Chapter 228 The Flag of Iron Ash

North, cold leaves collar.

The world is full of white snow and frost. This situation has lasted for nearly three years. Everything has withered away, and even in the mountains and forests, it is difficult to see traces of animal activities.

On the frozen lake, several locals in thick winter coats and covered in snowflakes were using hoes and picks to knock the ice cubes, digging out large potholes.

Coming out in such cold weather is also because there are frozen fish on the bottom of this lake, which can be used as a scarce food source today.

They have been working like this for several days, but the harvest is always not enough. There are too many people in the villages and towns who need to be fed. Some old people have not survived the long winter and died silently one night.

"Huh, I can't dig." A villager slumped on the ground tiredly, and his voice seemed to be relatively young, probably in his twenties.

"You can't do it, Barron, haha." Although the conditions are difficult now, the uncle on the side still laughed. .

"When I was young, I experienced a worse situation than now. At that time, there were migrating winter wolves in the territory. I fled into the mountains and almost lost my way and died inside."

"When you will be extremely hungry, you will even eat grass roots and bark. How can you care so much."

"Even though there is a shortage of food, at least there are fish and we can keep going."

"Can you really survive by eating grass roots and bark?" The young man was a little disbelieving, and then looked at the big fish dug out of the ice pit.

"The fish is getting harder and harder to dig. The shallow ones are almost dug by the people nearby, and further down, it's all mud." His voice was worried and lost.

"When will such a day end?" Holding the frozen lake surface with both hands, he looked up at the faint sun, and there were still bursts of icy cold wind around him.

Hearing him call out like this, the people who were working on the side were also infected by the low mood, and slowly stopped and sat on the side to rest.

Yes, when will such a scene be the head, is it really going to freeze and starve to death on this land?

"If, if the south is really as warm as everyone says, why don't we go there." One of them murmured.

"Don't think about it, people's place also has a master. If we run over, I'm afraid it's almost like starting a war." The uncle stopped this dangerous topic.

"Oh, people are going to die, how can they care so much."

"If the empire can't solve the problem in the north, then we can only solve it ourselves."

The young man clenched his fingers into fists and smashed the ice on his side.

"Isn't it the South Territory? It wasn't captured by our ancestors. When we conquered Oz, we, the remnants of the Eternal Dark Island, rushed to the front, but when we finally awarded the reward, we gave them the rich and fertile South Territory. The royal family's own people, and in the end we can only get this poor and barren place in the north."

The major nobles in the northern region, headed by the Trey family, are basically the remnants of the Eternal Dark Island, that is, the descendants of the former Mercury Dynasty. The most courageous and disciplined army, standing at the forefront of the army, fought fiercely with the army of Oz.

The iron-grey flag, the wisteria and the crescent moon that never fall, and the warriors who look back on death represent the legacy and legacy of the Mercury Dynasty. In the end, the great witch of Oz was also nailed to the city gate by the knights of the Trey family.

"Don't talk about the past." The uncle waved his hand slowly.

"We are outsiders after all, and the upper echelons of the empire were full of distrust and vigilance against us at that time, that is, because the fief of our ancestors was in the north, and the bloodlines of the Trey family withered in large numbers during the war, almost extinct, which made the The empire gradually relaxes."

"The northern border can't be said to be very good, but at least in the past few hundred years, everyone has gradually become accustomed to such a stable life."

What he said was not unreasonable. Others didn't know how to refute for a while. There was a brief silence in the world, and the uncle also took out the little tobacco left in his arms and lit it, smoking slowly in the cold wind. , It seems that in this uncomfortable life, this small meeting can make him relax and calm down.

The sun is slowly reaching the noon position, but it is still cold and there is no joy here.

Just when these people were taking a short rest, a rush of hooves trod across the road by the lake and galloped towards the town not far away.

"That is?"

"It looks like it's from the south. The clothes and attire should be a messenger or a cavalry."

