Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 268 Autumn

   "The fire roaster is coming."

   One sentence made the air in the room as cold as ice.

   "Monkey **** face?" Winters' eyes were as dangerous as a beast: "He knew I was in Iron Peak County?"

   "He?" The little lion fiddled with the knife spike slowly: "He shouldn't know."

"do not know?"

"do not know."

   "Then what is he doing here?"

   "What else can I do?" The little lion shrugged: "Robbery."

   The fire roaster had to start two months ago.

   Autumn is high and the horses are fat. September and October are the traditional looting and fighting seasons of the Hed people.

   As early as the early spring, when the standing army of Palatus was defeated and returned, the leaders of the various tribes were thinking about grabbing one in autumn.

   In June, there is new news - the Palatine infighting! The leaders of the various ministries were even more overjoyed, and they were all ready to fight for a big vote.

  The [Grey Eyes] in the east of the sea and the [Food Eaters] of the Suzi Department have each organized raiding chapters.

   To the Hurds, "looting" and "war" were the same word. The amount of spoils is related to the leader's prestige, and the distribution of spoils is directly linked to status.

   On the one hand, the Chihe Department had just fought a battle with the Children's Department, and the meat he ate had not been digested completely; the White Lion stated in advance that he would not participate in the autumn raids, but he agreed to lend it to other tribes;

   On the other hand, the Fireboiler desperately needs a lucrative raid to regain his prestige; but his appeal is not as strong as before, so he pragmatically joins the Food Eaters Chapter and joins forces with the Suz.

   At the end of August, the two major groups have been assembled.

   At the beginning of September, the war horses were fed up with the last round of grass seeds and wild beans, and the two war regiments attacked the east at the same time.

  Because the most fertile land in Palatu is on both sides of the Jinliu River, the two battle groups are also one in the south and one in the north. Grey Eyes go to the North Shore, and Fire Roasters and Health Eaters go to the South Shore.

   The two sides verbally agreed that "the bow and horse will not cross the river", so as to avoid unpleasant meeting.

   Demarcated the scope of the robbery, the Hurds happily broke into the Palatu, and then...then they were hit head-on.

   Facts have proved that dozens of mediations and mediations by the coalition government are no different from farts, and they are not as useful as a horseshoe from the Hurds.

   Before the vanguard of the Hurd raiding group crossed the boundary river, the red and blue rose, who was still alive and dead for the last second, has tacitly turned his guns.

  At a river crossing in Jiangbei Province, the Grey Eyes Chapter was cut in the middle by Arpad and cut through the middle army.

  The gray eyes are very aware of current affairs and flee for their lives, and the small tribes below are naturally wolves rushing and rushing.

   Arpad and his hussars chased 30 kilometers out of the Boundary River, and did not return to the division until they were happy.

   On the contrary, it took longer and more energy to clean up the scattered small groups of Heard Marauders after the war.

In the south of the Jhinliu River, the Health Eaters and Fire Boilers were also ambushed by the [New Reclamation-Red Rose] coalition forces in Jinghu County. The New Reclamation Army was led by General Adams, and the commander of the Red Rose Army was unknown .

  Because the ambush circle was exposed in advance, the Palatu coalition failed to kill a large number of Heard barbarians; coupled with the lack of cavalry, the Palatu coalition could not effectively expand the results.

   So the fire roaster and the healthy eater just touched the nose and fled back to the wasteland.

The   Palatu coalition did not dare to pursue it lightly—the Palatu people had suffered too many losses in the past.

   Perhaps it was the aggressiveness of the barbarians that made both sides in the civil war feel a sense of common enemy. After the two battles, the red and blue roses lived in peace for the time being.

   There was no new round of war, and the land of Palatu quietly ushered in winter.

  Plato stopped temporarily, but the Great Wasteland did not stop.

  The meat was not eaten, and his teeth were broken. Just this incident does not know how many annexations and strife will be triggered. But no one was affected, because everyone was already in the game.

   "My brother has received some very interesting news." The little lion said lightly: "The Teltown Department is regrouping its members again."

"and then?"

"If the fire roaster hadn't been kicked foolishly by the horse, he wouldn't have fought with the tribes at this time. His men and horses are not enough to go to Jinghu County to fight hard. My brother thinks that he may want to try his luck nearby, so let me remind you."

