Free Web NovelChapter 71: Heads Rolling
"Hahaha, my men are here! Lancelot, let’s see what you can do to me now, huh!"
Lancelot remained silent, his right hand suddenly drawing his sword. A flash of silver light followed, and two heads rolled to the feet of the merchant.
"Ah! Murder!" The two courtesans screamed in terror and fled the room.
The merchant turned pale and began vomiting uncontrollably.
Lancelot then shouted. "Luigi Tencent and Mario Duskry led a mutiny and have been executed by me!"
Downstairs, the Brambleford cavalry was surrounded by about a hundred men. The two sides were pushing and shoving, on the verge of a full-blown fight. Suddenly, two black objects rolled to their feet.
When they looked closely, they realized they were the heads of Luigi and Mario. They were horrified. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Then, Lancelot, covered in blood, walked out like a god of death. "The two traitors have been executed. Drop your weapons, and I will spare your lives. Otherwise, you will be treated as rebels!"
Seeing their commanders dead and knowing Lancelot’s formidable reputation in the military, the soldiers dropped their weapons one by one.
With a cold snort, Lancelot ordered his men to wrap the heads and set off with his thirty cavalrymen, racing back to Brambleford overnight. To ensure a swift capture of Luigi, each cavalryman had been provided with four horses.
By noon the next day, he arrived at the prince’s castle with the heads of Luigi and Mario.
"Killed?" Simon asked, seeing the blood-soaked cloth.
Lancelot nodded and recounted the events.
At the same time, Baldwin arrived at the residence with Viktor Leplace. Viktor said. "My Lord, those two deserved to die!"
Having only arrived three days ago, Simon didn’t know much about Viktor. He asked. "Why did they deserve to die?"
"Setting aside their involvement in smuggling warhorses, the fact that they mixed the private armies of powerful families into the Dunmere garrison alone is enough to warrant their execution. If this continued, would Dunmere still be Your Highness’s domain? If the reavers attacked again, wouldn’t these two abandon the city and flee? Your Highness must not forget that the previous garrison commander also came from a local, powerful family." Viktor explained.
Simon nodded. "But killing them so abruptly will surely provoke discontent. The Chandlier family is still influential. If they secretly oppose me, it’s no laughing matter."
"My Lord, since you dared to move against these two, you must have been fully prepared. The principle of watching tigers fight from a safe distance is something Your Highness surely understands better than I." Viktor said.
"Well said." Simon replied. Viktor had already discerned that Simon was exploiting the conflicts among the powerful families. He spoke. "Dunmere is a crucial border town and must not be neglected. Once the cases against Luigi and Mario are settled, you can take up your post in Dunmere."
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Viktor said.
He was a man of merit but had no connections. After waiting for three years without an official position, he had been inspired by Baldwin’s integrity and, upon receiving his letter, decided to move his entire family to Brambleford.
Baldwin then said. "My Lord, with Luigi and Mario dead, the Goldwynd family will surely recommend their own people. I hope Your Highness will not be swayed by their influence."
Simon’s face darkened. Baldwin still didn’t fully trust his judgment. He spoke. "My decision is final. I will not appoint anyone else."
Baldwin nodded and left with Viktor.
In the main hall, Lancelot remained. Simon looked at him, speechless. This fierce general was indeed too fierce, killing the two without hesitation.
"You... I wanted to interrogate them, but now they’re dead, and there’s no evidence." Simon said angrily.
Lancelot chuckled. "My Lord, that’s not necessarily true. I also captured a merchant who was colluding with them. He’s in the Brambleford prison. If Your Highness is concerned, I can help with the interrogation."
"At least you’re not completely reckless. By the way, with Mario dead, the position of Dunmere’s military commander is vacant. Select capable individuals from the Brambleford army to fill the post. We cannot afford to lose control again!" Simon said.
Not only Dunmere, but Simon was also deeply concerned about the other cities. Most of their officials were from the four great families. By exploiting the conflict between the Goldwynd and Chandlier families, he planned to thoroughly cleanse Dunmere.
As for the other cities, he would use this conflict as a catalyst.
As Viktor had pointed out, Simon intended to watch the tigers fight and reap the benefits.
After instructing Lancelot to send capable individuals to Dunmere, Simon also ordered him to organise the newly recruited soldiers into a new army, directly under his command, with no interference from the other cities military headquarters.
This way, he could use the new army to check the forces of the other cities. However, with Brambleford and Dunmere under control, the other cities wouldn’t be able to cause much trouble.
His only concern was the Chandlier family’s backlash. Luigi and Mario were core members of the Chandlier family.
After Lancelot left, as Baldwin had predicted, the Goldwynd family sent someone to recommend their own candidates for the positions of Dunmere’s governor and military commander.
Dunmere was a lucrative prize, and everyone knew it. With the Chandlier family suffering heavy losses, the Goldwynd family naturally wanted to secure a more advantageous position.
However, they no longer had anything to offer that could sway Simon. He was no longer the prince who could be bribed with a mere ten thousand caps of silver.
The Goldwynd family’s envoy left empty-handed. Shortly after, Gius entered.
"How is it? Any movement from the Chandlier family?" Simon asked.
Gius and Richard now served as his left and right secret guards. Simon had tasked them with setting up a network in Brambleford, starting with gathering information from the streets and alleys.
Secondly, he had slaves assume various ordinary roles in the city to act as his eyes and ears.
However, infiltrating the four great families directly was still difficult, and they likely couldn’t achieve it yet.
"Your subordinate has been keeping a close watch on the Chandlier family. Recently, many branches from various cities have been visiting, seemingly discussing something significant." Gius reported.
"Good, keep watching. If an opportunity arises, try to plant a spy within the Chandlier family." Simon said.
Gius acknowledged the order and left. As he exited, Richard, who had been waiting outside, entered, his iron mask giving Gius a cold glance.
Shivering slightly, Gius smirked. Richard was a man of few words, and Gius found it hard to get along with him.
"My Lord, Cedric is currently pleased, though he is somewhat annoyed that you rejected his recommended candidates. He has been complaining in his residence, but there’s no other movement for now." Richard said in his naturally hoarse voice, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"They’re celebrating too early. You said that Lewis Goldwynd, the governor of Ashenford, murdered seventy-two members of the Turner family and seized their land. Is this true?" Simon asked. As a former member of the Goldwynd family, Richard was well aware of their underhanded dealings.
With the Chandlier family suffering a loss, they would be eager to retaliate against the Goldwynd family. Having lost a governor and a military commander, the Chandlier family would want the Goldwynd family to suffer equivalent losses.
Simon was now gathering evidence for the Chandlier family, secretly eroding the power of both families. By the time they realised what was happening, he would already have control over the armies and government offices of the six cities.
Even if they tried to resist, they would be unable to escape his grasp.
