Temple Sword

Chapter 203 Everyone

In the forest at the foot of the mountain, two thousand cavalry were waiting for orders.The Hungarians inside thought that with sunset less than three hours away, it might be better to postpone the fighting until the next day.

Cuman's horse archers, however, had exactly the opposite idea. "Three hours?" they laughed. "That's enough! We can win before sunset, then go back to the tent and start making dinner!"

When Antal and Lakfi returned with the Croat shepherds, both the Hungarians and the Cumans were amazed at the orders they had received.

"Let's set off immediately and go around the river from the west tonight," Esteban Lakfi explained the general's plan, "This old man knows the way, we will go all the way through the forest, and then walk through a relatively rough rocky road, But there's no danger, and by midnight we'll be on the other side of the river.

If we don't camp and light fires there, we must not attract the attention of the enemy.After resting there for about three hours, we proceeded, and by sunrise we would reach the enemy's flank.

We will attack at the general's signal, and will not rest until we are victorious. "

"What is the signal to attack?" someone in the army asked.

Lakfe shrugged, "A pleasant early morning arrow rain, I heard that Janos Babonik has never tasted this, so I want to see his expression at that time up close."

Lakfee obviously knew how to inspire the soldiers. Although no one was willing to travel long distances in the dark forest, after his words, everyone cheered up and set off with a smile.

The order to walk at night in the woods and sleep for three hours was not pleasant, but Simon, who led the horse and walked in front of the army, was worried about another thing, his master Antal Bator.

Ever since the commanders and Miklos had returned from their meeting on the stone bridge, there had been another change in the knight's eyes.

Simon was so used to Antal's sunken face, shaggy beard and dark circles under bloodshot eyes, he thought he couldn't see anything worse in his Master's face, but he was wrong.

When Antar returned from the stone bridge, there was something in his eyes that was both pitiful and terrifying.Even though the tall squire seldom spoke, it was now almost impossible to hide his thoughts in his heart.

He decided that when he and the knight could be alone, he would talk about all the problems in his mind.

Following the old shepherd, the soldiers walked for hours among the free-growing bushes, the branches under their feet gradually being replaced by harder and harder rocks.

Two thousand heavily armed horsemen scrambled and cursed as they struggled up the steep terrain as they made their way through dense dark undergrowth, where spears and banners occasionally got caught in a branch or bush, and then another popped up. out of the branches.

If any bystanders saw this scene, he might have laughed. For more than 2000 people, crossing the path less traveled by is really not an easy task.

But if Janos Babonik saw this scene, he would not be able to laugh, if he knew that in addition to the army on the other side of the river, there was a cavalry team about the size of his own army trying to get around his flank Assault him, and he will surely hide within the walls of Zagreb.

It was completely dark, and the moon and stars were hidden behind the tree canopy, making it more difficult to move forward.But although the night march seemed to feel as though the steep and rocky forest terrain seemed endless, the shepherds signaled that they were approaching.

It was not long before they found the stretch of the river, and as the shepherd had said, it was narrow enough for two riders to cross at once, but the water was not knee-deep, and it was only a matter of time before the whole army reached the south bank.

Because the river bed was full of slippery boulders, the riders led their horses across the river one by one, not two by two.

Fortunately, the whole process of crossing the river went smoothly without any problems, but it took them nearly two hours to reach the south bank one by one, and continued to drive eastward in the forest under the night.

After midnight, the captains found a relatively sparse and flat area in the forest and ordered to stop and rest for midnight.After a quick drink of water by the river, everyone tied their horses to tree trunks.

They left the materials for building the tent and the servants responsible for building it at the base camp of Miklos, so most of them simply lay down in the grass next to the horse to rest.

Since fires were strictly forbidden, those who had not yet had their supper on horseback were now sitting on the grass, nibbling on some jerky, and perhaps some bread and bacon and shallots.

Unlike usual, this time there was no crowd drinking and chatting. Most of the people were wrapped in traveling cloaks or simple blankets, with their heads resting on the untied saddles, and fell asleep when they fell down.