   "How did the White Lion know about the Turtleton Department?" Winters seemed to ask casually.

   "Do you believe it or not." The little lion sneered: "The Chihe Department has its own sources."

   Winters solemnly salutes the little lion: "Thank you."

   "No need to thank you. My brother said that if you can block the Telltown Department, it's okay to give you credit; if you can't even beat the Telltown Department, then it's good to make friends, and just do business."

  The little lion hugged Winters' neck affectionately, and teased: "This year, there are a lot of chores, and the autumn perimeter will not be played, so the winter perimeter will be bigger. My brother invited you to play the perimeter. Someone wants to see you."

   Winters' scalp was tingling, neither refused nor agreed.

   Winters knew what the white lion meant:

   The offensive and defensive relationship between Palatu and the Hurd tribes has been reversed. Although the overall strength of Palatu is still far stronger than that of the Hurd tribes, they can't come out now;

  Looking back at the Heard tribes, they are always thinking about the "good days" of threshing grass in the valley every autumn;

   The big raid in September this year is just the beginning. As long as the offensive and defensive situation does not change, more raiding groups will come to Palatu in the future;

   The agreement on the "100-kilometer buffer zone" has also become a dead letter, and no Hed tribe will continue to abide by the agreement without the endorsement of force;

  If Iron Peak can't stop Teltown this time, the next time the Burners will come with more looters.

   "War is coming," Winters thought.

  …

  …

   Early in the morning, the preparation orders have been delivered to the military villages.

   Peter [Short] Bunir from the first village ran to the company commander and asked with a sad face, "The company commander? Why do we have to fight again?"

   The first company commander [Tamas] had packed his bags and was wrapping his legs. He gave the dwarf a slight glance: "Do whatever you want. If you dare to yell, I will withdraw your sergeant!"

   Due to his outstanding performance in the Battle of Hammer, Peter the Short has been promoted to Sergeant.

Hearing the company commander's threat, he was very happy: "Aiya! You can withdraw now? Since I became a sergeant, wherever I go, it seems that someone is staring at our back, and I feel uncomfortable. You lift me up, I will remember you for the rest of my life. But I am a peasant, and I really don't have the ability to be a sergeant!"

  Tamas threw off the leggings and picked up the vine whip.

   Peter the Short wanted to run, but he didn't dare. He closed his eyes tightly, shrank his body, and subconsciously leaned in the opposite direction, waiting for the company commander's whip to come off.

  The vines dried in the shade are tough and tough, and it hurts when you touch them. During the Battle of Hammer Castle, the shorty was injured by the cane, and now it is not easy to get rid of.

   The dwarf closed his eyes and waited in fear for a long time, but he did not hear the sound of the whip breaking through the air.

  Tamas raised his arms high in the air, and when he saw the timid appearance of his dwarf subordinates, he couldn't put his hands down.

He threw away the vine whip and continued to wear the leggings, his tone was still frosty: "How old are you? If you say promotion, you will be promoted, if you say demotion, you will be demoted, and you will be the company commander? Why don't you just make you a military tribunal? "

   The dwarf did not dare to speak any more, and shook his head vigorously.

"This is an army. You can't rise or fall! Not used to it? After a few fights, you'll get used to it!" Tamas wrapped his legs and scolded sternly: "Tell you, not only can you rise and fall, but even life and death It's not up to you! Three hundred acres of land are given to you for nothing? When you are a soldier, if you can meet an officer who takes your life as a human life, you will be lucky to go!"

   The dwarf tilted his head and thought for a while, then hesitantly asked: "Company commander...Are you talking about yourself?"

  Tamas said nothing and picked up the vine whip again.

   Shorty Peter huddled again in fright.

  Tamas kicked his subordinates: "I'm talking about Montagne Military Tribunal Lord! I'm talking about blood wolf!"

   The dwarf was kicked down and quickly got up, thinking, "I don't know what Mr. Montagne is like? I've seen you before."

   "Go back and prepare." Tamas said fiercely: "If you dare to be late, please eat a whip!"

