Life's circumstances are always full of wonderful coincidences.
Charles fled into the village of Kwin. This was probably an instinctive reaction, just a desire to survive.
But he didn't expect that the Lion Lake City troops didn't chase him into Kwen Village just to kill him...
In most people's eyes, Charles was just a minor character - he was just a knight under Baron Leon, and his fiefdom was the border village of Fletcher, which had only a few hundred people. He was not very famous and his skills were not very strong.
He is neither rich nor noble, nor does he have strong power, and he is born an illegitimate child.
Apart from the fact that he killed the enemy with his own hands to avenge his father, which could be praised, in the eyes of great nobles like Alma, he was almost as if he did not exist, and of course there was no need to hunt him down.
The large army from Lion Lake City will keep chasing Charles because those troops and Charles have a common destination - Kwen Village.
After the Lion Lake City army entered Kwen, it immediately took control of Baron Leofric's territory in the north of Kwen.
The Countess's estate, on the other hand, was not disturbed at all.
However, Dallion, who claimed the throne in Kwen Village, was soon captured - Leofric's territory could not protect him...
In fact, the troops from Lion Lake City came here specifically to capture Dallion.
Duke Alma actually knew about Darion's existence a long time ago...
The Red Brotherhood has spies everywhere. Not long after Dallion came down the mountain, the information had already reached Alma's ears since he first showed the King of Pender's ring to others.
It was just that Alma was involved in a heresy lawsuit at the time and had no time to react.
But now, Alma could certainly think of this guy who claimed the throne with the blood of Pendor.
When Darion was captured, Eric was still doing real estate in the ruins.
After hearing about this, Eric was smart enough not to go for the rescue blindly, but immediately ordered the "Changhe Express" in Changhe Town to stop operating, and all armed personnel hid in the city and waited for orders.
This is the significance of why Leon let Eric manage the caravan's escorts - Eric is smart enough, he can take many things into consideration and make relatively reasonable arrangements.
Eric could at least think that Duke Alma's men captured Darion not to kill him, but to take advantage of Darion's identity.
Then there is no need to save Dallion, because he will definitely not die, and may even be crowned king...
But Alma occupied Changhe Town. In order to avoid losses, the escorts had to hide first. An ambush in the city might be effective.
Because Alma certainly didn't know about Changhe Express - the company was founded and developed at a time when Duke Alma was busy with a lawsuit . The name Changhe Express didn't seem to be anything special, except that the fleet would fly the flags of the three barons when it went out.
Anyway, many of the coachmen are part-time, and there is nothing special about the carriages themselves. As long as the escorts do not wear heraldic robes, Alma's men will definitely not know that this is actually a military unit.
They would only think that this was a transportation company that Leon had set up to make money. Anyway, the lord had many companies under his control, and Eric himself couldn't figure out how many companies his boss owned, let alone the people in Lion Lake City.
Eric himself took a risk with the twenty or thirty men he selected. They quietly approached Changhe Town, intending to disguise themselves as ordinary mercenaries to sneak in. In fact, this was their main business, so it was not even a disguise...
After the great battle in the city, Leslie had quietly left Changhe Town by water. She was going back to Bailu Castle to report the situation.
The main situation is that Alma attacked Godric, and immediately after capturing Godric, Alma publicly declared that Godric was committing treason, and accused the Red Brotherhood gangsters who appeared in the jurisdiction of Lion Lake City of being related to Godric.
Of course, Leon was also accused at the same time. Alma directly claimed that Leon had rebelled in White Hart Castle... and Alma also claimed that Baron Leofric was an accomplice of Leon and Godric.
This is the rhythm of catching several powerful barons in the eastern region in one fell swoop.
But unfortunately, although Leslie rushed to White Hart Castle as quickly as possible, she was unable to meet the lord.
Leon went to the Noldor Forest, and only Amy, Sarah and Sir Roland were left in the White Hart Keep.
