On the tower, Baron Camorra watched the horses approaching in the distance, and the furious bear banner held by the rider in the front was flying.
"Is this your family army?" Baron Camorra asked.
Loris nodded.
"What did they do?" Baron Camura asked again.
Lorist smiled: "Teach some newcomers to the north to behave a little bit, and dare to arrest my messenger as hard labor, so I asked my soldiers to hang him in front of his castle."
"who is it?"
"A Baron named Farrard."
Baron Camorra frowned and thought for a while: "I know this man, he is very good at raising horses. He was originally the groom of the second prince. He saved the life of the second prince when he attacked the Duchy of Melain for the second time. He became a baron and was sent to the Northland. This man was very arrogant, and he attacked the neighboring Baron Sledo as soon as he arrived in the Northland, and killed his whole family, occupying the Baron Sledo's territory."
Lorist looked at Baron Camorra in surprise: "Why did Duke Lukins let such a thing go? Isn't he the lord who has the right to rule the Northland?"
"They are all the nobles of the new territory that the second prince canonized to the Northland, and the Duke should not be cruel so as not to offend the second prince." Baron Camorra shook his head: "The Duke said, anyway, those old Northland lords have never He looked around, just to let those newcomers show them how powerful they are. No matter who wins or loses, they must obediently pay the money and taxes, and whoever does not pay will be destroyed. Then the second prince has nothing to say."
"It turns out that the Duke is so afraid of the second prince..." Lorist laughed: "No wonder all the people in the Northland know that the Duke wants to establish the Lukins Duchy in the Northland, but there has been no movement. This is the reason If you have the guts to do something big, go ahead and dream."
Baron Camorra stopped talking, he only regretted that he was too talkative, Lorist guessed the result after he said a few words.
"Master Camorra, let us be frank. As nobles, we must have the dignity of nobles. In fact, you should also understand that the price offered by Duke Lukins is a high price for any nobleman. It's so offensive, it's hard for me to understand what this price means? Could you please tell me?" Lorist once again brought the topic back to the ransom paid by Duke Lukins to Knight Henned.
"Oh..." Baron Camorra sighed, "Actually, what the Duke paid was not a ransom, but a thank-you money for handing over the criminal..."
If a criminal committed a crime in Earl A and went to Earl B and was caught and notified Earl A, then Earl A could send someone to Viscount B to bring the criminal back to his own territory for punishment. Earl B's gratitude requires a sum of money, which can be regarded as a thank you money for handing over the criminal. This is also an unwritten traditional custom of helping each other among the nobles in the territory.
"Wait, what are you talking about? The money handed over by criminals? What do you mean? Does Duke Lukins think that Knight Henned is a criminal?" Lorist called out.
Baron Camorra nodded bitterly.
Lorist opened his eyes wide: "It's ridiculous, isn't it? Duke Lukins wants to use this custom to save money for himself? I heard that the Duke loves money like his life and is extremely stingy, so he can come up with such a way to make money?" Back to his golden knight, does he think everyone else is a fool? If you lose a battle, you become a criminal. Who would believe that... "
"Really, His Excellency the Duke thinks that Knight Henned and those Silver Knights are sinners. He asked me to come and bring them back for punishment..." Baron Camorra kept staring at the ground, as if he wanted a seam on the ground to let them go. Like he got in.
"I don't believe it..." Lorist shook his head and said, "Unless your lord duke is crazy, he is a sinner if he loses a battle. There is no such reason in the world..."
Alas, let’s make it clear, anyway, after a while, the Duke’s actions and rumors will spread throughout the Northland. I was forced to embarrass myself by coming here this time. When the family can refuse to release Knight Henned, at this time, going back is more dangerous than being a prisoner. Baron Camorra thought so. His Excellency's treatment of the Chevaney Knight's family has already chilled the hearts of many people, even himself a little disheartened.
"It's not because they lost the battle, but because they lost the Duke's money, the Duke wants to dispose of them." Baron Camorra said.
"Huh? They lost the Duke's money? What do you mean?" Lorist became more and more puzzled the more he heard it.
Baron Camorra smiled wryly: "Didn't they attack Beiye Town and seize property worth two to three hundred thousand goldfords, and then they failed, and the property fell into your hands. The Duke is very angry. He thinks this The 300,000 gold is his money, and they lost it. This is an unforgivable mistake. That's why I'm here to bring them back for punishment... "
My God, there is such an algorithm! Lorist was also an eye-opener: "How does Duke Lukins know how much property was seized?"
"It's all the Chevani knight's fault. He failed to attack the city and wanted to retreat. Worried that he would not be able to go back, he wrote a letter and wrote down the details of the campaign against your Norton family. He sent two of his attendants to return over the Morgan hills. Only one of the two attendants delivered the letter to the Lord Duke. He shouldn't have written the capture of Beiye Town, but the Duke was furious when he read it, and thought it was the fault of the two knights, Chevani and Henned. , They should transport those belongings back first. Now that the money is gone, they have lost the Duke’s money. Not only did they hang the servant who delivered the letter in the name of a deserter, but they also ransacked the house of the Chevany knight. His family members rushed to the street as beggars..."
