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Chapter 368: Kant's Decision-Making Process
"Well, it's good that you're back."
Kant nodded. He glanced at the happy-looking Joycelin and asked with a smile, "From the looks of it, you seem to have encountered something worth being happy about."
"That's right." Joycelin nodded. "We can maintain long-term trade with the tree people of the Fangorn Forest!" Without waiting for Kant to ask, he continued to report, "The elemental gemstones we had back then were those crystal clear blue and yellow gemstones. I think you know that, Lord Kant."
"The gemstones obtained after killing the elemental giant, of course I know." Kant nodded.
"That's right!"
Joycelin smiled and said, "Those treemen need these elemental gemstones!"
"Huh?" Kant raised his eyebrows slightly. "This is indeed good news." But he still asked, "How do you calculate the specific value? If I remember correctly, those treemen actually don't care about gold, silver, and other currencies, or do they have the concept of trade at all?"
"This is not a problem, as long as the most primitive barter is fine."
The corner of Joycelin's mouth curled up.
He was very confident about this trade and the future trade. "The Ents in Fangorn forest have all kinds of wild spices that can be exchanged. For example, cinnamon, black pepper, cumin, and other expensive spices exist!"
"Spices, very good." Kant nodded. This was indeed an expensive luxury item.
This could indeed be used as an exchange item.
It was even cheaper for Kant. After all, he did not have many thoughts about those elemental gemstones.
Although they could be sold.
Just like Pande and Caradia.
Those nobles who were passionate about luxury would buy some elemental gemstones and treat them as pure and flawless sapphires and topaz.
There wasn't too much denar that could be exchanged. If Kant could exchange ten elemental gemstones for a small bag of spices and sell them to the merchants of the Dukedom of Leo in exchange for a large number of golden eagles, it would be a guaranteed profit!
Elemental Gems in Fangorn forest could be exchanged for spices, golden eagles, and denar.
And after this exchange…
The value directly increased by several times!
The value of spices was even higher than salt, because this represented identity.
If there were no spices at the banquet of a noble, it would be equivalent to a miser. He would be unable to be accepted by the mainstream noble circle and would even be ridiculed, because that was the social atmosphere.
As a high-ranking noble, one had to have the foundation of a noble.
Fine white salt represented this.
Spices that could produce a wonderful chemical reaction in the mouth represented this!
It could be said that in the hands of the Dukedom of Leo, the human countries, and even the foreign tribes and kingdoms further away, it could be considered a hard currency comparable to gold. It could be directly purchased by a golden eagle!
The value of spices was extremely high!
"Lord."
Joycelin spoke, "The exchange price is indeed generous."
He paused and continued reporting, "In the eyes of these treemen, the earth and water elemental gems can bring them a different kind of enjoyment. Just like how we eat, we can obtain a supplement that is beneficial to our bodies."
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"They are equivalent to half an elemental creature. This is very normal." Kant nodded. He was not surprised by this.
"Of course."
Joycelin nodded. "So their trading price is one elemental gem, which can be exchanged for a small bag of spices."
"So much?" Kant raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised.
"Mm-hmm."
Jocelyn said helplessly, "Of course, this is really a small bag of spices." As he spoke, he took out the spices that he obtained from the trade, which were the size of a fist, there was a pungent fragrance. "This is a small bag of black pepper that those treemen picked. In fact, they are not stupid."
One elemental gem for one small bag of spices. This transaction was indeed not a huge profit.
But Kant did not care.
The elemental gem did not have much effect on him.
But even if it was just this small bag of spices, just like this black pepper, the price in the Dukedom of Leo was definitely worth 10 golden eagles, which was 1,000 great silver coins. It was even more expensive than the white salt trade!
"It's just that it can't last."
Kant frowned slightly.
At present, the source of his elemental gemstones was obtained by relying on those two pages of rare items.
Every week, he could summon around seven earth and water elemental giants. After killing these elemental creatures, he would be able to obtain elemental gemstones. Occasionally, because the sharpshooters were slightly stronger, the elemental gemstones would shatter severely.
This was not unprecedented.
Elemental gemstones were also gemstones. They were hard enough, but they were not as strong.
If the sharp and hard cone arrows were deeper, the arrowheads would be able to easily pierce through the elemental gemstones.
Although they would not shatter into pieces, they would definitely affect the stability of the internal elements. This was something that even without treemen informing Kant, no one wanted damaged materials.
But even so, there were only about 15 elemental gemstones that could be produced every week.
The exchange rate for gold eagles was 150.
The exchange rate for denar was 15,000!
After changing hands, the price of 15 elemental gemstones directly increased by several times!
It should be known that if it was sold as a luxury item used for decoration, like gemstones, the price offered by the nobles of Caradia and Pande was only 250 denar for a crystal clear top-grade elemental gemstone.
And this crystal clear top-grade elemental gemstone was not something that could be found every time.
"15,000 denar per week."
Kant's fingers knocked on the table.
After pondering for a moment, he said to Joycelin, "Continue to maintain good trade exchanges with the treemen of Fangorn forest. Although this money is a little less, the most important thing is to maintain good relations with them."
"Understood."
Joycelin nodded.
Kant obviously didn't care about 15,000 denar per week at the moment.
If it was just the table salt trade, then his monthly income would reach 150,000 denar. This was over 100,000. Even if it was completely filled into the construction of the town, it would still be able to build up half of the city.
For example, the investment in Aaron City back then was only 350,000 denar.
Although it was small.
It could indeed be considered a city.
Of course, if he could build a good relationship with the tree people, it would be best if he could hire these tree people. Even if he couldn't hire them, it would be good to obtain the precious spring of nature that these tree people had.
Oasis Lookout had suffered a serious injury. The vegetation had been trampled clean, and even the date palm tree had been damaged.
If they weren't taken care of, they would definitely wither.
However, adding the spring of nature could revive the withered plants.
One had to admit that this was the magical aspect of the consumption of strange items. It was comparable to the power of regulation.
"It'll be fine as long as we stabilize it for now."
Kant came to a conclusion.
What they needed now was indeed stability. They needed to digest the fruits of victory as soon as possible, and at the same time, they needed to speed up the means to enter the Dukedom of Leo. The most crucial thing was the ancient passageway beneath Aaron City. It was time to put it to use.
They could head directly to the RIver of Renesiston and head straight for the important land of the Dukedom of Leo!
It was also close to the Silver Platter Kingdom.
Moreover, this river also communicated with the other human countries.
It was extremely strategic!
Kant obviously had thoughts about this river, especially after defeating the undead troops that were invading from the south. His thoughts about the Dukedom of Leo and the human countries became even deeper.
It was not because of the occupation of the estate, but because of the denar.
This was Kant's goal.
The land was nothing to him. In fact, there was a system. He did not need the land.
Even the output of the land, the wealth of the noble, was only a concept to Kant. Only the denar was real, because only this currency could be recognized by the system.
The enlistment of the troop class and the purchase of supplies required the denar.
So Kant needed the denar.
In this world, what could be exchanged for the denar on a large scale was gold.
So he needed trade, just like the colonies that appeared in modern times on earth in his previous life, plundering all the economies of the colonies, and obtaining a large amount of gold for the main force, that is, Kant, to exchange for the denar.
Only the denar could strengthen Kant's strength.
The so-called soldiers.
The so-called resources.
In fact, they could all be obtained by using denar to ride and hack the world!
This caused Kant to not care about the supplies of this world. He really treated this world as a colony that could be plundered at will, especially the plundered economy, which was also gold!
"Right, since you are back, let Manide quickly organize the preparations for the table salt trade."
Kant ordered, "Tomorrow, I'll set off with him to the central posthouse."
"That's what I should do." Joycelin shrugged. "Those merchants from the Dukedom of Leo are probably waiting anxiously."
The undead had sealed off Drondheim Castle for two weeks.
That was equivalent to the table salt trade being cut off for two weeks.
But for those merchants who relied on Kant for a living, it was equivalent to their income being cut off for two weeks. If it continued for too long, those merchants who were already used to high profits would probably be furious!
They had come all the way to the Nahrin Desert to earn money.
But now…
The table salt camel caravan that was supposed to appear every week had disappeared.
If they wanted to go deeper into the desert, Rolf, the commander of the local garrison, would definitely not allow them to enter.
If they were not in a hurry, it was absolutely impossible. Those merchants would probably still join forces and attempt to negotiate with Rolf. After all, they did not rely solely on themselves, but also represented the noble families behind them!
Oasis Lookout had already calmed down.
At present, the "Drondheim" castle only needed to remain vigilant.
Kant would not bring too many troops to the central posthouse.
But he still had to have a high-end troop class.
Because going to the central posthouse was not his goal, he still had to go to the pass of hard stones. He had to meet Fatis, who had been stationed there for more than two months, and also send a signal to let those noble families who wanted to advance further know the benefits of cooperation.
Planning for the Dukedom of Leo had to be put on the agenda.
Kant had enough troops now.
He also had enough strength.
Annexing the Dukedom of Leo, or supporting agents, and completely taking control of the Dukedom's business, turning it into a source of continuous production of golden eagles, was still very simple for Kant.
Especially the spy he had planted beforehand, Borg of the eastern county, he also planned to make contact with.
He was going to use the mole.
Now.
It was time.
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Chapter 369: The Central Posthouse's Hospitality
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Since Kant had made up his mind, he would not hesitate or delay.
The Oasis Lookout had always been well-built. Even after the destruction of the undead army, the reconstruction work was very easy. As long as they followed the previous plan to rebuild, they would be able to recreate the glory of the past.
In comparison, it was still more important to remain vigilant and always be on guard against those coming from the north.
Of course, Bandake was fully in charge of this process.
This underworld apostle was worth it.
At least under his leadership, the remaining skeletons in the Nahrin desert were easily swept away.
Now, almost every moment, a patrol team formed by desert bandits would quickly pass through the desert. Once they found something unusual, they would call Mamluke, who was also on patrol at the back.
Once these Mamluke, who wore Salander chain armor and held a steel shield and a lance, arrived, all threats would be eliminated.
Only broken bones were left on the ground.
Kant was relieved to hand over oasis lookout to them.
At the moment, they only needed to defend.
Although the undead had retreated.
But who knew if they had a backup plan.
In order to ensure safety, Kant did not even send troops to the salt mine posthouse to recover the already fallen salt mine. He wanted to be vigilant so as to avoid being misled and thus take the opportunity to seize Drondheim's castle.
No one was a fool. There would also be conspiracies and schemes on the battlefield of this world.
The ancient God's descendants were no fools either.
They could fight against the abyss demons for thousands of years and still perish together. How could they be fools.
The rise of humanity depended on the two most powerful forces in the past to fight against each other and benefit from it. If they really underestimated these former world overlords, they would really die without knowing how.
At the very least, according to Kant's current understanding, those ancient god descendants who had turned into undead were intelligent.
Moreover, they were still searching for a way to truly resurrect.
They had to be on guard!
They could be at ease if they let Bandake be in charge of guarding this place. After all, with the help of the power of the underworld, the combat strength of this strongest general was not something that just a dozen extraordinary grand knights could compare to.
Perhaps, in the legends, the peak of knight-level could be compared to extraordinary knights.
Knights.
Grand Knights.
Extraordinary Knights.
Among the human countries, there were three major levels in terms of military strength.
Knights were just a normal power, representing the control of the secular world.
Grand Knights were out of the ordinary, which was equivalent to powerful combat strength. They were the elites of the army, the true elites who could fight one against a hundred and lead the army to victory.
As for extraordinary knights, that was purely a legend.
No one had seen them before.
It was said that the founding Duke of the Dukedom of Leo was an Extraordinary Knight.
He was also Kant's ancestor. Hence, in terms of bloodline, he was stronger than other nobles and was a more noble person.
And in the faint legends of the Dukedom of Leo, they all pointed to the Dukedom of Leo. This was the kingdom's top military fortress. In the political and military center, there was an Extraordinary Knight as the foundation to suppress the dukedom.
Otherwise, the silver platter kingdom, which was several times stronger than the dukedom, would have long led an army to annex it!
They only thought that they were afraid of taking action.
This was not a secret.
In fact, the Dukedom of Leo had also intentionally or unintentionally spread this kind of news.
Of course, no one had ever seen the Extraordinary Knights of the Dukedom of Leo, nor had anyone seen how powerful the top-level knights were. However, those famous Extraordinary Knights in history were all powerful existences.
And the legendary Extraordinary Knights were even feared by the gods and demons!
Kant did not know the exact details.
But now, he had truly met the so-called God's descendants.
He did not have the combat strength of the extraordinary knights. However, Kant still did not show any fear.
Bandake, the underworld apostle, was not joking when he fully unleashed 1000% of his combat strength. Even if there were extraordinary knights, he could still fight against them. He could even faintly suppress them.
This had already been shown in the previous battles.
For example, the death knights.
In the final battle, no death knight who had the power of the undead could withstand two moves from ban dake.
The terrifying power of the underworld seemed to have substance. The terrifying demon shadow behind him seemed to be the projection of the most supreme existence in the underworld of the Pande continent, the demon lord.
No one could stop Bandake, or perhaps even the legendary extraordinary knights!
Therefore, Kant was at ease.
The entire "Drondheim" castle had been entrusted to Bandake.
As for him, he only led 30 lion knights, light-armored and lightly armed, and Manide's caravan to the central posthouse to see how patient the merchants who were waiting at the posthouse were.
The merchants who could stay would definitely be very patient. Kant didn't mind giving them some more benefits.
Just like the spices he was carrying.
… ..
The group trudged through the Nahrin Desert.
At this time, a solid road had already appeared in the desert.
The caravans that came and went followed this road. The sand layer was stepped on firmly. Although it was the most basic dirt road and a sandstorm would be buried, the Nahrin desert rarely had abnormal weather.
The last sandstorm was completely an accident. Perhaps it could be said that it was man-made abnormal weather.
The reason for the Mage Apprentice.
It didn't take long.
After a little more than half a day, they went around the undulating dune and arrived at the desert plains.
In the middle, a two-story posthouse was standing there. However, on the north and south sides of the posthouse, there were many tents set up. Although they looked ordinary, in fact, they were completely different, as if they were clearly divided.
The tents on the south side were of different forms, and the construction plan was slightly messy.
There were many people who came in and out at will. They either led horses or carried things. It was very messy.
That was the temporary camp of the merchants of the Dukedom of Leo.
But it was different on the north side.
The unified tents had a militarized management style and were well-organized. There were also soldiers holding long lance standing guard. There were no signs of disorder at all.
Because this was the Sarrandian's base.
Rolf relied on this to deter the enemy from crossing the central line!
"We're here."
Kant took off the hood on his head.
Looking at the desert bandits who had already sensed something ahead, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly. "Manide, after we go, we'll have a good chat with those merchants. At the same time, we'll tell them about our new products."
"Understood." Manide nodded. "They will know."
"Yes."
Kant nodded, but he still ordered, "If it's possible, you can rope in some merchants." He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Have them send a message to the masters behind. Tell them that I, His Highness, Kant, am the second-in-line heir of the Dukedom of Leo. I am still qualified to enter the Lion Castle."
"Don't worry, Lord Kant. Everything will be done perfectly."
Manide nodded.
For him, political struggles were equally simple.
Moreover, it was just a message, and merchants were naturally good at the art of language.
As Nords, a race that was good at war, navigation, and trade, they were also extremely passionate about politics. After all, when they first came to the continent of Caradia, they lost in battle and did not directly destroy the Kingdom of Swadia, instead, they were held back by Veruga and Swadia. When they could not advance or retreat along the coastline, they also used political means.
It was very effective. They made use of the mutual fear and distrust between the Kingdom of Swadia and the Kingdom of Caradia to finally gain a foothold in the continent of Caradia, greatly improving the reputation of the Kingdom of Nords.
Sometimes, military force could not solve every problem.
Wisdom is also important.
And those Nords who roamed the four seas, sometimes as merchants, sometimes as pirates, and sometimes as mercenaries, were even more well-versed in this path. Moreover, they were getting better and better between the Nords' mainland and the continent of Caradia.
"Let's go and meet Rolf."
Kant urged his horse forward.
The news that the Oasis Lookout had been sealed off by the undead probably had already been received here.
If Kant had not contacted Rolf beforehand and told him to insist on guarding the central posthouse, and if he had not contacted Rolf for a month before allowing Rolf to send people to the Oasis Lookout to investigate, it was likely that this fierce rogue noble had already sent people over.
Rolf was not afraid of the undead. He had done many immoral things.
His faith in God was even worse than his faith in denar.
Of course, Kant was an exception.
If he really could not detect the news of the Oasis Lookout, he would definitely organize all the desert bandits and Sarrandian Horseman under his command. He would give up the central posthouse and go back to rescue them.
This was the guarantee of absolute loyalty!
"Lord Kant!"
Rolf personally led a team to welcome them.
The towering watchtower could quickly discover the approaching team. Moreover, Kant and the others did not have any cover. The camel team made up of 50 camels was not so easy to hide. At this time, even the merchants could see them.
One by one, they walked out of the tent and looked at the camels filled with table salt with eager faces.
However, the expressions of some also changed slightly.
They did not know what they had encountered in the depths of the Nahrin desert.
However, until now, the table salt trade, which appeared every two weeks, had been interrupted once. This was completely impossible for the central posthouse, which had already established perfect trade rules.
The merchants understood in their hearts, but their faces remained calm.
They were making guesses in their hearts.
However, no matter how much they guessed, they would never have imagined that Kant had already defeated hundreds of thousands of undead troops and was directly defeated and destroyed by him.
The gods and demons had already disappeared, and the world was dominated by humans and other major races.
These were all legends.
Although there were occasional undead appearing, it wasn't a big deal.
An ordinary Lord leading his own troops could easily wipe out these zombies and skeletons that were infected with negative energy and were climbing up again. Their combat strength was extremely poor, and their movements were extremely slow.
But they also couldn't imagine how terrifying the zombies would be when real undead gathered together.
That would really be an apocalypse of the undead!
"Okay."
Kant and Rolf conversed.
After listening to the local report, he looked at the eager merchants in the distance and curled his lips. "Not bad. Since they've been so good, we won't mistreat them."
"Of course, they must be obedient." Rolf revealed his signature sinister smile.
A good amount of violence is best for maintaining stability.
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Chapter 370: The Situation Was Good
Kant and Rolf entered the posthouse.
Desert bandits, who served as servants, entered and exited the side door. They quickly served the food in the kitchen. Soon, the long table in the hall was filled with the fragrance of the food.
It was all simple food. Dried sausage, roasted dried meat, and fruits from the Senwaya range.
Naturally, there were plenty of sweet date palm.
"Not bad."
Kant nodded in satisfaction.
Rolf was very meticulous in his consideration of the details.
When he first set up the posthouse here, it was for the purpose of replenishing supplies midway. Whether it was outsiders, Kant's troops, or the trade caravan, they could all rest here, obtain water and food, and have a good rest.
After all, the environment of the Nahrin Desert was cruel. Even if they were used to living like this, they could still feel the deep malice brought by the environment.
It was malice.
The title of the Forbidden Zone of civilization was not for nothing.
If it was not for the table salt found here, Kant could've done whatever he wanted with the place.
The noble families of the Dukedom of Leo were only interested in profits. If they came to the Nahrin desert, it would not benefit them at all. They would rather let Kant do whatever than have anything to do with this place.
Just like Baron Dylan, who was sealed by the stone pass, he was marginalized and ignored.
He would never be able to join the mainstream noble circle.
But Kant did not need it.
The so-called circle was just a platform to borrow each other's strength.
Kant, who already had a powerful military force, could completely build his own platform. He could even flip the table. It was meaningless for him to join the so-called noble circle.
The meal ended quickly.
After a short rest.
Manide saluted and left. According to the plan, he needed to meet the merchants who were still waiting.
After all, the table salt trade had been interrupted for more than half a month. Those merchants were in a hurry. If they hadn't seen Manide and his caravan, they would have wanted to barge in.
Of course, their thoughts were their thoughts. In reality, with Rolf around, these merchants didn't dare to be presumptuous.
The piles of bones in the desert were proof.
This scoundrel noble wouldn't show mercy.
A new trade caravan relied on the power of the noble behind them and dared to go head-on with Rolf. Then, at night, so-called horse gangs appeared and attacked the trade caravan. They killed the leader of the trade caravan and stuck his head in the ground with a spear.
As for the goods, they would be found by the desert bandits on patrol the next day, and the lucky ones would be picked up in the desert.
There were two or three incidents.
Under the threat of high pressure, the entire central posthouse was unusually harmonious.
Of course, the merchants who had been bullied would definitely have some complaints. The noble families who had not received sufficient benefits would also have a worse impression of Kant. At the same time, they would also force some noble families to join forces and really send troops over.
There were already signs of bandits in the desert, but Fatis, who was stationed at the Stone Pass, had strict management.
This was also a good move for Kant.
Kant would not wait here for too long.
He came to the central posthouse purely on the way. In fact, he planned to go to the stone pass, which was already under his control. He wanted to see the local situation and the movements of the Dukedom of Leo.
Fatis had been stationed there for two months, which was enough to get general information about the Dukedom of Leo.
That was the main point.
Although in the past, the Stone Pass was unknown.
But now, because of the table salt trade, the Stone Pass had become a gathering place for trade caravan.
As a result, there was a huge flow of people in the Stone Pass. It was not clear how many spies and secret agents there were from other forces, but there were also a lot of them. That was why Kant sent Fatis there.
The pass was a strategic location.
If one wanted to leave the Nahrin Desert, they had to pass through this junction built in the canyon.
They could send troops to charge straight into the Dukedom of Leo.
If they retreated, they could easily defend the Nahrin Desert.
If they walked out of the pass, the entire Dukedom of Leo would be defenseless, especially the Northern Territory. The entire terrain was a relatively barren plain, and the occasional rise and fall of hills would not be a problem.
A scholar had once conducted an investigation in the northern county.
He had come to a conclusion.
As long as there was a river similar to the river in the Resniston River, it would appear in the northern county.
Then, this seemingly barren land would be improved. A good water network would be built, and the entire plain would be included in the water source irrigation area. This would increase the grain output of the northern county by several times.
Even if it was not as good as the northern and eastern prefectures, it would not be much different.
This was a plain area.
It was suitable for farming.
The reason why it was barren was because it was close to the Nahrin Desert. The weather was hot and dry, and the land was short of water.
Of course, Kant did not care about this. With the power of the system's rules, he could make up for this shortcoming at any time. Moreover, as long as he led his troops out of the Stone Pass, this endless plain would be his to rule!
The plain was suitable for large-scale cavalry battles. The plain that had no danger to defend was not a paradise for infantrymen.
Instead, it was a hell for infantrymen!
Kant's cavalry was the heavy cavalry unit that contained the essence of caladia.
Even if it was the light cavalry, they were still desert bandits. This group of desert bandits learned from the light cavalry unit formed by the Kujits.
They moved like the wind.
Although they did not have the demeanor of the kujits who held bows and arrows and were invincible in archery, just by harassing, scouting, ambushing, harassing the grain path, attacking logistics and other strategic missions, they could also display their excellent abilities.
Although the troops of the Dukedom of Leo were also mainly heavy cavalry, their light cavalry was extremely poor.
Similar to the horse militia.
They could only carry out simple scouting and harassing tactics.
If they encountered desert bandits, they would probably be swallowed up clean.
As for the infantry, they were purely a troop class. They were all ordinary civilians who had undergone simple training to take up their roles. If the situation was urgent, they would most likely look for mercenaries to act as infantrymen to carry the line.
Only the noble knight group, including the knight squires who had been trained since they were young, was the main force in battle.
This was similar to the medieval Europe in his previous life.
Kant did not have any fear towards this kind of troops that clearly had shortcomings.
With the current cavalry group, the heavy cavalry with the Swadian man-at-arms and Sarrandian Horseman as the main force was enough to break through the defenses of any army. Even if they were to enter into a chaotic battle, they would have the Sarrandian horseman squires as the main force in hand-to-hand combat.
Most importantly, the number of extraordinary troops Kant currently had was definitely higher than that of the Dukedom of Leo.
Even in terms of quality, they had to be stronger!
Moreover, after the victory, Kant's influence had improved by leaps and bounds.
It was not about quantity.
It was quality!
The experience points of all the troop class had been rounded up, enough to be upgraded to a higher-level.
If the Dukedom of Leo wanted to block Kant's heavy cavalry group, it was like building a temporary earth dam to block the flood that flowed downstream. No matter in concept or in reality, they would suffer heavy losses.
At the very least, the many noble families in the Dukedom of Leo would not allow their troops to be wiped out.
This was the basis for them to become noble families.
Without their elite troops.
Not to mention the enemies around them, even if they were allies, they would take the opportunity to annex them!
Taking advantage of one's illness to take one's life, the noble families in this world also did not have eternal allies. They only had temporary interests. Other than their own strength, everything else was meaningless. This was a world where the strong preyed on the weak!
Kant had his own ideas for this trip to the Dukedom of Leo.
The troops would attack.
It was impossible for him to limit his power to the Stone Pass.
As the current overlord of the Nahrin Desert, Kant had the ability and strength. He also had the capital to let his troops charge into the Dukedom of Leo's estate.
According to his impression, the supreme lord of the northern county, Viscount Wayne, did not have the strength to stop them.
Moreover, the military strength in the northern county was the weakest.
There was not even a city in the county.
Only Logue Castle, which nominally ruled the entire northern county, belonged to the Archduke's trusted aide. In the northern county, Viscount Kevin and his Masburg, who were restraining the local noble families, as well as the inconspicuous Stone Pass that belonged to Baron Dylan.
All of this was not a problem for Kant.
Moreover, he already controlled the only natural danger to him, the Stone pPss!
If he did not control the stone pass, the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo would form a joint force and station their elite troops at the only gap in the Senwaya range. Then, what awaited Kant would be a long torture.
His troops could not pass through the Senwaya range. The mountainous terrain that was like a long dragon could block any troops.
Moreover, it was extremely dangerous inside.
Unless they took the water route.
It was the ancient passageway beneath Aaron City.
However, until now, this passageway was still in an unknown status. Even if they knew that it led to the river, the unopened passageway wouldn't be able to form an effective logistics supply.
If they were attacked from both sides, Kant would also be in danger.
Most importantly.
His powerful land heavy cavalry group could not charge on the wide river!
Thinking of this, Kant fell into deep thought.
He could not give up on the stone pass.
This was a crucial point.
Only by controlling this pass would he have the right to pressure the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo. Then, he could use threats and bribes to gradually spread his influence throughout the entire dukedom.
As the second-in-line heir, Kant had the right to rope in those noble families.
Although the effect would definitely be weak.
There were no eternal allies, and there was also no eternal hatred.
In the face of benefits, everything could be compromised. Even blood feuds could be abandoned to the side.
Moreover, they did not have blood feuds. It was only because they were hostile to the Silver Platter Kingdom and Princess Sofia, who was born in the Silver Platter Kingdom, and was Kant's biological mother.
Whatever happened remains unsaid. Even if there was a culprit behind Princess Sofia's death, not all the noble families were involved.
"Alright."
Kant wiped the corner of his mouth with a napkin.
He stood up and looked at the lion knights around him who had also finished eating. He said calmly, "It's about time. Let's continue our journey and try to reach the Stone Pass by tomorrow afternoon."
"Yes!" The 30 lion knights answered in unison.
"Are we leaving now?"
Rolf was a little surprised. "Lord Kant, why don't you stay here and rest?"
Kant waved his hand. "There's no need." He glanced out of the window and said calmly, "I've already given Manide the details. You can continue to guard this place peacefully, just stay vigilant."
"Understood." Rolf nodded.
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Chapter 371: A Brand New Pass
There were very few things that required Kant to personally handle at the central posthouse.
Basically, Rolf would handle it.
As for roping in the merchants…
Manide, who came from a merchant family, had more to talk about with these guys.
In fact, when Kant led his team and left, the table salt trade had already begun. Those merchants from the Dukedom of Leo, who had the support of various noble families, all had a good exchange with Manide.
