Chapter 541: The hyena followed

The middle reaches of the Benliu River, the turbid river water carrying silt from the upper reaches, silently washed the reeds on both sides, but washed them dirtier and dirtier.

As one of the many tributaries of the Benliu River system, this is an important shipping section connecting the Golden Plain and the Xigu Plain outside the Jiliu Pass, with hundreds of cargo ships coming and going on the river every day.

These cargo ships carry mineral resources from the southern part of the Luo De Kingdom, agricultural products from the Golden Plain of the Lei En Kingdom, transported to the Lei Ming City port downstream to be exchanged for industrial products, or transferred from the river port to the sea port, transported to the larger Empire market.

It is no exaggeration to say that this trade route for material circulation constitutes the main axis of the entire trade map of the northeast coast of the Whirlpool Sea, and at the same time, this is also the economic lifeline of the entire eastern region of the Ao Si Continent.

However, at this moment, on this golden waterway, an uneasy atmosphere is permeating.

The keen-smelling captains and merchants chose to accelerate and leave one after another, preferring to spend the night on the turbulent river.

However, there were also some bold people.

They were either servants of nobles, or in-laws of servants of nobles, their business more or less stained with a bit of holy blood, naturally not risking the danger of capsizing at night to rush downstream.

The town by the river port is a good place for entertainment, where there is not only wine, meat, and girls, but also good quality and low price.

Having finally been able to leave the master's manor, they didn't want to reach the destination so quickly.

"Where have we reached?"

Riding on a warhorse, Haigemo looked toward the direction of the Benliu River, then looked at the adjutant who unfolded the map.

Facing the inquiry of the Knight Order leader, Alalande searched against the map for a while and gave a positive answer.

"Ahead is the Golden Plain."

Haigemo's brows relaxed slightly, and the fatigue in his heart received a little comfort.

"Almost home."

Continuous five days of marching, although far from making his brothers tired, their fatigue hadn't just started accumulating five days ago.

"Strive to reach the Baron Silandeweier territory before dark, we will rest there!" Haigemo rode to the front, shouting at the people behind him.

The adjutant responded spiritedly, kicking the horse's belly hard to catch up.

"Yes!" 【

The Lionheart Knights, having left the forest, continued forward along the riverbank.

Seeing more and more plains, the faces of the knights and soldiers finally showed a bit of relief, and the fatigue accumulated over the days was slightly eased.

Although their stomachs were long since empty and the thin wheat porridge was only just enough to support them in their armor, the anticipation of the future was enough to make them temporarily forget the difficulties before them.

However—

When they marched to the riverside, the morale that had just been raised less than an hour ago slid uncontrollably to the bottom of the valley.

They saw that the river port by the Golden Waterway was filled with endless laughter and cheers, a scene of prosperity, with wisps of cooking smoke drifting in the air.

Smelling the meat fragrance drifting over, many soldiers couldn't help but swallow their saliva, their eyes fixed on the riverbank like wolves that had been starving for days and nights.

They were starving on the front lines, while these guys were having a grand time. If they had known, they shouldn't have become knights; they should have gone to do business for the Lord.

The serfs had no choice, but they, walking in front, were not serfs. Many had just graduated from the Knight Academy, reaching a ceiling that adventurers could never attain in a lifetime.

Yet, filled with suppressed anger, they felt they might as well have been adventurers; at least they had never heard of any adventurer going hungry.

However, it must be said that they only thought this way when they were in a fit of anger. If they were really asked to trade their lives with adventurers, regardless of whether they agreed, the adventurers would definitely nod without a second thought.

It wasn't just the knights and their squires who had complex expressions, but also the leader of the troop, "Radiant Knight" Commander Haigemo.

He pulled on the reins with one hand, bringing his warhorse to a stop, then swept his gaze toward the riverside, his eyes gradually darkening with gloom.

A massive fleet was docked there. Dozens of flat-bottomed cargo ships were connected bow to stern, sitting deep in the water, their heavy hulls appearing exceptionally steady in the current.

Although most of the ships were covered with cloth curtains, with his eyesight, he could still tell that those ships were mostly loaded with grain and timber.

Now that both the front lines and the rear were strained, from the King to the quartermaster, everyone was crying poverty; why could these people still laugh?