"Then..." Lorist was dumbfounded. Duke Lukins must be crazy, there is no doubt about it.
Baron Camorra knew what Lorist wanted to say: "Your Excellency also ordered that the body of Chevani Knight be thrown into a mass grave to be fed to wild dogs... but Knight Bitson has secretly sent someone to restrain Chevani Knight's body." Get up and bury him. We will take care of his family in secret. After a while, when His Excellency the Duke forgets about this matter, we will arrange for them to leave the Northland..."
"Your Lord Duke is a patient with severe paranoia. With his emphasis on money, he will definitely vent his anger on the family of Chevany Knight. He hasn't thought of it yet. When he thinks about it, he might turn Chevaney Knight The family members were sold to slave traders. You'd better arrange for them to leave the Northland as soon as possible," Lorist said.
This is indeed likely to happen. The mad Duke doesn't care about other people's opinions at all. If he does such a thing, it will guarantee that the Northland Army will make a big mess. Now that there are Bitson Knights, he can still suppress it forcibly. . But the Northern Land Legion is already undercurrents surging, and the army is uneasy. As the head of the Legion, Chevani Knight has always acted fairly in the Northland Legion, and is deeply loved by the soldiers. Many knights and soldiers were aggrieved by the Duke's handling of the hard-working and conscientious Chivany knights in this way. If he sold his family as slaves again, the consequences would undoubtedly be unimaginable. It was like adding fuel to the fire, and a mutiny was possible.
Lord Duke, do you only have money in your eyes? If there is no Northland Legion, no matter how much money you have, you will not be able to keep it! Baron Camorra nodded gratefully to Lorist, and decided to go back and deal with this matter immediately, so as to transfer the family of Chevany Knight earlier, so that he could feel at ease earlier.
"I feel very unworthy for Chevany Knight. He is a very good commander. Although he is my enemy, I must admit that he is an excellent golden knight. He has tried his best and done what he can. He did everything. The Duke ordered him to go to our family. It was an irreparable mistake, and he found an enemy he could not defeat. He would not die, but in order to ask me to forgive the soldiers who slaughtered the residents of Beiye Town, In order to give the duke an explanation, he deliberately died at my hands during the duel with me, and he is worthy of the honor of a knight. From this point of view, I admire him very much, he is a real knight." Lorist said .
"I think the only mistake of Knight Chevany is that the duke he loyally serves is a lunatic. It is impossible for a normal person to communicate and reason with a lunatic, especially a paranoid lunatic. What Duke Lukins has done has become a noble He is digging his own grave. I believe he still thinks about the 300,000 goldfords in his mind, dreaming of taking it back from me..."|Lorist laughed and pointed out The people who continued to enter the city said to the Baron Camorra: "This is my family's armed forces. If the Duke wants money, he must first ask them if they agree..."
Looking at the people and horses below the city, Baron Camorra had mixed feelings and remained silent for a while.
The expedition team of 4,000 people was completely annihilated. At first, they thought that the Norton family also suffered heavy casualties, but after arriving at Rock Castle, they discovered that the strength of the Norton family seemed to have increased a lot compared to last time. The guards lined up on the city wall, and hundreds of soldiers training in the distance, are well-equipped, and everyone is wearing iron armor. What is even more surprising is that the Norton family still has the strength to send troops to punish the new lord who detained their messenger. Baron Camorra could only smile wryly, he had to admit that the Norton family had the strength to wrestle with the Duke.
Josk, Vasimma and Sedkamp went up to the tower, followed by Ruhr and Mod.
"My lord, we have fulfilled your order and hanged that Baron Farad in front of his castle." Josk reported after saluting.
"Casualties?"
Josk shook his head, and Vasimma laughed, both very pleased.
"My lord, we have no casualties..." Sedkamp stepped forward and reported, "It's just that some family soldiers are not used to falling off their horses during a long march. But Master Josk said that they will get used to being on horseback after falling a few times. Nothing else, everything went well."
"Tell me what happened." Lorist said.
"My lord, we had a coincidence. When we arrived, Baron Farad was leading hundreds of people to fight against a nearby Viscount named Sikham. Master Josk and Vasimma directly sent troops to attack. Baron Farad's troops Baron Farad collapsed on the spot, and Baron Farad wanted to get on his horse and escape, but Lord Josk shot his mount dead with an arrow and captured him. He was still stubborn, saying that he was the second prince's favorite, let me wait and see. We Ignore him and occupy his castle, Ruhr and Mo De hanged him on the wooden frame with their own hands. Master Vasimma also set up a wooden sign next to him, stating the reason for hanging him." Sed Kemp reported what had happened.
Lorist nodded in satisfaction. There were no casualties and the task was completed again. This was the best result.
