Blood tax

Chapter 106 Bayeran January 1

Second era January 1nd.

This winter in Byerland has been exceptionally cold.The white snow on the spire of the house reminds people of the ups and downs of snow peaks, which is somewhat similar to the east in the oil painting.

Sonia pulled the soft woolen cloak, glanced at the heater in the carriage, and breathed into her palms.

The servants of La Moore's family were not in good condition today, they didn't raise the stove in the carriage ahead of time, and the fried eggs for breakfast were a bit too salty.

"Any news?" Sonia leaned her head against the cold car window and asked Fiona who was sitting opposite.

"A lot~" the little newspaper reader said while flipping through the newspaper in his hand, "His Majesty the King expresses his condolences to the victims of the Flower Moon Festival on Neopolis Island, and the wise Senate sent a fleet to implement quarantine and blockade, food and Other commodity futures prices continue to rise rapidly, Veterans Council proposal is rejected again ... which one do you want to hear?"

"I always feel~" Sonia quietly listened to a long paragraph of her best friend, "There are some subtle differences today."

"Lana, is there any subtle difference between today and usual?" Fiona was in a particularly good mood, she rolled down the window and asked Sutoral, who was riding side by side outside the car.

The tall hussars were wearing heavy armor, and the horse swords hanging on both sides of the saddle were faintly exposed under the thick cloak.Through the iron helmet, his sharp eyes swept across the nearby sidewalks and roofs like sharp knives, but he didn't answer the girl's question.

"La-na-!" Fiona elongated her voice, stretched out her hand and snapped her fingers next to the hussar's ear, "Hey! You're ignoring me again!"

"I didn't ignore you." Lana retracted his gaze and said gently.

"You're just ignoring me!"

Why are the two talking so sweetly... Sonia raised the corners of her mouth slightly, and looked in the direction Lana was looking at earlier.

The streets are crowded today.

Many people in shabby clothes stood in the snowdrifts, staring at the passing carriages with eyes that Sonia had never seen before.There were also people standing on the balcony and the roof. Many of them held rolled up red cloth and wooden sticks, whispered from time to time, and then cast their gazes into the distance.

Sonia's eyes met a person.

This man was wearing a gray overcoat, with a scruffy beard, and his resolute eyes were a bit like when Griffith and Lana first came to Byerland.The moment she met his gaze, Sonia felt a very strange and uncomfortable feeling, as if she had been violated in some way.

At this time, the majestic hussars passed by nearby.Lana glanced at the man, and immediately pushed back the uncomfortable feeling.

"Maybe it's because your Griffith will be back today~" Fiona didn't notice anything, and sat down in her seat with a bright face, "Let's take a look at the repertoire later, ah~ today will be It's a tragedy!"

……

The carriage passed through the city and came to the steps of the grand theater.

Celebrities from Bayerland are coming from all directions to join the new production of the most prestigious Aledrov Grand Opera Company.In the next seven days, the troupe will perform twelve times in a row, and it is hard to get a ticket for each show.

On both sides of the marble steps, hot braziers have been lit, driving away the cold and humidity.Sonia and Fiona took off their warm cloaks and handed them to the waiter, and walked into the theater wearing only long skirts as soft as clouds.

Fiona suddenly remembered something, turned around and said to Lana: "We need two hours, if you go to eat nearby, bring me some of that!"

The one Fiona mentioned was roasted lamb on thin wooden sticks at the barbecue stand in the alley, but some people said that it was roasted with stray cats.The oily meat skewers are grilled until browned, and then sprinkled with cumin and spices. One bite is simply delicious.

It is really unseemly for the earl's daughter to eat this kind of food, and it would be too ugly if the oil stains dripped on the long skirt.But the guards on duty would sneak into the alleys to eat as long as they had time, and would bring back two skewers of cold ones to the lord when they were full.

Lana ignored her.

Sonia held back Fiona, who was about to jump out of anger, and gave a few words of comfort with a light smile.Her gaze passed down the steps by chance, and suddenly found that the dismounted guards seemed to be looking in the opposite direction absent-mindedly, not paying much attention to Feng Jun who was walking into the theater.

