Chapter 260: The Leader of the Bandit Group

Jushi City.

Since May, the dark clouds of war have loomed over this city.

Facing the loss of Chishan Town overnight and the annihilation of half the Knight Order by the enemy, the people living here are terrified every day, fearing that if they fall asleep, they might not see the next day's sun.

Fortunately, reinforcements from Wushan Castle arrived, which allowed the situation to ease.

That night, the study of the Baron of Jushi City.

"Regiment Commander Keruien, the remaining Knight Squads of the Fifth Knight Order have already been taken over by Sir Tolu."

Keruien gave a cold snort, his expression incomparably indifferent. "Regiment Commander? Bulisuo, do you think I am still capable of serving as the Regiment Commander of the Fifth Knight Order?"

As Tolu entered Jushi City with Lulansi's orders, the few surviving Knight Squads of the Fifth Knight Order were quickly taken over by him.

Tolu did not say it explicitly, and Lulansi did not formally issue an order for his removal, but Keruien knew that after the defeat at Chishan Town, his status as the Regiment Commander of the Fifth Knight Order was gone.

From now on, his status was purely that of a vassal of Wushan Territory and the Baron of Jushi Territory; the only troops he could mobilize were the three Knight Squads of his own territory.

Besides this frustrating matter, to make up for the mistakes made at Chishan Town, Weijinsi also demanded that he utilize all the Knight Squads of Giant Rock Ridge and provide for the material consumption of the Wushan Castle Knights and the Wubei Territory Knight Squad.

And it is foreseeable that even if Wushan Castle wins this war and recaptures Chishan Town, there will certainly be no share of the iron mine there for him.

Bulisuo chuckled and did not continue to dwell on the matter of the Regiment Commander. "I heard that the commander of the Noble Allied Forces this time is Luoning. Baron, I wonder how much you know about this Luoning?"

"Just a brat who has only just come of age."

Keruien's tone was full of disdain. "I don't know if he hid his strength before or if he had some kind of luck to become an Advanced Knight. But even if he has performed well in the last half-year, it cannot cover up his past ignorance and stupidity!"

He thought of the father-son pair of Weijinsi and became even more disdainful: "You know Weijinsi's command level; do you think his son could be any better than him?"

The person involved is clear, the bystander is confused.

Keruien only knew that Luoning had eliminated Leisen and become the Viscount of Wubei Territory, but he did not understand that the latter's temperament and style of handling affairs had undergone fundamental changes.

"Then what should we do about this war?"

Although Bulisuo was asking, he seemed to have some inkling of Keruien's intentions, to the point that a faint smile still hung on his face.

"Are we to follow Luoning's command, or..."

"Of course we follow his command!"

Keruien interrupted the other party. "I suffered a defeat at Chishan Town first; if I don't follow orders now and it leads to the final loss of the war, wouldn't I just become a punching bag for the Noble Allied Forces to vent their anger?"

"That is true." Bulisuo nodded secretly.

The two of them were not at all worried about whether the Bolante Bandit Group would raise an army to continue their offensive and threaten Keruien's territory if the war were lost.

After all, there were many Wushan Castle Knight Squads in this Noble Allied Forces; even if they were all killed by the enemy, the other side would lose a few layers of skin.

Keruien took a deep breath, a glimmer of calculation flashing in his eyes.

"Go, prepare yourself. Tomorrow we still have to go outside the city to welcome the Commander and the Noble Allied Forces into the city!"

Meanwhile, inside Chishan Town.

The grand hall of the mansion that originally belonged to Knight Haen was now brightly lit by brilliant candlelight.

The five people in the hall were all very burly, casting massive shadows in all directions under the candlelight.

They were the leader and core members of the Bolante Bandit Group.

"The Noble Allied Forces of Wushan Castle have arrived; I'm afraid it won't be long before they attack Chishan Town." The person speaking sounded somewhat worried.

"What are you afraid of? Can't we just beat them back?"

"Heh, that's right. Chishan Town has been occupied by us; do you think we should spit it back out?"

The people below were talking all at once, some worried, some completely unafraid, but none spoke of seeking peace.

"Alright, shut up, all of you!"

Amikusi, the leader of the Bolante Bandit Group, said loudly, immediately causing the discussion in the hall to cease.

"Huoerdan, from now on, have the brothers keep a close watch and be ready for battle at any time."

Huoerdan was the deputy leader of the bandit group. "Understood, Leader!"

"Warwick, has the iron ore mined recently been transported away?" Amikusi asked.

A knight below replied hurriedly: "The early inventory of the Chishan Iron Mine and the iron ore we have mined recently have all been loaded onto carts and transported to Anbian City."

"Good. There is likely still some time before the war begins. Have that group of miners mine every day except for eating; even if they want to sleep, they must sleep at the mine!"

"What does the leader mean by this?"

The deputy leader frowned slightly. This style of doing things seemed to be about mining as much as possible before leaving. Could it be that he had thoughts of retreating?

"Heh, one must always have multiple plans. If an unexpected situation really occurs and we must withdraw from Chishan Town, then we should take as much iron ore as we can before we leave."

"I understand, Leader."

Knight Warwick, who was in charge of iron mining, revealed a cruel smile: "I will urge that group of miners to make them mine more iron ore."

"Remember to let them eat their fill, and let them sleep for two or three hours every day."

Amikusi reminded him kindly: "If they are too tired, the output will be low."

"I think those miners will be grateful for your mercy."

They discussed for a while longer before dispersing.

Although the Bolante Bandit Group was a force not recognized by the Kingdom or the various nobles, it had an internal management structure, and things were not done in a disorganized or arbitrary manner.

Watching his subordinates leave the hall, Amikusi couldn't help but stand up and stretch.

As a Golden Knight, if he followed other nobles, not to mention becoming a landed noble, it would be completely fine to become a Conferred Knight and step into the ranks of the nobility.

But how could those compare to the comfort and freedom of carving out his own territory?

Back then, he saw the decline of Wushan Castle and chose to cause trouble in this location with the support of nobles; this foresight was so high that even he himself admired it.

Now, as long as he grasps the degree well and is not jointly suppressed by the Kingdom, he can easily stand in the Southwest Territory of Wushan Territory like a noble; Anbian City and its surrounding towns are his territory.

In this way, what difference is there between him and those landed nobles?

"Noble Allied Forces of Wushan Territory, it has been several years since I have experienced your strength; I wonder if you have made any progress."

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, though it was unclear what he was thinking about that made him happy.

"Hehe, Marquis Lulansi wants to use us to fight a battle of vindication for his grandson; I fear that idea is destined to fall through~" (End of chapter)