"My lord, that Baron Farad is a poor man. We searched the castle and only found more than 300 heads of the old man of the Empire. But the horses in his stable are good, with more than 400 horses, two flocks of sheep and dozens of cows. But there is a strange thing, this Baron Farrard built the castle in other people's territory, and there is nothing in his own territory, just a wilderness. Later, the Viscount Sickham came to tell us that the Farrard occupied It is a territory called Baron Sleddow, and everything in his place should belong to Baron Sleddow.
Viscount Sicum said that Farad had plundered one of his villages and captured his subjects to build a castle, so I returned Viscount Sycum's subjects to him. The remaining more than a thousand men, women and children are all the subjects of that Baron Sledo, but we can't find that Baron Sledo. I heard that the whole family was killed by Baron Farad. So, after thinking about it, I brought back those people, horses, cattle and sheep, and handed over the clumsy guys in the castle to Viscount Sickham. "Sedkamp reported the harvest again.
"Well, you did a good job. Have the remains of the messengers from our family been recovered?" Lorist asked.
"It's been recovered. We cremated their remains and brought them back in clay pots." Soderkamp replied.
"Okay, let's bury them in the Tomb of the Martyrs tomorrow morning. Ruhr and Mod are running back and forth, let's go to rest first."
"Thank you, my lord," Ruhr and Mord said.
"By the way, Sedkamp, tell Pat to invite Knight Henned and the dozen or so silver knights who are prisoners here. Lord Camorra, let's make a decision on this matter today. Let's first Go to the room and wait, please." Lorist said.
Pat brought Henned and a dozen silver knights who had surrendered and become prisoners to the tower, and packed Lorist's reception room to the brim.
Knight Henned was very happy to see Baron Camorra, and greeted him loudly: "Master Camorra, did the Duke ask you to redeem us?"
Baron Camorra forced a smile, which was a response.
Lorist clapped his hands to get everyone's attention: "I'm sorry to tell you some bad news. I think the ransom price Duke Lukins offered for you is unacceptable, so I rejected Camorra." My lord's request."
At this moment, the whole room became noisy, and some silver knights said: "Look, I know that the Duke is stingy, he must have only paid a very low price..."
Some said: "Master Norton, tell me how much it will cost, can we supply it for you?"
Some were guessing: "I think the Norton family must have offered a very high price..."
Knight Hennard leaned into Baron Camorra, and asked in a low voice how much ransom the Duke paid? But Baron Camorra kept his mouth shut.
"Everyone please be quiet, be quiet..." Lorist called.
The room fell silent, and everyone looked at Lorist.
"I want to make it clear that the reason why I rejected the duke's ransom is because this price is an insult to your knighthood and an insult to our Norton family..."
"May I ask, how much is the Duke's price?" Knight Henned interrupted Lorist.
Lorist looked at him and nodded with his hand: "You are one hundred gold coins of the old man's head of the empire, and each of them has ten coins..."
"What did you say?" Knight Henned jumped up, and the rest of the Silver Knights were stunned. No one could accept such a price...
"I want to make it clear that this money is not your ransom, but a thank you for handing over the criminals." Lorist said.
Knight Henned's eyes were red, and he turned to Baron Camorra: "Is what he said true?"
Baron Camorra nodded with difficulty...
"Why? What crime did we commit? Could it be that we became criminals if we were captured?" Knight Henned panted heavily, his voice hoarse.
"It's not a criminal to be a prisoner, but your lord duke thinks that you lost the 300,000 jinford property captured in Beiye Town, so you have committed an unforgivable crime, because your lord duke thinks that the 300,000 jinford property It's his money... Lord Camorra, you or I?" Lorist looked at Baron Camorra with a half-smile.
Baron Camorra looked at Lorist with a complicated expression, and replied helplessly, "Let me tell."
He knew in his heart that if he let Lorist say something, he would not know how to make up provocations, or he should explain exactly what happened, and let everyone know that the Duke is currently in a fit of anger. Alas, I shouldn't have come this time, but I can't help it being forced by the Duke.
"... So Lord Bitson thinks it's safer for you to stay in the Norton family than to go back. We'll find a way to redeem you when Lord Duke calms down." Baron Camorra could only comfort in this way.
"There is no need for ransom, I am going to release them and restore their freedom, in order to express my protest against Duke Lukins' insulting ransom, he can just want money, but not the dignity of a nobleman, but we Norton family believe that a knight's reputation and Dignity cannot be offended, and I am not prepared to hear insulting prices again, so I declare that you are free. Please come later to collect your equipment and mounts, and please let us know if you have attendants. It is getting late now Now, I ask everyone to stay one more night, and you can go back tomorrow morning."
Lorist held a big swollen money bag in his hand: "Master Camorra, here are a hundred goldfords, I would like you to pass them on to the family of Chevany knights, this is my tribute to a real knight, please Do me a favor."
Baron Camorra looked at Lorist, finally heaved a long sigh, and reached out to take the money bag: "You have won, Lord Norton... I will give the money to his family."
...