Chapter 273: A Good Bow

When the gates of Jushi Castle were blasted open, the outcome of this war was already sealed.

Keruien did not even hold out for a single day, and he could not wait for the reinforcements from the Bolante Bandit Group in Chishan Town at all.

Riding his Tayunjv, Luoning stepped into this massive castle amidst the smoke-filled atmosphere.

"Haha, Luoning, I never expected you to have a Silver Knight in your hands."

Mawen walked up with a smile, "Tell me, Ruidar, were you at the Silver Grade from the very beginning?"

Ruidar gave a noncommittal response.

Luoning changed the subject and said, "This Bulisuo is a Golden Knight; he must be guarded strictly. Also, how is Keruien?"

"Tolu severed his arm; he is heavily wounded and unconscious. But a Silver Knight's body is tough, so he won't die for the time being."

"Bandage his wounds. Once the war is over, bring him to Wushan Castle to be dealt with by the Marquis."

As Luoning and the others conversed, they walked into the castle.

Two days ago, they had entered this place as guests, but now they were the masters.

It is unknown whose fief Jushi Territory will become after this war's settlement.

After capturing Jushi Castle, what followed was controlling the Knights and Servants inside, as well as taking inventory of the assets.

In the fortress of Jushi Castle, most of the leaders of the Noble Allied Forces were already present, listening to the reports from their subordinates.

First, there were no family members of Keruien among the captives; clearly, he had already relocated his entire family before the Noble Allied Forces arrived, and no one even knew where they had gone.

Second, the assets in Jushi Castle were not as abundant as imagined; there were less than three thousand gold coins, and there were not many other precious jewels either, presumably taken away by Keruien when he relocated his family.

Upon hearing this report, everyone felt a bit cold; the dream of making a huge profit was gone.

"Luoning, how do you intend to handle this loot?" Tolu asked.

Although it is inevitable that some will embezzle spoils of war during the tallying, the commander usually decides how the majority is distributed.

In the past, after Weijinsi won a battle, he would always say to give him time to come up with a distribution plan.

At first, everyone actually believed him, thinking that the distribution plan would be out in three to five days at most.

But who could have imagined that this plan would be dragged out until now without ever appearing, and those spoils of war had long since become Weijinsi's private property.

As Weijinsi's son, how would Luoning handle it?

For Luoning, this battle was his performance battle; his every move would be watched by this group of nobles and Knights.

His own strength is one aspect, but his command ability, his attitude toward others, and his method of distributing loot all influence how everyone views him.

If he truly wants to grow and become strong in the future, he needs followers.

Therefore, Luoning naturally would not do something as foolish as Weijinsi.

"Regarding the loot, Tolu, you pick a few leaders from the Noble Allied Forces to formulate a distribution plan. Generally, distribute it according to the number of people each noble has and their contributions, and take care of those nobles who suffered greater losses."

After all, others paid out of their own pockets to participate in the war, and some even sacrificed their own lives; it would clearly be unreasonable not to let them get some loot.

Moreover, for Luoning, the few thousand gold coins, jewels, and the armor and weapons on the Knights under Keruien were all secondary; the things that cannot be taken away are the main priority.

Hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up.

With such an arrangement, everyone could get some benefits, more or less; thus, their hard work was worth it, and they became increasingly satisfied with this young commander.

"My Lord, we just received a report from the scout cavalry: the Bolante Bandit Group's troops have already left Chishan Town and are rushing toward Jushi Territory."

The news that Jushi Castle had been captured clearly had not yet reached the ears of the Bolante Bandit Group; the other side naturally assumed that Keruien was still resisting.

"Feilipu, you continue to be responsible for reconnaissance on the enemy. Suoersitan, you lead your men to reinforce the blockade of Jushi City; no one is allowed to leave, especially heading south."

When the Noble Allied Forces entered Jushi City, Luoning had already ordered personnel to blockade the city and prevent entry and exit, with the goal of preventing anyone from going out to tip off the enemy.

Now that Jushi Castle has fallen, if the bandit group finds out that Keruien has been defeated, they will likely retreat to defend Chishan Town.

