Chapter 681: 681
Not long after Fang Yuan and his party entered the castle, Frey's army suddenly appeared and surrounded the castle .
"This time… the wolf has really come!"
Fang Yuan stood on the top of the walls and looked at the large, distant army .
Under the aquamarine army flag, Frey's army actually exceeded a thousand and had swept along large numbers of farmers holding pitchforks, guarding all the main roads to the mountain .
"This… is preparation for driving away people and sieging the castle?"
Fang Yuan saw this and shook his head .
Frey's move was truly vicious, as the farmers he used were all able-bodied men that he grabbed from the territories under the baron's jurisdiction!
With the recent defeat inside the castle, the demoralized hundred-man army were completely unable to be used for long .
Furthermore, no matter who died, it was not a matter of concern for Frey .
"A baron's castle is under attack, yet no nearby nobles reacted . It seems like the baron grasped righteousness and Frey grasped strength, while the other feudal lords all chose to watch from the sidelines?"
To the baron, this was not good news, as it represented that there would be no reinforcements .
"It seems like… the ruling family is also a broken boat . Grand Duke Stan is probably deeply troubled, right?"
Fang Yuan's heart sneered silently .
At this moment, a cavalryman charged out from Frey's army and arrived before the castle, shouting loudly, "Knight Frey is a benevolent person . As long as Baron Shawshank admits his mistake and signs the statement of repentance, he promises that he won't continue looking into this matter!
"Otherwise, we will destroy the castle! What happens then is not something that anyone wants to see!
"Even if the baron defies resolutely, if the other soldiers and knights choose to surrender, Knight Frey will definitely not look into the matter, and he'll even guarantee your treasures, fiefs, and all rights!"
…
"Hmph, protect our fiefs and treasures!"
Knight Gray suddenly came to the side and he gave a pained look . "Who does he think he is? A baron? He's only a mere knight and dares to do this…"
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"In fact, Knight Frey's strength is already at the standard of an average baron . If the ruling family admits defeat this time, perhaps that title will be quickly conferred to him . " Fang Yuan shrugged his shoulders . "The winner controls everything . It's this easy!"
"Knight Luhn… You're not going to… "
Gray's gaze instantly became cold and a little wary .
"Of course not . As a noble knight, accepting the forgiveness of another knight is simply shameful! I will fight to the end against them!" Fang Yuan said vehemently .
In reality, he was just adhering to the game rules of the nobility .
The controlling power of this world were the nobility and theocracy .
Among the nobles, in order not to be regarded as a nouveau riche, you had to pay attention to details and implications!
With Frey as an example, even if his military might was stronger, so what? Wasn't he also ostracized and coldly treated by everyone?
Even if he obtained victory this time, and even be invested with the title of a baron, he would still be faced with the nobles' overt or covert rejection . Unless he managed to break through all of this, nothing would be changed .
That was because within the eyes of nobility, he would always be 'the guy who broke the rules . '
Conversely, Baron Shawshank had a long-established pedigree and legitimacy .
Sometimes, birthright was not worth anything; sometimes, it was worth a mountain!
"Furthermore, even if the Noether Kingdom is obtains victory, I'm afraid they'll also not be too fond of him . Just like in ancient times, those who defected usually did not have good endings . On the other hand, it was the loyal officials, even if they were the enemies' loyal officials, that would obtain recognition and honor . In the end, it's just to strengthen this value . "
In the Monger World, it was the values of nobility that were propagated large scale .
A nouveau riche like Frey would face immense difficulty squeezing into this circle within a few generations .
Therefore, Fang Yuan would fundamentally not choose the other side .
Although, if not for that perfectly justifiable inheritance, his method of building up fame and fortune would perhaps be similar .
"Knight Luhn… . . "
Gray was deeply moved .
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Similarly under the command of the baron, even he was momentarily swayed just now . Right now, he was ashamed of his own selfish thoughts .
"In reality, I feel that we can still kind of surrender . " Fang Yuan winked .
"You're saying… feign surrender?!" Gray's expression changed . "You still want to continue this war?"
"Of course . How can we be defeated for no reason? There are two hundred soldiers inside the castle, plus you and me, and all the servants . It's sufficient for a battle!" Fang Yuan clenched his fist . "If we want to turn defeat into victory, this is our last chance . "
Knight Gray was a little moved and immediately said in a low voice, "This… I need to report to the baron!"
"Of course . For such a huge matter, we need the baron to decide!"
In reality, Fang Yuan already had eighty percent confidence regarding the baron's choice—that he would approve of his proposition .
That was because, right now, the baron already had nothing left to lose .
…
Nighttime . The moonlight sprinkled down and all was as calm as water .
In the darkness, Knight Frey brought a unit of elite cavalry and soldiers near the castle .
