Why did Paul Binns return at this time? Wasn't he with Josk monitoring Duke Lujins' army? Could it be that something had happened? Loriste rushed to the front with questions in his mind.
"Sir, I don't know if this is good news or bad news. After the incident, Sir Josk didn't know what to do, so he ordered me to report to you immediately and wait for your decision," Paul Binns said with a pale face.
"What happened?" Loriste asked.
"It's like this. Around seven o 'clock last night, Northern Field City was decorated with lanterns and banners. It was very lively. Many people put on their new clothes and walked towards Duke Lujins' camp. Sir Josk sneaked near the camp and came back after a while to say that there was a big banquet tonight. It seemed to be to celebrate the four families of Northern Field City being conferred as barons by the Duke of the North. We were all very angry, so we decided to give them some trouble and not let them complete the conferring ceremony smoothly … "
Paul Binns seemed to be reminiscing, "Sir Josk took us to sneak into the camp again. What surprised us was that the enemy's security seemed to be very lax. Even the sentries on the watchtower had turned around to watch the movements inside the camp. We smoothly made our way to the fence of the camp. We wanted to shoot fire arrows in and set the tents on fire, but Sir Josk stopped us. He said something was wrong and told us to wait and see what was going on … "
"Through the gap in the fence, I saw the people of Northern Field City sitting in the center of the camp. They were drinking and eating around a bonfire. Soon, two armored knights walked over. The leaders of Northern Field City went to greet them. A knight with a goatee smiled and said a few words. Then, the people of Northern Field City knelt down. Closely after that, that knight uttered something shocking. All the people in Beiye Town became stunned. Another knight on one side drew out his sword and pierced it into the chest of an old man in the head of the Beiye Town... "
"We were all stunned when we heard the sound of a horn. Then, groups of fully armed soldiers rushed out of the tents in the center of the camp and slaughtered the people of Northern Field City. It was really a massacre. The people of Beiye Town were unarmed and could not fight back at all. Even if they knelt down and begged for mercy, they were still killed. Lord Josk said that there were more than two thousand people from Beiye Town who came to the banquet. They were all men, old and young. Blood flowed like a river outside the camp. When there were only five or six hundred of them left, they gathered together to fight back with the firewood on the bonfire. They only managed to light a few tents before they were killed by the Silver-tier knights on horseback … "
"Immediately after that, Duke Lujins sent half of his army to attack Northern Field Town. Very quickly, they used a battering ram to break open the gate and killed their way in. Northern Field Town was filled with the sounds of fighting, crying, screaming, and several houses were set on fire. We were so shocked that we were numb. We didn't know why it was like this … It was Lord Josk who woke us up and took us out of the camp. In the morning, we saw the soldiers in the camp digging a big pit and throwing all the corpses into it. They poured oil on the fire and started burning it. After that, they packed up the camp and set off for Northern Field Town. The soldiers from Northern Field Town dug a big pit outside the camp and used carriages to transport the corpses out. Lord Josk had good eyesight. He said that most of the corpses that were transported out of the town were old and young … "
"My lord, now that the army sent by Duke Lujins has taken over Northern Field Town, Lord Josk does not know what to do next, so he sent me back to report to my lord …" Paul Binns finally finished recounting what happened last night. Perhaps it was because he had not recovered from the massacre that he witnessed last night, he was trembling as he reported what he saw with his own eyes.
Laurist took off his cloak and put it on Paul Binns' shoulders. Paul Binns was so grateful that he wanted to say something, but he could not. He could only hold on to the cloak tightly.
He looked up and looked towards the direction of Northern Field Town. As expected, there were two faintly discernible pillars of gray smoke rising up. Although Laurist was shocked to hear that the residents of Northern Field Town had been massacred, he was secretly delighted. Betraying the Norton Family, rebelling, colluding with Duke Lujins, and leading the enemy into the family's territory, the actions of the four families in Northern Field Town had already crossed the bottom line of any territory noble. The massacre they had suffered was self-inflicted, and did not deserve any sympathy.
Laurist wanted to laugh out loud, but he held it in. He was happy that he had one less problem to deal with. Although he hated the residents of Northern Field Town from the bottom of his heart, he was still from another world. The education he had received in his previous life made it difficult for him to act against the old and young, even if they were the relatives of his enemies. It was difficult for him to raise his knife against the defenseless women and children.
