This was the fifth day that Lorist rushed to Rock Castle after receiving urgent news.
The horn sounded outside the city again, and there were knights fighting again.
A total of three challenge duels were held yesterday afternoon. Ovekis won two games in a row and earned two ransoms for himself. There are more than 30 goldfords in total. It was the second challenge duel when he was hit on the arm and lost. Only with a slight injury. The one who replaced him was Pat. He fought on foot with his opponent, and then took advantage of his defensive advantage as a shield defender to exhaust his two-star silver opponent for more than an hour. He had no choice but to surrender.
When Lorist went to inspect the city wall in the early morning, he found that the spectator tents built by the lords yesterday were still in the open space in front of the castle. He felt that the lords would still come to challenge the knights today. Sure enough, at around nine o'clock in the morning, another knight came to challenge the castle by blowing a horn.
Pat went out again, this time in a horse fight, but Pat's artificially trained dynamic vision entangled on the horse for more than ten minutes, and defeated his opponent, who was also a silver star, and won the victory.
Under normal circumstances, in order to show fairness in such a knight challenge duel, the winning knight can rest for half an hour before accepting the next challenge, so Pat returned to the castle. Unexpectedly, as soon as he left the field, a wandering knight rushed out from the camp of the battlefield merchant group and challenged the family knights of the lords. Then it became lively. I don’t know where so many wandering knights and free knights came from. They had a great time challenging the duel in the open space in front of the castle, turning the battlefield into a knight’s carnival. The Norton family’s castle and The knight has been forgotten.
Wandering knights against wandering knights, wandering knights against free knights, wandering knights against the family knights of those lords, free knights against free knights, free knights against family knights, the challenge duel is a mess. In the afternoon, several lords came. They were not invited by the Kenmes family, but they heard that there was a knight's challenge duel here. After arriving, the knights of these lords' families did not wait to set up camp. Once you're done, you'll be thrown into an intense challenge duel.
"Hey...we've been forgotten." Ovekis lamented, watching the lively scene in front of the castle, his left arm wrapped in circles of bandages.
There are three pairs of knights fighting fiercely below...
"My lord, I really don't understand why there are so many wandering knights and free knights rushing over to participate in this kind of challenge duel. In other places, wandering knights and free knights rushed over only when a certain lord held a tournament. We are a battlefield here. Ah, now these wandering knights and free knights are taking over." Butler Boris felt inexplicable.
"This..." Lorist thought for a while before answering: "Compared to other places, the Northland is relatively poor, and the nobles in the territory really seldom hold knight tournaments, because it costs a lot of money. These two The northern land was not very peaceful in 2000, with frequent wars, many lords lost their territories or were annexed, and the family knights under them became wandering knights and free knights, losing their income and life guarantee."
"You should know that if a knight challenge match like this wins, the ransom is almost two or three years' income of a family knight, so why don't they go crazy when they hear that a knight challenge match is going on here? It’s not a battlefield, anyway, that’s how knights challenge duels, if they perform well, maybe some lord will recruit them to be family knights, why not do it?”
"Well, Jim came back at noon. He said that four wandering knights lost all their weapons and mounts in the morning, so they had to join the mercenary group as temporary mercenaries." Pat interjected.
"By the way, where did Jim go?" Lorist remembered that he hadn't seen Jim since morning.
"Nu, over there, right in front of the camp of the Battlefield Merchant Group, he is opening a market and betting on the outcome of those knights who are challenging duels. He seems to have made a lot of money." Pat said.
"Hey, this bastard still can't change the customs of mercenaries. It's okay to be happy with small bets, but gambling together is a taboo for knights. When he comes back, I have to find someone to teach him the etiquette and self-cultivation of knights." Lorist said .
"My lord, should we choose a few of these wandering knights and free knights to be family knights?" Papa Barek wondered as he watched the knights duel below. .
"This can be considered, but since I saw it this morning, I haven't found a few that I like. I feel that the level is very average, and the martial arts are not particularly outstanding. Look at the three pairs of knights who are challenging each other below, and Ovekis In comparison, they are not rivals. In the morning, the free knight named Vasinma who won three games in a row is not bad. Pat will accompany Sedkamp tonight and ask him if he would like to come to our family for a period of experience. Time?" Lorist said.
"Yes, my lord," Pat replied.
