The green-skinned crossbow arrow hit the head of the mount and was bounced away by the horse armor on it, and the shield blocked the other few. The war horses sniffed restlessly and protested that the owner was beaten on the spot. In fact, the green-skinned shooting was not as threatening as the scattered horses piled up in the road. The archer suppressed the orcs' crossbow, and the infantry ran forward and opened the fences in a row. The bishop and knights who had been waiting for a long time rushed forward. The orcs gathered in groups and carried shields of different shapes. Rudolph's war horseman stood up, stepped heavily on the shield wall, overwhelmed the orcs behind him. The warhammer was smashed down, and the guns stabbed hard. The shield holders with disrupted formation could no longer hold on. The defense of the temporary organization was dispersed, and the orcs turned around and fled. The humans chased them relentlessly. The same situation has been repeated since four days ago.

"A beast without honor." Sir Thomas laughed and took the brand new spear handed over by the servant. The strong and powerful Jazz nodded to the bishop, and the spur on his heels gently increased its strength, leaving Rudolph's sight in a blink of an eye.

The bishop looked at the backs of his colleagues, but he was not as proud as he was. Green skins were defeated repeatedly, and they fought again and again. The messenger sent to contact Sir Davis has not returned yet, so Rudolph had to be more careful.

The chasing knights stirred up dust, and the following infantry had to slow down to cover their mouths and noses, and the team was disconnected from each other. Whenever they won a battle, no one would care about the irrelevant details.

"Your Excellency, Sir Thomas asks you to come forward." Thomas's servant ran back, with a rosy face, which looked quite like Steve...

"Your Excellency?" the attendant repeated, twisting his body uncomfortably in the saddle.

"Leading the way." Indifference overshadowed the disobedience, and the bishop followed the attendant through a messy battlefield. The jazz and the palace mage Howard stood in front of a cave and argued fiercely. The jazz danced and the wizard was not inferior.

"Sir Thomas, Master Howard." Rudolph quickly dismounted and stood between the knight and the mage. He deliberately emphasized the titles of the two. "Can't you be a little self-controlled in front of a group of soldiers?"

"Your Excellency, please reason with our good wizard and let him seal this damn hole." As soon as Thomas spoke, Rudolph's intention was in vain.

"I explained that the geology here is very hard, and magic is not omnipotent. If you want to block the hole, it is very simple. Just let your soldiers move the stones." The mage named Howard is not easy to meet.

The entrance of the cave is three people high, which can accommodate two carriages and move side by side. In the depths of the cave, several goblins can be seen vaguely lying on the ground with feather arrows inserted behind them. This is the fifth cave that has been discovered in a few days. The deep and dark cave blocked the Knights' pursuit and became a safe haven for green skins.

'So they can always appear at the next intersection, waiting for the effort.' Rudolph looked up at the endless mountains. Did the green skin open all the caves here? The bishop looked at the people around him, and wherever he looked, the infantry all lowered his head to avoid facing the commander's eyes.

"Phillip, take your man to seal this hole." He recognized a captain, whose shoulders were obviously drooping because he was named.

"Master Howard, speak with one step." Rudolph walked away without waiting for the response. He could hear the wizard chasing.

When the two walked far enough away from the crowd, the bishop spoke: "Mr. Mage, do you have any insights about this running and stopping?"

The mage looked at the bishop: "You want to say this is a trap, right? Your Excellency."

'Hmph, smart man.' Rudolph kept his expression unchanged and nodded slightly: "I think after tomorrow, at most the day after tomorrow, Green Skin will mobilize enough people to surround us. I have a letter and want to send it out."

"Why did Green Skin let me leave with a swagger?" The mage mocked him, and pointed at the direction of the forest with the tip of his staff: "Maybe they are hiding behind a tree and waiting, the previous messenger has never come back."

"You have spells." This is a statement, not a question.

"It's not omnipotent." The mage pushed back, simple and crude.

"I will send a knight to accompany you, and you, Mr. Mage, should be foolproof." The bishop bit the accent on the word "Master".