   "But I still have a lot of land that I haven't turned or planted!" The dwarf pleaded pitifully: "Company commander, can I have a two-day grace period? I can plant it in two days! A day will do."

   "Don't worry about the remaining tail, leave it to the girls and the old men to plant."

   Shorty said sadly: "My family... there are no girls, no old men, just me..."

"I'm not a bachelor too? What else can we do? Abandoned!" Tamas rarely showed a trace of melancholy: "Don't worry about it! If we can come back alive, the land planted now will be enough for us to eat. How much can you eat with one mouth? Don’t be greedy for petty bargains, packing is the most important thing.”

   Shorty Peter pulled the corners of his clothes and said "Oh" with a drooping head.

   "Why are you stunned?" Tamas widened his eyes again: "Go and get ready!"

   was kicked out of the company commander's house, and Peter the Short went back to his house. Anyone who sees his home will laugh at it.

   What kind of "home" is this?

   A dilapidated prefab house with air leaks from all sides; a large piece of the roof of the straw-paved house collapsed, like an old grandmother's teeth.

  Fortunately, it is autumn now and there is little rain. If it's summer, hey, just wait and see the waterfall!

  The sloping willow branches surround the yard before and after the board house, and many branches have traces of cattle and sheep eating.

   A piece of wood engraved with [Iron Peak County Regiment | Peter Bunnier] was nailed to the gate of the courtyard, proudly proclaiming to passers-by that even if it is a shack, it has an owner!

  This prefab house was originally the place where the long-term workers lived in the Shisu Manor. The materials and workmanship of the house where the long-term workers live are very poor, and they are run down after a few months of no maintenance.

  The good houses are given priority to the soldiers with small families, so the bad prefab houses fell on the head of the bachelor Peter Bunir.

  The new owner of the house is so focused on the land that he has no time to renovate it.

   So everything in the house and yard is old, but the cowshed is newly built.

   There was a very thin six-year-old bull in the barn, with protruding ribs and a shriveled belly. Working day and night tires people out, and exhausts cows too.

  Skinny cow will vomit out the concentrate in the stomach a little bit, and taste it carefully.

   Shorty Peter sat silently on the bed.

  Is this courtyard in ruins?

break.

   But for Peter the Short, there is no better, more beautiful, more lovely house and yard in the world!

  Because it belongs to him, it really belongs to Peter Bunir. This is the first time he has owned his own land and house since he left his mother's womb.

   He always felt like he was in a dream and dared not wake up, but the wooden sign nailed to the courtyard door firmly told him: This is yours.

   Peter the Shorty surveyed his shabby and amiable room. Everything is fine - just lack of a pussy, lack of a taste of life.

   Living alone as an old man, it is inevitable that life will be very casual.

   Shorty Peter was like this, and so was his company commander, Tamas - when he came back from the field, he lay down on the bed, didn't eat if he was too lazy to move, and wore sour clothes.

  If there is a girl in the family, it will be different: the clothes are washed, the food and drink are prepared, and the house and courtyard are kept clean.

   Every time he saw the wives of other soldiers go to the field to bring food and drink to their husbands, and saw the husband and wife snuggling up close by the field, the short Peter was so jealous that his eyes were about to bleed.

   Shorty Peter sat silently by the head of the bed, hoping to marry a wife one day. But then, he remembered the assembly order again.

  Three hundred acres of land is very good, and the house is also very good... He got things he never had, but these were all in exchange for his life.

   Peter the Short did not want to fight, he was afraid of death, very afraid of death.

  It was all too good, he hadn't patched the roof, hadn't put the fence in properly yet. The crops have just been planted and have to be weeded and watered.

   He can't bear it, he really can't bear it.

   But also because he was reluctant to bear everything in front of him, he had to go to war.

   Don't go to war, these things don't belong to him anymore. He could still dream of the godless eyes of the hanged deserters.

   Shorty Peter sighed, took the bulldog off the wall, walked slowly to the bullpen, and put the bulldog on.

   "Good man, work hard again." Shorty Peter rubbed the top of the thin cow's head and couldn't help crying: "I can't bear to part with you."

   Peter the Short took up the plow and led the lean cow out of the house. When he thought that there was still a lot of land left unfinished, his heart was as uncomfortable as a cat scratching.

