Early the next morning, Cherchen asked Ruth for leave. He wanted to go to captain Franco. Although he didn''t think it was wrong to let Catherine go from beginning to end, he really didn''t perform the duty of loyalty that should be performed as a mercenary hired by fiordo obhovich.

    So he has to take responsibility.

    "Chechen, what are you going to do with the head?" Ruth was a little strange that Chechen suddenly wanted to find the head. Especially today, Chechen wore a full set of mercenary uniforms as a ceremony.

    "Uncle Ruth, I''m glad to work with you." facing Ruth''s question, Chechen said without a head, and then ran out. Ruth, who left a fog all day.

    When I came to Franco''s command post at the west gate, it was unfortunate that Captain Franco was not here today. The personnel left behind told captain Chechen that he had gone to the castle, so Chechen had to rush to the castle again.

    There were more and more refugees on both sides of the road. As the siege continued, some of the wealthier people who had lived in the inn earlier slowly ran out of the money brought into the city. Their middle-aged old people were weak and could not endure a cold night or two. They were often found frozen bodies lying in front of a family''s door and under the eaves early in the morning; Most of those who were strong and strong were recruited into the militia. In the first siege, the most casualties were those who had no combat experience.

    "Master, enjoy your meal!" a bony old man led a barefoot little girl to stop Chechen.

    Che Chen put his hand into the pocket of his coat, which was empty. He remembered that he was wearing a suit today, and the money was in his changed clothes.

    The old man couldn''t help showing a happy expression when he saw Cherchen reach into his pocket, but then he waited left and right and didn''t see Cherchen take out his hand. Moreover, the young man looked more and more embarrassed in front of him, so he guessed that he didn''t bring money and showed a disappointed expression.

    "Big brother." the little girl''s big tears rolled in her eyes. Now, Chechen was at a loss.

    Fortunately, an acquaintance whom Chechen had not met for a long time appeared.

    "Here you are, child." the man took a potato from his waist pocket and handed it to the little girl.

    Potatoes are the most common food in peacetime. But in Smolensk, where food is scarce, a potato is even more valuable to the hungry than a Taylor.

    The little girl took the potato and held it in her hand like a treasure. Her grandfather is even more grateful.

    "Thank you, father," said Chechen heartily. That is for the good deeds of the priest, but also for the priest to help himself get rid of the dilemma.

    It was father sparso kucktsky.

    "I haven''t seen you for a long time, boy," said father sparsokuktsky with his trademark kind smile.

    I haven''t seen him for more than a month. Father sparso kucktsky seems to have been seriously ill and lost a whole circle. His grey robe gradually turned black, which had obviously not been washed for a long time; The cross originally hung on the chest disappeared; The priest''s back was empty, and the long gun that had been carried behind him was gone.

    "Father, who are you?" Chechen asked quickly, noting these changes of father sparso kuytsky.

    "What?"

    Seeing the strange look in Chechen''s eyes, father spasokuktsky spread his arms and looked at himself. He didn''t find anything strange. But he immediately remembered that he and the child in front of him had not seen each other for more than a month. He probably remembered what he looked like more than a month ago.

    "I sold the spear and the cross," said father spasokuktsky with ease.

    Obviously, the priest sold these things to help these starving people. Although he was relaxed, the meaning of the cross could not be overstated for a clergyman.

    Che Chen was deeply moved by the priest''s spirit of sacrificing himself to others.

    "Father, I still have a surplus in my salary this month. Tell me where you live and I''ll send it to you."

    At this time, Chechen regretted that he gave lance the twenty Taylor fights last night. I only received a month''s salary. I usually eat with uncle Piedro''s money, but I only saved eight Taylor.

    "That''s great." father spasokuktsky was very happy when he heard that Chechen wanted to help himself. He pointed to the square in the distance: "where will I hold mass in the evening to pray to God for the hungry and suffering people."

    "OK, I will come." Chechen promised. He decided to go to father sparso kucktsky as soon as he terminated his employment contract.

    After saying goodbye to the priest, Chechen continued to walk towards the castle. Everything in the castle was quiet. It seemed that no one knew about Catherine''s escape. This made Chechen settle down.

    Soon he came to the office of Colonel Franco.

    Chechen knocked on the door and pushed in. In the office, not only captain Franco, but also Aragon. After recuperation, Aragorn''s daily actions have been unimpeded. Now he took over Catherine''s company. When Chechen came in, they were studying something against the map.

    Seeing Chechen coming in, Franco and Aragon raised their heads and looked at him with four eyes.

    "What''s up, Cherchen?" Franco asked.

    "Captain, I want to leave the mercenary regiment." Chechen summoned up his courage and said.

    "Chechen, do you know what you''re talking about?" Aragon said angrily. He didn''t expect that Chechen came to the head for such a thing.

    During this period, due to the siege and the lack of materials in the city, some soldiers were indeed shaken, and several desertions occurred one after another. However, in the mercenary regiment led by head Franco, all people could unite around the head without any discouragement and timidity. Head Franco didn''t say it, but Aragon knew that the head was also proud of the cohesion of his team. Now, there are "deserters" in the mercenary Corps. This deserter is still deeply loved and taken care of by everyone.

