Free Web NovelMckinney slowly turned his head to look at the butler, his face full of impatience, a hint of coldness in his drunken state: "What did you say?"
The butler trembled, his voice quivering: "It's true, my Lord—although the granary looks like a lot, you have been hosting banquets daily during this period, and the consumption of grain and meat has been enormous. At the current rate—I'm afraid it won't last until the end of February—"
"Bang!!"
Mckinney shot to his feet, raising his hand and slapping the butler across the face with such force that the thin old man fell to the ground.
"Nonsense! Are you cursing me to starve to death?!" Mckinney roared through gritted teeth, his face already contorted in a ferocious expression.
The butler knelt on the ground, covering his face, trembling and silent.
This Baron held banquets for three meals a day, slaughtering whole oxen and sheep, importing a cart of wine every week, and throwing away two barrels of leftovers daily. Such extravagance would not be filled even by ten granaries.
But he dared not speak.
A silence fell over the hall, broken only by the crackling of the fireplace.
Suddenly, Mckinney's eyes darted, and a greasy smile appeared on his face:
"Hehe, this small matter can't stump this Baron! I have an excellent plan!"
The butler immediately stood up, hastily flattering him: "My Lord is wise! May I ask what your brilliant plan is?"
Mckinney laughed heartily, tilted his head back, took a swig of wine, and, shaking the wine jug, said triumphantly: "While others hoard grain in winter, I hoard soldiers.
As long as those fools from Red Tide Territory transport their grain to the neighboring Canglu Territory, we'll just snatch a wave, won't we? They are very rich; grain is transported there every ten days or so."
"Oh, my Lord is brilliant!" A Knight nearby immediately flattered him in a gruff voice, "This is what a Northern noble is! What's the use of painstakingly saving grain? As long as we just lightly grab it, isn't it all ours!"
"Exactly, exactly!" Another Knight grinned, raising his wine glass: "Come, a toast to Lord Mckinney! Not starving in winter, it's all thanks to your old wisdom and might!"
"That's right!" A group of people laughed in agreement, cups and plates clattering, the scene extremely lively.
Mckinney was overjoyed, hugging the maid in his arms, kicking away an empty wine jar, and slapping the table grandly:
"Alright! When more grain comes, we will send out troops. These days, brothers, eat and drink well, don't shortchange yourselves!"
"Hahahaha!! Thank you, my Lord, for the reward!"
The butler hesitated for a long while, but still gritted his teeth and whispered a reminder: "My Lord, this, this might not be appropriate—Canglu Territory is Baron Calvin's territory! Once it's found out—."
Before he could finish, Mckinney interrupted him with a "bang" on the table.
"Idiot!" Mckinney rolled his eyes, his fat face tilted upwards: "Who told you we're going to openly rob? Put on masks, change clothes, and kill everyone transporting the grain, leaving no traces. Who would know it was us?"
He laughed, his fat face trembling, his eyes narrowed into two slits: "Only idiots openly rob; smart people do it and then just walk away, wiping their hands clean."
"Right! Right!"
"Baron is too clever!"
"Isn't this—what was it, tactical deception!"
The Knights spoke one after another, praising him to the heavens.
One drunkard even raised his wine glass: "Let's just say Snowsworn did it! Those guys do everything from murder to arson, perfect to take the blame, hahahaha!"
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
Mckinney laughed, leaning back and forth, holding the maid in his arms even tighter: "Look, look! This is the mind of a smart person!"
The butler tried to make one last attempt to save the situation: "But... what if Lord Calvin—"
Mckinney impatiently waved his hand: "Don't keep saying Calvin, Calvin, who are you trying to scare? No matter how capable he is, he can't scare me." He gulped down a cup of wine, rudely wiped his mouth: "Alright, stop being so wishy-washy, hurry up and give the order, find someone to stake out, and when more grain comes, act immediately."
"Yes." A hint of unease flashed in the butler's eyes, but he could only retreat from the banquet hall.
The hall erupted again in boisterous shouts.
Candlelight flickered on the table, illuminating flushed, smiling faces, piling up into an absurd painting in the deep winter night.
The main transport route from Red Tide Territory to Canglu Territory had to pass through a dense forest and then a narrow valley.
In winter, with deep snow and treacherous terrain, it had always been an "ideal place" for bandits to ambush.
Early that morning, Baron Mckinney received intelligence that the grain convoy from Red Tide Territory to Canglu Territory was passing through that valley today!
