Chapter 16: Not a Single Soldier Can Die

"Your footwork still has some issues; it will be a major disadvantage on the battlefield."

When both were somewhat exhausted and had slowed their movements, Hans Darry suddenly said this.

Arthur chuckled. Why did everyone want to lecture him?

The last person who pointed out his problems was still tied up in his family castle.

"So what? As long as my strength is great enough, what opponent can withstand a single strike from me? What use is agile footwork then?"

Hans stepped back, and while parrying with his sword, he said to Arthur, "You are not The Mountain; strength does not grow infinitely. A young man should be more humble and listen to the experience of his elders."

Arthur wanted to retort, but he held back.

Should he tell this middle-aged man that his strength really could grow infinitely?

Let him remain ignorant.

"Ah, yes, yes, you are right."

Hans thought he had taken his advice to heart, and his impression of this young man improved.

He had just been inside the castle and did not know why Arthur had come, nor why this fight had started.

If it were only to please the Brackens, Vances, and Pipers in the seats, he felt it necessary to advise Count Janos on how unreliable Hendry was.

It was as absurd as King Robert, who held tourneys or large hunts all day long.

So he asked, "Why are you fighting this fight?"

"To make Hendry send troops, because he promised that if I won three matches, he would give me five hundred soldiers," Arthur replied with a powerful slash.

If the two were not currently hacking at each other, this conversation would have been quite harmonious.

"Why do you need to send troops?" Hans continued to ask.

"Because Blackwood House sent troops to surround my family castle and bully my smallfolk," Arthur said, using a different phrasing.

As for the matter of having tied up the eldest son of Count Tytos Blackwood, he chose to omit it.

"That sounds like you are a decent lord."

Arthur was very satisfied with this praise. "Yes, I am fighting for my smallfolk."

Hans quickly stepped back twice, temporarily disengaging from the fight. "It sounds like I have been blocking the reasonable demands of a just lord?"

"Ah, yes, yes." Arthur did not pursue, taking the opportunity to rest.

After all, swinging a greatsword to hack at someone was quite tiring.

The two stood holding their swords, staring at each other.

In the spectator stands, those who did not understand the situation fell silent, thinking this was the quiet moment before a decisive battle.

It was like the pitch-black moment before dawn.

Thinking that Hans was gathering strength for a massive strike, Arthur also became secretly tense.

After all, a warrior with top-tier strength and technique was not easy to deal with.

Just as Arthur raised his sword again, this Mr. Hans suddenly spoke:

"I cannot fight anymore; I surrender."

The crowd outside the arena heard this and looked at each other, none of them having reacted yet.

Even the officer acting as referee stood stunned to the side.

But immediately, it became boisterous.

Whether they were minor nobles or Knights, they all occupied the moral high ground and launched fierce attacks on Hans Darry.

Most of them believed this was a deception.

A few even cursed loudly, looking as if they had lost quite a bit of money.

Marq Piper was completely bewildered; he had just been getting into the excitement when the battle suddenly ended.

Hendry had not expected this situation either; although he had acted as the bookmaker and won a large sum of money, the thought of not wanting to send troops was still clouding his mind.

Kalier Fansi felt a bit relieved; now the three of them were the same.

Arthur was even more confused; he awkwardly lowered his sword and watched Hans sheath his and leave.

He did not know what this middle-aged Knight meant.

After a long while of chaos, Hendry announced that Arthur had won, and added conditions for sending the troops:

"Everyone has seen it; Mr. Hans did not use his full strength, which means Arthur did not win completely. Although this does not fit the agreement, I, who keep my word, am still prepared to send five hundred soldiers to assist Ser Arthur."

"But I have one condition: not a single one of these five hundred soldiers can die. If there are any injuries, the compensation and medical expenses shall be borne by Ser Arthur Bracken and his family."

Hendry's statement had an extremely obvious noble style; the way he said it made it seem as if Arthur had broken the agreement, and he was continuing to honor his promise despite the losses.

Arthur thought about it and felt it was acceptable, but there was one point he had to clarify to avoid disputes later.

"What if a soldier is killed in action?"

Hendry said without hesitation, "That is easy; for every soldier, compensate my house one hundred Gold Dragons."

Arthur was a bit stunned. "The ransom for a minor noble is only three hundred Gold Dragons, and you want one hundred Gold Dragons for a single soldier? That is too much of a rip-off!"

"If you are dissatisfied, you can leave." Hendry remained unmoved.

With his lifeline right before him, how could Arthur give up?

"How could I be dissatisfied? Then we shall do as you say. When will the troops depart? Who will be the Commander?"

As one of the former four great powers of the Riverlands, the main Bracken house had about three thousand five hundred standing troops, with about a thousand near Stone Hedge.

"If you are willing, depart now. Three hundred will be mobilized from near Stone Hedge, and the rest will be conscripted along the way. As for the Commander, I appoint Ser Andrew Bracken; you will have to follow his orders then, Arthur."

Because he had won a large sum of money, nearly a thousand Gold Dragons, by betting on Arthur, Hendry did not make things difficult for Arthur regarding the troop deployment.

There were some Bracken soldiers stationed along the route to the north, and they could be conscripted on the way north using orders from Stone Hedge.

Arthur was quite satisfied with this arrangement.

Without delay, after expressing his gratitude to Hendry and Count Janos, he left the training ground with Andrew and headed toward the battalion.

The two soldiers who had come with him followed him as well.

Andrew, with a round face and a full beard, of medium height, was a scion of a branch of the main Bracken house, having been trained according to the standards of a high-ranking officer.

In terms of status, Andrew was certainly inferior to the minor noble Arthur, but in terms of actual power, Arthur was still inferior to him.

Two different paths in life, and it was hard to say which was better or worse.

"My lord, why don't you rest for a while? I think you are already very tired."

Andrew had also watched these three battles and highly recognized Arthur's strength, his tone even carrying a hint of flattery.

"No need, I can rest while on horseback. My subjects are still being bullied, so a little fatigue on my part is nothing."

Arthur said, feigning a sense of righteous indignation.

Andrew was filled with respect.

"There is still some time before the afternoon; if we set off immediately, we can reach the vicinity of the River Road before it gets completely dark."

The River Road was a road running from west to east through the Riverlands on the south bank of the Red Fork, one of the five great roads built during the reign of Jaehaerys the Conciliator.

Once there, it would not be far from the Red Fork.

Arthur nodded, indicating his agreement.

"Additionally, we can send out Cavalry ahead to notify the conscripted soldiers along the way, which could save a bit more time," Andrew proposed again.

"You are the professional Commander; arrange everything as you see fit."

Arthur was very satisfied with Andrew, and turned his thoughts to how he could sell Brynden Blackwood for a good price.

PS: Seeking recommendation votes and monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)