    "I want to leave the mercenary regiment," Chechen said again.

    Aragorn was speechless with anger.

    Unlike Aragon, who was angry, Franco did not show any emotion. Even if Cherchen said he would leave the mercenary regiment for the second time, Franco was not angry. He looked at Chechen. His eagle sharp eyes seemed to see through Chechen.

    "Why did you leave the mercenaries?" Franco asked, putting down his quill pen.

    "Because I made a mistake," Chechen replied. While saying this, the scene of Catherine''s carriage leaving Smolensk emerged in Chechen''s mind.

    "What kind of mistake?" Franco''s voice remained calm.

    "I can''t say."

    Chechen really can''t say, because the secret involves too much - it concerns two lives.

    Franco came to Cherchen, and his figure was like a giant on Olympus.

    "You made a mistake, so do you want to make up for it with another mistake?"

    "Two mistakes?" Chechen was confused by Franco. When did he make the second mistake? He wanted to leave the mercenary regiment in order to take the first wrong responsibility.

    "You have made a mistake. I don''t want you to tell me what the mistake is. In your opinion, your resignation is to take responsibility for that mistake. But have you ever thought about what it means for you to leave the mercenary regiment now? It means that you, Chechen of the aleval family, are a deserter. He abandoned his colleague''s robe at the most critical time of others and left alone Make your own living. Your father will be ashamed of you, and so will your uncle. "Franco said, and every word he said hit Chechen''s heart.

    "Do you think you have taken responsibility even if you left the mercenary regiment? Has that mistake been corrected? Of course not. It still remains in your heart. I can approve your departure today, but I am sure that when you are old, you will be ashamed that you didn''t fight with your colleagues and live and die together today. You will take two people who can''t make up for it My mistake is to die. "

    Chechen shed a cold sweat. He found himself really naive. Leaving the mercenary regiment really can''t solve any problems. And as the head said, he will spend the rest of his life with endless regret.

    "Cherchen, what mistake did you make? Tell me. Maybe the head and I can help you solve it." Aragon persuaded. He also saw that Chechen didn''t want to leave the mercenary regiment because of timidity.

    But Chechen shook his head.

    Seeing this, Aragon sighed and shook his head.

    "Franco also saw that Chechen would never say anything. In order to untie Chechen''s heart knot, Franco had to take a strong dose of medicine.

    If you have a chance to make up for your mistakes, are you willing? "

    Cherchen nodded.

    But Aragon changed his face.

    "Captain!"

    Captain Franco ignored Aragon and continued to say to Cherchen:

    "Well, I''ll give you a chance to make up for your mistakes. If you finish the task, I''ll write off whatever mistakes you''ve made."

    "I will!" said Chechen firmly.

    Seeing that Chechen didn''t ask what the task was, Aragon agreed. Aragon had to introduce the task to Chechen.

    Franco''s mission is to go out of the city and destroy the tunnels built by zaporoze Cossacks.

    After the strong wind and snow, zaporoze''s Cossack troops also withdrew to zamoshya. The enemy would not take major military action before the ice and snow melted, which has been the consensus of the high-level and officers and soldiers in Smolensk city. More than ten days ago, when Aragon was inspecting the west city wall, he accidentally found that the snow on the vertical wall outside the city was a section lower than the surrounding snow, in a straight line. Originally, Aragon didn''t care, but these days, Aragon found that this straight line spread towards the city wall. Then Aragon realized that someone was digging a tunnel. So he reported the situation to Franco, his boss, and Franco immediately reported it to the military conference.

    "Because someone dug a tunnel underground, the temperature in the underground section was higher than that on the ground, melting the snow on the upper layer. Is that right?"

    Aragorn nodded. He just felt it strange by experience, but Che Chen could tell the truth. Knowledge is really different.

    "We speculate that the entrance of the tunnel should be in the woods outside the city. Our number is small. It''s not good for us to seize the tunnel out of the city. But if we don''t destroy the tunnel, if the enemy digs it under the wall and buries gunpowder, the wall will be destroyed. So the military conference decided to send a death squadron to attack at night."

    To carry out such a task is a narrow escape. In order to raise enough people, the mayor of Fyodor offered a reward of 500 Taylor for one person. It was also announced that even dead prisoners would forgive all his sins if they were willing to participate.

    "How many people took part?" Chechen asked. He didn''t hesitate to ask this question. In fact, he has put aside life and death, and the possible pardon from fiordo is his desired reward, because in this way, he will completely make up for his guilt of not being loyal to his employer.

    "Plus you, there are ten."

    "When will you go?"

    "Tomorrow night."

    "Then I have two more requests," Chechen said. "First, give the five hundred Taylor to a priest named sparso kuytsky, who will mass in the square tonight; second, don''t tell my uncle."

    "I promise you," agreed captain Franco.