These country bumpkins of Northern Field Town were used to doing whatever they wanted in their family's territory. Did they think that the nobles outside were as kind and amiable as the ancestors of the Norton Family? They colluded with Duke Lujins to crusade against their own lord, and even wanted to be conferred a title by the duke. They did not know how difficult it was for a commoner to become a noble. They had not seen the world and did not know the immensity of heaven and earth. They had actually believed the duke's promise to them. They did not know at all that their actions of rebelling against their own lord were taboo in the eyes of the other nobles. Now that they had suffered a massacre, they could only blame themselves for retribution for their rebellion.
The massacre reported by Paul Robbins was indeed good news for Laurist. Duke Lujins's army had helped him get rid of this cancer in his family's territory. Otherwise, even if Laurist conquered Northern Field Town, he would have a headache dealing with these rebellious relatives. He would have to consider what others would think if he killed them all. After all, there were many people in Maple Forest Manor who were relatives. It would not be appropriate to let them go either. These old people and children would pass on their hatred for the Norton Family from generation to generation. They would become buried landmines in the family's territory, and would become an unstable factor in the future.
Laurist felt the pressure on his body lighten greatly. However, he did not understand why Duke Lujins's army would make such an unwise decision to massacre the residents of Northern Field Town. This was not just cutting off an arm, but also putting the army deep in the Norton Family's territory into a dangerous situation. Laurist had already sensed the opportunity to defeat the army that Duke Lujins had sent to crusade against his family.
Did Duke Lujins think that everything would be fine after his army of 4,000 entered the Norton Family's territory? That was why he had no qualms about killing Northern Field Town, who had led them and colluded with them. If that was the case, Laurist would be happy to give Duke Lujins a big slap in the face and teach him a lesson.
From Laurist's point of view, this massacre had brought countless benefits to the Norton Family. Without the massacre, the rebels in Northern Field Town would have become the Duke's army's solid rear. Not only could they serve as a logistics base, but they could also lead the Duke's army to attack the Norton Family's weak points. Many of the people in Maplewood Manor were in cahoots with Northern Field Town. Under the attack of the Duke's army, Laurist was most worried that there would be internal strife. The people of Northern Field Town would instruct the people in Maplewood Manor to attack the family's main castle.
Now that the massacre had happened, the people in Maple Forest Manor would only be united against a common enemy. They would resolutely resist and not surrender. This was because the example of Northern Field Town was right in front of them. Everyone knew that there was no other way but to resolutely resist. Under such circumstances, it was wishful thinking for the Duke's army to capture Maple Forest Manor in a short period of time. And the longer the attack was not going smoothly, the more chance Laurist had of victory.
From the perspective of military strength, the Duke's army's massacre of Northern Field Town was also a failure. This was what Laurist could not understand the most. Why did they not temporarily pacify Northern Field Town? Ignoring everything else, Northern Field Town could send more than a thousand soldiers to transport supplies and defend Northern Field Town. This allowed the Duke's army to attack with four thousand soldiers without any worries. Now that the massacre was over, the Duke's army could send at least a thousand soldiers to defend Northern Field Town, and only three thousand soldiers could attack. If the attack on Maple Forest Manor failed, they would have to send people back to Northern Field Town to transport supplies. At that time, Laurist would definitely not let go of the food that was delivered to his doorstep.
The more Laurist thought about it, the more excited he became. At this moment, he felt that he was very confident in defeating the Duke's army. He was no longer holding the idea of taking things one step at a time and trying to find an opportunity to attack. Now, he could not wait to rush to Maple Forest Manor.
"Vasima, order the troops to speed up. We must reach Maple Forest Manor before evening," Laurist said.
… …
Laurist waited anxiously in Maple Forest Manor for three days, but he did not receive any news from Jost that the Duke's army that occupied Northern Field Town had sent troops to attack Maple Forest Manor. Laurist could not understand why the Duke's army was dawdling. Could it be that the Duke's army wanted to establish a foothold in Northern Field Town and wait for the reinforcements to arrive? If that was the case, his family's territory would be in trouble, and it would be plunged into the flames of war for a long time.
