Chapter 30 Chapter Thirty

Come near the bedroom and look toward his bed, It is not the quiet soul that goes away; A calm soul is like a lark in the sky, In the sweet morning breeze and the mellow dew, Sent to heaven by the sighs and tears of the good! Not so with Anselm's Departure. ancient drama In the lull that followed the initial victories of the besiegers, one side was preparing to expand the gains while the other was strengthening its defenses.At this time, the Templars and De Blasey held a brief consultation in the castle hall. Where is the General Cow Noodle?De Blasey asked, he was directing the defense from the bunker on the other side, and someone said he was killed.

He is still alive, the Templar said coldly, he is still alive now, but he is known as the bull-faced general. , also had to fall down.In a few hours, General Bullface was going to meet his old ancestors, which would cut off Prince John's arm. And to add a strongman to Satan's kingdom, said de Blasey, the result of cursing saints and angels, and ordering that holy vessels and idols be used as stones, and thrown on the heads of those bastard peasants. Fuck you, you idiot, said the Templar, you believe in blindness, the General Bullface believes in nothing, there is no difference between the two of you, but neither of you can tell the truth.

God bless you, Your Excellency Templar, replied De Blasey, I advise you to be careful with your words, and don't talk to me.By the Holy Mother, I'm a truer Christian than you and your lot; those legends are not without foundation, they say, the Knights of the Temple of Sien think they are very pious, but they hide Some cultists, Brian.Bois Guibert is one of them. Please stop talking about these nonsense, the Templar said, the most important thing is to consider how to defend this castle.On your side, how are those bastard bankers doing? Almost like a pack of demons, said De Blasey, and they came swarming and savage, and the man at the head of it was, as far as I could tell, the guy who won the arrow contest, because I recognized his horn and his shoulder straps.It's all old Fitzgerald's fault, for his boastful strategy is just to let the lawless things rise up against us!The bastard would have shot me seven times if I hadn't been protected by armor, and he was so relentless, as if I were a deer for his prey.He shot arrows at every riveted joint in my armor, and nearly broke my ribs, but he didn't show mercy, as if my bones were made of iron.If I hadn't been wearing a Spanish chain mail jacket, I'd be dead.

But you held your ground, didn't you?We've lost the bunker, says the Templars. That's a big loss, said de Blasey, and those bastards could use it as cover to attack the castle from there, and if we don't defend it well, they might take a poorly guarded corner of the tower, or some forgotten window, and leapt at us.We were too few in number to defend every point; and the soldiers were complaining that they were targets when they appeared, and arrows were being shot as if they were churches at night of prayer, and everyone to run there.General Bullface is dying again, and we can no longer expect support from his bullheads and brute force.So I thought, man Brian, a man of the moment is a man of the moment, why don't we make peace with the rascals and give them back the captives we took?

What!The Templars yelled, return the captured captives to them, become their talk, give them ridicule and curse?We're soft-boned warriors, they'll say, who kidnap a bunch of unarmed travelers when it's dark, but can't defend a strong castle against a horde of outlaws led by hogherds, clowns, and the scum of humanity!Shame on such a good idea, Maurice.De Blasey!I would rather have my body buried with my shame in the ruins of this castle than accept this humiliating and shameful reconciliation. Let's go to the walls, then, said De Blasey nonchalantly. No one, be it a Turk or a Templar, takes life as lightly as I do.But I thought, I want my free team, now I have four or fifty good fighters around me, it's not a shame, is it?Ah, brave spear cavalry!Once you know how dangerous your captain's situation is today, you will definitely pick up your spears, step on your horses, and come to rescue us under my banner!Those mobs are really vulnerable in front of you!