"Additionally, have the Letter Bird of Jushi Castle send a message to Chishan Town, saying that the Noble Allied Forces have low combat effectiveness, Baron Keruien has held off two waves of attacks, and now that the day is turning late, both sides have ceased fighting, hoping that Amikusi can arrive to support as soon as possible."

Hearing this, everyone could not help but reveal a sinister smile.

I am afraid the people of the Bolante Bandit Group will be overjoyed upon hearing such news; after all, Keruien can hold off the Noble Allied Forces by relying on the castle, and once their two forces combine, they will surely be able to wipe out the Noble Allied Forces completely.

They also felt that fighting under a commander like Luoning, they did not need to overthink brain-taxing matters; they just needed to lead their men to charge.

That night, the Noble Allied Forces set up camp outside Jushi Castle, still maintaining the appearance of besieging the castle, with cavalry patrolling outside the camp to prevent anyone from approaching.

Inside Jushi Castle, the lights were bright, and the leaders of the Noble Allied Forces were tallying their respective loot.

In Luoning's room.

"My Lord, this bow and twenty-three Magic Arrows are for you."

Ruidar handed the longbow that Baron Keruien had used to Luoning and introduced it:

"According to Tolu, the bowstring of this longbow was made by a master craftsman using the tendons of a Level 3 Magical Beast, the Tiejiacongniu; the market price is estimated to reach over two thousand gold coins!"

"So impressive?"

Luoning took the longbow; it did not feel heavy in his hand, and in terms of appearance, other than the dark red bowstring, it seemed nothing special.

He applied force lightly but failed to pull the bowstring.

"It really is quite tight."

While Luoning sighed, he increased his strength. Accompanied by the creaking of the longbow, the bowstring was pulled open by him, and then he let go.

"Boom!"

The bowstring snapped back, producing a massive sound, and Luoning's entire arm trembled because of it; if he hadn't gripped it tightly, he might have made a fool of himself by letting it slip.

"A longbow made from Magic Beast materials, plus Magic Arrows—no wonder Keruien could shoot through that Advanced Knight's Battle Qi Armor and steel armor with one arrow. This bow is indeed very strong!"

Luoning looked at the arrows in Ruidar's hand; the bow and arrows combined were worth over three thousand gold coins. These people are truly adorable.

It is just a pity that among his subordinates, it seems only Kelami and Babulin possess the Wind Attribute.

However, they are only Intermediate Knights, so using this bow is a bit of a stretch.

"Ruidar, it looks like you will have to teach me how to use a bow and arrow after this war ends."

For a Professional Knight, besides swordsmanship and horsemanship, archery is also one of the necessary skills to master.

"With your strength as a Magician, my lord, you have a natural advantage in precision; the bow and arrow should be no problem for you."

Meanwhile, outside Jushi City.

After a day of traveling, the Bolante Bandit Group was currently setting up camp to recover their strength.

"Is there any news from Jushi City?" Amikusi asked his deputy.

"The Noble Allied Forces have already blockaded Jushi City; our people inside cannot get out at all."

Huoerdan looked worried; without news from inside, he always felt a weight on his mind.

"The Noble Allied Forces have arranged scouts to track our movements. I quietly approached to observe, and there is a cavalry unit guarding outside Jushi City, clearly to defend against us."

"They aren't that stupid; they naturally know we would support Keruien."

The four were discussing inside the An'an when a cavalryman walked in quickly, "My lord, this is a letter sent by fast horse from the Letter Bird manager at Chishan Town."

Amikusi walked over quickly, took it in his hand, and began to read.

"Keruien has held out!"

A smile appeared on his face as he laughed and cursed, "These Noble Allied Forces are truly trash; with so many people, they can't even take one castle."

The weight on Huoerdan's mind finally lifted.

"We are only a dozen or so miles from Jushi City; we will set off at daybreak tomorrow and will definitely arrive before Jushi Castle falls."

Suddenly, Lanweisa said in a low voice, "Is it possible that this letter is fake?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

"Rest assured, it cannot be fake!"

As Amikusi spoke, he pulled the previous letter from his pocket, "Look, the handwriting is the same." (End of this chapter)