"Simon, my brother," Lange sat comfortably on the armchair at the foot of the steps, facing Simon, his eyes scanning the faces of every old vassal, "blood between you and me is thicker than water, then You go first. Now, I want you to pledge your allegiance to me."
In fact, before Simon officially implemented the "surrender ceremony" with Lange, there was no subordinate relationship between them.
This meant that they were on equal footing at this point, and Lange had to be careful with his choice of words - he could only use "hope" instead of "command."
Simon's psychological behavior may be somewhat similar to that of Lange who just pledged his allegiance to Earl Berg - reluctantly. But unlike Lange, who was eager to be crowned Earl and behaved very naturally and restrainedly, except for the drunk guy, almost all the nobles could vaguely sense Simon's different emotions.
"As you wish, Lange." Simon smiled forcefully and stepped forward.
He knew that he had a will to back him up to ensure the legality of his territory, and he also knew that Langer would never treat him openly or secretly if he did not change, so he thought there was no need for him to suppress his emotions and pretend that he had a relationship with Langer. Not a bad look.
Simon would not care about the eyes of other nobles and the discussions behind them. In his eyes, the glory of the Dorsten family has been completely buried deep in the ground with Keoser since Lange took over the power, and he doesn't care anymore.
"I swear to be loyal to Baron Lange of Dorsten and not to use force against him or his heirs under any circumstances that are fair and just in the eyes of God. God is my witness." Simon knelt down on one knee and clasped his hands.
He could feel the warmth and strength of Lange's hands holding his. While being deeply impressed, Simon repeatedly warned himself in his heart that if he received any unfair treatment at Lange, he could retaliate in kind with full justification, no sense of guilt, and peace of mind.
Lange is not stupid, he obviously heard the word play in Simon's words. Unlike Earl Berg who paused for a while before speaking, Lange was silent for a while. Gradually, some nobles who were drinking and having fun also focused their attention on the two people who were still in the "surrender ceremony".
Lange was in a dilemma for a while because of the two key words in Simon's oath - "fairness" and "God".
If you agree, as long as Simon doesn't make mistakes, it will be difficult for you to find a reason to take back Foldburg from Simon in the future; if you refuse, you will disrespect God in front of the priest and so many nobles, and the impact will be really bad. Legality will also be greatly questioned.
"Very good, I accept your allegiance." Langer said with a calm expression, and then he let go of Simon's hand as if he were letting go of a hot iron.
Earl Berg, who was sitting in the big armchair on the upper step, stroked his beard with great interest and took in all this.
"Hey, Carl, there seems to be a gap between the two boys Simon and Lange after their father passed away." Baron Wolfe drank wine, leaned his head to Baron Carl's ear, and whispered.
"You finally discovered it," Baron Karl rubbed his eyes. "It seems that Lange is a little dissatisfied with the will left by old Cooser."
"What was awarded to Simon was just a knighthood. I heard that it was impoverished before Simon took over." Baron Wolfe looked at Simon who returned to his seat and sat down, and then at Lang who was accepting Eric's allegiance at this time. grid.
"But now it is the wealthy Forteburg, the place where God came to perform miracles. It would be strange if Lange had nothing wrong with it." After Baron Carl finished speaking, he spread his hands, and Baron Wolfe shrugged. .
…………………………………………
As night falls, Count Berg's castle becomes even more lively than the night before. Compared to the celebration of the survivors the day before yesterday, the nobles and soldiers tonight were more excited about setting off to plunder the land.
Count Loon died young, and his eldest son was only fourteen years old. The poor little boy had to take over this completely unsolvable mess before he lost his innocence.
Therefore, in the eyes of all nobles and soldiers, the balance of victory had already tipped to them before they even set off. that's the truth.
When the next morning, several roosters raised by the townspeople jumped to the top of the fence and crowed energetically towards the sun, the excited soldiers began to wake up from their straw mats one after another, began to wipe their weapons and put on their clothes. Armor, packing.
"Wake up, Hann."
Han En seemed to hear someone calling his name in his sleep.
Before he could put down the silver cup filled with Beaune red wine and stand up from the clouds, he felt a sharp pain in his buttocks, and he couldn't help but screamed and sat up from the straw bed. The soldiers nearby burst into laughter.