These young men in solid armor with sharp knives hanging from their waists lined up in a faint row, forming a silent wall of people under the steps of the theater.The guards who had just arrived did not get off their horses immediately, and walked slowly near the human wall like rangers, each of them holding down the hilt of their waist.

What's wrong!
Sonia's whole body trembled involuntarily. Although she didn't understand what happened, she instinctively felt unprecedented strangeness and uneasiness, and tightly held her friend's arm.

"Fiona, something is wrong."

On the opposite side of the snow-covered Beyeland Theater Boulevard, gray waves suddenly rushed over the roofs, streets and park lawns, as if the sea had finally broken through the dykes and walls of Beyeland.

It was a moving gray figure.They are very eye-catching on the white snow, like moving logs one by one, and they look out of harmony with the beautiful city.

These silent people were wrapped in various incongruous cotton and linen cloths, staring at the lightly dressed nobles on the steps, but their eyes were unusually silent and calm, reminding Sonia of the Goreme volcano she had seen when she was a child.

The crowd is so quiet and scary, people don't know what will happen next moment, but they instinctively want to escape and fear.

At this moment, the streets in the distance seemed to be in commotion.A burst of slogan-like shouts formed strange waves.Some spectators who were entering the arena were attracted by the strange voices, and thought it was a well-arranged warm-up.

A richly decorated carriage came from the end of the street, with noble family crests engraved on the door.

"It's General MacDonald." Fiona snorted, "He's always the last one to arrive, as if everyone was waiting for him. Last time at the ball, he insisted on inviting me to dance with him..."

Fiona's words suddenly caught in her throat.

Amidst the exclamations, several young people holding red flags jumped off the roof and landed on the roof of the general's carriage.

The scene immediately became chaotic, and people like tramps ran to the carriage one after another.They appear on sidewalks, in tall trees and near garbage dumps, unfurling flags as they run.

"Fiona, go to the theater!" Lana's thunderous roar exploded like a thunder that had been brewing for a long time.

The guards who were still watching in vigilance just jumped off their horses like lightning, drove the horses to the back, and filled the queue tacitly, forming an impenetrable double-row human wall under the steps.

General MacDonald at the end of the street felt as if his carriage had fallen into a hail storm.The two guards in fine armor sitting in front of the car were dizzy from the sudden attack.

"Get me out of here, idiot!" growled the general.

The guard threw off the attacking attacker, gritted his teeth, swung his whip, and drove out in a hurry.But the carriages passing along the way were all stupefied by the sudden storm, collided in panic or slowed down, blocking the escape gap for a while.

"My lord, we are blocked!" The guard shouted anxiously.

The defender of the kingdom, the principal of the Army Academy, and military theorist General MacDonald waved his finger and shouted at the crowded sidewalk: "Isn't it very spacious over there?!"

……

Over the past few days, Griffith carefully reviewed the events.Gradually, he realized that the seven mysteries of Hepu Town that he had taken as a joke before were not simple.The island of Neopolis hides untold secrets, and even Arendelle's family needs investigation and suspicion.

However, no more investigations could be done with his resources and time.Not long after the tragic battle ended, the Earl's Palace sent him a new order.The commands are simple.

"Return immediately."

He immediately boarded a warship and returned to Bayeran's port.With his luggage on his back, he squeezed through strangers one by one, trying to get to the bus stop.

The scene became more and more noisy, mixed with shouting and shouting.A group of military police came over brandishing sticks, and drove the passengers with large and small bags aside.

"Line along this line!" bellowed a policeman. "I'll give a stick to anyone who doesn't obey."

Before Griffith could figure out the situation, two patrolmen noticed him, pushed away the crowd on both sides, and shouted at the trainee knight who had lived in the cargo hold of the warship for three days:

"You, soldier, come here!"

"Your credentials."

Griffith handed over his ID card very politely, and asked kindly: "What happened?"

