In the cell, there was a dead silence.

The lords looked at each other, and they all saw a hint of shock and solemnity in each other's gazes.

After a long time, Engels looked around at everyone and said slowly: "It seems that we have obtained the worst result. ”

The lords all felt the same way, and they nodded solemnly.

In the Saint-Solan Empire, the Bano family is not actually the top of the hierarchy. Not to mention being on a par with the old nobles such as the four major families and the five principalities, even if it is compared to the five major knight families or the leader families of a certain region, it is much inferior. At best, it can only be regarded as the second echelon of the top family.

But it was this family that made the lords present feel far heavier pressure than facing a super wealthy family standing at the top of the pyramid.

The Barnes & Nobles were one of the three largest arms manufacturers in the empire.

No matter which city, every weapon shop pù has its weapons and armor engraved with the red-winged vulture. Especially among the twelve frontier army regiments of the empire, the weapons and equipment of the Bano family account for more than 50% of the annual purchase.

This qiē has enabled the Bano family to accumulate a lot of wealth in the past ten years.

In terms of the historical inheritance of the family, in terms of qualifications, and in terms of status, the lords and nobles present can all sit on an equal footing with the Bano family. But in terms of economic strength, everyone tied together is not as good as this fierce and greedy red-winged vulture.

And when it comes to the Barnes & Nobles, we have to mention Donald, the chancellor of the empire.

Among Donald's lackeys, the Barnes & Nobles were the most loyal, fierce, and at the same time the most important.

The family relied on Donald's power to obtain orders from the military and sell weapons. Donald, on the other hand, relied on the wealth of the Barnes & Nobles. Recruit party henchmen to cultivate minions and grow their power.

In a sense, the Barnes & Nobles are Donald's coffers and his confinement. Moving this family is no different from going to war directly with Donald.

Moreover, the Barnes & Nobles are not prominent in status. But its deep pockets and unscrupulous actions are far more difficult to deal with than many wealthy families.

To put it bluntly, this family is a vicious dog.

In addition to providing Donald with financial assistance, the Barnes & Nobles themselves have swelled dramatically in recent years. They relied on their strong financial resources to recruit a large number of strong men and raise thugs, not only the size of their private army completely exceeded the limit of an earl family, but they also had a deep relationship with many mercenary groups and bandits.

Nine years ago, the Barnes & Noble and a neighboring family clashed over a newly discovered vein. The Barnes & Nobles went to war on the grounds that they had killed their family members.

In the early days of the outbreak of war. Many important members of that family were assassinated by the strong men of the Bano family, and at the same time, the caravans and industries under his command were also attacked by the mercenary groups and bandit groups colluded with the Bano family, and overnight, they were completely devastated.

On the sixth day of the conflict, the envoys sent by the Heraldic Court were still on the way, and the Bano family had already stormed the other party's castle. slaughtered more than 100 direct members of this century-old family.

Conquests between nobles were commonplace. Arguably. This is the natural law of the aristocracy to maintain the wolf nature of the family and eliminate the weak who do not want to make progress. Whether it's fighting for property, defending glory and dignity, or even fighting a duel for a lover, no one will find it strange.

But for thousands of years, the aristocratic wars were brutal. But there are unbreakable tacit understandings and rules.

The victor can seize the wealth of the loser, he can occupy their territory, but he rarely kills him. This is the foundation of human nature, the rules formed by the aristocracy in killing and blood, and the step that leads the ruling class of mankind to a higher civilization.

Even when the Romance Dynasty was overthrown. Important people in the Roman family are only imprisoned. Some of the less threatening members, as small lords, small manor owners, or commoners, lived their lives peacefully while tasting the bitter fruits of being losers.

In the following 100 years, the Roman family gave birth to many outstanding people. There are magicians, painters, historians, musicians......

On the one hand, they owe their appearance to the inheritance of the Roman family, and on the other hand, to the fact that the original victors did not exterminate them.

But that time, the Bano family created a bloody and barbaric tragedy.

Not only did they kill all the adult men of the other family, but they also did not spare even the old and weak women and children. When the envoy of the Heraldic Courtyard arrived, all he saw was a castle covered in sticky blood, with corpses and thousands of crows hanging from the huge banyan tree in front of the castle.

This tragedy triggered a collective condemnation of the Barnes and Nobles of the empire. Some families filed accusations against the Barnes and Noirs with the House of Arms, demanding an investigation into what the Bano family had done in this aristocratic war. Some families negotiated to form a coalition against the Barnes.

