Imperial Crown.

Chapter 75: Organize the army, offer sacrifice to the flag, and set off!

On December 1193, 12 in the Guangming calendar, at nine o'clock in the morning, the weather was cloudy and the north wind was howling.

Outside the Eagle Fort, there was a group of 200 pack horses, crowded together, carrying food, fodder, and military supplies tied up with sacks and ropes on their backs. Each horse was carrying hundreds of pounds of weight, and when they were gathered together, it was a spectacular sight.

Passing through this group of pack horses, you can see a more orderly, more spirited and stronger group of war horses.

They were wearing black cloth vests embroidered with eagle patterns; they snorted from time to time, and hot air came out of their mouths and noses, which was blown away by the north wind.

Beyond the war horses were three neatly arranged square formations. The recruits were holding their own weapons and wearing thick cotton robes, underneath which were newly made semi-monster leather armors.

Their red, frozen faces had an expression of tension and seriousness, as well as a hint of anxious confusion, as they were all worried about their future fate.

In front of them, Eric, wearing full helmet and armor, stood like an iron tower.

On the periphery, there were many people who came after hearing the news. In the front row were Denise and Old Gordon, followed by Philip and some big businessmen in the Town of Shining Gold, and further back were the residents who came to watch, mainly private soldiers and their families.

Click, click, click...

The crisp sound of horse hooves was heard, and a gap automatically appeared in the herd in the direction of Eagle Fort. A two-meter-tall, snow-white warhorse walked out slowly.

On its back was a knight wearing jet-black leather armor. The armor was plain and simple, yet it reflected a metallic luster and was completely different from ordinary leather armor at first glance.

The knight had a snow-white fur cloak draped over his shoulders, fluttering in the wind like a flag.

His face was three-dimensional and stern, and his black eyes were as sharp as an eagle, making everyone who was swept by his gaze lower their heads consciously.

Behind him was a dark red warhorse with blood-red eyes. Nancy was riding on it. Although her expression was serious, her eyes were filled with irrepressible excitement.

Visdon, who was also riding a blood-eyed warhorse, was slightly behind Nancy by half a body length.

He was wearing a polished enchanted chain mail, his prosthetic hand holding an enchanted half sword, and the other hand holding the reins. His face was tense with excitement and nervousness.

After that came Raven's personal soldiers, a total of nineteen people. They all rode semi-demonized war horses that were strengthened by magic cores. Simon and Volaf in the front were wearing plate armor and chain mail respectively. The seventeen people after them were all wearing gray-black semi-demonized leather armor.

The horse stopped and Raven pulled the reins: "Eric, how are the preparations going?"

Eric took a step forward, pounded his chest with his right hand and shouted, "The Eagle Army's First Legion, First Battalion, Third Battalion, a total of 108 people, all present!"

"Please give the order, Lord Baron!"

"Very good!" Raven nodded, looking past Eric to the soldiers of the First Battalion, and raised his voice: "I know you all want to ask the same question in your mind right now: where are we going?"

"Now, I will answer you."

"This time, our target is Bloody Heights!"

Although they were deeply disturbed by the news, four months of military life and nearly half a month of intensive training allowed them to maintain a very high level of discipline.

There was no noise or movement. The soldiers looked at each other and saw fear and panic in each other's eyes.

They had heard the rumors a long time ago and had some guesses in their minds, but when they heard the answer with their own ears, they were still quite frightened.

Bloody Heights!
That is the lair of horse thieves and bandits, the most dangerous place in the world.

And Raven actually wanted to take them to such a dangerous place.

This feeling of uneasiness spread quickly. Raven noticed this and asked loudly, "It seems that you have different opinions. Who can speak to me?"

The soldiers looked at each other, and many of them cast their eyes on White.

This guy is the new recruit who made such outrageous remarks last time that caused the entire team to vomit.

But White lowered his head and would never be the first to speak out.

Although he knew that the Baron was very tolerant and that he deserved to be beaten to death based on the mistake he made last time, in the end he only made him run more than twenty laps.

This is of course very painful, but it is much better than being beaten into a cripple.

Seeing that White was not going to respond, the soldiers began to exchange glances with each other again.

The Baron has always been open-minded, and now is the best opportunity to persuade him to take back his decision.

Finally, a soldier who looked to be in his thirties stood up and said, "My Lord Baron, I think you should reconsider this. Bloody Heights is too dangerous."

"Last year, a group of bandits came and killed Mai Lin, a two-meter-tall blacksmith. We are definitely no match for them!"

"Very good, very good, so that's how it is." Raven nodded slowly.

Everyone thought that Raven would consider accepting his advice or find a way to communicate with him.