"It looks like these ships aren't returning to the capital." The adjutant rode his horse to Haigemo's side, curled his lips, and suppressed the anger in his voice, "It seems our quartermaster wasn't lying; they really have no bread, and it turns out all the bread is here... these profiteers!"

Haigemo didn't lament; he simply drew the sword in his hand and ordered in a tone colder than ever before.

"Surround them."

"Yes, sir!" The adjutant was immediately invigorated upon hearing this, turned his horse around, and galloped toward the rear, shouting orders.

In the small town by the river port, people saw the dust rising in the distance and vaguely realized something was wrong, but no one left.

After all, that was the banner of the Devalu family, and those holding the banner were the Lionheart Knights.

A drunken man hiccuped, took a gulp of mellow dark beer, and showed an expression of watching a show on his face.

"What are those guys doing?"

"Haha, probably smelled the beer and came to snatch our drinks."

"Then I'd better drink more."

The crowd burst into laughter, but soon they couldn't laugh anymore.

A troop of cavalry quickly controlled the pier, scaring away the boatmen trying to untie the ropes with the neighing of their warhorses, followed by infantry carrying muskets and halberds charging in.

Seeing that these soldiers were for real, the people in the town finally panicked. The townspeople ran home to bolt their doors and windows, while those doing business hurried back to the river port, only to collide head-on with those being chased back.

Watching the people squeezed together, writhing like tangled maggots, Haigemo rode out from the military formation.

"What are you doing!" A man with a panicked face mustered his courage and shouted at the knight on horseback.

Haigemo ignored him, looking instead at the eager adjutant beside him and the hundreds of hungry young men behind him.

"Take them."

Following the order, hundreds of hungry knights, like sharks that had smelled blood, instantly swarmed toward the surrounded pier.

The crowd retreated in terror, crouched down, or even fell to the ground, only to find that those young men were not rushing toward them, but toward the ships behind them.

Planks were roughly laid onto the ship's sides, and the sound of clashing armor broke the silence of the river.

When the first piece of tarpaulin was pried open by a spear, the golden yellow that met their eyes almost stung everyone's vision.

It wasn't gold coins, but it made these young men even crazier than gold coins, and ignited an uncontrollable fire of rage in their eyes.

It was a mountain of wheat, not only plump in every grain but also exuding an alluring aroma of grain!

And besides those grains, barrels of well-cured salted meat were neatly stacked nearby, the grease seeping from the wood emitting a luster like fish scales.

Not only that.

There was cheese and fruits and vegetables, even beer whose taste they could no longer remember, and tightly bundled wool and leather.

"These animals..." a soldier couldn't help but curse under his breath, wishing he could pounce on it and have a feast, yet also wishing he could burn it all to the ground.

The boatmen squeezed into the corner looked at each other, not knowing what these guys were going crazy about or why they were so angry.

They were just trying to make a living; how did they become animals?

However, the soldiers weren't cursing them, although the resulting anger and fear were equally shared among everyone.

Finally, someone who could speak arrived.

A bloated merchant squeezed through the bustling crowd and hurried over from the direction of the town.

"Stop! Everyone stop! This is the property of Duke Eiffel!"

He waved a piece of parchment in his hand, facing the gleaming swords; although there was a hint of panic on his face, there was more of an arrogant sense of impunity.

"We... are legitimate merchants with a franchise! My lord knight, your valor is admirable, but I still suggest you have your men put away their swords, otherwise, if Duke Eiffel blames you, even if you are the Emperor's brother, I'm afraid it won't be easy to explain."

The implication was obvious: you are causing trouble for your Emperor.

Haigemo rode his horse to the merchant's front, looked down at the oily-faced merchant, and took off his helmet.

"Legitimate trade?"

Haigemo's gaze passed over the merchant and landed on the grain, the anger in his eyes almost boiling the cold river water.

"My brothers on the front lines are so hungry they're about to chew on tree bark, and the King's subjects are shivering in the cold wind. And you are actually going to transport this grain to the south and sell it to our neighboring country?"

"This is business... my lord. We are selling these things to our neighbors, not giving them away, and we won't return with empty ships."

The merchant's mouth twitched; he wanted to explain to this blockhead that he was going south to exchange for cloth and ironware, but he didn't know where to start explaining.

Perhaps he should let the ministers explain why they issued those stupid orders.

