The Hunt

Near Târgoviște, there is a vast hunting ground, also a deserted forbidden area, which is Prince Vlad's favorite place.

At the center of the hunting ground is a dense forest, with a slightly rugged terrain due to its proximity to the mountains.

With its dense forests and abundant wild beasts, this place is not only an excellent spot for hunting but also a military base where Vlad trains his personal guard cavalry.

Wallachia has a quite complex terrain, with many mountains, forests, and swamps.

Through rigorous training of his personal guard cavalry, Vlad enabled them to move freely and flexibly in complex terrains.

On this basis, he vigorously promoted guerrilla tactics in the army, requiring every cavalryman to master horse archery.

The cavalrymen thus gained the ability to launch quick attacks and retreat swiftly.

They could quickly find the enemy's weak points and attack them, then disappear into the mountains or wilderness.

He took the Cumans and Mongols as benchmarks, striving to create a cavalry army that surpassed both Hungarian and Ottoman cavalry.

For this purpose, he often gathered his personal guards for hunting activities near Târgoviște, partly to satisfy his hobby and partly to strengthen the army's power.

Since becoming Prince, he had been recruiting Wallachian herdsmen skilled in horsemanship to join his personal guard.

Once, when he was in exile in Hungary under Janos's protection, he had only a few riders accompanying him on his wanderings.

Now, he commanded an elite cavalry force of over two thousand men, a formidable army of tigers and wolves he had personally built and trained.

They had followed him to sweep through Tarnovo across the Danube River, taking revenge on the Ottoman.

They had also accompanied him in defending Giurgiu Fortress, forcing the Ottoman to halt before the strong city.

They had even joined him in the Crusade of Varna, where they personally slew Mahmud Pasha, Mehmed II's right-hand man.

Every warrior of the Prince's personal guard rode a fine horse, carried a strong bow, and wore a scimitar at their waist, moving as swiftly as the wind.

Vlad even dared to proudly thump his chest and say, "If fighting in Wallachia, neither the Sultan's Janissaries nor the Emperor's Imperial Guard can stand against Wallachian cavalry."

Although there was some exaggeration in his words, there was also some truth to them.

On this day, Vlad, who had only recently returned from Bulgaria, once again led over a hundred personal guards away from the Prince's castle in Târgoviște, heading towards his long-missed hunting grounds.

Sunlight filtered through the tall tree branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows, and occasionally, distant bird calls and the low growls of wild beasts could be heard, as if nature was playing a mysterious symphony.

Vlad, clad in black armor, rode his carefully selected black steed, holding the reins in one hand and a hunting bow in the other, looking fully armed as if he were about to fight a fierce battle.

How could one go hunting without wearing armor and a helmet? Moreover, Vlad's primary purpose was not hunting for pleasure, but military training.

Beside him, the cavalrymen had already begun to spread out according to the Prince's instructions, also holding bows, but they needed to wait for the Prince's command before shooting.

Before that, they needed to act as hunting dogs, riding into the jungle to drive the prey towards Vlad.

Vlad looked around in the jungle, beginning to search for signs of prey.

He hadn't hunted in a while and had been itching to do so recently.

In previous years, he could hunt Ottoman, as well as rebellious nobles and peasants.

In recent years, almost all unruly individuals had been eliminated by him, and the fragmentation of Wallachian nobility had almost been brought to an end by him.

It seemed that only peace remained in the days to come.

Whether it was Hungary or Bulgaria, as long as they submitted to the young Emperor and satisfied his vanity, there would be no trouble.

To the north, his cousin Stefan had an extremely close relationship with him; Wallachia and Moldavia had completely become "brother nations."

Such peaceful days were not bad; recently, the nobles had obediently paid their taxes, and coupled with the money extorted from those rioters and rebellious nobles, Vlad's life was exceptionally comfortable.

The border stronghold Giurgiu Fortress? Expand!

The old royal palace Curtea de Argeș? Expand!

The capital's landmark Sunset Tower? Expand!

Vlad greatly enjoyed spending money.

He had struggled for many years to finally subdue these lawless nobles and re-establish the Prince's authority.

He had money to spend, and it was his money to spend!

However, beneath this calm, there seemed to be an unspeakable strangeness; Vlad always had a bad feeling.

He shook his head lightly, dispelling the unrealistic conjectures in his mind.

He firmly controlled several thousand soldiers in Wallachia, part of which was the border army stationed in Giurgiu Fortress, and the other part was the personal guard stationed in the capital Târgoviște.

And the nobles had long been constrained by his decrees, disbanding most of their private armies.

Throughout Wallachia, the strongest noble apart from him had no more than a hundred private soldiers, and they were under strict surveillance.

At least outwardly, those nobles dared not raise more troops, nor did they have the ability to contend with him, a powerful Prince.

Moreover, the Emperor stood behind him; who would dare to challenge the Emperor's authority now?

Vlad stopped thinking and focused all his energy on the hunt before him.

A movement came from the bushes to the east; it was the whistle of his cavalrymen, signaling that prey was approaching.

Sure enough, a stag leaped out from the gaps in the birch forest, its glossy mane covered in morning dew, and its branched antlers resembled two burning thickets.

Vlad held his breath, drew a finely crafted barbed arrow from his quiver, and nocked it on the bowstring.

This was the arrow most favored by the Cumans; it had strong penetration and would cause immense damage to the prey.

However, they only used such arrows to shoot people; using them for hunting was a bit too wasteful.

Vlad, however, had no such scruples; torturing either humans or animals brought him a sense of satisfaction.

The stag turned to try and avoid the hunter before it, but Vlad would not let it go easily.

The moment the bowstring twanged, the sharp arrow pierced the animal's abdomen.

The stag still ran stubbornly, trying to escape the hunter's sight, but its pace gradually slowed.

"Your Highness?" The attendant, leading the hounds, asked Vlad.

Vlad waved his hand, and several fierce hounds immediately rushed towards the stag, which was gradually escaping into the distance.

By the time Vlad rode up to the prey, the stag had already fallen to the ground under the hounds' attack, awaiting death.

The attendants and cavalrymen closely following Vlad immediately cheered, celebrating their Prince's superb archery skills.

Vlad revealed a slight smile; just one prey could not satisfy him; the truly enjoyable hunt had just begun.

Everything in the hunting ground seemed so peaceful, yet a thrilling conspiracy was quietly brewing.