In the spacious tent, everyone was listening to Loriste talk as he pointed at an animal skin map of the northern highlands.
"This is the current situation in the north. Duke Lujins covets the wealth of the Norton Family, and because we don't have enough soldiers, he gathered two-thirds of the nobles in the north and gathered almost 50,000 soldiers to attack Monolith Castle. They have been stationed at Monolith Castle for almost a month. During this time, they attacked Monolith Castle three times, but suffered heavy casualties and returned without any success. The lords who lost their soldiers are complaining, and it's said that they are arguing every day and drawing lots to decide who will attack the castle … "
Everyone in the tent burst into laughter.
Loriste also laughed. "We've already contacted Knight Josk, who is guarding Monolith Castle. He doesn't think there's any need to worry about the mobs. They won't be able to take Monolith Castle in another hundred years. He's very happy to hear that we've arrived in the north. He's looking forward to seeing everyone again. "
"We're currently in the western part of the north. It'll take five days to reach Monolith Castle on horseback. I think it'll be wider if we walk. With the transport of so many goods and the speed of the refugees, it'll take more than a month. I've decided to occupy this place first … "Loriste pointed at a place on the map with a small stick." Earl Spencer's territory. This place is only a day and a half's journey on horseback from our Rock Castle. It's perfect for our operation center and forward base. "
"I don't know what's gotten into Earl Spencer this time. Come to think of it, we've been neighbors for almost a hundred years. Even though we don't have a good relationship, we still have some interactions and are polite to each other. I really don't understand why he would respond so enthusiastically to Duke Lujins' call, and even lead his family to attack Monolith Castle first. I don't know if he drank the wrong potion … "
Loriste scratched his head. "Forget it, I don't want to find a reason. Since he's determined to be enemies with the Norton Family, he should be prepared for our revenge. I've already ordered Yuri to take down his manor and block off any scouts in this area. Bofinger … "
Bodelfinger stood up. "Sir, I await your orders."
"You'll set off in a moment. Take your Heavy Armor Regiment to Earl Spencer's territory and take over the defense preparations of the castle and the camp. The supplies and refugees will be sent to you. You'll be responsible for the safety and security of the entire camp."
"Yes, my lord."
"Freya, Malek, your garrisons will be in charge of the security along the way. Terman's knights will act as a mobile force to prevent any accidents along the way. Freya will be the leader, Malek and Terman will be his assistants. Understood? "
"Yes, Sir, we understand."
Farrell, Malek, and Terman stood up.
Laurist continued to issue orders. "Shredder will be in charge of the transportation of resources and personnel. The guard camp was in charge of security. Dolus's Chariot, Peter's Cavalry Archers, and Roth's three Armored Lancers will all be led by me. We'll sweep through the south and turn that bullshit duke's so-called elite northern lands into ruins. We'll show him the consequences of offending the Norton Family. Lastly, we'll gather at Earl Spencer's territory and give those idiots who want to take down Monolith Castle a surprise. We'll let them have a taste of our might … "
"Peter, lead the Cavalry Archers and seal off the area between Bin Hill and the Somme River. Don't let the news of our attack reach the enemy's camp outside Monolith Castle. I'll order Yuri's light cavalry to coordinate with you."
"Yes, my lord."
"Roth, lead two Cavalry Brigades and head straight here. They'll be at the checkpoint of Hendry's chain bridge and Fort Frist's castle. You'll be the first to force the garrison there into seclusion. Originally, these two places were guarded by four companies of the Northland Army with more than ten thousand soldiers. This time, Duke Lujins took two companies of five thousand soldiers to follow him. As for the remaining five thousand soldiers, we'll use two companies of Armored Lancers to confront them. You can lure them out and then destroy them, but I won't allow you to attack the castle. Don't sacrifice our family's soldiers for nothing. Do you understand? "
"Yes, my lord. I won't let you down," Roth replied as he stood up.
"I'll lead the rest of the Armored Lancers and Chariot. I'll add a small group of guards to attack the Grand Duchy in the south. We're going to take all of the Grand Duchy's assets. The rules are: food, weapons, carriages, Northland horses, cattle, sheep, farmers, craftsmen, etc. We'll take all of them. The nobles will be confiscated, and the merchants' goods will be taken at half price. Shredder, prepare a convoy to transport our spoils of war. "Laurist was prepared to take all of the Grand Duchy's resources.
"My lord, wait. You seem to have forgotten that there's still Duke Lujins' army here. I'm a little curious as to why these five thousand soldiers of the Northland Army would be stationed at the manor castle at the border of the Grand Duchy. Look at the other two manors and seven towns in the Grand Duchy. Each of them only has a small group of Northland Army soldiers stationed there. Even his capital city only has a company of Northland Army soldiers left to defend and maintain order. Is Duke Lujins plotting something by stationing this army here? "Boddfinger reminded Lollister.