Just as he was about to go to Northern Field Town to take a look, a guard outside the door came in to report, "Sir, Husky has returned."
Husky was covered in dust, his clothes ragged, and his face was full of fatigue. After entering and bowing, he took out an animal skin map, "Sir, I found the route the enemy took …"
Opening the map, Laurist found that Husky had drawn a crooked line with black charcoal.
"It's here …" Husky pointed at Blade Peak Mountain. "We followed the enemy's main force and followed the tracks they left along the way. When we reached Blade Peak Mountain, we found a cave. Through the cave was a valley, and after walking for half a day, we found another cave. This cave was very long and dark, and we walked for almost a day before reaching the exit. The exit was a cliff, and beside it was a precipice. Many vines hung down from the precipice. The people of Northern Field Town used these vines to build a rope bridge. It's more than 200 meters long and a meter wide. The rope bridge was very sturdy, and even a fully loaded four-wheeled carriage could pass through it. "
"After passing through the rope bridge, there was another cliff on the other side, but there was a mountain path that led down to the beach. It was a very large beach. When we were resting on the beach, we were attacked. The enemy was defeated by us, and we captured two captives. We found out that it was a lord called Myrad. He was curious about Duke Lujins' army passing through his territory, and he wanted to take advantage of them. So, he sent more than 300 of his family's armed forces to follow us. The ones that we defeated were their scouts. When the scouts saw that there were only two or three of us, they became greedy. They did not expect that there were still more than 20 of us resting under the sand dune. They did not see it, and they suffered a great loss. "
Husky chuckled as he said this. "But we were not in a good position. The scouts that went back quickly led more than 300 people to seek revenge. There were three Silver-tier knights among them. We had to retreat. The enemy was hot on our heels, and we lost four men. When we reached the rope bridge, I made up my mind and asked everyone to sprinkle the kerosene on the bridge and the vines hanging down from the precipice. When the enemy reached the bridge, I set it on fire, and the vines hanging down from the precipice and the bridge were all burned. The enemies who chased after us were lucky. Half of them managed to escape, but only one of the three Silver-tier knights made it back. His body was still on fire. Even if he did not die, he would be in a terrible situation.
Buckingham was overjoyed. "You mean that the rope bridge was burned, and this road can no longer be used?"
Husky thought for a moment and replied, "That should be the case. The rope bridge was more than 200 meters long, and it was burned to the precipice. There was no way to cross it. The only way to cross it is to wait for another three or four years for the vines to grow back and hang down. Only then can we use the vines to build another rope bridge … "
"That's great, Husky. You've done the Norton family a great service. Now I don't have to worry about Duke Lujins sending his army through this road to enter our territory. As for the Duke's army in Northern Field Town, they are like turtles in a jar. There is no way for them to escape. Haha! "Buckingham was very happy, and he patted Husky's shoulder vigorously.
"Oh, right, Husky. What reward do you want? If you want to become a knight of the Norton family, that's fine. I'll promote you to be my knight immediately, "Buckingham said.
Husky smiled bitterly. "My Lord, I think it's better if you give me some money. This is not just my own effort. There are 24 of my companions, and four of my comrades who sacrificed themselves for us. If I become your knight, it would feel like I'm betraying them. There's another reason, my Lord. I'm almost 45 years old, and I'm too old to be your knight. I've been a mercenary for more than 20 years, and I'm feeling very tired. I don't want to continue. In the past, I had a dream of building a mercenary group and handing it over to Jim when I'm 50 years old. But now, Jim is following Lord Buckingham. I don't want to build a mercenary group anymore. It's time for me to go home and retire. "
Buckingham nodded. "Alright, Husky. Although I don't think you're old, I respect your wishes. This time, each mercenary will be given 10 Gold Fords, and each mercenary who sacrificed himself will be given 20 Gold Fords. What do you think? "
"My Lord, thank you for your kindness and generosity." Husky bowed.
"Oh, right. After this war, I'll build a few towns in my family's territory. If you're willing, you can bring your family to settle down in my territory. I'll give you a position as a garrison captain. As for your mercenary companions, if they're willing, they can join my family's armed forces. I believe they'll have a bright future ahead of them, "Buckingham said.
"Yes, my Lord. Thank you for your kindness. I'll tell everyone," Husky replied.
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