Chapter 17 Changhe Town
This cavalry is the Jatu raiders, a nomadic people entrenched in the grasslands in the eastern part of the continent and also the most dangerous anarchist armed force.
It is the most notorious and largest bandit group in the entire continent.
They are skilled archers and horsemen, and are brave warriors , but almost completely unable to communicate - they have built an almost completely closed society on the eastern steppes, rejecting any diplomatic or trade requests and attacking any outsiders who try to enter Jatu's territory.
In reality they were an alliance of tribal warlords who made their living by raiding and pillaging.
They go to Sarleon or Ravenstern in the north to plunder caravans, steal women, and plunder villages. This is their daily life.
But ever since Count Oden built Brave Shield Fort thirty years ago, Jatu has rarely launched raids in the direction of Changhe Town - a small number of raiders would be blocked outside the grassland border by the Brave Shield Fort defenders; and when a large number of Jatu troops were dispatched, Brave Shield Fort would issue a timely warning.
It has been a long time since hundreds of Jatu people have been looting in the heart of Changhe Town.
The two of them rushed towards Changhe Town without stopping, and finally arrived at Changhe Town in the afternoon.
Changhe Town is a magnificent city, no less magnificent than Sarleon City.
This former border town is now the largest trading city in the eastern region.
Changhe Town is backed by a big river, 'Tongtian River'.
Across the river in the north is a vast wasteland, to the west is a dense network of swamps, to the south is a barrier of mountains, and to the east is the vast Changhe Forest. Just in Changhe Town, you can experience all kinds of scenery on this continent.
You can also see the various races on this continent...
Different from all other cities, Changhe Town has its own unique culture - it is a city built by generations of adventurers and pioneer lords.
In fact, the success rate of territory expansion is not high.
Most of the pioneering nobles would die young in the constant battles - especially around the Changhe Forest and Jatu Grassland.
However, the opportunity to become a true ruling class can only be obtained on the battlefield.
Therefore, even at the risk of their lives, countless adventurers still come forward, eager to use the swords in their hands to earn a bright future for themselves.
The most likely way for civilians to turn their lives around is on the battlefield - as mercenaries, they can make military achievements under the command of a noble lord and gain the lord's favor.
As the lord's territory expands, civilians with outstanding military achievements may be knighted and become a member of the nobility.
Of course, there will be more such opportunities under the command of a pioneer lord .
Therefore, anyone who wanted to establish a career in the eastern province, whether a civilian mercenary or an aristocratic pioneer lord, would first go to Changhe Town.
The nobles recruit soldiers here, and the mercenaries seek their future here.
Although only a few adventurers can succeed and soar to the sky, the merchants in Changhe Town can make a lot of money from it...
This made the business in Changhe Town, especially the armament business, extremely developed - there were armorers and horse dealers, as well as various baggage and building material dealers, which were rare in other cities, everywhere.
The reason why both Archduke Alma and Count Oden coveted this territory was that its developed business environment could bring in very considerable tax revenue.
The current lord of Changhe Town is actually Duke Elfwan. Unfortunately, he has been lying on his sickbed for many years and is said to be paralyzed on one side.
Although the old Duke of Elfwan had many wives and concubines, he did not have any children, and he himself had no brothers or sisters, so it seemed that he could not continue the family bloodline. This naturally led to some thoughts from Grand Duke Alma. Now, some administrative affairs of Changhe Town are managed by Grand Duke Alma.
The Earl of Oden, who had made outstanding military achievements, started his army from Changhe Town and built Yongdun Castle in the north step by step. He had a high popular base and reputation in Changhe Town, so it was inevitable that he had some ideas about Changhe Town. Now, the garrison and defense of Changhe Town were managed by Earl of Oden.
Therefore, the two families will naturally fight openly and secretly for the future ownership of Changhe Town.
After the two exhausted men arrived at Changhe Town, they immediately found the Changhe Town City Defense Force Station.
This garrison actually openly displayed Count Oden's double lion shield emblem - Count Oden did not hide his intentions towards Changhe Town at all.
Of course, the administrative office opposite the city defense army’s base was not very low-key either - the lion claw emblem flag of Grand Duke Alma was hung there.
Li Ang showed his noble emblem to the guards and walked into the city defense army’s base.
The person who received him was a military officer with a big beard, a very tough middle-aged man.
"Sir, I am Ralph, the Knight Commander under Count Oden. Are you sure you saw a large number of Jatu raiders nearby?"
"Yes, ten hours ago on the road south of Changhe Town, in an uninhabited area."
After listening to Li Ang's "report", the bearded officer obviously didn't believe it: "This is impossible, sir! The Jatu people haven't been able to enter Changhe Town for thirty years..."
Perhaps it was because the two reporters were nobles that the bearded man did not drive them out directly.
Looking at the map of Changhe Town hanging on the wall, Li Ang walked over and pointed: "I swear on my last name, we saw a Jatu cavalry of more than a hundred people at this location."
That foggy uninhabited area is located in the heart of Changhe Town, more than 300 miles away from Changhe Town and more than 500 miles away from Yongdun Fort on the border.
It is unquestionable that a nobleman swore an oath with his surname, but the bearded officer still found it hard to believe: "But, sir, there has been no news of any enemy information from Brave Shield! It is impossible to conceal the entry of the Jatu people into Brave Shield, otherwise it would be treason!"
Leon and Sarah looked at each other.
Sarah was obviously a little surprised, and then she keenly realized that something was wrong. This socialite who had been hanging out with the nobles for many years was very sensitive to politics. She immediately reminded Leon softly: "Sir, maybe a month ago, it was Duke Alma who asked Foucher ..."
Leon gave Sarah an approving look, and Sarah understood and shut her mouth.
Li Ang looked at the map carefully again, then took out a wrinkled parchment scroll from his pocket and handed it to the bearded officer.
"This may be related to the problem that Count Oden entrusted me to solve before... I think you can take a look at this letter first."
Auden did send Leon a letter—written in his presence.
This letter serves as a certificate of the cooperative relationship between the two parties.
In the letter, Oden told his men that matters that the Fletcher family was not convenient to handle could be handed over to Leon.
At the same time, when Leon encounters danger, he can also ask for help from Oden's territory.
There was a sentence in the letter: "Try your best to cooperate with Mr. Li Ang."
This was of course to allow Leon to quickly deal with the "bandits" entrenched in his territory.
But the sudden collision with the Jatu people, the fact that Sarah had seen the Jatu riders at Forcher's place, and the fact that nothing had happened at the border Brave Shield Fort - all these circumstances combined, Leon naturally realized that the appearance of these Jatu people in the heart of the kingdom was most likely due to the territorial dispute between Grand Duke Alma and Count Oden.
Since it was not a massive invasion by the Jatu people, but a political struggle, Leon would naturally look for the right opportunity to take advantage of them - after all, the phrase "try to cooperate as much as possible" was not easy to quantify...
