Chapter 622 Star Lake Fort

Thales found that he still underestimated the walls of power.

After he privately hinted that Mallos and Stuart might send someone to "study" the plan to move to Xinghu Castle, within a week, the news that the Duke of Xinghu was about to move out of the royal capital spread all over the streets of Yongxing City. Alley.

"It's not so good, even in the brothel on Red Square Street, it is said that the prince is tired of the girls in the royal capital and is going to'train the spear' elsewhere. I don't know where they know it-don't ask. Where did I know that they knew." Glover, who had returned from leave, solemnly reported to the prince, and at the same time glared at Huaiya, who was talking and stopping next to him.

The first-class penalty officer of the Star Lake Guard, Old Patterson was so angry that he took two of his men and added Rolf the Wind Stalker ("He looks weird and vicious, Your Majesty is very suitable for this job, of course The most important thing is that I can point to him and say to everyone,'Look, this is the end of the talkative'." Patterson gritted his teeth and said), holding the whip aggressively, "catch the ghost" everywhere in Mindith Hall, vowing to Find out who leaked the secret.

"It's definitely not me!"

Dragging large and small bags of exaggerated luggage, D.D, who came back from home with difficulty, was caught by the "Ghost Catch Team" at the gate.

"You can see the sunset, I didn’t mention our move to anyone—what? You said these luggage? Hey, my parents forced me to give it to me, and I can’t help it. You see, even winter clothes are stuffed in. It's so annoying...Hey! Dumb! Don't touch my lucky puppet bear! Necessary for bedside!"

There was a panic in the Mindith Hall until Mallos came forward and gently and tactfully reminded the old penal officer:

Even if the prince’s move is a major event, even if it’s just a preliminary "research", there must be a lot of trouble, coupled with the deteriorating finances of Mindis Hall ("I think we need to hire more people, cooks, gardeners, grooms, and maids). ——What? Glass wine glasses? What does this have to do with wine glasses? Forget it, I’ll just go and ask your Highness.” ——Wya Casso’s blunt and puzzled last words), as long as everyone in Mindith’s room still has Family and friends, the leak of the news is inevitable.

As for why the Duke of Thales left the capital, rumors on the streets have been circumstantial, ranging from "the haunted legend of the Duke of Mindis Hall" to "the legend of the escaped marriage of the rebellious prince", and even "Xinghubao Cangjiao said"-there are many versions of this statement. The main controversy lies in the identity and number of the heroines, and even their gender, because Mindis Hall has not (money) recruited maids since the return of the prince.

Interestingly, the people dismissed the saying that "the prince is bankrupt", and even met with a roar of laughter as soon as it was brought up: "Do you know how much the baby in Mindis Hall is worth? The prince is even fucked. **It's all made of gold, do you need to worry about it?"

The rumors are turbulent and intensified, so that at the imperial meeting one day, Prime Minister Cullen could not help but intervene personally.

Thales is inconvenient to answer directly, so he cleverly shifts the firepower, and by the way, he tries to save the possibility of saving the finances of Mindis Hall:

"Father, what do you think?"

At that time, the wise and wise King Kessel was reading the port tax report of the Emerald City, listening to the grievances of Chief Joker ("As the chief financial officer, I only receive five silver coins a month. Have money? But they, these profiteers and filthy merchants on the South Bank, have benefited from your majesty and your wise grace to make a lot of money, but they are so selfish, even this little tax is going to be ridiculed?"), frowned. He was thinking about it, but he just waved his hand disdainfully: "Get out, don't bother me."

"He is right."

After coming out of the Fuxing Palace, facing the skeptical gaze of Mallos and the look of Stora’s expectation ("Your Majesty can't let you starve to death, right?"), Duke Thales smiled brightly, looked confident, steady and confident:

"Your Majesty spoke highly of the long-term and fruitful work of Mindis Hall. He was full of confidence and expectation and sincerely encouraged us: to be unique, keep pace with the times, be independent, open source to generate revenue, pursue excellence, and explore the future——"

boom!

