Chapter 89 Harley Castle
Dark castle, turbid air.
The oil paintings hanging on the inner wall of the castle have been taken down, and the inferior grease occasionally makes crackling sounds and emits a pungent smell.
Occasionally, knights pass by, but more often, soldiers come and go.
The servants of the entire castle have disappeared, leaving only wars and soldiers serving the war.
As nobles of the Province of St. Peter, there is no direct border with other countries.
To the east is the Province of St. Mitre, and the surrounding inland provinces are relatively safe.
This castle has not been used for many years.
Fortunately, its owner has insisted on maintaining it, so it can still be used at this time.
In the meeting hall of the castle, due to structural reasons, except for a few limited ventilation holes, it is dim and closed.
Baron Tahar El Halei is putting on armor with the help of knights.
This armor, which retains numerous scars, has more symbolic significance than practical significance.
However, Baron Halei still chose to wear it, as if all the Barons of Halei from previous generations were by his side.
"My knights, Rockman has come to the land where the glory of the Lord shines, and the two-headed dragon flag of Augusta has been planted on the land of King Bruno.
The despicable betrayer has forgotten the loyalty and honor of the knight, but the Halei family will never forget.
If you choose to leave, you can leave on your own later.
I... Tahar El Halei swears in the name of my ancestors that I will fight Rockman to the end."
The knights on both sides of the long table all stood up and responded with a serious face: "I guarantee with the honor of the knight that I will follow you forever."
Just as the oath at the original conferment ceremony, the knight will fulfill his obligations and offer loyalty.
Even in the face of the vicious Rockman.
Baron Halei squeezed out a smile and comforted: "The glory of the Lord blesses the loyal knights, let us use blood to tell Rockman that the knights of the Holy Cross are not dead yet."
Soon, Rockman's army arrived.
As a rebellious noble, Baron Harley gave up all his territory and stayed in the castle.
Derek was outside the castle. The castle, which had been passed down for who knows how long, was already mottled.
Even the original structure was a bit outdated, but if anyone dared to despise it, he would immediately suffer a painful blow.
"The Harley family? He was the one who killed my messenger?"
"Yes, Your Excellency, Baron Harley is a devout believer of the Lord, a king... a supporter of the Bruno family, and he ignored your orders and killed your messenger."
Standing in front of Derek was also a viscount, and even a powerful viscount Larry Yanes who owned a fiefdom.
He represented the surrendered nobles of the Province of St. Peter.
For the inheritance of the family, these nobles who did not flee in time chose to surrender to Derek.
Of course, Derek knew that this surrender was only superficial, and there was not even a solid relationship between the lord and the vassal.
But it doesn't matter, they were also loyal to the Bruno family at the beginning, and now they surrendered as well.
As long as the guarantee is strong, there is no need to worry about their regret in a short time.
If you want to maintain the rule for a long time, of course you need a system to maintain it.
This is the meaning of the feudal system.
Of course, what Derek needs to show now is power.
These surrendered nobles can be trusted but not completely trusted.
As long as they reveal their flaws, they will definitely not give up a bite.
Just like Viscount Larry Yanes, the more humble he is now, the more vigilant Derek is towards him.
Dare to resist with a knife on your neck, it is certainly a hard bone, but it can be broken.
There are some soft bones, but there are also smart people who kneel down directly when the knife is on their neck.
The former's bones were broken, and the latter knelt down but avoided the blade.
In Derek's eyes, he saw such a Viscount Larry Yanes.
To deal with real soft bones, he doesn't mind giving a little smile.
To deal with this kind of pretended soft bones, he is not polite.
Seeing Derek not speaking, Viscount Larry Yanes secretly took a peek.
Derek was staring at the castle in front of him, revealing half of his face, and even the outline was tough.
He couldn't guess what Viscount Derek was thinking. At first, he thought the other party was just a war genius, but the several contacts after surrendering made him feel uncomfortable.
The other party's eyes were like needles, as if he was completely seen through.
Suddenly, Derek interrupted Viscount Yanes's thoughts.
"Virut!"
"Salute to you, sir."
Virut held his head high, with a two-headed dragon badge hanging on his chest.
Not long ago, Derek personally put this knight's medal on him.
The latter chose to be loyal to Derek as the Knight of Augusta.
With his identity, he didn't need to do so at all, but he still did it.
"My knight, I want to have lunch in the castle."
Not a single word was redundant, just like having a picnic in the wild.
Virut was full of confidence: "Maybe you need to find a chef from the north, otherwise I'm afraid your lunch won't be satisfying enough."
"Stop being clever and get lost."
Derrick laughed and scolded, and Virut immediately turned around and left.
A castle, with nobles who were determined to die defending it, could not be conquered no matter how hard they tried.
The surrenderers, led by Viscount Yanes, were in a commotion. They simply didn't believe that a castle could be conquered in just half a day.
It's true that Derek created many legends, but reality has to follow the basic law.
A castle, excluding internal reasons, will take several days even if you have the life to build it.
Everyone was waiting to see the joke. Maybe this Viscount Derek has been overwhelmed by a series of victories?
Viscount Yanes also thought it was impossible, but he didn't think Derek was fainting.
Everything can only be watched.
Derek knew that 90% of the nobles in front of him were traitors.
Why?
A glance at the panel showed that they couldn't even do the most basic obedience. Maybe someone surrendered sincerely, but the target was not him.
For Derek, those who didn't surrender to him were all considered traitors.
As for how difficult a castle is to crack, he certainly knew it.
However, after two and a half years in this world, he already had some capital.
Cannon fodder also has levels.
Of course, it would be difficult to chew this hard bone in a short time with serf soldiers or even noble private armies.
But what if it is a group of elite soldiers?
Although the loss will be great, it will make Derek feel painful.
But elite soldiers that can be copied are not scarce.
Time, I now have some money to squander.
