Chapter 194 The storm in the north gathers here.
"Hey, have you heard about what happened in Cintra?"
"Yes, I heard that they are now ruled by an earl. It seems to be a Lannister, known as 'Cintra'." Lion'?"
"I have also heard of his name. He was the most popular knight in the north before, but later there were rumors that he was assassinated by the Nilfgaardians." "
But he miraculously resurrected in the end. I was in the tavern Listening to his poems makes your ears tingle!"
"Those are all from old almanacs from who knows how long ago!" The person who spoke was a soldier, "Do you all know that Cintra was also invited this time? Haji Fortress participated in the talks..."
"Have you been hit by an arrow from the Scoia'tael in the brain?" A soldier on the side gave him a hard punch. "Everyone knows this kind of thing! You think we are here for What? Are you drinking so much that you lose your mind?"
The beaten soldier staggered and fell here, and then he threw the wine glass in his hand to the ground in a rage and started fighting with the people around him. The onlookers immediately surrounded them and started cheering and placing bets as if they were organizing a small boxing match.
This place is the Pontal Valley. The place where the four kingdoms of Temeria, Redania, Kaedwen and Aedirn meet is one of the most important military zones in the north.
The entangled interests of the above-mentioned countries have led to more than one conflict here. Countless battles have been witnessed by the trees and stones here, and blood often accompanies the conflicts and mixes with the water of the Ponta River.
The causes of each conflict are also different: the ancient dispute between elves and humans, the conflict between the interests of nobles and merchants, and the peasant riots that break out from time to time.
The most recent war broke out about forty years ago. Temeria and Aedirn left a large number of corpses here, and finally delimited the national border. The Pontar Valley was nominally governed by Aedirn.
Nowadays, these have become the historical embellishment of Pontere Valley.
The Pontal Valley is destined to witness more history, such as now - the first gathering of the four northern powers, plus the Northern Talks attended by the United Kingdoms of Sintra, Leiria and Livia.
This is an unprecedented event.
At this time, half of the participating countries had arrived at Haji Fortress. Merchants from the four countries on the border also took notice of the situation. How many temporary shops were set up nearby to sell wine, meat, even anesthetic powder and other things and services that made them comfortable to the soldiers gathered here.
In peacetime, the big-headed soldiers had nowhere to vent their energy, so they squandered a large amount of money. In wartime, they could follow them like vultures to clean the second and third battlefields. "If you follow the army, you can make a lot of money." This is the consensus among businessmen.
A noncommissioned officer wearing a beaver hat took a glass of wine from the merchant next to him, and while drinking, he looked at his subordinates who were holding a "boxing match."
"Has anything interesting happened here recently?"
Pontal Valley is now home to multinational troops. In order to prevent conflicts, the places where each country's troops are stationed are strictly divided and separated. Instead, businessmen from various countries can run around, and the news they bring is good food and drinks for the soldiers.
"Nothing major has happened recently. The kings are very careful, and the people below are also very nervous." The businessman said enthusiastically, "But regarding the 'Lion of Sintra' that the two gentlemen just discussed, news has been coming out recently. "
Oh?" The beaver hat sergeant showed interest in his eyes.
"He now has many nicknames. For example, 'Friend of the Dryad', 'Gryphon Knight of the Lady of the Lake', 'Fair Lannister', 'Valiant Lannister', 'Lion in Fire', etc." Wait, these either happened during his fight with Nilfgaard, or they happened on his way to Haji Fortress." "Oh?" The
beaver hat sergeant touched his chin, "So many nicknames ?"
"Isn't it? I heard that Mahakam has recently made a new Gwent card for him."
"Mahakam?" The beaver hat sergeant's eyes suddenly changed, becoming indignant and vicious. Uncontrollably, "Damn dwarf!"
The merchant who was telling the story was stunned. He didn't know why the soldier who was so nice just now became so violent.
The beaver hat sergeant looked at the confused merchant and slammed the wine glass in his hand: "Don't you know yet? The dwarves have become the enemies of mankind, a group of thieves who deserve the plague! As a merchant, I believe There's no way you haven't heard of the Scoia'tael!"
"I know, I know." The trader said casually, disapproving when he saw the beaver hat sergeant's coat with a yellow unicorn painted on it, "But with all due respect, my lord, the Scoia'tael. It has nothing to do with me."
"It has nothing to do with you? Damn it, how could you say these words?"