Malios clapped the table expressionlessly: "Point."

The Duke’s smile instantly collapsed:

"No money."

So two more days later, the rumors on the streets in Wangdu changed in direction:

The Duke of Thales rebelled against the marriage arranged by his father (there is also a bet on who the heroine is. It is worth mentioning that although the odds are too high, but the old friend of the prince, the heir to Walla, Cohen Karabyyan did appear at the bottom of the odds list, falling behind a group of ladies and ladies), he did not hesitate to show off the waves in protest, which caused the king's thunder to be furious. He attacked on the spot at the imperial meeting and slapped the heir in front of his ministers. A slap made him get out of the royal capital immediately!

"No one slapped me!"

On the training ground, Thales became anxious and frustrated in the face of the worried Huaiya and the plate full of "skin care and beauty medicine" in his hand:

"I'm okay, and my face is okay! No, why should I let you look at my fart--the other parts are okay! The setting sun is on, and my entry into the palace this time is really true and there is no treason! Why don't you believe it?"

Under the influence of a variety of factors (mainly the increasingly shocking numbers on the ledger), Thales simply gave up low-key and no longer concealed it, and began to let Mallos count the inventory with fanfare, and sent the logistics officer of Stuo to dock with the director of the Fuxing Palace. , I want to come to Xinghu Castle’s books and maps with the Noble Affairs Institute, tell Canstar’s private soldiers what to stay behind, communicate with the Security Department about the time to leave, and let other people (DD aggrieved) purchase enough supplies, and at the same time Thanking guests behind closed doors, staying deep and simple.

"Is this really okay? The rumors won't get worse?" Wiya frowned.

"Trust me," On the training ground, the prince gritted his teeth and pulled away the bow and arrow, aiming at the **** of Mallos in the distance, "Prince's **** is welcome."

Huiya looked stunned.

But fortunately, after only a few days of spreading various rumors, they all turned to:

According to reports, the Duke of Thales made a trespass in an imperial meeting. The king was furious and cut off the financial resources of Mindis Hall as a punishment. The Duke of Xinghu had to leave the capital and found his own way.

Well, at least part of it is true.

The prevailing saying among vassals and bureaucrats is that on the issue of taxes, the Duke of Xinghu’s political stance is too moderate, and even sympathizes with the great princes in the remote borders. This offends the long-established royalists, the latter in The repeated slanders in the Royal Council finally impressed the king and forced the duke to stay away from the political center.

Well, this is not entirely wrong.

So, in the morning of a working day, at the beginning of the sky, the door of Mindis Hall opened silently, and the motorcade belonging to the Duke of Xinghu slowly drove out to the Xinghu Fort near the Wang Family Hunting Forest on the outskirts of the city.

"Are you sure everyone has no opinion? After all, this is about leaving the city and going to the country."

Tyles yawned, leaning on the window of the car with a look of sleepiness, watching the logistics officer Piloga make the final handover with the private soldiers and servants left behind.

"They are royal guards, not counsellors," Mallos rode beside the carriage (the driver was originally Glover, but Thales categorically rejected it), frowning and looking at the ledger handed over by the logistics wing. "It's not their job to give an opinion-damn, why did you overspend again last month? What's the matter with so many skin care drugs?"

On the other side of the carriage, Wya turned his head silently and had a lively conversation with Rolf.

In the silence of the early morning, their motorcade caught up with the earliest moments when the city gate was opened, passing through the Sage Gate on the south side of the capital in a piece of pointing, passing by several markets and villages outside the city, and crossing the Shepherd River Ferry. , Drove onto the southern section of Fuxing Avenue, which was rebuilt during the era of Thormond III.