This was a good impression that they had cultivated previously, especially with Rolf's foil, Manide was even more welcomed by them.
At the very least.
Manide would not get angry over a certain sentence.
Although he was more difficult to deal with in business exchanges, he abided by the rules.
For example, Rolf, this scoundrel noble, did not care about the business rules. If he dared to say anything bad to him or find trouble with himself, then it would be a knife fight.
Pulling out his sword on the spot to threaten Rolf was secondary. The key was that Rolf would really take revenge in the quiet desert at night!
This was also Kant's arrangement.
Using both soft and hard tactics.
At least Rolf didn't care whether he played the bad cop or not.
As an evil general, he didn't feel any burden at all when he became the Supreme Lord's sword. In fact, he felt a lot of honor in his heart.
Those righteous generals did not have the potential to become thieves!
Peace returned to the central posthouse.
Just like in the past.
The rules of the table salt trade had been perfected. The merchants would purchase sacks of table salt in turn and arrange for laborers to transport it to the carriage they brought. As long as it was transported back to the Dukedom of Leo, regardless of whether it was sold later or on the spot, the profits would multiply by several times.
Even if ordinary civilians could not afford to eat such white and fine table salt, the noble families would not be stingy.
There were many noble families in all of the human countries.
In order to get table salt.
They would be willing to take out large amounts of silver coins.
After all, this was related to the face of the noble families. It was equivalent to the dignity of the noble families and was a symbol of the noble families'dignity.
As for the noble families who handled the table salt trade, they could make a huge profit. If Kant could choose to cooperate with them, it would be equivalent to cooperating with a brand new gold and silver mine. Large amounts of silver coins would be thrown into their hands.
No one would refuse, especially when Kant sent people to convey their goodwill!
The trade went on very quickly.
The merchants were beaming with joy.
At the same time, many of the secret agents in the trade caravan were also excited.
Manide had already conveyed his goodwill. Although he did not say anything, the communication between the noble families was always tactful and implied. These clever merchants and spies naturally understood the reason.
As long as they returned to their noble family's estate, they would report this news.
It was a ready-made contribution!
If their relationship in the future was closer..
Then their contribution this time would be even greater!
They looked at each other. After bidding farewell to Manide, these merchants organized a trade caravan and began to head towards the road they came from. They were prepared to head towards the Stone Pass and at the same time, towards their noble family's estate.
However, there were still many trade caravan who could guess why Kant would take the initiative to show goodwill.
They glanced at Rolf and the cavalry.
These merchants narrowed their eyes slightly.
Although they could not be compared to the top-notch knights of the Dukedom of Leo, these cavalry were still considered elite.
They were still a single entity. They belonged completely to Baron Kant, who came from the lion castle and was the second-in-line heir of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron. They were a single cavalry troop.
Perhaps deep in the Nahrin Desert, at the Oasis Lookout, there was still a trump card.
Seizing the throne.
This term appeared in the minds of the merchants.
But no one said it out loud. They all understood at once that the Dukedom of Leo was about to fall into chaos.
The exiled second son of the Grand Duke actually possessed a powerful force of unknown origin. Moreover, he was lucky enough to discover a salt mine and obtain a large amount of wealth. How could this not cause much wondering and thought?
Most importantly, Baron Kant really had the qualifications to inherit the title of Grand Duke!
If he were to take a good stand in this upcoming battle..
The benefits would be unimaginable!
These were all the merchants' own guesses. Although they were not far from the truth, the specifics were still up to Kant himself to decide.
Right now, he was riding his horse forward. Thirty lion knights followed behind him and walked along the road that was stepped on by the trade caravan towards the Senwaya range. The gap that cut through the mountain range was right in front of him. It would probably not take long for him to reach it.
This road was very deserted, but there were occasionally a lot of small items that could be randomly thrown on both sides of the road.
It was like a road sign.
In fact, they were not walking on a road.
It was just that in the Nahrin desert, most of the people were walking, and there were traces left behind by their footsteps.
Walking day after day, and there were no sandstorms or strong winds, the boundary of the surrounding flat sand layer was very clear. If they continued walking for many years, it was estimated that they would really be able to become a road.
At least in the desert, there was a slightly firm sand layer that they could step on, which was not bad.
It would be uncomfortable if it was a loose, primitive sand layer.
Not to mention horse hooves, even if the wheels of the carriage sank in and then moved forward, it would require a lot of strength.
When Kant and the first 20 Swadian peasant went to the Oasis Lookout, the carriage full of supplies was pulled by two horses. The wheels on the side still needed the help of the peasant to push it to keep up with the walking speed of the surrounding people.
From this, it could be seen that the carriage that perfectly matched the plain terrain was uncomfortable in the desert.
It could also be seen from the behavior of the merchants in recent weeks.
When the table salt trade first started, the merchants came with carriages.
Now, the number of carriages had dropped sharply, but the number of pack horses had increased. Even if there was a carriage, it was used to carry daily supplies. It was still pulled by a few pack horses to walk in the desert.
When they left, the table salt was on the pack horses'backs, just like the camel caravan.
Although the amount of goods carried had decreased.
But the speed of the journey had increased by a lot.
This way, they could avoid too much danger and avoid wasting too much time in the desert. After all, to the merchants, the Nahrin Desert was really a forbidden area of civilization, the grave of life. If they stayed here for too long, people would die!
They had to hurry back. Returning with a full load was the best choice.
They didn't need a carriage for the time being.
At worst, they could just return to the Stone Pass and use the carriage.
After all, the table salt trade in the central posthouse had a fixed quota. Although it was monopolized by them, each person's quota was different. As long as they ensured their own quota, they could earn the silver coins first!
Kant walked along the road that was created.
He was quite familiar with the road leading to the stone pass.
On the horizon ahead, the shape of the Senwaya range became clearer and clearer.
It was continuous.
It was like a long dragon that was sleeping.
However, in front of him, there was a sudden opening in an area of the Senwaya range.
It was a straight gap that formed a canyon. It was just enough for people to pass through the majestic Senwaya range. They could avoid the danger of trekking through mountains and rivers, breaking through the demonized creatures and the scattered low-level Jackalan tribe.
That's right, there were so many dangers in the Senwaya range.
The demonized creatures still existed.
The scattered low-level zerglings also existed in the mountain range.
This was the nightmare of the ordinary trade caravan, and it was also the nightmare of many villages at the Stone Pass or the edge of the mountain range.
Usually, they would regularly organize troops to sweep the edge of the Senwaya range, or recruit mercenaries to go deep into the mountain range and kill those who posed a clear threat to the Stone Pass or villages.
But even so, the villages, logging sites, and quarries at the edge of the mountain range would still be threatened.
This was also one of the reasons why development in the Senwaya range was difficult.
Suppression from the nobles was secondary.
The territory itself was fraught with danger.
In addition, the land was barren. There was not even a river that could support agriculture, animal farming, and commerce.
Only the Senwaya range, which seemed to be rich in natural resources, was actually full of danger. It was a complete drag on the development of the Senwaya range. How could the Senwaya range develop!
However, it made sense.
If the Stone Pass could develop, it would not be Baron Dylan's turn.
This guy was from the Silver Platter Kingdom. Even if he had made great contributions, he was not a direct descendant of the Dukedom of Leo.
It was not possible for a low-level baron to climb to the rank of a noble. However, thanks to the grace of Grand Duke Cameron and the tacit approval of many nobles, he had officially become a noble and was given the title of a noble.
He could be used as a buffer shield to guard the Senwaya range and block the demonized creatures and Jackalan!
The next day.
In the afternoon.
The Senwaya range had already been imprinted in his eyes.
The huge mountain range was majestic and magnificent. The mountain peaks were arranged in order and getting higher and higher. They were like huge giants that blotted out the sky and the Sun. They were arranged in a row and were standing shoulder to shoulder with each other.
Only a thin crack appeared in the middle.
It was the only canyon in the Senwaya range.
"Let's go."
Kant shook the reins and led the horse forward.
The originally messy interior of the canyon had been cleaned up. The sandy ground was flat. The rubble that fell from the mountains on both sides and the rotten wood that fell down had disappeared.
Along the way, there were occasionally many groups of mercenaries with weapons in their hands.
It seemed that they were maintaining the canyon regularly.
Of course, when they saw Kant and the 30 lion knights behind him wearing plate armor and linen robe, their expressions changed drastically. They retreated to both sides of the road and bowed with smiles on their faces without saying much.
It was obvious that they had guessed Kant's identity.
Kant did not care about them.
He calmly swept his gaze over them and continued to drive his horse forward slowly.
It was still necessary for a noble to be reserved. There was not much that could be returned to these despicable mercenaries.
Kant was naturally willing to bow to the soldiers and civilians from the world of riding and hacking because this represented that they were on the same side and could be trusted and relied on. It was different from these mercenaries who were greedy for money and would work for whoever paid them!
Obviously, due to the lack of manpower, after Fartis took control of the stone pass, he also recruited local mercenaries to help.
Kant did not care.
As long as the Stone Pass was still in his hands, everything was fine
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Chapter 372: The Hearts of the People at Stone Pass
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The canyon that had been cleared up had gained a little more popularity.
Compared to the initial blockade, the mercenaries that came and went were still rare, but they still gave people a sense of security. At the very least, it was not as bleak and desolate as it had been in the past, where no one had been for nearly a decade.
Occasionally, a few braver hunters could be seen walking by in groups, holding short spears and hunting bows for self-defense. The quiver on their waist was also bulging, and they carried antelopes or peasants that they had hunted in the mountains on both sides of the canyon, looking at Kant and the others who were passing by on their majestic warhorse, their eyes were filled with awe and envy.
The soldiers at the Stone Pass were the most elite armed militia recruited from these hunters.
Ordinary peasant were just cannon fodder.
These hunters were good archers as long as they had longbows.
Kant did not have many thoughts about them. In his eyes, these hunters were actually just commoners who were making a living. Although they were better off than the most lowly serfs, they were not much better off.
The lives of the commoners in this world were severely exploited. Even if they wanted to live a better life, there weren't much they could do.
There were many different types of taxes.
There were more than a dozen taxes waiting for them when they hunted.
For example, in the Senwaya range, when they hunted sand gazelle and wild hare and pheasant, they would be charged by the lord for mountain fees, hunting permit fees, four hoof tax, two hoof tax, feather tax, injury tax, mercy tax, spring, summer, autumn, winter tax, and so on.
In the end, to be able to feed the whole family, that would be considered a good day.
To this, the hunters were even grateful.
The peasant suffered even more exploitation!
Not only would they have to pay the Landowner's tax, the Lord's tax, they even have to pay the Dukedom's tax.
If they were unlucky, they would have to take the simple weapons distributed by the Lord and directly go to the battlefield as cannon fodder, in close combat. From a peasant who only knew how to plow the land, they would become a moving target for the knights to harvest.
In short, as long as one was not a noble, their life would be miserable.
Kant understood this.
It was the standard rule of a feudal lord.
The people under their rule would be miserable, even worse than a unified, imperial, and dictatorial country.
Even if the dukedom was at peace, the daily friction between the lords and the various taxes would suck away the wealth of the people at the bottom. In the end, the food they have left would barely be able to fill their stomachs. In times of disaster or war, groups of people would go bankrupt.
This also meant that only the nobles had a sense of honor and belonging to the Lord. Commoners did not care much about who the Lord was.
Of course, they were most concerned about the new Lord's tax policy.
Taxes were related to their livelihood.
As for the Stone Pass, the place that was already under Kant's control was much better because of the tax reduction.
Fatis had removed part of the exorbitant taxes. This was also a result of a discussion with Kant. The various taxes on the hunters and peasants had been cut by this extremely benevolent policy.
In just two or three years, it was estimated that the commoners in this area would completely fall in love with him.
The same was true for those small landlords, merchants, and squires.
Only those who could be considered large-scale landlords, merchants, and noble families would have a faint resistance against Kant. If it were not for Fatis and those elite troops stationed here and firmly controlling the pass, they would probably have joined forces long ago, they intended to rebel and restore the rule of the Dukedom of Leo.
This point could be understood after some thought. Once the Stone Pass was seized, then this contribution would definitely be great. Whether it was Viscount Wayne who defected to the northern county territory or Kevin who had the backing of the Archduke, they would all be able to obtain great benefits.
In the northern county territory, Viscount Wayne wasn't able to control everything.
And in order to balance the northern county…
Viscount Kevin, who was sent in by Archduke Cameron, also had a high position and power!
In the eyes of the many nobles in of Stone Pass, the background of these two was much better than Baron Kant, who had walked out of the Nahrin Desert and was lucky to even get help!
But even if questions were raised about Kant's title, that was only a rumor.
For the sake of the salt mine.
Once Baron Kant's salt mine in the depths of the Nahrin Desert was seized by other noble families, it was estimated that the Baron would not only not be promoted in his title, he might even die an even more miserable death.
It was too easy for the grand Dukedom of Leo to deal with a small baron.
That was their fixed mindset.
The Dukedom of Leo, which built its country by force and specialized in cavalry, was not weak.
This could be seen during the war with the Silver Platter Kingdom. Even the Silver Platter Kingdom, which had at least seven counties, was unable to crush the Dukedom of Leo, which only had three counties. Their northern county was still a barren land, and their southern and northern county were still in a state of Cold War.
With Kant and his companions, they might be able to take advantage of the situation for a short period of time.
As time went on.
They would be crushed by the combined forces of the noble families!
It had only been half a year since Kant's rise, and the noble families and ordinary people had yet to react.
Moreover, the most important thing was that Kant had done a really good job of keeping secrets. Whether it was the secret agents or spies of the Dukedom of Leo, they were unable to find out his true strength.
It was inevitable that they would look down on Kant based on their habitual thinking.
They arrived at the city gate.
It was still a city wall and a city gate made of thick rocks and thick logs.
However, the ones guarding the city gate were the Swadian infantry wearing chain armor and linen robe. They held heavy military spears and formed a team of 20 people in front of the city gate. They were very majestic.
On the top and sides of the city gate, there were also Swadian infantry standing guard with military spears.
It was obvious that they were on high alert.
After all, this was not their true power.
It was still an occupied area. If they were not careful, it would be a huge mess.
The Swadian Infantry on top of the city walls had obviously noticed Kant and the others. They quickly called for their subordinates to control the city gate and disperse the mercenaries and hunters who were still coming in and out. They deliberately left a passage for people to enter and exit.
The surrounding mercenaries also stood quietly at the side, not daring to even touch the handle of their weapons.
There were Swadian infantry soldiers coldly watching them from the side.
Their gazes were extremely terrifying.
If the situation was not right, these infantry soldiers would not show mercy. Even if there was a misunderstanding, they would not take the slightest responsibility.
As for the safety of the Supreme Lord Kant, no one could let down their guard. Moreover, they had come to the occupied area and had yet to completely subdue this place. There were many spies and secret agents inside. Perhaps even assassins who were waiting for an opportunity to strike were present.
Some of the noble families were displeased with Baron Kant's rise.
For example, the group of people who had assassinated Princess Sofia.
Kant rode his horse forward.
Thirty Lion Knights surrounded and protected him, ensuring his safety.
The wide fan-shaped heater shield was firmly placed on his left arm. The Lion Knights scanned their surroundings vigilantly. They looked carefully at every corner and dark place to ensure the Supreme Lord's safety.
On both sides, in front and behind, there were 20 Swadian infantry leading the way and separating the crowd.
However, the situation was still alright.
Most of the people looked at Kant and the others in a daze.
Whether it was the commoners or the poor, they all looked at Kant and the Lion Knights with envy and awe.
At the same time, their eyes also revealed their eagerness for the exquisite linen robe and fine armor. After all, in their eyes, the appearance of the Lord Kant and the Knight Lord was even more dazzling than that of Baron Dylan and the Knight Lords!
Especially the warhorse they rode, which was even more majestic and awe-inspiring.
In a dark corner.
Many people wearing regular black hoods were standing there.
Sensing the cold gazes sweeping over, they all chose to stand where they were and did not act rashly.
That was the double inspection of the Swadian infantry and the Lion Knights. Even though they were wearing linen hoods and long gowns that ordinary people liked to wear, they were still standing at the corner of the street and in the dark, attracting the scrutinizing gazes.
They were not afraid. After all, their mental qualities were there. Turning around and running away would instead alert the enemy.
The basic qualities of spies and secret agents were especially important.
For example, they were well-trained.
Since they could be sent to the Stone Pass, it meant that they were indeed elites.
Most importantly, they did not have the intention to assassinate Kant. Of course, they also did not receive orders from their superiors. If they really wanted to carry out an assassination, then a military heavy crossbow or longbow would definitely be the best first-class weapon.
It would be wishful thinking if they wanted to rely on their bodies to assassinate Kant with a dagger.
Not to mention whether the guards would let them pass.
Even if they were to pass, they would not be able to easily assassinate a target that was disturbed and vigilant.
Even if they were to assassinate him, the target would definitely be wearing a full set of armor. It would not be able to pierce through him in a short period of time. It was likely that he would only suffer minor injuries and be slightly frightened. There was no threat to his life at all.
As they continued to move forward, the Stone Pass did not change much. It was just that the pedestrians were in a hurry, and their expressions were much more serious.
Although Baron Dylan said that he was inviting Baron Kant's troops as guests to the outside world.
In reality.
Many people had guessed it.
Even if they did not guess it, they could sense that the atmosphere at the Stone Pass had changed.
At the very least, the once arrogant and despotic knights were now obediently hiding in their lairs. Even the soldiers who used to patrol the streets were led by three infantrymen who looked like knights.
A patrol team consisting of three swadian infantry and 10 lance-soldiers from the Stone Pass.
A mixed force.
Fatis's strategy in this area.
Basically, he now controlled the financial and military authority of the Stone Pass.
Even if the lower-level knights and the country gentry were not completely loyal, there were no objections now. They had tacitly agreed to Kan'ts occupation of Stone Pass and the holding of Baron Dylan as hostage. They chose to remain silent and obey.
Without the ability to resist, they would not easily start a rebellion that was enough to make them lose their heads.
They tacitly agreed, but at the same time, they were also waiting.
Or instead, watching.
Whoever could win the final battle would be able to obtain their loyalty.
Whether it was Baron Kant, Viscount Wayne, Viscount Kevin, Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, or Countess Agatha of the Eastern County, they were all people they could choose to serve.
The barren northern county, the even more barren Stone Pass, was now an important node of the table salt trade.
They could enjoy everything here.
Which was why they were at ease.
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Chapter 373: Baron Dylan's Resentment
The news of Kant's arrival at the Stone Pass was no secret.
At the same time, Fatis, who was in the consul's official residence, had also received the news. He personally led the ten Sarion Lion Knights, who were stationed here with him, and waited in front of the official residence.
Even Baron Dylan and his knights, who were under house arrest, had left the room and came to the door to personally welcome them.
This was not voluntary.
There were guards waiting beside them.
The 150 Swadian Knight were fully armed and staring at them coldly.
Even Fatis and the 10 Lion Knights beside him were secretly on guard against these nobles and knights who were supposed to be in charge of the Stone Pass.
However, there was no need to worry.
They posed little threat.
They were wearing ordinary clothes. Not to mention mail armor or chain armor, they did not even have a piece of leather.
As for weapons such as lances and longswords, they were even more impossible for these knights who had not chosen to join forces to obtain. The only reason why they were still alive was to ensure the stability of the Stone Pass.
Perhaps Fatis's kindness made it impossible for him to wield a butcher's knife against those who had given up resisting.
This was also due to his personality.
If it was Rolf, he wouldn't have so many problems.
If he didn't like Rolf, he would pull out some knights every day and behead them one by one. He would kill until his hands turned soft. He would use completely brutal methods to intimidate the impregnable Stone Pass. He didn't even consider the so-called long-term future at all!
Each had their own advantages and their own shortcomings.
But they all knew their limits.
Since Fatis had done so, he could guarantee the following arrangements and long-term benefits.
No one was a fool, and no one was really benevolent. After all, those who had made it out of the chaotic continent of Caradia and made a name for themselves were among the best.
150 Swadian Knights.
10 Sarion Lion Knights.
With just these martial prowess, Baron Dylan and his 50 Knights did not dare to act rashly!
Even though his face was gloomy and his eyes were filled with resentment, Baron Dylan still understood that if anything went wrong, him and the others would really die. Moreover, there were many nobles in the Dukedom of Leo who were still looking forward to his death.
Once he died, they would have an excuse to officially enter the Stone Pass.
The court of the noble needed to investigate.
After all, a baron had died in an accident.
The number of barons in the entire Dukedom of Leo was estimated to be less than 30. If one of them died for no reason, it would be a slap in the face. It would provoke the entire class of nobles in the Dukedom of Leo!
Of course, the most important thing was still Baron Dylan's fief, the Stone Pass!
It was the only gap in the dangerous and windy Senwaya range.
It was the only way to the table salt trade!
As long as Baron Kant was expelled and thrown back into the Nahrin desert, this crucial trade route would be in his hands. A steady stream of silver coins would enter his pockets.
Moreover, as long as he occupied the Stone Pass, even the salt mines in the depths of the Nahrin desert would be obtainable by chance.
How could those noble families let go of such a good opportunity?
They couldn't!
It was just that Fatis was really cautious when he ran the pass.
This had something to do with his personality.
He did not kill without permission.
Instead, he reduced taxes and won over the hearts of ordinary civilians. He was also trying to win over those small landlords and small merchants, making these small figures, who were everywhere, become his eyes and ears inside and outside the pass.
As for those big merchants and big landlords, as well as some lords and knights, they were secretly on guard.
The key figures still needed to be isolated.
For example, Baron Dylan and his closest 50 or so knights were placed under house arrest in the consul's official residence.
Moreover, the entire stone pass's troops had already been controlled by a small number of elites that he had sent out. They blended into the grassroots and middle-level, and were directly controlled by him and 10 Lion Knights as high-level officials.
Another 150 knights acted as the quick reaction force to handle any important matters. Their operations were impregnable.
This not only prevented danger from happening, but also kept the danger within a very small scale.
"They're here."
Someone in front called out softly to remind them.
The faces of the people waiting in front of the official residence changed slightly. They stood in their original spots solemnly.
Only Fartis, as the highest commander of the official residence at the Stone Pass, stepped forward quickly and came to the middle of the road. He saw Kant, who was riding his horse and was under the protection of 30 Lion Knights, and bowed respectfully. "Lord Kant, welcome!"
"Yes."
Kant nodded calmly.
He approached on his horse Fartis immediately stretched out his hand to hold the reins and help Kant come down. He looked at the people who were lining up to welcome him and smiled. "There are many acquaintances."
Fathis also smiled. "Yes. When they heard that you were coming, Lord Kant, they all wanted to come and welcome you personally."
"That can't be true."
Kant shook his head and smiled.
Looking at Baron Dylan's gloomy eyes, the knights around them with all kinds of expressions, Kant smiled and teased Fathis. "I didn't expect my honest knights to know how to joke."
"That's the truth." Fatis smiled and shook his head. He extended his hand to welcome Kant into the official residence.
"Go in."
Kant nodded and did not say anything else.
A group of people escorted him into the official residence. It was still a narrow passage like a fortress. The hall of the Lord was slightly dim, and there were many terrified female servants inside.
"Welcome… welcome the arrival of Baron Kant!"
The female servants saluted in unison.
However, no matter how they listened, they could hear the panic in their voices.
Obviously, as the servants in the Lord's official residence, they knew a lot. They all understood that the previous lord had become a prisoner under house arrest. Only the previous lord had secretly laughed at them and did not take them to heart, it was like Baron Kant, who had been sent to the desert to eat sand, had instead taken the initiative.
Those robust male servants had already been fired nd treated as ordinary laborers. Only these petite and cute female servants were allowed to stay in the official residence. How could they not be frightened.
Especially when these female servants sees Baron Dylan.
That gloomy and silent old face made them panic to the extreme.
At this moment, so many people had entered.
Who knew what would happen to these petite and powerless maidservants!
"All of you, Disperse."
Kant waved his hand, indicating that they could leave.
After becoming a superior, his observation skills were honed even more meticulously. Of course, he could guess why this group of maidservants were so frightened, he could not help but smile and said, "Make the arrangementsand prepare the banquet. I will be there to entertain the well-known squire and knights. Follow the most grand banquet standard."
"Yes… Yes, Baron Kant…"
The maidservants answered in unison.
Behind these maidservants, the fat butler who originally belonged to Baron Dylan also used a linen towel to wipe the cold sweat on his forehead and bowed respectfully together.
Glancing at Baron Dylan s even gloomier eyes, he could not help but shrink his neck.
Baron Dylan's lingering power was still there.
He was very timid.
However, he attracted Kant's attention.
Looking at Baron Dylan's depressed and gloomy face, Kant smiled and said, "The fat butler is still here. Let him continue helping the official residence. After all, he is familiar with this place and I reliable in handling matters."
"This… this…"
The fat butler's face turned pale when he heard this.
This was equivalent to putting him on the fire and roasting him. Especially when he looked at the dark face of Baron dilun nanjue, his legs trembled and he did not dare to say anything, but he did not dare to refuse.
After all, Baron Dylan was the zlord of the Stone Pass in name.
He was protected by the court of the nobles
If Baron Kant was forced to withdraw from Stone Pass and let Baron Dylan regain his power, then based on the fatbButler's understanding of Baron Dylan's brutal character, he reckoned that he would not live until the next day. The barren would be considered merciful if he could leave his body intact, the biggest consequence would probably be to choking or being fed to the dogs!
But how could he refuse the offer? Seeing Baron Kant clearly controlling the situation, it was impossible for him to refuse. He was also afraid that if he really refused, he would also die.
The only difference was whether he would die sooner or later, but he did not want to die so early.
"Yes, sir."
The fat butler bowed and agreed with a bitter face.
"HMPH! "Baron Dylan snorted coldly at the side. It was obvious that his anger had reached a boiling point.
This butler had followed him for many years.
Now, he betrayed him just like this.
This made Baron Dylan's face extremely ugly.
Most importantly, seeing that this butler had betrayed them, the knights behind him, who were originally vassal relations, all had different thoughts in mind.
Vassal knights were different from Butler servants, which meant that they were superior and subordinate.
There was no problem for them to change their affiliation.
It was normal.
Baron Dylan controlled the pass and the vassal knights as well.
But now, Baron Kant was in charge of the pass. Even Baron Dylan could not defeat him. How could he let these knights be vassals willingly? How could he let them stay on this broken ship!
Even the two Grand Knights had died in battle, leaving only Baron Dylan as the sole commander.
These vassal knights did not care anymore!
"Please take a seat, everyone."
Kant did not care about the psychology of this group of people at all.
He directly came to the main seat and sat down, as if he was the real lord of the Stone Pass. He waved to the maidservants beside him. "Prepare dinner. I want to have dinner with everyone tonight."
"Yes." The fat butler and the maids immediately responded and turned around to get busy.
"This is our honor!"
The vassal knights also bowed their heads, their attitude was very respectful and humble.
A wise man submits to circumstances.
However, they did not notice, or perhaps they did noticee, but didn't take it to heart. Baron Dylan's face was extremely depressed and gloomy. He looked at them fiercely, as if he wanted to eat them alive!
As a Lord, Baron Dylan did not mistreat this group of vassal knights who were still wandering.
Though he didn't reward them with land
But his daily missions were being completed with ease.
Now, they were all flatting Kant, and did not take him, the Old Lord, seriously at all!
Baron Dylan's face was gloomy. He spoke faintly, "Baron Kant and I are close. We can arrange whatever we want here. It doesn't matter." He paused and looked at Kant. "Compared to the other nobles in the dukedom, if we do this here, I think the noble court will have to intervene."
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Chapter 374: Kant's Empty Promises
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
There was a hidden meaning in Baron Dylan's words, because he was already extremely angry, and he had only suppressed it.
He had not only reminded Kant that he was the nominal lord of this place, but he had also mentioned the other nobles of the Dukedom of Leo. He had also wanted to use the pressure of the noble court to suppress Kant and prevent him from reacting excessively.
At the central posthouse, Kant's methods left him with lingering fear.
He killed decisively.
