In the Middle Ages, people drew cards to be promoted to nobility.

The bandit's stronghold is indeed very close, located at the junction of Veneto and the Austrian border area, only a few kilometers away.

It only requires carrying pack animals and carriages over mountains and ridges, and on a very long night road. This is undoubtedly an insurmountable problem for most people with night blindness.

This was the reason why this group of bandits did not return directly to their stronghold.

At first, Lothar thought it was because this group of robbers had fierce women, so they did not dare to openly bring a group of captive female slaves back to play with them.

After thinking about it for a moment, I came back to my senses.

The status of women at the bottom of this era was very low.

Even among the aristocracy, there are a few female grand duchess, queens, and popular baronesses.

And the formidable witches who hide behind the lord's back.

It still doesn't change this fact.

First, it was difficult for women to fulfill the vassal's obligation to perform military service to their feudal lord, resulting in the vast majority of them being unable to achieve class crossing through war like men.

Secondly, due to religious oppression, women are regarded as evil temptresses, possessing "original sin", have no right to education, and have to depend on men for everything.

The robbers dare not travel at night.

Lothar naturally had no such idea. He ordered Ryan and Model to lead the newly recruited subjects to camp in the open areas in the mountains.

The bonfire was soon rekindled.

Lothar distributed the food that the bandits had not had time to enjoy to the people under his command. He also took out the food carried on the packhorse and heated it on the bonfire.

Lothar ordered: "Model, Ryan, you two, don't stand here stupidly, go and see what the needs of the people are. From today on, they will be under your control."

"ah?"

"Don't be stupid. You two will be my sergeant commanders in the future. Although there are not many people now, they will be the backbone in the future. You must train them well."

"I see."

Both of them were a little excited when they heard this.

They were in awe of Lothar and believed that Lothar could do great things. This also made Lothar value them and made them even more grateful.

The two left one after another.

An idea came into my mind that I didn't dare to dream about in the past.

"If your lord becomes a lord one day, will you really make us knights?"

The campfire crackled.

Lothar sipped the broth with a calm expression.

Once upon a time, he was still a rookie, but now he is a seasoned warrior who has killed more than ten people in a row and can still drink broth without changing his expression after the war.

He transformed quickly.

There is always a feeling that I am born a perverted lunatic who likes to kill.

"What? You want to get me a glass of water?"

Lothar acted as if she was listening, then nodded and said, "Thank you then, Prajna."

Prajna: "..."

She took out the wooden cup with an expressionless face, took a cup of hot water and handed it over.

Lothar took the water glass, blew the water vapor on it, and then took a sip.

Prajna opened his mouth and said helplessly: "If you have any requests, you can speak directly without beating around the bush. As your subordinate, I will obey your orders."

Lothar raised her eyebrows, stared at the other person's warm orange face illuminated by the firelight, and said with a smile, "Okay, I'd like to use your knee to lie down for a while."

The atmosphere became a little depressing for a moment.

Lothar could clearly feel a chill coming from the opposite side.

Facing Prajna's cold eyes, he swallowed a mouthful of warm water, but there was no fear in his eyes.

for a long time.

Prajna said: "I'm sorry, this is not my duty as a minister."

Feeling that the atmosphere was no longer so stiff, Lothar said a little sarcastically: "That's what I said."

"Lord, I can do it..."

Hans patted his thigh with a silly smile on his face: "If you are tired, I am willing to be your pillow so that you can have a good sleep."

This poor kid's quality is probably too low, with only one star, so the intimacy level increases very quickly.

Open the system and take a look.

Huh!

It has risen from "friendliness" to "admiration".

"Forget it."

Lothar shook his head quickly and said: "I was just joking with Prajna, not that squeamish."

Hans secretly thought to himself: "My lord is my lord, how dare you joke with General Prajna."

This honest kid didn't even notice that Lothar was teasing Prajna.

Because in his eyes, Prajna has never been treated as a woman. To be precise, he is not even a human being.

It's the gatekeeper of hell!

Early the next morning.

Before dawn, the group set off.

Lothar, Hans, Prajna, and Model trudged along the mountain road with ease.

This time it was Ryan's turn to be left behind near the stronghold, guarding the pack animals and carriages with the locals.

After only such a short time together, Lothar could not completely trust this group of people, so before leaving, he specifically asked Ryan to be careful to prevent them from secretly colluding with each other.

Defenses can not do without.

No matter how small the chance is, you still have to be prepared.

The defensive Ryan, holding a crossbow and armor, would find it difficult to succeed if those people were really greedy for profit.

As for why they didn't lead this group of people to attack the bandit stronghold, it was because even though they were young and strong, they could become qualified "conscripts" by picking up the weapons left by the bandits.

But he didn't want to use these newly recruited citizens as cannon fodder.

Instead, he planned to give it to Model and Hans to be trained into regular soldiers.

Even if he did not have the financial resources to train them all as "sergeants", he would not force a group of ragged and untrained peasants onto the battlefield.

Furthermore, most of the people living near the Holy Land are Orthodox Christians and a few believe in Zoroastrianism.

These dozen or so territorial citizens are all Germanic people of the same culture and race, and will become a key force worthy of more trust and respect.

Both preparedness and high hopes.

The two are not contradictory.

Halfway through the journey, Hans suddenly asked: "Sir, what should I do if I meet a woman or a child?"

Lothar thought for a moment and then said: "If there is a threat, kill them. If there is no threat, let them die. In short, everything is about your own life."

Although Lothar knew that even the old, weak, women and children, since they were enjoying the money and food stolen by the bandits, there was nothing innocent at all.

But if he really wants to "cut the grass and root out", he still can't do it.

Hans nodded: "I understand."

He was still a new soldier, but he was not a womanly person due to the influence of his predecessors, the Teutonic Knights, who often invaded the Slavs and burned, killed, and looted.

Go over a small hill.

The destination finally came into view.

"Is this the so-called bandit stronghold?"

Standing on the hillside, Hans frowned: "This is obviously a village!"

They even created a small area of ​​farmland.

Not far away, you can also see a large orchard with light yellow flowers blooming on it and the fragrance is fragrant. It is like a paradise.

Lothar was also a little confused: "Could that robber deliberately point us the wrong way?"

"I'll go check it out!"

Model took the lead and walked towards the stronghold.

Not long after, he ran back quickly and said with regret on his face: "That's right, the location and layout of the trap that the robber said are correct. This is the robber stronghold he said. He didn't dare to lie to us."

Lothar sighed deeply.

This should be a gathering place composed of escaped serfs. It can not only avoid the oppression and heavy taxes of the lords, but also occasionally form groups to go down the mountain and plunder.

Maybe they were a bunch of poor people originally.

But when they pick up the butcher's knife, they are no longer pitiful.

"Hans, Model, you two are outflanking, Prajna and I are breaking through from the front. Remember my instructions, protect your own life first."

He currently has limited resources and only a few reliable people.

Before actually acquiring territory and activating the system, there are very few opportunities to rely on milestones to draw followers.