A soldier next to the beaver hat sergeant suddenly jumped up and shouted:
"The Nilfgaardians invaded After the North, the first Scoia'tael began to show up. These damn inhuman races are simply adding insult to injury. We fought in the south and bled on Sodden Mountain, but they fought guerrillas in our rear. They thought the Nilfgaardians They can defeat us, so they preached that human rule has ended and it is time to restore the old order. 'Drive humans back into the sea!' is their battle cry and an excuse for murder, arson and looting!" The merchant took a sip
. Mouth: "Your Excellency, but as far as I know, most non-human races also condemn the Scoia'tael and do not want to have anything to do with them. Most of them are very loyal, and sometimes they even pay a high price for their loyalty." Those
present The soldiers suddenly stopped talking and stared at the merchant. He seemed to be very young, looking to be in his early twenties, or even less than twenty. It is very courageous to dare to go out to do business alone at this age.
"Businessman, which country are you from?"
"Temeria, Your Excellency."
"Ha!" the beaver hat sergeant laughed, "I remember that you defeated Mahakam, so the dwarves are now nominally the subjects of your king. , right?"
"Yes, Your Excellency." The merchant said, "And I have personally seen the lion of Cintra and his dwarf companions. They were in the White Orchard. They had a large number of knives and swords at that time. , but he let off the beekeeper who offended him, and did not let his anger vent on any civilian. The dwarf next to such an adult is definitely not an evil person, so I think your evaluation of the dwarf It's biased..."
The beaver hat sergeant stood up with a gloomy face: "I thought that people like you who are trying to make a living would have more flexible minds. Now it seems that they are not much different from those who work hard..." the sergeant
thought This merchant must be taught a lesson.
Seeing that there seemed to be a conflict, other businessmen who were supposed to be together immediately came over to smooth things over.
"Aiya, aiya, Your Excellency, why do you need to know this young man? He was seduced after meeting Lord Lannister. He even said that he was not going to be a merchant and said that he wanted to go to Sintra to have a son. , Let your son also become a knight."
These words made the soldiers around him laugh loudly. The businessman who was trying to smooth things over laughed the loudest: "Listen, listen, this is like what a person with a good brain can say. What?"
Seeing that the officers and soldiers were feeling more relaxed, the businessman who was smoothing things over immediately turned around and scolded his young companions, while also telling the other soldiers around him:
"Look at my head, it was broken by a dwarf. The Scoia'tael are more hateful than the bandits! The bandits want money, but the Scoia'tael only want to see human beings bleed. Not everyone has gold, but we all have it in our veins. Blood is flowing!"
"The woodcutter shot with an arrow in the clearing, the tarr cut to pieces in the beech forest, the farmer fleeing after his village was burned down, have they harmed the inhuman race? They live side by side, We were working together yesterday, but today suddenly there was an arrow on my back... And what about me? I have never hurt an elf, dwarf or other non-human race in my life, but you see, my head is It was cut by the dwarf's scimitar."
At this point, the businessman who was trying to smooth things over pointed at the bandage on his head and bowed deeply to the onlookers whose emotions had stabilized: "If it weren't for the bravery like you all, If the soldiers saved me, I would have been sleeping underground long ago..."
"Well said!" Some soldiers cheered.
Obviously what the businessman said made the soldiers very happy, and the beaver hat sergeant seemed to have forgotten the displeasure just now.
The soldiers all came forward to buy wine from the businessman who was slashed by the dwarf and then rescued by his own people. The beaver hat sergeant looked him up and down.
"Where are you from?"
"Aedirn, Your Excellency."
The beaver hat sergeant nodded: "Take good care of your Temerian man, he is not very smart for your line of work." The
merchant hurriedly responded with a smile. .
After drinking another glass of wine, the beaver hat sergeant seemed a little drunk and shouted to the young merchant from Temeria:
"I'll tell you, young man. It's us soldiers who are protecting you! Humans have been too indulgent and inhumane in the past. We regard them as human beings, as our compatriots, but they stab us in the back. And those who support them are the guys living around us - elves, half-elves, dwarves, gnomes and halflings . They harbor the Scoia'tael, send them food, replenish their manpower..." "
They operate in small groups. There are as many as a hundred, sometimes even more. They call them 'commandos', borrowed from the gnome language. Deal with it. The best they can do is to cut off their supply lines, isolate them, and let starvation force them to surrender. Capture the inhuman races who assist the Scoia'tael and drain the firepower. Those who come from towns, villages and farms..." "But you are dealing with the Scoia'tael
, It's just the Scoia'tael." The young trader suddenly interrupted him, "The problem is that we don't know which non-human races are helping them. Therefore, it is wrong to hate all non-human races!" The young trader seemed to be thinking about what he was doing in the White Orchard
. He saw the heroic knight and the team of dwarves following him, as well as the scene where the dwarves slaughtered the Horned Demon like a pig. Still defending them to this day.
The beaver hat sergeant's face darkened, and he looked at the young merchant in front of him and wondered what he was thinking.