Amy was furious on the spot. When she heard that Godric was captured, she immediately announced that she would prepare for war and planned to take all the troops in White Hart Castle to rescue her father.
Fortunately, Sarah persuaded her - Sarah only said one sentence: "Amy, you told me before that you shot Forcher... Then, I think you can guess why Alma attacked your father! Other than that, he had no reason to attack Lord Godric!"
Then Amy fell silent.
That’s right…
There was no other reason why Alma had the audacity to attack Godric in Long River Town.
Godric was the Chief of Military Affairs of the Eastern Region, a powerful noble in the Kingdom of Sarleon, and the King's brother-in-law - attacking Godric in Changhe Town was definitely a rebellion, and one that was unforgivable.
Because Changhe Town is now directly under the jurisdiction of the king, it is no longer an ordinary noble territory.
If it was two great nobles fighting for power and territory, just like the open and secret fights between Alma and Oden in the past two years, most people would probably pretend not to see it - including the king.
Because it’s so normal and it’s the way it should be.
If the nobles stopped fighting for power, then the one they should be afraid of is the king...
But now, Changhe Town is the king's private territory, and Godric is the highest military commander in the east appointed by King Ulric. In Changhe Town, Godric not only represents the laws of the country, but also represents the authority of the king.
Plus, he was King Ulric's brother-in-law.
Even the most powerful noble of Sarleon Kingdom, Lord of Cliff Bay, and Head of the Lion Knights, Duke Brunus, when he asked his son Malbert to act as the administrator of Long River Town, told his son not to conflict with Godric...
Lord Malbert didn't even dare to escort Leon to Sarleon for fear of offending Godric.
In Changhe Town, no one can touch Godric except the king.
The Duke of Alma is a veteran of this world. Since a man like him dared to lead a large army into the king's direct territory and attack the king's brother-in-law, it was certainly not because he was acting rashly.
This is for revenge!
Alma returned to Lion Lake City and asked Fothert everything. He already knew who killed Fothert!
When Amy shot Forcher, the fleeing pirates must have seen it, and Forcher knew very well the cause of Forcher's death.
Before retaking Lion Lake City, Alma certainly had no intention of dealing with Godric. In fact, he initially just let the Red Brotherhood hold Godric back.
But after learning the truth, Alma's mind must have changed - he might be ready to go against anyone!
Alma is Foucher's father after all. It is impossible for any father to remain absolutely rational when his favorite son is killed!
Although Foucher was an illegitimate child, he was an open illegitimate child - Alma publicly acknowledged that Foucher was his son, but he had no right of inheritance.
Alma had to seek revenge because his own son, and his eldest son, was dead.
Moreover, Alma would definitely expand his revenge - he would not leave himself with a terrible enemy like Godric.
Therefore, he first entered Changhe Town to ambush and capture Godric, and then accused Godric and Leon of treason, using this method to force Leon and Amy to show up themselves.
He didn't even have to go through the trouble of attacking a strong city like White Deer Castle!
After some consideration, the three women came to a unanimous conclusion - Lord Godric would definitely be safe for the time being, and Alma would not kill him even if she was crazy.
But Alma must have captured Godric just to make Leon and Amy, the two murderers of Fawcett, come and die!
Amy suppressed her anxious mood. She knew that leading her troops to Changhe Town now would be a death wish.
But now, she could do nothing.
On the contrary, Sir Roland had some ideas.
After listening to several women talking about Forcher, he thought that people like Forcher were beyond redemption and were criminals who must be put to death. Amy shot him just to enforce the law on behalf of the goddess.
They tortured innocent people, killed civilians, raped and plundered, and even murdered the people in their own fiefdoms - in Roland's opinion, such people were more hateful than heretics.
The Duke avenged such a criminal... Roland felt that such revenge was dishonorable and was in the form of framing others.