It doesn't mean that wandering knights and free knights immediately become family knights as soon as they are recruited by the lord. This is just an opportunity provided by the lord to these knights, and it is also a choice made by these knights about their future destiny. Recruiting and being recruited is a very serious two-way choice for the lord and these knights. After a lord offers an olive branch to a wandering knight or a free knight, these knights can follow the lord for a period of time if they agree to the invitation. Then one month can be as long as half a year, to see if the temperaments of the two parties are similar, and the treatment during the period is the same as that of family knights. Just like the saying that Lorist heard in his previous life, "The king chooses the minister, and the minister also chooses the king." If the lord makes these knights dissatisfied, they can leave and continue wandering or go home.
Papa Barek shook his head: "My lord, it may be difficult for us to recruit that Vasimma knight. He is a free knight, not like those wandering knights who wander around. In the north, this Vasimma knight is famous He is very big, and his family background is not bad. His father was a golden knight. He followed the late emperor to participate in the last battle against the Ford Business Alliance and unfortunately fell. He was only seven years old at that time, and he inherited the knight manor left by his father. It's just that When he was a child, he was called the dull Vasimma. Many people thought that he was not good at learning martial arts. He was slow to respond and not smart. It was difficult to get enlightened. But this Vasimma knight was very resilient since he was a child. He has been practicing the martial arts left by his father. Cheats, and finally awakened fighting spirit at the age of 23. Now he is only 29 years old, and he is already a three-star silver star. I heard that he has rejected the solicitation of Grand Duke Lukins. I don’t think he will read it. On to our Norton family…”
"No wonder I thought his martial arts were particularly stable in the morning. I understand from what you said. He has put in a lot of hard work and his foundation is very solid. Go try it out. How will you know if he is willing or not if you don't try it?" ?” Lorist nodded.
"Hehe, I was wondering what Viscount Kenmes would look like now. He wanted to attack our castle but it turned into a carnival for knights to challenge and duel. He must be so angry." Pat suddenly laughed.
"Those lords are not idiots. If we occupy the Red River Valley Manor Castle of the Kenmes family, then if they are invited by the Viscount Kenmes, they will fight to the death and regain the Red River Valley Manor Castle. But now we are burning the Red River Valley Manor Castle. Chengping, retreat to our own family territory, how do you let those lords choose? They say to recover the Kenmes family territory, but there are no members of our Norton family in that territory, and they come to attack our Norton family, they are just a few family knights Dozens of soldiers with two to three hundred guards, looking at the Rock Castle, knew that the attack was a dead end. Therefore, it is most appropriate to adopt this kind of knight's challenge, which not only perfunctory Viscount Kenmes, but also did not completely offend our Norton family. The best of both worlds."
"It's just that they didn't expect that the war of the nobles would turn into a carnival where the knights challenged and confronted. The wind came to join in the fun." Lorist pointed to the distance and said with a smile.
…
Viscount Kenmes was so angry that he was about to explode. He smashed everything that could be smashed in the big tent.
He did not accept the invitation of those lords to watch the knight's challenge duel. On the contrary, he felt that he had been greatly insulted. I invited those lords to attack the Norton family, not to hold a knight carnival, and those lords clearly knew that they did not have family knights, but they carried out some kind of knight challenge. This was obviously mocking the Kenmes family as a business family. Isn't he from a noble family
Of course, Viscount Kenmax is also a two-star silver star, so he can also play. It’s just that Lord Viscount knows what he is capable of these few times. He has worked so hard to cultivate his fighting spirit to the silver rank. It’s not to fight fiercely with others, but to seduce women and show off his prestige on the bed. Don't even think about taking the lead.
What Viscount Kenmes didn't expect was that the more than 2,000 soldiers that the family had recruited with great difficulty almost mutinied after two failed attacks, and they still refused to obey his orders, accusing him of commanding indiscriminately. And the seven lords he invited with great effort also did not work hard, instead of attacking the city, they engaged in some kind of noble war. This is all right, the Norton family, the target of the crusade, was watching the excitement on the castle, and they didn't know where to go. It was unreasonable that so many wandering knights came to challenge the heat of the duel. He wished to kill all the family soldiers who refused to obey orders and those wandering knights who made trouble.
"You, the lord, are doing really well, staying alone in the big tent and smashing things..." A cold voice came in from the door of the big tent.