On the other side, there was a drunken soldier who was already in a daze. After listening to the young merchant's words, he shouted loudly: "If you can't tell the difference, then arrest them all! Pinch the back of the neck of every inhuman race and kill them." Throw them down the mines and into the quarries. Everyone, including innocent people, including women and children!" "
This is to protect mankind, there is no other way!" A soldier around him shouted at the top of his lungs, "All help is appreciated. The human race should also be liquidated. For example, the Lannister of Cintra, I heard that he became a demon hunter, he should also..." The
beaver hat sergeant suddenly shouted and kicked his voice to the top of his lungs. The soldier kicked him out.
All the soldiers suddenly fell silent and did not dare to speak anymore.
Only the young trader was minding his own business, as if he had won a victory: "In my opinion, the Scoia'tael came into being because of the fault of you Kaedwen people. It was you and other nobles and knights who caused it. . You oppressed the inhuman races and did not allow them to live in their own way. Now you pay the price. And we have been transporting goods on this road, but we have swallowed your bitter fruit..." He was immersed in his own world
. Unexpectedly, the surrounding changes occurred, but the businessman who was trying to smooth things over suddenly covered the young businessman's mouth fiercely.
He looked at the soldiers slowly surrounding him with a horrified expression. Whether it was because of drunkenness or anger, the soldiers' faces were all red at the moment.
The beaver hat sergeant clenched his fist fiercely and slapped the hilt of his sword: "I can't pretend that I didn't hear you insulting Kaedwen on Kadwin's territory. As a businessman, you are really not smart..." "Bang
" With a click, the businessman turned around and suddenly saw that his cart was overturned and fell to the ground, and all the drinks inside were spilled out.
"You... what are you going to do? We are merchants from Temeria and Aedirn, this is not your Kaedwen!" The
young merchant finally became frightened and suddenly forgot what he had just insisted on. He backed away in fear.
"Where we are is Kaedwen." The Beaver Hat sergeant said through gritted teeth.
Kaedwen's soldiers gathered around. They did not draw their swords, but seemed to want to teach the person in front of them a lesson first with their fists and kicks. They were already familiar with this kind of thing.
However, just when they were about to execute the two merchants, a soldier who had just fallen to the ground after a boxing match suddenly felt a vibration from the ground.
Everyone present was a soldier, so they naturally recognized this kind of movement. This is the sound that can only be made when a large group of cavalry approaches.
"Woo--" A dull and long horn sound suddenly came from the sentry at the entrance of the military camp.
In response, the same horn sound came from the road outside, indicating that he was not the enemy.
"Ugh——"
Regardless of whether they were enemies or not, Kaedwen's soldiers could no longer be as casual as they were now. They quickly straightened their clothes.
The first thing that caught everyone's eyes was the flag of the Three Lions of Sintra flying in the strong wind. After the flagpole slowly rose and was exposed to everyone's eyes, the composition of this team was also clearly visible.
This is a cavalry team of only about fifty people, but their momentum is astonishing. They are obviously elites on the battlefield.
The leader was a blond knight with an imposing figure. The lion emblem on his chest seemed to be roaring at the scorching sun under the sunlight.
Behind him were two male attendants and a female attendant, and then four warriors wearing strange armor and carrying double swords.
After that, there are the Cintra cavalry neatly wearing standard silver-gray armor.
Triss is no longer in the team now. After finishing her trip to Novigrad, she no longer accompanies Lan to Haji Fortress.
One is because her "magic lessons" have ended and she needs to return to Sintra and Arethusa to handle matters; the other is because the other kings of Haji Fortress did not bring their own royal advisors this time because they did not trust the warlocks. To attend, it would not be appropriate for Lan to bring the sorceress Triss alone.
When Triss left, she also took the [Janitor's Shovel] that Lan obtained from Everrick Manor. This kind of equipment enchantment with a blood-sucking effect was simply unheard of. She decided to go back and talk to Mossa. Let them study it carefully and see if they can reproduce it.
In addition, there is also a royal mage who has come all the way from the Kingdom of Ophir and is proficient in the "magic infusion" process to accompany Triss, preparing to teach the technology to Mossack. Lann believed that when he returned to Cintra, there would be a bumper harvest.
Lann's team now consists of himself, three [followers] blessed by the system, four snake-sect demon hunters, and more than forty Cintra cavalry.
Looking at the other countries in the Pontar Valley from a distance, it can be seen from their waving flags that the soldiers they bring far exceed the composition of Lann's team.
Because the king was personally on the tour, the three major countries that had already arrived - Temeria, Aedirn, and Kaedwen - each brought about a thousand soldiers, mostly composed of knights, royal guards, and the country's elite corps.
The Pontar Valley is located at the junction of the four countries, and they also set up their own troops at the edge closest to the valley. Whenever the situation changes, they will organize an army to rush out to protect the king - this may be the situation Nilfgaard wants to see the most.
