Berserk, Total War: Second Son of Nobles

Outside the town on the southeastern border of Yoda and Midland, the winding dirt road is like a dried snake, clinging to gravel and ruts.

Several horse-drawn carriages covered with gray canvas were parked on the side of the road, and the pack horses tied to the shafts were wagging their tails impatiently to drive away the horseflies that were biting them.

The leader was a middle-aged man wearing dirty leather armor and with an arrow scar on his neck. He was squatting on the side of the road smoking a pipe, sparks flickering in the sunlight.

"We have entered the territory of Governor Doldore here."

The captain blew out a smoke ring and squinted at the rolling hills in the distance. The sky there was dyed lavender, like a canvas splashed with ink.

"Honestly, I don't understand why you Mitlan mercenaries are running to Yoda's side."

The captain said to a mercenary wearing an eagle-beak helmet next to him.

"It's just that the commission here is more expensive."

Griffith replied that the captain he had just talked to was the one who led them to smuggle.

Although the long-term war between Midlan and Yoda has led to chaotic management near the border, it is also unpredictable when scouts or marching troops will be encountered. Without the guidance of an experienced human trafficker who has crossed the front line between the two countries many times, Griffith would have to lead his men south to take a ship from a third country to enter Yoda, but it is obvious that they do not have the money to get off a ship.

As for why they came here, one reason was that the war between the two countries on the front line led to the gathering of various mercenary groups here, and Griffith's group could not compete at all; the other reason was that most of the prosperous cities in the heart of Midland had Blackwatch bases, which further squeezed the living space of small mercenary organizations like them.

To make matters worse, with the arrival of summer, the fighting on the front lines became more intense. The main battlefields of Midlan and Yoda were concentrated in the east. The two countries continued to send reinforcements to the border, and various mercenary groups swarmed in like sharks smelling blood.

A small team of twenty or thirty people like Griffith's was not even qualified to grab the scraps in front of those professional mercenary groups with hundreds or thousands of people. Those large mercenary groups had a stable supply of military supplies, contracts guaranteed by nobles, and even artillery.

In the past, they could still follow the mercenary group to fight in favorable battles, but now they can't even do that. They can only take on small jobs such as suppressing bandits and escorting caravans. In addition, with the recent rise in prices in the border areas, the remuneration is not enough to buy horse feed.

So they stowed away.

The captain who led the way was a well-known "snakehead" on the Midland border, who specialized in helping people bypass the checkpoints of the two countries.

This time he took thirty silver coins from Griffith and promised to send them to the edge of Governor Doldore's territory.

That place is already Yoda's territory, but it is close to the border and the security is chaotic, making it a good place for mercenaries to make money.

After handing the agreed-upon reward to the captain, Griffith rode his white horse to the front of the team and turned back to greet them:

"Pack up, we'll be heading into the city soon."

The group acted quickly. Thirty mercenaries untied the canvas of the carriage, put back the short swords, daggers and crossbows hidden in the interlayer, and put on coarse cloth to cover them.

Soon, they arrived at the gate of Dordorei Town.

Several Yoda soldiers were lazily leaning against the city wall, some gnawing on dry, hard black bread, others scraping the mud off their boots with blunt daggers.

There were also several soldiers standing on the side of the city gate, collecting entry taxes from people entering the city. A broken pottery jar was placed next to the roadblock, with a few copper coins scattered inside.

Originally, most of Griffith's team were teenagers. They had followed him to fight against Yoda's army on the battlefield many times. Now that they had arrived in Yoda's territory, they felt a little uneasy. After seeing those Yoda soldiers so close to them, they became a little nervous.

"Ok?"

A Yoda soldier saw Griffith's group of men and immediately stepped forward, blocking their way with his spear, and asked loudly:

"What do you do? Where are you from?"

"We are all mercenaries."

Griffith reined in his horse, stepped forward, and answered in a steady and calm voice, while his eyes met the soldier's calmly.

"Oh, then pay the city entrance tax, ten copper coins per person."

The soldier looked them up and down, held out his hand, and spoke in a calm tone, as if it were just a routine matter.

"no problem."

Griffith counted out the corresponding copper coins from his purse and handed the money his men had to pay to the soldier.

"Hey, consider the extra money as a gift to you for drinks."

Griffith took out a few more silver coins and handed them to the soldier with a friendly smile on his face. In a place like this, a proper show of goodwill could avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble.

"That's quite sensible. Come on over."

The soldier took the money, nodded with satisfaction, and waved his hand, indicating that they could enter the city.

Griffith immediately led his men to prepare to pass through the city gate. However, when they reached the bottom of the city gate, a man leaning against the gate, wearing a somewhat neat uniform with a badge on his chest, who was obviously an officer, looked at Griffith, frowned slightly, and asked:

"Judging from your accent, are you from Midland?"

For a moment, the mercenaries, including Griffith and others, were a little nervous, and the atmosphere froze in an instant.

No one knew what this man wanted to do by asking them this question. Jie Du even reached into his trouser pocket and grasped the hilt of the throwing knife, ready to create chaos and escape at any time. His eyes revealed a hint of vigilance and uneasiness, and his fingers trembled slightly.

"Yes, sir. The mercenary business in Midland is not doing well recently."

Griffith was stunned for a moment, then quickly calmed down and replied. His voice was still steady, trying to make the other party believe that they were just ordinary mercenaries looking for a living.

"Um……"

Officer Yoda pondered for a while after hearing this, his eyes scanning Griffith and the others. Then he said:

"Go into the city, but don't cause trouble once you're in, and don't hang around on the streets at night."

The group finally breathed a sigh of relief and passed through the city gate safely.

After everyone entered the city gate, Gorkas whispered to Griffith:

"It's strange that these Yoda people didn't attack us after they knew we were from Mitlan and even let us into the city!"

"This world is never black and white. There are many Yoda people working for the Kingdom of Mitlan, and the same is true. You didn't meet him on the battlefield, and it looks like they are almost off duty. As long as we stay in the city and don't cause trouble, they don't care."

Griffith explained.

Soon, Griffith found a hotel. The hotel looked a little shabby, with some of the plaster on the walls peeling off, but the sign at the door was still swaying in the wind, indicating that it was still open for business.

Griffith walked into the hotel, asked the price, and rented a large bunk bed in the backyard of the hotel. After placing the horses in the stable, they had a simple meal and washed up.

They sat around the stone table in the backyard, discussed the patrols that would guard the stables tonight, and then went to bed immediately. Although the large bunk bed was a bit crowded, everyone fell asleep quickly due to exhaustion.

As soon as the sun came out the next day, Griffith took Jiedu out of the hotel and went shopping nearby.

The early morning sun shines on the streets of the town, covering everything with a golden glow. The houses on both sides of the street are staggered, some are built of stone and some are built of wood.

Some residents have already started their day's activities, some are cleaning at the doorstep, while others are carrying baskets to buy vegetables at the market.

As Griffith walked, he familiarized himself with the surrounding buildings, his eyes constantly observing the surrounding environment.

He scanned the shops, searching for the city's square. Generally, officials in small towns issued notices or recruited mercenaries in the square, just like in Midland. Those recruiters shouted like vegetable vendors. Firstly, many of them were illiterate, and secondly, there were too many people around and their voices were too low to be heard clearly.