plumnovel #307 - A bandit and a big fat pig
#307 - A bandit and a big fat pig
The news that the Salvation Army was preparing to take action against the bandits in the cave forest quickly spread in Jeanne d'Arc.
Along with it, a papal edict was also circulated.
"From tomorrow onwards, each hundred-household district will thoroughly investigate lurking bandits or former bandits. Failure to report will result in the cancellation of tax exemptions. Rewards will be given for reporting, including a full set of iron farming tools or a large, fat pig.
If one confesses and no one identifies their crimes, they will only need to undergo one month of labor reform or pay a ransom. Identifying accomplices can shorten the sentence to seven days.
Anyone who harbors fleeing current bandits will be punished as severely as the bandits themselves, with a maximum penalty of hanging."
On the day the decree was issued, waves of itinerant monks and gendarmes on horseback left Jeanne d'Arc, with Jeanne d'Arc as the center.
On the muddy ground after the rain, the horses' hooves kicked up splashing mud, and the slanting cloaks were covered with water droplets shaken from the branches by the sound of the hooves.
"Centurion, centurion of this district, please come out quickly!"
The cavalrymen pulled on their reins, facing the villagers hiding behind the walls.
Before long, a centurion would rush over in disheveled clothes. As long as the centurion was present, the gendarmes didn't waste any words.
"Papal Edict..."
In the presence of everyone, the itinerant monk began to read the edict.
After reading, a gendarme jumped off his horse, took a small wooden bucket, brushed paste on the notice board, and posted the notice.
Only after the itinerant monks and gendarmes had hurried away would the villagers gradually gather around, and several former armed farmers who could read would stumble and loudly read the notice.
The centurions were not so relaxed. They probably had to trot all the way to find the captain of the Guardian Army, and then summon the heads of ten households.
"Go, go and call the representatives of the people and the heads of ten households, before lunch, hurry, hurry!"
In the more than 300 hundred-household districts of Kush Territory, the anxious shouts of the centurions and captains of the Guardian Army continued to resound.
Under the orders of the civil and military officials, the Guardian Army carried spears and wooden sticks to spread the news to every village.
The heads of ten households were even more terrified, putting on fierce expressions, checking and intimidating every household, for fear of missing a lurking bandit.
Almost as soon as the news was spread in the morning, people kept coming to the centurion's office in the afternoon to confess, identify, and report.
After the centurions handed over the bandits to the returning gendarmes in the evening, the next day, those who reported happily drove back with large, fat pigs or carrying farming tools.
After discovering that Horne was really giving out large, fat pigs and farming tools, even more people rushed to report.
Among them, there were even many who rushed to confess, after all, if they went late, they might be taken away by their uncles, aunts, and neighbors to exchange for large, fat pigs.
…………
"A few big, fat pigs can buy them off?" Looking at the bandits standing dejectedly by the ridge of the field, Bunaford stroked his stomach, looking puzzled.
How long has it been? The first day the order was issued, the second day hundreds were arrested, and now it's the evening of the third day, and there are nearly a thousand here.
"That's a real big, fat pig being given out, and in the past, it would take a month for this decree to spread throughout Kush Territory."
Unlike Bunaford, Sid was a city hall worker, and he knew too well the efficiency of the past.
According to the past, it would take two or three days for the clerks to write the decree slowly.
Then a few errand boys would push it back and forth for another day or two, and finally, a few knights would reluctantly deliver the order.
It would take half a month for the decree to be delivered to the entire Kush Territory, and another half a month would pass before the first lurking bandit was discovered.
Sid couldn't understand, the people were still the same people, wasn't it just a few so-called itinerant monks and autonomous tax officials added?
How could those low-level monks and clerks who were lazy, procrastinating, nagging, and long-winded every day suddenly be so efficient?
"Our Pope is, after all, from the battlefield. This is using the method of managing the army on the monks."
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, and saw Ernst, the head of the dye industry association, combing his upturned mustache: "Isn't that Cheka and the gendarmes military law officers? If the Pope can manage the army to win against the Imperial Order Knights, how can he not manage these monks who have no power to restrain a chicken?"
"Looking at it this way, the Salvation Army may really become independent?"
"Most likely, Thousand River Valley will become the territory of Grand Duke Melia, or rather, Grand Khan."
"Given the state of Langsand County, if the Salvation Army really wins, Grand Duke Melia might push the boat along and seal this place to our 'Pope'?"
"That's hard to say, as long as His Highness Horne is willing to take off the Pope's hat, he will still be the Duke."
Listening to these citizens chattering, Sid's eyes rolled, and he came to a thin old man with hands full of lime.
"Master Farnt, I heard that your grandson, Witt, is working for the Pope on Autumn Dusk Island?"