This comment was extremely correct.
The Gale mercenary group that Countess Agatha secretly raised, 600 horse thieves at the knight level, were considered elites among the national troops of the Dukedom of Leo, but they were easily eliminated by Kant's troops.
One had to know that there were two grand knights inside, the kind that possessed extraordinary powers!
But they did not pose any threat to Kant.
On the contrary, most of them were killed and the rest were captured as slaves.
Although this matter did not spread out.
But it was also stirred up in secret.
After all, such a powerful army was so easily annihilated. It did not mean that Countess Agatha's power was damaged, but it meant that the Baron, Kant, actually possessed a certain level of power!
At the very least, he did not fear ordinary barons.
For example, Dillard.
Right now, he had already lost the ability to contend with Kant.
Just like what he was saying now, it was more about self-preservation. Baron Dylan really believed that if anything really happened, this former little Kant would not hesitate to kill him!
After all, he was able to survive because of his identity as the Lord of Stone Pass.
The reason for his death was simple.
And it was because of his identity as the Lord of the Stone Pass!
Right now, who knew how many nobles secretly hoped that he could resist and be killed by Baron Kant, or that he would kill Baron Kant, a newly risen noble, in the process of resisting.
No matter what the outcome was, the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo would not suffer any losses.
When the snipe and the clam fought against each other.
But it'd be the fisherman who would reap the benefits!
Of course, the biggest possibility was that Baron Dylan himself would be killed. After all, he had already sensed that there was an extraordinary power condensing in Kant's body, and that power was not weaker than his.
It must be known that Baron Dylan had been training for nearly 12 years as a Grand Knight until now!
It was Princess Sofia who had arranged for him to become a Grand Knight.
Now, Kant had only become a Grand Knight for a short period of time, but his strength had already been trained to be stronger than his for more than ten years. Baron Dylan could not help but fear in his heart and did not dare to make any big moves.
This was also the reason why he chose to endure.
But now, he could not.
He watched the fat butler betray him.
Even those vassal knights who received good treatment had betrayed him.
The anger and grievance in Baron Dylan's heart surged out like a swarm of bees. He could not help but remind Kant that this Dukedom of Leo still had certain rules. For example, the powerful court of the noble was not something that anyone could provoke.
But to him, the powerful and almost invincible court of the noble did not matter to Kant.
"Is that so, Baron Dylan? Do you have any objections?"
Kant spoke.
Looking at Baron Dylan, who was sitting at the end of the line behind Fatis and the Lion Knight, he smiled and said, "I don't think you have any objections, do you? We are so close. Now, you only need to listen to me."
"You…" Baron Dylan's face turned red. These words were like a slap to his face.
This was the pass of hard stone.
In the past, only Baron Dylan could flaunt his power.
Now Kant was not only sitting on his main seat, he had arranged for him to be the next leader. He even directly arranged for him, just like Kant was the lord of this place and he was a humble guest!
"That's right. We feel that Baron Kant can indeed arrange it well."
"Yes, yes, yes. Baron Kant is a powerful person."
"Baron Kant can arrange everything. We will listen to his arrangements."
A voice came from the side.
It was a dozen or so of the vassal knights sitting at the very bottom.
They all had flattering smiles on their faces. They looked at Kant, who bowed his head respectfully and flattered him. They did not look at Baron Dylan's face, which was getting darker and darker. It was obvious that he was ready to take sides.
The current situation was in Kant's hands. They were not stupid, so how could they not see it?
"Well, that's it."
Kant did not decline. "You can wait for the arrangements in peace." Looking at their still eager eyes, he also said affirmatively, "Recently, the stone pass has been quite busy. You should help more. I think if there are meritorious deeds, Baron Dylan will definitely not be stingy with the fiefdom. No matter what, he will give the village as a knight's territory."
Baron Dylan was silent, but his face was even gloomier.
The Lion Knight beside him had already put his hand on the scabbard and looked at him.
This was the main reason why he did not speak.
When they heard Kant's words, the vassal knights smiled and bowed their heads. "Thank you for your kindness, Baron Kant. We are willing to work for you."
At this moment, they were not even willing to mention dilun Nanjue.
Even the vassal knights beside them were blushing. They were not angry, but envious.
They did not expect that.
They did not expect Kant to directly say the thing that they yearned for the most.
To obtain a knight's territory and become a real small noble, instead of being a vassal knight who served others without real power, all of this was rootless duckweed to them. They could give up at any time.
As long as they had their own estate, they could slowly become a true noble!
However, all of this was just empty promises to Kant.
He smiled slightly.
Looking at the eager vassal knights in front of him, he nodded and said, "I hope you understand that I am not a stingy person. With Baron Dylan at the Stone Pass, with me around, it means that all of you are here, and you have to help us manage this place."
"Yes!"
The vassal knights answered in unison.
At this time, they were even more flattering than the servants!
This was indeed an empty promise, but it was still a promise. Everyone could see that Baron Dylan was no longer able to do it. Now, the one who controlled the Stone Pass was Baron Kant.
If they wanted to obtain benefits that they had never dared to imagine before, they could only be loyal to Baron Kant.
Of course, that was not wrong.
There was actually a limit to their loyalty.
They could betray Baron Dylan, but they could also betray Kant.
Anyway, Kant had given them empty promises. Even if he had truly given them to the village, in order to advance further and become a true small noble, they were willing to act as the spies of the other great noble families and plot against Kant at the crucial time.
In their opinion, Baron Dylan had already lost his authority in the past.
Baron Kant was about to be targeted by the great nobles of the Dukedom of Leo.
They were all nothing to worry about!
The calculations in their hearts clicked, and these vassal knights even bowed their heads in flattery. To be able to turn from a wandering knight into a vassal knight, their skin was thicker, and their sense of honor was also lower.
These former wandering knights were much more shameless than Fartis.
They should be more like Rolf.
In this stable world, a wandering knight had no lord.
This meant that there was something wrong with them. It was either their strength, loyalty, or their personal character. Even if they became wandering knights due to an accident, after wandering for several years, they would be completely corrupted and become terrible bandits.
That's right, they were bandits.
These wandering knights were not good people.
If they could not find a lord to take them in, then it was not impossible for them to gather bandits and use their own strength to rob and harm a bandit group.
Moreover, some great lords would take the initiative to have their knights go into hiding for certain purposes.
It was similar to undercover work.
First, they would become a wandering knight, and then they would become a subordinate of a noble due to certain matters.
Finally, they would complete the mission at a critical moment, allowing the great lord who had arranged this matter to obtain sufficient benefits. They would also obtain great merits and become the little noble that they had always desired.
The most typical was the bandit group within the Dukedom of Leo, which more or less had the shadow of a noble.
For example, the gale mercenary group.
Two Grand Knights.
Thirty Knights.
The remaining nearly 600 people were also knight squires.
Standing behind them was the Countess of the Eastern County, Agatha. She was tyrannical and almost no one dared to provoke her.
Now, the reason why Kant recruited this group of knights was to let them act on their own. Although there must be a question mark about loyalty, at the very least, it had slowed down Kant's lack of manpower.
This was also the reason why he wanted to make empty promises.
It did not matter.
These were all Baron Dylan's things.
Anyway, they were not his, so Kant was not stingy when he used them.
However, during the course of the dinner, Baron Dylan's face had turned so dark that it was inhuman. If it weren't for the fact that he was still intimidated by the Lion Knight of Sarion who was beside him, the already tyrannical baron would have exploded on the spot.
Now, no one really thought of this Baron Dylan as a baron in the past.
He was just a mascot.
The reason why he was kept here was to avoid making use of others'words.
Baron Dylan also understood this point. However, as he looked at his fiefdom, it actually shrank rapidly with Kant's empty promises. The resentment in his heart grew bigger and bigger, so much so that he could not sit comfortably in his seat and continue eating and drinking.
"I don't feel well, so I'll leave first."
Baron Dylan stood up.
Next to him, five Lion Knights looked at him.
However, Baron Dylan did not do anything. He only said a few words to Kant before walking towards his own room. His entire face was gloomy. It was obvious that he had tolerated it to the limit. He was afraid that he would explode if he stayed any longer.
Kant waved his hand and smiled. "If you are not feeling well, then rest well."
"Lord is really merciful!"
The vassal knights began to flatter him again.
However, these words made Baron Dylan feel even more depressed. He walked even faster. He felt so stifled in his chest that he could cough up blood at any time. It was simply unbearable.
This was his territory, his official residence!
The dinner did not last long.
After they finished eating and drinking, Kant also arranged for the vassal knights to disperse.
The only ones left in the hall were Fathis and the 40 Sarion Lion Knights, as well as the knights and infantrymen who were guarding the surroundings. Even the maids had been driven away.
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Chapter 375: Strategies in the Hall of the Mansion
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
As the servants were driven away, the hall of the mansion became quiet.
At that moment, the Knights of Fatis and Sarion sat at the sides of the long table in peace. They stopped eating and drinking. Even the knights who were guarding the passage and the mansion had solemn expressions.
There were also the Swadian infantry who held swords and shields in the outer passage.
Now, only their own people could remain.
Kant, as the supreme lord, had his reasons for not wanting outsiders to participate.
As the Lord's subordinates, they naturally chose to obey. At the same time, they guaranteed that they would be on high alert, and the entire mansion was heavily guarded. They even sent small teams to guard the subordinate knights'rooms and Baron Dylan's room, it was as strict as guarding a death row prisoner.
Although it was going to be a banquet, it was more like a strategy meeting.
They could not afford to slack off.
In the hall.
The leftovers on the long table had been personally handled by the Swadian Infantry. They wiped the table clean with a towel.
When everything was ready, Kant, who was sitting in the main seat, nodded slowly. He coughed lightly and signaled for everyone to put down their chores and sit in their own seats.
"Alright."
Kant said slowly, "This is the Stone Pass. I think there is no need to say more. All of you can understand that the dilemma we are facing now is how to defend this pass and rush out at the same time."
"Yes!"
A uniform answer rang out.
However, most of the people who answered were the Lion Knights of Sarion. They were better at fighting.
This was just an instinctive answer.
Only Fatis had seriously thought about this question. At this moment, he said, "Lord Kant, we have already taken control of Stone Pass. But what I feel that we need to be wary of now is the external pressure."
"Hmm, tell me about it." Kant nodded.
Fatis said, "The Dukedom of Leo's attitude towards us is a little ambiguous now. I don't know if Lord Kant has noticed it, but this attitude has instead created external pressure."
"Continue." Kant frowned.
"The Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, did not express his opinion."
Fatis raised his head and looked at Kant. "Those top-tier noble families also didn't express their thought." His tone paused for a moment, he continued, "In fact, the pressure that we are facing right now happens to be the pressure that these people have unconsciously forced upon us. Even if they did not make a clear response or show any attitude, it is because of this that they are ambiguous."
"Are you saying that they are still in a daze?" Kant knocked on the table with his finger. "They still haven't reacted?"
"Yes!" Fatis nodded.
At the same time, he continued, "When we came to the Stone Pass, I didn't simply guard this place. Instead, I bribed some merchants or took the initiative to investigate the internal news of the Dukedom of Leo. That's why I came to this conclusion."
"Very good," Kant said affirmatively. "This is very crucial."
"In fact, whether it's Grand Duke of Lion, Cameron, or those top noble families, they haven't expressed anything. Although they haven't reacted yet, they didn't show any attitude…"Fatis said in a deep voice, "This is an attitude!"
Without waiting for Kant to digest it, Fatis said, "In my opinion, perhaps they thought too much about background, so that they don't dare to make a careless conclusion until now. Moreover, there are some conflicts."
"Conflicts?" Kant chuckled. "Yes, conflicts, they do exist."
Fatis nodded. "You know it best."
Conflicts.
The internal strife of the Dukedom of Leo.
Or rather, it should be the contradictions between the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, and the other top-notch noble families.
Just like the relationship between an emperor and a few powerful ministers, in this feudal era, it was the European version of the feudal society. Those top-notch feudal noble families were actually no worse than a king.
The king was more like the leader of the Alliance, the commander of many allies.
Moreover, the Dukedom of Leo was only a dukedom.
The Grand Duke of Leo was only an Archduke. Compared to those top-level earls, he was only slightly higher in rank. The actual power he held still needed to be discussed with these earls.
For example, Countess Agatha of the Eastern County had nothing to do with the Cold War between the Grand Duke of Leo and Cameron!
But the current situation..
Kant pondered for a moment.
After a while, he looked up at Fatis. "In such a short period of time, when there is no tacit understanding between the Grand Duke of Lion and the top noble, are we still safe?"
"Yes, there is pressure from both sides, but it is a safe period of time."
This was what Fatis wanted to say.
"Very good." Kant nodded.
Without hesitation, he had already made a decision. "Then we'll use this time to quickly clear out the northern county. I think our troops can completely let the noble families of the northern county know who is the strongest person in this county."
"That's very correct." Fatis nodded as well. "I think Rolf is very suitable for this period of time."
"Rolf?" Kant frowned slightly.
"Yes."
Fatis nodded with a calm expression. "With his personality and way of doing things, he can maximize our benefits during this period of time. After all, his methods are very suitable for opening a gap in this stalemate."
"Let's kill our way to a gap." Kant shook his head and smiled.
However, he also understood what Fatis meant.
The northern county territory was indeed in a stalemate.
The Lord of the northern county territory, Viscount Wayne of Logue Fort, was the highest noble who controlled this county.
Although he was a viscount, he had a lot of real power.
If it wasn't for Grand Duke Lion Cameron sending Viscount Kevin over to share the power of Viscount Wayne in the northern county territory, such a vast county territory would have become the back garden of Viscount Wayne!
This was a little dangerous for the southern county territory, which was only covered by the lion mountain range.
It was close at hand.
But it was also a lord with a high position and power.
They absolutely needed to be on guard. They absolutely needed to place nails to monitor and warn!
This also led to the fact that on the land of the northern County territory, Viscount Wayne was nominally in charge, but there was still a nail in the coffin, Viscount Kevin. Although there was no news of discord between the two sides, in reality, the atmosphere was very stiff.
No one liked to have their power divided!
Especially now.
The poor northern county territory finally had a business opportunity to make a fortune, and they did not like outsiders to intervene!
Table salt trade.
If Kant obtained the salt mine, then the originally poor northern county territory would be able to grab a cup of table salt first because of their geographical advantage. Even if they could not get a share, they would be able to seize the trade route of table salt trade and make a large sum of road tolls or business taxes.
No matter what, this was a windfall.
If they seized the salt mine…
It would be an unending stream of windfalls. It would be a gold mountain and silver mine that could allow the family to grow!
As the ruler of a country and the pillar, the grand Duke of Leo would obviously not engage in hand-to-hand combat so soon. Although they were still testing each other out, it was not a bad idea to let the small and medium-sized noble families under him explore the way first.
As long as they were sure that there was no danger and good rewards, that was when they would start.
As for the guys from before…
They were pretty much good for nothing.
Whether they would be of any help was up for Kant to decide!
He pondered slightly.
Kant said calmly, "I will transfer the troops of the central posthouse and head to the Stone Pass to form a new cavalry group. As for the commander, let Rolf be the commander. When the time comes, let him take charge of Stone Pass."
"Understood." Fatis nodded.
He was about to leave Stone Pass.
Kant also said clearly, "Fatis, you continue to return to the Oasis Lookout. There has just been turmoil there. Only Manide and Jocelyn are stationed there. In short, I am not at ease."
"Yes."
Fatis accepted the order. He preferred the oasis lookout with the rich atmosphere of the Kingdom of Swadia.
As for the Stone Pass, Rolf, who preferred to fish in troubled waters, would be able to adapt to it the best.
Furthermore, Fatis also gave his opinion. "Lord Kant, as long as it's not the heavily armored Mamluke, I think we can send the cavalry of the Sarrandian Sultanate over and let Rolf lead them."
"It's just as I thought."
Kant nodded.
The cavalry of the Sarrandian Sultanate was a level up from the desert bandits.
Light cavalry, desert bandits, Sarrandian horseman, and heavy cavalry, Mamlukes.
The combination of cavalry was extremely reasonable.
In fact, compared to the cavalry of the Kingdom of Swadia, which was full of heavy cavalry, it was more suitable for regular battles. After all, the Swadian man-at-arms and cavalry were more suitable for use in decisive battles to completely destroy the enemy's line.
Now, Kant had arranged for Rolf to lead the cavalry of the Sarrandian Sultanate. It was just to harass them.
Just like those bandit groups raised by noble families.
Desert bandits who were originally bandits, along with the Assault Cavalry, Sarrandian Horseman, and a small number of Mamluke who were elites, came and went like the wind. Their combat strength was extremely strong. Even an ordinary lord was probably not their match.
After all, Kant could totally amass 1,000 desert bandits, 1,500 Sarrandian Horseman, and 500 Mamlukes currently.
The level up from the last battle was a part of it.
And previously, Kant had also amassed a batch of Sarrandian horseman and Mamlukes.
The numbers added up were not small.
Although they could not compare to the heavy cavalry forces of the Kingdom of Swadia, it was definitely not a problem for them to form their own system.
Moreover, the most crucial thing was the flexibility of the desert bandits, as well as the assault ability of the sarrandian horseman and the decisive effect of Mamluke's hammer. It was enough to destroy the equipment of any informal legion.
Even if they encountered an official legion led by a noble, they could still fight and retreat. They were not at a disadvantage.
Kant also planned to arrange for 30 Sarion Lion Knights to enter.
High-end combat strength was a must.
With such a large-scale cavalry team, not to mention traversing the northern county, even if they extended their influence into the southern county and the eastern county, the average lord would not dare to take advantage of them easily. They would only hide in their own estate in fear, begging to leave.
These troops were enough to destroy dozens of village-level knight estates!
Just look at that time.
The Countess of the eastern county, Agatha, had 600 knight attendants who could dominate the three counties.
Although they were careful and did not easily touch the interests of the third county princess, there was also the factor of their own strength. Otherwise, they would have long been annihilated by the troops gathered by the noble families.
Don't think that the noble families only had knights in their troops. They could still organize the people and recruit mercenaries.
Just take Viscount Wayne for example.
If they wanted to.
It wouldn't be a problem to recruit an army of over 10,000 people in a short period of time.
Even if it was a longer period of time, it could be about 30,000 people. However, when that time came, the rule of the entire northern county would be in a stalemate. Even the southern and eastern counties would be afraid of gathering so many troops.
30,000 people was indeed a large number.
These were all soldiers.
Although there were civilian armed lance soldiers to fill in the numbers, they could not withstand the large number.
A pure noble Knight Regiment would not charge rashly into these troops. After all, if they were not careful, they would easily fall into danger. To the noble, it was not worth it to exchange their lives with these lowly bumpkins.
Moreover, many of them were experienced mercenaries. In terms of battlefield fighting, they were not inferior to the well-trained noble.
Numbers were also an advantage.
This was also the reason why Kant chose to rope in those small noble families and small merchants tomorrow.
As long as he could have these guys on his side and make Stone Pass impregnable, the local troops would be able to help him when he met the real soldiers of the Dukedom of Leo.
Although they were unable to be loyal to him with the soldiers in the knight-slash world,.
But he could still strengthen his momentum.
He could not fight with a disadvantage, but he could definitely fight with an advantage
After all, the number of Kant's Swadian man-at-arms was extremely shocking. The Swadian heavy cavalry could be trained at any time. It'd be very hard for them to lose a decisive battle on the plains with the terrifying charge of heavy cavalry.
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Chapter 376: The Compromise In the Crystal Ball
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The room was slightly dark. Baron Dylan deliberately chosee a dimmer candle light.
His face, which was distorted due to his grievance, was gloomy and uncertain in the candle light. His eyes, filled with Haze, revealed a sense of humiliation and suppressed a deep hatred of incomparable anger.
Baron Dylan felt like an old wolf king who had been expelled, refusing to admit that he's aged.
A few months ago, he was still in control of everything.
He just did not expect that.
That little brat could actually disguise himself so well.
Or wait so patiently. He had been enduring all the way from the Lion Castle until now, and until now, he still hid in front of him. When everyone relaxed and really let the little brat breath for bit, he suddenly erupted.
"As expected of the child of Grand Duke Cameron and Princess Sofia!"
Baron Dylan gritted his teeth.
His breathing was rapid, and his fists were clenched tightly. His knuckles were cracking slightly due to the force exerted.
The current Baron Dylan was imprisoned in his own estate and his own room. He looked like the Lord of Stone Pass in name, but in reality, he was no different from a prisoner!
To him, who had a violent temper to begin with, living like this was no better than death!
"Knock, Knock, Knock."
The door was knocked.
At the same time, a rough report came from outside the door. "Baron Dylan, your wife is here. I hope you have a good talk, but don't take more than half an hour. The curfew is coming up."
"I understand." Baron Dylan's face was even gloomier. He responded, but his eyes were shining.
The door opened.
A woman with a voluptuous figure walked in.
With a panicked expression on her face, she quickly walked in. Looking at Baron Dylan ho was sitting in the dark room, tears immediately flowed down her face. "Dylan, Oh, with the blessing of the god of war, Edmund, I finally see you again."
"Yes." Baron Dylan only nodded faintly.
This was his wife.
However, he had always looked down on her.
Status determined who was high and who was low. Baron Dylan wanted to marry the daughter of a noble family, but because of his background, he was rejected in all kinds of ways. In addition, he was ostracized by the mainstream noble circle, which brought him a lot of ridicule.
In the end, he could only marry the woman of this merchant family. Although she was rich, in the eyes of the noble, she was very lowly.
"Sit down."
Baron Dylan had always been cold to this woman.
Not only because of her identity, but also because this woman was really big-breasted and brainless. Although she was beautiful and her family was rich, she only knew money, money, and nothing but silver coins.
Moreover, she secretly gave various benefits to her family, and even used Baron Dylan's name to train her own knights. Clearly, she also wanted to use his name to become a baron herself, so that her merchant family could go one step further and become a country squire, train a few knights, and eventually become a small noble.
Baron Dylan saw all of this, but he did not expose her.
To him, it could also be considered help.
However, now that he was in danger, Baron Dylan had to make good use of his wife's family. After all, he had already handed over the table salt trade. Now that something had happened, they could not pretend like it didn't.
"Dylan, now… now…" his wife was still crying and panicking.
"Quiet."
Baron Dylan snorted coldly.
Looking at this beautiful woman mature charms, he did not have any obscene thoughts. Instead, he lowered his voice and said, "Did you bring the stuff?"
"I… I have brought them…" his wife answered with a trembling voice.
"Take it out now!"
Baron Dylan's eyes lit up. This was related to his future safety and the hope of regaining power!
The madam quickly took out a small crystal ball from the private area in her bosom. It was clear and there were many tiny patterns inlaid with gold on it. It looked like a very exquisite handicraft.
"Very good."
A smile finally appeared on Baron Dylan's gloomy face.
"But… Dylan… you…"
His baroness's heart was still trembling.
As the daughter of a businessman, she really did not know how to deal with it at this time. She just followed Baron Dylan's instructions. As for her own thoughts, she did not have the slightest idea, or rather, she did not have a good enough view of the overall situation.
"Go back to your room. Leave the rest to me."
Baron Dylan smiled. "Remember what I said." His face became solemn. "Don't say anything else."
"Okay… okay…" the madam could only nod.
She continued to get up.
That voluptuous and mature body was as alluring as the sweetest peach.
However, there was still a hint of fear on her beautiful face, ruining this sense of beauty.
In the end, her big eyes trembled as she looked at Dylan. She silently opened the door and left. Under the lead of a few maidservants, she returned to her room. Of course, along the way, her voluptuous body was still frightened by the offensive gazes of the infantrymen.
They were all men from the continent of Caradia who had flesh and blood. Of course, they had the appreciation of beautiful things.
Including beauties.
Of course, this was also the reason why Kant and Fatis had such high standards for discipline.
If it was Rolf, a scoundrel noble, he would probably capture this ripe peach of a woman the second day steps foot Stone Pass. He would be able to enjoy it day and night.
Evil generals did not have high requirements for morality and discipline.
However, Baron Dylan did not care.
He could always remarry if she was gone. If he died and his estate was lost, then he would really be doomed!
Seeing that the door was closed again, Baron Dylan's face became gloomy. He carefully listened to the disappearing footsteps outside. He naturally understood that this was the sound of the patrol team leaving every once in a while.
Now, there were only ten elite infantrymen guarding the door.
Of course, there were five grand knights in the opposite room on guard, faintly surrounding his room.
"You really think highly of me."
Baron Dylan sneered, the gloominess in his eyes became more and more intense.
He took out the small crystal ball, which was half the size of a palm, and could be held with one hand. As the extraordinary power in his body seeped into it, as if it was charged, it gradually lit up with a mysterious light.
A wave of spatial fluctuations was also emitted in an extremely secretive manner.
"Lord Viscount."
A faint voice came from within the crystal ball, "It's good to come in."
"HMPH."
Hearing the words from within the crystal ball, Baron Dylan's expression became even more gloomy.
If it was possible, he really did not want to contact this fellow. It was this fellow who had urged him to lead the mercenary group. At the central posthouse in the Nahrin Desert, he was killed and the entire army was defeated. He himself had become a puppet.
However, Baron Dylan did not lose his temper. He knew that he had no choice now.
"I have contacted you."
Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes. "That means that I now have the autonomy. Do you have any plans to help? After all, as the Viscount of Countess Agatha, I still hope to offer my loyalty. After all, I am still a Grand Knight!"
"Of course, as a Grand Knight, you are of course the loyal Viscount of Countess Agatha."
A reply came from the crystal ball.
But his tone paused slightly, his tone was almost playful. "But, Lord Viscount, you should consider this, what qualifications do you have now to negotiate with me? No, no, no. It seems a little rude to say this, but in other words, what else do you have to prove that you are useful now?"
"I am a Grand Knight. Isn't that enough?" Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes.
"Not enough." The answer in the crystal ball was straightforward.
"Stone Pass."
Baron Dylan hesitated, but he still gritted his teeth and told him his background.
"Haha." Hearing Baron Dylan's words, the crystal ball laughed softly instead. "Lord Viscount, if I remember correctly, Stone Pass now should be in Baron Kant's hands."
"In name."
Baron Dylan took a deep breath. "I can offer it to Countess Agatha."
The crystal ball smiled faintly and said, "Wow, in name, you also know that this is in name?"
"Without this name, Countess Agatha would not be able to extend her hand to the northern county territory. You must know that the current Northern County territory is where Viscount Wayne of Logue Fort and Viscount Kevin of Masburg are fighting each other. I think that behind this, they represent the friction between the top noble and the Grand Duke of Lion. This saying is correct, right?"
Baron Dylan gritted his teeth and answered. He had a very thorough understanding of the situation in the northern county.
In other words, any noble would understand the current situation.
The crystal ball paused.
His tone also became calm. "Then, Lord Viscount, are you sure that you want to donate the Stone Pass to Countess Agatha for free and are willing to bear some consequences?"
"No, not for free." Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes and denied.
"Please speak."
The crystal ball had already expected this.
After a slight pause, Baron Dylan said in a deep voice, "I need a new estate. Whether it's the northern county, the eastern county, or the estates that have been opened up in the wilderness further away, I Need Countess Agatha to give me a new estate. At the same time, she can give me some help so that I can develop in a new estate."
"Oh, this request is not simple." The crystal ball replied with a question, "Then what else can you do?"
"Cooperate from the inside and the outside."
Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes.
He clenched his hands slightly and said to the crystal ball in a deep voice, "I know the secret passage in the Stone Pass. I can arrange for troops to enter the secret passage without being discovered. After all, this was once my official residence. I know everything!"
"Very good." The crystal ball chuckled again. "Countess Agatha has agreed."
"Okay."
Baron Dylan nodded. The faint light of the crystal ball in his hand dimmed slightly.
This was because of a lack of energy.
He glanced at the door and said succinctly, "I am willing to offer my loyalty to Countess Agatha. This communication crystal ball can talk at this time every day. You can inform me of the specific plan secretly."
"Yes, Lord Viscount."
The voice in the crystal ball replied, "You can just listen to Countess Agatha's arrangements."