"You disgusting idiot, you drank so much last night, God knows what you dreamed about, your saliva almost turned into a stream!" Old Baoch, standing in front of him, finished speaking, not knowing where he came from. He took out a tattered rag and threw it on the sleepy Han En's face.
Smelling the smell of sweat from the rag, Han finally woke up a little. He wiped the saliva on his cheeks and chin with some embarrassment, and stood up with the helmet in hand.
At this time, the temporary camp had been dismantled. The soldiers pulled out the ground nails that fixed the tent from the soil, untied the windproof rope, and threw it together with the large tarpaulin behind the horse trailer. Along with it are many tools and sundries.
"Simon," Old Eric rode his horse and came to the middle of the busy soldiers and found Simon who was wearing chain mail with the help of the fat man, "Lange did not agree that I would follow you to plunder new lands. In When you go to war, someone must protect your homeland. I am old, so I should be the shield."
"I feel relieved to have you as my backing in my hometown. Please protect my mother, our family's land and our people while we are away." Simon stepped forward and patted Old Eric on the shoulder.
Simon had no doubts about the loyalty of this old man who had served his family for many years.
"Of course, I wish you good luck and a safe return!" Old Eric smiled, and together with the two cavalrymen, they turned their horses and left the camp.
Not long after, another sound of horse hooves approached the camp.
The person who came was a messenger wearing a mail turban, black armor and a robe with the Earl's family coat of arms.
"Lord Simon, I bring greetings from His Majesty the Count. He wants to know if you and your soldiers are ready."
Simon looked around. Most of the soldiers had completed all the preparations and were now leaning on pillars or sitting on the ground in twos and threes, talking and laughing.
"We're ready."
"Very good, I will go back immediately to inform the Earl that all the troops have been prepared and can go out at any time." The messenger nodded, clamped the horse's belly, and walked along the main road in the camp towards Dussel in the distance. Dovetown is running wild.
After a while, a long horn sound came from the town, and then, groups of soldiers who were ready to go walked out from the town gate under the leadership of their respective leading nobles.
"Follow them." Simon said, and together with Fatty, Miller, and Gabriel, they rode horses and led the soldiers from Verde Village out of the camp and met with the troops of Earl Berg and other nobles.
………………………………
Five days later, Esbai Village, barony of Kunir.
Today is a sunny day, but most villagers and free people feel as if a layer of gloom has fallen over them.
First, their lord, Baron Quenir, died.
It is said that the baron suffered from a strange disease. Within two days of returning from the Earl of Berg, his muscles became so stiff that he could not even lift his hands.
Just yesterday morning, the old servant who was keeping vigil beside his bed was surprised to find that the Baron's face had become very pale and his breathing was getting slower and slower. In the end, the baron completely lost his breath and died.
Some people say that Baron Quinnier did something sinister and evil during the march to the Earl of Berg, which offended God and was cursed. However, when his court physician removed the bandage on the Baron's drained shoulder, he discovered that the wound had already been infected.
To be precise, Baron Quenier died of tetanus.
Baron Quinnier is also a poor man. His eldest son died in an accident while hunting three years ago. His second son was only sixteen years old this year and had little experience in managing the territory. Now he succeeded to the throne with great enthusiasm.
However, Baron Quinnier's second son Luke did not even sit down on the baron's stool, and even worse news came - Earl Berg's army was about to occupy the entire Earl of Lowen.
Unlike Earl Lowen who burned, killed and looted all the way in the Earl of Berg, Earl of Berg knew that his territory had been severely weakened. If he continued to set fire to kill people in what was about to become his new territory, it would be like killing a goose to lay eggs.
Therefore, almost no villages were massacred, and all the nobles in the occupied areas were either forced to accept extremely humiliating surrender treaties, were expelled, or were bloody and exterminated for resisting.
According to the latest news from the scouts, young Baron Luke felt that his thighs were shaking uncontrollably - a force of nearly forty armored soldiers was marching towards Esbai Village, and they would arrive in less than half a day. arrival.
"Have you ever identified which family's army the person belongs to?"
Baron Luke took a deep breath, and fear was written directly on his face. This made his uncle Shi Haibo a little dissatisfied - rather than letting this inexperienced nephew succeed to the throne, it would be better to let him take charge of the power.
"If I remember correctly, it should be the Dorsten family on the other side of the river." The scout recalled the defeat a few weeks ago, and he might never forget the coat of arms of the Dorsten family in his life.