Laurist laughed and pointed at the location of the army on the map. "I didn't make it clear to you. In fact, this army has long disobeyed Duke Lujins' orders. The current commander of this army is the Gold Knight Henned. You all know that he was once captured by me. Duke Lujins went crazy. Because they did not transport the loot from the massacre of Northfield Town back first, they blamed him and Chevani for the defeat. Although Chevani had died in battle, Duke Lujins still confiscated his house and abandoned his body in the wilderness, making his family beg on the streets. This almost caused a mutiny in the Northland Army.
Duke Lujins also wanted to bring Knight Henned back for punishment at the price of a criminal. I couldn't stand it, so I waived the ransom for him and the Silver-ranked Knights who surrendered and let them go. According to the intelligence, after Henned returned, he relied on the Silver-ranked Knights to contact his and Chevani's old subordinates, as well as the soldiers who were dissatisfied with the Grand Duke. He took two large groups of soldiers and forcefully occupied the manor castle to protect himself, ignoring Duke Lujins' orders. The Grand Duke could not do anything to them, so he could only pinch his nose and accept the situation.
Although they were still the Northland Army in name, the Grand Duke's orders were useless to them. Otherwise, they would not have transferred the soldiers from Hendry's chain bridge and the Forrester Fortress to attack Monolith Castle. I am preparing to leave for this manor castle tomorrow to meet with Knight Henned and reach an agreement with him to let him stand aside and watch the show. If he doesn't know what's good for him, hehe, I believe that with the strength of our family's armed forces in the field, we still have a good chance of defeating his five thousand men army … "
Bofinger nodded. "Then I am relieved. I wish you all the best, my lord."
"Alright, that's all. Everyone, go and prepare. Let the Norton Family's Furious Bear flag fly in the north, and let the people of the north see how the Roaring Bear's anger is vented …"
"Yes, my lord."
There was a loud response from the big tent, and everyone left in high spirits.
…
This manor castle called Cherry Ridge was surrounded by mountains and rivers, and the scenery was beautiful. It was said that the third generation Grand Duke of the North loved cherry blossoms and built it for a holiday. However, at this moment, the two armies in front of the manor castle were facing each other.
Knight Henned was very surprised to see Laurist coming out of the formation. "Why are you here? Isn't His Excellency the Duke leading the northern nobles to attack your Monolith Castle? "
Laurist smiled. "I'm here to see an old friend. Firstly, I want to say hello, and secondly, I want to attack the Grand Duke. It's just that I feel that you are an eyesore with your army here. If you can turn a blind eye to what is happening outside, then I can rest assured. Tell me, Knight Henned. What do you want in exchange for not interfering with the battle between me and the duke? "
Knight Henned did not answer the question. "Baron Norton, you should call me Baron Shahin. I just inherited my father's barony at the end of last year. My father has retired."
He pointed to the west and said, "The territory next to this …"
Laurist was surprised. "Oh, congratulations, Baron Shahin."
"You can call me Henned. That's what my friends call me."
"Hehe, then you can call me Locke too. We are friends."
Laurist thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you bring your army back to your family's territory?"
"I can't. The territory is barren, and it can't support five thousand men. In fact, this was originally my barony. It's just that the previous three generations of the Grand Duke of the North liked the scenery of Cherry Blossom Ridge and forcefully divided the territory in half, forcing us to become a vassal lord of the Grand Duke of the North. Now that I'm leading my army here, isn't it the same as taking back my family's territory? "Henned said.
"What do you think of my suggestion, Henned?" Henned, "Loriste asked.
Henned smiled cunningly. "Locke, you've given me a big problem. After all, I'm still a vassal lord of the duke, and my soldiers are also under the duke's command. If I watch you attack the Grand Duke, how can I face the world? Am I still a knight? "
Laurist frowned. "Are you saying that you want to fight me?"
Henned shook his head. "I'm not stupid. Look at the equipment of your soldiers, and then look at the leather armor of my men. I won't fight with an egg against a rock. Locke, you don't want to fight me either, right? Promise me three things, and I'll think of a way to avoid a war between us. What do you think? "
"Tell me, what are your three conditions?"
"First, don't touch this castle and the nearby town of Evensen. They are the source of food and clothing for my troops."
"Okay." Laurist nodded.
"Second, I want to send people to follow you and move the families of my soldiers back. That way, they will become the armed forces of the Shahin family."
Laurist thought for a moment and asked, "You mean the duke used the families of these soldiers to threaten you?"
Henned nodded. "After I inherited my father's title and territory, I wrote a letter to the duke. I'm no longer a knight of his family, but a vassal lord. But His Grace does not recognize the legitimacy of my inheritance and refused to give me proof of inheritance. He also said that if my soldiers follow me, their families who stay in the Grand Duke's territory will be punished, so we can only stay here. "
If a family knight was given a title and territory by the head of the family, he would no longer be a knight of the family, but a vassal lord. Henned was in the second situation. He inherited the title and territory of a vassal lord from his father, so he didn't have to obey the head of the family unconditionally like a knight of the family. This was probably a decision made by his father to prevent his son from being called a rebellious knight. He retired and let Henned become a vassal lord.