Do what you wish, said the Templar, but we can only deploy our defenses as we have.Most of them are the subordinates of General Niu Nian. They usually extort money and do a lot of evil. The British have hated them for a long time. That was better, said de Blasey, that the rough slaves would fight to the death, and would rather shed their last drop of blood than be retaliated by the peasants outside.So let's go up there and do it, Brian.Bois-Guilbert; live or die, you will see, Maurice.De Blasey's performance today will not insult his status as a gentleman of a famous family. Go up the tower!The Templar replied.So the two climbed up the wall, and did everything in their power to defend the place, as the tactics required.They agreed that the point facing the fort, which had been taken by the attackers, was the most dangerous.It is true that there was a ditch between the castle and the bunker, and the besiegers could not attack the side gate which opened across the ditch from the bunker without crossing this barrier.But both the Templars and de Blassy believed that if the attackers still followed the established course shown by their leaders, they would launch a powerful offensive in order to attract the attention of the defenders to this site. , and then exploit any oversights that may have occurred elsewhere in the line of defense to attack.In order to prevent this unfavorable situation, they could only place sentries at intervals along the city wall when they were short of manpower, so that they could respond to each other, and if there was any danger, they would immediately issue an alarm.At this time, they jointly decided that the defense of the side gate would be under the command of De Blasey, and the Templars would lead some 20 people as a reserve force, ready to support any place that might be in emergency at any time.Another unfortunate consequence of the fall of the bunker was that, although the castle walls were very high, the movements of the enemy could not be seen so clearly from the walls by those who were besieged; Being so close to the entrance, it became a hiding place for the attackers. They could hide as much power as they needed here. Under such cover, the defenders would not be able to detect their presence.Thus, since there is no certainty where the attack may break out, de Blassy and his friends must be prepared for all possible contingencies, and their men, however brave they may be, must experience the anxiety and depression of being surrounded by the enemy everywhere. mood, because the time and manner of the attack are in the hands of the enemy.

Meanwhile, the owner of the besieged castle in peril lies in bed, enduring physical pain and mental torment.He had not the means of deliverance commonly possessed by sinful men who, in that superstitious age, atoned for their sins by making generous alms to the Church, by which they benumbed their terrors, thinking that they would thus be pardoned and pardoned. and though the asylum they have purchased is as different from the peace of mind of sincere confession as the torpor of opiates, full of nightmares, is from healthy and natural sleep, yet the spirit After all, the state is slightly better than the painful psychology of regret and regret.But General Buffalo is a ruthless and greedy man, and greed dominates all his vices; he has always ignored the church and priests, and naturally he will not buy pardons and atonements at the price of gold, silver and land. s right.The Templar is also a false believer, but that is another type. He once criticized the bull-faced general, saying that he did not believe in anything and despised the authority of the church, but he himself could not explain a reason; The prince also had a reason. He felt that the products sold by the church were too expensive, and the spiritual relief it promoted was as expensive as the price charged by the great chief of Jerusalem.He is unwilling to pay a huge consultation fee to the doctor, so he denies the efficacy of the drug.

But at last the terrible time came, when the land and all the gold and silver and treasure were about to disappear from his sight, and the savage lord, whose heart was as hard as stone, looked with horror at the vast darkness of the future.The fever of the body fueled the restlessness and anguish of the mind, and the dying bed had made him experience a new-found sense of terror wrestling with his long-established nature; In this state, a person seems to have fallen into the abyss of eternal doom, where there is only resentment, no hope, only the condemnation of conscience, and no road to repentance.

Where are all those son-of-a-bitch priests now?Howled the lord, they have raised the price of chanting so high, and now they are gone!Where are all the barefoot monks of the Carmelites?My father built St. Anne's Abbey for them, and I lost great pastures, fields and paddocks, and where are these ravenous dogs now?Been drinking, I promise, or gone to some miser's bedside to play their tricks.Their monastery was built by my father, and I am his heir, and they are obliged to pray for me!But these ungrateful bastards let me die like a homeless wild dog, no one repents for me, no one guides my soul to its destination!Let the Templar come here, he's a priest too, he can do the job.but not!To Brian.If Bois-Ghibert repented, it would be better to go to the devil to repent. Heaven and hell are not under his words.I've heard old people say that we can pray for ourselves and pray for ourselves instead of begging and bribing false priests.But me, I dare not do this!

The bull-faced general Reginald has lived to this day, finally admitting that there are things he dare not do?A broken voice screamed from beside his bed. General Buffalo's soliloquy was interrupted by this strange voice. His sinful heart, those frightened nerves, thought that some monster was causing trouble, because according to the superstitious concept at that time, when a person was dying, Demons will patronize, disturb their emotions, and divert their yearning for eternal happiness.He shuddered and shrank his body; but immediately summoned up his usual courage and shouted loudly: Who is there?Who are you, dare to croak in front of me like a crow, and contradict me?Come forward and let me see.