"Yes."
Baron Dylan replied.
At this moment, the crystal ball in his hand flickered a few times before it finally dimmed completely.
He looked at the exquisite small object in his hand. The hatred in his eyes and the gloominess on his face almost twisted him like a devil from hell. However, he took a few deep breaths and forced himself to calm down.
There was a fierce tiger in front and a hungry wolf at the back. He had no choice but to compromise to save himself.
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Chapter 377: Generous Tax Relief
The banquet held at the pass was exceptionally grand.
This was Kant's first official appearance after he had taken control of the place. He announced the news. This was so that he could test the people here.
Of course, everyone showed respect. All the squires and knights that were invited came as promised.
And those who were not invited also came.
For example, the managers of the large trade caravan stationed at Stone Pass came to the official residence in the name of representing the trade caravan behind them. They brought all kinds of exquisite and expensive crafts and wanted to attend the banquet.
Kant treated all of them equally and allowed them to enter the official residence to attend the banquet.
Even the civilians and poor people in the pass were treated well.
Normal food was distributed free of charge.
Rye bread that was as hard as stone baked with rotten flour.
And at the bottom of the warehouse, dried meat and dried sausage that were already damp and hairy were the free ingredients distributed among them.
It was impossible for the Knights to eat these things. Even the guards in the mansion or the slightly wealthier civilians would not eat them. Only the lowest-class civilians and the poor would eat them.
However, it was precisely because the large number of the lowest-class commoners and the poor that it even caused a fight.
No one objected to Kant.
Almost everyone was praising the new lord's benevolence.
That's right. In the eyes of the poor and the commoners, as well as the small squire and the small merchant, Stone Pass had indeed changed its Lord. The former Baron Dylan had been replaced by the current Baron Kant.
Of course, they had no way of knowing the details. They just went along with the flow.
The sorrow of the small characters.
However, to them, it was really rare for the poor and civilians to have a chance to eat their fill.
The main reason was that these things were not Kant's own. They were all found in the warehouse of the official residence in Stone Pass. Taking other people's things to give away as his, this boost in reputation was really worth Kant's while.
The banquet began in the official residence.
A few bards hired at the last minute were playing and singing the common poems of the Dukedom of Leo.
Beautiful maids were walking in the crowd, adding desserts that were constantly being demolished on the long table. At the same time, they were carrying ale in small wooden barrels, allowing the guests to enjoy the temptation of alcohol.
At this time, the Knights of Swadia had already taken off their chain mail.
They had changed into new and decent clothes.
There was a smile on their faces.
Their every move carried the elegance of a noble. They chatted happily with the guests, causing the atmosphere in the official residence to become even more intense. It was extremely lively and harmonious.
This was something that Kant and Fatis had specially arranged.
After all, the guests needed someone to guide them.
The knights of Swadia were already knights in the kingdom, and even had the status of a small noble. They would be able to complete this mission very well. At the very least, they would be able to chat casually about the weather without any problems.
What Kant needed was for everyone to feel the harmony and peace of this place.
He needed to stabilize the Stone Pass.
Slowly nibbling away at it!
Beside him, the vassal knights who originally belonged to Baron Dylan also dispersed and blended in with the guests. Most of them were chatting with smiles on their faces. There were obviously familiar people among them.
There were also a small number of cold-looking people who sat alone in the corner, drinking their ale without making a sound.
Kant arranged for people to memorize them one by one.
These were all loyal to Baron Dylan.
If there were no accidents, they would be arranged to go to a mountain to quell the chaos of the demonized creatures. However, due to some unfortunate circumstances, these knights encountered even more terrifying and ferocious demonized creatures, which led to their total annihilation.
The final result was that no one survived.
He did not need someone who could betray him at any time.
As for the idea that time would change everything, Kant would not even consider it.
Even Fathis would not consider it.
What they needed to do now was to quickly bring Stone Pass under their control. Whether it was on the surface or in the dark, they needed to let everyone know that the current ruler was Kant from the Nahrin Desert!
At the same time, there was a better reputation to promote Kant's reputation in the Dukedom of Leo.
This was related to the future strategic plan.
Kant needed more than that.
He also needed the entire Dukedom of Leo, and even the Silver Platter Kingdom in the south!
The pass was just a key node that Kant had carefully designed in order to reach into the Dukedom of Leo so that he wouldn't be cut in half by a sudden knife.
After all, the position of this pass was too shocking.
"It looks good."
Kant raised his wine glass in the middle of the banquet.
Fatis was standing beside him, and so was Baron Dylan.
But at this time, the real protagonist was Kant. Everyone looked at him with fear and respect. As for Baron Dylan, he had been ignored by most people.
Even if someone looked at Baron Dylan, their eyes were full of amusement.
This was a loser.
Facing such a deriding gaze, Baron Dylan clenched both his hands and gritted his teeth.
These people who were still humble and flattery not long ago actually dared to appear in front of him. They pretended to look at him with contempt and even showed a pitiful and mocking smile?
However, Baron Dylan could endure it. His forbearance was even more profound than his brutal character.
In the past, it was through forbearance that he obtained his current power.
The so-called brutality.
It was just a mask deliberately added to conceal himself!
Now, he was as obedient as a lamb. However, in reality, Baron Dylan, who had already established a connection with Countess Agatha, was still sneering in his heart. He longed to see the faces of these fellows when his allies appeared in front of him.
Although Baron Kant would not be killed by him personally, it was not certain about these people!
It was not long.
Because Countess Agatha's troops would arrive next week.
At that time, Kant, the little brat, was still at Stone Pass. These people who had come to attend the banquet did not leave. After all, this banquet had lasted for a full week. It was a grand banquet.
For Baron Dylan, that was the time for the banquet to begin!
Everything was calm.
Kant did not seem to notice.
The entire Stone Pass went through six days of grand celebrations.
The drunken banquet was finally coming to an end. All the young noble and small businessmen who came to attend the banquet gathered in the hall with satisfaction and chatted with each other excitedly.
They had received news that Baron Kant was going to announce the important arrangements for the table salt trade.
There was very likely.
The table salt trade that was originally in the desert would be shifted to the Stone Pass!
Furthermore, the amount of table salt trade would increase exponentially. As long as someone had a great silver coin or a golden eagle, they could buy piles of fine white salt at Stone Pass. There was no upper limit at all, and it would be sold until it was gone!
Whoever had the money could purchase it. This was the method that the large-scale trade caravan was most passionate about.
It was almost a monopoly.
Although the large-scale trade caravans would compromise and balance each other, those small-scale trade caravans definitely did not have the strength to be compromised. They could only be excluded from the rich profits of the table salt trade.
However, the reason why they were so happy was Kant's announcement.
The trade caravan at Stone Pass had priority!
In other words, the merchants at Stone Pass could purchase the table salt first.
Although the table salt would eventually be bought by the large-scale merchants with little profit, as long as they changed hands, they could obtain a huge profit for the small-scale trade caravans. Why not!
From this, they could get involved with the large-scale trade caravan. If they latched onto their thighs, that would be an even better future!
Merchants would only care about themselves.
Right now, they were extremely eager for Kant to announce this news.
As for the managers of the large-scale trade caravan, they were still standing there and listening. To them, it was just a small amount of profit, and they could get more profit. There was no problem at all.
The exchange of interests between merchants was sometimes that simple.
As for Baron Kant's interests.
Everyone automatically ignored it.
They were not fools. If they could cling onto the legs of a stronger noble, they would not need the help of a small baron like Kant. They all knew in their hearts that this baron would not be able to control Stone Pass for long.
It was true to take advantage of this period of time to make a large sum of money and obtain the relationship of some large-scale trade caravan.
This was the same idea as those vassal knights!
Kant came to the specially built stage.
Looking at the guests in front of him staring with all kinds of emotions in their eyes, Kant's lips curled up slightly and said, "Everyone may know that I'm going to announce the table salt trade in the future."
"That's right!"
Everyone cheered.
Kant pressed down his hands to show that he was calm.
Looking at them, he said without hesitation, "Next, the table salt trade will indeed come to the stone pass. As for the specific regulations, I will write a notice and post it. Of course, the specific details are the same as what everyone knows."
"Long live Baron Kant, you are really merciful! The most merciful Lord!"
"Merciful lord, that's right, the most merciful lord!"
The merchants and small landlords cheered one after another.
At this time, the wish in their hearts had come true. It was almost like they had obtained the cornerstone for their rapid rise, especially when it came to the table salt trade. In front of such a huge profit-making trade, everyone would become rich.
That's right, they would earn a profit that that they had never even dared to dream of after operating for several years!
"At the same time, I will lower the taxes."
Kant smiled.
Looking at the merchants, he continued, "Especially the business tax and the agricultural tax. I will reduce some trivial taxes to make our business more active."
"Merciful! The most merciful lord!"
Hearing the tax reduction, how could the merchants reject it? They all cheered.
This was something that even a foolish lord would not do. Now, when they looked at Kant, it was as if they were looking at a fool. They wanted to pounce on him and take all the advantages.
Taxation represented the income of the lord, especially in a territory with a strong business atmosphere. Tax was the biggest part of the revenue.
Baron Dylan was also watching from the side.
Looking at Kant on the stage, the corners of his mouth curled into a ferocious smile. "Come on, it's almost time."
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Chapter 378: The Ambush in the Depths of the Mansion
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Baron Dylan estimated the time. It was about seven o'clock in the evening. After the banquet tonight, everyone would leave under the cover of night and return to their own estate or the hotels in the Stone Pass.
Those who could attend the banquet were not important people.
There was not even a baron of the same rank.
They were all small merchants, small landlords, or knights who hadn't been given their titles yet.
They also included the management personnel of the large-scale trade caravan stationed here.
It looked lively, but in fact, the quality of this grand banquet was very poor. If a real noble attended, they would probably think that the appearance of these small figures was disgraceful.
The noble would not appear at this banquet. No matter who it was, they all chose to remain silent.
This included Viscount Wayne and Viscount Kevin from the northern county.
However.
The people in charge of the trade caravan could also represent some noble.
During this banquet that lasted for seven days, Kant himself received a lot of respect from the trade caravan's managers. For example, he received a lot of expensive gifts.
There was also a special envelope in the gift. There was no signature, and there was no seal to prove his identity.
What was written on it was also ceremonial nonsense.
But Kant was satisfied.
The goodwill expressed in the letter was very obvious. According to the trade caravan behind these merchants, one could guess which noble expressed their goodwill. It was like a tactful communication between noble families. Although it was awkward, it showed the initiative to send a signal.
There were no eternal friends, no eternal enemies, only eternal interests.
Standing on the high platform.
Many of the guests were satisfied. Obviously, they were very satisfied with this banquet.
They had received verbal support from Kant. As long as Kant could carry out his plan, it meant that all of them would be able to make a lot of money!
This was also the result Kant needed.
The combination of interests.
Even if someone tried to swallow Kant.
But these vested interests, when their own interests were touched, they would definitely stand on Kant's side and bounce back.
Or when there was no greater interest that could break the interest Kant gave them, these vested interests would never betray Kant. Even if they betrayed, they would delay for their own interests, thus indirectly alerting Kant.
It was like a big net woven with benefits. Although it was simple, it was extremely useful!
Moreover, this was not Kant's benefit.
The salt mine was ready-made.
The Stone Pass belonged to Baron Dylan.
Using other people's benefits to gain benefits for oneself, that was the best.
For this, Kant glanced at Baron Dylan, who was not far away. He was sitting obediently in a corner, drinking quietly with the vassal knights who were still loyal to him. The corners of his mouth curled up into a slightly mocking smile.
This uncle Dylan really thought that he had not discovered anything.
He seemed to have noticed Kant's gaze.
Baron Dylan looked over.
"Cheers."
Kant raised his wine glass across the crowd, paying his respects in vain.
However, Baron Dylan pretended to be otherwise, as if he did not see it. He lowered his head again and drank quietly. He looked as if he was the wolf king who had been completely driven out of the wolf pack. He was howling in a low voice and licking his wounds.
Or perhaps, he was waiting for something..
The banquet was coming to an end.
Many guests were saying goodbye to each other.
This kind of banquet was not only a good opportunity to get closer to Baron Kant. It was also a good opportunity for everyone to get closer to each other.
Many merchants and squire landlords were decent people of the same level. Although they could not be compared to a real noble, they could still be considered as people of the same level. They were also living in Stone Pass. It would be beneficial for them to get closer to each other in the future.
Especially the trade caravan controlled by the noble families, which was the target of these people.
This was also because of Kant.
After all, they could not reveal their purpose of cozying up to the noble families too clearly.
If Kant left, or if it was somewhere else, these small squire and landlord merchants who were originally in the stone pass would directly stick to him. They would shamelessly cling to the legs of the stewards of the trade caravan who represented the noble families!
Next, if those great noble families were to move into Stone Pass, then Baron Kant would have nothing to do with it.
It would also be beneficial to cling onto the thighs earlier.
Kant saw this.
He was also helpless against these fellows' moral integrity.
However, the ridicule at the corner of his mouth was not directed at them. After all, these short-sighted fellows had their future in this place. They would not pose a threat to Kant's plans.
After a moment of silence, Kant left the high platform and asked the knight who was waiting beside him, "Is everything ready?"
"Yes."
The Swadian Knight nodded. "Everything is ready."
"Yes." Kant smiled. What was coming next was the real banquet, the real climax, and the real ending!
He swept his gaze across the corner.
Baron Dylan was still pretending to brood as he drank his wine.
However, his eyes flashed with a bright light. His expectant look seemed to be anticipating something.
"Don't treat everyone as fools."
Kant shook his head.
When Baron Dylan was communicating directly with the crystal ball, he revealed some kind of spatial fluctuation that had attracted the perception of the Lion Knight of Sarion. Almost at that time, he had officially monitored Baron Dylans room.
Although they did not enter the door and did not know the secret passage that was specially monitored, their ears were very useful.
The ears of grand knights were naturally very strong.
Ordinary people could not hear it.
But they could!
The Pande continent was a fantasy world. Even if it was already very low in demonization, the power of the extraordinary also had some special enhancements. For example, the Level-6 cavalry that had already reached the peak, these lion knights had such a set of skills.
After all, they were constantly out in battle. If they did not have good hearing, they would not be able to hear the enemy's advance and their own orders. That would be bad.
There were also crucial points.
On the Pande continent, there were the underworld demons and the Nordo Elves.
These races still had the knowledge of ancient magic. Of course, they also had knowledge of space-related magic.
The underworld demons had broken through space to invade the Pande continent, while the Nordo Elves had opened up a pure land space in the forest to isolate the humans. They reproduced on their own in an attempt to regain control of the continent.
Therefore, as the strongest national knights of the Kingdom of Sarion, these lion knights naturally knew some similar knowledge.
Their enemies were not the other countries.
They also included the demons of the underworld and the Nordo Elves!
It was for this reason.
Even when Baron Dylan activated the crystal ball in the dead of night to ensure that the knights guarding outside were not on guard, he still could not escape Kant's control by arranging with his allies in a very low voice.
When he activated the crystal ball with his supernatural power, the fluctuation of space was detected as soon as it was released.
Then, it was monitored.
In the next six days, every night's plan was easily monitored and even rewritten into documents, which were presented to Kant continuously.
As for the attack that was about to end at the banquet tonight, it was especially targeted.
Hundreds of candles lit up the hall.
There was only a piece of plate or leftover food on the long table.
A messenger, the Swadian Infantry, quickly came to Kant and whispered, "Lord Kant, Sir Firentis asked me to inform you that about 300 cockroaches have come in."
"Yes, tell them to continue hiding and wait for orders."
Kant gave a new order.
"Yes." The infantry quickly turned around and left.
This was a small episode.
No one cared. Even if they saw it, they did not think too much about it.
However, Kant walked forward, clapped his hands, and came to the high platform that was built. He smiled and said, "Everyone, the banquet lasted for seven days. Perhaps it was not well-treated, but please forgive me."
"Merciful Lord Kant, you have served us well!"
"There is nothing wrong with it. We love your banquet!"
"This banquet is amazing!"
The guests and the vassal knights cheered.
This was not a hypocritical social speech, but a sincere one. After all, to be able to come here for free and enjoy a high-class banquet like a noble, it was not something that they, who were not even a noble, could enjoy.
Moreover, there was Kant's promise to give them a pie in the sky. It was extremely tempting.
This banquet was really something!
Even Baron Dylan nodded and glanced gloomily at the merchants. "That's right, it's great."
Using the ingredients and supplies stored in his warehouse to hold a noble's banquet was more than just great. Even Viscount Wayne of Logue Castle, the nominal supreme lord of the entire northern County territory, would not hold such banquets frequently.
But now, he had invited a group of lowly merchants, landlords, and country gentry!
To use his things!
"Damn it."
Baron Dylan raised his head and looked at Kant with his gloomy eyes. He cursed in his heart, 'damn that little bastard!'
Time was almost up. He swept his gaze across the thick walls around him. According to the plan, his allies from outside the official residence of the Stone Pass had already hidden inside. As long as the time reached 7:30, they would open the secret passage and rush out.
He would kill his way into the banquet, seize Kant, and gain the initiative!
He was the mole.
As a grand knight, Baron Dylan had already tied a dagger to his thigh. As long as an ambush appeared in the secret passage to attract everyone's attention, he would quickly explode his extraordinary power to approach Kant and successfully seize him.
This way, even if the other grand knights came to rescue him, they would have to surrender and listen to their arrangements.
It was a perfect plan.
Baron Dylan's gloomy eyes were filled with pride.
However, when he saw Kant's calm face and the few guards around him, he did not know why, but his sixth sense suddenly jolted. He initially wanted to get closer to Kant, but he held back and did not move.
He was a little puzzled. In the past, Kant, this little brat, had always had a few grand knights guarding him.
Why did he leave today?
And Baron Dylan was also suspicious.
The plan was too successful.
It was so successful that even he felt that it was simple. Even the strange bottom was really too successful. There was no surprise at all.
"Wait." Baron Dylan panted heavily. There was a hint of shock in the depths of his eyes. He suddenly thought of a possibility. The fear that came from the depths of his soul made him pick up the wine cup again and gulp down a mouthful of sweet malt.
He did not stand up. He simply did not move.
At this moment.
"Bang –"
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Chapter 379: The End of a Perfect Banquet
"Bang –"
A muffled sound appeared in the void.
The noisy hall gradually quieted down. Everyone looked to their left and right in bewilderment. They didn't find anything unusual. Finally, they looked at Kant, who was on the highest stage.
"Bang –"
Another muffled sound appeared, and the guests on both sides of the hall discovered the source of the muffled sound.
It came from within the walls on both sides of the Hall of the official residence.
It was like a battering ram smashing heavily against the city wall, and even the guests on the outermost perimeter could only watch as the originally smooth stone walls began to show obvious protruding marks, as if something was trying to rush out from within.
However, before they could react, the protruding marks instantly exploded.
"Boom — Hualala –"
A fog formed by dust instantly filled the hall.
The walls on both sides of the Hall of the official residence collapsed with a loud bang. In the midst of the dust, soldiers wearing full sets of chain armor and holding long swords and axes rushed in. On both sides of the hall, there were two grand knights who were emitting a scorching red glow leading each!
Under the shocked eyes of the many guests, they quickly surrounded them!
"Kill!"
All the soldiers let out a terrifying roar.
The Grand Knights on the left and right side frowned as they looked at the middle of the crowd. Kant, who was on the stage, was actually not being held hostage. They could not help but shout, "Baron Kant, if you surrender, we can still choose to spare your life!"
However, as they were shouting, they were still sweeping through the shocked and shrinking crowd.
They could not find Baron Dylan in the corner.
"Kill!"
In the hall of the mansion, the ambushers who appeared in the other secret passageways also rushed out.
They directly blocked the gate of the mansion and everyone's escape routes. They held large shields and sharp axes in their hands. For a moment, even the Swadian Knight and the infantrymen who were guarding the gate did not rush in.
No, it was not that they did not rush in, but that they did not rush in at all!
Baron Dylan narrowed his eyes.
He sat on the chair with a complicated look in his eyes. There was even fear in the depths of them.
Now, he had finally discovered why Kant did not have anyone by his side and why his plan could be so easy. It was because right beside him were two lion knights who were secretly hiding and wearing plate armor, at some point in time, they had already caught him in the middle and were monitoring him coldly.
Baron Dylan could not imagine that his plan had already been seen through. Moreover, they were targeting this plan. They wanted to completely kill the ambushers who had broken into the Forbidden City!
"It's over."
A soft sigh appeared.
Baron Dylan looked at Kant, who was calm on the high platform, with a complicated expression.
At the same time, he swept his gaze across the "Allies" who seemed to be unaware of the situation. Finally, a bitter smile appeared on his lips. "It's over…"
It was not too late for him to understand, so he chose to surrender. At the same time, he was glad that he had made a wise move. At the very least, he had already discovered that more Grand Knights had appeared behind those fellows at some unknown time.
They slowly walked out from the secret passage where those guys came from.
There were 15 Grand Knights each.
Including the fully armed Swadian Knight and the Swadian Infantry.
It just so happened that a new encirclement was formed. In the shortest amount of time, it was as if they were strolling leisurely in the garden. At the same time, there were also guards hidden under the wooden platform beside Kant.
"This… this Is…"
The ambushers looked behind and around in panic.
There were more troop class of the Kingdom of Swadia than the 300 or so ambushers.
Especially the four Grand Knights. They looked to their left and right in horror at the Lion Knights, who were wearing strange armor that looked like an entire piece of handicraft. Each of them was breathing so heavily that they could not even speak.
The extraordinary aura on their bodies had disappeared. The fear in their eyes almost made them surrender!
They could sense it.
The troops that surrounded them on their left and right sides..
Each of them had 15 Grand Knights. In other words, there were at least 30 Grand Knights surrounding them!
These ambushers who had suddenly appeared did not dare to act rashly. This was because they knew that if they acted rashly after being surrounded, they would probably be completely annihilated. They would not be able to return successfully like they had planned!
"How could it be… like this…"
The four Grand Knights felt that their mouths were dry.
They looked towards the stage.
Kant had five Grand Knights protecting him personally. It was impossible for him to rush over.
As for the guests in front of them, they were a group of small merchants and small landlords. They did not have any status at all. They did not believe that they could capture Kant, who was a baron and the second son of an Archduke, just by holding these people hostage!
The situation was in a stalemate. Only then did the guests react in a daze. They seemed to have fallen into a conspiracy.
They looked at the nervous soldiers in ambush.
Then they looked at another wave of soldiers waiting to be exhausted.
Finally, they looked at Kant.
They swallowed their saliva. None of them dared to say anything now. They just looked at him with eager eyes.
"Welcome, everyone."
Kant finally opened his mouth.
With a mocking smile on his lips, he said, "The subordinates of Aunt Agatha from the Eastern County, are you also here to attend my banquet? Unfortunately, this it the end of it. You are too late."
"We… We…"
The four Grand Knights in the lead were still unable to speak.
There was no way for them to say anything!
Did they have to admit that the reason they came here was not to attend the banquet, but to kidnap Kant, kill him and occupy Stone Pass and Oasis Lookout?
This was a joke!
They had nothing to say.
Even the weapons in their hands could not help but drop in the face of the threat of absolute strength.
The surrounding guests huddled together like quails, but the panic in their eyes faded. Looking at Kant and the surrounding attackers, they understood what had happened.
Obviously, there were attackers who wanted to make trouble, but Baron Kant had dealt with them wisely!
"Everyone."
Kant spoke on the stage.
Looking at the guests who had recovered, the corners of his mouth curled up into a smile. "Let me introduce these new guests. They really want to participate in this banquet, but unfortunately, the banquet is about to end."
The hall was still dead silent, only the sound of heavy breathing could be heard.
No one dared to speak without permission.
Kant shook his head helplessly. "Fatis, come and introduce our friends, their hard work."
"Okay."
Among the surrounding crowd, Fatis walked out.
He was also wearing a full set of chain armor, holding a knight's sword in his hand, he calmly said, "They arrived at the forest near the stone pass late last night and rested until noon today. Then, they sneaked into the official residence in the secret passage outside the Stone Pass, and just now, they officially appeared in front of us."
"Oh, this is really hard work." Kant nodded. The smile on his face was still mocking. "But my friends from the Eastern County, with my relationship with Aunt Agatha, you could have come earlier!"
"This… this…"
The eyes of the four Grand Knights widened.
This was clearly their itinerary, but they did not expect Kant to say it like this. If they did not know beforehand and were secretly monitoring, how could they get such accurate information!
Their hearts sank, and they instantly thought of the person who was still discussing the information.
Baron Dylan.
Only he knew about this plan and the specific process.
And now, they saw that Baron Dylan, who was supposed to be coordinating from the inside and the outside, who was the first to hold Kant, the highest commander, did not appear. He did not even appear at all. They already had a guess in their hearts.
Betrayal!
Baron Dylan's betrayal!
The guests were all breathing heavily as they whispered to each other.
The buzzing sounds were incessant. Although they were terrified now, they were even more curious!
This was a rare occurrence.
After all, even the Countess of the eastern county, Agatha, was involved, and it was Baron Kant who had personally surrounded and occupied the initiative of the attacking troops. This news would definitely be current when it reached their master!
Kant's smile remained as he looked at the eastern county's ambushers who were obviously thinking too much. He did not refute.
Instead, he stood on the stage and looked at Baron Dylan.
He opened his mouth and said, "Uncle Dylan, thank you for your help. I think these friends of the eastern county will thank you. If not for your help, these friends would not have been able to come to my banquet so easily."
"Ha…"
Baron Dylan forced a smile, but his face was ashen.
There was even more noise from the surrounding discussions.
The guests and vassal knights looked at Baron Dylan in surprise.
However, there were also the soldiers from the eastern county who had ambushed him. Their fierce gazes were almost murderous. There were even a few who were hot-tempered. They gritted their teeth and wanted to stab Baron Dylan.
Compared to being surrounded, by force, and betrayed, it was more infuriating!
"Disarm them."
Kant stopped smiling.
Clapping his hands, he looked at the guests and the soldiers of the eastern county, who were waiting in ambush. "The banquet is over. I don't think you want the banquet to reach another climax, right? Although I don't mind, you might mind."
As he spoke, the knights and infantrymen of Swadia slowly stepped forward.
The exquisite chain armor displayed exquisite defensive effects.
The shields painted with Gold Lions on a red background stood up like low walls.
There were also the warrior and swords that were unsheathed in their hands, making it impossible for anyone to have any thoughts of resisting.
They had already been surrounded and were completely suppressed by force, including numbers. How could they resist? This was tantamount to courting death and ignoring their own lives.
"Clang."
The four Grand Knights threw down the weapons in their hands happily.
Then, the sound of the weapons falling under their feet continued. All the attackers raised their hands and announced their surrender. Under the strict guard of the knights and infantrymen, they gathered in a corner of the hall.
"It's settled. The banquet ends perfectly."
Kant smiled.
Looking at the guests in front of him who had not yet reacted.., he continued to clap his hands. "Alright, my dear friends. I hope that this little accident did not disturb your happy hearts. But as I said, our cooperation will become better over time, and we will be richer and richer!"
"Thank you, merciful Baron Kant!"
The guests quickly expressed their gratitude.
Then, they all said their goodbyes and left the official residence in a hurry, their eyes filled with excitement.
Tonight's final curtain call was really an eye-opener.
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Chapter 380: The Return Signal
The banquet finally ended. The guests left, and the vassal knights were isolated again.
However, in the hall, the ambushers from the eastern county were left alone with Baron Dylan. They all sat on their chairs with ashen faces, losing their previous splendor.
Beside them, the Swadian infantry with swords and shields had surrounded them.
Their vicious eyes were filled with indifference towards life.
They were all elite soldiers.
Veterans who had been on the battlefield, seen blood, killed people, and did not take human lives seriously!
These were from the eastern county, so they could be considered elite soldiers who could sense it. Thus, they chose to surrender without hesitation, so that they would not be massacred by these veterans here.
Although they were loyal to Countess Agatha of the eastern county,.