The south side of the capital is obviously more prosperous than the north side. There are small vendors and hired workers who enter the city early in the morning, farmers and artisans who are going to the market, postal carriages going back and forth, and even foreign travelers, who may drive them. Cargo, or on foot with a suitcase, came from various towns near Yongxing City, crowded in groups of three to five, and from time to time criticized the convoy passing by them.

"Ah, I know this caravan, it should be the parade court this season, the judge who went to the territory to inspect the case for the king..."

"Pull it down, you don't even have a banner. This must be the illegitimate child of a certain nobleman, so rich and uncomfortable."

"Look at the momentum of this team, tsk, it's awesome, men should be like this!"

"Cut, a good bastard, if I was born there, I could replace him!"

At the end of summer, the vegetation around the avenue was lush and lush, the Duke’s motorcade turned down the avenue, the number of travelers was reduced, the trees were overgrown, the green shades covered the sun, the birds and beasts flew, the surroundings were full of vitality, and the wild fun gradually increased—they entered the Wang’s hunting forest. Range.

"Fuck, I swear it's a bear!"

D.D exclaimed, causing the whole team to be nervous for a while: "Zombie, draw the sword!"

"Don't be suspicious," veteran Genard shouted to stop them. He shook his head, "I can see clearly, just a wild cat."

According to Mallos, the royal hunting forest delineated from the Black Eye era has always been a good place for the royal family to go out and entertain guests. Before the **** year, the former king Eddie led his officials to hunt here more than once. The two princes, Lars and Hyman, called for friends, and galloped.

In the **** year, Yongxing City was threatened by the rebels and Exter, and had to shut down the city, so the whole central leader robbers gathered, and the surrounding villages and small towns, including many noble fiefs, were almost all suffered. , The hunting forest also became a wasteland without an owner until the "Fortress Peace Treaty" was signed, the Kingdom Fury led the Fury Guards to return, reorganized the central standing army, and wiped out the rebels and robbers around the capital.

As for the post-war period, the national treasury was embarrassed, and the people’s livelihood was diminished. Moreover, the iron-fisted king himself was not interested in hunting and banqueting. The Wang’s forest rangers who were responsible for guarding and maintaining had no rewards for money, and the merchants and farmers had no profit to share. Scattered to settle down nearby, or become farm tenants, or hired to work, or join the Canstar private soldiers, but become a high-quality source of troops when the standing army is reorganized.

"The Baron Manor of Kingdom Fury is down that road, next to it is the barracks of the Central Standing Army. For more than ten years, he has almost turned the hunting forest into their exclusive training ground and exercise site," Mallos looked at one. It is obviously a trail in the forest that has been stepped on, with a deep gaze, "But the good thing is that there is a standing army here, and no one dares to invade the nearby Wang family territory."

Raised as a noble warhorse, Jenny was extremely dissatisfied with this environment. She broke away from the horseman from time to time, neighing and chasing the shadow of deer or badger that flashed in the depths of the jungle, causing the team to be in a mess, and she was always in Thailand. After calling out hard, he was covered with traces of branches and trees and returned with a sullen face and gloomy face.

"It is the queen in the stable, no horse dares to fight with it," veteran Genard said cheerfully, "but the birds and beasts here are not conscious of this, and they are not satisfied."

They soon came under an iconic big tree. The watchman said this was the most popular camping site when the hunting forest was still thriving. The thick and dense tree that covered the sky and looked like a few years old. It is called "Star Tree" and has many legends about the Royal Family of Stars:

It is said that in the last years of the empire, the King of Revival, who was still an illegitimate child, ignited fighting spirit under this tree, determined to make a name for himself and get rid of the name of wild species;

It is also said that Prince Brad, the "procrastinator" five hundred years ago, suffered a coup, carrying the nine-star crown, and hurriedly escaped from Wing Star City, only to escape the chase of his cousin "Unfortunate" Kayla after climbing this tree. , Fled to the Vale of Valor, recruited troops, and opened the **** curtain of "double star confrontation";

There is also a legend involving the Great Spirit Grand Duke Kahn Trudida who invaded the stars four hundred years ago. He said that he camped under this tree and was about to besiege Everstar City, but in the middle of the night he saw the Fuxing King immediately armed with a gun and charged him. Then, the brutal and terrifying "Giant Spirit" woke up in a dream, was so scared that he pulled out of camp overnight, and then retired;

Some people say that three hundred years ago, "Jackal" Sumei III invited five guardian dukes to a hunting banquet under this tree. Three of them have never been able to get out of the hunting forest.

