Chapter 194 The storm in the north gathers here

Author: Panda’s Big Wooden House

Chapter 194 The storm in the north gathers here

"Hey, have you heard about what happened in Cintra?"

"Yes, I heard that they are now ruled by an earl, who seems to be a Lannister, known as the 'Lion of Cintra'?"

"I have also heard of his name. He was the most popular knight in the north before, but later there were rumors that he was plotted by the Nilfgaardians."

"But he was miraculously resurrected in the end. When I listened to his poems in the tavern, my ears got calluses!"

"Those are old almanacs from who knows how long ago!" The person who spoke was a soldier, "Do you all know that Cintra has also been invited to Haji Fortress to participate in talks this time..."

"Has your brain been shot by the Scoia'tael?" A soldier on the side gave him a hard punch. "Everyone knows this kind of thing! What do you think we are here for? You've been drinking so much that your mind is unclear.

Is it done?"

The beaten soldier staggered and fell here. Then he threw the wine glass in his hand to the ground in a rage and started fighting with the people around him. The onlookers immediately surrounded them, as if organizing a small boxing match.

Just like in the game, they started cheering and placing bets on the outcome.

This place is the Pontar Valley. Where the four kingdoms of Temeria, Redania, Kaedwen and Aedirn meet, it is one of the most important military zones in the north.

The entangled interests of the above-mentioned countries have led to more than one conflict here. Countless battles have been witnessed by the trees and stones here, and blood often accompanies the conflicts and mixes with the water of the Ponta River.

The causes of each conflict are also different: the ancient disputes between elves and humans, the conflicts between the interests of nobles and merchants, and peasant riots that break out from time to time.

The most recent war broke out about forty years ago. Temeria and Aedirn left a large number of corpses here, and finally delimited the national border. The Pontar Valley was nominally governed by Aedirn.

Nowadays, these have become the historical embellishments of the Pontle Valley.

The Pontal Valley is destined to witness more history, such as now - the first gathering of the four northern powers, plus the Northern Talks jointly attended by Sintra, Leiria and the United Kingdom of Livia.

This is an unprecedented event.

At this time, half of the participating countries had arrived at Haji Fortress. The merchants from the four countries on the border were also moved by the news. I don’t know how many temporary shops were set up nearby, selling wine, meat, even anesthetic powder and other things to the soldiers gathered here.

All kinds of things and services to make them comfortable.

In peacetime, the big-headed soldiers had nowhere to vent their energy, so they squandered a lot of money. In wartime, they could follow them like vultures and sweep the battlefield twice or three times. "Follow the army and you can make a lot of money." This is a common saying among businessmen.

consensus among them.

A noncommissioned officer wearing a beaver hat took a glass of wine from the merchant next to him, and while drinking, he looked at his subordinates who were holding a "boxing match."

"Has anything interesting happened here recently?"

The Pontal Valley is now home to multinational troops. In order to prevent conflicts, the places where each country's troops are stationed are strictly divided and partitioned. Instead, businessmen from various countries can run around, and the news they bring is that the soldiers are coming

Good appetizer.

"Nothing major has happened recently. The kings are very careful, and the people below are also very nervous." The businessman said enthusiastically, "But regarding the 'Lion of Sintra' that the two gentlemen just discussed, news has been coming out recently.

"

"Oh?" The beaver hat sergeant showed interest in his eyes.

"He now has many nicknames. For example, 'Friend of the Dryad', 'Gryphon Knight of the Lady of the Lake', 'Fair Lannister', 'Valiant Lannister', 'Lion in Flames', etc."

Wait, these either happened during his fight with Nilfgaard, or they happened on his way to Haji Fortress."

"Oh?" The beaver hat sergeant touched his chin, "So many nicknames?"

"Isn't that right? I heard that Mahakam has recently made a new Gwent card for him."

"Mahakam?" The beaver hat sergeant's eyes suddenly changed, becoming filled with indignation and uncontrollable ferocity, "Damn dwarf!"

The businessman who was telling the story was stunned for a moment. He didn't know why the soldier who was so kind to him just now became so violent.

The beaver hat sergeant looked at the confused merchant and slammed the wine glass in his hand: "Don't you know yet? The dwarves have become the enemies of mankind, a group of thieves who deserve the plague! As a merchant, I believe

There’s no way you haven’t heard of the Scoia’tael!”

"I know, I know." Hongshang said casually, and he disapproved when he saw the beaver hat sergeant's coat with a yellow unicorn painted on it, "But with all due respect, sir, the Scoia'tael Party has nothing to do with me."

"It has nothing to do with you? Damn Shuoshu, how can you say these words?"

A soldier next to the beaver hat sergeant suddenly jumped up and shouted:

"After the Nilfgaardians invaded the north, the first Scoia'tael began to appear. These damn inhuman races are simply adding insult to injury. We fought in the south and bled on Sodden Mountain, but they fought guerrillas in our rear.

They thought the Nilfgaardians could defeat us, so they preached that human rule was over and it was time to restore the old order. 'Drive humans back into the sea!' was their battle cry and their excuse for murder, arson and looting!