I am your caller, General Reginald the Bullface.the voice answered. If you are really a ghost, then show me your face, replied the dying knight, and don't think I'm afraid of you.I swear by eternal hell, I have been born to die, not afraid of danger, your mental torture can not make me yield, no matter heaven or hell, I never know how to flinch! Think of your crimes, General Reginald of the Bullface, said the ghostly voice again, think of your treason, your burning, killing and looting, your murders!Who had instigated lawless John to wage war against his gray-haired father and his magnanimous brother? Whether you are a devil, a priest, or a monster, replied the General Cowface, what you tell is a big lie!It was not I who made John rebel, nor I alone; fifty knights and lords took part in the conspiracy, the best of the Midland counties, and there never was a better knight.Should I alone be responsible for the mistakes of fifty people?Nonsense devil, I don't buy you!Get out of here and stop pestering my bedside.If you are a living person, let me die in peace, if you are a ghost, then your time has not yet come. You cannot die peacefully, said the voice again, and even if you die, you cannot forget your bloody carnage, the groans of those who died by your sword, and the blood left on this castle ground! Your vicious accusations are insignificant, I don’t care at all, General Bullface replied, forcing a sinister laugh, that Jew is a heretic, and my attitude towards him should be praised by heaven, otherwise why would those hands be stained with blood? Who of the blood of the Saracens would be canonized?Those Saxon pigs I killed were the enemies of my country, my family, and my prince.Ha ha!You see, you won't find a stain on my shirt.Did you slip away?You have nothing to say, right? I'm not going, you heartless patricide!The voice answered, Think of your father!Just think how he died!Think of how he fell in a pool of blood in the banquet hall, how he was stabbed to death by his son himself! ah!The baron was silent for a long time before answering, if you know this, then you are indeed a devil, because, according to the monks, you know everything!That secret I thought was hidden in my heart, that no one would ever know but one, the temptress who tempted me to commit a crime, my accomplice.Go and leave me, devil!Go to that Saxon witch Ulrika, only she can tell you what I did with her.Go, tell you, go to her, who cleansed the wounds, straightened the corpse, and gave the victim the appearance of a normal death of old age.Go to her, she seduced me to do it, she is the insidious abettor, her crime is greater, she made a promise to me, promised to be my mistress.Let her, like me, have a taste of mental torture before going to hell! She has already tasted it, Ulriga said, stepping in front of the General Buffalo's bed, she has already tasted this bitter wine, but now this bitter wine has a sweet taste, because I see that you must drink it at last too .You don't have to grind your teeth, roll your eyeballs, shake your fists, or make threatening gestures, General Bull Noodles!That hand, mighty as it was, could break a bull's head with one blow, like your famous father, is old and weak, like mine! Insidious old godmother!General Cowface replied, chattering, nasty owl!So it's you, you gloating, applauding the destruction of my castle? Yes, Reginald the Buffalo, she answered, and I am Ulriga!Torquel who was killed by you.Daughter of Wolfgang!The sisters of his martyred sons!It is she who wants you, your father's family, to pay the debt of blood, to avenge her father and relatives, their reputation and honor, and the damage caused to them by General Niu Mian's family!Think about my grievances, General Bull Noodle, and answer me, is what I am telling the truth?You are my devil, and I will also be your devil, and I will pin you down until you are destroyed! Heartless woman!General Buffalo shouted, but you couldn't see the moment.Come, Giles, Clement, Eustace!St. Maur and Stephen!Grab the damned witch and throw her down from the tower; she's betrayed us to the Saxons!Hello, Saint-Maur, Clement!Where are you going, these heartless bastards? Shout out, brave lord, said the old woman, with a sinister sneer, and summon your servants, and whoever disobeys will be whipped and sent to the dungeon.But know, mighty chiefs, she went on, changing her voice suddenly, and you won't get an answer, they're too busy to help you, to listen to you.Hear these dreadful voices, for the attack has resumed, and the cries of both sides, louder and louder, continue to be heard from above the castle, and your lair will be buried in this cry of killing.The power established by the blood of General Niu Nian is