There is even a poem saying that two hundred years ago, the princess's "North Conqueror" Ai Lijia was hunting. Under the shade of this tree, she met a mysterious knight who did not write down in history. She was only pregnant with the "wolf" whose biological father was unknown. Enemy" Kayla.

But the above legend, even if DD, who "frequently came here when I was a child," talked more vividly and eloquently, bluffing listeners like Willow, Rolf, and Wya for a moment, the Duke of Xinghu also laughed off all of them. .

Thales originally thought that there would be such a dense jungle along the way, but after a short while, the road suddenly opened up: among the verdant jungle, a pool of blue lake rushed into his eyes, it was pure as a mirror, reflecting the pure white clouds in the blue sky. Color, like a dream and illusion, makes it difficult to distinguish between heaven and earth for a while.

Beautiful view. At present, including Thales, everyone can't help but stop.

"The setting sun is on," Doyle looked at Bihu excitedly, "This is much better than the painting!"

"Wait, draw it?"

Huiya reacted with suspicion: "Didn't you say that you used to come to play when you were young?"

"It's not time, go ahead," Mallos was in a rare mood. He ignored the people behind him who were angry at D.D. "It won't be too late to marvel at that time."

The Duke’s motorcade marched along the lake, the vegetation became lower and lower, and the scene in front of him became more open:

The view is far away. At the other end of the lake is a towering and steep mountain wall. More than a dozen turbulent waterfalls hang on it, rushing out between the rocks and falling straight into the lake, like a giant silver curtain falling from the sky.

"My God, I have seen this in the book, saying that practicing swords under a waterfall can do more with less," the young trainee pioneer Nexi excitedly pointed to the wide waterfalls. "Does anyone want to surf?"

"Don't believe in those knight novels, rush down from there, even if you are alive, you probably won't find those words." The second-class security officer, "high guy" Frank Zuk ruthlessly poured cold water on him.

Tels is also enamored of this magnificent beauty, and his eyes are hard to move.

historical

"That is one of the downstream branches of Muhe."

Malós patiently explained to those who have never seen this scene-almost all the rest in the team-people:

"The river bed falls here, forming a waterfall, and depositing a broad and clear lake, which is called the ‘Star Lake’."

Star Lake.

Thyls chanted the name silently in his heart, and turned his head subconsciously.

Sure enough, on the other side of the lake opposite the waterfall, a towering castle appeared in front of you.

It is located on the edge of a hill, surrounded by a lake on three sides, and has a simple structure. Only a small road can go around the hill, cross its moat, and go straight into it.

It is perfectly integrated with the jungle, lake view, waterfall, blue sky, white clouds, hills, castles, and all elements. It is unobtrusive, giving people a sense of tranquility and intoxication. As if unwilling to disturb the beauty of this corner.

"That's..." Doyle's eyes widened.

"Yes, that is Xinghu Fort." Mallos stopped in his horse and sighed quietly.

Everyone held their breath.

Including Thales.

The young man did his homework beforehand. He knew that Xinghu Castle was an isolated monastery, dating back to the Black Eye era, and it was full of sunset monks who were knowledgeable but determined to work hard.

But what made this monastery truly enter the eyes of the world was that nearly five hundred years ago, an old bachelor named Su Mei, who was born noble but erudite, lived in seclusion with his family in the "double star confrontation" war. , Concentrate on the study of theological classics.

