Chapter 44: Castle is like spring

In the aristocratic meeting, Baron Russell finally received the promise of the nobles to send troops together. The nobles promised that after Baron Russell began to declare war on Mark, they would draw knights from their territory and recruit infantrymen to join Baron Russell's family army, enter Mark together and force Schwab to compensate the nobles, otherwise the territory of Mark would be razed to the ground. This is also a characteristic of the nobles' private war. Usually the purpose of the two sides' war was to force another noble to admit their rights or ask for compensation from money.

If it is refused, it will burn and kill in the other party's territory, completely destroying the production capacity of the other party's territory, and achieving the purpose of punishing the other party. Therefore, there are few cases of killing the other party's noble members, and at most they will occupy the other party's castle by force and exiling them. Baron Russell also discussed with the members attending the aristocratic meeting that Schwab must hand over the finances of the merchants in the territory and a large amount of compensation, otherwise he will attack the Mark Fort and exil Schwab, and he will be very confident about their military nobles.

"I heard that there were only some infantry and mercenaries in Mark, with almost no cavalry, and most importantly, they had no knights."

"That's right, and our knights have ninety-three, and Lord Mark and they basically have no chance of winning."

"I'll win, haha~~" After receiving the news that there was no knight in Mark, Baron Russell and the nobles became more convinced that they would win. Some nobles even believed that they only needed to write a letter and explain the obvious disadvantages of the other party in the letter. Mark's lord would surrender obediently. Of course, as long as Schwab could meet the requirements of the nobles, the nobles could let Schwab end the war decently.

"Baron Russell, when are you going to do it?"

"After the deep winter, the peasants in our territory stopped farming work. It was very easy to collect them at this time. At that time, attacked Mark." Baron Russell pointed on the parchment map on the wooden table in front of him, and then said to the nobles sitting around. Under the swaying candlelight, the nobles showed a greedy look in the shadows. They looked at each other with grim smiles and nodded in agreement with the plan.

In the Fort Mark, Schwab sat leisurely in the room made of walls. The warm heat along the walls made the whole room as warm as spring. On one side, the room on the outermost layer of the castle was a heating facility built up like a chimney-like stone. The servants burned firewood in the stove outside the castle, and the flames provided heating for this special room in the castle.

"Oh, it's so warm, it's much more comfortable than the fireplace." Bald Otto sat on the dry straw on the ground, holding a glass of ale in his hand and drinking happily, his face filled with a happy smile.

"That's right, Lord Earl, how did you come up with this room? Let this room be as warm as spring." Old Lauke also joined in the fun to come to this fresh walled room. He touched the wall with his hand, and the wall was hot.

"This is all a little bit." Schwab sat comfortably on the wooden chair, so warm that she didn't want to move. The whole palace members of Schwab gathered here. In addition to Coro and his mercenaries, they also went to the tavern to drink with them, and Srick disappeared, they were all enjoying the spring in the cold wind.

"Sir Earl, do you see if the cloak I made for you is still suitable?" Adele sat on a wooden bench near the wall and sewed a cloak made of fine wool for Schwab. In the cold wind of winter, a cloak covered behind him was an indispensable thing for the nobles. Adele's skillful hand sewed the foot of the cloak very finely and used some silver thread to make embroidery. It is said that Adele, as a farmer's daughter, could not embroider, but learned some embroidery skills from the women inside in Yas's manor.

"Well, thank you." Schwab looked at the cloak in his hand, and he was still filled with the sachet Adele gave him. The two looked at each other, and a rose red appeared on Adele's face.

"Shwab, you're so nice here. I'll just put the bearskin here on it and sleep here at night. Although you made a good kang for my room, it's still comfortable here." Sari said carelessly, and immediately asked his subordinates to bring the bearskin from their room and spread it on the hay-covered ground.

"Hey, Your Highness, this is my room, I want to go to my room to sleep." Schwab said depressedly.

"No." Sari lay comfortably on the bear skin regardless of the thick bear skin. The thick bear skin was soft and the air around her was as warm as spring. Sari lay on the bear skin and moaned comfortably, making Schwab not know what to say for a long time.

"Sir, I'm back." Srick pushed open the door, and the cold wind immediately poured into the room, causing the people in single clothes to shudder.

"Close the door quickly and you'll be cold to death." Sari said angrily.

