When the Saint comes, she does not collect food

#311 - Next, there's war.

From the gear-shaped windows of the City Hall, Horn could clearly see several prison carriages slowly passing through the street.

Citizens and villagers on both sides cheered, and some victims even threw garbage and rotten eggs at the bandits in emotional outbursts.

More than two hundred bandit accomplices and fifteen bandit leaders were all bound by heavy shackles, walking barefoot and numbly, and fearfully on the rough ground of the City Hall.

After this battle, the new recruits had seen some blood in the bandit suppression campaign, so they probably wouldn't panic when they really got to the battlefield.

Currently, among the veteran Holy Gunners under Horn, there are about four hundred who can fire four shots in battle and still engage in melee combat.

However, so far, only a handful of about ten people have been able to break through to five shots, and none have reached six shots.

Like Das and Madelaine, they had cultivated their Holy Power to the level of five shots very early on, but no matter how they trained, they could only reach five shots.

Horn had a faint premonition that perhaps five shots was the upper limit of Holy Power for the Holy Favored.

But if they were to face a larger-scale war, they would need a denser barrage, and five shots of ammunition would definitely not be enough.

Based on Horn's previous life's history, each musketeer should be equipped with 9-12 gunpowder bullets as the norm.

So either they had to find a way to externalize Holy Power, or they had to find a way to improve the efficiency of the clockwork box.

It was a pity that there wasn't much progress from Sylv, Haimertin, or Brock.

After all, research is usually slow.

He would deal with the current bandit problem first, and maybe one day he would have a eureka moment.

"Your Grace, you're looking for me?" Gilo poked his head in from the doorway.

Horn pointed to the chair in front of him: "Gilo, sit down."

Gilo quickly sat down on the chair with a smile.

"I heard that the bandit leader Grush was your fellow monster hunter…"

"I have absolutely no relationship with him!" Gilo had barely touched the chair with his buttocks and almost slid off, he asked in shock and anger, "Who is slandering me?"

"Yesterday, when passing by the Lubyanka Monastery, Grush recognized you and said that you were all survivors who escaped from Wolfsburg…" Horn looked at Gilo strangely, and patted his hands up and down, signaling him to sit down.

"He was indeed my companion in Wolfsburg, but we parted ways a long time ago. I really don't know that he became a bandit!" Gilo's throat was unusually dry, "Really, I have nothing in common with bandits, it has nothing to do with me!"

"Don't be nervous." Horn couldn't help but smile, and stood up to pour Gilo a glass of water.

Holding the water glass with both hands, Gilo took a sip, looking at Horn expectantly, fearing that the matter would involve him.

"I did an investigation on this Grush." Horn stood up and took out a file from the bookshelf next to him, "He has a good reputation, often taking the initiative to attack landlords in famine years, and then distributing the food he couldn't take away to the surrounding small people.

When robbing wealthy merchants, he always targeted the rich and divided the money equally among the idlers who didn't contribute much, saving many idlers' lives.

In fact, many people have already found the traveling monks to intercede, hoping to spare his life."

Hearing that Horn's tone was not right, Gilo's originally bent back straightened up again.

"We Wolfsburg people are like this, although we are forced to fall into the mud, we always have truth, goodness, and beauty in our hearts." Gilo said seriously.

"Do you think he is innocent?"

"No, no, he is a bandit, so he must be guilty, but there is a difference between minor and serious crimes." After feeling Horn's ambiguous view of Grush, Gilo tentatively said.

"Do you think his crime is enough to be hanged?"

After feeling that Grush might have a way out, Gilo coughed, "Of course, it should be executed according to the law."

"Slick." Horn picked up the file and flipped through it again.

Horn's original intention for dealing with these bandit leaders was to hang them after a public trial.

However, immediately after the public trial, someone came to intercede for Grush. Most of them were grassroots villagers, while the citizens and wealthy merchants demanded severe punishment.

The act of intercession was actually a bit taboo.