The new knight Minsk was urgently recruited into the commander's tent. After some handover, he and a small team of cavalry escorted Howard away from the large army. Rudolph did not feel a pity when he sent away the only mage. The National Church and the Mage Tower have always been dissatisfied with each other. The church accused the mage of being undevoted in his beliefs and making deals with the demons. The Mage Tower scoffed at this and was too lazy to refute.

'Besides, he is also a court wizard,' Rudolph stared at the mage's back as he walked away and thought deeply. The war was imminent, and Rudolph did not want to have a guy around him who was pointing fingers in the name of the emperor, and reinforcements were also an indispensable part.

The position of the Grand Commander was vacant for a long time. Bishop Gorrudolph put a perfect end to the two-year battle. This achievement was enough to make him defeat all his competitors. The bishop was a little excited, and he called out habitually: "Steve." The guards outside the tent raised the curtain and looked at him strangely. Rudolph had to cough a few times and asked him to find the servants. The curtain was lowered again, blocking the sunlight and cold air. The bishop sat back on the chair beside the brazier and freed up a hand to knock on his forehead.'Steve is a hard-working child. No matter how windy or rainy, even if he was sick, he would be fine.'

"Your Majesty, the ratio of 10 taxes is too high. Three colleagues in the capital have gone bankrupt this month alone." The president of the Clothing Trading Association was a fat man with a rosy face, which made his complaints very poorly, although the president tried hard to squeeze out a few tears.

"Sir President, you know that we are fighting and the merchants don't work hard. Do you want the country to raise taxes on the poor farmers? And, you should find a way to improve the quality of the cloth. Do you know what she said when I wore a local dress for Victoria last time? She asked for my forgiveness because she actually forgot the Good Friday of Mother Earth." The emperor stayed in the audition hall for two hours, and his long reception and various petitions indirectly prompted him to tend to aggressive language.

The nobles and ladies who were attending the audience burst into laughter. The fat president was a little embarrassed. He swallowed his saliva and continued: "May our princess be beautiful and healthy forever. I know that the cloth in China cannot be compared with the silk of the high elves, but most people still cannot afford silk. If His Majesty insists on this tax rate, the despise association can only increase the price. After all, we are just ordinary merchants and have to support our families."

'This damn fat man drank good wine every meal, and a squad of illegitimate children. But he wore a ragged shirt made of linen to cry.' "I will transfer the confession of the cloth merchant guild to the Prime Minister, and he will submit it to the parliamentary ruling." The emperor raised his hand and held his chin. The general manager standing at the bottom of the steps understood and made a gesture of invitation. The president bowed respectfully, maintained his bent and lowered his hands, and retreated out of the hall of interviews.

The emperor absent-mindedly touched the handrail. He stayed on the stool for too long, and the velvet cushions were hardened. However, the petitioning team lined up the palace walls, and many people came from remote areas. He could not disappoint his subjects.

The next round of petitioners was a country landlord. After the general manager read out his name, he quickly walked towards the throne and knelt down on one knee. A handsome young man behind him also knelt down, and the two deliberately distanced each other.

'The landlord and the knight?' The emperor looked at the two. The knight was very young and had a sparse beard on his lips.

The landlord stood up first. He was about to speak, but the royal chief was staring at him and shut up. The knight was as taught by him, and politely waited for the emperor to ask questions.

After receiving the permission, the landlord couldn't wait to speak with a loud voice, as if not, something was missing: "Dignity Your Majesty, I sue this kid... Mr. Knight, kidnapped my wife!"

The woman who was listening laughed out loud, and even the emperor became interested in the peach scandal: "Do you say he abducted your wife, is there any evidence?"

"He carried my wife on the horse and snatched it away in front of my tenant farmer." The landlord replied quickly.

"What's your so-called wife?" The Knight suddenly interrupted.

"...Anne, no, Rebecca!" The audience was amused again, and the landlord couldn't remember his wife's name.

"Her name is Rachel Green, Your Majesty." The young man bowed to the emperor: "A month ago, I went back to the countryside manor to raise money to buy armor and weapons. I occasionally found this lady in a mill. At that time, she had been hiding there for three days. She was cold and hungry. She said that this 'good gentleman' saw her beautiful, so she forced her to kidnap her on the road. A drunken priest was the witness. She begged me to take her away. As a knight, the lady had no choice but to invite her."