After the sentry at the gate of Kaedwen and Rann's team communicated with each other using bugles, a loud horn sound soon came from the direction of Haji Fortress.
Soon, a host from Kaedwin, Temeria, and Aedirn rode over from the direction of the fortress and led them to their base.
Some of them wore the armor of high-ranking officers, and some looked pampered and looked like royal butlers.
This is a kind of balance. Although Haji Fortress is nominally under the jurisdiction of Aden, there are actually many articles in it. Now that the king is gathered here, for a while, he can't find a "representative" to send a steward.
Therefore, all the countries participating in the conference should form a "master's" housekeeping group to be responsible for the living matters of the participating monarchs in the Haji Fortress. Lann and the others will also have someone join this organization in the future.
Kaedweni's senior officer obviously smelled the smell of alcohol when he passed by his camp. He glared at the non-commissioned officer, and the two merchants took this opportunity to sneak away.
Lan En and his party slowed down when they were about two hundred steps away from the guard post, advanced slowly, and met the steward group at the gate.
House took the lead and shouted: "Before you are - the Return of the Dead, the Lion of Cintra, the Gryphon Knight of the Lady of the Lake, the Lord of Brokiron, Rann Lannister ·Count Leianlun!"
The three officers were very cooperative and got off the horse to greet Lann. Even if the noble title of some of them was not much different from Lann, they still had to show enough respect in a diplomatic situation at this time.
After all, the person in front of me will be discussing matters with his king at the same table soon. If you don't respect him, you will disrespect your king.
Lann looked at the three people in front of him.
Kaedwen's officers wore beaver fur hats, brown cloaks, and brown and khaki cotton coats. On their chests was a majestic unicorn standing tall.
Temerian officers wore studded armor with iron plates sewn inside. Under the armor were blue shirts, hoods, and blue-and-white striped scarves.
Instead of an officer, Aedirn sent out a royal steward, dressed in fine silks. However, the muscles under his shrouded clothes were clearly tattooed, and it was obvious that he also had the duty of guarding him.
The dressing of these three people reminded Lann of the ace troops from various countries who appeared in the Civil War in later generations. Although most of them have not been formally established at this time and some even do not have a designation, they have vaguely taken shape.
"Lord Lannister, you've had a hard journey. I wonder if the journey went well?"
Both officers had serious faces. In the end, it was Aedirn's royal butler who came out first to salute Lan.
"It's okay, but the security around here doesn't seem to be very good. I encountered a lot of water ghosts, ghouls and the like."
Lann shook his head, rather strangely: "What did you do gathering here? It's normal. These monsters should stay away from places where such large armies are stationed."
Unexpectedly, the royal butler also smiled bitterly after hearing this: "Even the demon hunters behind you don't know about things, and we don't know even more. The monsters around me have become extra numerous and manic for some reason recently. At first, the soldiers almost had a misunderstanding and started fighting." On the way,
Lann discovered that there were far more monsters in Pontal Valley than outside. Although It's not that they can be seen everywhere, but they killed more monsters in one week than in the previous two months combined.
And the number has also changed from groups of three to five to large groups of more than a dozen. Although there was no loss to Lann and the others, for a small village, this number of monsters would be a disaster. When Lan En passed by, he saved many civilians who were affected by the disaster and received a lot of gratitude.
This process really allowed the snake sect demon hunters to experience the happiness of griffins for a while.
Originally, Lann speculated that it might be because of the geographical location at the junction of the four countries in the Pontar Valley, which led to a situation where the father did not care for the mother and no soldiers took over the security here, which led to the proliferation of monsters.
But now it seems that this is not the case, because there are frequent monster harassment even around the army station, which is obviously not a simple public security issue.
"Now you don't have to be troubled by monsters anymore." Aedirn's royal butler said, "This is now the safest place in the north."
Lann nodded noncommittally.
Cintra is different from the four northern kingdoms. They can deploy their troops here unscrupulously, but Lann only has dozens of horses accompanying him. However, because of this, the station in Sintra is arranged closer to the Haji Fortress, which can save a lot of time.
But before they could walk back to the castle, they suddenly heard a dull trumpet sound coming from outside the end of the road.
Listening to this sound... there are troops calling for help with bugles?
Lan turned back and looked in the direction of the sound, only to see two black spots hovering low in the sky, dropping smaller black spots from time to time.
Through the keen vision of the witcher, you can see that those small black dots thrown behind the big black dots - they are human shapes!
Looking at this scene, I could even faintly hear the hoarse and unpleasant roars of beasts echoing in the air, and then the screams of humans gradually faded away in mid-air, and then stopped abruptly.
At the same time, Lan heard an exclamation from the Aedirian royal housekeeper behind him: "According to the itinerary, apart from Earl Lannister, the only person who has just arrived in Pontar Valley at this time is Queen Meve. !"
(End of chapter)