But the next moment, Raven's right hand suddenly raised up, a few strange syllables came out of his mouth, and a ball of fire condensed at his fingertips.

Just when everyone was stunned and didn't know what Raven was going to do, the flames cut through the cold air and slammed into the soldier!

"what--"

Flames rose up, and the man fell to the ground with a shrill scream. The raging fire enveloped him, singed his cotton robe and penetrated his leather armor.

He rolled and struggled on the ground, and the sound reached the ears of every soldier, but no one dared to take any action. Even the few closest to him did not dare to look him in the eye.

All the soldiers of the First Battalion had pale faces. They stood straighter and dared not move.

At this moment they realized that Raven's previous magnanimity and kindness were all illusions, and he had a heart as cold and hard as stone!
The Baron's orders cannot be questioned!

Especially White, his palms were full of sweat, his heart was beating very fast, and he had the thrill of a brush with death.

"Well done!" Nancy said in her heart.

Raven's behavior today was very much to her liking.

Nancy had previously felt that Raven was too tolerant of these guys who were born as serfs, and he even allowed them to make suggestions.

This should have been done long ago to deal with these guys who came from untouchable backgrounds!
She was even eager to try. If there was another guy who didn't know how to live or die, she would be the one to take action.

Eric had a stern look on his face, and the screams lingering in his ears made him realize once again the Baron's determination.

He did not sympathize with the soldier because he had violated a taboo that should never be touched -

The Baron's dignity cannot be violated!

You know, the Baron killed his uncle Donald with his own hands!

Visdon's feelings were even more complicated. On the one hand, he really realized how tolerant Raven was towards him. When he interrupted the training, he was only scalped.

On the other hand, they laughed at the new recruit for not being able to see the situation clearly and not knowing how terrifying Raven could be when he became ruthless.

But he still remembered the arrow that Raven shot at him when the bandits attacked the city!

Philip secretly swallowed his saliva, and the flame of ambition that had slightly expanded after taking over the Shining Gold Town was extinguished in an instant.

The screams gradually disappeared, and all that remained on the ground was a burning corpse.

"Now, does anyone have any objections?" Raven's voice resounded throughout the venue.

This time, no one spoke.

Raven snorted and suddenly changed the subject:
"He said that he had seen the brutality of the bandits with his own eyes, so he couldn't go against them."

"If you ask me, this is shameless!"

"Before you were civilians, your cowardice was understandable, but now you are soldiers!"

"Obeying orders is your duty; fighting the enemy is your responsibility."

"You are afraid before the battle. Are you worthy of your status?!"

"If you don't go now, do you have to wait until the bandits attack next year and then cry bitterly while watching your homeland being trampled upon?!"

He glanced at the soldiers, and they all lowered their heads. No one dared to look Raven in the eye.

Taking a deep breath, Raven said loudly:
"So, today I'm going to take you up there!"

"If they can rob us, we can rob them!"

"Use their blood to wash away your shame and build your honor!"

This speech was deeply engraved in the hearts of everyone present, and the emotions in their eyes were surging and changing, each one different.

Excitement, self-blame, anger, disdain...the only thing missing is fear.

The originally stiff atmosphere, low morale, and scattered thoughts were gradually pulled back a little and twisted into a rope again.

"Now, I want to ask you." Raven took a deep breath and shouted loudly: "Are you all ready!?"

"Ready, Baron!" Eric was the first to respond.

"We're ready, Baron!" Goyle, Link and Mosing Gan followed closely behind.

"Ready, Baron!!!" the soldiers shouted in unison.

"Hmph, not bad!" Raven laughed and ordered:
"Raise the flag and mount the horse!"

Upon hearing this, Visdon hurriedly took off the battle flag on the side of his horse and held it up with one hand. With a fluttering sound, the Black Eagle battle flag with a red background fluttered in the wind!

The soldiers, led by their respective captains, rode on the prepared war horses. They were not qualified knights, but they were still able to march on horseback.

When they were all mounted on their horses, old Gordon lowered his guard and asked their relatives to come forward and offer them a last bowl of wine before they left.

This is the tradition of the Nordic province.

Not Angel's Tears, but a stronger, more body-warming ale.

Denise looked at Raven with a complicated expression, then walked to the side of Visdon's warhorse and handed him the wine glass in her hand.

Weisdong took the wine glass and smiled apologetically when he recalled what happened yesterday: "Mom, don't worry, I'll be fine."

Denise's eyes suddenly turned red, and she nodded gently: "Well, take care of yourself."

Nancy had no family members present, so it was Jenny who brought her the wine. The maid was too short and had to stand on a stool to deliver the wine to Nancy.

She whispered, "Miss Nancy, if you are not feeling well, remember to come back and I will make your bed."