Marshal told Horn that he could have been spared, but since they dared to intercede, he had to be killed.

But Horn did not agree to Marshal's request.

The first reason was that most people, especially the villagers, believed he was innocent during the public trial—which was certainly wrong, but it represented a part of public opinion.

Moreover, the lives Grush had taken were basically those of small nobles and wealthy merchants, and Horn later killed those whom Grush had not killed.

The second reason was that according to Myra and Jourdan's reports, this Grush had good cavalry command skills.

Whether it was attacking or escaping, he was as swift as the wind. The Norse knights were not slow and were good at traveling in woodlands and mountains, but they still couldn't catch up with them.

In the end, when they attacked the mountain stronghold, if it hadn't been for rescuing his companions, this Grush would have almost found a chance to run away.

At that time, Myra felt that something was wrong. Where did a bandit get the qualities of a cavalry commander?

After questioning, they found out that he had previously served as a light cavalry mercenary in Norn.

Horn happened to have a talent vacancy in the direction of light cavalry, which was why he hesitated.

"Your Grace, let me just say, I personally think he is guilty." Gilo swallowed and said the second half of the sentence, "But not to the point of death."

Putting down the file in his hand, Horn looked at him with a smile that was not a smile: "This Grush said that he had been a mercenary in Norn for two years and had studied with the Death Hussars of the North, is that true?"

Swallowing, a few drops of cold sweat oozed from Gilo's forehead.

He knew that Grush had gone to Norn to be a light cavalryman, but he really didn't know if he had studied with the Bear Fort Death Hussars.

"From my point of view, I believe him." Gilo first put up a shield before continuing, "But after all, I am his friend…"

Seeing that Gilo was still ambiguous, Horn simply closed the file: "Let me be frank, don't guess, I want to spare his life because he is useful.

I plan to form a light cavalry, but most of the cavalry commanders under me only know heavy cavalry tactics and know nothing about light cavalry tactics.

If he is willing to train light cavalry for us, I can change his death sentence to labor reform.

But if he trains, he will definitely have some freedom, what if he rides away?

He has no relatives, and his only friend in Jeanne d'Arc is you.

I called you here to ask you, are you willing to vouch for him?"

"I…" Gilo opened his mouth wide, "I…I——"

…………

"Gilo, where are you going?" Jeshka saw Gilo walking out of the City Hall and greeted him with a smile.

"My mind is muddled, I've taken on a deadly job for myself." Gilo smiled wryly.

Jeshka knew the sensitivity of Gilo's identity, and naturally wouldn't ask questions that shouldn't be asked.

Gilo asked Jeshka in return: "What are you doing here?"

Jeshka shook the paper roll in his hand at him: "Earlier, Your Grace commissioned Isode to design the Savior Army uniform, and it's finally completed. I'm here to send it to Your Grace for review."

"Oh, oh——" Gilo grinned and smiled, "How is your marriage with Mrs. Isode going?"

"Engaged this week, married next week." Jeshka said cleanly.

Hearing Jeshka's words, Gilo was stunned: "So fast? Isn't it a bit too hasty?"

"Not hasty." This time it was Jeshka's turn to smile wryly, "We are going south to attack Golden River Township next month, at least give me some time to leave offspring before I die in battle."

After bidding farewell to Jeshka, Gilo did not ride a horse, but walked along the Citizens' Avenue towards his home.

The sunset glow in the sky was fiery red, shining on the green roadside trees, and the vast smoke flowed over the roofs.

Parallel to the smoke, were the corpses of the bandit leaders hanging on the flagpoles.

Their faces were gray and purple, their hands behind their backs, and their eyeballs protruded, almost falling out of their sockets.

Under their bare feet, carts carrying gold pounds, peat, and mortar were leaving Jeanne d'Arc in teams.

The golden red light fell on the canvas, as if draped in a delicate red satin.

"Next, it's war…"

Gilo's murmur, along with the evening breeze stirred up by the carriages, disappeared into the clouds in the sky.