In a manor fifty miles south of Bilton Fort, Baron Geoffrey's "bandit suppression army" had truly overexerted itself.
Baron Geoffrey had grandly gathered over a hundred Soldiers (peasant Soldiers) to the Southern Manor to suppress the bandits, but they waited an entire day and saw not even a shadow of a petty thief, let alone the bandits.
At this moment, constant arguments could be heard from within the manor.
Baron Geoffrey didn't care whether the bandits who attacked the manor had been suppressed or not; the 20,000 fenny in "military expenses" that the manor lord promised him for deploying his troops, not a single copper coin could escape; however, the manor lord was unwilling. To not encounter a single bandit or rogue yet be extorted for 20,000 fenny, it made his heart bleed continuously, having been stingy his entire life.
Baron Geoffrey kept pounding the table, his voice almost a roar: "Old fellow, it was you who pleaded desperately in your letter and offered 20,000 fenny for mobilization expenses, which is why I painstakingly gathered troops from my territory to assist you in the suppression. What does your incorrect information have to do with me? I went to great lengths to assemble an army; do you think I came to attend your banquet?"
"If you don't hand over the money, I'll take my men and search for it myself! Don't say my Soldiers are more barbaric than those mountain bandits and robbers then." Baron Geoffrey's tone carried a hint of threat.
The manor lord, like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, replied in a strange, mocking tone: "Baron, I must remind you, this manor is a direct fief of the Hohenzollern family, and don't forget there's also Teblen City to the east of Bilton."
Baron Geoffrey, already seething with anger from his overexertion, saw that this old man dared to threaten him with the County Magistrate and the Hohenzollern family. His temper completely flared. "Someone!"
The Attendant Captain, who was waiting outside the door, pushed it open and entered.
Baron Geoffrey ordered the Attendant Captain: "Mister Chares has forgotten where he put his money. Take your men and help him search thoroughly in the manor! Make sure you search carefully!" Geoffrey bit out his last few words.
The Attendant Captain was about to turn and leave after receiving the order when the manor lord quickly grabbed him, then turned his head, forced an awkward smile, and said in a humble voice to Baron Geoffrey: "Baron, please calm down, calm down. I didn't say I wouldn't give it to you~"
Baron Geoffrey gave the Attendant Captain a look, and the Attendant Captain exited the room.
The manor lord continued to force a smile and said: "Sir, you see, my manor had a poor harvest this year, and the farmers can barely feed themselves. I truly can't come up with that much money at once. Do you think you could take a little less? Leave some money and food for everyone to survive~"
Baron Geoffrey sneered, mocking: "It's true that the farmers in your manor are all as poor as starving ghosts, and that's because you, this vampire, have squeezed them dry. I believe they are poor, but I don't believe you when you claim to be poor. 20,000 fenny, don't even think of getting away with a single copper coin less."
"8,000 fenny~"
"20,000 fenny!"
"10,000 fenny, any more and you'll be asking for my life~"
"18,000 fenny, any less and I'll take your life!"
After some bargaining, Baron Geoffrey and the manor lord finally reached an agreement. The manor lord reluctantly handed over 15,000 fenny in "military expenses," and Baron Geoffrey promised to leave ten Soldiers to continue guarding the manor for a week to defend against any potential reappearance of bandits.
"Go to the manor and catch a few pigs and sheep to slaughter. Tonight, we'll hold a celebration banquet for Mister Chares. Let the men eat their fill, drink their fill, and rest well. Tomorrow morning, we'll break camp and return to Bilton Fort." Baron Geoffrey walked out of the inner fort gate of the manor and ordered the Attendant Captain who was accompanying him.
...
"It's getting late. If Geoffrey has seen through the trap of the bandit gathering to the south, he should be leading his army back by now. We must leave Bilton Fort before dark." Art constantly urged the officers and Soldiers who were scurrying around Bilton Fort searching (and plundering).
The open space in front of Bilton's inner fort was already piled high with various captured items, from oxen and carts to iron clamps and anvils, from spices and butter to coarse salt and flour, from cloth and silk to furs and antlers, from bedding and blankets to iron pots and cooking utensils... Everything that could be sold, used, or carried away was piled here, waiting to be loaded.