   In the end, the idea of ​​small farmers prevailed, and the company commander's instructions were left behind.

   "No matter how hard I try, I should be able to finish the rest of the work before I set off." Shorty Peter calculated: "As for the packing, it's not too late to prepare."

  Going to plough his own fields, Peter the short was very happy.

   To live or to die? That's not a problem at all, because Peter Bunnier has given up thinking about these things.

   He saw many comrades in arms with the same thoughts, also leading farming animals from home to farmland.

  …

  The first Juntun Village is one scene, and the Second Juntun Village is another scene.

  Bart Xia Ling is giving a lecture to the second company's field soldiers.

  The soldiers stood in a straight line, and girls, wives, old people and children stood not far away to watch. They whispered and whispered, creating a commotion in the small square.

"Enough!" Bart Xialing frowned and scolded the onlookers: "You gangsters! Just look at it, don't chatter! If anyone dares to make a sound, I will whip your husband and son with a whip! Try it! Try it!"

  The crowd immediately quieted down, and the soldiers burst into laughter.

   For the matter of "speaking in public", Bart Shilling has become more and more handy. He no longer trembled in his lower legs as before, and dared to let go of his throat, his face was not red, and his heart was not panicking.

   To settle the military, Bart Shalling addressed the soldiers:

   "The assembly order is down, you all know it. But do you know what it is? Do you know why everyone was asked to leave the farm work and pick up spears and muskets?"

   "I tell you! Barbarian Hurd is coming!"

   "The barbarians are here to rob your livestock, kill your children, and kill your wives!"

   "Which of you would like your wife to be killed." Bart Shaling roared rudely: "Then donate your wife and let everyone live it again, so you don't have to go to war!"

  The square was silent, and many warriors were angry. Even if they were willing to go to war, they didn't want to suffer such insults.

  Bart Xialing is self-taught and has learned to consciously arouse the emotions of the audience. Seeing that the desired effect has been achieved, he changed his words:

   "Listen! Lao Tzu said something ugly, but the truth is the **** truth!"

   "Where does Barbarian Hurd live? He lives in the west! It takes ten days and ten nights to get here!"

   "The barbarians have worked so hard to come here, are they here to give you gifts? Are they here as guests? Are they your second cousin who can't open the pot, can they be sent away with two bags of flour?"

   "They're here to get rich! Get rich from you! They're going to rob, burn, and kill!"

   "Grab you! Burn you! Kill you!"

   "Don't believe it?!" Bart Xialing tore off his shirt, revealing the shocking scar on his chest: "These are all left for me by the barbarians!"

   Not only the soldiers were frightened, but there were also several exclamations from the onlookers.

"Let's stop talking nonsense!" Bud Xialing slowly tied the buttons and disbanded the queue coldly, "Go back and pack your bags! Prepare two weeks' worth of dry food! Those who are willing to kill the barbarians with me, the day after tomorrow. Assemble in the morning!"

  The soldiers raised their hands to salute silently, and the queue disintegrated silently.

  …

   At the same time, in the Third Juntun Village, a soldier in his thirties returned home in a hurry.

   "Mom!" The soldier shouted as soon as he entered the door: "Prepare me some 'son food'!"

   "Oh? What's the matter?" The soldier's mother ran out tremblingly and asked in horror, "Is there going to be another war?"

  The soldier's mother was a very thin old woman, the wrinkles on her face and arms were like cobwebs, and her hard life had aged her prematurely.

   "Don't worry about it!" The soldier took off his saber from the wall and strode into the bedroom.

  The son's voice came into the mother's ears through the thin board wall: "Go and prepare my son's food."

  Dussac went out to serve, and before leaving, his mother stuffed dry food into his rucksack - this is "son food".

   This word, only Dussack can say.

  The able-bodied Dussacks have been recruited, and all that remain are... deserters.

   In order not to go to war, the Dussack, who was in his early thirties, took his mother and left his homeland incognito. However, fate made people go to this place, and he still has to continue to eat his son's food.

  The old mother was in tears and went to make a face.

  …

  There are many similar and different stories happening in the twelve military villages.

  There is only one reason - war is coming.

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   (end of this chapter)