When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

Chapter 1182 Singing and Dancing
The Death Hussars, the place where Grush, the founder of the Holy Alliance Hussars, once served.

The Norn Hussars are somewhat like a knightly order, owning their own land and even cultivating it themselves.

However, unlike the Frontier Knights, they were more like mercenaries and much poorer.

Most of them were bandits who had been recruited into the government.

In other words, anyone who was weak had already been killed during the bandit suppression operation.

Therefore, these cavalrymen were fierce in nature and had excellent horsemanship and archery skills. After a year and a half of cavalry tactics training, they could become qualified light cavalrymen.

Moreover, many second sons and illegitimate children of Norn noble families were often sent to the Hussars to serve as officers when they made mistakes.

The so-called Death Hussars were selected from the best hussars in various places and sent to the border or Fei Niu Fort specifically to fight against foreign enemies.

Besides the best hussars from various regions, many noble second sons and illegitimate children would also join the hussars.

It's no wonder that after the Death Hussars were disbanded, many of their hussars chose to become bandits, since they were originally bandits.

Since they were originally bandits, the mountain stronghold was naturally built in the style of bandits.

Double-layered moats, spiked wooden walls, arrow towers and barricades; behind the walls are wooden houses of varying heights, while in front are a jumble of tents.

As Alexei passed by the back of the mountain stronghold, he glanced over and saw a small horse ranch formed by mudflats at the foot of the mountain.

Further into the distance, there are gray-white poplar trees and dark black pine forests.

As the gate slammed shut behind him, Alexei asked Groyev, "About how many of them were there?"

“There are six or seven mountain camps around here. They are the largest, with 1500 riders. The rest only have 1000 riders in total.”

In other words, if they can capture these 1500 people, the remaining camps will have no choice but to surrender.

These Death Hussars' loyalty to humanity is certain, but their loyalty to Beef Fortress is equally unquestionable.

The only thing that was uncertain was their attitude towards Alexei, the son of Grand Prince Petrov.

But at least they are willing to make contact, and so far, they have not shown any intention to suddenly kill someone.

If they were to suddenly start killing, the Shadow Raven sergeants around Alexei could immediately grab him and run away.

Groyev and his men are in deep trouble.

"sit."

There were no honorifics, no maids, just a middle-aged lame man leading a few people to sit down by an open-air campfire.

A tattered bench, a table—before Alexei and the others could even settle in, the cripple arrived again.

He nearly smashed the three ceramic plates and threw them in front of the group.

Alexei looked down and saw a huge bear paw soaking in a thick, viscous broth, with a pile of sauerkraut pieces beside it.

This is a signature dish of Bear Burger: pickled cabbage and bear paw.

As for what the burly man poured for him, it was also a famous Bearburg wine, Umebo.

This wine is made from diseased wheat plants, and it has a peculiar taste with a natural herbal flavor.

However, the atmosphere of the meal made Groyev uneasy.

With the arrival of Alexei and his two companions, the hussars in the camp came out one after another.

They wore mink fur hats and patterned wolf or deerskin vests.

Some wore braids and beards, while others sported a Mediterranean hairstyle; their appearances were all bizarre and comical, yet they all had the same robust and muscular physique, with faces full of fleshy muscles.

Not to mention the knife scars on his body, the battle marks on his face are dazzling.

They were all bearded men, yet they all sported lipstick, smoky eye makeup, and eyeliner.

Surrounded by such a group of people in the center, even someone as experienced as Groyev felt somewhat uneasy.

Alexei, however, quickly regained his composure after a brief moment of distraction.

It wasn't that he had a particularly strong heart; it was just that he had made many friends from Black Snake Bay in the Holy Alliance.

The strange clothes and bizarre attire did not have a significant psychological impact on him.

So what if he wears some earrings? So what if he gets some tattoos on his face? He has a friend from Black Snake Bay named Preyne, who has three nails in his nose and a tattoo on his forehead.

