Chapter 144 Conspiracy Strikes
Half a month later, there were major personnel changes in the Bacchus Empire.
Governor Livius was transferred to the Shield Fortress, and Emperor Marius asked him to capture the White Hart Fort within a year to prove his innocence.
This is already a severe punishment for a governor - it is both a demotion and a reduction in power.
Shieldwind Fortress is a purely military fortress with few residents. All supplies depend on the Empire, and there is basically no chance to exploit the land.
In order to achieve the goal of capturing White Hart Castle within a year, it was impossible for Livius to drain the blood of his soldiers and collect empty salaries. Instead, he had to find a way to raise more troops on his own.
Governor Kairos will still serve as the Imperial Marshal, but his current military focus is to eliminate the domestic rebel 'Demossis Augustus'.
Governor Justus was not affected and continued to preside over Emperor Marius' reform policies.
Sarah has been gathering information in Bacchus recently, and she brought this information back to the lord.
Obviously, Kairos got the result he wanted, or in other words, the result that the Lord had planned.
Since the Bacchus Empire will only face one enemy, Governor Levius, Leon is not worried at all.
White Hart Castle is defensible.
At the same time, Sarah also brought back a strange piece of news - the Bacchus Empire was actually praising Leon's so-called great achievements, and it was very mysterious...
For example, some people say he is an invincible general, has three heads and six arms, and eats five children in one meal...
Some people also said that the soldiers he led were all two-meter-tall demons, extremely powerful and ferocious, and could kill eight horses with one punch...
Some people also said that he was extremely skilled and was the best swordsman in the world. He could use six giant swords at the same time and could basically kill anyone he wanted...
Basically, it's a monster. The name "Leon" can stop children from crying at night in Bacchus.
When Sarah brought back these rumors, she also congratulated the Lord. In her opinion, the Lord's fame was a recognition from the hostile country...
Although he did not understand why the Bacchus Empire spread these rumors, the lord did not take them too seriously - it was normal to demonize the generals of a hostile country, and it was inevitable that they would become monsters as rumors spread.
In the eyes of the enemy country, Count Oden was like a monster. Even Leon thought he should be a rough and strong man before he met Oden. Who knew he was just a skinny old man.
Although I don't know why such a small character like me can receive such treatment, it is not surprising. It is probably because I have impressed the three governors of Bacchus.
But just when the lord thought he could enjoy a rare period of peace, unexpected changes came from within the Kingdom of Sarleon.
In mid-July, at the hottest time of the year, a large group of Lion Knights came to White Hart Castle and surrounded the main building of White Hart Castle.
Leading the army was Lord Malbert, the acting political officer of Changhe Town.
Lord Malbert is the eldest son of Duke Brunus, who is the current Grand Master of the Order of the Lion.
He brought a letter to Leon.
Along with the letter came a large box filled with dinars.
The content of the letter is: "Sir Leon Griffin, thank you for your contribution to the Empire. The supplies you provided to the Empire have now been used in various battlefields of the Empire. Your actions of helping the Knights of the Radiant Cross and fighting bravely for the safety of the Empire should also be commended. For this, on behalf of the Empire, I grant you the title of 'General of Changhe Town' and give you 10,000 dinars to thank you for your outstanding contribution to the Empire. I hope everything goes well for you in Sarleon, my friend."
It is signed "Handwritten by Gaius Marius, Emperor of the Empire of Bacchus".
This is a letter from Emperor Marius himself.
Even the entire text does not use condescending words such as "order" or "edict", but rather very equal words.
This is very rare...
What's even rarer is the position - General of Changhe Town. This is totally causing trouble!
"Sir Leon, I met a carriage on my way out, but after seeing my flag, the owner of the carriage ran away... I saw this letter and this box in the carriage. I'm sorry, out of caution and curiosity, I read the letter. So now, you should probably explain why Emperor Marius of the Bacchus Empire gave you such a high reward?"
Lord Malbert was quite polite in his words and his behavior; he did not force his way in, but entered the Lord's Hall of Bailu Castle in a normal manner.
But the Lion Knights beside him were fully armed.