The **** and cruel "double star confrontation" finally ended in a dramatic form: two (respectively king) stars died one after another within a day. However, their "Morning Party" and "Twilight Party"-the domestic princes who chose the sides-have forged generations of inscrutable blood feuds in the years of wars, deaths, alliances, and betrayals.

So when the kingdom has no owner and the throne hangs in the air, looking at the genealogy of the stars, there is no heir who can subdue the two party princes of equal power at the same time, can rise to the throne and crown without dispute, and can not reignite the confrontation between the double stars. The flames of war.

(In fact, out of interest and situation, during the eight-and-a-half years of civil war, many members of the two parties have been in more than one camp. It is common for alliances and rebels and reversions. Today, banquets and alliances , The monarch and his ministers cross their hearts, and they pledged to show their loyalty. When they are captured on the battlefield tomorrow, and the noose is approaching, they will wake up and abandon the secret. The leader of the East China Sea, the Cullen family of Huigang City has repeatedly jumped and flexibly changed between the two parties in the morning and evening. The rebels are still safe and sound, so that the two guardian dukes of the East China Sea are nicknamed "Noon" and "Midnight.")

But fortunately, enough blood has been shed in the kingdom, so much that the sacrifices in the dark night are exhausted, and the men of the stars are too few, so few that no one wants to fight in armor anymore-during the eight years of the double star confrontation, no hundreds of national families were destroyed, many The great family was extinct, and the cost was high and the lesson was painful, even in the history of the Star Kingdom where civil wars were frequent, it is rare.

The raging morning and evening parties, finally under the initiative and coordination of the Lord of the Setting Sun, reluctantly put down their weapons, entered the Yongxing City, and started arduous negotiations in the temple of the night full of corpses to be buried (this is also the administrative division of the Yongxing City In, the origin of the naming of the Morning Star District and the Evening Star District, which are bounded by the Temple of Dark Night).

So, as the great-great-grandson of "Black Eye" John, the 60-year-old Su Meishi — or later the "broken" Sumei Canxing II — was invited out of the sunset monastery where he lived, Walking out of the lakeside high castle in the deep forest, surrounded by two groups of vassals looking at him, walked into the Fuxing Palace, stepped onto the stage of history, and reached the highest position.

Regardless of how the morning and evening parties regretted the decision and how their respective alliances fell apart, but not long after Sumei II was crowned, he followed the newly promulgated "Bloodline Decree" and took him to the bachelor’s time. The affectionate lakeside monastery was renovated and expanded and built into a castle. It was awarded to the eldest son Elam and he was made a duke to show that the succession was determined early and not to be disputed. "From the prince to the Li people, it is understood that this law must not be violated. "——The double star confrontation triggered by the dispute over the inheritance of elders and children has since ended up in an end, drawing a complete end.

Star Lake Fort, and the significant Duke of Xinghu, were born from this.

"This is our land, the castle we will stay in in the future?" Wiya was shocked.

These words made Thales come back to his senses. He put aside the heavy history and cheered up.

Well, at least...

Looking at the castle by the lake, the prince was in a good mood.

He has a room.

The greenery is in place, the lake view is pleasant, and there is a natural swimming pool.

is...

Thales glanced at the corner of the ledger in Mallos’s saddlebag.

I don’t know how to calculate the mortgage.

"Good place."

Glover, who had never been good at speech, nodded as he marched.

"Look at its shape and terrain: surrounded by lakes on three sides, condescending, narrow passages, broad vision, suspension bridges, trenches, arrow towers, lookout posts, the height of the city walls, the staggered angles and the breadth of defense," the zombie pointed at Star Lake Castle. In different positions, "With just a dozen people, you can keep it tight."

"Even if you are besieged by an enemy that is twice as large as yours, if you have enough supplies, you can stay for months or even a year-much better than the almost undefended Mindis Hall."

