Chapter 272: Untitled IV

After receiving the mission, busyness and rushing about became the main melody of Allen's life during this period. Quelling rebellions, in an era similar to the Middle Ages, actually could not be considered difficult.

For those places that had not been exposed but had some signs, Allen would send the Nords in his team to cooperate with the money offensive to go to the villagers to walk around and drink, and inquire whether there was anything strange in the village.

There would always be some villagers who were greedy for money, who, while receiving Dinars, would reveal some true or false news.

However, for Allen, it didn't matter whether the news was true or false. As long as there was news, it was fine. He was here to clean up the rebellion, not to be a "blue-sky" official.

As long as he followed the vine to find the melon, and captured the few rebel leaders with the highest status in a very short time, the matter could be considered over. After all, most of the rebel troops were a mob. Without leaders to lead them, it was actually difficult to stir up any waves.

For those who did not resist, then lock them up and wait for a detailed investigation after the war. Even if the wrong person was caught, it could play a role in "beating the grass to scare the snake."

For those who resisted, that represented a guilty conscience, and killing without mercy was the fastest and most suitable way.

And for those places that had already raised their flags to rebel, naturally, the main army would go up to suppress them directly. The leaders would all be hanged, and the small cats and dogs would all be caught as forced laborers, eliminating them with the momentum of a thunderbolt.

To avoid several rebel forces gathering together to form a greater threat.

It was just that the rebellion in various places was like a prairie fire. Just after extinguishing one place, there would be a panicked messenger on the other side, holding an urgent document in his hand to ask for help.

This team of Allen's might be chasing the looting rebel soldiers near Felchen by the sea today, and tomorrow might be in Kulum, dozens of kilometers away, besieging a lord's manor that had already hung a dark flag.

The intensity of the battle was not high, but it happened very frequently.

Especially recently, two wounded cavalrymen each brought a terrible piece of news: two castles near Sargoth, Ruda Castle and Tihelog Castle, only persisted for a short month in this rebellion before being captured from inside and outside.

This was an extremely dangerous thing for the kingdom's main army fighting desperately on the front line, which required Allen to rescue them as soon as possible. And the rebellions in various places were like a prairie fire, and a large number of civilians were in dire straits, and they also needed help.

Some lunatics who believed in the Dark Cult would perform live sacrifices on civilians who did not believe in the religion, that is, burn them alive. The cruel behavior was simply shocking.

Finally, Allen, who was unable to attend to everything, had to take some risks, splitting his subordinates into three teams, and giving Dantis and Borcha the status of captain, letting them each lead a light team to solve the rebellions occurring in the villages first.

Most of those places were village elders or low-level nobles who were not successful, stirring up trouble among the villagers. The main components of the rebel teams were bewitched villagers and opportunistic ruffians. Elite troops could be said to be very few.

Moreover, most of the villages did not have the protection of city walls, at most a lord's manor with low walls. According to the abilities of Dantis and Borcha, dealing with them should not be a big problem.

And Allen himself led the most elite troops to attack the two castles that had fallen. According to intelligence, the high-level officials among the garrison were bewitched by darkness, and they brought a part of the soldiers to be coerced, having to join the rebellion.

It could be said to be a very hard bone to chew.

Most of the castles in the Nord Kingdom were wood-stone structures, built on slopes with dangerous terrain. The surrounding area was terraced fields and orchards opened up by villagers, which could barely achieve self-sufficiency in terms of life.

The main target of defense for these castles was the elite cavalry of the Kingdom of Swadia, and the infantry quality of the Nord was very powerful, so most of the roads leading to the castles were rugged, and the area left inside the city walls was also very large, which could stockpile enough supplies and troops when necessary.

But these city defense facilities, which seemed to be advantages, were not a big problem for Allen.

The roads were rugged, which determined who had more elite troops, and who could occupy the initiative in this siege battle. Allen's personal super-strong combat strength was enough to beat the rebels into retreat. They could not hold the dangerous mountain road at all.

Even if there were officers in the rebel army who also mastered the application of Qi, there was no one who could beat Allen, who had lightning in his left hand and fire in his right hand, on a small path that could only accommodate one person.

And after the team arrived under the city walls, there was no need to rush to besiege, just make combat preparations.

Waiting until the dark and windy night, Allen, who climbed the city wall alone, just needed to choose a place that was wide enough to summon the Lion-Hunting Knight regiment of less than a hundred people. Relying on the advantage of surprise, it was enough to occupy the city gate in a short time.

