Chapter 144: Release

On the castle tower, Baron Camorra watched the men and horses in the distance approach, and the furious bear banner in the front rider was flying in the hunt.

"Is this your family army?" asked Baron Camorra.

Lorist nodded.

"What did they do?" asked Baron Kamula again.

Lorist smiled, "Teach some newcomers to the Northlands a little bit of the rules to dare to capture my messenger for hard labor, so I asked my soldiers to hang him in front of his castle." ”

"Who is it?"

"A baron named Farad. ”

Baron Camorra frowned and thought for a while: "I know this man, he is very good at raising horses. The groom, who was originally the second prince, saved the life of the second prince during the second attack on the Duchy of Melein, and became a baron after returning and was sent to the Northland. This man was very arrogant, and as soon as he arrived in the Northland, he attacked the neighboring Baron Gredo, killed his entire family, and occupied the Barony of Celedo. ”

Lorist looked at Baron Camorra in amazement: "Why does Duke Lukins let such a thing go?

"They are all nobles of the new territory that the second prince canonized to the Northland, and the Duke is not easy to be ruthless so as not to offend the second prince. Baron Camorra shook his head: "The Duke said, anyway, those old Northland lords have never taken him seriously, just let those newcomers give them a good look." No matter who wins or loses, you must obediently pay money and taxes, and whoever doesn't give it will be destroyed. Then the second prince had 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 Duchy of Lukins in the Northland, but there has been no movement, and this is the reason." Just this guts, what else do you do, let's dream. ”

Baron Camorra stopped talking, he only regretted that he was too talkative, and after saying a few words, Lorist guessed the result.

"Lord Camorra, let's all be frank, as nobles, we must have the dignity of nobility. In fact, you should understand that Duke Lukins's price is an offense to any nobleman, and it's hard for me to understand what it means.

"Alas......" Baron Camorra sighed: "Actually, in fact, the duke did not pay the ransom money, he gave the thank you money for handing over the criminals......"

If a criminal commits a crime in Earldom A and runs to Viscount B to be caught and notified, then Earl A can send someone to Viscount B to bring the criminal back to his territory to punish the crime, and at the same time, Earl A will pay a sum of money to show his gratitude to Earl B, which can be regarded as a thank you money for handing over the criminal. This is also an unwritten tradition of the nobility of the realm to help each other.

"Wait, what do you mean? Duke Lugins thinks Knight Henned is a criminal?" called Lorlist.

Baron Camorra nodded bitterly.

Lorlist's eyes widened: "It's ridiculous, isn't it? Does Duke Lukins want to use this custom to save money for himself? I heard that the Duke loves money like life and is extremely stingy, and he can come up with such a way to get his golden knight back, does he think that everyone else is a fool? If you lose a battle, you will become a criminal, who ......believes it?"

"Truly, Lord Duke thinks that the Knights of Henneid and the Silver Knights are sinners, and he asked me to bring them back to be punished......" Baron Camorra kept his eyes on the ground, as if he wanted a crack in the ground for him to get into.

"I don't believe it......," Lorist said, shaking his head, "unless your Duke is crazy, and if you lose the battle, you are a sinner, and 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 Northlands, and he was forced to come to disgrace this time, and he only hopes that this young new head of the Norton family will refuse to release Knight Henned, at this time, it is more dangerous to go back than to be a prisoner. Baron Camorra thought so, the Duke had already chilled the hearts of many people with what he had done to the family of the Chevani Knight, and even he was a little disheartened.

"It's not that they lost the battle, but because they lost the duke's money, so the duke wants to dispose of them. Baron Camorra said.

"Hmm, they lost the duke's money, what do you mean?" Lorist became, the more he listened.

Baron Camorra smiled bitterly: "Didn't they take down Kitano Town and loot the property worth two or three hundred thousand gold fords, and then they failed, and the property fell into your hands." The Duke was very angry, and he thought that the 300,000 gold fords were his money, and that they had lost them, which was an unforgivable mistake. That's why I came and brought them back to be punished......"

Lorist was also an eye-opener: "How does Duke Lukins know how much property has been seized?"

"It's all to blame on the knight of Cavani, who failed to attack the city and was about to retreat, and fearing that he would not be able to return, wrote a letter with a detailed account of the conquest of your Norton family, and sent two of his squires back over the Morgen hills. Only one of the two attendants was left to deliver the letter to the Duke. He shouldn't have written about the seizure of Kitano, but the Duke was furious, thinking that it was the fault of the two knights, Chervaney and Henned, that they should have transported the belongings back first, and now that the money was gone, they had lost the Duke's money, and not only hanged the messenger in the name of deserters, but also ransacked the home of the Chervaney knight, and drove his family into the streets as beggars......