But there's no need to die here.
Besides…
These guys turned to look at Baron Dylan, who was sitting in the corner, still drinking his ale. Their eyes were full of hatred, and they gritted their teeth.
This damn Dylan, about to be chopped up and fed to the dogs!
How dare you betray the Countess Agatha!
"That's…"
The four Grand Knights also gritted their teeth and looked at Baron Dylan who did not even look at them. They could not help but say angrily, "I thought he really joined us. I did not expect that he would let us be captured so easily."
"But you can resist."
Baron Dylan said drunkenly.
He had drunk a lot of malt liquor, probably about half a barrel, so his face was already red. He looked at the four Grand Knights of the eastern county and the ambushers, he could not help but smile mockingly. "Don't… don't make excuses here. If you could resist, you would have died in battle. If you could talk to me alive, wouldn't you have chosen to surrender?"
"You!" One of the four Grand Knights had a bad temper and wanted to stand up.
"Calm down."
However, there was still a calm person beside him who pulled him back.
Looking at the 30 Grand Knights who were holding them captive, a sense of powerlessness that came from the bottom of their hearts suddenly appeared. In fact, they really had no way to refute what Baron Dylan said.
If they could resist, they would have resisted long ago. Why would they wait until now?
However, they did not dare to.
In the entire eastern county, there were less than 10 Grand Knights, including the old and the young, who were carefully nurtured by the noble families.
There were already four of them.
However, what they were facing.
Was not one or two.
Nor was it three or four or five.
Instead, there were a total of 30 Grand Knights. They were at the same level as them, or even stronger. They were all in their prime. They were Grand Knights with extraordinary powers who had fought on the battlefield!
Then, how could the four of them fight? How could they have the confidence to fight?
They sat on the chairs sadly.
They were helpless.
To the soldiers who had already disarmed and were also sitting in their chairs or corners, they did not have any thoughts of encouraging them to fight their way out of the encirclement. They only sighed softly and smiled bitterly at each other.
They had just entered and were already surrounded. They were completely in the hands of others, so there was nothing left for them to resist.
"A wise move."
Kant smiled.
He expressed his appreciation for their choice to surrender calmly. "Generally speaking, your actions will allow you to live a long life."
"Heh." This joke was almost like a cold joke, but it only made the elites of the eastern county region let out a bitter smile. After all, they were captives and lowly existences. Under extreme pressure, they lowered their heads and chose to live a long life. Of course, they would live a long life.
However, the dignity and honor they once had also disappeared along with their lives.
Those who surrendered had no dignity and honor to speak of.
"Alright."
Kant chuckled and sat on the main seat. "Let's get back to the main topic." Looking at these Grand Kights and the obviously elite ambush soldiers, he calmly asked, "Why did you come to my banquet? If I remember correctly, your Lord, Countess Agatha, should be my aunt."
"That's right," one of the four Grand Knights answered.
In their opinion, they had been betrayed by Baron Dylan, there was nothing to hide at the moment. "Baron Kant, your salt mine is coveted. No one can ignore it. Even your aunt, Countess Agatha, is also eager to get your salt mine."
Kant nodded. "Very good. I'm very satisfied with your answer. It's true."
"Of course."
Among the four Grand Knights, the middle-aged man who was obviously the leader smiled bitterly.
Looking at Kant and the surrounding guards who were glaring at him, he completely let down his guard. He casually picked up the remaining food on the long table and stuffed it into his mouth to chew, at the same time, he calmly said, "Other than this, the barren Stone Pass and the forbidden land of the Nahrin Desert have no meaning at all."
"The truth." Kant smiled and turned his head to order, "Give him a glass of malt wine."
"Yes."
A Swadian Knight answered.
Soon, he brought a glass of malt wine to the side and placed it beside the Grand Knight.
"Thank you very much for your generosity, Baron Kant." The Grand Knight nodded and thanked him. He wolfed down a few pieces of fresh roasted meat and finished the glass of malt wine in one gulp. Only then did he let out a breath reeking of alcohol, he said with satisfaction, "I've only enjoyed a big meal today after coming all the way from the camp of death penalty mountain."
"Do you want to eat? I can guarantee that you will enjoy these big meals every day."
Kant said with a smile.
The Grand Knight asked in return, "Can I?"
"Of course in my name." Kant nodded his head.
"This…"
The Grand Knight muttered to himself.
But before he could reply, the Grand Knight beside him let out an anxious grunt.
The surrounding soldiers who had put down their weapons and surrendered looked at the Grand Knight in shock. Their eyes were filled with disbelief, but deep in their eyes, there was a hint of desire.
Since they had chosen to surrender, they were naturally nervous about their future.
The other three Grand Knights had their own thoughts.
These elite soldiers also had their own thoughts.
"Stay. Even if you resist, you won't be able to. Moreover, even if it's that woman, Agatha, how can she be stronger than Kant? Don't be silly. What's displayed in front of you now is not a power that Agatha, that woman, can resist!"
However, behind them, Baron Dylan said drunkenly.
He was originally sitting on a chair.
Now, his face was flushed red. Looking at these Grand Knights and the elite soldiers of the eastern county, he could not help but chuckle. "All of you thought that Kant was a good-for-nothing, but who would have thought that in the end, you were all deceived by this young man."
"Baron Dylan, what do you think?"
Kant asked back.
"I'm willing to serve." Baron Dylan's face was flushed red. He shrugged nonchalantly. "In the past, I was loyal to Princess Sofia. Now, I'm loyal to the Pprincess's son. There's nothing that I can't accept."
"That's very good." Kant smiled and waved his hand. "Baron Sylan is very wise, isn't he?"
"I'm just being sensible."
Baron Dylan smiled bitterly.
He now understood that as long as Kant had such power, not to mention Countess Agatha, even the entire Dukedom of Leo would not be a match for him. Even if there was a peerless foundation, he would probably compromise.
Kant was the second son of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron. He was the second-in-line heir.
If an accident really happened…
It would be the same as fighting for the throne. It would be a family matter.
No matter who won, the members of the royal family of Leo were still members of the royal family. Even the bloodline had not changed. The only difference was that the first-in-line heir had left the world forever because of an accident.
This had happened before in the history of the Dukedom of Leo.
Many of the noble families were used to it.
It was only now that Baron Dylan understood why the truly great noble families were still silent.
Even if they had sent out secret troops to take over the pass, the official troops on the surface had yet to appear. Even now, the ambush troops of Countess Agatha from the eastern County territory were only troops that claimed to be from the eastern county territory.
As long as Countess Agatha denied that she was one of them, she would be able to get away.
These were all unspoken rules among the noble families.
Most importantly.
Kant had already shown his power.
Those noble families who had no enmity with Kant might have to consider how to deal with the upcoming battle for the throne and who they should rely on to obtain the greatest benefits.
That's right, they were thinking about the battle for the throne.
Not the rebellion of the Lord.
Kant was indeed exiled back then, but he was given a title in name. Moreover, he had not given up his identity as the heir in name. If he wanted, if he could, if he had enough strength, he could inherit the title of the Dukedom of Leo.
The current Kant indeed had enough strength, so he could if he wanted to.
"Countess Agatha is not that good."
The Grand Knight smiled.
He obviously understood the reason. He looked at the three Grand Knights beside him and said calmly, "We worked for Countess Agatha for at least 10 years. Now I think we can leave."
"This… this…" the other three Grand Knights were still in a daze.
"A wise man submits to circumstances."
Kant said similar words.
Clapping his hands, he instructed the knights beside him, "Let these friends go and rest. I think there are enough rooms at Stone Pass for them to rest."
"Yes." The knights nodded and made a gesture of invitation at the same time.
The four Grand Knights followed silently.
These were all high-end forces. In Kant's opinion, there was still a need to recruit them.
After all, he would not mind having fewer Grand Knights. Although he could not really believe it, he could treat it as a knife in his hand. It was really not bad to be able to use it.
Especially when this kind of high-end force was in his hands.
Kant had many royal knights and lion knights.
They were all top-tier troop class 6.
However, these troop class could not help Kant manage his estate. In comparison, war was more suitable for them. After all, they were troop class that came from the world of cavalry.
However, these extraordinary troop class of the native world were different. They were originally a noble.
And they were local noble.
Submitting to Kant meant that Kant could bring more benefits.
For example, those who were good friends with them, those nobles that could be contacted, could communicate with them. Finally, they would submit to Kant. It was like a new round of enfeoffment, a noble that Kant had given away.
The core force, which was the troop class that rode and hacked the world, was firmly in Kant's hands.
As for the strength of the local world…
It was to assist.
Whether it was the high-end force, the noble lord, or the ordinary civilians, they all formed a protective net around the periphery of Kant's rule.
When the enemy thought that they had used all their strength to tear this protective net into pieces…
Kant was actually unharmed!
"Let Baron Dylan go back and rest early."
He waved his hand and gave the order.
Looking at the drunk Dylan, Kant said calmly, "Let them think about it. I think they will make the best choice. After all, they are all smart people."
"Yes." The knights also pulled the drunk Baron Dylan away. He did not resist.
"As for you."
Kant looked at the elite soldiers of the eastern county.
He frowned slightly. These so-called elite soldiers were at most at the same level as the Swadian Infantry. However, their equipment and battle experience were not as advanced as the elite soldiers that had been tested in the cavalry world.
In short, there was no need to recruit them.
"We choose to pledge our loyalty!"
The elite troop class instantly understood.
Without waiting for Kant to speak, they immediately knelt down and chose to pledge their allegiance.
However, Kant rubbed the space between his brows and waved his hand. "Let them go and rest. Since they are here, then don't leave. If they submit, then so be it. They can always prove their worth."
"Yes!" The infantrymen watched as the eastern county army left the hall.
Only a huge mess was left.
At the corner, the terrified maids came over. They wanted to clean up the mess after the banquet, but because of the valiant Swadian soldiers around them, they all trembled and did not dare to move.
The banquet here had already ended.
"Everyone, be on guard."
Kant stood up again.
At the same time, he instructed fatis beside him, "I'll leave the rest to you."
"Understood." Fatis immediately nodded.
"Be vigilant."
Kant still reminded.
"There won't be any problems," Fatis replied.
"Mm." Kant then left.
He needed to go to his room in the mansion to rest.
Just like how the banquet had ended, the rest of the mess would be left to Fartis to handle. As Kant's most valued general, he was more capable than Bandake when it came to handling certain matters.
The former captain of the crossbowmen, Bandake, had become the underworld apostle, but his combat strength had increased drastically.
These matters between the noble families were better handled by Fatis.
Of course, Rolf, who was also a noble, could do it too.
However, Rolf was more adept at intimidation and threats. The title of a villain noble did not come for nothing.
However, in the current situation, Rolf's arrival was indeed quite effective. Especially when he rushed out of the Senwaya range. In front of him were flat plains. To this villain noble, it was like heaven.
The desert bandits, who were as fast as the wind, were not only suitable for the desert, but also for the plains.
They were all cavalry.
And they were the ones who would spread Kant's reputation.
They attacked and plundered time and time again, bringing most of the northern county territory under Kant's control.
They let the noble of the Dukedom of Leo know that the second son of the Duke, who they exiled, had finally returned with absolute power!
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Chapter 381: The Changes in the Dukedom of Leo
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In just a short period, Kant quickly and completely took control of The Stone Pass.
News that the ambushers from the Eastern County had been easily taken care of and that even the four Grand Knights had surrendered had spread throughout the Dukedom of Leo.
It had become the joke of the table among the noble families' banquet.
This change had happened too quickly.
The noble families, who had been sitting on stage, had yet to react.
However, when they came to their senses, they realized that Kant had easily grasped the situation and had already torn a hole in their original arrangement.
No one had expected it. Not even the Countess of the Eastern County, Agatha, whose influence was comparable to that of the Grand Duke of Leo.
It was just like half a month ago.
That hideous performance at the end of the banquet had also become a joke among the nobles.
As the noble families spoke about Kant's conquests, they were both shocked and fearful. But, interestingly, their eyes were also filled with playful anticipation, as if they were watching a bewitching opera.
One of them was also somehow connected to Countess Agatha.
After all, she was the biological sister of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron.
Kant's biological aunt.
They were all members of the royal family.
In fact, several high-ranking noble families actively tried to suppress their influence.
Although spreading rumors did nothing to displace the royal family, the act disgusted them and deepened the conflict between Kant and Countess Agatha. Eventually, a misunderstanding occurred, and both sides were brought to the battlefield.
This was a fight between members of the royal family.
It did not have much to do with ordinary noble families.
Now.
Within the Dukedom of Leo, the Eastern County, which was already a cast-out of the traditional noble circle, quickly became a stranger in its own country because the noble families from the Southern and Northern Counties started ostracizing them.
Although economic relations and business communications functioned, as usual, political communication had been interrupted for almost ten years.
The economy was their lifeline that could not be interrupted.
And despite its importance, both sides' political parties refused to even greet each other.
It was clear how rigid and unbending the relationship between the two sides was. Yet, oddly, Countess Agatha was the biological sister of Leo Archduke Cameron and was once the most advantageous heir to the Archduke's position.
Perhaps it was precisely their closeness that caused the political relationship between the two sides to deteriorate.
As for Kant.
He was a baron with a sensitive identity.
All the noble families were waiting in peace, observing and coveting his current rise.
Even in the private chatter among the smaller noble families, Kant's rise seemed the only natural and expected outcome.
It originated from the direct princess of the Silver Platter Kingdom, the second wife of Leo Archduke Cameron.
Princess Sofia.
Only she, who had the support of the Silver Platter Kingdom behind her, would have been able to gather the power to support such a force so quickly. So even if she died, she already had an immovable foundation left behind.
They needed to carefully observe any conceivable shadow of support from the Silver Platter Kingdom backing Kant.
However, they were already faced with Kant's rise.
This was the new power of the Northern County.
The new royal aristocrat who controlled the table salt trade was naturally assured an endless stream of wealth!
Backing him was the legacy left behind by Princess Sofia of the Silver Platter Kingdom. It was a power that could make the entire Dukedom of Leo wary, and it was an absolute force that could overturn any conspiracy!
When Princess Sofia died, the power she had quickly fell apart under the attacks of the local noble families.
Now that I think about it, the fact that they were torn apart so quickly was probably just a cover-up.
They were lurking.
Waiting for the right time.
Only when Kant was exiled and discovered in the Nahrin Desert did the forces loyal to Princess Sofia rescue her flesh and blood from the muddy swamp.
They were headed for Glory, and the entire Dukedom of Leo had to face it.
A fierce power struggle was about to begin.
This was the reason why the noble families felt so amused.
They could accept Kant's rise because he was the blue blood of Cameron, the second-in-line heir to the Dukedom, the son of the first wife who had incredible discipline and obtained the title of Archduke.
If Kant's eldest brother died, then he would become the heir to the Archduke.
And in the Dukedom of Leo, which was founded on martial arts.
Similar things have happened.
In fact, there were quite a few in history!
The current Dukedom of Leo, Cameron, who ascended to the throne, was extremely close to Kant's biological mother, Princess Sofia, from the Silver Platter Kingdom.
Although it was not publicly clarified.
Only an absolute fool would not have known.
They just pretended not to know.
At that time, the struggle for the throne of the Dukedom of Leo was highly intense. The Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, like Kant now, was leading his troops to seize the identity of his elder brother's first-in-line heir by force. Silently supporting him in the background was none other than Princess Sofia, who provided financial and military support.
Many historical works of scholars argue that if it wasn't for Princess Sofia's help, Grand Duke Cameron would definitely not be an Archduke, and he probably would have perished somewhere on the battlefield.
It was precisely because of Princess Sofia's help that the title "Grand Duke of the Dukedom of Leo" was ultimately Cameron's.
However, Princess Sofia's help came at a price.
The power of the Silver Platter Kingdom began to infiltrate the Dukedom of Leo. Many thought that the two sides would quickly become closer and that after a few years, they would unite as one.
This alliance naturally meant that the Dukedom of Leo would become a vassal and join the territory of the Silver Platter Kingdom.
And that the current nobles would retain their nobility.
However, the authority of the top noble and the Grand Duke of Leo would be impacted.
This was the reason why Princess Sofia fell ill and died suddenly. The Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom engaged in direct war. Ten years ago, they had fought until the rivers ran red, resulting in the current stalemate between the two sides.
The Silver Platter Kingdom did not dare to cross the boundary carelessly.
On the plains, the cavalry of the Dukedom of Leo was admittedly powerful.
Even if they could defeat the troops of the Dukedom of Leo, the Silver Platter Kingdom would not escape unscathed. Therefore, the benefits of conquering the Dukedom of Leo did not outweigh the prospective price of bloodshed.
This was the most significant reason why the two sides were in a stalemate.
The nobles did not care.
As long as they could remain nobles, they were willing to pledge their allegiance to whoever ruled above them.
The nobles were not tightly knit and often had conflicts. They only agreed on one thing; that forcefully getting rid of one another was for the best.
Even the royal family of the Dukedom of Leo thought so.
Take the Eastern County, for example.
Ten years ago, the Eastern County still had a castle and its corresponding land south of the river.
Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, who had just ascended to the throne, chose to cede the castle and land to stabilize the Silver Platter Kingdom. However, in reality, that land was one of the fiefdoms of Countess Agatha, Cameron's sister.
In the end, it caused the winter county to be officially replaced by the Eastern County.
It was just like a divided regime.
At present, the Dukedom of Leo had already fallen into internal strife.
This was a hidden danger left behind when Grand Duke Cameron ascended to the throne. However, its effects had been delayed due to some tricks of the Silver Platter Kingdom.
And it was still being delayed.
It was not just Countess Agatha of the Eastern County territory who had her own system. It was almost the same in the Northern County Territory!
One had to know that the owner of Logue Castle in the Northern County territory, Viscount Wayne, had not been desolate here and did not have a central economic pillar. He still had to rely on the grain of the Southern County territory to survive. Otherwise, he would probably have split off long ago.
However, Grand Duke Cameron, who had long noticed but remained silent, placed Viscount Kevin in.
For example, Maas Castle, which was located between the Mountain of Leo and Mountain of Death.
This castle was like a nail, and it just happened to be stuck between the plains where the two mountain ranges met.
Even Viscount Wayne wanted to contact Countess Agatha of the Eastern County; he would have to avoid this nail. However, if he were to go around it, it would be an awfully long detour that would also take a lot of time.
It would be inconvenient while also allowing the troops of the Southern County to ambush them and ruin the commute.
Strategically, the Southern County was strong.
This was also the reason why the noble families were still living their lives in peace. They did not cause a civil war that could result in both sides suffering losses due to the problems left behind by history and the deliberate instigation of the Silver Platter Kingdom.
They were all in a stalemate. As time passed, the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, became more and more powerful.
In the end, all the problems would be resolved.
However…
There was an oversight.
A new force was rising in the seemingly insignificant Nahrin desert.
The eldest son of the Grand Duke, Baron Kant, who had been exiled, walked out of the barren desert and officially stepped onto the stage. He successfully made a name for himself and could proudly greet everyone.
It was as if he was slapping the faces of those cunning nobles who schemed and plotted but were now gloomy and uncertain.
The banquet ended nearly a month ago.
Merchants were transporting table salt to all the castles and cities in the Dukedom of Leo.
Whether it was the Northern or Southern Counties, or the isolated Eastern County, the nobles had obtained table salt through their own means. The amount of table salt was tremendous, and it was of unparalleled purity.
The highest quality table salt!
Even the Silver Platter Kingdom had traces of table salt.
As for the dwarf table salt purchased in the distant valley, it was on the verge of being eliminated and was about to leave the market.
The table salt purchasable from the dwarfs was too expensive and extremely dangerous.
There were many barbarian tribes in the wilderness that they would have to pass by to obtain it.
Every time, something would happen to the trade caravan.
Conversely, the trade caravan of Nahrin desert only needed to enter the pass of hard stones to access a large amount of table salt. Moreover, the price was meager, and it was profitable even if the table salt was sold multiple times.
The tax revenue of the entire Dukedom of Leo had increased several times because of the table salt trade!
Some of the nobles were delighted.
However, some nobles were even drearier.
This was because as the table salt trade increased, the number of bandit groups that roamed the Dukedom of Leo also increased.
Some of them might be bandit groups that the nobles had specially hired, but most of them came from the outside world, such as the Silver Platter Kingdom or the bandit groups that had heard the news from the river of Resniston.
Of course, there were also various forces supporting them.
It was complicated.
Even the nobles of the Dukedom of Leo needed to use the court of nobility to contact each other and form an alliance army to wipe out the bandit groups. Only then would they be able to chase away the bandits that appeared from time to time.
Owing to this, bandit groups that had the support of the local noble forces could escape.
But many noble families also discovered something peculiar.
No one knew when.
At the junction of the Northern County, Eastern County, and Southern County, near Maas Castle, where Viscount Kevin was, a bandit group that whistled like a gale quietly appeared and swept away all opposition.
It was a bandit group formed by light cavalry.
There were about 1,500 people.
They were experienced in fighting, and they were even more proficient at plundering.
When the nobles tried to form an alliance army to wipe them out, the mysterious bandit group vanished from the plains. They seemed to have hidden in a depression or a hill.
But when the Alliance army disbanded, they would reappear and continue to plunder the trade caravans.
Plundering was not a massacre.
Instead, it was a commission.
As long as the trade caravan paid 5 gold eagles, they would be allowed to pass. They would also help the trade caravan deal with the other bandit groups.
Not only was the bandit group not wiped out, but due to their excellent reputation, many of the trade caravan members were willing to pay gold eagles in exchange for their protection.
These trade caravans were all in the table salt trade.
After a round of trade caravan, the profits of the trade caravan would definitely not be less than 50 Gold Eagles.
Using five gold eagles in exchange for peace was definitely worth it.
If those bandit groups really encountered them, they would probably end up losing everything.
However, it was a pity.
The bandit group formed by the light cavalry was only responsible for the safety of the three Counties.
Although it was usually the most dangerous place at the border of the three Counties, the bandit groups that had been expelled happened to be scattered on the flat plains of the three Counties.
They even posed a significant threat to the villages in certain areas.
This indirectly affected the livelihood of the Lord.
Of course, these were not things that the merchants cared about. Being able to earn money was enough.
If they could hire this group of light cavalry now, there would probably be people who would be tempted to employ this group of elite plunderers directly. With them on your side, there was no need to worry about other bandit groups.
Some mercenary groups would take on the role of bandit groups when they had nothing to do.
This was normal.
Unfortunately, the light cavalry did not agree.
On the contrary, they would disappear for a few days and mysteriously appear at specific Northern or Southern Counties locations. It was as if they were scouting. It was indeed strange.
However, in the face of the enormous profits from the table salt trade, not many people cared about these oddities.
It was most important that they could make money!
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Chapter 382: Nibbling Away at the Effects of Tactics
Stone Pass, inside the Lord's official residence.
In the narrow passages and corridors, the chain-armored Swadian infantry had completely occupied this place. They held military spears that were made of custom-made materials and lined up to form a patrol or sentry team within the official residence.
In just half a month, Stone Pass had completely become Kant's territory.
The first local territory.
Although they could not build buildings or recruit troop classes, it was of great strategic significance.
This stone pass was like Kant's Tiger Prison. It could defend the natural moat, attack, or retreat. As long as this area was not lost, it meant that Kant still had the initiative against the Dukedom of Leo.
With the current strong cavalry, he could launch a tactical attack.
The plains of the northern county were like beauties with open arms.
Even the southern and eastern counties were similar.
The flat plains stretched as far as the eye could see. Occasionally, there would be farmland along lakes, streams, and rivers, including the radioactive knight territory around the castle, which was a village.
Due to the dukedom of Leo's regime, the People's livelihood depended on the military.
The village was located around the castle or city.
The village was the estate of the Knight and was responsible for protecting the castle or city.
Sometimes, there were no knights in the Knight's territory. Only the village chief, the finance officer, and the sheriff were there to help the Lord Knight manage the village. Every month, they would pay the taxes that should be paid to the Lord Knight for his daily expenses.
This led to the lack of military strength in the village.
Usually, there was only about 30 armed militia stationed in the village, and the sheriff was in charge of commanding them.
However, their duty was not to eliminate the surrounding bandits but to maintain the rule of the Lord Knight. At the same time, when the finance officer started collecting taxes, they would deal with those traitors who dared to defy the tax or hunt down those runaway slaves.
As for the bandit group that came, they would obediently take out part of their finances and pray that they would not interfere with each other.
Of course, the bandits also understood the strength behind the village.
They had a tacit understanding.
The bandit would take a fixed amount of silver coins and food and then leave.
Or they would ask the villagers if there was a trade caravan passing by, and then use the village to hide and rob those fat and greasy trade caravans. If they met a trade caravan owned by a noble who was the enemy of the noble behind the bandit group, it would be even more lucrative.
The trade caravan of the enemy noble would not need to show any mercy and would directly start a massacre.
The silver coins that they robbed would all belong to them.
There would also be people to deal with the goods.
There were even some villagers who could give them some silver coins as a reward for providing information.
Therefore, the entire dukedom of Leo, including the villages at the grassroots level, was in a strange state of free-range. This was also a drawback of the feudal era. It was completely a feudal system. Other than their lord, they did not have to be loyal to anyone.
After all, the lord of my lord was not my lord, and the vassals of my vassals were not my vassals.
That was the meaning of it.
No one cared about the estate outside of the territory.
In addition, in recent years, the royal authority of the Dukedom of Leo had been suppressed. The authority of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, had been compressed into the southern county territory. The security of the entire country had fallen into such a complicated environment.
This was also the reason why there were many bandit groups within the territory of the Dukedom of Leo.
The complicated environment naturally led to chaos.
Correspondingly, Rolf's infiltration into the dukedom of Leo was like a fish in water.
It was like a fish in water.
There was no obstruction in the infiltration process.
From the pass of Hard Stones to Logue Castle, the highest place in the northern county territory, and then down the southern side of the mountain range of lions to the west, arriving at the Marburg where Viscount Kevin was. Then, they turned north and returned along the execution mountain in the eastern county territory.
This was a triangle, and it was also the route with the most trade caravan of table salt.
But Rolf still went back and forth smoothly.
According to his words.
It was as if he was leading his troops in a military parade!
Along the way, he defeated a few bandit groups that wanted to investigate their background, and spread his fierce reputation. Not to mention that other bandit groups did not continue to have designs on them, even the noble's troops did not forcefully stop them.
Rolf did not lead the heavy cavalry troops led by Mamluke and Sarrandian Horseman.
There were only 500 desert bandits.
They came and went like the wind.
With extremely high discipline and tenacity cultivated in the desert, they beat up the enemy bandit groups until they were completely dumbfounded. In fact, during the night raids, the enemy bandit groups could only helplessly send people to make peace.
Compared to the desert bandits, who were fierce in the Salander Desert, the dukedom of Leo's bandit group was still inferior.
They were not real bandits.
In other words, there were no bandits who would run when they got something and continue to run when they could not get it. They would not fight head-on with you. They would only go around like hyenas and give you a cold blow.
If I succeed, I will make a profit. If I don't succeed, I will not make a loss.
What I did was a no-cost business.
It was so straightforward.
And during this half a month of infiltration, Rolf didn't just plunder the trade caravan. This was just a pretense.
Most importantly, he had finally searched through most of the maps of the northern county territory. As long as the troops went out, they would be able to advance according to the map Rolf provided. With Kant's memories in this life, they would pass through the entire place.
For example, the current stone pass. After Kant announced that he had conquered it, no one dared to go near it anymore.
The desert bandits that had spread out were not easy to deal with.
In addition, those batches of Sarrandian Horsemen were completely elite assault cavalry. Their abilities could be compared to ordinary knights, or they could be regarded as the best knight Squires. Ordinary troops would not be a match for them.
Moreover, those bandit groups were easily defeated one after another.
The area around the stone pass had already been made impenetrable by Kant's management.
Among them, just like Kant's previous generous tax reduction and exemption, as well as the policy of supporting small landlords, small merchants, and local civilians, any major or minor matters would quickly reach his ears.
These people had spontaneously become Kant's supporters.