As long as the outer city gate was broken, this castle was already broken for Allen.

Finally, after three months, Allen snatched back Ruda Castle and Tihelog Castle, which had fallen into the hands of the enemy, and at the same time rescued the relatives of the lords who were imprisoned. The castles were once again controlled by loyal families, which could be considered a successful resolution of this crisis.

Let those lonely villages be chaotic if they want. It didn't matter much. The castles and their nearby gathering places absolutely could not be chaotic. After all, a safe marching route had to be left for the main army to retreat and for the supply transport teams.

To avoid the main force being surrounded by others, or the grain road being cut off, both were extremely dangerous things.

In fact, the time the entire team actually fought was not long. Most of the time was wasted on rushing, repairing, and collecting supplies.

Although Allen held the certificate given by Ragnar, which clearly stated that the mercenary army was allowed to collect grain and grass in all parts of the kingdom, few of the local garrison nobles and village elders were willing to cooperate obediently.

In the last resort, Allen would choose to buy, and then leave enough proof for Ragnar to reimburse. At this moment, Allen, who had a team, was not worried that Ragnar would not pay the bill.

If money also had no effect, or the other party was too greedy, Allen would choose to leave with his troops and go to other places to collect grain and grass, regardless of whether there were signs of rebellion in this place.

Because the remaining grain and grass did not allow the main force to stay here for a long time to search for potential risks that might trigger a rebellion, and leaving a small number of troops was equivalent to betting his own subordinates' lives. Allen would not do this.

However, the operating law of the world was like this. When the rebellion broke out, those garrison nobles and village elders were the first targets to be targeted. Who told them to have money and grain at home, and they were unwilling to believe in the Dark God?

The matter developed to the end, and the destruction of the family was considered light. Many times, the whole family was burned alive, becoming the chicken that deterred other villagers.

Finally, Allen, who received the news, would "pass by" to return, rescue the coerced villagers, "incidentally" collect enough supplies, and then continue to other places to quell the rebellion.

Walking down this series of actions, naturally, a lot of time would be wasted.

Sometimes, the world is so abstract. Simple kindness cannot save fools who are bent on death. In this era, being able to restrain his subordinates and not have things like "soldiers passing like a comb" and burning, killing, and looting happen was already Allen's maximum kindness.

Just like this, Allen, on the way back to Sargoth, spent another three months cleaning up quite a few rebel troops, and incidentally wiped out a mob preparing to besiege Sargoth.

This unit could not be considered very powerful and could not really take down Sargoth. After all, this was the capital of the Nord Kingdom, which could be said to have high walls and deep moats, and the defense was complete. King Ragnar also left a loyal garrison force before leaving, maintaining the order of the town.

Since Allen saw it, he wiped it out. It was just that the general who commanded this unit was very special. She was a female archer with a wasp waist and perky buttocks, long legs and beautiful back, and thousands of charms. In the battle, relying on a hand of chain arrows and special attacks that affected the mind, she forced back Allen's attack.

Following this, under the protection of a small team of Doom Thunder, she left a series of soul-stealing and soul-taking laughter and fled the battlefield.

Allen knew that the woman dressed coolly was probably the archer commander of the Dark Cult, Hel, who had the title of "Death's Kiss." The fall of the two castles before must also have something to do with her.

For Allen, this was not good news. The Dark Cult still had enough spare power to send a general to the enemy rear to stir up wind and rain, so the war of the Nord Kingdom on the front line must be in a weak position.

Sure enough, Allen, who reunited with Dantis and Borcha in turn and returned to Sargoth to rest, soon received the order of the king's summons. Ragnar, who led the army to conquer, did not know when he returned to his capital.

The Nord king's state at this time was very bad. The wrapped bandages, the choking smell of medicine, the pale face, and the gradually thinning brown hair all indicated that King Ragnar was bearing tremendous pressure at this time.

After a simple banquet, Ragnar, who had the standard attributes of a Nord man, very directly told Allen that he needed Allen's team to go to the front line, because the first confrontation between the Nord and the Dark Cult failed.

On the battlefield, the archers and cavalry units of the Dark Cult had absolute advantages, and only the combat effectiveness of the Nord Kingdom's infantry could be evenly matched with the enemy.

The Nord, who had a huge disadvantage in arms, only persisted for half a year near Tihr before being defeated by the powerful enemy. Forced by circumstances, the remaining army could only retreat to Tihr and Kulin Castle, making the last desperate resistance.