"Are you in such a hurry, I think the horse is about to die."

"Maybe something happened."

"Why don't you stop work early today and go back and have a look?" One person suggested, and the others nodded after a little hesitation, and all agreed.

In this depressing and difficult environment, there is always hope for some changes, and things cannot be worse than they are now.

Soon after, the group, dragged by snowmobiles, dug up the fish and began to return.

After more than an hour, they arrived in the town again, and the street was noisy, completely different from the usual deserted appearance.

"Is there a rebellion in the imperial capital?"

"No, it seems to say that the new emperor has ascended the throne."

"What about the regent and queen?"

"Should be dead. After all, it is a seizure of power. Of course, it must be ruthless."

"How does the empire feel like it's over?"

"Oh, who said no, we

The Northern Territory is almost overwhelmed, and I hope the new emperor can allocate more food this time. "

"I don't see it. The throne has just been replaced, and it is estimated that there will be another battle to suppress the rebellion. The food has been given to the army, where can it be provided to us. Besides, the south has also been lost, and the royal family itself may not be enough to support people."

Everyone was discussing the unfamiliar things of these few people on the street, and it took a while to find out that there had been a coup d'etat within the empire.

"The internal affairs of their royal family have nothing to do with us. But this time it depends on whether the Trey family can get food from the new emperor. Otherwise, we can't support it alone." Several villagers Discussed like this.

Unlike other places in the North, the relationship between nobles and commoners is very harmonious, because they need to unite against the harsh natural environment and climate.

On weekdays, many nobles even participate in spring ploughing in person, because it is indeed very important to produce more food.

Unlike other places, this place is vast and sparsely populated. If the nobles treat the commoners badly, if they run away, no one may even pay taxes in the territory.

No one will immigrate here. If they really want to immigrate, most of them will choose the rich eastern border, or the prosperous central and southern regions.

Although this kind of environment allows the people of the northern border to live a poor life, it is relatively stable, and many neighbors will help each other, because no one knows whether they will suffer the same disaster in the future.

Cold winds, monsters, barrenness, desolation, frost and snow all together constitute the impression of most people in the empire on the north, and people from the north also have different characteristics from other parts of the empire.

Most of them have dark skin and straight accents. They attach great importance to promises. They are very united outside. They also respect witches, believe in fate, and have a strong homeland plot.

The villagers in the town were talking about this important event, and Han Ye Ling was already the most remote place in the northern part of the empire. If they all knew about it, it also meant that basically all towns in the northern region had received this message.

In the castle in the mountains, a man in armor was packing his bags, and his wife beside him was still discouraging him.

"Heitling, are you really going?"

"Well, I'll go."

He answered this almost without hesitation, slowly put on the black knight's helmet, and then straightened it up in front of the mirror and fastened it.

"Your Majesty the Queen has been kind to us, you shouldn't forget it."

A year and a half ago, he received an order from the lord to go to the south with a group of companions to purchase food. He encountered many difficulties. Fortunately, he finally got enough food from the western border.

But even so, when they returned, they still encountered intractable difficulties. Some greedy nobles set up checkpoints in the fief, so that they had to hand over half of the food to pass.

Because of this kind of trouble, they fled in embarrassment several times and had to change direction again and again, hoping to return to their hometown safely.

However, such actions also lead to the continuous loss of the transported food, and the time is gradually running out.

Hanye Territory is located in the remote northwest corner of the northern border, and there is almost no food production around. If they go back late, I am afraid that a large number of people in the territory will not be able to survive that winter.

At that time, not only will the lord be angry, but the people in the territory will not forgive them, and this situation will almost drive them into a corner.

Fortunately, in the end, a ceremonial officer brought Her Majesty's order and opened the way for them, which allowed them to walk in a straight line and rush back to Hanye Collar in the shortest time, which relieved the urgent need.

"Now, I have received news that Her Majesty the Queen and the prince are fleeing to the Needle Forest County in Langxiao Province, so I want to rush over to support."