"Then ......" Lorist was dumbfounded, Duke Lukins must be crazy, there is no doubt about that.

Baron Camorra knew what Lorist was trying to say: "The Duke also ordered that the body of the Chevani knight be thrown into a mass grave to be fed to wild dogs...... However, the Beatson Knight has secretly sent someone to collect the body of the Chevani Knight and bury it. We'll take care of his family in secret, and when the Duke forgets about it, we'll arrange for them to leave the Northlands......"

"Your Lord Duke is a paranoid man, and with his value for money, he will definitely be angry with the family of the Chevani Knight, and he did not expect that when he did, he might sell the Chevani Knight's family to the slave traders. You'd better arrange for them to leave the Northlands sooner. Lorist said.

This is indeed a very likely thing, the mad Duke doesn't care about other people's opinions at all, if he does such a thing, he will ensure that the Northland Legion will make a big mess, and now that the Beatson Knight is here, he can forcibly suppress it. But the Northland Army is already surging undercurrent, and the army is uneasy. As the commander of the Legion, the Chevani Knight has always been fair in the Northland Legion, and is deeply loved by the soldiers. The Duke has already had many knights and soldiers indignant at the hard work and conscientious Chevani Knights. If his family is sold as slaves again, the consequences will undoubtedly be unimaginable, and it will be like adding fuel to the fire, and a mutiny is possible.

Lord Duke, do you only have money in your eyes? Without the Northland Legion, you won't be able to keep any amount of money! Baron Camorra nodded at Lorist gratefully, and decided to go back and do this immediately, and transfer the family of Knight Cavani as soon as possible, so that he could be at ease as soon as possible.

"I feel very unworthy for the Chevani Knight, he is a very good commander. Although he is my enemy, I must admit that he is a wonderful Golden Knight, and he has done everything he can to do it. The Duke's order to send him to our family was an irreparable mistake in itself, and it created him an invincible enemy. He would not have died, but in order to ask me to forgive the soldiers who slaughtered the inhabitants of Kitano Town, and to give the Duke an explanation, he deliberately died at my hands in a life-and-death duel with me, worthy of the honor of a knight, and from this point of view, I admire him, he is a true knight. Lorist said.

"I think the only mistake of the Chevani knight is that the Duke he serves faithfully is a madman. It is impossible for a normal person to communicate and reason with a madman, especially a paranoid madman. What Duke Lukins has done has become a disgrace to the nobility, and he is digging his own grave. I believe that he is still thinking about the 300,000 goldfords in his mind, and he is dreaming of taking them back from me......"Lorist laughed, pointed to the men and horses who were continuing to enter the city, and said to Baron Camorra: "This is my family's armament, and if the Duke wants money, he must first ask them if they agree......"

Looking at the people and horses under the city, Baron Camorra had mixed feelings and was silent for a while.

The expedition of 4,000 people was wiped out, and I originally thought that the Norton family also suffered heavy casualties, but after arriving at the Rock Castle, I found that the strength of the Norton family seemed to have increased a lot compared to the last time. The guards on the city walls, hundreds of soldiers training in the distance, well-armed, all wearing iron armor. Even more surprising is that the Nortons still have the strength to send men to punish the new lord who has detained their messenger. Baron Camorra could only smile bitterly, he had to admit that the Norton family had the strength to wrestle with the Duke.

Josk, Vasima and Sedkamp went up to the tower, followed by Ruhl and Morder.

"My lord, we have done what you commanded to hang that Baron Farad in front of his castle gates. Josk saluted and reported.

"Casualties?"

Josk shook his head and laughed with Vasimma, both happy.

"My lord, we have no casualties......," Sedkamp stepped forward and reported, "Even on long marches, some family soldiers are not used to falling off their horses. But Master Joske said that it would take a few more falls to get used to being on horseback. Nothing else, everything went smoothly. ”

"Tell me about it. Lorist Road.

"My lord, we were in a hurry, when we arrived, the Baron Farad was leading a few hundred people to fight against a nearby viscount named Sicum, Josk and Lord Vashima directly attacked with their troops, Baron Farad's men and horses collapsed on the spot, Baron Farad also wanted to get on his horse and escape, but Lord Joske shot his mount with an arrow and captured him. He was also hard-mouthed, saying that he was the second prince's favorite minister, so let me wait and see. We ignored him and took possession of his castle, and Ruhl and Mord hung him on a wooden frame with their own hands. Master Vasima also erected a wooden sign next to him stating the reason for his hanging. Sedkamp reported what had happened.

Lorist nodded with satisfaction, the men and horses had no casualties, and the task was completed again, which was the best result.