After an interrogation in the inner fort mansion, the castle's butler revealed the location of Baron Geoffrey's treasury. Art led his men and retrieved a box containing three hundred large silver marks and twenty-four large gold coins from the treasury. The butler stated that these coins, valued at over 77,000 fenny, were Baron Geoffrey's entire fortune.
Everyone found it hard to believe that a baron of a wealthy castle would only have such limited financial resources after years of saving, and they all demanded that the dying butler be tortured again. However, Art still believed it, after all, Geoffrey was only a baron. Years ago, when Art's family was at its wealthiest, they only supported fifty standing Soldiers. After massive expenditures, the family's remaining wealth was no more than 100,000 fenny. And now, Swabia was in the midst of war, and Geoffrey had to spend a large amount of money to support the war to gain favor from his liege. Furthermore, he had to support and equip more Soldiers to cope with large-scale battles that could break out at any time. To still have over 70,000 fenny remaining after maintaining such complex expenditures was already quite a lot.
Of course, in addition to the coins, Art also found five sets of silver tableware, three exquisite porcelain pieces, and a considerable number of pearls, agates, silk brocades, and other valuable items in Geoffrey's inner fort. Art estimated these items were worth at least 20,000 fenny.
However, to Art's regret, Bilton Fort's armory was almost empty. This was not difficult to understand; the north was the main battlefield, and all supplies and military equipment from various regions were prioritized for the northern army. Bilton Fort must have also had a good number of weapons and armor transferred to the north. Furthermore, Baron Geoffrey had just conscripted a large army to "suppress bandits" in the south, so the remaining spears, short swords, armor, and shields in the armory must have all been taken by Geoffrey.
Art's army only captured a dozen sets of weapons and armor from the enemy Soldiers guarding Bilton Fort, and also found a hunting crossbow and a fine steel short-handled battle-axe in Baron Geoffrey's bedroom.
The plundering outside the inner fort was also proceeding intensely. Except for the poor people's thatched hovels and the Lord's church, no one went to plunder them. The taverns, grocery stores, blacksmith shops, tanneries, breweries, bakeries, and slightly wealthier residences in the castle all became targets of Art's army. Places like taverns, breweries, and bakeries could settle matters peacefully by simply handing over money and valuable goods, but places like blacksmith shops, tanneries, and weapon shops were not so lucky. In addition to confiscating money and supplies, all tools, raw materials, and even the craftsmen in the shops along with their families were all packed up and taken away by the army. These were all resources and labor that Art urgently needed, and he couldn't just leave them for the enemy.
In front of the inner fort's open space, Art was directing Soldiers to load the roughly counted captured supplies onto carts. In addition to the eight four-wheeled carts accompanying the army, there were also three four-wheeled carts and six two-wheeled ox-carts, as well as eight or nine donkeys, mules, and oxen, and a dozen pigs and sheep livestock.
Bass emerged from the inner fort dungeon and found Art, reporting: "Sir, everyone held in the inner fort dungeon has been interrogated. Besides two who were indeed guilty of serious crimes, there are twelve serfs who couldn't pay their taxes, eight slaves, and three small merchants."
Art was surprised to hear this: "You can speak Swabian?"
"Those three small merchants are cloth traders from Burgundy, and they speak Swabian," Bass explained.
"Oh, no wonder."
"Leave those two serious criminals. Give the others some food and take them all with us. Have them help move supplies." Art took all these potentially useful people with him.
Bass then asked: "Sir, what should we do with Geoffrey's inner family members?"
"They are all nobles. We cannot harm them, but I am also unwilling to just let them go."
Art paused to think for a moment, then replied: "Take Geoffrey's wife and son with us. Release the others after we leave. Have them deliver a message to Geoffrey: within one month, bring 50,000 fenny to Talburg to redeem his wife and son."
Bass turned and left to make arrangements.
Soon after, Tuba, who was in charge of guarding the fort gate and walls, returned to the front of the inner fort. "Sir, the Sentry Cavalry just reported no enemy activity in the surrounding area. Roen has already taken the Sentry Cavalry twenty miles south to set up an outpost."