Moreover, these Lion Knights came from the direction of Mai Xiang Ling, but Leon and Amy did not receive any message from Mai Xiang Ling.
Obviously, Malbert did not stay in Maixiang , nor did he reveal any purpose to the people of Maixiang Territory. Instead, he led the Lion Knights directly into the White Deer Castle in an attack manner.
The enemy emperor personally wrote a letter to privately reward Li Ang as a general, and the meaning of the letter was very clear, Li Ang "made outstanding contributions to the empire"...
Judging from the letter alone, it could be considered that Marius was expressing his gratitude to Leon, and Leon could understand that the ten thousand dinars were to thank him for providing those carts of leather materials in a timely manner.
But the problem is that the content is too misleading.
Besides, being a volunteer for one night and providing a few truckloads of goods wouldn't be as serious as being named a 'general'...
There was also a problem with the destination - the letter was never sent to McShane or White Hart Castle.
This was obviously done deliberately by Emperor Marius.
If this letter was delivered directly to Bailu Castle or Maixiang Territory without being seen by other lords, there would be no problem, after all, what was said in the letter was actually true.
But the letter was deliberately placed in the hands of Lord Malbert.
This was clearly Emperor Marius's attempt to sow discord, and it didn't contain a single lie...
I'm afraid anyone who sees this letter will think that Li Ang has committed treason!
After all, an emperor would not normally write a personal letter to frame a small lord just to alienate him. For an emperor, such personal letters were rare, and if he really had to write one, it would be to an important official and good friend like Justus.
Although Lord Malbert usually just travels around and has fun, and basically doesn't care about anything, he will still take it seriously when it comes to treason...
As a result, he now visited Bailubao in person to hand over the letter to Leon.
Accompanying him were most of the Lion Knights...
He didn't even withhold the box of dinars.
"If I say this is Emperor Marius's plan to sow discord, would you believe me?"
Li Ang realized as soon as he saw the letter that the previous demonization of him in the Bacchus Empire was probably a preparation for this letter.
But this is a yin-yang strategy, and it's hard to explain...
"I would like to believe it...but I don't understand why the Emperor of Bacchus would deliberately target a baron like you - if it was targeting my father, I could understand it."
Malbert shook his head, with some sarcasm in his eyes.
really.
The Grand Master of the Lion Knights, Lord of Cliff Bay, Duke Brunus, currently the most powerful man in the entire Sarleon Kingdom, did not receive such treatment. Why should a mere baron receive such treatment?
Why would Emperor Bacchus personally frame a small baron?
Li Ang sighed: "Okay, I know this is not easy to explain, so Sir Malbert, what do you need me to do?"
"Sir Leon, I don't want to believe that you would commit treason. But you were appointed a general by Emperor Marius... This is not a low-level position! I think you should at least go to Sarleon City and explain to His Majesty the King in person - this is also the reason why I brought the Lion Knights here. I have always treated you with courtesy, and I hope you will not embarrass me."
It seemed that Malbert had no intention of making things difficult for Leon. He had indeed been treating him with courtesy, speaking to the point without any other emotions.
But the people of the Lion Knights seemed very alert.
Leon even saw the two leading knights wearing shackles - the order they received was probably not to let Leon defend himself, but to arrest the rebels...
However, the Lion Knights all knew Leon's skills and courage, and Lord Malbert must know Leon's actual status in the eastern region, so they probably didn't want to have a head-on conflict easily.
But even though the Lord is an eloquent speaker, he really can't defend himself right now...
"This is really slander! This letter is a conspiracy by Bacchus! Malbert, you should understand that Leon is innocent!"
Amy was sweating anxiously and was trying hard to explain to Malbert.
Lord Malbert shook his head: "Miss Amy, you have helped Baron Leon handle government affairs in Ayrshire for so long, and you should also understand that as the government official of Changhe Town, I can't turn a blind eye to such things. I am willing to believe Baron Leon, but this is my duty, please don't hinder official business..."
This was a very polite statement, and Malbert did not seem to have any hostility.