"What a great opportunity!" He rubbed his hands, his eyes gleaming as if he saw a plate of fatty meat: "This kind of excitement, I must see it myself!"
So Mckinney decided to personally lead the charge. Although he was debauched and had neglected his cultivation recently, he had once worked hard and possessed the cultivation of a high-level Formal Knight.
Almost all active Knights in the territory were summoned.
However, due to the heavy losses from the previous Snow Eagle City war, not many Knights remained.
There were only about ten Formal Knights, one elite Knight, plus over sixty Apprentice Knights. These were all the Knights he commanded.
This was considered few for a Northern noble, but to deal with a grain transport team?
It would be easy.
"This isn't war!" Mckinney laughed loudly, "Just a bunch of grain escorts, we'll charge them in one go! We'll scare them off!"
Before setting off, the Knights drank heartily in the territory again, their alcohol fumes rising to the sky.
"To victory!"
"The grain we seize tonight, we'll start eating it, hahahaha!"
Snow fell silently in the mountain forest. Only this group of "bandits" trudged through the deep snow, ambushing at the narrowest part of the valley.
"They're coming, they're coming!"
Mckinney crouched on the hillside, squinting, his breathing growing heavier with excitement.
At the mouth of the valley, a team escorting grain slowly drove in.
Twenty-odd Knights walked at the front, followed by over sixty soldiers, all with vigilant eyes, guarding more than a dozen horse-drawn carriages laden with grain.
The heavy wheels crunched over the snow, making a creaking sound.
"Hehe, we're rich—it looks like more than I thought—" Mckinney licked his lips, squinting at the approaching convoy.
Behind him, seventy-odd Knights wore crude black cloth masks, like a pack of bloodthirsty wild dogs, all eager for action.
"Listen up, all of you!" Mckinney lowered his voice, but couldn't suppress his triumphant excitement, "The other side only has twenty-odd Knights. We have more men and our equipment isn't bad. Just one charge, and they'll crumble!"
"Hahahaha!"
"Lord Mckinney is wise! We'll get rich with you!"
Mckinney was extremely proud. Deep blue battle qi faintly shimmered around him; he was like an untamed beast.
He raised his longsword, took a deep breath of cold air, and roared in a low voice: "Brothers, it's time to get rich!! Charge!!"
The next instant, bursts of battle qi light erupted from the hillside. The Knights, like a deep blue torrent, charged down with excitement and killing intent!
Mckinney led the charge, his eyes fixed on the slowly moving grain carts, already calculating his entertainment for the night.
"Enemy attack!!"
Almost simultaneously, the Knights escorting the grain convoy noticed the anomaly.
From both sides of the valley, a large group of Knights rushed out, dressed in heavy cloaks, their faces covered with crude black cloth masks, revealing only cold eyes.
"...Bandits?" The red-robed Knight leading the team exclaimed.
"Something's wrong, this battle qi—!" The deputy cried out in alarm.
Among those "bandits," all of them were burning with deep blue battle qi, rushing forward with an oppressive and strong aura!
The red-robed Knight's expression changed, and he sharply shouted: "All hands on alert! Protect the grain carts! Soldiers, retreat first!"
"But, my Lord—"
"This is Lord Louis's order! Protecting the people is the top priority!"
Without the slightest hesitation, the red-robed Knight fiercely swung his sword, and a blazing red battle qi instantly exploded around him,
Like ignited flames, it surged forward with a scorching shockwave.
Dozens of soldiers immediately obeyed, carrying shields and protecting the grain carts as they swiftly retreated towards the valley exit.
"Don't let them escape!!" Mckinney instantly saw through their intention and was furious, "All of you, charge! Seize all those grain carts!"
Mckinney charged into the battlefield, his deep blue battle qi suddenly bursting forth, his sword qi tearing through the air, carrying a suffocating sense of oppression.
The Knights behind him also rushed forward, battle qi in a chaotic mess, and the scene instantly became chaotic.
"Maintain formation! Cross-defense, cover the retreat!
Knights, follow me!"
The red battle qi of Red Tide Territory spread across the snowy ground like a raging fire.
The red-robed Knight leading the team swung his sword, taking the lead to block the charging enemy.
They did not rashly engage in battle, but consistently maintained a defensive arc, guiding the enemy to disperse to both sides, stubbornly guarding the grain carts' retreat route.
Although Mckinney's side had more people, they were impulsive and reckless after drinking, shouting and fighting among themselves, completely without order.