"Are you crazy? Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne and controlled the center of the empire, even the Duke of Raven has tacitly accepted his identity. You are still jumping out at this time!?"

"The honor of Her Majesty the Queen comes from her husband and children, but now that the Aimanke brothers are gone, the little prince can't ascend to the throne, you go to save them, what can you change by yourself, it is simply... It is simply self-destruction , are you disregarding everything at home?" The wife's voice was full of persuasion, and she wanted to stop this foolish and crazy man for the panic in the future.

But the knight still kept moving, put on the black knight armor one by one, came to the bedroom, opened the bed, and took out the fine weapon wrapped in oiled paper under the bed.

Slowly wiped the blurred and dull blade, and re-sharpened it. The man fastened the scabbard firmly, and then pushed open the door. The cold wind and snow particles from the outside blew in immediately, and the temperature in the room dropped suddenly. .

He took his only remaining old friend, his warhorse, and rolled over, while the wife rushed out of the house with the child in his arms, and let the child grab his cloak and saddle.

"No, don't go, Dad." The child made a childish voice, and his movements finally slowed down.

"Look, he's only 5 years old, don't you have the heart to have a child without a father!" The wife's voice was hoarse.

Scattered snow particles fell in the cold wind, and the man sat upright on the saddle, silent, like a statue.

He didn't look back, and looked at the snow-covered mountains, houses, frozen lakes, and the withered and cold world outside.

After a long time, he finally spoke, his voice full of difficulty, like a frozen river.

"No, he will have a brave father who keeps his word."

After he finished speaking, he flicked the reins, one person and one horse, like black steel, heading towards the world covered in frost and snow.

Iron-grey flags rush in the cold wind

Quickly shaking, a group of people quietly waited at the intersection, waiting for those comrades who ran to death with them.

The black steed trotted through the snow, bringing with it a splash of dust and dirt, and the last companion arrived, so that the group would not stop, and they, too, got up and started to head south along the road.

This group of people did not have any organization or the name of the legion. The only thing they had was the old iron and gray flag, which was the flag that the remnants of the Eternal Dark Island waved when they returned to the mainland.

On the dark and barren island, there is no paint, and there is no rare water to wash it off. Only the dirtiest gray is used as the base, and it is dyed with precious purple vine flower juice to roughly draw the appearance of a crescent moon.

Yes, the people on the continent do not trust them, and the Empire is wary of these remnants, allowing them to undertake the most difficult and dangerous tasks, but it is undeniable that the Empire also kept its promise in the end, giving them land that they can live in for generations, and fight against the crowd. Let the necromancer sequence, this extraordinary sequence, which has been spurned and slandered, be accepted by the world again.

Granting these remnants of military exploits the status of nobles, allowing them to gain dignity and recognition, this is the kindness given by the upper echelons of the empire.

These things have never been forgotten by the people of the North, so the past dynasties stuck to this barren land, built ships in the cold land, cruised the North Sea, and guarded against the possible southward travel of the ice elves.

Today, even if the owner of the empire changes, this oath will not change.

The North will not betray the empire, but they cannot forget the past royal favors, and some knights have begun to break away from the North's legions or their past identities.

They will no longer belong to any family, nor to any power, just shouting for the promises of the past, and galloping to the road of death.

After the coup d’etat of the upper echelons of the empire, many great nobles in the north kept silent about it, but they would not stop these subordinates or knights from leaving and rushing to an agreed place. This is the tradition of the north, and countless people believe and follow it. of ancient traditions.

The promise will be fulfilled, even if it faces a visible death.

In the long snowstorm, these warriors gradually gathered, and the old iron-grey flag became their only common symbol.

Gray battle flags and spears, these well-trained warriors are like cold steel, constantly advancing in the wind and snow, they are living machines, warriors who are about to become undead, the setting sun of the Mercury Dynasty.