Chapter 462: The Nobles’ Plundering Game

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In addition to the elite Earth Knight Weed Drywood, Liszt also selected four Earth Knights. Including the three selected by the Earl and the fifteen selected by the Viscounts, there are still eight old and weak Earth Knights left for the Barons to choose from.

Thus.

The first recruitment of knights was completed.

The loyalty of these knights cannot be guaranteed yet, and their future will depend on their performance. As for those knights who chose to pay ransom, they were only briefly bound. However, there is no need to worry, as knights are a relatively trustworthy group on the battlefield.

Being a prisoner is not a big deal.

They can still eat, drink, sleep, and even attend banquets, as long as they pay the required ransom on time.

This era has not developed nationalism, and the feudal system has also led to a lack of strong national identity, so the most easily aroused nationalism and patriotism have not yet emerged. The wars of knights are all for their own interests, a struggle among the nobles.

Similar to arm wrestling.

The victors will not mistreat the prisoners, and the prisoners naturally do not need to rack their brains to escape. They can eat and drink as they please, waiting for their families or lords to send the ransom, and then happily return home.

As long as they do not die in battle.

The battlefield is as leisurely as a vacation—of course, once defeated, the captives have to pay a hefty ransom to redeem themselves.

Watching the five Earth Knights who just pledged their allegiance during the castle's rest, quickly mingling with the knights of the Flower Squad, raising their glasses to drink together. Liszt still finds it absurd, such a serious matter as war, yet for the knights, it seems like a game.

"Perhaps it really is just a game, a game about plunder... Attacking the Sardine Bay area is essentially coming to plunder resources, not to occupy land."

He picked up his cup and took a sip, responding to a newly pledged Earth Knight who toasted him.

Suddenly, he thought it might be good this way, in case he is defeated one day, he can also pay the ransom to redeem himself, and not dying is the best outcome.

"Sir, Weed has a request, I wonder if you would allow it." Weed Drywood suddenly saluted solemnly, he spoke in serpent tongue.

The Sardine Bay area is close to the Kingdom of Steel Ridge, bordering the Rooster Hills, and many knights are fluent in both wind language and serpent tongue.

"Please speak, Knight Weed."

"On the eve of the war, my family had just moved, I had them hide in a village of a nearby town. I would like to request your permission to bring them here, and after the war, return with you to the Sapphire Duchy."

The family of a pledged knight.

Of course, this must be allowed, after all, with family ties, the loyalty will not be too bad.

At least when the knight is defeated, there is a high probability that he will choose to pay the ransom—provided he has enough money to pay the ransom. It is also because the local Viscount has already died in battle, and there is no lord to pay the ransom for them, that these commoner Earth Knights without titles would easily choose to pledge their allegiance.

They cannot stubbornly wait for death.

"Teacher Marcus, I need you to take someone to make a trip, let Weed write a letter to bring, and fetch his family. Then let them take a boat to leave here first, returning to the territory along with the serfs." Liszt did not let Weed go to fetch his family himself, not trusting enough yet.

He plans to take the other's family away, first sending them to Black Horse Island.

In this way, Weed, without any worries, can quickly integrate into the knight squad.

Then, he looked at the four Earth Knights: "What about your families, do they need to be fetched?"

Three Earth Knights told the locations where their families were hiding, only one Earth Knight hesitated: "Sir, I am a bastard, not valued in the family, they are just a group of strangers to me. My mother was a serf, and she has passed away."

"In my territory, being a bastard is not an obstacle," Liszt raised an eyebrow. "You are still young, and after following me, opportunities to change your fate are everywhere."

The Earth Knight immediately knelt on one knee: "I am at your service, my lord!"

His expression was filled with excitement.

Once a neglected and even oppressed second son of a noble, the lord he followed also paid him no attention, making it almost impossible to change his fate. Therefore, after being defeated, he couldn’t even afford the ransom, and thought he would be sent to work in mines or workshops until death.

He never expected to have the choice to pledge allegiance again—this was simply the best news he could have received. In the past, the Sapphire Duchy did not allow the recruitment of prisoners; one either paid the ransom or was imprisoned as a laborer.

More importantly.

The lord didn’t care about his status as a bastard.

……

Weapons, armor, tools, grain… The collected resources were immediately allocated to each knight based on their military achievements.

These resources, of course, would not be distributed immediately but were all transported to the port town by the sea. There, numerous mercenary groups and second-hand dealers would come to trade—gems, crystals, jade, metals, all were part of the trade, and of course, the trade of serfs was also included.

"Father, I don’t need other resources, I only want serfs," Liszt’s goal was clear.

"I will have Captain Mickey convert your share of the spoils entirely into serfs, and some of the merchant ships will be allocated to transport the serfs for you."

"Thank you, Father."

"Don’t forget to pay the rental fee."

"You should give me a discount, at least 20% cheaper than renting my uncle’s merchant ships."

"10%, no more. If you weren’t my son, I would charge a 30% premium."

"Fine." Negotiating business between father and son was also a common practice among nobles, especially since Liszt had already been enfeoffed and was an independent individual.

He had Marcus leave the knight squad to solely handle the serf trade.

"Master Marcus, as long as the serfs brought by the mercenary groups are not sick, we can take them. Even if they are disabled, as long as they have some skill, they can be sent to Black Horse Island."

"My lord, I understand!"

……

The serf trade had begun.

And the pace of war was also advancing rapidly. Maintaining contact with other knight orders, the Coral Island Knights rested overnight at Riverbay Fort before setting out again to attack broader territories, plundering all the wealth of the land. The knight orders of small lords could not stop their advance.

Especially Liszt, who led nine Blizzard Beasts in each charge. A burst of rock spikes always disrupted the enemy knight order’s formation, achieving a rout.

Harvesting one glorious victory after another.

Even when those knight orders hid in their castles, they could hardly withstand the earth magic of the Blizzard Beasts. For a time, they advanced unhindered, with him as the spearhead, the Coral Island Knights captured four small cities in a row, directly pressing towards the first major city—Falconview City, the territory of the Peregrine Count.

The name Falconview City meant the city witnessed by the peregrine, and the peregrine naturally referred to the Peregrine Count—Tasker Chariotleaf.

At this moment, in Chariotleaf Castle on the eastern slope of Falconview City.

The Peregrine Count, with a gloomy face, convened a meeting of his followers: "We have received a warning from the Rattlesnake Marquis, those disgusting flies from the Sapphire Duchy are coming again, this time targeting the Sardine Bay region. And the opposing Pheasant Marquis is also joining them, so all the lords of our Sardine Bay must unite!"

The followers all howled: "We obey your command, my lord!"

Tasker’s hawk-like eyes swept over all the knights, revealing a satisfied smile: "Good, then, next we… defend Chariotleaf Castle to the death!"