Leaving was a way of saying that a knight of the family left the family to become a wandering knight or a free knight because he was dissatisfied with the head of the family. Becoming a vassal lord and no longer a knight of the family was also considered leaving.
"Did Duke Lujins want to send troops to punish you?" Laurist asked curiously.
"Of course he wanted to, but he couldn't do it. They were all comrades of the Northland Legion. No one wanted to kill each other. Even if he gave the order, no one would listen. That's why he went to attack the Norton family. Why aren't you worried about your Monolith Castle? Why are you still thinking about attacking the Grand Duchy? "Henned asked Laurist.
"Haha, you've seen the defenses of Monolith Castle. Do you think the private soldiers of the nobles and peasants that Duke Lujins gathered can defeat it?"
"That's true. Oh, right, do you agree to my condition?"
"Yes, you can send people to bring back the families of your soldiers," Laurist said. "What's the third condition?"
"I want to send a large group of soldiers to pretend to be your family's soldiers. I want half of the loot," Henned demanded.
"Get lost. One-tenth at most," Laurist countered.
"Don't be so stingy. We have more than five thousand people stationed here. At most, we can get enough food and clothing. We don't get any other benefits. I have to think about the future of my subordinates. If there are benefits, you can't take it all for yourself. If you treat me as a friend, give me more. "Henned began to beg.
"I have ten times more subordinates than you do. I can give you one more, two-tenths at most. Any more and we'll fight," Laurist said.
Henned didn't believe him. "Keep bragging. I don't believe you have that many people …"
But seeing Laurist's gloomy face, he had no choice but to agree. "Two-tenths it is. I agree. But you have to promise me one more thing. "
Laurist was angry. "Are you done yet? Let's just fight."
Henned quickly waved his hand. "This is my personal request. It doesn't matter if you agree or not …"
"Tell me, what request is it?" Laurist said impatiently. Then, he saw that Henned seemed to be embarrassed.
"Um, cough, Locke, I mean, can you return Mina, Hennie, Chris, and Molina to me? I've been thinking about them for more than half a year …"
"Wait, who are these Mina people you're talking about? Why are they here? I don't even know them. "Laurist was very puzzled.
"Ah … the night you caught me, in Beiye Town. The four women in my room. I really like them. You should have kept them in your room too, right? Can you return them to me? "Henned looked like he was trying to please Locke.
Laurist thought for a long time before he remembered that there were a few women like this. He shook his head and said, "I didn't take them into my room. They should be staying with the women who were rescued from Northern Field Town. I told them that no one would disturb them. But I think it's strange. How could you kill their parents and fall in love with them? Aren't you afraid that they'll stab you while you're asleep? "
Henned curled his lips. "I didn't kill their parents and brothers. That was the duke's order. It's none of my business. I was the one who protected them from the soldiers. They should be grateful that I gave them their bodies. I'm glad you didn't touch them. Locke, you're my real brother. When are you going to give them to me? "
"Go get them yourself. If they want to go with you, that's fine. If they don't want to, don't force them. You should know that a melon forcibly won't be sweet. By the way, if you don't fight me, how are you going to deal with the duke and other people's opinions? "Laurist asked.
"What's so difficult about that? Watch me." Henned turned his horse around and went back to his camp. He loudly blew the horn and prepared for battle. He then pulled out his sword and pointed it at Laurist. He ordered the soldiers to fight for the honor of Duke Lujins.
Unfortunately, in the process of charging, Knight Henned's horse lost its front hooves, causing its master to be seriously injured. Knight Henned's men then took him back to the manor and closed the door to the castle to guard it.
Lollister and his squad of armored lances were dumbfounded as they watched Knight Henned's self-scripted and self-directed battle on the battlefield, heroically wounded, and honorably retreating ….
"That works?" Laurist said.
… …
Continental War Chronicles, Northland Chapter:
Galinthea General Calendar, April 11th, 1768. The new head of the Norton family, Earl Norton Laurist, led an army to attack the Grand Duchy of the North. Under the leadership of the Golden Knight Henned, the five thousand men of the Northern Army stationed at Cherry Blossom Ridge fought bravely against the invasion. In the fierce battle, Henned's horse lost its front leg and fell off. Although seriously injured, he still fought bravely. In the end, he was rescued by his men and had no choice but to return to the manor and defend it. As a result, the entire Grand Duchy was tormented by the armed forces of the Norton family. The Lujins family, the Grand Duke of the North, painstakingly built the prosperous southern region was destroyed. It was known as the Southern Calamity …
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