The patrolman snorted expressionlessly and did not answer the question.While he checked his documents, another patrolman looked Griffith in the eyes and kept tapping his baton.

"Hand over your weapon and follow us." The patrolman pointed to the distance, "Go over there!"

Griffith followed them to a quarantine area outside the port area.In a small open space, many men who looked like soldiers gathered there either squatting or standing.

"I am an apprentice knight of the Lamor family, the second-level squad leader." Griffith protested to the police officer in charge of the quarantine area, showing his identity card, "I am carrying out the task of the earl."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Apprentice Knight, please forgive my previous offense," the police officer hastily saluted Griffith, "You can leave now, please go to your family immediately to accept the task."

"Mission? Who issued the mission?"

"The Senate," the police officer replied, "all the knights and apprentice knights under the command of the nobles gathered in Bayeran must be armed immediately and put under martial law."

Martial law? !
Two policemen have brought Griffith the weapons they had just confiscated, along with a pass.

"Several blocks have been under martial law, I think you have to hurry up." The police officer said hurriedly, "The order from above is,
"Defend the king at all costs, defend the Senate."

……

The stagecoach is out of service.Griffith could only run across the broad streets on foot, fully armed, towards the upper city.

Under his coat he wore only mail, and he wore a longsword and short sword.When he crossed the narrow streets and tried to take a shortcut, there seemed to be many eyes watching him from the dark corners.

It's not that Griffith hasn't been to downtown.But the atmosphere here today is still different from the past, becoming more depressing and gloomy.

The bums and paupers huddled in corners regarded him with emotionless eyes.The family crest of the Lamor family is engraved on the scabbard. Even if you don't know the coat of arms, you can tell that he is a warrior under the tent of a great noble.

From the corner of Griffith's gaze, he caught a glimpse of several people standing up and approaching him seemingly inadvertently, holding something in their hands.

He immediately changed his mind, quickly left the dark alley, and took a detour to the Lamor Mansion.

Barricades have been set up at the intersection leading to the upper city, and a large group of heavily armed soldiers are guarding behind the Juma and the wooden fence.

"Stop, show your identity!" An officer shouted to Griffith from behind the barricade, and then he seemed to see the coat of arms on the hilt of his sword clearly, "The guard of La Moore's house? Very good, the Earl's House told you You, go immediately to the Bayerland Opera House, where the Countess and the others are."

Griffith responded, turned around and ran towards the Opera House.

The cold winter wind blew past his ears, and Griffith, who had traveled half the city and hadn't eaten breakfast, was out of breath.The cold wind blowing into his throat made him feel uncomfortable all over, but fortunately, the majestic dome of the opera house had appeared in front of him.

Thousands of civilians gathered here.Armed with stones, sticks and banners, they took over the rooftops of several buildings and nearby streets.In front of them, a group of armored foot soldiers in sharp clothes were blocking the steps in front of the opera house.

Griffith saw a familiar figure from a distance - Lana.Standing like a statue at the main entrance of the theater, holding a two-handed sword, his fierce eyes are like a tiger that chooses to eat someone.

Griffith struggled to squeeze his way through the crowd.Suddenly, his feet were soft, as if he had stepped on something strange.He looked down, only to see broken intestines and severed limbs scattered among the snow, a mass of red intestines at his feet.

At this moment, someone shouted beside him.

"Here's a lackey of a nobleman!"

running dog!Are you talking about me?

The shouting startled Griffith.Before he had time to shout a bad word in his heart, a stick was swung down towards the back of his head.

Griffith, who was wearing a newly purchased helmet, was staggered by the blow, and the anger in his heart immediately surged up.But before he had an attack, more fists and sticks hit his head and face like a torrential rain.

"kill him!"

"Kill the lackeys of the nobles!"

Wearing mail armor, the tall and mighty Griffith was beaten up by the crowd like a rag doll.There were sticks, fists and swearing in all directions, making it difficult for him to tell who the attacker was.

It could also be that everyone around is an assailant.