However, the Dark Cult relied on an absolute numerical advantage to besiege the two castles, directly cutting off the idea of the two garrisons wanting to support each other.

After the main army failed, King Ragnar handed over all the troops on the front line to his most trusted vassal, who was also the marshal of Tihr, Eden.

And he himself returned to Sargoth, preparing to use Jelberg Castle, Herus Castle, and the capital Sargoth under his feet as the second line of defense to guard against the enemy's next step.

However, the war situation at this time was so urgent that the defeated Ragnar also understood very well that relying solely on the army of the Nord Kingdom, it was impossible to resist the invasion of the Dark Cult. He had to win over all allies who could help him to deal with this unprecedented kingdom crisis.

In fact, before inviting Allen, King Ragnar had already sent out two teams of messengers to his two neighbors, Swadia and Vaegirs.

Although there were no small stories like "lips gone, teeth cold" or "if the skin doesn't exist, where will the hair attach" in this world, simple emotions made Ragnar write a very simple truth in the letter.

If my country is occupied by the enemy, then the enemy will definitely not let you two fellows go. Now the flames of war are burning in the Nord and have not spread to you. This is the best time to support me. Otherwise, this fire will inevitably burn your dining table.

At the same time, Ragnar exaggerated the power of the Dark Cult in the letter, focusing on explaining that he and his vassals did not know how long they could resist, and requested that the other party's support must be fast. Otherwise, he might give up his identity as king and his existing faith and surrender directly.

In fact, being able to write such a humble request for help was not easy for Ragnar, who was proud and regarded himself as noble. It was just that seeing that he had been forced into a dead end, besides asking for help, he had no other good way.

And Allen's army, which completed the mission with very small losses in this rebellion, also explained the power of this mercenary army to King Ragnar for the sake of the nobles who were rescued to get rid of the label of incompetence and failure.

Especially emphasizing Allen's power, claiming that he possessed power that ordinary people could not reach.

For King Ragnar, who lacked troops and high-end power, such news was simply sending charcoal in the snow. Just after writing the request for help, he arranged for people to invite Allen. Of course, to maintain his face, he called it a "summons."

It was just that the Nord king now could not take out any decent remuneration. The cost of hiring Allen's army was originally very high, and King Ragnar was also a master who liked hunting and feasting.

The Nord Kingdom could be considered to have had good weather for these years. Even if Ragnar spent some, there was still some gold and silver in the national treasury. It was just that judging from the current situation, he, the king, would have many places to spend money in the future, especially those vassals, who were the batch that needed appeasement the most.

Therefore, there were two choices before Allen. One was a land grant document, which wrote down the obligations and responsibilities that both sides needed to complete.

Allen did not look at it carefully. The general meaning was that if Allen could stand firmly by Ragnar's side in this war and make contributions in the battle against the Dark Cult, then Ragnar would grant Kulin and the surrounding land to Allen.

And allow Allen to hire the people of the Nord Kingdom to build his own castle, becoming the second real-power count on this continent who could maintain neutrality and not be under the jurisdiction of any kingdom.

Allen had no interest in this kind of condition that deceived children. Not to mention whether Ragnar could withstand the Dark Cult's attack, even if the Nord won, whether he could be considered to have made contributions at that time was still a matter of the king's words.

Even if he took ten thousand and eight thousand steps back, the seemingly generous Ragnar really gave up the land, what about the threat from Vaegirs? Allen could not beat a kingdom no matter how strong he was.

Moreover, the land near Kulin was tightly connected to Zendar. Whether it would cause any conflict with Count Arassis at that time, no one could guarantee.

One must know that most of the soldiers under Allen had stayed in Zendar and had received the favor of the Count.

A qualified leader should try his best to avoid letting his subordinates fall into a dilemma, because human hearts simply cannot withstand the test.

And the other choice was blown to the sky by King Ragnar, saying that it was a family heirloom obtained by his ancestors when they were adventuring on the sea, fighting for their lives in the storm for three days and three nights, which contained extraordinary energy.

That was a sky-blue diamond-shaped gemstone, inside which seemed to blow a never-ending gale.

【Congratulations to the player, you have obtained the treasure of the Magic Continent, "Qi of Stone" - Encouragement of the Gale.】

The moment he got the gemstone and confirmed it was real, Allen agreed to Ragnar's treaty, but also put forward his own conditions, that is, the gemstone must be taken away by him first as part of the mercenary fee.