Bradley acted extremely quickly. After the Duke issued his orders, he began preparing for the journey to the Northern Province without any delay.
In less than a day, he set off for the Northern Province with an elite team.
The team consisted of three elite knights, ten formal knights, and thirty knight apprentices.
In addition, there were dozens of experienced craftsmen skilled in construction, mining, and smelting.
The supplies were also extremely abundant.
Dozens of carts were fully loaded with flour, dried meat, and pickled vegetables.
This ensured they could survive the most difficult periods even if the Northern Province conditions were harsh.
There were also neatly packaged seeds of various cold-resistant crops, as well as dozens of livestock suitable for survival in the Northern Province.
Black-horned cattle, cold-region sheep, and cold-resistant warhorses were all carefully selected to adapt to the harsh environment covered with ice and snow.
There was also the blood-dripping stone and three thousand gold coins.
The team majestically left the Winter South Province and embarked on the long journey to the Crimson Tide Domain in the Northern Province.
...
Vaerik's morning was as usual. As soon as he woke up, he habitually opened the Daily Intelligence System.
The screen updated with today's intelligence, and he quickly browsed through each piece.
[Daily Intelligence Update Complete]
[1: Under Duke Tudor's orders, Bradley has set off for the Crimson Tide Domain with support supplies.]
[2: Tomorrow night, pioneering Baron John Harvey will be ambushed by bandits while passing through Green Rock Gorge.]
[3: Serf Romeo and native Juliet are tasting forbidden fruit in the fields.]
The first piece of intelligence immediately caught Vaerik's attention.
He hadn't expected that the letter he had previously written to Old Man would actually work, making him notice the potential of the Crimson Tide Domain and truly yield gold coins.
Vaerik stared at the name in that information, "Bradley..." The name echoed in his mind for a moment.
He was one of the old stewards of the Tudor family, highly respected within the family, and almost a central figure in family affairs.
Vaerik hadn't expected that Duke Tudor would send him over this time, indicating that the Duke placed great importance on the Crimson Tide Domain.
As for what specific supplies he would bring, the intelligence didn't specify in detail, but it seemed there would definitely be plenty.
Moreover, after Bradley arrived, he could help handle some of the trivial matters in the domain, which would make things much easier for Vaerik in the future.
Then, he saw the second piece of intelligence.
This made Vaerik slightly furrow his brow, and even feel somewhat shocked.
He knew John. He was one of the few friends the original owner had in this new world.
In the Iron Blood Empire, children of aristocratic families had to train in the imperial capital.
The original owner was ostracized by other noble children due to his terrible talent, while John was often ridiculed by others for his clumsiness.
So these two "rotten fish" often stuck together.
John always quietly followed behind him, calling him "boss."
"Pioneering Baron?" Vaerik's gaze unconsciously lingered on these few words, somewhat puzzled.
John's father, Earl Harvey, was a newly risen nobleman in recent years. Although the family was quite wealthy, he only had two children.
According to the "Northern Pioneering Decrees," John didn't need to come to such a harsh place as the Northern Province to pioneer a domain.
However, the intelligence showed that he was actually called a "Pioneering Baron," which made Vaerik feel somewhat confused.
And the news of John being ambushed made him uneasy. Resources in the Northern Province were scarce, and bandits had always been rampant.
Although John would certainly have knights for protection, it was not impossible for him to be captured or killed if he wasn't careful.
Either way, he had to go to Green Rock Gorge himself to save John's life, after all, this was one of his few friends.
As for the third piece, Vaerik just felt a bit helpless.
Young people these days really played it big, actually daring to make mistakes in the fields.
But as the lord, he didn't plan to manage these things. Having more population in the Crimson Tide Domain would actually benefit him.
After reading all of today's intelligence, Vaerik summoned Lambert and directly ordered: "Gather the knights, head for Green Rock Gorge."
Lambert didn't ask much, briskly patting his armor: "Understood, I will prepare immediately."
Before his words had fallen, he had already turned around, walking away quickly to gather people.
...
The night wind at Green Rock Gorge was biting cold, making the bonfire crackle. The firelight illuminated a round, plump face.
John Harvey wrapped in a sable fur cloak, holding a bowl of steaming oatmeal porridge.
The whole person looked like a fluffy fat cat. At this moment, he was drinking soup and boasting at the same time.
"Do you know? Back in the imperial capital, those noble children, relying on their powerful families, were simply lawless! Bullying men and women alike!
What happened then? Weren't they still dealt with by Vaerik and me together?"
John wiped the soup stain at the corner of his mouth with his sleeve and said proudly.
"That day, the two of us faced a whole noble circle's small group, at least over a dozen people!
Vaerik knocked one down with a punch, and I was no less impressive, directly picking up a chair and smashing it over, scaring them into running away with their tails between their legs!
Of course, Vaerik was fierce, but it was mainly thanks to me! Without me, he couldn't have held on for so long!"
"Yes, sir is extremely brave." A few knight attendants smiled along, tacitly not exposing John's exaggerated statements.
After long-term understanding, they had become accustomed to John's behavior, his clumsy attempts to give himself undue credit.
They maintained respectful smiles on their faces with difficulty, but in their hearts, they were somewhat confused.
This lord...
Could he really lead them to establish a foothold in the Northern Province?
They had already noticed along the way that John didn't have much concept of the reality of pioneering a domain.
He seemed to think that bringing over six hundred people, relying solely on enthusiasm, he could carve out a place in the Northern Province.
But they understood that the environment of the Northern Province was far more cruel than the noble struggles in the south. One couldn't survive merely on "righteousness" and "courage."
Yet as the lord of this team, John had no vigilance at all.
He even just casually gave instructions for patrols, then continued to laugh loudly and boast about his "heroic deeds."
In his view, with dozens of knights and nearly a hundred soldiers under his command, how could he possibly encounter trouble?
Just at this moment, several whistling sounds suddenly broke the silence!
Dozens of crossbow bolts rained down from both sides of the gorge cliffs. The arrowheads rotated in the air, carrying a cold killing intent, accurately shooting towards John's unprepared team!
Swoosh!
A soldier's throat was pierced, struggling to fall to the ground, blood splashing onto the rocks beside the bonfire, instantly dyeing a patch red.
Immediately after, a burst of urgent running sounds arose. Desperadoes wearing white cloaks suddenly leaped down from the cliffs on both sides, like ghosts in the night, quickly rushing into the camp!
"Enemy attack!!"
Just as the sharp shout was uttered, a desperado had already pounced on the shouting soldier like a cheetah, his dagger precisely slitting his throat.
Blood sprayed, the loud cry abruptly ceased.
The camp fell into chaos!