Lord's mansion.
In the hall.
Kant was sitting in his seat and reading documents.
These documents were all reports from Trondheim Castle and Aaron City.
Within half a month, the castle and sent people to reopen the salt mines in the north, and continued to station troops at the posthouse of the salt mines, and arranged for new slaves to go there and continue to mine coarse salt.
The city in the Senwaya range was still under construction.
The mountaintop was filled with buildings.
On both sides of the river at the foot of the mountain, the more gentle slopes had been opened up into fields.
High-quality wheat grains were turned into white flour in the hydraulic mill. Together with the smoked meat produced after hunting and the smoked fish obtained after fishing, it became the basis for the city residents to eat freely.
It was also supplied to Trondheim Castle.
At present, the civilian population of Kant had already exceeded 20,000.
This was not even taking into account the situation of the soldiers.
The civilian population in Trondheim Castle was reduced to 3,000 people.
However, the population of Aaron City directly reached 15,000 people. The dense population even formed radiation, and it was already slightly cultivated on the mountain peaks around the summit.
Under construction, a large number of terraced fields had been built. Although they had not yet been put into use, they had gained many outlines.
Next year, they would be able to successfully plant and harvest them.
The irrigation channels had been dug, and they were just waiting for the high-tower irrigation channels and water supply trucks to be built. Then, they would be able to irrigate the cultivated terraced fields from top to bottom.
Kant had arranged for a mysterious spring to be on the summit.
Thus, as long as there was a tall tower irrigation channel similar to Rome, it would be able to satisfy the irrigation needs.
Connecting the water elemental plane with an endless supply of fresh water was exactly what agriculture needed. If it was just that small river, it might be very difficult to cultivate the terraced fields and build a complete tall tower irrigation network.
But even so, with the systematic construction and the efforts of the civilians, everything was getting better.
The second base was also getting more and more prosperous.
This was also related to geography.
Although the Senwaya range was a huge mountain range that spanned extremely far away.
But the city of Aaron, which was located on the outside of the Senwaya range, had yet to completely enter too deep into the Senwaya range. Coupled with the good road traffic, it was able to contact the Nahrin desert in time, so it was not afraid of being blocked.
The Stone Pass was also in Kant's hands, so the possibility of being blocked in the end was reduced to the lowest.
Three points and one line.
This is exactly how the Nahrin Desert is now arranged.
From north to south.
It is entirely the salt posthouse, Drondheim's castle, the central posthouse, and the pass, and then the mountain pass posthouse and the city of Aaron, which form a complete line of communication.
A steady stream of supplies passes through this line, dividing and complementing each other.
Just like Kant's original design.
It was very reasonable.
Kant was also satisfied with this.
Looking at the report above, the documents were a summary of the current construction.
Ever since they had completely mastered the stone pass, the defensive effect of the central posthouse had become much worse. It was not that it was not as important as before, but that the trade caravan and spies from the outside world were no longer able to go deeper into the Nahrin desert.
The stone pass had already blocked most of the trade caravan.
If they continued to go deeper…
Wouldn't that mean that they were spies and spies!
When the time came, they would just have to kill this group of people with ulterior motives in the Nahrin Desert.
Desert Bandits, working together with the Sarrandian Horseman, plus the elite Mamluke, ordinary spies and spies, or the bandit group that took a detour into the Nahrin Desert in an attempt to make a fortune, all died miserably.
No one could hide from the people that came out of the Sarrandian Desert. Their experience in the desert was worth it.
But for now.
Desert Bandits were still the best scouts that had spread out on the plains.
Kant put down the document.
Everything was settled.
His plan still had to continue.
For example, the chess pieces that had been spread out, Kant planned to personally go and take a look this time.
Borg from the bankrupt family of the eastern County had received the great silver coin that Kant had given him to revive his family. Moreover, he had also used the ten Sarrandian Horseman riders that Kant had temporarily given to him to make a name for himself on the river of Resniston.
Even at the stone pass in the Northern County, Kant had heard of this young businessman who had risen to fame.
However, Borg still did not send anyone to contact him.
Kant was intrigued.
"It's good to go and take a look personally."
He had already made this plan, and at the same time, the preparations had been completed.
Kant personally led the team, with 10 Lion Knights as guards, 50 Sarion lion attendants, and Rolf leading, the 500 elite desert bandit who had already leveled up.
Knowing oneself and one's enemy was invincible, not to mention that there was a mysterious passage in the East Prefecture.
The passage that connected to the underground river.
If possible.
Kant planned to build a new village there.
Furthermore, he would place the water bandit's lair there to form the core force that controlled this river.
The moment he controlled this commercially developed river, Kant's forces could follow the river and spread out. Be it entering the South Prefecture of the dukedom of Leo or the silver platter kingdom.
It was extremely easy!
Money had always been successful in opening the way.
And Kant, who controlled the table salt trade and the commercial river, would not be short of money?
Kant liked to nibble, not swallow. Right now, the dukedom of Leo had been infiltrated by Kant's tentacles. Looking at the current situation, the status of the northern county, which had been completely infiltrated, was probably only second to Viscount Wayne.
If it was about military power, Kant, who had a heavy cavalry group, was not inferior to Wayne at all!
At the level of a viscount, he already had extraordinary power.
Although in Kant's eyes, he was still weak.
But before he could completely swallow and leave no traces behind, he was still willing to use the delicacy of nibbling to slowly take control of the dukedom of Leo in his own hands.
As for the crown on the surface, it was useless to Kant.
The uncrowned king was enough.
Riding and hacking were his foundation!
The troops set off quietly, just like Rolf's infiltration, quietly like the wind.
Fatis continued to take care of the Stone Pass. With the suppression of the troops stationed here, even if the entire pass was filled with spies and secret agents, they would not be able to gain the upper hand in the face of absolute force.
The residents had long been bought over by Kant's money offensive and could be said to be extremely grateful.
Betrayal was impossible.
Except for those vassal knights who wanted to go one step further.
However, even the vassal knights who nominally pledged allegiance to Kant did not receive any important roles.
Even if they led their troops out and dealt with the demonized creatures or low-level jackals that they encountered daily, the troops would be a mix of the Swadian infantry and the original long-lance soldiers of the past.
Although they were nominally under the command of the vassal knights, the Swadian Infantry, as a middle-level commander, could refute them.
This also meant that they also had the right to command.
It was equivalent to flying in the air.
If Kant or Fatis completely announced that they would strip these vassal knights of their command, then these knights would not be able to take any of their soldiers away. After all, the current Swadian Infantry.., had built a good relationship with the lance soldiers at the Stone Pass.
In comparison, the superior attitude of these knights and their disregard for the lower-level infantry would not make the resting lance soldiers truly loyal.
They would be loyal to whoever paid them and to whoever treated them well.
The lance soldiers at the stone pass were not stupid.
That was the advantage of nibbling away.
The light cavalry set out quickly, disappearing into the flat plain, to the eastern territory, a long-closed land.
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Chapter 383: Ji Bolun of the Eastern County
The possession of the eastern county lay on the west side of the dukedom of Leo, immediately adjacent to the northern and southern counties.
The Senwaya mountain range served to isolate the Nahrin Desert. Due to the low terrain and regular cold air mixed with snow, the weather here was very good. The agricultural level was close to that of the southern counties, and it was once an important grain-growing area of the dukedom.
Geographically, it was just like the Mountain of Leo that separated the northern and southern counties.
The eastern county area also had the Mountain of Death to separate the east and west.
Coincidentally, to the west of the Mountain of Leo was the Mountain of Death, or the rest of the Mountain of Leo. In the middle was the nail that the southern county had planted in the northern county, namely Viscount Kevin's Maas Castle.
The Maas Castle was the center of the three counties. It was strategically important and had a higher status than Stone Pass.
Controlling the Maas Castle
was equivalent to controlling the northern county, controlling the eastern county, and coordinating with the southern county.
The entire dukedom of Leo was a place that all strategists would fight over!
However, the current Maas Castle had lost its former severity. Although ordinary people were still not allowed to enter, the surrounding area had become a paradise for bandits and bandit groups.
Even though there were no large-scale massacres and armed conflicts, the trade caravan still suffered heavy losses.
At this time.
There were almost a dozen bandit groups with different backgrounds.
There were also mercenaries hired by the Lord of the Maas Castle, Viscount Kevin, to help defend the castle and fight crime. However, in reality, they made it clear that they would not help each other.
As long as the bandit groups did not attack the Maas Castle, Viscount Kevin could pretend not to see it.
This was very strange.
But it was very correct.
In the past half month, Rolf had brought his 500 desert bandits to investigate.
However, not only was he not chased away by the Lord, but he was also attacked by the bandit group. After a few sneaky counterattacks and the complete destruction of some larger bandit forces, he was able to get back on his feet.
The Maas Castle had already lost the authority he had once held back.
Or rather…
Some of the top level noble families had tacitly agreed.
They didn't want the table salt trade from Kant to erupt quickly in a short period of time.
If the top level noble families weren't still scheming, it was likely that these noble families had already compromised among themselves and were about to make a move. They would split up the Nahrin Desert of Kant and gain more advantages.
At present, the table salt trade had already entered the silver platter kingdom.
It was also moving further and further along the river.
The table salt from Kant, which benefited from the dwarf kingdom's table salt that was extremely far away and could be supplied quickly and in large quantities, had completely seized the market of the dukedom of Leo. Furthermore, it continued to encroach on the table salt market of other human lands along the river.
Any trade caravan that engaged in table salt had already made a fortune.
The noble families behind them were all had their fat.
However, thinking about the salt mines in the Nahrin Desert, the noble families who had already tasted the sweetness, and the chief noble families who had the ability to seize it, had already made a tacit agreement.
In half a month, they began to connect with each other, and with the convenience of the coalition army, they began to integrate.
The integration continued.
After all, they had to choose a new leader for the army.
No one from the royal family could participate, because according to the rules, when their master Kant died, the salt mine they wanted to take this time would be taken over by the royal family.
Because Kant was the blood of the royal family, the second son of the royal Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron.
But the strange thing was.
The royal family did not stop the spontaneous actions of the noble.
No news was spread in the Castle of Leo, and no orders were issued. It was as if they knew nothing at all!
This was worthy of consideration. And these nobles who were connected with each other also began to form a coalition army in high spirits, just as they had stopped the invasion of the Silver Plate Kingdom back then. Gradually, they joined together to form a huge military force.
Although it was somewhat bloated, it was as heavy as fat, and it was also very intimidating.
Kant had yet to notice all of this.
For at this moment he was riding his horse across the plains.
"Boom, boom, boom -"
The sound of horse hooves rang out.
Kant rode ahead on his horse, and behind him were 30 Sarleon Lion Knights and 50 Sarleon Lion Guards. They were full of energy and watched by his side. They were very powerful and majestic and were not inferior to the elite knights of the royal family.
Even the 500 elite desert bandits behind him had their own imposing manner.
The heavy machete was at his waist.
The six short javelins on his back were neatly arranged.
The spear in his hand flickered with a cold light. As he moved forward, it was like a torrent rushing by rapidly.
Kant led his team into the eastern county territory. After three days of galloping, they had already moved west from Stone Pass. They were heading towards the predetermined location, which was the most famous landmark of the eastern county territory, the Mountain of Death.
It was southwest of Stone Pass.
After the Mountain of Death, it was the eastern county territory that had been sealed off.
The noble estates along the way were all sealed off. Only the troops within the eastern county territory were allowed to stay there and approach. If anyone else approached rashly, they would be treated as the enemy.
Although there were definitely unspoken rules and such, the merchants were very familiar with them.
But Kant couldn't do it.
Therefore, he didn't directly go west and enter the eastern county territory along the north side of the Senwaya Range. Instead, he trekked towards the Mountain of Death. He had to take a detour to that side so that he could enter the center of the eastern county territory as soon as possible.
After passing the Mountain of Death, that was the core area of the eastern county territory.
A piece of fertile land near the Resniston River.
Due to the cold air and the hot air of the Nahrin Desert, there was already plenty of underground water. In addition, the irrigation project was well-organized. It was said that after ten years of development, the agriculture of the eastern county was not weaker than that of the southern county.
If not for the strong commercial atmosphere of the southern county, the eastern county would have already surpassed the royal estate by half a head!
The details were rather vague.
Although the eastern county did not prohibit merchants from entering.
In other words, as long as they did not enter under the official identity of the southern county, they were basically fine.
However, some secret agents who had ulterior motives and went to the eastern county to gather information would also be arrested. Together with any conspirators, they would be pressed to the Mountain of Death and their heads would be chopped off by the executioners on the Mountain.
The Mountain of Death was therefore given its name.
Just ten years ago, Countess Agatha had ordered the execution of all three families of the Viscount.
Nearly a thousand people were executed at the same time. This was the only time the dukedom of Leo had been established, and it had caused an uproar throughtout the country. This was also one of the reasons why the eastern county was sealed off.
Moreover, the rich eastern county only had one viscount and a few barons guarding the various areas until now.
But in terms of strength, they were still stronger than the northern county.
It could be seen from the village.
"Very rich."
Rolf was somewhat moved by this.
They had just left a village in the eastern county. After using small silver coins to buy the necessary supplies for everyone during the journey, they chose to leave under the vigilant gazes of the sheriff and the local security militia.
Some coarse bread mixed with wheat bran, and a part of smoked meat.
There was also clear water in the water sack.
"Behave yourself. This is not the northern County."
Kant slowed down his horse.
Looking at the flat terrain in front of them, the farmland was divided by irrigation canals. He could not help but nod and say, "In terms of agriculture here, it is better than the most fertile land in the northern county."
"The northern county, that place is no different from Sarrand Sultanate."
Rolf sneered, "It's barren."
"The Sarrand Sultanate has at least two huge oases!"Among the elite desert bandit behind him, there was a stubborn guy who stuck out his neck and retorted, "The northern county doesn't have any water source to nourish the land!"
"I know, I know. You're the only one who talks too much!"
Rolf turned his head and cursed.
However, he still shrugged his shoulder and said to Kant, "Lord, in fact, in my opinion, it doesn't matter if the Northern Territory wants it or not. Only the elite desert bandits behind me can do whatever they want. Whether it's military or economic, there's no need to seize it. I don't see any value in it."
"But the northern county territory is connected to the southern county territory and the eastern county territory,"Kant answered calmly.
"Of course."
Rolf sneered, "They dare not to provoke us."He hesitated and guessed, "But before, I had the feeling that the joint army formed by the nobles seemed to have the intention of letting Viscount Weien Zijue be the commander."
Kant nodded, "Yes, I know. You reported it."
"This means that perhaps they are restless."
Rolf shook his head. "Now that we have entered the eastern county territory, it might get a little troublesome if those guys attack Stone Pass. After all, that Fateh Guy is not good at defending the city."
"I don't think so."
Kant chuckled.
Looking at this scoundrel noble, he said calmly, "It seems that you have other ideas. Why Don't you tell me? If I think it's possible, I can adopt your ideas."
"Lord, I think you have always been wise."
Rolf was the first to flatter him. "I think it's meaningless for us to hide in the eastern county. Why don't we go directly to the hinterland of the northern county, which is near the old man, Viscount Weien Zijue's nest. When they form an alliance army and the rear is empty, we can strike them hard. Perhaps we can even take down Logue Castle."
"If they seal the city gates, we won't be able to break in."
Kant shook his head.
Although Grand Knights with extraordinary strength were extremely powerful and could match up to 30 to 50 top tier knights.
However, this was only their destructive power. They would still be injured in the face of the rain of arrows. They would also be killed by the powerful ballistas or catapults that fired stone bullets or lance. There was no chance of survival.
It could be used as the spearhead in field battles, but siege battles were still the world of siege weapons.
"Oh…"
Rolf shook his head regretfully.
Compared to hiding, he preferred to bring a group of bandits to other people's homes and wantonly plunder and destroy them. Even if they did not achieve much in battle, they could still intimidate the enemy. It was a great feeling.
He was a complete villain. Even if he was a noble, it had nothing to do with the so-called gentlemanly manner.
"The Mountain of Death is ahead."
Kant urged his horse to speed up.
Looking at the protruding mountain in front of him on the horizon, his eyes narrowed slightly. "After we pass the Mountain of Death, we will be in the main city of the eastern county. At that time, we will be able to go in and see what is going on."
His tone paused slightly. Kant frowned and said, "But on the way to the Mountain of Death, we will come across another castle."
Gibran's Avilis Castle.
The only Viscount in the eastern county.
That's right. After Countess Agatha slaughtered three viscounts, the only Viscount Gibran was left.
Kant had to admit that the strength of this Viscount Gibran was actually equivalent to that of the count. This was because this old viscount, who was already 56 years old, had once shone brilliantly in the battle against the Silver Platter Kingdom ten years ago.
He had withstood the attack of the Silver Platter Kingdom's thirty thousand main forces alone.
And his army only had six thousand men.
Among them were four thousand gathered armed militia and recruited peasant soldiers.
And the remaining two thousand main force were merely the defeated soldiers who had been defeated by the Silver Platter Kingdom on the south bank of the river. They were gathered by this Viscount Gibran and trained for a few days before being thrown into the millstone-like battle once again.
It was also because Viscount Gibran had held back the main forces of the Silver Platter Kingdom in the eastern county.
It was also because of this that the dukedom of Leo was finally victorious.
That battle where Baron dilun Nanjue rose to prominence and made the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, famous. It was also because of Viscount Gibran that the Grand Duke of Leo had successfully won the battle.
If it were not for the north bank of the river, Viscount Gibran would have fought with all his might.
He reckoned that the dukedom of Leo had already been conquered.
The Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, would also be conquered at this time.
Perhaps because he was the husband of Princess Sofia, he would be spared from execution and would still be able to retain his noble status. However, his true power would disappear forever. He would not be able to compare to his current status as Grand Duke of the dukedom of Leo!
"Viscount Gibran."
Rolf's tone became a little more serious. "I have heard of this Viscount's reputation in many bandit groups, or rather, in those mercenary groups. He is a very powerful guy."
"Yes, he can be considered a famous general."Kant nodded.
"He is right in front."
Rolf snorted coldly and narrowed his eyes slightly. "It is said that the true elite troops of the eastern county territory are hidden in Avilis Castle. It is precisely because this old man supports Countess Agatha that she is able to stand firm in the eastern County Territory."
Rolf paused for a moment and looked at Kant. "Or rather, your father, Archduke Cameron, is the one who is truly afraid of him."
"That's right."
Kant was not the least bit angry.
The relatives in this world were more like passers-by to him.
The royal family had no family ties to begin with. Moreover, Kant still had the memories of his former life. The so-called feelings for the relatives in this world were only feelings he had been thinking about for a long time.
And this kind of feelings had turned a little sour because of the open and hidden fights between the royal family.
Kant did not like it very much.
"Let's go and take a look."
He patted the horse's belly gently.
Kant continued to ride forward. "I want to meet this famous general."
PS: I recommend my friend, 'to open an underground city'. He had just transmigrated and already owned an underground city. If he wanted to live a comfortable life, he would have to change the current operating mode. Thus, while he was watching the movements of the adventurers in the city live, he was trying to improve the facilities. Unknowingly, the bustling underground entertainment city entered people's vision and gradually changed their way of life. Finally, it became the paradise that the whole world yearned for.
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Chapter 384: Rugged and Shabby Dirt Road
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Starting from the stone pass, they headed southwest. When they saw the sword-like peak of Death Penalty Mountain, they turned and headed west. In less than a day's journey, they would reach Avilesburg.
This was the experience of the merchants of the Dukedom of Leo.
Often, merchants would not easily tell others about similar routes. This was a secret technique that the trade caravan relied on to survive.
However, when a scoundrel noble placed a machete on the necks of those merchants, he easily obtained the specific routes and secret techniques of the trade caravan.
The routes of the trade caravan were all over the Dukedom of Leo, so they needed proper trade routes.
And it was the type that had been investigated on the spot.
It was more exquisite than the official map of the Dukedom of Leo, which was also the map of the territory of the Dukedom of Leo. Especially in the vicinity of certain areas with concentrated commerce or special products, the Merchant's trade maps were more accurate in detail.
As for Avilesburg, which was an important military town in the Eastern county, it was naturally recorded as well.
All the way to the west.
The dirt road that was trampled on simply was very rugged.
In other words, the Dukedom of Leo did not have the habit of repairing roads. These so-called roads were all solid roads that had been trampled on by people and horses for a long time. No one really repaired them, so it was inevitable that they would be rugged.
This was a deliberate act to prevent the enemy from marching.
Roads could speed up the journey.
For example, at the edge of the Senwaya Range, from Aaron City to the Yamaguchi Posthouse, Kant had built a paved road that was paved with small stones. It was solid and smooth.
Such a paved road could provide a traveling speed that was several times faster than ordinary mountain roads.
Originally, the entire day's travel time.
Relying on this paved road, they could arrive in less than half a day. It was very convenient and fast.
This was beneficial to raising the level of trade. After all, the carriages, pack horses, camels, and other trade caravans were all full of goods. Being able to travel on the paved road was far better than the rugged mountain road, or even the lack of a road.
However, moving faster was convenient and troublesome.
Especially in terms of military use.
Since the trade caravan could move fast, then the army could naturally do the same.
Moreover, they could quickly advance along the well-built roads, and even directly reach their destination to start their battle deployment.
This was the case for their own troops, and it was the same for the enemy troops. The roads had already been built, and anyone could use them. Naturally, the enemy was the same.
This was especially true for the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom.
Naturally, they could not pay too much attention to the construction of the roads.
The Dukedom of Leo, which was mainly composed of cavalry, did not need to worry about the assembly of troops. A warhorse with four hooves could walk faster than a two-legged person no matter what. Even if there was no road, it could still move quickly.
The Silver Platter Kingdom was different.
This kingdom had a variety of troop classes. Although there was cavalry, they were also mainly infantry.
The cavalry was the main force, but the elite infantry was also the main force. Often, in the course of a field battle, before the Knights of the Dukedom of Leo could defeat the Knights of the Silver Platter Kingdom, their own troops, which were used to maintain the front line, had already been defeated.
This was also the key reason why they had suffered a crushing defeat on the south bank of the river of Resniston ten years ago.
They had only reached the north bank.
Taking advantage of the fact that the Silver Platter Kingdom's troops were halfway across the river, Viscount Gibran of Avilesburg had fought with all his might to delay the main force of the Knights of the Silver Platter Kingdom. He had also provided false information due to Baron Dilun Nanjue's betrayal of the Silver Platter Kingdom.
This had resulted in a great victory on the north bank of the Resniston river, and they had even fought back to take back the two lost castles on the south bank.
It barely maintained the dignity of the Dukedom of Leo.
Therefore.
The Dukedom of Leo was even more careless about the construction of roads.
Although it affected domestic trade, with the famous trade river, the Resniston River, even if land trade declined, it would still be acceptable. The profits brought by the river trade were also not low!
Riding on the rugged dirt road, it took a long time to see a trade caravan.
All of them were extremely vigilant.
There were more than ten carriages and more than fifty laborers holding nail sticks.
There were also more than ten cavalry wearing leather armor and holding long spears and longswords. Although they looked nondescript and were between mercenaries and regular soldiers, their movements were also very neat and fast. They were very good guards of the trade caravan.
The security situation in the Eastern county was slightly better. There were no large-scale bandit groups.
However, when they saw Kant and the cavalry…
All of them were horrified.
Especially when they saw the rebellious and fierce looks of the elite desert bandits, their hearts started to beat faster. If it wasn't for Kant and the rest riding their horses and not stopping, they would have started to fight back!
However, even if they fought back, they didn't have much of a chance of winning. Kant had the advantage in numbers.
Five hundred elite desert bandits.
This was considered a strong level among bandit groups or mercenaries.
After all, these were cavalry, not infantry. Even if they couldn't beat them, they could still flee on their horses. Moreover, they had spears, scimitars, short javelins, and iron-scale armor.
Ordinary wealthy small landlords could only gather this set of equipment.
Cavalry was not something that anyone could become.
Just raising warhorse was a matter that required money, and equipment was secondary.
Now, Kant's cavalry team could even be used as the main force among the mercenaries. After all, ordinary mercenaries did not have the strength of a knight's squire. The Gale mercenary group from before was entirely composed of knight's squires and knights, there are two other grand knights, and it was really exceptional.
Everyone knew that the force behind the Gale mercenary group was Countess Agatha of the Eastern County. The reason why this mercenary group was released was to warn the noble families of the northern and southern counties to show their strength.
An unspoken rule.
Even now.
Kant and his cavalry left the trade caravans without any intention of looting, and they knew it.
Perhaps these were the private soldiers of a noble.
Their guess was correct.
However, Kant's cavalry was all low-level light cavalry, and they were not even considered his main cavalry. If the real main cavalry arrived, the scale of the march of over a thousand Swadian cavalry would be even more terrifying!
Even the full set of heavy armor of a man and a horse, and the hooves of the horses striking the ground, were as terrifying as a flood discharge or an earthquake.
Of course.
Kant was not interested in these trade caravans.
Rolf was still a little interested, but he did not act rashly because he wanted to travel quickly.
If something went wrong and the local noble families in the Eastern county were to notice, they would be surrounded. After all, this was not the Northern county, and it was far from the stone pass. The reinforcements could not appear at all times.
Most importantly, Avilesburg was right in front of them.
Viscount Ji Bolun.
This old general was not to be trifled with. The elites under him also made Kant slightly fearful.
The only reason why they were able to stand apart from the traditional ruling forces of the Dukedom of Leo was not because of Countess Agatha's isolation. There was also the elite force in Viscount Ji Bolun's hands that was enough to deter any enemy!
A thousand-man knight regiment and three thousand elite infantry.
It was also a seeded force that had been trained from the remnants of the bloody battle ten years ago.
It was definitely not bad in terms of combat strength.
It was said that they had also made reference to the training methods of the infantrymen of the Silver Platter Kingdom. Their combat strength was extremely strong. Together with the 4-meter long lance, they formed a phalanx of long spears. Even an ordinary knight regiment would not dare to approach them easily.
Not to mention charging into the phalanx of long spears head-on. They would definitely suffer heavy casualties.
Nearing evening.
Kant had finally reached the vicinity of Avilesburg.
On the flat plains in front of them, at the top of a slightly raised hill, a towering castle was being built on top of it. The arrow towers and towers were stacked on top of each other, with the addition of thick and heavy city walls. The defense was perfect.
The setting sun's dim yellow light shone on the castle, bringing about a visual impact that was not inferior to Kant's castle.
The only Viscount in the Eastern county.
And also the only castle.
Viscount Gibran of Avilesburg.
Kant gently knocked on the horse's belly and continued to lead the team forward. Right under the castle, there was still smoke rising in spirals. It was the smoke rising from the villages of the peasants who depended on the castle to survive.
The castle also needed the peasants to supply the daily necessities.
Moreover, they could be recruited during wartime.
It was common to form poorly equipped armed militias or recruit peasant soldiers as cannon fodder to temporarily resist the enemy's attack and relieve the pressure on the main force. It was also common to adjust the tactical arrangements as soon as possible to make up for the deficiencies.
Now Kant wanted to go to the village, not to fight, but to rest.
To sleep or camp temporarily.
They were mercenaries, and at the same time, to see if the castle was willing to hire them.
Of course, the price would definitely be high. Even if Avilesburg was willing to hire them, it would be impossible to negotiate a cooperation in the end.
Kant came here only to observe the castle. It would be even better if he could meet Viscount Ji Bolun. His real goal was to go to the core of the Eastern county territory, which was the Eastern County city.
The city that stood on the north bank of the river was one of the only two cities in the Dukedom of Leo.
It was also the only city in the Eastern county.
It was also a commercial city and a port city. Many merchants of the Resniston river had made their first stop in the Dukedom of Leo. It had once been the Eastern County city. However, after Countess Agatha sealed off all contact with the outside world, more commercial businesses flooded into the Lion Heart City in the Southern county. Instead, it helped the royal family increase their tax revenue by several times.