"Good. Guard the fort gate well. Don't let anyone leave. We are risking our lives now, so we cannot be careless in the slightest."
"Search carefully, don't be careless in the slightest. These fellows must have hidden some valuables." Pattes, the leader of the first squad of the third team, was leading two Soldiers in confiscating valuables from a private residence.
Pattes's leather armor lining had been replaced with a brand new fine linen tunic, and he wore thick, comfortable cowhide short boots. A delicate deerskin pouch hung from his waist, full of small, loose items like silver-plated cross necklaces that had been confiscated. The clothes, shoes, and socks of the other two Soldiers had also been replaced with more expensive and comfortable ones, and they also carried some loose items in their bosoms.
According to Art's military regulations, valuable goods, weapons, armor, and supplies had to be handed over, but these small, loose items could be kept by the Soldiers.
On the other side of this private residence, Kazak was leading the Soldiers of the second squad in collecting farm tools such as shovels and hoes from the households. Two plows were also on the ox cart outside the house.
A Soldier behind Kazak looked enviously at his comrades who were plundering valuables in the residence and complained to Kazak: "Officer, what are we collecting these farm tools for? There are no farmlands around Talburg. These things are heavy and take up space. It would be better to grab more grain instead."
Kazak turned around and roared: "Weiz, where do you get so much to say? Since the Sir arranged it, it must be useful. If you say one more word, I'll relieve you of your squad leader position."
The squad leader named Weiz immediately shut his mouth, withdrew his gaze, and reached into his bosom with his right hand to pull out a set of exquisite shaving tools confiscated from the baker, looked at them again, smiled contentedly, and quickly followed Kazak.
In the lord's bedroom of Bilton's inner fort, Angus was treating a severely wounded Soldier. This Soldier had been struck by a heavy stone thrown from the inner fort's battlements during the assault. His round shield protected his head, but his foot was crushed by the heavy stone. The entire top of his foot was a pulpy mess, with several stark white toe bones exposed.
Angus tightly bound the wounded Soldier to the bed. Two assisting Soldiers placed the Soldier's crushed foot on a wooden block and held it down. Angus poured a large gulp of strong ale into the Soldier's mouth, stuffed a piece of rags into it, and then poured all the remaining ale onto the Soldier's foot. As the Soldier let out a muffled roar of pain, Angus took a red-hot fine steel short-handled battle-axe from the fireplace coals, quickly raised it, and brought it down forcefully. The Soldier's crushed foot was cleanly severed. The Soldier convulsed once and then passed out.
"You two, find a clean cloth and bandage him to stop the bleeding. If the bleeding stops, apply the herbs. The rest is up to God." Angus finished giving instructions, then grabbed a bedsheet to wipe the sweat from his forehead and cleaned the blood from the fine steel battle-axe. He felt the dark, gleaming axe head, tucked the battle-axe into his waist, and then went to check on two other wounded Soldiers, one with an arrow wound to the abdomen and another with a severe sword wound to the back...
As night fell, a long fiery dragon, formed by a dozen torches, slowly moved towards the southeastern mountainous region outside Bilton Fort. More than a dozen large and small carts were fully loaded with goods, and the recently freed serfs and slaves cheerfully carried grain and farm tools, following alongside the carts.
At the front of the convoy was Art, leading on horseback. On both sides of the convoy were over thirty armored and armed Soldiers. At the rear of the convoy was Angus, driving his horse forward while looking back. Further south on the road was Roen's Sentry Cavalry, which had been continuously patrolling and scouting all day.
Facing this group of torch-wielding, unknown individuals, the villages and manors along the way all tightly closed their gates and huddled inside, not daring to come out. It wasn't until the long fiery dragon disappeared into the western mountains that a few slightly bolder individuals emerged from their village gates to look west, only to hear the mournful, drawn-out sound of an ox horn coming from the direction of Bilton Fort behind them~
"Oh my god! Enemies are attacking Bilton Fort!!!" A few of them wiped cold sweat and scurried back into the village fort walls.