And coincidentally, he didn't know how to explain, Haigemo didn't want to listen, and the soldiers standing behind him wanted to listen even less.

The adjutant rode forward two steps, staring fixedly at the oily-faced guy, and cursed.

"Stop quibbling! Don't think I don't know your tricks! Half a year ago, you took the silver coins of the Kingdom of Ryan to exchange for their scrap metal, and now you're using our grain to exchange for their waste paper! You have betrayed our kingdom!"

"Waste paper?"

The merchant seemed to have heard some great joke and finally couldn't help but chuckle.

"Ha... my dear knight lord, you haven't been back to the capital for too long, have you? Even the waste paper of the Campbells is better than those pottery shards of yours that shatter at a touch. At least we can exchange waste paper for bread. If you are dissatisfied, then go snatch it for us, while the lances in your hands haven't gone soft yet."

He was also filled with anger.

If it weren't for the fact that the Three-Tier Society passed that damn bill, and if it weren't for the nobles demeaning etiquette and shame to the dust, he should be sitting in Luo City drinking red wine, waiting for the Campbells to come and beg him to do business.

Instead of being like this, where he had to run downstream himself and beg those things crossbred from the labyrinth to buy a little more to solve the urgent needs of Luo City.

If these knights really loved their Emperor so much, they should go snatch things from the Campbells, instead of pointing their swords at him, who was still working for the Emperor, the moment they encountered a problem.

What kind of skill is this?

"You!"

A small citizen dared to talk back to him; Araland was furious, raised the horsewhip in his hand, and was about to teach this guy a lesson.

However, just as he raised his hand, he was stopped by Haigemo beside him.

The merchant looked at these knights with uncertain eyes; although his heart was pounding, he did not retreat.

With his political intuition, he concluded that he would definitely be fine. After all, what the Devalu family needed most right now was the support of the nobles, and Haigemo, as the Emperor's brother, had no reason to point his sword at Duke Eiffel behind him.

If they really took action...

Then let them snatch it; anyway, it wasn't just his money that was lost, his money was just a fraction of Duke Eiffel's.

Watching Haigemo, who seemed to have retreated, a smile gradually curled at the corner of his mouth.

"I am very glad you can make the right choi—"

Before his words could fall, he was interrupted by a "clang."

Haigemo drew the knight's longsword from his waist without a word, the cold light gradually reflecting his pale face.

"... I declare in the name of the Lionheart Knights Commander that the supplies stored in this river port are requisitioned as wartime supplies!"

That soul-stirring voice echoed in the grim atmosphere of the river port.

"Move it all away!"

That order was like the sound of nature.

The soldiers, who had long been unable to hold back, let out a cheer and swarmed up, carrying bags of wheat and salted meat off the ships as if they were moving treasure.

Even those knights of noble birth couldn't care about their dignity at this moment, carrying salted meat and laughing as if they had a bumper harvest.

The merchant who had taken out the parchment earlier didn't speak this time, just shook his head, took the "waste paper" the Duke had given him, and silently retreated into the crowd.

And those cargo owners without titles were crying and wailing, watching helplessly as their accumulations were looted.

"You bunch of robbers!"

"This is robbery!"

Haigemo glanced at them coldly, a mocking smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

These parasites who bite the hand that feeds them, did they really think the Devalu family couldn't lift a sword?

This not only solved the urgent shortage of supplies for the army but also cut off the trade route to the south and could bring the surplus grain back to the capital.

This was killing three birds with one stone.

As for the infamy...

Let these parasites curse all they want.

The fleet was looted clean; the cargo ships that had sat deep in the water were now floating lightly on the surface, swaying helplessly with the waves.

All the food was snatched away, leaving only some wool and leather.

And those soldiers were obviously not all law-abiding; they ate and took, even stuffing the silver coins on the ships into their own pockets.

Watching the fully loaded team move away, the crowd standing by the river port was silent, the despair in their eyes gradually condensing into hatred.

"What Lionheart Knights, I think they're just a bunch of evil dogs in iron skins!"

"The royal family has gone mad; they've started eating their own people..."

"Let them be proud; I've never seen a debt that didn't have to be repaid!"

Adjusting the brim of his hat, a gray-faced merchant spat fiercely in the direction where the Devalu family banner had left.

"Go to hell, Devalu!"