In fact, there was a reason for this. Kant understood that the river bandits of the Resniston river were extremely arrogant in the Eastern county. After all, the southern bank was Fort Nair, which had been reduced to the area of the Silver Platter Kingdom.
The existence of the river bandits was also the reason why the Silver Platter kingdom had indulged themselves and attacked the dukedom of Leo.
Kant also had some connections with the river bandits.
The former subordinates of Princess Sofia had been left outside and could be considered as another chess piece.
He came to the Eastern county territory to see what changes had occurred in this sealed estate. His goal was to get close to Borg in the Eastern County city and use this former chess piece to complete his strategic deployment.
Kant had basically infiltrated the Northern county territory.
Next was the Eastern county territory.
After controlling two counties, the Southern county would not be able to escape Kant's infiltration.
As long as the army was strong enough and connected with the noble families, the Dukedom of Leo would be slowly eaten up like a frog in warm water, becoming Kant's territory.
Moreover, the Eastern county had an ancient tunnel that was connected to the Resniston river.
Although it is not known where in the Resniston river it leads to.
But it's very important.
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Chapter 385: The Temporary Camp Near to the Village
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Arriving at the village near the castle, at the far west end of the sunset, the huge and magnificent Senwaya Range completely blocked out the last sunset, and the sky was very dark in the shadows.
The horses' hooves knocked on the rugged dirt road, and the rumbling of the horses interrupted the beautiful evening of the villagers.
Kant rode in front leading the troops, he waited quietly at the entrance of the village.
They did not greet each other, nor did they make any rude moves. They were just like the travelers using the horse's hooves as a knock on the door to express goodwill to the village and at the same time, to request for communication.
It was just that they never saw a whole troop of "travelers" before.
The villagers also stuck their heads out.
Their eyes were filled with shock and uncertainty.
But they did not have much fear, they were at the famous Avilis Castle. The village was under Viscount Gibran's rule. When ordinary mercenary groups arrived, they had to be respectful and did not dare to offend them at all.
Even if the bandit group would only request to replenish their supplies and would have any ulterior motives
Very soon, there was a commotion in the village.
Teams of footmen wearing iron-scale armor and holding four-meter-long lance quickly gathered.
They gathered in the middle of the alley in the village and formed a unique lance formation in the East County. Looking at their skilled formation, one could tell that these armed militia guys were not ordinary commoners.
Even Kant nodded to himself, "They are quite well-trained."
"Indeed." Rolf shrugged.
Looking at those armed militia, his eyes were filled with curiosity, "Of course, compared to the armed militia in the North County, these guys can be considered the elite footmen of a lord."
"The East County has its own military training system," Kant said calmly, "It had been cut off with the Dukedom of Leo ten years ago."
He was once an apprentice of the academy. In order to avoid suspicion, he did not read or study any books on extraordinary powers. Instead, he learned the most about cultural history and geography.
Naturally, he knew a lot about the changes in the East County, including its military.
Kant explained, "This is the training method of the footmen learned from the Silver Platter Kingdom. They are good at taking on the cavalry." He looked at Rolf. "In the future, if you lead the light cavalry in battle, be careful. The strength of the footmen of the East County when dealing with the cavalry is not weaker than that of the Rhodok Footmen"
"Oh, of course. I've already compared these guys who use long-pole weapons to the Rhodok people." Rolf nodded.
His eyes narrowed slightly, he muttered, "Although it's troublesome for the Desert Bandits to deal with these guys, it would be better if we let Mamluke or the Swadian Heavy Cavalry to deal with them. These heavy cavalry troops with better defense can even defeat the Rhodok Spearmen, let alone these ordinary militia."
Kant said with a slightly solemn tone, "But we still have to be cautious. If we're using your method, it is still not practical."
Rolf shook his head helplessly and said, "That's why I hate long-pole weapons."
What he said was naturally to rely on the heavy cavalry to forcefully smash into the phalanx of long spears formed by these militia. Using the most violent and most convenient tactic, they would directly crush these militia and break through their formation.
However, using the heavy cavalry to crush their lance formation would be not ideal, because it would cause casualties on Kant's side too.
Especially when the first line of the charging cavalries towards the phalanx of long lance.
Even if Kant's heavy cavalries could charge in and break through their phalanx, it would cause a lot of losses.
It would be usable if they were in a decisive battle and force to use the desperate tactics to break through the stalemate. But if it were a conventional probing battle, he would definitely not use it. After all, even if he killed a thousand enemies, he would lose three hundred of his own. It was not worth it.
Therefore, the cost-benefit ratio was not high.
"A four-meter long lance."
Kant narrowed his eyes slightly and his expression was slightly solemn. "An ordinary footman troop would not be able to use this kind of weapon."
A lance footman needed to undergo strict training.
Not all footmen could use a lance. This had been proved in history.
Only a more advanced civilization could train the army and the people into a highly organized and highly disciplined team. Only then could they use this kind of weapon smoothly. Otherwise, they would just be a live target on the battlefield that was easily defeated by the enemy, just like a turtle shell that did not move at all.
Moreover, the formation of the untrained lance footmen would be easily penetrated if the enemy attacked from both sides.
However, it was different if the training was well-done.
Looking at history.
The people of ancient Greek city-states in southern Europe were experts in using the phalanx of long lance. Moreover, under the ruling of Alexander the Great of Macedonia, they became the top-notch and unbreakable footmen together with the light cavalry.
They defeated the traditional close-combat footmen on the fertile soil of the Middle East Crescent.
In the Middle Ages, the world was ruled by the lance.
A similar variant, the soldiers with Swiss halberd, putting the lance formation to its pinnacle. Even the fearsome knights of the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire did not dare to attack them recklessly.
For example, when the Knights of France fought against the Swiss halberd footmen, they dismounted and formed a corresponding lance phalanx to fight against them.
History recorded it clearly.
Even on the eve of modern times, the Spanish spear formation was still terrifying.
And in the history of China, almost all of the elite troops were long spear soldiers.
Although in Chinese history, the distinction of troop class was not very clear, the elite troops could skillfully use different kinds of spears in the battles. In addition, they could coordinate with bows and arrows, and in close combat, they were all-rounder in different kinds of weapon!
Hence, Kant felt a trace of fear towards these East County's militia.
If they did not undergo advanced footman training, they would not be so skilled and well ordered.
Rolf also noticed the difference, so he did not continue to speak. Instead, he turned his eyes and carefully observed the village in front of him. The long lance soldiers who were on alert also revealed a hostile looks on them.
As an evil general, he was not fool. He also noticed that something was wrong with the East County.
In the midst of silence, more than a dozen people hurried over.
The leader was an old man, followed by a middle-aged man, a strong middle-aged man, and more than a dozen guards. They wore better-quality iron-scale armor, holding round shields and sharp hand axes.
They were the village chief, the finance officer, and the sheriff.
"Hello."
As an elder, the village chief was naturally well-informed.
Looking at Kant and the Sarleon Lion Knights, Lion Squire behind him, as well as the 500 Elite Desert Bandit in iron-scale armor, his heart could not help but beat faster.
However, he still managed to calm his mind. After giving an eye contact to the sheriff beside him, he said, "It's already very late. Please forgive us for not being able to receive you."
His attitude was very humble.
Kant did not act unruly. He got off his horse and walked forward. calmly, he said, "We would like to stay for the night."
"Stay for the night." the village chief hesitated slightly.
It was clear that he was somewhat rejecting Kant and the others.
Although there were 50 militia elites behind him who could form a long lance phalanx, as well as more than 200 ordinary conscripted peasant soldiers in the village, it was a little whimsical to think that they could rely on these few footmen to resist Kant's cavalry unit of more than 500 people.
The sheriff's face was also slightly pale, and cold sweat was dripping down his temples.
This was not something that he could solve right now.
If anything happened, only Viscount Gibran in the castle could handle it.
After all, with his judgment, he could see that the aura of these unfamiliar cavalry troops, especially the fierce eyes of those cavalrymen, was similar to that of the bandits, or a group of bandits!
"Don't be nervous, old man. We are mercenaries from the South County." Kant sensed that they were afraid.
With a slight smile, he calmly said, "When we arrived here, we wanted to ask the noble lords of the East County whether they would hire us. After all, we are close to the Senwaya Range. Perhaps there are some foreign races or demonized creatures that need to be dealt with."
"You are mercenaries." the village chief sighed in relief.
But he was still nervous.
Although Kant had already stated that they were neutral mercenaries, the old village chief understood that sometimes these mercenaries could turn into murderous bandits at any time when they were in need of money or secretly attack them at night.
That was a blur line between the bandits and mercenaries sometimes.
"We'll pay."
Kant chuckled, but his next words interrupted their suspicions. "Two great silver coins. I think it's enough to stay in the drying field outside the village. I think there are only some miscellaneous things piled up there."
"This…" the village chief glanced at the finance officer and the sheriff behind him.
However, the two people behind him were secretly delighted when they heard the two great silver coins and immediately nodded.
"Alright." the village chief saw the situation and understood.
He coughed lightly and spoke gently, "Commander, your mercenaries can rest in the grain drying field outside the village. In order to show my respect, you can obtain the well water for free in our village. Of course, if you want some food, you have to pay extra."
After a pause, he felt that his tone was a bit serious, but he still reminded Kant, "This is the estate of Viscount Gibran. All our income has to be taxed, so we can't give it to you for free."
"I understand." Kant smiled and nodded. "I won't make things difficult for you."
"That's good, that's good." seeing that Kant was so easy to talk to, the village chief smiled and stroked his beard. Soon, he left with the financial officer and the sheriff. As for the militia in the village, many of them had also dispersed.
They must have been secretly on guard. The militia were secretly on guard and did not dare to spread out easily.
This was their village.
It was their home.
Cavalry troops of such a scale were camped beside them. If they were not careful, they would most likely be attacked in the middle of the night. They would definitely not be able to hold them off. If they stood firm and waited for reinforcements, they might be able to hold on until reinforcements arrived.
After all, they were close to Avilis Castle. If anything unusual happened, he people in Viscount Gibran's castle would quickly notice it.
"Set up the temporary camp." Kant waved his hand and gave the order.
The Desert Bandits quickly headed to the grain drying field not far away and removed all the debris piled up on it. At the same time, they opened up the linen tents that they had brought, quickly forming a temporary camp made up of more than fifty tents.
It was already very dark. The stars and moon had already appeared in the sky, sprinkling thin gauze on the ground.
It was Kant's first night in the East County.
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Chapter 386: Anxious Militiamen
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Under the faint light of the stars and the moon, the Elite Desert Bandit scattered. They picked up some dead wood and grass in the field outside the village and used them as firewood. They then lit a few bonfires in front of the tents.
At night, the temperature in the East County was slightly lower. Although it was not as freezing as the Nahrin Desert, it was still cold.
The East County was formerly known as the Winter County. The East County City, which was originally the capital city, was once the Winter City.
The meaning came from the cold air from the south. Every year, there would occasionally be snowflakes and cold rain falling. Even the slightly larger hailstones could be seen several times a year. It was the only county in the Dukedom of Leo where one could see the obvious cold winter.
The reason why the Winter County was changed to the East County was because of Kant's aunt, the Countess Agatha who had been conferred the title of this place.
Because she did not get along with the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, after he was being conferred the title of the Dukedom of Leo, Countess Agatha directly changed the name of the county, directly changing the Winter County that was located in the west to East County. The name carried a meaning of deep estrangement between East County and Dukedom of Leo.
It meant that the former Winter County had completely no relationship with the Dukedom of Leo.
It had not changed ever since.
After ten years, Countess Agatha developed the East County as firm as an iron barrel.
Not to mention the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron, who could not get his hands in, even the nobles of the other counties could not communicate with the East County through the officials. It was as if they were truly separated from each other.
The communication could be done with the trade caravan to handle matters. It was extremely troublesome.
It was practically semi-independent!
However, there was nothing they could do. Or rather, there was nothing they could do.
The official of the Dukedom of Leo, Grand Duke Cameron, was in a hurry to inherit the throne. He did not have enough time to gather the support of all the top-tier nobles. This was also why Countess Agatha, who had been given the authority, was able to divide the county.
In the feudal era, the support from the noble was especially important to the ruler.
The noble was the foundation of a feudal country.
Especially the nobles of the Western European system, they were the mainstay of the country!
As for the commoners, they were just ants that begged for their lives under the feet of the noble.
On the battlefield, they were just cannon fodder, living targets to block arrows for the noble lords. Most of the time, they were treated like servants who plowed, grazed, and hunted, and paid taxes for the noble lords!
Within the Dukedom of Leo, the noble was everything!
In reality, it was not just the East County, there was also Viscount Wayne of North County who hated Dukedom of Leo.
Ten years ago, if it was not for Cameron's decisive decision to take advantage of the North County, which was being invaded by Jackalan, and lead his troops directly to the north, displaying the threat of force, even the North County would have been semi-independent like the current East County.
But now, Viscount Kevin of the North County was still acting as a threat to the royal family and was inserted into the northern county as a nail.
From this, one could see the internal conflicts and discord in the Dukedom of Leo.
The struggle for power.
The dispute between the king and the noble.
Kant was still helpless about this. This kind of struggle had nothing to do with him, but it was also related to him.
Kant was now a top noble. He was a powerhouse among the noble families. He had troops and money in his hands and had claimed the Nahrin Desert. He was already in conflict with the royal power.
It would be even more interesting if someone from the Lion Fort asked Kant to pay taxes or provide financial assistance.
According to the rules, Kant did have this obligation.
It was just different in the beginning.
He was exiled.
Then, he received help to rise in power despite being exiled.
As a baron, the manager at the top was in name, Viscount Wayne of North County.
But because of Kant's royal bloodline, he was the second son of the Grand Duke of Leo, Cameron. He had the right to inherit the throne. Even a mere Viscount Wayne could not truly treat Kant as a vassal.
Moreover, Kant's Nahrin Desert was not classified on the official map of the Dukedom of Leo.
It was close to the North County and was under Viscount Wayne's jurisdiction.
Taking over was only a matter of circumstance.
No one cared about the once-forbidden area of civilization, the race desert.
Even if they knew that there was an Oasis Lookout in the Nahrin Desert that could allow living people to live, it was not proportional to the rewards of reclamation. No one really cared about who owned the Nahrin Desert.
Even before Kant went to the Nahrin Desert, the official scholar did not admit that this was the territory of the Dukedom of Leo.
The map also showed that it was a no-man's land.
It was a pure desert!
This also led to an awkward situation, Kant had no actual superior.
Perhaps Cameron, the Grand Duke of Leo, who had personally conferred the title of Kant, could be considered as one. However, as the Grand Duke and Kant's father, if he was a real noble, he should confer Kant as a viscount. The rank of a baron was too low.
He was definitely a low-level noble among the nobles.
"Ha." Kant stood on the grain drying field, his was calm.
He was not interested in the rank of a noble. In fact, he was not interested in the so-called position of an archduke or grand duke. It was true that he could live a stable life in this world. It was his pursuit to live better by relying on the "Mount and Blade" system.
The night was getting darker. The stars and the moon had already shone with all of their light.
The torches on the ground were also burning.
The fragrance filled the air.
It was the fragrance of toast, along with the fragrance of dried meat, dried sausage, and smoked fish.
Kant and his cavalries had been trekking the entire afternoon. They only had lunch at noon. By the time of evening, they were already so hungry that their chests were pressed against their backs. They started the bonfire to prepare dinner.
However, even though they were cold, tired, and hungry, the cavalries did not forget to take care of their personal warhorses.
They were the partners that they relied on to cooperate on the battlefield.
They could be treated as brothers.
The simple trough and sink were connected. The good wheat grains mixed with chickpeas and clover grass were poured into it. In addition, it was moistened with water. It was the best food and could quickly replenish the strength of the warhorse.
This was all thanks to the agriculture of "Aaron" City.
The terraced fields outside the city had long been flourishing.
For example, the wheat fields were all common crops. Crops such as chickpeas, cabbage, pumpkin, and so on had long been planted. Along with the suitable climate and good irrigation in the Senwaya Range, it brought a rich harvest.
And take the wheat fields for example. It didn't ripen once a year, but two to three times a year!
The land inside the Senwaya Range was very fertile.
It was like black soil.
The temperature of the Nahrin Desert, coupled with the slight chill at the bottom of the mountain, just happened to be neutralized at the surface.
Coupled with the rule power of the system, it made the construction of agriculture easier. The entire "Aaron" City had begun to enter a period of agricultural development. This was also the reason why the peasant farmers were so keen on reclamation.
With the development of agriculture, the livestock ate even better. Sometimes, they ate as much as the civilians.
Only good feed could breed a good warhorse.
This was a principle that the riders of Sarrand Sultanate agreed with.
Of course, excellent training and breeding were also needed. Otherwise, even if they ate high-quality feed, those poor horses or workhorses would not become warhorses. On the contrary, they would increase their weight and not be able to do their jobs well.
After feeding the feed and water, the bread and meat baked by the bonfire were also ready.
The outside of the meat was charred, but the inside was tender.
It was sprinkled with salt and spices, and the taste was even more delicious.
Kant ate it, but it did not feel simple. On the contrary, it felt like he was eating barbecue in his previous life.
He ate with Rolf and the Sarleon Lion Knights next to him without any restraint. They chatted about what they had seen and heard along the way. Occasionally, they would chuckle. Under the light of the bonfire, it felt more lively.
After entering the East County, they were close to Avilis Castle. It could be considered than half of their journey was done.
This place was not far from the East County City in the south.
Although the road was rugged, it was only a two-day journey for the cavalries who rode horses.
They continue to chat.
The atmosphere in the village, which had also lit torches, was very solemn.
The village chief, who was already old, was discussing with the slightly plump financial officer and the strong sheriff in the house. All of them were frowning, and they seemed to be very serious.
At that time, they were greedy for silver coins, but now, they were afraid.
This was really dangerous.
The grain drying field was just a short distance away from the village.
If these mercenaries who were as fierce as bandits were to cause a ruckus, with the militia in the village, even if all of peasants were to join forces, they would probably not be a match for them. If something bad really happened, it would probably be a bloodbath.
A bloody purge, plundering and massacring the entire village, and finally burning it to ashes.
Although it was close to Avilis Castle, there was still a distance to the castle
If something went wrong, it would take time for the troops in the castle to come over.
And after these cavalries finished plundering and massacring, they would set a fire and leave quickly. They would take advantage of the night to leave the East County, and when that time came, they probably would not even have the chance to take revenge.
The troops of the East County would not leave their own estate, let alone the North and South Counties.
"What should we do?"
The finance officer was regretting his decision.
He was the finance officer, and he controlled all the taxes and finances in the village. He looked like a low-level squire who was dependent on Avilis Castle, but with the help of the trade caravan around the village, he had a lot of money.
Without the current village, he would not be able to enjoy the glory and wealth!
"They had given us silver coins."
The sheriff was a knowledgeable guy. He steadied his mind and said, "Can we still chase those guys away?"
The village chief also sighed, "We have to be careful."
The village was peaceful.
If they really chased those mercenaries away and there was a quarrel, or even a fight, then they would be in big trouble.
They had not dealt with the matter, but they had stirred up a bigger problem, or even the worst outcome. Just thinking about it made them shudder. They were ashamed and angry at their greed at that time.
But now was not the time to blame each other.
"Do we report to the castle?"
The sheriff and finance officer frowned.
"Yes." the old village chief nodded. "This is not a small matter. Since we are here, don't we have the right to report to the Lord? Now that more than 500 cavalries have crossed the border, and they are mercenaries, they want to find some jobs. So, why don't we use this reason to report to the castle?"
After a pause, the old village chief said in a deep voice, "When the time comes, if something happens, the castle will be able to organize troops to come and rescue us as soon as possible. It would be even better if they could come and investigate their identities."
"Good, good Idea!" the sheriff and the finance officer agreed.
This was indeed a good idea.
Soon, a few capable militiamen quietly led their horses from the village and left at night.
They did not dare to ride their horses in plain sight. Instead, they carefully followed the remote path and traveled a long distance before they arrived at the road to Avilis Castle. They used their horsewhips to whip their horses to increase their speed.
They carried the expectations of the village and the safety of their families.
Avilis Castle was not far away.
It only took them two to three hours to reach there.
At this moment, the five of them rode their horses at an even faster speed. The stars were bright in the night, and it took them two hours to reach the castle.
Torches were lit on the city walls, and elite guards wearing mail armor were patrolling. When they saw someone riding their horses in the night, they did not panic. Instead, a cavalry team rode their horses to welcome them.
Avilis Castle had been peaceful for a long time. Not to mention the enemy, there were very few bandits wandering in this land.
Not to mention the attackers.
This group of well-trained elite guards were slightly on guard.
They were looked disappointed. To be honest, to them, they really wanted to have a little battle to have some fun.
However, the castle's defense still needed to be on guard. Viscount Gibran was not a benevolent lord. Although he was a little older, the prestige he had left on the battlefield was getting stronger and stronger.
Thinking of this, the elite guards of the castle all became alert and carried their weapons to the city gate.
"Stop!" the leading elite guard shouted, "This is Avilis Castle, Viscount Gibran's castle. Travelers who come here must tell us your identity if you want to get close. Otherwise, we will attack!"
His words were obviously not a joke.
The cavalry that went out to greet them were also well-trained knights and attendants.
Each of them had already picked up their longsword and lance. They looked vigilantly at the five guys who were panting on their horses. They looked at each other and lowered the weapons in their hands.
No matter how they looked, these guys did not look like attackers or bandits.
"We… We…" the captain of the militia was a little nervous.
However, for the safety of the village, he still shouted, "We are the militia of Nali Village. This evening, a mercenary group came to our village to stay. We were afraid that something bad would happen, so we came to report!"
"Mercenary group?"
On the city gate, the guards also looked at each other.
Nali Village was indeed one of the few villages under the command of Avilis Castle. However, they had the duty of gathering information for the castle on a daily basis. The so-called information was varied, and it all depended on the reactions of the villagers.
However, now that they came to report and were so anxious, there must be something wrong.
They sensed that something was wrong.
The captain of the guards shouted, "Let them come over!"
"Follow them!"
The cavalry that went out to welcome them let the five militiamen approach the castle.
However, the main gate of the castle was still closed. There was only a shed at the bottom, which could be considered as the residence of the night soldiers stationed outside the castle at night. There were also more than a dozen guards holding long lance standing there, looking at them cautiously.
After a short while, the city gate opened a crack.
The captain of the guards walked out.
"Sir knight!"
The five militiamen hurriedly greeted him.
"Yes." the captain of the guards was indeed a knight. He just frowned at them and asked, "What's going on? Isn't it normal for mercenary groups to stay in your village? Why are you so flustered?"
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Chapter 387: A Misunderstanding
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The militiamen of Nali Village did not dare to avoid the question of the knight in front of them. They explained everything they knew, including the fact that the village chief and the others had received silver coins.
However, the knight, who was the captain of the guards, did not say anything.
The village could accept any outsiders to rest.
For example, the trade caravan that traveled between the North County and East County, or the mercenaries that looked for ways to get there, most of them spent money to stay in Nali Village.
After all, the financial officer also in charge of taxing. The travelers spent money to stay a night could also provide taxes. It was a good source of generating income.
However, the number of guests that visited them this time were too many.
The knight captain frowned and said in a low voice, "More than 500 cavalries. That's a lot."
It was not just a lot. These militia did not have much of an idea. However, the knight captain who was from a noble family in the East County, understood that if these 500 cavalries tried to attack the castle, it would be a huge problem.
Perhaps, the guards outside the castle would all be wiped out if these cavalries launched a secret assault.
Moreover, among these cavalries, there were also horsemen, knight attendants and even knights!
From the words of these militiamen, describing the equipment of those cavalry, one could guess that they were probably more elite troops than what they had guessed at the moment!
It was indeed not a small matter.
A sense of relief suddenly appeared in the mind of this knight.
"Wait here."
He pondered for a moment.
He gave the order to the militiamen and at the same time signaled to the guards on both sides to keep a close watch on the five militiamen from Nali Village. Then, he turned around and quickly walked towards the castle.
He could not make a decision on such a matter. He had to inform Viscount Gibran.
He returned to the castle.
He quickly went to the room where Viscount Gibran was.
It was only 9 o'clock at night, and it was not time to sleep yet. This was one of the reasons why the knight captain dared to report to him.
According to his usual habits, Viscount Gibran would fall asleep at around 10:30. When that time came, he would hand over part of the night's work to the castle's butler and the knight on duty tonight. Other than major matters, he would not be disturbed.
After all, this old general who was already over 60 years old was no longer young.
"Thud thud thud." the door was lightly knocked.
As the guard captain on duty tonight, he reported in a deep voice from outside the door, "Lord Gibran, the Nali Village at the south side of the castle has encountered some troublesome matters. I am unable to make a decision, so I hope that you can give me some answers."
There was a slight silence in front of the door.
Only the guards who were wearing mail armor on both sides seemed to have no difference. They stood upright with their swords and shields.
A moment later.
Finally, a voice came from inside the room.
It was a bit hoarse, tired, and strong aura that could not be concealed. "Bertram, if even you are unable to make an accurate decision, then you must have encountered a serious problem. Come in and tell me what happened to Nali Village."
"Yes." Bertram nodded and pushed open the door.
A tall and sturdy figure with grizzled hair walked out from the inner side of the room. He was dressed in high quality clothes and sat on the main seat. He had a square and determined face. However, the grey hair on his temples and the wrinkles on his eyebrows made him look like he had experienced many vicissitudes of life over the years, he was like an old lion with extraordinary power, but he was still helpless against the flow of time.
"Lord Gibran." Bertram quickly entered the door and bowed respectfully.
He was the master of Avilis Castle, Viscount Gibran!
"Yes." Viscount Gibran nodded and waved his hand, indicating that there was no need for formalities.
Sitting on the main seat, he said with a calm expression, "Nali Village, if I remember correctly, is the village where the trade caravan is often stationed. Could it be that they saw an unfamiliar army?"
"That's right." Bertram nodded. "A group of mercenaries came."
"Continue." Viscount Gibran was still calm.
"They are all cavalry, unfamiliar faces. There are between 500 to 600 people. The militia of Nali Village sensed that something was wrong, so they sneak out to the castle and report to us."
Bertram said in detail, "A cavalry mercenary group that that have never seen before."
"How interesting."
Viscount Gibran narrowed his eyes slightly.
He had obviously noticed the difference in this mercenary group in his words.
After pondering for a moment, he raised his head. Although he was old, the aura that he had gained from the bloody battles on the battlefield was like a lion who had fought for his entire life. "What if it's compared to Count Agatha's Gale Mercenary Group?"
"Gale Mercenary Group…"
Bertram was stunned for a moment, then he frowned and thought, "It should be weaker."
His answer was a little vague, but when he thought of the words of the militia, he still said in a low voice, "It should be said that it's absolutely weaker. In that unfamiliar mercenary group, there shouldn't be many knights and knight attendants. Most of them are just ordinary cavalry."
Viscount Gibran's expression was still calm as he asked, "What kind of ordinary cavalry are they?"
"They are not very similar to the traditional cavalry of the dukedom…"
Bertram hesitated.
After thinking carefully, he said solemnly, "They are riding a relatively strong warhorse. They are wearing iron-scale armor and a linen robe. Their weapons are about two meters long spears, a hide-covered round shield, and a scimitar at their waist."
Gibran said, "Judging from their equipment, they are similar to the barbarians in the Wildland in the west."
Bertram nodded slightly in surprise. "Indeed. It's very similar to those barbarians, especially the scimitar. Those cavalry barbarians like to use this kind of equipment."
What they were talking about was naturally the Wildland in the far west.
It was covered in ice and snow all year round.
It was occupied by foreign tribes.
For example, the Beastman tribe, Jackalan tribe, and so on were commonly seen in the Wildland in the form of tribes.
However, there were also humans. However, without the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom, as well as the few dukedom kingdoms in the south, they were simply in the form of tribes. They were also ignorant and uncivilized.
Therefore, the human kingdoms all called the humans in the Wildland as barbarians. They regarded them as barbarians that were not much different from the other races.
They gathered together to keep warm.
They formed a unique force.