Seeing that everyone was gathered around him in silence, he remained calm and asked as if he were ordering food at a restaurant, "Has your leader, Lord Petro Bagri, not arrived yet?"

The fierce expressions of the burly men froze, seemingly not expecting that Alexei, this greenhorn, would be in such a state.

They looked at each other for a while, but then a woman in her forties spoke up: "Boss Bagley is out hunting and won't be back for a while. He told us to treat you well."

The middle-aged woman with a full head of curly hair deliberately emphasized the word "entertainment".

In the light of the campfire, Alexei's face was somewhat blurred: "Since it is His Excellency Bagry's order, as the saying goes, one cannot refuse a gift from an elder, so I will accept it without being disrespectful."

Alexei cut off a piece of bear paw meat with a knife, and he could even see the pink flesh and blood inside.

The subtle sourness and fermented flavor of the pickled cabbage, mixed with the aroma of spicy herbs, linger on the lips and teeth, enveloped in the fragrance of oil and meat.

However, after taking a bite, Alexei put down the knife.

In fact, just by eating that one bite, he could analyze a lot of things using the knowledge he gained from intelligence science at the St. Tangier Military Academy.

They already have bear paws, and given the vastness of this region, sparse population, and abundance of animals, they probably don't lack meat.

But bear paws are also a rare commodity, and it's impossible to give them to an enemy or someone they don't care about.

In other words, in the eyes of these Death Hussars, Alexei was someone who deserved this gift.

So this move is most likely just to save face.

But when he tasted it, he could tell that it was obviously very bland; in other words, they were deficient in salt, and severely deficient at that.

So much so that even the dishes meant to save face don't have enough salt.

Their lives must have been comfortable enough to eat and wear, but lacked necessities such as medicine and salt.

Not to mention their normal daily necessities needs, otherwise they wouldn't have been so frantically plundering caravans.

With a smile playing on his lips, Alexei pulled a glass bottle from his waist and sprinkled it on the bear paw.

You don't need to sprinkle much, and a fragrant aroma will waft out.

Almost instantly, the attention of the burly men, who had been somewhat bored, returned.

"This is a new bottled seasoning produced by Shenglian, called Madeleine Thirteen Spices, which is made from spices such as black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and dragon blood pepper."

They deliberately cut open the bear paw, revealing the tender meat inside. The steam, carrying the aroma of the Thirteen Spices, quickly swirled within the wooden house.

Before long, the sounds of swallowing saliva and rumbling stomachs could be heard one after another.

Alexei suppressed a laugh and continued, "Don't be fooled by its small size; it's made with concentrated chicken broth. It becomes more flavorful and aromatic when it comes into contact with water, and just a little bit can add a lot of flavor."

At this point, he had already cut the bear paw into many pieces, paused for about three seconds, and looked around.

He put down the knife and smiled, "I forgot, you all probably haven't eaten yet, right? Why don't you all try some, as a way to verify what I said?"

At first, only a tall, thin man came forward, and Alexei gave him a piece of food. Then more hussars stepped forward.

They are inherently fearless and can be bound by rules for a while, but not forever.

Despite Mr. Kutuyov's insistence that they give the bear paw to Alexei, who wouldn't want such a delicacy?

Especially this little prince, who deliberately sprinkled an excessive amount of spices and salt on the bear paws, the taste... tsk tsk.

We took a bite, then another, and the bear paw was quickly devoured.

These Death Hussars finished Alexei's lunch, but felt somewhat embarrassed, and even more embarrassed to explain themselves to Mr. Kutuyov.

After searching for a while, they found dried meat and rum in their own tent.

The next second, Groyev took out a jar of high-proof alcohol from his backpack.

When Petrobagli returned to the camp, he saw Alexei and his brothers, holding wine bottles, chewing beef, and dancing around the campfire.

"What are you doing?!"

(End of this chapter)