Chapter 8: A Late-Night Plea for Help

"I told you so, there are one hundred and fifty of our family's soldiers at Tianshui Quan, and you still didn't believe me." Brynden immediately began to gloat.

Arthur looked back, and it was indeed a group of infantry, just a few hundred meters behind them.

Visually estimated at around one hundred men.

The appearance of these soldiers made the entire group restless, and some were clearly panicked.

Arthur knew it was time to offer some reassurance.

"Don't panic, we will pick up the pace and run. Once we enter the castle, they won't be able to break in with just that many men."

At the lord's command, the group of over fifty people immediately moved much faster.

Yule rode his horse to Arthur's side and asked tentatively, "The enemy is coming on aggressively; how about I leave first to seek reinforcements at Stone Hedge?"

Arthur smiled, "I think you just want to slip away early, right? Stay in the group and behave yourself. If I don't see you when we reach the castle, you can continue your life as a wanderer."

Of course he knew he needed to ask for reinforcements, and he also knew it had to be someone from the Bracken family who went to Stone Hedge.

But it could not be Yule.

Because Earl Janos of the main house did not recognize Yule as his second son; even if Steward Amber ran over, he would have a better chance of getting troops than Yule.

It would be best for Arthur to go ask for troops himself.

But if he rode away now, the whole group would lose heart and then scatter to find their own ways to survive.

If the lord ran, the people would certainly look out for themselves.

In that case, some of the people at the back of the run might be caught by the soldiers of Blackwood House.

Although Arthur did not care much about the lives of these people, he was, after all, currently responsible as their lord and had to think for them.

Yule remained silent and followed the group to continue the journey.

The fifty-plus people ran at full speed and actually arrived at the small castle by dusk.

Those who were riding horses, like Arthur and Amber, were fine and not very tired.

Soldiers like Piper and peasant soldiers like Daren could only use face-slapping and teeth-gritting to drive away the relentless fatigue during the latter part of the road.

After sending people to call everyone nearby into the castle, Arthur took Amber, Yule, and a few others to rush to the basement, preparing to find the Gold Dragons the family had accumulated.

Firstly, he needed to prepare some gifts for Earl Janos of Stone Hedge, as he needed the man to send troops after all.

Secondly, Arthur was prepared to run away if he couldn't get troops from Stone Hedge, as Blackwood really did have thousands of soldiers.

Thirdly, it was to prevent Yule from pulling any tricks.

Amber was very honest, and if he were deceived by Yule, he might be tricked into letting the money be stolen and the man slipping away.

Then Arthur would truly be left with no tears to cry.

The reason for bringing Yule was simple: to let him know that he was taking the Gold Dragons away, so as to make him give up the idea of stealing the money and running.

The basement was managed by an old man named Cyril, who was surprisingly not there when Arthur and the others went down.

But the key to the room where valuables were stored was in Arthur's hands, and the spare key was hidden in Arthur's bedroom.

So there was no worry about not being able to open it.

Arthur fished out the key and had Amber open it.

"Why isn't this Cyril here?" Arthur asked the soldiers behind him.

One man who was left to guard the castle today replied, "He said his son had some business, so he went out at noon."

Arthur recalled that it seemed Cyril's son was a gambler, and old Cyril had worried quite a bit over his son.

A Spinach Layman is a scourge in any plane.

In the original owner's memories, there was even an instance of Cyril stealing things from Arthur's house for his son.

The stolen items were not valuable, and after the original owner found out, he only criticized him verbally and did not punish him.

Amber opened the door, and the few of them walked in.

Arthur followed the original owner's memories to find the chest where the money was kept, only to find it had already been opened.

The money inside had also vanished into thin air.

"Damn it, where's the money? What's going on?" Arthur was completely stunned.

Amber also came to this room often,

and was also startled to see this scene.

"Where is the lord's money? That was a full seven hundred Gold Dragons."

Yule and the others also looked at each other in dismay.

Arthur turned around with a gloomy face and looked at the few people behind him.

Amber denied it first, shaking his head like a rattle: "My lord, it wasn't me, I didn't have the opportunity to steal the money."

Arthur looked at Yule.

Yule laughed in anger, "If I had stolen it, I would have run to King's Landing to live a life of luxury long ago; why would I still need to look at your face?"

As for the other soldiers, they had no opportunity to come to the basement at all, nor could they have known that valuables were hidden in this room.

"Then who could it be?" Arthur was a bit angry and muttered to himself, "You guys didn't have the time, and only a few people could have known there was money in here."

After scanning the people in front of him, Arthur and Yule said in unison: "Cyril."

"It's him; only this old fellow had the time to do this," Yule said as if vying for credit.

Arthur nodded, suddenly remembering one thing.

If he could transmigrate here, then the original owner must have died.

And those who had the motive to kill the original owner added up to only two types.

One type is a blood relative like Yule, who could obtain the inheritance and the title of knight after Arthur died.

But although Yule was the type of person who lived day-to-day, his heart wasn't very bad, so he should be excluded.

One type is those who covet the property of Arthur's family.

Including movable property such as Gold Dragons and immovable property such as the fief.

Only a few families like Blackwood could possibly take away Arthur's fief.

And since the eldest son of Blackwood House is still tied up, it cannot be his family either.

The most likely culprit is a servant who spends every day with him like Cyril, poisoning him in secret and then running off with the money.

If Arthur has not guessed wrong, Cyril must have killed the original owner last night, then found the spare key, and prepared to slip away quietly during the chaotic period when Yule would be fighting to inherit the fief and title after the original owner's death.

He just did not expect that bandits disguised as Brynden would raid the village, giving Cyril an excellent opportunity to escape.

"I must find that old bastard," Arthur said fiercely.

Because of this turn of events, the only path Arthur can choose is to beg for soldiers from Count Janos.

Otherwise, once the fief is lost, he will become a landless noble and end up wandering.

Westeros is not the Kaladiya continent of Mount and Blade; one cannot just go to any place and raise a troop.

The loyalty of the subjects to their lord is still quite strong.

"There is no time to lose; I will take two men and set off to request troops immediately. Amber will oversee the castle's defense, and Yule will serve as an advisor to help devise strategies."

After issuing the orders, Arthur exhorted Amber: "Remember, do not let Brynden escape; this is the key to our survival."

Then he took two soldiers and left on horseback.

They had not ridden far before they saw soldiers holding torches surrounding the castle.

The firelight faintly illuminated the banner of crows surrounding a Weirwood.

"Damn it, these Blackwoods are really bullying us," one soldier said.

"It is not yet certain who is bullying whom," Arthur reined in his horse and headed west, "Let's go, we are going to call for reinforcements."

There is a bridge to the west that can cross the Red Fork; from there, passing through Quxizhizhan and heading south all the way, one can reach Stone Hedge.

The three of them galloped through the night, racing toward the only hope of the Bracken at Red Mill.

PS: New author, new book. Seeking collections, recommendation votes, and monthly tickets. Also, thanks to Xingfeng Xuesheng for the two monthly tickets.