So he gave his own suggestion - he would go to Changhe Town to see if he could rescue Godric, then he would give it a try. If he really couldn't rescue him, then at least he could learn more about the situation.
He is a paladin, no one can stop him from going anywhere, Alma doesn't know him, and he can indeed enter Changhe Town openly.
However, he definitely didn't have the ability to break out of the prison - Roland was indeed very skilled in martial arts, but he was a truly decent man, and he wouldn't even lie...
So Sarah and Leslie decided to go with Roland.
Only Amy was almost forced to stay in White Hart Castle by these people - they all liked Amy very much, and they all knew what would happen if Amy appeared in front of Alma.
…
Changhe Town.
Duke Alma
He was looking at a royal decree on the table with the golden emblem of the Fierce Lion.
It was an imperial decree from the Kingdom of Sarleon, and the gist of the decree was that in the name of the King of Sarleon, Changhe Town was transferred to the Duke of Alma!
Changhe Town is Alma's hometown and also the family territory that he has been trying to recover all his life. The family territory was lost in his hands, so of course he wants to take it back with his own hands.
Such a transfer of territory is certainly in line with Alma's wishes.
This was also the reason why he could easily settle in Changhe Town without causing any disturbance.
However, this royal decree probably has nothing to do with King Ulrich - it is obvious that King Ulrich would definitely not grant Changhe Town to Duke Alma who already owns Lion Lake City.
But so what?
As long as the people of Changhe Town don't object to this transfer order...
In this way, Alma is carrying out the will of the Sarleon - no matter whether it is Ulric or Alanric sitting on the Silver Throne, they are still the Sarleon...
In Alma's opinion, it would be more appropriate if the person on the throne became Alanric - after all, Ulric is definitely not that generous...
This royal decree is a gift from Prince Alanric to Alma, a great gift.
If the Horton family reoccupies Changhe Town, the entire eastern and northern parts of the kingdom will be connected. Such a territory would be almost half the size of the Fierce Lion Kingdom in terms of area!
It’s just that the population is relatively small - both the eastern part and the Beibu Gulf are sparsely populated areas with small populations.
The eastern region with Changhe Town as its core has a total population of only a few hundred thousand. After all, it is a pioneering area. Border fortresses such as Yongdun Fort and Bailu Fort are constantly at war on both ends, and they face the most troublesome enemies.
The Beibu Gulf, with Shihu City as its core, has a population of about 300,000. In the past, this area had a large population, but after being ravaged by the Jatu people for more than a hundred years, the northeast has now become a completely uninhabited area, and a large number of people have moved to Qiaoyan Bay or the southwest.
The northwest region with Qiaoyan Bay as its core is prosperous and wealthy. Kenieburg is also a big city. The entire northwest has a population of more than 500,000, which is equivalent to the total population of the east and Beibu Gulf.
As for the western region, that is, from Sarleon City to Longhowl Castle, this area has basically never been invaded by foreign enemies. In addition, the land is fertile and easy to cultivate, so there are villages and towns everywhere.
The entire western region has a population of nearly one million, almost equivalent to the total population of the other three regions.
But population is one thing, combat effectiveness is another...
In terms of combat effectiveness, the troops in the east and north are the main combat power of the Kingdom of the Fierce Lion.
Because of the long-term wars in these two places, the soldiers have much richer combat experience.
If we put it another way, it could be that the soldiers in the eastern and northern regions are mostly of higher ranks, while the western region, although having a larger population, has soldiers of lower ranks and less combat experience...
Therefore, if Duke Alma can control the East and the Northern Gulf, he will no longer be afraid of anyone, including King Ulric!
As long as he can control Changhe Town, the Horn Summoning Rangers will have no choice but to submit to him, because this is the Rangers' home.
Now he still has more than a thousand troops in Lion Lake City and more than two thousand in Changhe Town, plus the Rangers who dislike him but have to obey him temporarily, and the troops of his ally Baron Kaedren - Alma now has an army of five thousand, and he has enough confidence to do anything.