"I'm sorry, it's so warm here." Srick closed the door, then took off his thick linen cloak, and walked to Schwab and sat down.

"Where have you been?" Schwab asked curiously.

"Go to find out what the nobles around you are doing." Srick snatched the ale from the bald Otto's hand, then took a sip and said.

"What's the news?"

"The nobles, under the planning of Baron Russell, have reached a promise to send troops together. They plan to recruit troops when the farmers stop working in the middle of winter and then attack us."

"Is this news reliable?" Schwab asked with a frown.

"Of course, I bribed the servants in Baron Russell's castle, and he heard it with his own ears while serving the nobles." Srick felt very hot, so he took off his short leather jacket on his upper body to reveal the linen shirt inside.

"How could such an important plan be heard so easily by the servants? Could it be a trap?" Liugudi asked cautiously.

"No, I said this in order to be cautious when the nobles returned to their respective territories from Baron Russell's castle, and the drunk nobles who were still staying in the hotel on the way, they seemed to think that Mark would not be their opponent at all." As the royal spy of the Duke of Hanrowe's family, Srick had a lot of experience in the analysis of information. He believed that the nobles did not understand the confidentiality of plans, especially the drunk nobles.

"So, we don't have much time left. If they were asked to gather the troops together, how many people would there be?" Schwab asked.

"If the private soldiers of the powerful local nobles gathered around this, there would be thousands of people, of course, not including their knights." Old Lauke said immediately.

"Well, it's several times ours, can we win?" Liugudi said worriedly.

"Hmph, no matter who is, he is no match for us, so let me cut off the heads of those idiots." Sari sat up from the bearskin and said fiercely.

"Killing them is not my ultimate goal." Schwab did not want to offend these nobles to death, but not fighting back would only be considered a coward and would be bullied more. How to balance requires skills. Schwab stood up and walked to the window, supported the wooden frame and looked outside. The leaves in the woods in the outside territory fell, and the trees and people were trembling in the cold wind.

"Sir, what are your plans?" Srick asked as he looked at the silent Schwab.

"Srick, do you know who are the nobles who attended the Baron Russell meeting?" Schwab asked suddenly.

"Of course, I have found out that those are Baron Russell's supporters, those are neutrals who are fence-mounted, and Baron Russell's former enemies, I have found out that all of them are."

"That's good. I'm going to break up their alliance before they put their strength together. Lauke, go to our warehouse to find some goods and some silver shops in the cashier. We're going to go out for a trip." Schwab turned to Old Lauke and said.

"What are you going to do? Lord Earl?" Old Lauke asked curiously.

"Go and give gifts."

"Give gifts? To whom?"

"I'll know then." Schwab's face was filled with a strange smile.

Outside Baron Russell's territory, a group of sentries were sluggishly patrolling the territory. They would patrol back and forth along the territory's borders to ensure that the trees in the Baron's forest would not be cut down by lowly farmers and wild beasts in the forest would not be poached, so as to ensure that the Baron's property would not be damaged. They were wearing shabby leather armor and holding a spear in their hands. The captain of the team rode a horse and planned to go to the brothel after the task was completed to find a cheap prostitute and have some fun.

"Listen, what's the sound?" Suddenly a sentry stopped. He heard a sound of horse hooves, but there should be no cavalry coming at this time. They should stay in the warm castle, eating meat and drinking ale.

"What's wrong?" Captain Sentinel frowned, looked at his subordinates, and asked impatiently.

"It seems to be a cavalry." said the sentry.

"Impossible, you're damn." The captain shook his head, thinking that these suspicious guys should whip them a few times.

"Kill~~." But before he could raise his whip, the roar of horse hooves and shouts of killing suddenly came from the distance. The captain was stunned and saw a group of cavalry in colorful costumes. They rushed over with the scimitars in their hands. The sentries raised the spears in their hands in a conditioned manner, but the cavalry were too fast. They instantly crashed into the sentry team, and the horses knocked several sentries to the ground. At this time, the captain who had reacted had just pulled out the sword at his waist when he saw a sharp scimitar pounced in front of him.

"Master Coro, we won." A cavalry in colorful and fluffy costume drove the war horse under his crotch to a knight, and the knight shook the scimitar in his hand and let the blood flow to the ground.
Chapter completed!