I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 131 Small Group of Deserters (45)

The long wooden table in the lobby on the first floor was rarely filled with people.

Luc was sitting in the main seat, with the sunlight shining through the window onto him, but he didn't feel the slightest warmth.

"Sir, the other party was last seen here two days ago!"

On the table, there was a simple map drawn with charcoal. Old Eike stood below and pointed at the location representing the eastern part of the forest, speaking in a serious tone.

"Did you see how many people there were?"

"At least eight people!" Ryan took over the answer.

Hearing this, Luc's face instantly darkened.

He has learned the whole story.

The next day after he left, Miller saw a group of moving black spots in the east from the top of the mountain. At first he thought he was dazzled, until another child with good eyesight also saw it. The clever Miller reacted instantly, climbed down the lookout tower in a few steps, rushed to the pile of firewood and ignited it, creating thick black smoke.

This was the first time the manor had received an early warning since the last mistake. Old Ek, who had experienced the destruction of his village, reacted immediately and hurriedly led everyone back to the Knight's Castle. Ryan even moved the chevaux de frise to surround the fence, and personally carried a javelin on his back and climbed the wooden ladder with Jill.

When Luc was away, he became the backbone of the group.

But after waiting for half a day, there was no movement.

However, Miller swore that he was not mistaken, and everyone did not dare to be careless about such a thing. They stayed until the evening and finally found the clue at dusk.

"master!"

Ryan frowned beside him, "Everyone in the manor has been in a panic these days. No one has the heart to farm!"

Suddenly, we found ourselves surrounded by enemies and no one had the energy to work.

Perhaps because he noticed the fence and wooden fort, the uninvited guest who was far away that evening did not do anything rash, but just took a glance from a distance and left.

It was during this opportunity that Ryan saw the other party's attire clearly - they were not bandits, but a group of deserters!

Because it is impossible for every bandit to have a sword!
This is exactly what Luke is worried about.

Because deserters and bandits are completely on the same level.

Among the bandits in the Wild Boar Cave, only the leader was a deserter, and the rest were farmers who were forced to join the bandits. To exaggerate a bit, it is very likely that most of them had never even fought before they started robbing houses.

But deserters are different.

Deserters did leave the battlefield because they were afraid of war, but that didn't mean they were weak. Apart from anything else, their mental qualities alone must have far surpassed those of ordinary serfs.

"Sir, they must be lurking around us. They may also be afraid of us, so they haven't plundered us. But as long as they are in the mountains, at least you must be careful when you go hunting in the mountains in the future."

"Not to mention your trade route plan"

There is no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days. What Old Eck said was consistent with Luke's idea. So since he knew that an unprecedented enemy with a threat level appeared around him, he had only one thought in his mind - he must find a way to annihilate it!

It’s easier said than done.

The first question is, how to find them?

This is not a situation where Henry is alone and Luc can bravely launch a sneak attack with his dog on a rainy night.

It’s not like they knew the location in advance so they could massacre the bandits.

This time the enemy is a small, well-trained force with a large number of people. If we approach them rashly, it will most likely turn into an encounter!

Luc thought for a moment and said, "Old Eike, for the time being, let everyone squeeze together inside the fence. If there are no houses, let them sleep on the ground."

"it is good!"

This is the most common practice when danger strikes.

"As for the group of deserters," the forest is vast and it is difficult to find them, but Luc already has a preliminary plan.

He called Ryan, Old Ekgill and others over and whispered to them.

……

After Ryan and others went out to prepare, Du Si came down quietly from upstairs. When the knights were meeting, the wife had to automatically avoid them.

She placed a bowl of broth in front of Luc and said softly, "I made this myself. I added a little honey. Try it and see how it goes."

The desertion incident did not frighten Du Si. After all, the threat to the Knight Castle itself was not great. Moreover, she was the child of a military noble.

"How about calling Jean back?"

Du Si suggested as she watched Luc sip his porridge.

"No, Hans and I were lucky. We didn't encounter any deserters on the way back. It would be too dangerous to send someone to call Jean and George now."

Of course, Luc wanted to call Jean back. As the only professional soldier, Jean would be of great help to him.

And George, with him around, maybe we don't have to take any risky moves.

After drinking the meat porridge, he hugged Du Si and strode out of the Knight's Castle. Even though everyone was crowded in the wooden castle, the work that needed to be done could not stop.

Now that the flax has been picked, let's weave it first.

It is easy to tell whether flax is mature. Mature flax will have purple flowers on the top, and when the flowers wither, it is time to harvest.

Looking at the flax stalks that had been dried yellow by the sun, Luke directed everyone to comb the flax.

Here, combing means real combing.

The flax seeds are hidden in the top of the stalk, and these need to be picked out, and the remaining part is the main material of the linen cloth.

Obviously, Old Ek was also knowledgeable. During the few days he was away, he had asked Ryan to make several combing tools - bottom plates full of wooden nails.

Nearly forty people crowded the courtyard. The lord's return reassured them, and hearing they were supposed to continue working gave them a sense of security. They split into two groups. One group gathered the flax and carried it to the tools. The base of the tools extended to the sides without nails, making it easier for people to step on them and secure them. Then, they tilted a bundle of flax stalks and stuck them onto the densely packed spikes. A wooden basin was placed nearby. With the sound of crackling fibers, small, pale fruits fell like rain.

If you want to get seeds, you need to process these fruits again.

The cleaned stems were carried by another group of people to two large water vats. One of them was the large bucket that Ryan had built for Luke's door, and the other was newly built after the number of livestock increased. It has now become a container for soaking flax. As for water, don't forget that there is a well behind the wooden fort.

It is impossible to dry hundreds of pounds of flax at once, and this is just the first batch.

Of course, the linen will need to wait another week until the plants in the tank have softened.

The flax was very light, so in order to prevent it from floating on the surface, Luc pressed down two stones.

Turning around, I saw Oliver huddled in a corner of the yard, protecting his beehive, afraid that it would accidentally sting someone.

Oliver was in a bad mood as he had just encountered this kind of thing a few days after arriving in the mountains.

Luc withdrew his gaze. Normally, he didn't feel anything, but with forty people pouring in at once, it felt like the fence was a little too small.

To be honest, a small group of deserters was not worth Luc making such a fuss, but it is better to be safe than sorry. If the other party had really been bewitched by the devil and sneaked into the fields that day, more than a dozen serfs would have died on the spot.

In addition, the serfs themselves were also afraid, but not everyone was like Hugo, who was still alone in the church.

Luc didn't try to persuade him, because the deserter was not a Viking and he really didn't dare to act recklessly in the church.

In the following days, when weeding and watering were needed, Luc would ride around the serfs in full armor to ensure their safety.

Two days later, Ryan pushed open the door of the wooden castle and whispered to Luc, "Master, everything is ready!"

(End of this chapter)