However, in the end, this qiē was suppressed by Donald. And the Bano family didn't pay the price of even a single hair.

And this time, the Barnes & Nobles joined the Lulian race.

The family's base camp was located on the Imperial Capital Plain, two hundred kilometers from the province of Pru. Because of its northerly location, it faces the dual threat of the Demon Race and the Feilie Empire. Therefore, after the end of the Lulian War, the Barnes and Nobles immediately shifted their business focus to the south.

According to intelligence, the Bano family has purchased several plots of land in the provinces of Sinasili, Saxony and Lulian.

In Lulian, in particular, they won a battle for a down-and-out viscounty northeast of the city of Muni, bordering the province of Saxony, and gained a land area of more than thirty square kilometers.

It is said that the Bano family was ready to begin renovating and expanding the castle as a fortress. In order to become a refuge for the family when the demons swept the north.

These sold territories are hereditary inheritance, the private property of the original lord, and even the Grand Duke of Adolf has no right to intervene. Therefore, the Lulian side can only remain silent about this. And everyone heard that in the process of fighting, the Bano family used some shady means.

"I should have thought that this matter had nothing to do with the Barnes & Nobles. Fano threw a punch and shouted.

"Yes," said Mrs. Joyce, "and of all those who fight the dwarven idea, the Barnes are the most energetic. They are arms dealers. The dwarves, on the other hand, are known for mining and blacksmithing. If they can control the dwarven tribe, the benefits they will obtain will be far ten times greater than they are now. ”

"That's really a good calculation," Fano sneered, "A dungeon means thousands of natural dwarven miners and blacksmiths, plus ore veins, plus dwarven forging skills, plus powerful dwarven warriors, swallow it in one bite, and the Bano family can be promoted to the most important super family in the empire in no time!"

"No wonder they're so rampant!"

"Yes, they will never let go of such an opportunity, I guess, those guys who disguised themselves as bandits to attack the dwarven convoy are also their people!"

"This family has always been arrogant and domineering, besides, such a temptation is enough for them to take risks by any means!"

The lords were gossiping and talking.

And the more we discussed, the heavier everyone's mood became.

Lulian is not afraid of his opponents. But, just as no one wants to face a mad dog, no one wants to go to war with the Redfinch Bano family.

Moreover, in addition to Donald's support and the family's own financial resources, the heir of the Barnes and Noble family, Barnes & Noble Jr., is now the commander of the Fifth Army of the Border Army.

The contradictions between Lulian and the Fifth Army of the Border Army, are well known.

It was because of the anger of Archduke Adolf that the Fifth Legion was driven out of Lulian.

Subsequently, this legion was transferred to the southwest to join the noble coalition led by the Marquis of Ashley to defend the headquarters of Philip Benson south of Longmen.

After Benson retreated, the Fifth Army did not leave.

In a way, this legion and the southwestern nobles, who were already in league with them, became a bad neighbor for Lulian.

Because in the war with the Firet Empire, the southwestern aristocratic coalition army suffered heavy defeats one after another and suffered huge losses. Therefore, when the situation calmed down, they almost did not hesitate to set their sights on Lulian, trying to make up for the loss from Lulian.

During this period, the southwestern aristocracy harassed some towns and territories on the northwestern border of the Duchy of Lulian. Not only did they extort caravans across the border, but they even crossed the border to collect taxes and seize farmland, pastures and mines.

They claimed that they had held back the Firet army as they moved south, and sheltered Lulian farther south. Therefore, these towns should provide them with compensation.

The lords of the northwest region of Lulian were all miserable, and wrote to the Grand Duke of Adolf for help.

And on top of that, the gang also sent a large number of people to Lulian. It was clear that he was going to cut a piece of Lurian's cake.

They rushed to buy grain, hoarded it, bought and sold it by force, and grabbed it by skill. The difference in food and appearance is that even those families with the same purpose can't stand it.

During this time, Archduke Adolf received daily complaints against these people or those associated with them. Half of the time is spent dealing with the trouble these guys have caused.

It's just for the sake of the overall situation that the Grand Duke endured it.

But who knows......

"What should I do?" Fano looked at Engels.

Seeing Engels looking back, he waved his hand and said, "I'm not trying to test you. To be honest, if it weren't for them in Muni City, I really wouldn't want to mess with these mad dogs. We have to think clearly, once the trial is public, it is likely to be difficult to ride a tiger. ”

"Report it to the Grand Duke first. Engels took Lebic's confession into his arms and said, "I don't think this matter is so simple. ”...... (To be continued......)