Then, Malbert looked at the lord again: "Baron Leon, as far as I know, you did go to Bacchus a few days ago, right?"
Li Ang's eyes narrowed. This kid wasn't traveling around all day, but was observing the developments in the eastern region?
"Lord Malbert is really well-informed. I did go to Bucks... OK, I know I can't explain it. Can you wait for me outside for a while? I will explain the official business to Amy and then go with you..."
Li Ang gestured towards the door to invite him in.
Malbert nodded: "Baron Leon better hurry up, we will wait for you outside."
Then he left the main building with the Lion Knights.
"Leon, are you really going to go with them? This is a trap set by the empire. They just want you to leave the territory..."
Amy frowned tightly and stopped calling him teacher. She was aware of the danger Leon was facing.
Because she knew that this was not slander, the letter was real - Emperor Marius did it on purpose.
This is similar to the method Leon used to make the Bacchus people suspicious of the two governors by using two IOUs. It can be said that he was giving someone a taste of his own medicine.
"I have to go, otherwise it would really be a rebellion... The Lion Knights will not come to White Hart Castle casually. The king's order is definitely not for him to speak to me politely."
"Then, you...ah...what should I do?"
Amy did not argue anymore, but asked directly about Li Ang's plan. She knew that it was useless to say anything else at this time, and the right thing to do was to solve the problem first.
"Amy, have Anson move everything in the McShane Territory to White Hart Keep, have Sir Roland guard White Hart Keep, and have Leslie gather the elite troops in the caravan to Sarleon. If... I mean if, if you hear that someone is spreading the news of my treason, then light the beacon fire of White Hart Keep immediately. Whether you see the enemy or not, you must insist that the Bacchus Empire is attacking White Hart Keep!"
Li Ang frowned and explained quickly.
"I understand. But if you go to Sarleon alone with them, and get framed..."
Amy nodded, but was quite anxious about Leon's safety.
"Lisadiran will follow me ... He won't put my life in danger. But you must remember, don't trust anyone except Lord Godric! If Lord Godric is not present, don't let any other troops enter the city!"
Li Ang handed his sword to Amy: "Please keep it for me. I will be back."
Amy took the sword somewhat helplessly: "Don't you have any weapons?"
"It's useless to bring it with you. It will only cause trouble... Give me the gunpowder bag. It might be more useful."
Li Ang hung the leather bag containing gunpowder for the musket on his body, took out a small sealed pottery jar from the drawer and put it in his arms, then walked out.
"Will King Ulric take this opportunity to deal with you?"
Amy asked suddenly, her expression somewhat sad and her voice low.
Li Ang smiled and said, "Maybe, there will be those dukes. My Maixiang Company is very valuable... Who doesn't want wealth?"
Amy nodded and lowered her voice, "The king has a son named Alanric, who lives in the Noble House in Sarleon."
"Leon..."
Amy cried pitifully from behind.
Li Ang turned around.
Amy gave him a gentle hug and kissed his helmet.
"A kiss from the goddess will bring good luck."
Li Ang smiled and nodded, then turned and opened the door.
"Baron Leon, can we go now? Do you want to take some followers with you?"
Lord Malbert was waiting outside the door with a smile on his face.
"Let's go. I don't have any followers, so I don't need to bring anyone else."
The lord looked back at the main building of White Hart Castle, took a Gattus horse from the stable, and followed the Lion Knights out of the city.
In the shadow of the main building, a man in black with a bow and arrow on his back quickly flashed out, left White Deer Castle from the secret door on the side, and caught up with the lord in the forest beside the road, across a wheat field nearly a hundred meters wide.
This is Risa Dillan.
…
Eagle Claw Castle.
This is a border castle located in the northeast of Lion Lake City. Further east is the Jatu Grassland.
This is the territory of Baron Kedren.
The baron's family had extensive marriage connections and was connected to many of the great nobles in the kingdom.
For example, the Duke of Alma was his brother-in-law—their wives were cousins;
Duke Brunus was his cousin-in-law;
Lady Bella, the wife of Duke Elfvan, was his cousin;
There was also the deceased Baron Eldred, who was his brother-in-law - Rainier's mother was his cousin.