"

The trader pursed his lips: "Your Excellency, but as far as I know, most non-human races also condemn the Scoia'tael and don't want to have anything to do with them. Most of them are very loyal, and sometimes they even pay a high price for their loyalty.

price."

The soldiers present suddenly stopped talking and stared at the merchant. He seemed to be very young, in his early twenties, or even less than twenty. It was very courageous to dare to go out to do business alone at this age.

"Businessman, which country are you from?"

"Temeria, Your Excellency."

"Ha!" the beaver hat sergeant laughed, "I remember you defeated Mahakam, so the dwarves are now nominally your king's subjects, right?"

"Yes, sir." said the merchant, "and I have personally seen the lion of Cintra and his dwarf companions in the White Orchard. They had a large number of knives and swords at that time, but they let go

In order to offend his beekeeper, he did not let his anger be vented on any civilian. The dwarf next to such an adult is definitely not an evil person, so I think your evaluation of the dwarf is biased...

"

The beaver hat sergeant stood up with a gloomy expression: "I thought that people like you who are trying to make a living would have more flexible minds. Now it seems that they are not much different from those who work hard..."

The sergeant wanted to teach this traveling trader a lesson.

Seeing that there seemed to be a conflict, other businessmen who were supposed to be together immediately came over to smooth things over.

"Oh, oh, sir, why do you need to be familiar with this young man? He was taken away after meeting Lord Lannister. He even said that he no longer planned to be a merchant, and said that he wanted to go to Sintra to have a son.

, let your son also become a knight."

These words made the surrounding soldiers burst into laughter. The businessman who was trying to smooth things over laughed the loudest: "Listen, listen, is this something that a person with a good brain can say?"

Seeing that the officers and soldiers were feeling more relaxed, the businessman who was trying to smooth things over immediately turned around and scolded his young companion, while also telling the other soldiers around him:

"Look at my head, it was broken by a dwarf. The Scoia'tael are more hateful than the bandits! The bandits want money, but the Scoia'tael only want to see human beings bleed. Not everyone has gold, but we all have gold in our veins.

Blood is flowing!”

"The woodcutter who was shot by an arrow in the clearing, the tarman who was chopped into pieces in the beech forest, the farmer who ran away after his village was burned down, have they harmed the inhuman race? They live next to each other and worked together yesterday.

, suddenly there was an arrow on my back today... And what about me? I have never hurt an elf, dwarf or other non-human race in my life, but you see, my head was chopped off by a dwarf's scimitar.

Broken."

Having said this, the businessman who was trying to smooth things over pointed to the bandage on his head and bowed deeply to the onlookers whose emotions had stabilized: "If it weren't for the heroic soldiers like you who rescued me, I would have been sleeping underground long ago.

Already..."

"Well said!" Some soldiers cheered.

Obviously, what the businessman said made the soldiers very happy, and the beaver hat sergeant seemed to have forgotten his displeasure.

The soldiers all came forward to buy wine from the merchant who was chopped down by the dwarf and then rescued by his own people. The beaver hat sergeant looked him up and down.

"Where are you from?"

"Aden, Your Excellency."

The beaver hat sergeant nodded: "Take good care of your Temerian man, he is not very smart for your profession."

The businessman quickly agreed with a smile.

After drinking another glass of wine, the beaver hat sergeant seemed a little drunk and shouted to the young merchant from Temeria:

"I'm telling you, young man. It's us soldiers who are protecting you! Humanity has been too tolerant of inhuman races in the past. We regarded them as humans and our compatriots, but in the end they stabbed us in the back. And

Supporting them are the guys living around us - elves, half-elves, dwarves, dwarves and halflings. They harbor the Scoia'tael, send them food, and replenish their manpower..."

"They operate in small groups. Numbering as many as a hundred, sometimes more. They call them 'commandos', borrowed from the Gnomish language. The best way to deal with them is to cut off their supply lines, isolate them, and let starvation drive them

Surrender. Arrest the inhuman races assisting the Scoia'tael and drain them from under the cauldron. Those from towns, villages and farms..."

"But what you are dealing with is the Scoia'tael, and it is only the Scoia'tael." The young merchant suddenly interrupted him, "The problem is that we don't know which non-human races are helping them. Therefore, it is wrong to hate all non-human races.

!”

The young trader seems to have never forgotten the heroic knight and the team of dwarves he saw in the White Orchard, as well as the scene when those dwarves slaughtered the Horned Devil like a pig. He is still defending them up to this moment.

The beaver hat sergeant's face darkened, and he looked at the young merchant in front of him and wondered what he was thinking.

On the other side, there was a drunken soldier who was already in a daze. After listening to the young merchant's words, he shouted loudly: "If you can't tell the difference, then arrest them all! Pinch the back of the neck of every inhuman race and kill them."

Throw it down the mine shaft, throw it into the quarry. Everyone, including innocent people, including women and children!”

"This is to protect humanity, there is no other way!" A soldier around him yelled at the top of his lungs, "Anyone who helps non-human races should also be liquidated. Like the Lannister of Sintra, I

I heard that he became a demon hunter, he should also..."

The beaver hat sergeant suddenly shouted and kicked out the hoarse soldier.
To be continued...