He grabbed the saber at his waist and tried not to be snatched, but his helmet was blown away.A brick hit him right in the forehead, nearly knocking him to the ground.

"Get them away!" Lana's earth-shattering roar covered up the cursing and beating for two seconds.Immediately afterwards, four or five heavily armed heavy infantry rushed over, grabbed Griffith, who was almost beaten to death, and dragged him up the steps of the opera house.

A soldier helped him to lie down beside the majestic column of the opera house, turned around and ran back to his post.Lana and the other guards were holding back the flooding crowd with a human wall, beating them with scabbards and backs of knives.There were shouts and curses everywhere.

"Griffith!"

Sonia ran from the theater.Holding a handkerchief and a vial of medicine in her hand, she knelt beside Griffith to examine his injuries.

"I'm fine, um," Griffith recovered from his state of disorder, and found that there were several young guards lying on the ground near him who had been beaten to the ground.Some of them lost their helmets, some lost their swords, their faces were covered with bruises and bleeding wounds, and they all looked like they had been beaten up.

Sonia wore a beautiful pink gown with intricate crystal pendants sparkling in the sun.The open collar exposed her white and tender shoulders, which made Griffith immediately worried that she would catch a cold in this cold weather.

"Sonia, it's dangerous outside, ah! Griffith, you've been beaten like this!" Fiona ran out of the hall holding her skirt, and was startled by Griffith, who had a bruised nose and a swollen face.

"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern." Griffith waved his hands and stood up.The injuries on his face and body were just bruises and scrapes, nothing serious.

At this moment, the sound of drums at the end of the street was loud, and the sound of horseshoes that shook the ground came rolling.The black crowd that had crowded there began to recede.

A group of neatly dressed dragoons drove over from a nearby street.They carried flying banners and were mounted heavy infantry of the "Aurelius Antony Guards" stationed in the capital.This group of dragoons were all wearing fine breastplates, with strong bows and heavy arrows hanging from their saddles, as if they were about to attack.

The noisy crowd clamored before this group of dragoons.

"Scatter! Otherwise, I will disperse you!" the dragoons shouted sharply.

The crowd stopped retreating and began to rain stones on them.He actually knocked two dragoons off their horses.

"Scatter! Otherwise, I will disperse you!"

The dragoon commander turned his head and waved back.

"Grenadier, step forward!"

The soldiers in the back row immediately jumped off their horses and took out porcelain bottles from their saddle pockets.

"Go!"

The grenadiers hurled porcelain bottles into the crowd.With a crackling sound, large groups of smoke filled the air.

The smoke has a strong pungent smell.Coughing and crying immediately rang out from the crowd.Immediately afterwards, the crowd that was still crowded at the intersection receded like the ebbing sea water.

The dragoons covered their mouths and noses, and galloped straight to the steps of the opera house.As soon as they surrounded the steps of the opera house, an officer jumped down and ran to the main entrance quickly.

The noble guests who had heard the news came out one after another at this time, watching the officer under the protection of their guards.

"The Senate ordered that the whole city be under martial law. My dragoons will escort ladies and gentlemen home," the officer paused. "All families must provide a fully armed armored cavalry and horses, and report to General MacDonald. Save the King and the Senate from the hands of the mob. The above orders must be carried out immediately."

……

Griffith, Lana, Murat, and many young guards who knew each other or did not know each other were driven into a square.

"Boys of the Young Guard, come here!"

Few of the young non-commissioned officers in the capital did not know the yelling Longbottom. Wearing a neat full uniform, he waved his horsewhip and shouted, "Hurry up and eat. When we are full, let's kick those rascals' ass hard!"

The steaming white bread and sausages were packed in a box and thrown in front of Griffith and other family guards. On the wooden box was the bakery's morning shipping arrangement, which was searched from nowhere.

The quartermaster got the milk and threw it in vials in the arms of Griffith and the other soldiers.

"Hurry up! Finish it in 5 minutes!"

In less than 5 minutes, Griffith took two bites before he was pulled up by the officer and pushed to the side of the road to stand up.There, servants with different family crests embroidered on their clothes were unloading brand-new plate armor, helmets and horse swords from the carriage.