"How large do you think the possibility is?"
His hand pinched a letter, some doubt on his face .
Beside Knight Frey, Bishop Daniel slowly said, "According to conventional thinking, the conditions that you gave were already sufficiently lenient . It isn't entirely impossible for even the knights to be tempted . "
Although this era's lords and vassals had familial relations with each other, they were definitely not as close and absolute as the eastern dynasties of Fang Yuan's previous world . Instead, it mutually contained authority and obligation .
Incidents of lords wanting their vassals to die and the vassals having no other choice were things that would definitely never occur .
The lords' orders being so ridiculous that the vassals refused to comply, causing both parties to unleash their armies, was instead more common .
Furthermore, the loser would not even have everything taken away from then, preserving a little hope of staging a comeback . This was the benevolence of the nobility and the game rules within their circle . Of course, this was only directed toward other nobility .
At this stage, with nowhere to go, it was reasonable for some knights to betray Baron Shawshank .
"I also think so!"
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Knight Frey's heart was a little fervent, as if he had already seen the moment he conquered the baron's castle .
In the late night, even if the castle lit their torches, it would not dispel the heavy sleepiness .
In the silence, Frey waved his hand and a bandit came forward . With a sound mimicking a mouse, he called out three times with regularity . This was the appointed secret signal .
Clang!
Not long later, some slight disturbances seemed to come from behind the wall . Instantly, the main gates of the castle opened slowly .
"Bishop… see?"
Looking at the castle gates resembling a black hole, Knight Frey hesitated once more . He turned toward Daniel with a gaze seeking help . "Mighty Death, could you direct me?"
Archbishop Daniel instantly rebuked unhappily, "Knight Frey, we are the servants of the Gods and can only follow the will of the Gods . The Gods are high above . Why would they pay attention to something so trivial?"
If Hess descended, even if it was a small tinge of will, whatever tricks the enemies inside the castle pulled would naturally be completely useless .
However, the pastors and priests were only servants of the Gods . How could they ask the Gods to help them carry out tasks in turn? If it was instead a Son of God or the Pope, there might perhaps be an inkling of hope, but it was a mere dream for him .
However, as a supporter of the Church of Death, Knight Frey's requests had to still be fulfilled .
Thus, Daniel closed his eyes and immediately replied, "I feel the aura of death! Right now, there should be some people who have already reciprocated your words in the castle!"
"The fight is real?" Frey's eyes lit up and he stopped hesitating . "Charge!"
Shualala!
Large numbers of soldiers carrying a desire for excitement and riches, or perhaps a mere desire for destruction, entered single-file while maintaining astonishing discipline .
Soon, a safety signal was heard from the top of the castle walls .
Seeing this, Frey lightly laughed and whipped his horse, charging into the castle .
But what he did not know was that as he was charging to the castle gates, Fang Yuan, who was observing in the dark, immediately commanded, "Commence action!"
Kaboom!
An intense explosion appeared and a torrent of fire filled the castle gates . The surrounding soldiers were instantly torn into pieces by the windstorm or were simply thrown into the air and fainted dead away mid-air .
"It's a trap!"
A magical light appeared around Bishop Daniel to defend him against damage . However, he listlessly saw that the original castle gates had already been buried by the rubble and became a natural moat that obstructed the outside from the inside!
"Kill!"
"Kill all intruders!"
Bursts of shouts came from all directions .
At the moment, Frey's side had already lost their numerical advantage and also landed in an intricately arranged trap . Many of them were instantly killed by a torrent of arrows, and the army completely lost its structure .
"Disaster Halo, commence!"
On Fang Yuan's body, two halos appeared and released intersecting glows that enveloped the battlefield .
The advancement of the Disaster Knight originally required dead spirits and grievances . Coupled with a Dream Master's talent, it was a simple task to create an illusion and hide the truth from a small pastor .
"Disaster Knight!"
Bishop Daniel looked at the invincible Fang Yuan who was charging into the crowds with a very bizzare expression . "Luhn, we meet again… You've truly given me a huge surprise!"
…
At the same time as the chaos outside, inside the depths of the castle, in the bedroom of the baron .
A slight sobbing sound was heard . The baroness, Timo, and Tanya were all there looking at the baron on the sickbed .
At this time, he had already reached the end of his life .
The baroness saw Baron Shawshank constantly opening up his eyes and paying attention to the movements outside, so she walked up to tell him gently, "Dear, listen, the plan succeeded!"
"Very good…"
Baron Shawshank pointed at Tanya with great difficulty . "Whatever happens next will be passed to you . Tanya, you must help your brother…"
After finishing his will, he looked at the direction of the noise . He was full of regret and unwillingness, yet he seemed ultimately unable to say anything as his arm powerlessly flopped onto the bedding…