Chapter 1418 - 762: The Generous Baron (Part 2)

Chapter 1418: Chapter 762: The Generous Baron (Part 2)

Almost everyone was wiped out in one round, with shrapnel wounds all over their bodies, lying on the ground wailing, as if their tenacity for life had become a curse at this moment.

One unlucky fellow was even hit in the head, dying instantly, which in some circumstances might be a blessing, at least he didn’t have to suffer so much pain.

Gathering around the knight was naturally out of a psychological need for protection, no one expected it to become their shortcut to hell.

The knight, although experienced in slaughter, had only bullied ordinary people before; never did he imagine he would end up so miserably.

Yet in the brief moment of his shock, Hamlet’s soldiers, under the cover of fire support, had already breached the first line of defense.

"Ah! Run for your lives!"

"Help me!"

The remaining small soldiers were scared out of their wits, some instinctively ran toward the fortress, not even considering resistance.

The knight no longer dared to pretend, quickly found his warhorse, mounted it, and ran back, as long as he reached the fortress, he could survive!

A soldier climbed onto the wall, raised his rifle, aimed, and then fired.

And suddenly the knight on horseback felt a massive blow to his back, he lost control and toppled off the horse onto the ground.

The whole army picked some sharpshooters to form snipers, each team was assigned a few, responsible for completing specific tasks, just like now.

However, the snipers were also surprised to see the knight struggle to get back up after falling down, which immediately raised their alertness.

Because they were all veterans of fighting against evil cultists and knew some wonders about supernatural powers, they paid extra attention to those who survived gunshots.

Actually, it was a misunderstanding; if he possessed any transcendent powers, he wouldn’t be stuck in this little place.

The shot just tore his armor, but he ran fast enough, which weakened the impact, and what really saved him was an inner layer of chain mail beneath the armor, and his thick winter clothing absorbed the final blow.

It could only be said that he was hard to kill, but unfortunately, being alive wasn’t necessarily a good thing; he was now treated as prey.

A few soldiers came over and beat him up, stripped him out of his armor, and then marched him to persuade the people in the fortress to surrender.

After witnessing the power of the artillery, the remaining common folks dared not muster the courage; thus, after the knight fell, the battle was almost decided.

As the infantry crossed the walls and opened the gates, the main force streamed in, and wherever they went, upon shouting a few words, surrender followed.

The so-called fortress was captured without much effort.

All civilians were driven out, and the facts of Hamlet’s suppression of the rebellion and counteroffensive against the invader were proclaimed to them.

But seeing their frightened and uneasy expressions, it was evident that they didn’t really understand those words.

For them, it seemed that changing a lord made little difference, and they were more concerned whether the lord would retaliate for the knight’s resistance by slaughtering.

Some were worried about the fate of their family, hoping to find familiar faces among the surrendered.

But inevitably, some were destined for disappointment; such was the cruelty of war, and when they chose to stand against Hamlet, their fates were sealed.

Yet, they were more filled with fear and numbness rather than hatred, for the mighty knight they relied on was also captured.

His armor was stripped off, he was shackled hand and foot, his undershirt stained with blood, hair disheveled, looking extremely disheveled, devoid of his usual majesty.

The army didn’t linger there long; after capturing the place, they notified the rear to send someone to take over, and after a short rest, they were off to join the others.

The situation was similar in two other places, where coincidentally a knight of a knight’s domain, upon receiving the news, chose to bring reinforcements.

He ran right into the marching Hamlet’s army, confident in his strength, opted for a field battle, hoping to strike while they were not settled, and then he was gone.

Moreover, there was just an unfortunate fellow who underestimated the power of artillery and got blown away by a shot from five hundred yards away, resulting in a quick surrender of the rest.

The consecutive captures could be said to come without any surprises, and by this time Barton also received the news from Reynard about the town being captured, signaling this land was also taken.

"Quickly, deliver the news to the lord; I predict those barons will soon react, and the real war is about to begin."

Barton swiftly composed a brief report out of the news and sent it back.

Though it looked like a triumphant advance, Barton was well aware it was due to catching the enemy off guard; if they became arrogant, the next encounter would be a defeat.

Barton was no longer the rash youth he once was; he had tasted the bitter fruit of failure, and he didn’t want to experience it again.

Moreover, he could not afford to betray the lord’s trust in him, so he had to be extra cautious.

The forces began to assemble outside the town, the army regrouping, while a few commanders began discussing the upcoming battles...

When the baron received the message, after a simple discussion, he immediately sent someone to notify the knights.

However, by the time those men arrived, they could see the army already encamped outside the captured town.

The loss of this place also meant the territory from this baseline outward was already taken by Hamlet’s army.

No one expected it so quickly, and the messenger dared not scout and rushed back to report to the baron as fast as possible.

The baron within the manor was shocked; he thought he was fast enough, but he was still a step behind.

Within just a day, they reached this far, and under the current circumstances, a battle seemed unavoidable.

The reason was simple: Hamlet’s army came too fast, beyond everyone’s expectations, meaning there was no time to contact the other barons, leaving him with only two choices.

Either gather all the knights within his domain and with their combined strength face Hamlet’s army.

Winning would be advantageous, but losing would mean the end of everything.

The second option was simply to surrender and return all the seized lands, likely ending with paying a sum of money.

Relegating back to a baron’s domain, he might not even sustain five knights, and now with over twenty fief knights under him, asking them to forfeit their lands?

Probably they wouldn’t need Hamlet to act; they would eliminate him themselves or just surrender and become guides for Hamlet’s side.

Even if the knights truly remained loyal, willing to give up their lands, paying compensation would empty the entire domain; was all his effort essentially for paying others in the end?

Would he just hand over the hard-won lands?

This option was absolutely out of the question; fighting presented a chance to win, surrendering meant total loss, so the only choice was to fight.

But the strategy needed careful consideration.

"Send someone to negotiate; even if unsuccessful, at least stall them, buy more time for war preparations, and also check out their situation.

Then notify everyone, war is inevitable, and have them converge; once Hamlet’s army is defeated, those territories will truly be ours."

Even if the knights received the message immediately, gathering their domain’s manpower and coming over would take considerable time.

After all, not every army could sustain combat capability like Hamlet’s professional troops after days of rapid marches.

Similarly, the baron needed time to arm and train more soldiers from his domain.

The negotiations also had a hidden agenda.

"Probe those leaders, tell them if Hamlet’s lord refuses to grant them fiefs, I will.

The lord has claimed everything of Hamlet for himself, unwilling to share a bit, this miser doesn’t deserve loyalty.

Also, inform those knights, even if they defect over, it’s futile; Hamlet’s lord will not grant them fiefs."

Once said, it seemed everyone realized something...