Viscount Kenmes was struck by lightning, and a wit stood up hurriedly: "Father, father, you are here..."
"If I don't come again, will I just watch you cut off the future hope of our Kenmes family?" Three people came in from outside the big tent. Tightly, there was a sinister look in his eyes. He is the head of the Kenmes family, the former chairman of the largest construction chamber in the Cresson Empire, and the father of Lord Viscount.
The owner of Kenmes came to the Viscount, without saying a word, he raised his hand and slapped him twice.
Even though Lord Viscount is the second rank of Baiyin, he kept silent in front of Heitiejie's father and dared not move, so he could only be beaten obediently.
"Do you know why I beat you?" Patriarch Kenmes asked.
"I don't know..." the Viscount replied.
"Crack! Crack!" Two more slaps, the corner of Lord Viscount's mouth was slapped, and blood flowed out.
"I ask you, why did you force the family soldiers to attack the Norton family's castle?" the head of Kenmes asked sharply.
"No. Didn't they burn our manor, rob us of our supplies, and occupy our construction site? I... I want to take it back..." the viscount replied, covering his mouth.
"Really?" "Crack! Crack!" Six slaps.
"Still quibbling! Do you think I don't know that your private house of 100,000 goldfords is full? Let me tell you, the 100,000 goldfords have already fallen into the eyes of the Duke of Lukins. He sent someone to ask the Norton family to take the ten thousand Wan Jinford and the supplies snatched from our family were dedicated to him, but the people who were sent were driven back by the Norton family, and the arrogant golden knight Tabek who went with him had his hands crippled, and his body was full of injuries and needed to be healed. This year will be good." The head of Kenmes told the viscount a news that shocked him.
The Viscount was overjoyed: "Then, let's attack the Norton family quickly, and get back the 100,000 Goldford before it is taken away by Duke Lukins..."
"Stupid! Why do you attack the Norton family? They don't even look down on the Grand Duke of the Northland, and even abolished Tabek. How sure are you that you can get back the 100,000 Goldford?"
"Yes, but last time I hit their family's manor castle, and it was besieged for three months." Lord Viscount was very unconvinced.
"Then do you know why the Norton family is so tough at this moment? There is no news from the Feiyu mercenary group? How did our manor and castle be burned and robbed? Don't you know? The second young master of the Norton family is back, he I brought a group of people, and I heard that one of them was a golden archer, and Tabek was seriously injured by the second young master himself. Now do you still have the confidence to go to the Norton family's manor castle?" Ken Mai Patriarch Si sighed deeply, found a chair and sat down.
"Well, is this news reliable?" the Viscount was a little skeptical.
"The butler of the Duke of Lukins told me personally. I also specially paid a lot of money to buy a few silver knights from the Northland Legion who went to the Norton family. They witnessed it with their own eyes. When I rushed over, Lukins was organizing a A team is going to punish the Norton family," said the head of Kenmes.
"That's great, we can attack the Norton family with the Grand Duke's army," said the Viscount.
"Bastard!" Patriarch Kenmes was furious: "Do you have a pig's brain? Is it only the Norton family in your eyes or your private money of one hundred thousand goldfords? Do you think that getting entangled with the Grand Duke will end well? When his When the army arrives, our family’s armed forces are guaranteed to be their cannon fodder. Do you want to cut off our family’s last hope? The most urgent thing is that we must avoid the Grand Duke’s army, find another target, and abandon the original plan.”
"But we have lost so much, and the Norton family has robbed us of so many supplies..." the Viscount said weakly.
"Take it as a lesson for spending money! We can buy slaves again, we can raise money when supplies are gone, and earn money when gold coins are gone. If we find that the target's strength is no longer what we can swallow, we can still buy it." If you die and don't look back, that's the real doom. I would like to admit defeat, because we didn't find a good opponent. The Norton family is indeed a noble family that has been passed down for two or three hundred years. I thought they were at the end of their rope. The young master turned the situation around as soon as he came back. This is good, with the Norton family standing in front of us, I believe Duke Lukins would not have noticed our movement before the Norton family surrendered. "The owner of Kenmes said.
"Then, what is our family going to do next?" the Viscount asked.
The owner of the Kenmes family took out a map of the Northland made of animal skin, and punched it: "Here, we attack here..."
…