Nancy wrinkled her nose and said, "Oh, you really are. I won't be a deserter."

It was his wife who brought Eric the wine. Surprisingly, she looked well-maintained, which showed that she had never been treated badly. She looked at her husband with concern in her eyes.

She came up and squeezed Eric's hand tightly, then took the glass from their son Tony and pressed it into her husband's hand.

Eric said to his son in a deep voice: "Take good care of your mother."

It was Lux who brought Raven the farewell wine.

In the cold weather, she wore a thin priest robe and held the wine glass in both hands:
"Don't forget, you still owe me two thousand gold coins."

Raven took the wine glass and said with a smile: "Then you should pray to the Lord of Light to protect me."

The time of farewell always passes quickly, and the relatives leave reluctantly despite being urged.

Drums sound.

Old Gordon raised his glass and shouted:

"Ad victoriam!"

This is an old Nordic proverb, which means -

Invincible!

The relatives who bid farewell to the deceased expressed their blessings together:

"Invincible!"

Amidst the shouting, everyone raised their glasses and drank the beer.

As the hot wine went down their throats, the eyes of all the soldiers began to become determined.

Led by Raven, they turned over the glasses and smashed them to the ground together!

Raven raised his arm and swung it violently:

"set off!"

He swung the reins, waved the whip, and drove his mount away.

Behind him, the war horses raised their hooves and followed closely. The sound of horse hooves was dense and the horses were running like a tide!
The crowd slowly dispersed long after the soldiers had left, and Denise returned to Eagle Castle with Angel's help.

Without Visdon and Raven, Eagle Castle seemed empty, just missing two people.

"Go down, I want to be alone for a while," said Denise.

"Yes, ma'am..." An Qi turned and walked away.

As soon as she opened the door of her room and entered the room, Denise threw her high-heeled boots aside, revealing the flesh-colored stockings underneath, and then immediately changed into a pair of slippers to cover them up.

She slammed the door shut, ripped off her fur coat and threw it on the bed, shook her cascading hair loose, unbuttoned her belt and let her petticoat fall to the floor.

A feeling of relief and emptiness came over Denise. She bit her lips gently. Her consciousness suddenly went blank. She was stunned for a moment before she untied her corset.

Wearing only underwear, she walked to the window and looked at the gray sky and turbid land. Denise poured herself a glass of Angel's Tears, but did not drink it. She just stared at the dark purple wine and fell into deep thought.

She thought of Weisdon's words again, and tears welled up in her eyes: "The child has grown up..."

Thinking of Weisdon, he couldn't help but think of the culprit who brought him to the bloody highlands -

Raven.

Denise was now finding it increasingly difficult to understand Raven's intentions.

Did he drag Vesdon to Bloody Highlands in order to take this opportunity to get rid of Vesdon, or was there some deeper meaning behind this?
It wasn't that Denise was deceiving herself, but Raven's ability to plan forced her to think more deeply.

He used Donald's death to set a trap, and took advantage of her greed to force her to jump into it.

At that time, Denise just thought Raven was crazy enough, but the things that happened later gradually changed her mind about Raven.

Luring Anderson to his death, taking back Goldshire.

What shocked her most was Raven's treatment of Judra.

When he was still penniless, he was thinking of using gold coins to win over and control Judra.

And it actually succeeded.

Compared to Raven, who was just 20 years old, Judra, who was 35 years old, looked like a child.

She didn't see the urgency of this action at first, but now the results are beginning to show.

The most threatening nobles around Eagle Territory are the Wharton family. Having something on Judra's side is like driving a nail into their midst that cannot be removed.

In this way, Raven could safely send out all his troops, leaving only some militiamen who had been recruited for less than half a month, without having to worry about the possible small actions of the Wharton family.

This foresight reminded her of Raven's previous change in attitude towards Visdon.

Even before the attack on Bloody Heights was announced, Raven's attitude towards Visdon had improved.

I'm afraid he had already planned for today's situation since then.

Denise herself was still ignorant and had no idea of ​​Raven's thoughts or Visdon's changes.

Denise crossed her legs, hooked her shoes on her toes, swayed them, and sighed:

"I don't feel wronged for losing to you."

She gently took a sip of Angel's Tears, and the feeling in her heart became more complicated.

On the one hand, she was extremely dissatisfied with Raven's behavior of coaxing Visdon into the battlefield; on the other hand, she had to admire Raven's meticulous thinking and deep thoughts.

Perhaps, under his leadership, the Griffith family can really achieve new glory.

“I really want to see what you will achieve in the future.”

Denise picked up Angel's Kiss, applied a drop of perfume on her wrist, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes:
"So, you must return triumphantly."

……

(End of this chapter)