"Oh my god, you can't make such an analogy. Mindith Hall is a work of art, and here, here is, yes," D.D paused, before holding out the next sentence, "Other artworks!"

On the other side of the team, Paul, a newcomer from the Black Lion family of Valor Castle, suddenly sighed, attracting everyone's attention.

"My father told me that a long time ago, every prince, every lord, was proud of having his own family castle-even if it took two or three generations to exhaust his wealth, he would build a castle of extraordinary significance. "

The young heir of the Bozdorf family looked at the castle in the distance with melancholy:

"The Tianzhu Fort in Junlin City, the floating sand, quicksand, and sinking sand palaces in the ruins, the Talang Palace and Tide Relief Pagoda in Huigang, the Kongming Palace in the Emerald City, the Blood Gate Fortress in the Blade Ling City... They have different forms and styles, but they are all famous fortresses with a long history and difficult to attack, let alone the magnificent and magnificent Fuxing Palace, which is simply a miraculous existence."

"And Arund's winter castle, our Bozdorf's soul castle, including the wing castle of the Chroma family, even the territory is named after the fortress castle."

Paul’s words are sincere and sad:

"They are our defense line rooted in the earth, they are the mounts for the knights to be immortal, and the strongest guardian on this land."

At this point, Paul sighed:

"But now, such castles are no longer increasing, and even fewer and fewer."

His words made many people think deeply.

But the person who answered him was unexpected.

"Of course," Doyle said with a grin. "My castle didn't know it was hundreds of years ago. It leaked everywhere. In summer, mosquitoes, flies and lice flew everywhere, and the smell didn't dissipate, and it didn't get much better in winter. Go, the cold wind blows people's noses, the windows squeak, and it can't be done how to repair them, and just hiring someone to clean it will cost a lot of money to maintain functions, and it's not worth it."

"So my stepmother finally decided to close most of its area, using only a few complete and newly renovated hall rooms. As far as I know, more and more nobles and lords would rather spend their money elsewhere. I even I heard that in some places, families abandoned their ancestral castles and moved into towns and villages."

D.D raised his finger enthusiastically and gave the next example:

"Not to mention Fuxing Palace, that building is so old..."

Lover gave a violent cough.

"So old..."

Doyle shuddered and reacted:

"Old is so old, has a history, has a meaning, and has a culture!"

"You know, Fuxing Palace is a miracle built with divine power and magic!"

The people who had gloated at the misfortune, showed disappointed expressions.

D.D knew he had failed and cleared his throat:

"In short, no matter what the castle is, no matter how strong it is, no matter how great it is, over time, there will be problems like this."

"In that case," Paul said coldly, "Why not just destroy it and rebuild it from scratch?"

These words silenced Thales in the car.

"My stepmother had such a plan, but she gave up because of funding problems," D.D recalled in the past, "and my father said that although we can no longer live, we at least lived there."

He sighed:

"If it is demolished like this, there are some things that cannot be rebuilt."

These words made many people look at him with admiration.

Doyle rolled his eyes and turned into a hippie smile again:

"Furthermore, what if there is another war?"

Paul did not speak.

Huaiya took the conversation at this moment:

"The mediocre monarch builds his strong walls with earth and stone, and the foreign enemies are hard to invade, and the castle is hard to fall. The warrior monarch uses flesh and blood as his wall, martial arts conquering the world, and countless heroes. The wise monarch uses the human heart as his wall, and always wins. , Eternal prosperity."

The prince attendant remembered something, his eyes were deep:

"Only the truly great monarch uses peace as his wall, ordinary, but no one knows."

As soon as this remark came out, the people in the convoy looked one after another, and even Rolf showed a different look.

"Wow, true Huaia, you said it yourself?" Doyle asked in surprise.

"Do not."

Huiya lowered her head, with a complicated expression:

"I heard it when I was young."

Tales hea-->>

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