Now that Long River Town has been captured and Godric has been captured, the only troubles Alma needs to face in the east are White Hart Castle and Brave Shield Castle.
The three barons in the eastern region are allies and close business partners. Alma is certainly aware of this, so he will deal with them together.
In Alma's view, both White Hart Castle and Brave Shield Castle are on the border, and the military forces of the two places dare not act rashly, so they have no ability to attack him, and will have to surrender sooner or later.
In order to make Leofric of Brave Shield surrender, of course we have to control Leofric's original territory.
So he sent troops from Lion Lake City to Kwen Village.
White Deer Castle is now under the management of Leon, so Alma naturally plans to get rid of the trouble caused by Leon.
Alma already knows that what Fossett did was closely related to Leon's deception, and that Fossert was also killed by Leon or Amy - he must avenge this!
In fact, Alma couldn't figure out when Leon started to oppose him...
Perhaps, he said a few words on Rainier's behalf in the throne room?
But Rainier is Alma's nephew!
In that situation, Alma would of course speak up for her nephew...but who knew that all kinds of troubles would arise one after another afterwards!
Alma thought that Leon was a very cunning guy and that White Hart Castle might not be so easy to deal with, so he began to make a series of arrangements.
Just after entering Changhe Town, he dispersed the Horn Summoning Rangers into teams of 100 people to various villages to guard against the Jatu people - although Alma colluded with the Jatu people, he, like Ulrich, was harming other people's territories.
When Changhe Town becomes his territory, he will not allow the Jatu people to cause trouble again...
Of course, this arrangement was mainly to comply with the Ranger Group's wishes to defend their homeland, so as to prevent the Ranger Group from ruining his plans.
The Horn Summoning Rangers did not intend to participate in the civil war and had no objection to this arrangement.
Later, Alma did release Raphael, and the Duke could be said to be a man of his word.
But Raphael hated him.
The young Raphael impulsively attacked Alma as soon as he was released.
Of course, this was useless, as Alma now had hundreds of knights protecting him.
But Alma was not angry. He even told Raphael: "I know your father is a friend of Baron Leon. Take your father to White Hart Castle."
So, the young Raphael left Changhe Town with the seriously injured Ralph and a small group of rangers who were willing to follow Ralph, intending to join Leon.
There were about fifty Rangers.
But soon after they left Changhe Town, Alma issued an order to arrest the rebel leaders Ralph and Raphael, father and son. Any lord who sheltered the rebels would be regarded as a traitor!
Ralph's crime was that he massacred nobles and created riots in Lion Lake City - this was absolutely true. In order to rescue his son, Ralph killed many knights in Lion Lake City, some of whom were indeed minor nobles, and he did cause quite a bit of chaos.
Raphael's crime was attacking the Duke in public - this was absolutely true, and many people in Changhe Town saw it.
Ralph's previous status was a pioneer baron granted by the king - that is, he was not officially a noble. With such a crime, his status as a pioneer baron had expired, and he was now a guilty commoner.
As for Raphael, his current identity is also a civilian.
Civilians killing nobles to create riots, or attacking high-ranking nobles, both of these are capital crimes in the Kingdom of Sarleon, and they are unforgivable.
Alma did not wrongly accuse them, he just wanted to put the blame on Godric and Leon.
He had already publicly accused Godric and Leon of treason, and if White Hart Castle took in Ralph and his son, it would prove that they were all traitors.
Then, his attack on Godric was an extremely righteous act, he was eliminating treason for the country and saving the kingdom!
Moreover, he also found the best reason for treason for "rebels" like Godric, Leon, and Leofric - the claimant to the throne of the ancient Pende Kingdom, Darion!
It is a foregone conclusion that Dallion is indeed a rebel to the Sarleon Kingdom, and Dallion himself will not deny it.
But Alma probably didn't expect that just when all his plans were successful, he himself got into trouble...