"Yes."
"Then does Master Farnt have any news about the Salvation Army's next plans, such as the Iber Knights in the south..."
"I don't know." The stonemason master interrupted him with a serious face, "Witt decided to go there himself, it has nothing to do with me."
Rochel suddenly coughed violently, but Master Fartel decided to ignore it, just looking indifferently at the passing gendarmes.
Sid didn't speak. Unlike that widow Isode, they, the guild of workshops, had many choices.
Although they have to bow their heads now that they are under Horne, it's hard to say what will happen in the future.
The Jinhe Township has the fertile Iber Plain, which can pull out thousands of knights.
Others may not know, but Sid has a number, the Black Serpent Bay stronghold, Red Copper Fortress, is also stationed with three hundred temple knights and a titled knight.
This Red Copper Fortress is located at the junction of Black Serpent Bay and Langsand.
If the two sides really fight, it's not certain who will win or lose. Sid is not going to invest heavily in supporting Horne.
Especially with the power of the former Grand Justice Sid being emptied by Chief Justice Martial.
…………
The hunter's cabin in front of the forest is one of the most common field buildings in the Empire.
In the edge and interior of the Cave Dense Forest, this kind of cabin is not uncommon.
But the cabin standing on the mound in front of you is different from other places. Its interior is reinforced with wooden boards and iron nails, and the door also has iron bolts and chain hooks.
The cabin is now filled with the flickering firelight, and several men in patched clothes are sitting on the edge of the heated brick bed.
The firewood in the heated brick bed crackled, and five or six strong men put their feet on the edge of the heated brick bed, baking out a stench of water vapor.
"How many of your side were caught?"
"Five from our village were caught."
"What about you?"
"Some have surrendered. Those who haven't killed anyone or haven't directly killed anyone have surrendered."
"This fiend Horne..." The bandits cursed, gnashing their teeth.
"You're still lucky. I ran away, but they press my wife and children to shout in the wild every day." Stirring the heated brick bed, a tall bandit cursed, "If you have the ability, don't touch my family."
"Me too... alas, retribution, we should have thought of this day when we kidnapped others..."
The group of bandits and robbers who had fled here sighed repeatedly.
"Knock knock knock--"
"Is anyone inside? We are the Guardian Army."
The bandits, who were used to being besieged by their peers and lords, immediately stopped all movements.
The leader gave a wink, and someone tiptoed to the ladder and quickly darted up to the roof beam.
"If there's anyone, open the door. The Pope has ordered that free peat be distributed to poor families. We're here to bring warmth."
Standing on the roof beam, the robber carefully pushed open the cover plate and stuck his head out to check.
"...Is there anyone? I heard your voices. Don't be afraid. We're good people..."
"How is it? Speak up!" A robber lowered his voice and shouted at the probing robber.
"Bang!"
Those waiting didn't get his response. A bloody corpse fell heavily from the roof beam.
The corpse knocked over the heated brick bed, and tiny sparks flew.
Almost at the same time as the scream sounded, the gentle voice outside the door suddenly changed to "Cheka, open the door!"
"Damn it, run from the cave!"
The remaining bandits sticking their butts out got up and pounced towards a box, fighting over it.
There was a cracking sound from the iron door. Wood chips flew horizontally, even piercing into the robber's skin.
"Ah! Run!"
From the cover plate on the roof, a rope hung down, and a Cheka in black lacquer leather armor landed on the roof beam: "Stop! Stand still!"
But how could these fierce bandits listen to him? They opened the entrance to the tunnel disguised as a box and were about to escape.
Seeing that persuasion was useless, the young Cheka directly picked up the dragon bone whistle hanging around his neck and stuffed his ears at the same time.
"Doo--"
The sharp whistle seemed to turn into visible ripples, and several lagging robbers immediately stiffened. It seemed that they were stunned in place.
Only one robber was immune to the sound, pushed away his companion in horror, and jumped into the tunnel, crawling.
As soon as he jumped into the tunnel, a few lead bullets flew after his hem, and in the sound of wood breaking, blasting the box to pieces.
"Damn it, he ran away!"
Sliding down the ladder, the young Cheka angrily kicked over the stool on the ground.
Stopping the gunfire, the Cheka looked at the tunnel again, but found that there were multiple cave entrances, and he didn't know where to go.
At this moment, the assault team at the door finally broke through the door and ran quickly into the wooden house.
"Did you catch them?"
"One ran away." The young Cheka said in a low voice, "It's still too late to send someone to chase him."
"Don't chase him." The Cheka officer poked his head and looked at the dark cave, "It's too dangerous, there's no need... We've caught enough, fill the cave entrances, let's go."