"Hell, heck, my dear nephew Luke, how can there be such a coincidence? They must have come here deliberately to seek revenge on you!" Shi Haibo opened his eyes in surprise and expressed his inference.
"These greedy devils, can't we satisfy their appetites with the ransom we tried our best to raise for our father some time ago?" Luke said sadly and indignantly, slamming the table hard.
The meat cleaver on the table fell to the ground with a thud, frightening the mice that were foraging against the wall to scream and flee back to their burrows.
"You should never underestimate people's greed and their desire for revenge." Schheiber tightened his grip on the sword at his waist. "I heard that the Baron of Siegburg, whose family was ruined, was massacred in blood the day after he set foot on this land. His enemies, the Nordgren family, did not even spare their infant babies.”
"What!?" Luke's face turned pale, "That means..."
"We have to prepare for the worst." Shi Haibo shook his head dejectedly.
"Recruiting serfs and free peasant soldiers to defend the castle?"
"It's impossible, we will definitely lose!" Shi Haibo immediately gave up Luke's plan.
Almost none of the private soldiers that Baron Quinil had brought to the other side of the river last time came back. According to the accounts of the freed farmers and serfs who were released, they were either secretly executed or sold to the slave markets in the north.
The fact is that the current Barony of Quenier is as vulnerable as several of its already-defunct neighbors.
"Then what should we do? Isn't that Simon a kind man? Maybe we can negotiate with him to seek peaceful coexistence?" Luke seemed to still have illusions, and he was unwilling to give up the power he had just acquired.
"Do you think that just because he let those untouchable soldiers go, he will let you go? Realistically, his father passed away some time ago because of this damn war. God knows what emotional state he is in now and whether he will do anything drastic. terrible things, by then it will be too late to say anything.”
"No, no, I definitely don't want to be the second family to be massacred in the Earl of Loon. I can't take this risk!" Baron Luke's voice was trembling. He was still young and he had not yet fully enjoyed his life. He fears death.
Luke's thumbs repeatedly rubbed the arms of the large oak armchair. In his childhood memories, his father would do this when faced with difficult decisions, and he would often make the wisest decision in the end.
He hopes his late father can give him guidance.
"Tell someone to prepare the horses. Let's go. Let's go right away to find my mother in the Principality of Flanders. One day, I will come back here again and justifiably drive away these damn invaders and take back this place that belongs to me." My place!" After Luke finished speaking, his eyes brightened, he stood up from the baron's exclusive armchair, and walked towards the door without any hesitation.
………………………………
When Simon and the Feld soldiers came to Esbai Village, unlike other villages that had become lifeless upon hearing the arrival of the invaders, the peaceful life here did not seem to be disturbed.
The lame shepherd next to the sheepfold at the entrance of the village was feeding a few dirty sheep with a wooden basket filled with vines and peels. The old peasant woman who was chopping firewood at the door of the woodshed just raised her head and glanced at Simon and his soldiers. Get on with her work.
None of the farmers in the cultivated fields ran away like rabbits. Instead, they took off their straw hats and greeted the soldiers in Simon's army - it turned out that they were the serf prisoners that Simon released that day.
"You must be the distinguished Lord Simon."
At this time, a middle-aged man with a mustache, wearing a green fur-edged tunic and a studded leather belt walked over.
Behind him was a big man wearing faded and old soft armor, but the big man only held a shield in his hand and the ax was still hanging on his waist. At least for now, they were not hostile.
"Don't come close. Who are you and what do you want to do?" The fat man pulled out the armed ax with a cold light from his waist and took two steps forward on his horse. This guy was frightened and he quickly waved his hands and stepped back.
"I am Duden, the leader of this village, and he is my nephew Adam, the militiaman. We have no ill intentions!"
"Really? Where is your lord?" Simon looked around and found that the door of the simple wooden castle on the hillside in the distance was open, and not even a private soldier standing guard could be seen at the door.
"The old Baron Quinier passed away yesterday, and his successor Luke and his uncle Schreiber heard that the heroic you were coming and ran away in a hurry like mice crossing the street a few hours ago. I A friend who works in the lord’s kitchen told me that their destination was the Principality of Flanders, where Luke’s mother’s family is located.”
"I know." Simon nodded.
The village chief named Duden is a good judge of situations. As soon as his lord left, he described him as a street rat to please himself. This is not a wallflower worth trusting.