Every Hungarian and Cuman knew they might be fighting all day tomorrow and only had two or three hours of sleep tonight, so no one was thinking of finding some drinking buddies.

Antal and Simon spent the night in a place a little far from the army. The Lily Knight disappeared for an hour without saying anything, and then came back quietly.

He picked up the rolled sheepskin tied behind the saddle, shook it, spread it on the wet grass and sat down, waiting for the dawn, and Simon also chose to tell the knight at this time what he had been worried about.

"Lord Barto," he cleared his throat and said as quietly as possible so as not to wake up the nearby soldiers, "since you came back from the general...you're like...I don't know how to put it, you're like It's changed..."

Antal didn't respond, but glanced at Simon, and cast him a questioning look, and the squire was suddenly overwhelmed by a desperate urge to say something, and to be more honest than ever.

"I will tell the truth, Lord Barto, because you are the person I respect the most, so I will not hide anything," he took a deep breath, "Since we came back from Buda, you are no longer the same of myself.

I know why, and I wish I could do something for you, but I'm afraid I haven't made you feel much better... But what I see in your eyes now worries me more, my lord...

A cold that freezes my blood, my lord, please tell me what happened, and let me help you! "

"No one," Antar said in a dry, hoarse voice, "no one can help me."

"You're wrong," the attendant shook his head. "There will always be someone or something that can help you. Do you remember the first time we met? When I was almost beaten to death by the angry mob, It was you who saved me.

I also felt that no one was going to help me and was sure my life was over, but you grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the clutches of the mob and put me on your horse..."

The memory brought tears to Simon's eyes, and his voice trembled so hard that he could hardly hear him. "My lord, our knightly order, which was slandered as heresy, no longer exists, but we survive, two riders on one horse, two soldiers of Christ.

But we are no different now, are we?Our identities will never change! 'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I am not afraid of it, because you are with me'...

I know, I'm only a squire, a servant, I didn't become a knight in the order, but please let me help you, my lord!Let me be the angel's messenger, pull you out of the dangerous abyss, and prevent the dark tide from passing over your head! "

This may be the most and loudest sentence Simon has said in his life, and although he feels a little ashamed at the end of his superior speech, he has nothing to hide, as he promised.

Yet Antal was still staring blankly ahead, into the darkness, and he had to try very hard to pretend that Simon's rare outpouring of affection hadn't touched his heart.

Even so, the knight had a bitter lump in his throat, and he didn't know what to say in reply.In his earthly life he had always considered himself an optimistic man, but now he felt that the chance of a happy life was gone forever.

No matter how hard Simon tried, he couldn't pull Antal out of this abyss.

But in the end, the knight decided to tell all to his squire.While Simon can't change fate, the past, or the future Antal has decided upon, if there's one person in this world who should know the whole truth, it's him.

"I see them," said the Lily Knight quietly, "and they are in the enemy's camp."

"Who are they, my lord?" Simon asked, looking at him in bewilderment.

"Black flag and red belt," whispered Antar, who first got the clue from the miller, and a year later from Varos, Bograka, and his wife,
"Two hundred miscellaneous mercenaries, led by a burly tall man. Mikolai led them to attack the manor..." He finally looked at his attendants, but there were no tears in his eyes, only the demonic look that made Simon tremble. hatred.

"They destroyed my home, slaughtered my people and burned all their remains. They killed my sons and adopted sons, these bugs took my wife from me, my family... …My everything.

That's why they deserve nothing more than to die, and no matter the outcome of the battle, I will personally guarantee that these brutes will be left on the field with no one to collect their bodies.

All mercenaries who serve under the Black Flag will have no mercy, we don't take any of them, they will be slaughtered like animals, all of them. "

Simon looked at Antar in shock, he knew that the knight was a strong-willed warrior, but he had never seen such a master.He could barely recognize the knight's voice now, and Antar's every word was filled with a destructive rage, a rotting hatred that had taken root.

(End of this chapter)