crumbling, and will soon be completely destroyed in front of the enemy he despises!Reginald!The Saxons, the Saxons you mock, are attacking your castle!Why do you lie here, like a weary beast, while the Saxons attack your fortress? Whether it is a god or a ghost, help me, the wounded knight shouted, just give me a minute of strength, let me go up the tower and die in the battle, so as not to dishonor my fame! Don't count on that, brave warrior!She replied, You will not die on the sand, but lie in your hole like a fox, and let the farmer set fire around it, and burn you to death in the hole. Damn old woman!you are lying!Cried the General Bullface, my men are brave, my walls are strong and tall, my comrades are not afraid of the Saxon army, even if it is Hengist and Holsa. The Anglo-Saxons entered England and became legendary heroes. 】Commanded!Hear, how resounding the cry of the Templars and Freedom Corps!I swear on my honor that when we light a great bonfire to celebrate our victory, I'll throw you in the fire and burn you to ashes; I'll live to see you, a witch worse than the devil, From the fires of the world into the fires of hell! Keep your faith and wait for the facts to prove everything to you, Ulriga replied, but immediately changed her mind, no!You should know your destiny now, and all your power and strength and courage cannot change it, though it was prepared for you by these feeble hands.Have you noticed that the suffocating smoke is swirling and rolling, seeping into this room?Do you think this is an illusion caused by your blurry eyes and difficulty breathing?No!General Niu Nian, this comes from other reasons.Do you remember that firewood warehouse?It's just below these rooms. Temptress!He shouted anxiously, you didn't set the fire, did you?My God, you set fire and the castle is in flames! At least the fire will burn more and more, Ulliga said, and the silence is frightening, and a signal will immediately rise, which will tell the besiegers to step up their attack, so that people here will not have time to fight the fire.Goodbye, General Beef Noodle!Let Mista, Skogla, and Zeinbok, the old Saxon gods, and the devils, as the priests call them, come to your bed and keep company with you, Ulriga will not now!But I might as well tell you that this may be a consolation to you: Ulriga will also go to the other side of darkness with you, she sinned with you before, and now she is punished with you.Farewell, you patricide rebel!May every stone in this room have a mouth to proclaim your sin of patricide into your ear! So saying, she went out of the room; the General Buffalo heard her rattle and turn the heavy key, and put two locks on the door, thus cutting off his last hope of escape.He was so anxious that he couldn't do anything, and shouted the names of his servants and companions: Stephen and St. Maur!Clement and Giles!I'm burning to death here, and no one saves me!Help, help, brave Boisguibert, brave De Blassy!This is General Niu Nian calling you!I am your master, you devoid of conscience!I am your ally, your brother and comrade in arms, you treacherous knights whose words do not count!You abandoned me so, let me die so miserably, all the curses that traitors deserve, fall on you cowards!They couldn't hear and couldn't hear, my voice was lost in the clamor of battle.The smoke was billowing and thickening, and the fire must have reached the floor from below.Oh, my God, give me a breath of fresh air, even if it costs my life immediately.In mad desperation, the dying man shouted loudly like a warrior, cursed in a low voice, cursed himself, cursed mankind, even cursed God, and the bright red tongue of fire pierced through the thick smoke!He exclaimed, the devil is already naked and attacking me.You devil, go away!I have no partners who will not walk with you. Those who guard the city wall are all my partners, and you can take them away.Do you just choose General Niu Nian to go with you alone?No, the Templar Templar, the debauched De Blassi, and Ulriga, the whore who encouraged me to murder my father, and those accomplices who burned and looted with me, and my captives, Those vile Saxon bastards and damned Jews all should be my companions to hell with me.Hahaha!He let out a wild laugh, and the sound wave echoed on the roof for a long time, who was laughing?General Niu Mian plucked up his courage and shouted, because although the noise of the battle was loud, it couldn't stop the echo of his own wild laughter from reaching his ears, who was laughing?Ulriga, is this you?Speak, old witch, and I forgive you; I know only you and the devil of hell can laugh so much at such a time.Go away go go! But it would be blasphemy to describe the final scene of this godless parricide.