"Little guards, stand in line and go get your armor and horses!"

Longbottom, with his riding whip, whipped the lamps and issued orders in a thunderous voice.

Griffith was pushed back and forth by the team, and was finally pushed to the front of the carriage. A quartermaster picked up the breastplate and threw it on his head, cursing viciously: "Go forward, go forward, you guys! Fat puppies, move on!"

The team continued to move, and a few soldiers came up to help Griffith put on the plate armor, and put on the smock and ribbon embroidered with the coat of arms of the Lamor family. The officer slapped pieces of paper wrapped things into their hands one by one.

Griffith tore open the package curiously, and a sweet smell immediately caught his taste buds.

It was a sweet hunk of cocoa fruit that Galadia had given him, and it was delicious and filling.

"Chocolate will be eaten later, you pigs who can't get enough to eat, go forward!"

Hundreds of young men in sharp clothes were pushed forward again, and at the intersection, they saw the retainers sent by their lord's family.

"Get on your horse and follow Lord George Longbottom!" The orderly shouted in the cold wind, "Follow George Longbottom, fulfill your duties, and don't forget your oath!"

"Complete the task, each person has two points of merit, two hundred silver Lang!"

"Shutoral, our honor is loyalty!"

The Earl's secretary, Armance Sauron, was also waiting there with a few servants.They were also leading a majestic military horse. The horse had already put on a vest, and its ferocious horns were like monsters in the abyss.When they saw Griffith, they pushed him onto the horse.

"Can you do it?" Sauron handed over the saber, his voice was strange and hoarse.

"What?" Griffith asked subconsciously.

"Will you do anything to them?" Sauron raised his head and looked at the apprentice knight angrily.His eye circles were red, and the corners of his eyes were stained with tears.

"Are you going to do something to our soldier brothers?"

……

Sonia was with many gentlemen and ladies of noble families.Most of their guards have been conscripted, and now they can only move slowly under the protection of the dragoons.

From the Theater Square they passed the Senate Square, where they found the situation even more critical.

The crowd had already occupied the square in front of the Senate Chamber, shouting slogans at the soldiers watching them.There were so many of them that they nearly filled the field of view.

The infantry and light cavalry who maintained order had already hesitated and wavered, and were pushed back a little bit.

A hard-eyed crowd was gathering at the steps of the Senate, waving flags.The guards of the Senate were blocked by them at the entrance of the meeting hall and did not dare to move.More people occupied the nearby parks and streets, where they set up dilapidated tents, and the clean and beautiful Upper Bayerland in the past was like a rotten potato.

"These people are veterans who have retreated from the Eastern Front! They are from the Verona region in the west, and they are here to make up for it!"

"Didn't the Senate give the money! Why don't these gangsters go to their lord!?"

"They're asking the Senate to accept the Veterans Council's compensation proposal."

"Those shameless city defense troops dare not do anything to them! Have you forgotten who usually raised them?"

The nobles who had grasped the situation began to send messages to each other.Now, they are blocked on the street by the sea of ​​veterans and civilians from the Western Territory, and they cannot return to their warm and safe homes for a while.

The veterans not far away formed a tight human wall, as if they were still on the battlefield at the end of the world.They were unarmed and covered their mouths and noses with thick cotton cloth, only showing a pair of eyes glaring.

"Hurry up, Arthur!" A big nobleman shouted at General Macdonald Arthur who was present.The youngest and most loyal of his guards were taken away several times, without any sense of security.

"Tear gas!" said the other count sternly. "Scatter them!"

"Tear gas is useless against these hooligans, we have already tried it," General MacDonald raised the whip in his hand, turned around and said lightly to the nobles behind him:
"I'm waiting for an armored ride."

　Salute to General MacArthur's famous quote (dog head).On January 1, Bayeran had a retired veteran incident. I would like to invite wise P Club players to speak (there are pictures in the comment area).

　　
　
(End of this chapter)