!
One of them cautiously said to his companion, "Listen to me carefully, we didn't see anything today, let alone find any treasure!"
Never mention a word about this money to anyone, not even your own wife and children!
As long as we can hold onto these possessions, our family won't starve to death this winter!
The other person nodded repeatedly, indicating their complete agreement.
Then, the two exchanged a glance, silently got up, left the riverbank, and hurried away in opposite directions, embarking on their journey to find the stray livestock...
The knight, clad in heavy black armor, sped past like a whirlwind, easily passing through a fully armed and well-trained Cavalry unit.
In the blink of an eye, the brave and fearless warrior arrived beneath a huge banner and quickly pulled on the reins to bring his horse to a stop.
The knight looked around, scanning the area before finally settling on the standard-bearer who was riding a horse, holding the military flag high and advancing steadily.
Immediately afterward, his gaze shifted slightly, and he noticed a person standing not far from the standard-bearer—it was none other than Lord Victor himself.
"My lord, Michael has important news to report!" Michael shouted, his voice loud and firm.
Hearing the shouts, Victor turned to look at Michael, a look of delight spreading across his face: Haha, it's Michael!
Hmm... You look really dashing in this armor, quite like Detachment Commander!
Faced with Victor's praise, Michael scratched his head somewhat shyly, as if he had returned to the time when he was learning from Victor.
Whenever Victor praised him, he would involuntarily feel shy.
Victor witnessed all of this, and a sense of relief welled up within him.
The serf's son who once followed me out of the Golden Sunflower Territory has undergone countless hardships and trials, and has now successfully transformed into an outstanding knight, which truly fills me with pride.
What do you need me for? Did you discover anything?
Victor knew that Michael's unit was responsible for perimeter security during the main force's march, so Victor dared not underestimate his subordinate who had suddenly appeared to report the situation.
Michael strode forward and said urgently, "My lord, we just encountered some farmers grazing their livestock."
After some questioning, they revealed some important information to us, enough to determine our exact location!
Upon hearing this, Victor nodded, indicating that he understood the importance of the matter, and gestured for Michael to continue.
Michael then recounted the detailed information provided by the farmers without hesitation.
Victor listened quietly, occasionally interjecting a few words to learn more details.
After Michael finished speaking, Victor nodded in agreement, then decisively waved the reins, urging his horse straight to the side of the road.
Upon reaching the roadside, Victor stopped his horse and turned to the Guard Cavalry behind him, ordering. "Quickly, fetch the marching map!"
Before long, a huge parchment was presented to Victor. He unfolded the map, examined it carefully, and quickly made a judgment based on what Michael had just said and the various locations marked on the map.
Victor complained with a helpless look, "The maps of this place are so unreliable!"
Especially this section of the Blackwater River, its course keeps changing, there's no reliable course at all! If you don't ask the locals, who can know the correct route?
Upon hearing this, Michael, who was standing nearby, immediately became interested and asked, "Changed route? What's going on?"
Victor rolled his eyes at him and said irritably, "Hey, have you forgotten everything I told you before?"
The Blackwater River in Wright County is prone to course changes because it has many bends and tributaries, resulting in a relatively fast current.
This makes it easy for the river to breach the riverbanks and change its original course!
Moreover, this kind of thing doesn't happen only once in a while; basically, a new map has to be drawn every now and then!
The marching map I'm holding is an old relic drawn up by the Grand Duchy twenty years ago; it's long outdated!
Fortunately, with the intelligence you provided, we can now pinpoint our location and plan our next marching route."
"My lord, can't we continue north by boat along the river? Wouldn't that also get us to the main battlefield?"
Victor retorted irritably, "We're all Cavalry; we're faster than ships in a straight line, and besides, we don't have that many ships!"
According to Victor's requirements for mid- to high-ranking officers, they must have a good understanding of astronomy and geography. Judging from this, Michael is still a long way from being a qualified Detachment Commander!