Although they did not form an alliance, and the various races and tribes also fought among themselves, occasionally, when there was severe winter in the West, they would form an army to come to the East County to plunder.
However, their insignificant skills were nothing compared to the well-trained noble families of the Dukedom of Leo.
They did not have the standard of an army.
Although they could win a few small victories, the allied army of these barbarians and foreign tribes had always been defeated.
After countless battles, the East County obviously had a high understanding of those barbarians. For example, they used the hide-covered round shield and liked to use the powerful and heavy scimitars that did not require much skill.
As a famous general of the East County, Viscount Gibran had fought against the barbarians in the Wildland several times.
"If that's the case."
Bertram thought for a while.
Suddenly, he raised his head and looked at Viscount Gibran. He could not help but say in surprise, "Could they be the barbarians in the Wildland? They are starting to infiltrate our East County!"
"Maybe." Viscount Gibran nodded.
This was not unusual.
Those barbarians in the Wildland were humans after all. They were born with greater intelligence than the other races.
Even if there was no strong civilization, they were still learning.
Moreover, they had been on war with the Dukedom of Leo and East County for a long time. It had not even been three years since the last war, and they were still completely defeated. They retreated back to the Wildland to lick their wounds.
Now that they felt the strength of the human race in the Dukedom of Leo, it was not surprising that they wanted to learn advanced military technology.
The most important thing was that the Barbarians had done this before.
They had sent people to secretly learn it, but they had not touched the connection between the Dukedom of Leo and the noble classes of the human countries. They had rashly come to learn as escaped slaves. In the end, the noble families had found out, and they had all captured and interrogated them.
They had even bribed some noble families with a large sum of money and successfully learned some things.
Although it was not the most important thing, they had still successfully changed the military structure.
It was said that the humans in the Wildland had already begun to conquer. By taking advantage of the techniques they had learned from the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom, they had conquered some low-level foreign tribes.
For example, the Snowfield Rodentman had become the slaves of the barbarians. They were fought as servants every time in the battles.
They were the cannon fodder formed by the poor people in the human kingdom.
"We can't be careless." Viscount Gibran waved his hand and ordered, "Gather the troops. Let's go over and take a look."
After muttering to himself for a while, he looked at Bertram, whom he admired the most, and said to the young knight who had not followed him for long, "Call your senior brothers. I don't want too many accidents to happen."
"Yes." Bertram nodded immediately.
The horn was blown.
It sounded a little hurried. It was the summoning horn of Avilis Castle.
At the same time, the gate of the castle was opened. Three hundred knights in mail armor and fully armed attendants quickly rushed out with long lance in hand. Leading them were five knights in better mail armor.
Including Viscount Gibran.
His grey hair was blown by the cold wind. It scattered on his wrinkled face like the mane of a lion.
"Let's go!" He pointed his longsword forward.
The warhorse under him moved forward. This troop set off quickly.
Although they did not bring more people, this troop was not something that ordinary barbarian cavalry could withstand. After all, all of them were heavy cavalry in mail armor. They were also knight attendants, elites who had been trained to charge forward and fight in close combat, they were all one of the main forces on the battlefield of the Dukedom of Leo!
Viscount Gibran was very confident that with the troops he led, even if they did not gain the trust of the other party, they would be able to live in peace with each other. After all, their strength was quite strong
In order to ensure their safety, he had brought all his disciples over.
Three of them were Grand Knights.
This was his foundation.
At that time, with the cooperation of these three Grand Knights, they would be able to match 200 knight attendants. If the enemy was timid, the combat ability of these three grand knights would be able to kill the enemy until they collapsed.
In the Dukedom of Leo, this was considered an elite force!
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Chapter 388: In the Middle of the Night
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
As the troops set off, the knights and servants of Avilis Castle lined up neatly and galloped on the muddy and rugged dirt road.
The five horsemen militiamen from Nali Village led the way in front. The group was very fast, and not long after, they could see the Nali Village from far away. It also included the temporary camp illuminated by the bonfires on the grain drying field.
The stars released a gentle light, mixed with the bright moonlight, and the entire land was shrouded in a veil.
The night march did not hinder or trouble them.
There was plenty of light.
Moreover, as the knight attendants of Avilis Castle, they received a daily ration of high-quality food. They did not lack fresh meat and various fruits, so they did not have night blindness like the poor.
In this feudal era, the poor had a lot of night blindness caused by the lack of vitamins.
This was especially prominent in the most barren North County.
Of course, in comparison, the East County and the South County were much better.
After all, according to what the scholar had seen and heard, the relatively wealthy free people in these two counties lived much happier lives than the small squire, small landlord, small merchant and the like in the North County. Perhaps the only difference was the size of their power.
It was just that in the current era, no one cared about this, much less the so-called human rights and life security.
The average life expectancy of a commoner was less than 45 years old. These commoners did not care about the luscious privilege.
To be able to live was their greatest and only desire!
Viscount Gibran was already 67 years old, and he was also considered an old man in the Dukedom of Leo. However, he was still the pillar of support in the East County. In addition to his daily diet and exercise, he did not look as weak as an ordinary old man.
Among the noble families, he could be considered a long-lived person. He was a happy old man who did not suffer from serious injuries.
He rode on his horse.
In front of him were black buildings lined up on the plains.
It was Nali Village, which belonged to Avilis Castle. It was not big, but it had completed with essential facilities. There were lights shone through the windows of the houses, adding a bit of liveness to this quiet night.
However, the most eye-catching thing was still the grain drying field in front of the village. Dozens of tents were illuminated by piles of bonfires.
From the looks of it, it was obvious that a large team was stationed there.
"Stop moving forward." Viscount Gibran tightened the reins at this time. His right hand, which was holding the horsewhip, had already raised up to signal.
Behind him, many of the knight attendants tightened the reins one after another, controlling the warhorses beneath them to slow down. Although there were more than 300 people, they were all orderly and without the slightest bit of panic when they lined up.
Viscount Gibran nodded in satisfaction at this. After all, they were the attendants that he had carefully trained.
"Lord." Bertram rode his horse closer.
He had a slightly puzzled expression. It was clear that he did not understand why they were stopped moving forward, so he asked, "We are still a few miles away from Nali Village. If we stop here, I'm afraid that even if we wanted to rush over at top speed, it will take about 15 minutes."
They were still in the wilderness. They would still have to pass through a piece of reclaimed farmland before they could reach Nali Village.
Viscount Gibran did not explain further. He only said, "Let's dismount and lead the horses over."
"This…"
Not to mention Bertram, even the other three Grand Knights were a little hesitant.
This distance was not close.
They were now wearing a full set of mail armor and chain armor. If they walked all the way, it would be troublesome if they sprained their ankles on such a rugged dirt road, not to mention overexerting their physical strength.
Although they were well-trained, most of them were skilled in horsemanship, spear arts, swordsmanship, and other combat skills, they did not have much experience in trekking.
Noble lords rode horses.
Only the lowly commoners and the armed civilians, or the mercenaries who wandered around, would walk. As for the commoners who had a little money, and the wealthy free civilians, they would buy their own pack horses to carry them.
"Let's go." Viscount Gibran had no intention of explaining.
He directly got off his horse and led his beloved horse forward. He actually really did walk on this rugged dirt road. Under the starlight and moonlight, he strode towards Nali Village.
Behind him, Bertram and his three seniors also helplessly got off their horses and followed on foot.
This included the knights and knight attendants at the rear.
They all advanced on foot.
The sound of their footsteps was intermittent, but it was much quieter than the galloping of their horses in groups.
Especially in the quiet of the night, when they advanced on foot, not only were their voices low, but if they listened carefully, they would be able to detect the abnormal sounds around them in advance, greatly increasing their concealment.
This was what Viscount Gibran wanted, and he was very curious.
He had some understanding of the barbarians.
However, this was the first time he could disguise himself as a mercenary.
They could simply launch a surprise attack, Viscount Gibran was very familiar with the violent way. However, for the sake of the long-term stability of the East County, as well as the safety of the western border, he decided to first investigate and obtain the information he wanted.
If those barbarians really learned too much knowledge because they came into contact with the Dukedom of Leo and the Silver Platter Kingdom, then it would be worth worrying about.
As the only viscount of the East County, Gibran would definitely not show mercy.
The slaughter would break out if necessary.
Moreover, they would charge towards the higher wilderness in the west.
When they united and began to learn all kinds of knowledge towards the human compatriots of the Dukedom of Leo, these barbarians would no longer be the barbarians of the past, but civilized people who were about to be enlightened.
At that time, the Dukedom of Leo, which was bordered by most regions, would welcome a new enemy.
This was really dangerous.
They gradually approached Nali Village.
Looking at the bonfire in front of them, the group quietly moved forward, and their footsteps became lighter.
Their left hand was holding the reins, while their right hand was already holding the hilt of their sword. Under the starlight and moonlight, they emitted a faint cold light, which was very terrifying.
Viscount Gibran, including all the knights and knight attendants, did not relax.
They had already prepared for the worst.
This was their traditional concern.
When they had fought bloody battles to defeat the main force of the Silver Platter Kingdom on the north bank of Resniston River, they had been full of spirit and had made preparations before finally winning the battle and achieving success.
Even a lion would use all of its strength to hunt a rabbit.
Right now, they would not be the slightest bit careless.
The reputation of Viscount Gibran, a famous general of the East County Territory, was definitely not undeserved!
However, they were quickly discovered.
Pulling out a small half of the longsword, it flickered with a light under the moonlight, like tiny glass mirrors. From afar, the sharp-eyed Desert Bandits, who were on guard against the eastern county territory, could observe that something was amiss.
Although they were camping in the grain drying field beside the village, they had to be vigilant.
There were also many sentries and hidden sentries.
They were all on duty.
When someone noticed the abnormal reflection of light in the distance, they reported it.
The number of sentries decreased, and the patrol team hid in the tents. There were only a few people who seemed to be standing guard lazily, but in fact, they were each relying on an obstacle. They could lie down at any time to avoid long-range attacks such as bows and arrows.
As for the hidden sentry posts, they had all shrunk their guarding area and hid at the outer layer near to the tents.
Even the sleeping personnel were woken up.
They were holding their hide-covered round shields.
Their right hand was holding their spears or heavy machetes.
All of them were slightly curled up inside the tent, but they could kick their legs and rush out of the tent at any time, brazenly launching a counter-charge. Hence, the enemy who dared to sneak attack them in the night would receive an unexpected counterattack.
Even Kant, who was in the middle of the temporary camp, had woken up. He was wearing a chain armor and a linen robe.
A group of Lion Knights and Lion Squires were also guarding the surroundings.
There was no problem with their safety.
There were 30 Sarleon Lion Knights. Even the Dukedom of Leo could not gather so many grand knights.
They might be a little weak in the large-scale legion battle might be a little bad, because hey still had to dodge the fatal arrow rain. But a small-scale military conflict was the best place for them to display their strength.
Just like now.
Although the Elite Desert Bandit was prepared, these level 6 grand knights and level 5 Lion Squires were also prepared.
With just 80 of them, they were enough to protect Kant and kill their way out. Moreover, they could also take advantage of the night to kill all the 300 riders who had quietly attacked. Moreover, there would not suffer too many casualties.
Kant was even more cautious. He ordered in a deep voice, "Pass down the order. Stay alert and wait for the order."
"Yes!" the Sarleon Lion Squires in chain armor nodded immediately.
At this moment, they were the messengers. They left the tent nimbly and walked quickly in the dark where the bonfire could not reach. At the same time, they passed down Kant's order so that everyone could receive it and make arrangements.
At this moment, the commander in the front row was Rolf.
He was in the tent at the very front.
Through the gap, he looked at the glint that flashed outside from time to time. His eyes were cold.
Especially when he looked at the village next to him, he could not help but snort coldly, "Looks like this Nali Village is not an honest village. It is still a vicious bandit's nest."
They paid to stay one night at the village, it was not illegal.
But at night in the village, there were troops with evil intentions approaching.
Not only did they draw their weapons, but they also sneaked over. If they weren't bandits, they still weren't good people either.
Rolf wasn't a kind general. Once in the Continent of Caradia, he was a notorious scoundrel noble who specialized in solving problems for certain fractions, such as bribing informants in the village and killing them in the middle of the night. It was common to him.
Money moved people's hearts, not to mention the poor peasant in these villages.
"You filthy intruders better get ready." Rolf grinned hideously.
He turned his head to look at the group of Elite Desert Bandits and berated them in a deep voice, "Lord Kant said that those guys wouldn't launch a sneak attack, so we don't need to attack. But those guys are clearly charging towards here, so let's use your pilums to attack first!"
"Understood!" the Elite Desert Bandit answered in a low voice.
While they were speaking, they changed their scimitars and spears into pilums.
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Chapter 389: Strange Red Mist
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Pilum, this sharp and heavy throwing weapon was extremely powerful within 20 meters. After a long-term training, their accuracy was basically not inferior to archers' archery skills.
Even if the group of enemies charged quickly, the pilum could also be used as a short spear.
It was a very convenient and practical weapon.
But now, a group of people were wielding the pilum one after another.
The first wave of the pilum rain attack would probably be enough to kill dozens of people. Especially as the distance between them got closer and closer, the power of the pilum would also get stronger and stronger until it could kill them in one shot!
In the real world, it was no joke to be pierced by a sharp pilum that was thicker than a thumb.
Even a relatively weak bow and arrow could be fatal.
Let alone a powerful pilum!
The scene was quiet.
Only the bonfire crackled, occasionally sparking sparks.
The temporary camp was silent, as if many mercenaries had fallen into a deep sleep. Even those who were standing guard outside were tired. They leaned against each other and stood unsteadily.
Viscount Gibran and the others who came in from the outside showed a look of contempt.
At this moment, they were at the edge of the farmland.
There were low shrubs and a few trees as a cover, so they couldn't be noticed during the night.
In this observation field, the group of people who were camping was just right, not to mention that they were less than 300 meters away. If they wanted to take the opportunity to launch an attack, they could ride their warhorse and gallop over.
They only brought light equipment this time. Their equipment was not the best to protect themselves.
It was enough to deal with barbarians or ordinary mercenaries.
"Lord."
Bertram held his Knight's sword tightly.
Looking at the tent in front of him, he said in a deep voice, "I can't see the specific situation. Perhaps those barbarians have fallen asleep. This is the Avilis Castle. They are too naive to think that it is very safe."
Viscount Gibran was a little hesitant. He said with a slight pause, "It seems so."
But he did not give the order to attack.
Instead, he carefully observed the area in front of him.
The other three Grand Knights also looked at each other when they saw their teacher being so cautious. They temporarily chose to lie low. However, in their hearts, they felt that something was not right.
Or rather… fear!
That's right.
They were afraid.
Outside the village, they swept past the temporary campsite where the bonfire was still burning vigorously. However, they could not help but feel that something was not right.
Although they saw those mercenaries wearing inlaid iron-scale armor and looking lazy, they could not help but feel uneasy.
It was too easy. That group of people was too lax in their vigilance.
As the Lord of this place, Viscount Gibran was not arrogant about the strong security in Avilis Castle, he was still vigilant in defending the safety of Avilis Castle!
Especially when he looked into the depths of the temporary camp, a wave of fear surged out from the depths of his soul, bringing with it a sense of timidity. As he breathed, his soul trembled.
"This feeling…"
Viscount Gibran's breathing was rapid.
However, his entire spirit became more and more excited. "It's really strange. This feeling I once had was the fear I felt in despair during the bloody battle with the main force of the Silver Platter Kingdom ten years ago!"
He was so excited that he was like a mighty lion who refused to submit to his old age!
"Charge in!" Viscount Gibran's eyes were slightly bloodshot.
A violent emotion instantly appeared in his eyes, and at the same time, a red glow appeared in his eyes. Even as he breathed, his entire aura became violent, fanatical, and even wicked!
"Kill!" the three apprentices beside him instantly responded.
A bewitching red glow instantly appeared in the eyes of the three of them. It resonated with the eyes of Viscount Gibran in front of them. Even their auras seemed to gather together and become one.
Including Bertram and those knight attendants at the back, they all drew their longsword and got on their horses.
The surprise attack was about to begin!
The sound was a little noisy, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into the sound of a flood.
"Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom –"
The sound of horses' hooves came in waves.
It was extremely clear in the silent night.
Even in the nearby Nali Village, the cries of old people and children could be heard, especially the shadows of many people. As the five horse-riding militiamen went to deliver the message, more militiamen also rushed out.
They held a long lance and arranged themselves in a barely orderly formation, moving towards the grain drying field.
"Kill!" Viscount Gibran charged in front.
A blood-red mist, mixed with a hint of thick black, spread out from their charging bodies. However, it could not be seen clearly in the darkness of the night, but once knight attendants came in contact with this faint mist, their eyes would glow red.
There was also madness, bloodlust, brutality, and negative emotions that wanted to massacre everything!
"Kill!" The knight attendants shouted in full spirit.
However, in their minds, they still able to maintain their rationality because of their training in the past, which allowed them to maintain a tight formation.
However, before they charged into the temporary camp of the grain drying field and were still more than 50 meters away, the lazy sentries who were originally on sentry duty suddenly disappeared.
These knight attendants had doubts in their minds, but they couldn't stop now.
Instead, they were in front.
In the temporary camp, many figures appeared in the tent.
It was the Elite Desert Bandit!
They had long been prepared.
They threw the pilums in their hands at the charging path of these knight attendants.
With that "Whoosh" strong wind sound, as if in slow motion, those knight attendants themselves charge forward, just met the short pilum rain, followed by a burst of horse neighs!
"Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft."
The pilums easily pierced the mail armor.
The sharp spearhead, together with the throwing and the charging speed of the cavalries, their bodies were penetrated by the pilum, almost none of the armors and bones could withstand the power.
Forty to fifty knights and knight attendants, who were arranged in the traditional tight charging formation of the Dukedom of Leo, fell off their horses immediately!
The front row was almost directly destroyed.
The knights and knight attendants in the back row also failed to charge because of the corpses of their comrades in front and the chaotic situation.
They continued to charge in a scattered manner for a few steps, but they could only turn their horses around in front of the temporary camp and charge to the side. However, as their speed decreased, more Desert Bandits with pilum were coming over.
The whistling sound of the flying pilums in the air sounded was as scary as the devil's grin.
The knight attendants had suffered a fatal blow!
"Spread out!"
However, Rolf's eyes were unusually solemn.
Looking at the path of the initial charge, more than a dozen figures stood up shakily among the dead. His pupils suddenly shrank, and he shouted at the surrounding Elite Desert Bandit, "Retreat! Retreat!"
The status of those dozen figures was extremely strange, but he knew that they were the enemies he could not fight against.
He had to hand them over to Lord Kant's so-called Lion Knights to deal with those guys!
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Chapter 390: The Monster in the Blood Mist
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Rolf did not hesitate at all. He immediately led the Elite Desert Bandit to retreat quickly.
This was definitely not because he was afraid of the battlefield.
It was because he was rational!
The pilum was thrown with great force. Even the tenacious warhorse was hit by it, and its hard skull was penetrated, let alone the rider. The enemies could not block the sharp pilums.
Moreover, when the warhorses fell down at a high speed, the force exerted would be fatal!
Just like now.
Most of the knights and knight attendants were lying on the ground, with their bodies twisting.
Their limbs were obviously twisted and deformed. Even if there were faint cries of pain, they were still weak and dying.
These knight attendants from Avilis Castle had suffered heavy losses.
They had never come into contact with such an attack method.
However, in the pile of corpses of the warhorse and rider, more than a dozen figures crawled up. As the cries of pain gradually weakened, waves of dense red mist that could be seen with the naked eye wrapped around their bodies.
It was strange like a mist of fresh blood was wrapped around them. It was extremely terrifying!
Extraordinary strength.
Rolf naturally knew that this was not something he could deal with.
Even if there were more than 200 Elite Desert Bandit by his side, they were probably not able to deal with those extraordinary monsters that were covered in red mist. They looked like they were covered in blood!
Human monsters, monsters that could kill a group of ordinary people like them!
However, no one was afraid.
Because right behind them, the sound of footsteps could be heard. The reinforcements in full plate armor had already arrived.
Although there were only 20 of them, the aura that erupted from their extraordinary strength was no less than the dozen figures that were slowly walking over like monsters among the pile of corpses.
These 20 people were all elite Sarleon Lion Knights from the strongest national order of knight on the Pendor Continent!
And around the temporary camp, Elite Desert Bandit had already raised their pilums and long spears, and with the help of the complex environment and obstacles in the camp, they engaged in a chaotic battle with the knight attendants who had already charged in.
The knight attendants' charge was blocked, and because there were too many obstacles in the camp, they only lingered around the periphery for a moment.
They could not charge in at all.
If they wanted to charge fearlessly and break the deadlock first, it would be in vain.
While these knight attendants were fighting with all their might, the elite desert bandit was not the only one resisting. There were also the Sarleon Lion Squires who held a lance or a half-sword in their hands, gradually launching a counterattack.
During the chaotic battle, these Sarleon Lion Squires were really good at battle.
They swiftly moved around the Elite Desert Bandits and killed the enemies.
More and more knight attendants fell down
The knight attendants, who had been scattered on both sides and had lost their orders and commands, were pulled off from their warhorses among the tents and obstacles. And then they were pierced through their throats and stomachs by the spears and swords mercilessly.
In the direction of Nali Village, the militiamen who came to reinforce were all forced back by the attacks of pilums.
They were ambushed during the night attack.
They ended up badly.
But there was no mercy on the battlefield.
Looking at the panicking militiamen and the knight attendants who had been shot down from their warhorses, no one held back.
The pilums were still thrown out fiercely and killed the enemies. The enemies got hit, followed by miserable howls, crying, and dying due to their serious injuries and finally stopped their struggles.
Kant just looked at the militiamen and the knight attendants indifferently.
He watched them die.
This was war!
Round after round of pilums were hurled out.
Then, one by one, the armed militiamen in leather armor or without leather armor were nailed to the ground.
The formation was broken, and then the Elite Desert Bandit charged forward with bloodshot eyes, howling. They used the spears and scimitars in their hands to carve out a bloody path!
Those armed militiamen were no match for these bandits.
Even if they were well-trained, to the Elite Desert Bandit, they were still like inexperienced newbies.
As the pilums attack continued, the already scattered formation of the armed militia instantly broke into pieces. The bandits took the opportunity to rush in and engage in close combat. The bandits swayed their scimitars, blood was splattered out from their enemies and the broken limbs kept falling onto the ground.
For a moment, the militiamen that had rushed out of the village were forced back.
Or rather, they had been defeated to the point they had to retreat!
"Kill!"
However, the Elite Desert Bandit did not pursue. Instead, they stabilized their formation on the spot.
The grain drying field was originally flat land, but Kant and his men were stationed here. For safety reasons, the tent space was not too small, but it was not too big either. Many packages were used as low walls and obstacles, establishing two layers of defense.
The Elite Desert Bandit and the outermost were the first defense line.
There were also those Sarleon Lion Knights and Lion Squires who formed an inner defense line specifically to protect Kant!
They could not be too chaotic.
Because right on the outer perimeter, those knight attendants were still attacking.
After their charge was thwarted, these knight attendants did not continue to charge. Instead, they cooperated with the armed militiamen and begin to attack from sides, using their high mobility to deter the Desert Bandits in the temporary camp, while at the same time dodging the precise and deadly pilum.
Desert Bandits with superb skills could throw the pilums accurately within 20 meters.
And the elite desert bandits, they could even be able to hit the target within a distance of 30 meters.
In addition, these knight attendants did not have the cooperation of archers. For a time, they actually did not dare to approach the grain drying field. Not to mention, now that they saw that the armed militia had been defeated and scattered, they did not even have the intention to charge.
Even Viscount Gibran's charge had been thwarted. Now that they did not know whether he was alive or dead, they did not have a clear command.
They did not know what to do!
The night was bright.
The campfire in the temporary camp was even brighter.
However, when the cold wind from the East County blew at night, it made them feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave.
The moans were lowered, but the sounds of killing continued. The battle situation in the village had already been settled. Occasionally, there would be some knight attendants rushed into the camp of the grain drying field rashly with red eyes. Then, they pierced through by the spears including their horses.
More than 200 knight attendants who had come had already been killed and injured.
However, Kant's troop didn't suffer many casualties.
Everyone was shocked.
They could not help but shudder!
They were not the barbarians disguised as trade caravans.
It was clear that they were some noble's elite troops!
Avilis Castle had suffered a great loss!
However, what made these knight attendants afraid to flee was that right in front of them, there were more than a dozen figures who stood up from the pile of corpses. They held weapons in their hands, and their bodies were shrouded in a thick blood mist.
There was Viscount Gibran.
There was Bertram the knight.
There were also three well-known knights in the castle. They were grand knights!
Now, this group of people had gathered extraordinary strength.
Even Bertram was covered in a red blood mist.
Not only him, but also the dozens of knights and knight attendants who were favored the most were also covered in blood mist.
They seemed to have just walked out of a world filled with blood. The power that belonged to an extraordinary power swept across the entire battlefield, causing the knights around them to not dare to approach or leave.
They had once heard of Viscount Gibran's secret.
Blood Warrior.
The title that he had obtained ten years ago on the north bank of the Resniston River.
Hundreds of people had exploded into such a bloody mist, and the main force of the Silver Platter Kingdom, which had thousands of people, had perished together with them.
In the end, only Viscount Gibran survived. It was said that his face had become younger and stronger, and he had also become the strongest grand knight in the East County. He was one of the best extraordinary power controllers in the Dukedom of Leo!
He estimated that there were no other unfamiliar grand knights in this temporary camp, so it was impossible for them to resist his men.
Meanwhile, in the camp.
Kant came to the front.
Rolf followed behind, the heavy machete in his hand on his shoulder. "It's them."
"Interesting." Kant smiled instead.
Looking at the figures covered in blood-red mist, he raised his eyebrows and said, "If that Bunduk was here, perhaps they would still have the intention to communicate."
"Well," Rolf also raised his eyebrows and said, "From what you said, they are the same kind of people."
"No." Kant denied it.
He smiled calmly and said, "Bunduk is an apostle of the underworld, representing the will of the underworld." He paused, and there was a hint of mockery in his smile. "But these guys are the fallen knights who were lured by the demonic power."
Rolf understood what he meant, "Lowly fallen knights."
The dozen figures in front heard what Rolf said.
They were not furious.
Instead, they were strangely quiet.
The corpses around them, be it the knight attendants or the warhorse, were all skin and bones.
All the blood essence in their bodies was extracted and turned into a blood-colored mist that gathered around the Blood Warriors. At the same time, there seemed to be some strange power descending from the void, penetrating through the space and transmitting to this place.
If the mages were here, they might be able to sense that this power originated from underground.
However, Kant still knew the true source of this power.
The abyssal demon!
This was also the reason why Kant said that Bunduk understood them.
And in front of them, the figures shrouded in the blood-red mist finally began to move. They slowly stepped forward, stepping on the corpses of the warhorse and knights, there was a clear cracking sound.
The bones-like corpses shattered under the stress.
In a short moment, these corpses were actually as fragile as if they had been through thousands of years!
The essence of life had been completely absorbed, and there was a mastermind behind those fallen knights.
The leader was naturally the white-haired Viscount Gibran.
The current him was no longer as old and decrepit as before. Instead, he was as strong and valiant as a middle-aged man.
Holding his carefully forged knight sword in his hand, he looked at Kant, who was protected by the Lion Squires and Lion Knights in the middle. A red light flashed in his eyes, but the corners of his mouth cracked into a sinister smile.
"Ah, I didn't expect it, it's Baron Kant." He laughed sinisterly.
He looked like the most terrifying monster. "So, it was you. I was wondering how you could see through my sneak attack so easily and even counterattack. You instantly exposed my current form. I really didn't expect it to be you."
"Mm-hmm." Kant nodded, but didn't reply.
Viscount Gibran didn't care, he continued to smile ferociously.
The red light in his eyes became even more intense. "But, Baron Kant, since you've seen me now, you have to keep this as a secret. After all, I don't want everyone to know about the current me."
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