This network of relationships covers more than half of the high-ranking nobles in the Kingdom of Sarleon.
This situation was helpful to Baron Kaedren most of the time and allowed him to obtain the territory of Eagle Claw Castle.
But in the troubled times of the Sarleon Kingdom, this kind of large-scale marriage may not be a good thing.
The Duke of Alma was involved in a heresy lawsuit because of Lady Bella, and Baron Eldred was killed for treason. As their relative, Baron Kedren will also encounter a lot of trouble.
For example, he is often called as a witness...
Since he was related to Lady Bella and Duke Alma, he would definitely be summoned by the king for questioning frequently.
Baron Keldren has been traveling back and forth during this period, running around for the Duke of Alma.
Now, Duke Alma was finally allowed to leave Sarleon, and Kedren finally returned to his own territory.
"Kedren, I will thank you for your help during this time."
Duke Alma looked a little haggard, but his eyes were still bright.
He was no longer wearing the custom armor with the golden lion on it, but was now wearing a set of ranger gear, the Ranger Armor of the Horn of Call Rangers.
He was stripped of his privilege to use the golden lion as an ornament - he was no longer the First Duke of Sarleon.
This was the reason why he was able to quickly get out of the lawsuit. He promised not to try to get involved with the Order of the Lion in exchange for Duke Brunus, who was in charge of investigating heresy, closing the case quickly.
Alma now has no say in the selection of the Grand Master of the Lion Knights, and Duke Brennus will probably be able to sit in the position of Grand Master of the Lion Knights until his death.
The one running between the two dukes as a witness was Baron Keldren.
"My Lord, don't be so polite. You have to take care of yourself... Look at it more positively. It's not a bad thing for a child to have his own ideas when he grows up. At least Fothert has shown the ability to inherit the family business."
Kaedren persuaded Alma earnestly.
Duke Alma shook his head slightly, his eyes looking somewhat lonely.
In these few months, he was involved in the heresy storm and lost Changhe Town, encountered betrayal by his own son Fothert, and heard the news of the death of his illegitimate son Foucher...
He was also threatened by Duke Brunus and lost his influence in the Order of the Lion.
For an old man in his sixties, not collapsing and losing his mind is already considered extremely strong.
"I will not let a person who framed his own father inherit my family business... Kaedren, I hope you can support me. I want to take back everything that belongs to me!"
Alma gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing coldly: "I have never known what it means to admit defeat in my life!"
Kedelun shook his head. "Sir, the garrison of Lion Lake City and the garrison you sent to Changhe Town before are all in Fothert's hands. The First Flag Guard of Lion Lake City is also under his control. That adds up to a total of 2,500 troops. And you only have these dozens of followers now..."
"Hehe, do you think that a Grand Duke only has this much strength? The Red Brotherhoods in several major cities in Sarleon Territory will help me - that's at least a hundred rogue knights and countless manpower. Moreover, as long as I can appear in Lion Lake City, who do you think dares to attack me?"
Alma still seems to have the fighting spirit and majesty of a lion.
But Kaedren still shook his head: "Sir, it is easy for the Red Brotherhood to get information or make some money, but it will have a counterproductive effect in this matter, you should understand..."
"Kedren, I don't expect the Brotherhood to show up directly in Lion Lake City. You should know that after I quit the Lion Knights, I joined the Horn Summoning Rangers... and now, the Rangers have no Grand Master."
Alma lowered his head to look at the ranger armor on his body, then turned to look in the direction of Jatu Grassland.
Kaedren frowned and thought for a while: "My lord, you want to use the horn to summon the rangers? But Ralph and Hereward don't trust you very much..."
"I don't need their trust. Hereward is old, and he is far away in Misty Swamp Castle and cannot interfere with me. As long as Ralph can be obedient, it will be enough. If they want to make Ralph obedient, the Red Brotherhood has plenty of ways! My qualifications are enough to become the Grand Master of the Horn Summoning Rangers!"
Alma climbed onto the horse and looked at Kedren: "You will support me, right?"