Even if they spat a thousand times, it wouldn't bring back the lost money. The crowd, recognizing the reality, boarded the messy cargo ships and began to count their losses.

Some wept in despair.

Others shook their heads and sighed.

And the bard sitting by the tavern lightly plucked the lute in his hand, paying tribute to the Radiant Knight who rode away with the wind.

Although the disheartened people had no heart to listen to his music, he didn't feel it was a pity, because he had already seen the ending of the story.

The stories sung in epics are always like this; I suppose next time it will definitely be because those ungrateful citizens didn't know the big picture, letting the sacred crown fall into the dust.

On the edge of the distant forest, several pairs of eyes were coldly watching everything happening on the riverbank through the withered bushes.

Bulunnan unscrewed the leather water skin and took a big gulp; although he was drinking water, it felt as satisfying as drinking a big gulp of strong liquor.

He put down the water skin, wiped the corner of his mouth casually with the back of his hand, his gaze falling on the group of "lions" who had swaggered away, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Is everyone ready?"

While speaking, he turned his head and looked at the brothers behind him.

That group of soldiers wasn't wearing the clothes of the Salvation Army, but had all changed into gleaming plate armor or chainmail.

Their chests and shoulders were imprinted with the lion crest, appearing exceptionally realistic in the sparse sunlight—those armors were all saved up and repaired bit by bit from the battlefield.

As for which factory repaired them...

Let's just say it was the dwarves in the Ten Thousand Swords Mountain.

"Ready!"

The soldiers behind him responded excitedly, their faces filled with eagerness, their eyes as fierce as hyenas in the forest.

Everyone had forgotten their origins, but they themselves had never forgotten; they grew up eating meat, only forced to eat grass for a period of time.

Including their boss.

Bulunnan had wanted to do this for a long time.

Whoever lit their house, they should go and light that person's house; that is fairness! Set a fire and then want to walk away after patting your butt?

Did you ask for the opinion of the Twilight people?

"Very good."

Bulunnan hung the water skin back on his waist and drew the heavy Champion's Axe from his back, the axe blade exuding a nether-colored luster.

"The lions have eaten their fill; it's time for us to dine."

"Remember your current identities, follow me!"

The lion finishes the fattest piece of meat, and the hyenas follow closely behind.

The dust on the banks of the Rushing River had just settled, and the workers on the pier were still picking through the scattered barrels, trying to recover some losses.

However, at this moment, the sound of hoofbeats shaking the earth came again, and a shining banner appeared once more at the end of the road.

"It's the knights!"

"They're back!"

The Ryan merchants by the river port looked up in terror; before they could recover from the previous round of looting, the second wave of "nightmares" had already rushed before their eyes.

Bulunnan rode on a tall warhorse, wearing an ill-fitting surcoat, carrying a chilling battle axe in his hand.

Although his temperament didn't look like a knight no matter how you looked at it, for those Ryan people who had already been scared out of their wits, what he was no longer mattered.

That battle axe was the truth!

"Whoa!"

Bulunnan pulled on the reins, the warhorse let out a neigh, and its front hooves stepped heavily on the wooden fence of the checkpoint, crushing it to pieces.

"By the order of Haigemo Devalu!"

Stretching his rude voice, his tone echoed on the pier like a thunderclap. He deliberately imitated the tone of those arrogant nobles, even though he couldn't imitate it no matter how he tried.

"For the survival of the kingdom, to deal with those damn Campbells in the north, everything in this river port now belongs to the Devalu family!"

As soon as the words fell, the people in the entire river port exploded.

"Wait a minute—what do you mean by this?!"

"Aren't the Campbells in the south? I remember... the Roders are in the north."

Hmm?

Is that so?

Bulunnan touched his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed, but he didn't intend to explain, instead glaring fiercely at the guy who wanted to complain.

The crowd was furious.

What is the difference between this and robbery?!

The merchant who had confronted Haigemo earlier didn't dare to come forward this time, and even quietly threw his documents into the river.

He always felt that these guys were not right; they didn't look like people from the Devalu family, but rather like a group of bandits who had slipped over from the Twilight Province...

However, what they were no longer mattered.

Even if he knew the truth in his heart, he would never explain a word for another group of even more hateful wild dogs.

A merchant stumbled forward, trying to make a final effort.

"My lord... Lord Haigemo just took away all the grain! We really have nothing left!"