For a time, the battle qi of both sides intertwined, and "bang bang" collision sounds continuously erupted on the battlefield, the snow splattering. freeweɓnøvel.com
"Die!!" Mckinney roared, sweeping his longsword. Deep blue battle qi surged like a giant wave, forcing back three Knights from Red Tide Territory.
But when he tried to pursue, he found that the opponents had already pulled away, quickly regrouped, and defended flawlessly, even killing several of Mckinney's Knights.
"Damn it!!" Mckinney furiously kicked over a fallen corpse from his own side, "These scoundrels!"
Several Knights he had brought also began to shout: "Lord, they retreated too quickly, we only managed to grab half of the grain!"
"Shut up! Keep grabbing, load everything you can take first!"
In the chaos, several soldiers from Red Tide Territory failed to retreat in time. Accompanied by screams, they were swiftly cut down by the masked enemy Knights, their blood leaving several dazzling red lines on the snow. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
Yet, despite this, the Knights of Red Tide Territory consistently held their ground, strictly executing their tactics, protecting the vast majority of soldiers,
And swiftly retreated from the battle zone.
"Quick, protect the grain carts, retreat in batches!"
After a series of urgent commands, the grain convoy disappeared into the distant valley mouth, leaving only a few grain carts that had already been seized, and a lingering smell of blood that hadn't completely dissipated.
"Hahahahaha!"
Mckinney panted, standing in front of the captured grain carts, a smile on his face that was hard to tell if it was triumphant or fierce, staring at the grain sacks, his eyes gleaming with greed.
"Hmph, see? Didn't I still get the goods?
He slapped the grain cart fiercely, his voice carrying a hint of cathartic arrogance:
"What is that Calvin kid? No matter how tough he is, he can't stop me, Baron Mckinney, from robbing grain!"
The surrounding Knights all burst into laughter. Some waved their swords, cursing loudly:
"Haha! Is this the level of the Red Tide Knights? They start running after just one encounter!"
"Exactly! If they hadn't run fast, they'd all be dead by now, hahahaha!"
Several Apprentice Knights proudly gathered around the grain carts, like robbers, drawing their long knives and, with a few clangs, untying the knots that secured the sacks.
"Come, come, let's see what good stuff these Southerners sent!"
One of them squatted down and pulled open the mouth of a sack, and immediately a familiar smell wafted out.
"Oh, we're rich this time! We're rich!"
His eyes lit up, and he reached in and pulled out a fish: "Smoked fish!"
Another Knight also pulled open a nearby bag and shouted loudly: "There are dried vegetables here! And fresh vegetables too! Damn it,
Where did they get fresh vegetables!"
"Look °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° at this barrel, smoked fish! Absolutely perfect with strong wine!"
"Damn it, there's even pickled wild boar meat! Such a big piece, look at this fat, it must have been salted enough!"
They rummaged through the grain carts like children digging for treasure, smiling with greasy lips.
Some were even impatient enough to bite off a piece of dried meat, chewing it with a crisp crunch.
"We're only a few people, this is enough to eat until spring and still be stuffed!"
Mckinney also approached and took a look, making a sound of approval: "Tsk, tsk, there's wine, meat, and smoked fish. These people really live well—now, all of this is mine."
He said this, but his eye twitched slightly, and a hint of unconcealed unease flashed in his eyes.
Something wasn't quite right—
The original plan was to take advantage of the chaos to kill all the escorts, leaving no one alive, and preferably burning the bodies clean.
That way, even if Red Tide Territory suspected something, they would have no way to investigate.
But, unfortunately, this time only a few miscellaneous soldiers were killed, and most of the people were protected by those damned Red Tide Knights and escaped.
"Damn it—" He cursed inwardly, his gaze fixed on the direction of the valley mouth, gritting his teeth.
If those people went back and noticed something, what if they pointed the finger at him? Mckinney's mind flashed with the red battle qi of those Knights just now, and the reputation of that young Prefect.
He was well aware that he was no match for Red Tide Territory.
The cold wind howled through the valley, and Mckinney subconsciously shivered.
But quickly, he violently shook his head, as if to shake off that unease from his mind, and a sinister smile returned to his lips.
"Ha, what's there to be afraid of? I'm wearing a mask, what could they recognize?!" He said, raising his head, then fiercely roared: "Load the carts! Back for celebration!!"
Cheers erupted again, and in the cold wind, the plunderers laughed even more wildly.
