"So, what you're saying is that the troops sent out a few days ago to hunt down those violet deserters not only failed to complete their mission, but also had the prisoner-of-war camp attacked?"
In the Earl's Mansion, Charlotte sat on the lord's seat, frowning slightly as she looked at the noble officer in charge of chasing the defeated soldiers.
Facing her gaze, the noble officer looked embarrassed and quickly bowed his head and confessed:
"My Lord Earl, this is my fault. I misjudged the extent of the trouble caused by the Violet Bandits..."
"But don't worry, our prisoner-of-war camp is well guarded. Although it was attacked by surprise, it did not cause much damage."
Charlotte shook her head.
"It's embarrassing to be attacked. They were just some fleeing soldiers after the Battle of Beigang."
She paused again.
"Besides, you said that there wasn't much damage. Does that mean... there was some damage? What was lost?"
The noble officer swallowed his saliva and said carefully:
"There were... about two to three hundred Isaac captives who escaped during the chaos."
Charlotte: …
"Did you catch him?"
She asked, frowning.
The nobleman looked even more embarrassed:
“No…No…”
Charlotte's frown deepened:
"Oh? It's ok that we failed to clean up the fleeing soldiers, but we couldn't even capture the prisoners who escaped during the chaos?"
Facing the girl's anxious gaze, the noble officer swallowed hard and explained:
"My Lord Earl, it's not that we didn't work hard, it's just that those bandits were too cunning..."
Charlotte: …
Damn, this familiar sentence structure, why does it sound so familiar
"Aren't you trying to capture prisoners? Why are you talking about Violet's fleeing soldiers? Could it be that you want to say that those Violet's fleeing soldiers recruited Isaac's escaped prisoners?"
Charlotte frowned.
However, after she finished speaking, she saw that the noble officer looked even more embarrassed and did not refute.
Charlotte: …
She was stunned:
"So, they were really recruited by Violet's defeated soldiers?"
The noble did not dare to answer directly, but said cautiously:
"We... We also found traces of Isaac's cavalry while tracking the fleeing soldiers. They... They seem to have merged."
Charlotte: …
"Don't these defeated soldiers know that we have already negotiated peace with Violet?"
She asked, frowning.
After saying this, without waiting for the nobles to answer, she shook her head again and said to herself:
"No, the news of the victory in the war has long been known to everyone. Even the drunkards in the tavern know that we have signed a peace treaty with Violet. These defeated soldiers who attacked the town cannot be unaware of this..."
The noble officer also nodded:
"They must have known that in order to dispel their resistance, we even specifically called out to them while chasing them. However, for some reason, not only did we fail to make them surrender, it seemed to have the opposite effect."
"Not only that, they have connections with many villagers, so they are definitely well-informed..."
Charlotte felt something was wrong as she listened:
"Wait... You mean, there are still many people in the territory helping them?"
The noble officer sighed:
"That's right. These defeated soldiers are quite cunning, completely different from those I know. They are very good at taking advantage of the hatred of the unruly people towards the nobles. When attacking villages and towns, they only target the nobles and merchants that the unruly people don't like, but they never rob the unruly people."
"Not only that, after looting the money and supplies, they only took half of it and distributed the rest to the local people, causing those people to be willing to cover their whereabouts and tip off the locals..."
"The biggest reason why we haven't been able to completely wipe them out is because they always know our movements in advance and evacuate before we can successfully surround them."
Charlotte: …
Why did she feel like the more she listened, the stronger the sense of déjà vu became? !
"What happened to the nobles and merchants they attacked?"
Sherlock asked again.
The noble hesitated for a moment and said:
"Most were released after paying the ransom, but a few were killed by those unruly people."
Charlotte was startled:
"Killed by the people?"
"Yes, they tied up the nobles and handed them over to the villagers, and then the nobles were killed by the villagers!"
The noble officer said angrily.
Charlotte: …
"Those nobles who were killed were notorious guys, right?"
She paused and said suddenly.
The noble officer subconsciously wanted to deny it, but facing Charlotte's gaze that seemed to be able to penetrate people's hearts, he hesitated for a moment and said honestly:
"Their... their reputation may not be so... um... not so good..."
After hearing what he said, Charlotte's expression was a little strange:
"So, these defeated soldiers are actually cleaning up the mess for me, Castel."
The noble officer's expression changed slightly, and he said quickly:
"My Lord Earl, please don't think that way! Wherever these defeated soldiers go, they will loot or destroy all the military supplies stored by the local noble families, and will even incite the people and lords to fight against each other!"
"They... are undermining our rule!"
Charlotte glanced at him.
"If my rule is shaken by this, it can only mean that I, Castel, am indeed unpopular and it's time to put things in order."
The noble officer opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.
Charlotte stroked her chin, a hint of interest showing up on her face:
"This group of fleeing soldiers is quite interesting..."
"To be able to achieve this, there must be a leader among them, and he is definitely a talent!"
As she spoke, she looked at the noble officer, and she felt interested in recruiting the leader of the violet fleeing soldiers:
"Do you know who is the person who integrated these defeated soldiers? Have you ever talked to him?"
After hearing Charlotte's words, the noble officer was stunned for a moment and shook his head awkwardly:
"For now... I don't know yet."
"These defeated soldiers are very organized. We were unable to capture any prisoners. We are not sure who is in charge..."
"As for the dialogue... we would like to have it, but the other party is very hostile to us, Castel, and we have no chance at all."
"However, the other party should be a fallen noble of Violet. According to the civilians who have seen the defeated soldiers, they have seen the defeated soldiers call their commander 'Sir' or 'Baron'..."
After hearing what the officer said, Charlotte's heart skipped a beat:
"Baron... huh..."
At this moment, she inexplicably thought of Baron Bethel, who had been transferred to her by the Violet Principality and whose whereabouts were still unknown after the Battle of North Harbor...
"Is it such a coincidence?"
Charlotte couldn't help but mutter.
After thinking for a while, Charlotte said:
"Pass on my order. Within three days, I want to know the name of the 'baron' behind the fleeing soldiers."
…
Charlotte quickly issued an order to investigate the identity of the commander of the fleeing troops.
With the direct order from the lord, the efficiency of the nobles became higher. In addition, the actions of the defeated soldiers active in the rear of Castel have become more and more frequent in recent times, making it increasingly difficult to conceal their whereabouts.
Just two days later, Castel finally got the information about the other side's commander.
"Guillaume de Berthel-Williet?"
Charlotte was slightly stunned when she saw the names presented.
She chuckled and said:
"It's really Bethel, and he's from the Willett family. No wonder he refused to talk to Castel..."
After saying this, she thought for a moment and said to the maid Shirley who was serving beside her:
"Shirley, go get Agnes. She has new work to do."