The emperor held back his laughter and continued to ask: "Where is that lady now?"

"I'll take her home first..." the Knight replied.

"Your Majesty, he is flirting with my wife." The landlord blushed.

"...and then settled her in a monastery with nuns by her side." The young man was serious and convincing: "The lady said that she did not marry this person. After the farce in the church ended, the 'good gentleman' locked her in the bedroom and was busy eating and drinking. She took the opportunity to break the window and escape. His Majesty, in front of the nun, Miss Green swore to Terra for what she said was true. I also believe that her chastity was as complete as before. This was just a despicable force to rob a woman of the people."

The emperor raised his hand and stopped the two of them: "Gentlemen, for the honor of this lady, you may choose to fight for the judgment."

"This..." The landlord was dejected and the knight's eyes lit up.

"Or leave the girl to the monastery for protection until her father comes to pick her up home. The church will check if the pastor is an alcoholic who recognizes money. You better pray that he will live like a saint. The reason why marriage is sacred and inviolable is that both parties must voluntarily, otherwise it will be invalid." The emperor was too lazy to listen to the landlord's defense: "Okay, leave."

The cathedral bell came over, and as usual, today's petition was about to end. The emperor moved his stiff neck a little, and when he thought of returning to his children and his wife, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Tordeyang, from the New York Province!" Director Logan's voice was loud and he stood straight, which made the emperor appreciate it.

The visitor raised his head and his chest were magnificent, but unfortunately he was leaning on a crutch. The emperor refused to look at his empty left leg trousers. The strong man moved step by step to the throne steps and tried to kneel down, but encountered some difficulties.

"No gift." The emperor rescued him from the predicament.

Tao Deyang stood up straight, he took off his wide-brimmed hat and squeezed it into his hand, and bowed simply. The emperor heard the imperial guard beside him inhaled. There were three slender scars on Yang Guang's bare head, extending from his forehead to the back of his neck. He noticed everyone's eyes and quickly put on his hat.

"Tell me your petition and submit it if you have a letter. If you can't write it, you can dictate it." Logan's tone was as usual, and the terrifying scars did not affect him.

"...I, let me say it." The strong man blushed a little.

"You can start, be short." The manager looked straight.

"Your Majesty, disabled veterans like me can receive fifty marks of subsidy every month, but since half a year ago, this is what the town has sent me." Yang took out a stack of white paper from his pocket with some handwriting on it. "The mayor explained that when fighting, the money can only be owed first. But I heard from the old brothers in the city that they can still get physical goods as a substitute. Your Majesty, I have a wife and three children to raise, and you know that no one wants to hire a disabled person."

'Send IOU to the disabled veterans, OK, these idiots!' The emperor was angry and was about to say something, but found that the manager kept winking. He had to calmly comfort Tao Deyang. When he said he wanted to give money to subsidize the veterans, Yang waited for him to finish his words without saying a word, and he did not show any gratitude.

"Your Majesty, when the army dismissed the veterans, the captain was very worried about me and asked me to stay. He wanted me to find a way to do an errand for me. I refused. Although I lost my legs, I didn't want to be pitiful. Later, I returned to my hometown and married my current wife. She was a laundry woman. I also helped me. With the monthly subsidies, life could still be maintained." The veteran Yang's voice became hoarse. He paused and stared at the ceiling. The emperor found that he was trying hard to control his tears: "Two months ago, my eldest son went out before dawn and poured manure buckets for people. Every night, he smelled all over, his hands and feet cracked, and he stuffed the little change he earned to his mother. He was only ten years old. On the day I came to the capital, the two young daughters in the family also went out with his brother."

The disabled veteran lowered his head, as if he was difficult to speak. Because of this pause, the surroundings suddenly became quiet. After a while, he looked directly at the emperor and said sadly: "We are not beggars, your majesty."

Tao Deyang left, and the audience hall was silent, leaving only the monotonous echo of the wooden crutches hitting the ground.

Note 1: The quoted parts in the text are the inner activities of the characters.
Chapter completed!