"My lord, that Baron Farad is a poor ghost, and we have searched the castle and only found more than three hundred Imperial Old Man heads. But he had a good number of horses, more than 400 horses, two herds of sheep and dozens of cows. But there is a very strange place, this Baron Fallad built the castle in someone else's territory, and there is nothing in his own territory, just a wilderness. Later, the Viscount of Sicum came and told us that this Farad occupied a territory called Baron Sildor, and everything he had there should have belonged to Baron Sildor.

Viscount Sicum said that Farad had taken one of his villages captive and taken his people to build a castle, and I gave him back the people of Viscount Sikem. The remaining more than 1,000 men, women, and children are all the lords of the Baron Gredo, but we can't find the Baron Sildor, and we 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 all the stupid guys in the castle were handed over to Viscount Sickham. Sedkamp reported the harvest again.

"Yes, that's a good job. Have the bones of our family's messengers been recovered?" asked Lorlist.

"We took it back, we cremated their bones and brought them back in clay pots. Sedcamp replied.

"Okay, let's go and bury them in the Martyrs' Tomb tomorrow morning. Ruhl and Morder are going back and forth, let's go and rest first. ”

"Thank you, sir. Ruhl and Morder said.

"By the way, Sedkamp, you ask Pat to get Knight Henneid and the dozen or so silver knights who were taken prisoner here. Lord Camorra, let's make a decision on this matter today, let's go to the room and wait, please. Lorist said.

Pat arrives at the castle with Henneid and a dozen silver knights who have surrendered and become captives, filling Lorlist's reception room.

Knight Henneid was very happy to see Baron Camorra, and greeted him loudly: "Lord Camorra, did the Duke ask you to ransom us?"

Baron Camorra barely managed to squeeze out a smile, which was a response.

Lorist clapped his hands to bring everyone's attention to it: "Sorry to tell you bad news. I don't think the ransom price offered by Duke Lukins for you is unacceptable, so I refuse Lord Camorra's request. ”

The whole room was in a commotion, and some of the silver knights said, "Look, I know that the Duke is stingy, and he must only offer a very low price..."

Some said, "Lord Norton, how much do you want, can we make it up for you ourselves?"

Some are guessing: "I think the Norton family must have offered a very high price......

Knight Henneid leaned in to Baron Camorra and whispered how much the Duke had paid, but Baron Camorra kept silent.

"Please be quiet, be quiet......" Lorist exclaimed.

The room fell silent as everyone looked at Lorlist.

"I want to make it clear that the reason why I refused the duke's ransom is because this price is an insult to you as a knight and an insult to our Norton family......"

"May I ask what the Duke is offering?" Knight Henned's interrupted Lorist.

Lorist looked at him and nodded with his hand: "You are a hundred imperial old man head gold coins, and they, ten ...... per person"

"What did you say?" Knight Henneid 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 a ransom for you, but a thank you money for handing over the criminals. Lorist said.

Knight Henned's eyes were red, and he turned to Baron Camorra: "What he said is true?"

Baron Camorra nodded with difficulty......

"Why? What crime have we committed? Do we mean that if we are captured, we become criminals?" said Knight Henned, gasping for breath, his voice hoarse.

"Being a captive is not a criminal, but the Duke thinks that you have lost the seizure of Kitano Town, the property worth 300,000 gold fords, so you have an unforgivable sin, because your Lord Duke thinks that the 300,000 gold fords are his money...... Master Camorra, do you say or do you say?" Lorist looked at Baron Camorra, smiling.

Baron Camorra looked at Lorist with a complicated expression, and replied helplessly: "Let's talk about it." ”

He knew in his heart that if he let Lorist say something, he didn't know how to arrange and provoke it, or he would explain the story as it was, so that everyone would know that Lord Duke was currently angry. Alas, this trip should not have come in the first place, but the Duke forced me to do nothing.

“...... Therefore, Lord Beatson thinks that it is safer for you to stay in the Norton family now than to go back, and when the Duke is calm down, we will find a way to redeem you back. Baron Camorra could only be comforted by this.

"No need to redeem them, I am ready to release them and restore their freedom, as a protest against the insulting ransom of Duke Lukins, he can only have money, not the dignity of nobility, but we in the Norton family believe that the honor and dignity of a knight are not to be offended, and I am not prepared to hear the insulting price again, so I declare that you are free. Please come and pick up your equipment and mounts, and let us know if you have an attendant. It's getting late now, so I ask you to stay another night and go back tomorrow morning. ”

Lorist held a large bulging money bag in his hand: "Lord Camorra, here are a hundred Kingfords, I would like to ask you to pass it on to the family of the Chevani Knight, this is my respect for a true knight, please do me a favor." ”

Baron Camorra looked at Lorlist, finally let out a long sigh, and reached out to take the money bag: "You won, Lord Norton...... I'll give it to his family. ”