Chapter 18: Get some free stuff
The bearded man quickly finished reading the letter, but there was some confusion on his face.
"Sir Leon, I understand the Earl's instructions. But does this have anything to do with the Jatu raiders?"
The bearded officer was probably of civilian origin and still seemed unaware of the current situation.
"There is a group of so-called gangsters in Fletcher Village. You should know about this, right?"
The bearded man nodded blankly. "That's the nephew of the Duke of Alma. But they haven't done anything bad before. They seem to be expanding their territory. So even though the people in the earldom don't get along with them, they won't take the initiative to provoke them, so as not to cause greater conflicts."
Li Ang nodded: "If you have not received the information that Fletcher Village was looted by the Jatu people, and have not received the news that Yongdun Castle was captured, then this means that the so-called bandits near Fletcher Village colluded with the Jatu people and deliberately let the Jatu people enter the hinterland of Changhe Town..."
In fact, Li Ang was just guessing, but this guess was almost right.
Since Brave Shield Castle was safe and sound, and there was not even any special beacon warning, the Jatu cavalry was able to penetrate deep into the heart of the kingdom, most likely with the help of some traitors.
Count Oden's rise was built on the corpses of the Jatu people. He and the Jatu people were mortal enemies, and it was unlikely that his Brave Shield Castle defenders let them in.
Considering the territorial conflict between the Duke of Alma and the Count of Odden, it is not difficult to draw this conclusion.
——Count Oden specifically asked Leon to deal with the "bandits" in Fletcher Village, probably because he considered the possibility of this situation.
However, Oden did not say that the so-called gangster was Alma's nephew!
This old fox is plotting against me... It seems that neither side is a good bird...
Li Ang thought.
When the bearded man heard Li Ang's guess, his lips began to tremble, and he murmured, "How dare they do this... How dare they..."
Leon sighed, his expression sincere: "Of course they dare - you should know that hundreds of Jatu cavalry have entered the heart of the kingdom. What does this mean to Count Oden and you personally..."
Hundreds of Jatu cavalrymen appeared in the heart of Changhe Town. Both Yongdun Castle, a border fortress, and the Changhe Town garrison were to blame, or at least they were blamed for "incompetence and dereliction of duty."
Moreover, the Jatu people came from Count Oden's territory, 'Fletcher Village', and there was even suspicion !
This situation was difficult to deal with. Even if we eliminated the Jatu cavalry immediately, it would be difficult to reverse the fact that they had already looted the inland villages.
Duke Alma will certainly use this to attack Count Oden. Regardless of whether it will rise to the level of "collaborating with the enemy", at least Oden's men failed to ensure the safety of Changhe Town, and the evaluation of "not being suitable for managing the garrison in Changhe Town" is inevitable.
Then, even the best outcome would lead to Oden's management rights over Changhe Town being taken back and him withdrawing from the competition for Changhe Town.
The group of "bandits" entrenched in Fletcher Village had not done anything bad before, so their real purpose was probably this.
The bearded officer probably figured it out and panicked: "Sir Li Ang, do you have any good ideas?"
"You should quickly send a large force to wipe out those Jatu people and try to capture them alive. If that doesn't work, bring back the Jatu people's horses and all their equipment intact."
Li Ang started making arrangements without hesitation, as if he was the boss here.
The bearded man nodded: "Of course. But I'm afraid this won't solve the Earl's problem..."
What he cares about is the 'malfeasance' that has become a fait accompli.
"Of course not, but if you are fast enough and bring back all their horses and equipment, I can solve the problem completely..."
Li Ang's face was full of confidence. "While you are chasing after Gatu, I will quickly deal with those so-called bandits in Fletcher Village. I know it is not convenient for the people of the Earldom to take action. But I need some assistance..."
Seeing that Leon seemed to have a solution, Ralph the Bearded Man seemed very happy: "What do you need? I will try my best to help you."
Li Ang looked at the map and started to make his request directly: "I need a detailed map, the more detailed the better. In addition, I need supplies, including bows and arrows, as well as some carpenters and building materials. I will write you the specific quantity later."
The bearded man also looked at the map, with a puzzled look on his face: "I can understand the map and the crossbow...but what does the carpenter have to do with expelling the bandits?"
Li Ang answered as if it was a matter of course: "You also know that the so-called gangsters were not gangsters, but a group of nobles... To deal with such unconventional troubles, we naturally have to use unconventional methods."
The bearded man was even more puzzled: "Can you be more specific? If necessary, I can also send some new faces to join the battle."
"Of course... The problem you and the Count are facing is that the Jatu people have entered Changhe Town to plunder. You will definitely be held responsible. At the very least, you will be considered dereliction of duty or incompetence..."
Li Ang gestured at the map and began to describe his plan to the bearded veteran.
The problem facing Count Oden was troublesome, but not without solution.
Li Ang's approach was to fight back.
Build a nomadic camp of the Jatu people to the north of Fletcher Village, near the territory that the Duke of Alma's nephew is developing.
Then let Ralph send people to pretend to be Jatu people, run from the north to Lion Lake City - that is, the territory of Duke Alma, to take a walk around, or even rob.
Just like the Jatu people usually do, rob and then run away. Count Oden's men should be happy to do this job...
In this way, the entry of the Jatu cavalry can be understood as "Jato's large-scale attack and looting everywhere" - since Jatu looters appeared in everyone's territory, there was no question of who was responsible.
Moreover, the presence of a Jatu camp in the territory of the Duke of Alma's nephew was much more serious than the appearance of a Jatu cavalry...
Count Oden might even be able to counterattack.
After explaining the plan, Leon asked Sarah to help write down the list of materials he required, and then patted Ralph on the shoulder: "Ralph, you'd better write a letter to the Earl to inform him of the situation. This is no longer a simple fight."
Hearing the words "write to the earl to inform him of the situation", Ralph the Bearded no longer doubted, but bowed respectfully and accepted the order: "Although I still don't quite understand your plan, since the earl has asked me to do my best to cooperate with you, I will obey your orders. When will you leave for Fletcher?"
Li Ang looked at the sky and said, "I will probably leave the day after tomorrow. I will recruit some more people at the Adventurer's Tavern. When you have prepared everything, please send it to the tavern."
"Yes, sir."
Sarah had been silent at first, but when she left the station, she couldn't help but smile .
Only she saw Li Ang 's true intention.
"You really went to great lengths to trick those carpenters and building materials... Lord Leon."
Li Ang raised his eyebrows with a righteous look on his face: "What do you mean by cheating? I'm solving their problem..."
"But the list of materials you wrote to Ralph actually required twenty craftsmen and twenty carts of wood, as well as tents that could accommodate hundreds of people...Isn't it possible that the so-called nomadic camp you mentioned would use less than one-tenth of it?"
"Ahaha, Sarah, don't worry about the details... Besides, you know how expensive those carpenters and building materials are..."
