Knight: Becoming King of the World

Chapter 130: Chapter 109: A Finger Must Be Chopped Off

The soldiers of Ximira Castle completely lost their will to resist. Watching Henry’s invincible figure, their hearts filled with terror and despair.

Amidst the loud cheers and shouts of Henry’s soldiers, the remaining soldiers of Ximira Castle dropped their weapons one after another, knelt on the ground, and raised their hands high in surrender.

’Why risk our lives for a few Dinar a month! The high-paid officers and Attendants are all dead. We common, low-ranking soldiers and Militia might as well just surrender.’

Henry’s soldiers quickly seized the arrow towers, rushed downstairs, and unfastened the chains of the city gate.

The heavy gates slowly swung open, and Henry’s main force surged into the city like a torrent, their footsteps shaking all of Ximira Castle.

The surrendering soldiers and Militia witnessed it all. Ximira Castle was now completely under Henry’s control.

On Henry’s command, his men did not beat the surrendered soldiers, but instead moved swiftly to take control of the various buildings.

At that moment, Henry was leading his Attendants and Personal Guard toward the castle’s main structure.

Henry looked around, inwardly delighted.

The defenses of Ximira Castle could be called a masterpiece of military engineering. The walls were thick enough to withstand the most violent impacts, and they were lined with crenellations and firing ports. Every corner was meticulously designed to ensure there were no blind spots.

’Perfect! To leave a place like this in the hands of someone like the Baron of Ximira is a shameful waste!’

Henry had just inspected the gate. It was made of thick, heavy oak, clad in iron. Even a battering ram would have had to pound it for more than ten minutes! If they had piled stones or sandbags behind it, breaking through would have cost hundreds of lives.

Flanking the gate, tall arrow towers stood like sentinels, guarding its security. Inside, spiral staircases allowed archers to move up and down quickly, ready to deliver a fatal blow to any invader at a moment’s notice.

Henry shook his head. ’If this castle were mine, I could defend it until I died of old age. No one would ever be able to break in.’

The castle’s main keep was even more magnificent. It was a massive tower, its body carved with exquisite reliefs. Each floor had a wide balcony that overlooked all of Ximira Castle.

In comparison, Henry’s own hastily built stone castle seemed much cruder. Though its stone walls were sturdy, it lacked the comprehensive functionality and fine details of Ximira Castle.

To build Westwood Laine Castle up to the standard of Ximira Castle would take at least two years of Phase Two, Phase Three, and Phase Four construction.

Of course, this was because the focus of Henry’s castle was on developing the urban district. If, like Ximira Castle, it had no urban district to build, the process would be much faster.

"Vasco, break down the gate."

At Henry’s command, Vasco led the Personal Guard in a charge toward the keep’s main gate.

They put away their weapons and took up a heavy battering ram. Each strike made the gate emit a deep rumble. After several rounds of furious impacts, the gate finally gave way, collapsing with a tremendous crash.

Vasco and his soldiers stormed into the castle hall, ready for any enemies lying in ambush, but the scene before them made them hold their breath.

Henry, who entered the castle behind them, was also stunned by the sight.

The hall was spacious and bright. Huge candle chandeliers hung from the high, arched ceiling. Exquisite tapestries and murals adorned the walls, each one a masterpiece, likely depicting ancient legends and the deeds of heroes.

Henry stopped in his tracks, because—

The floor was covered with soft Persian rugs. You could feel their luxury with every step.

’This place is about to be mine. I can’t just go and ruin the rugs with my armor, can I? This is my money now!’

In the center of the hall was a massive marble fireplace, above which hung a huge oil painting. The room was filled with exquisite furniture, each piece painstakingly crafted from precious wood.

A long table was covered with a snow-white tablecloth, set with silver cutlery and crystal goblets.

Henry thought for a moment, then took off his armor and set it aside, temporarily donning a suit from one of his Personal Guard. ’It’s a little tight. Seems being too tall isn’t always a good thing. I’ll need to get my armor custom-made, wider and larger.’

As Henry walked into the hall, he saw candelabras crafted from gold and silver, inlaid with... gems?

He saw finely carved chairs, each one a work of art in itself. With his keen eye, he even spotted some precious porcelain brought over the desert trade routes! Each piece was worth a fortune.

’The foolish Baron of Ximira spent all his wealth on personal enjoyment and neglected the development of his army. Now, all his hard work has benefited another.’

THUMP, THUMP, THUMP...

The Baron of Ximira and his minister slowly descended the stairs, their steps heavy, their faces filled with resignation and sorrow.

The Baron wore no armor and carried no weapons. His imperial robe was still magnificent, but it had lost its former luster.

Henry stood in the center of the hall, watching the Baron approach step by step. This once-lofty nobleman now had to face the reality of his defeat.

The Baron walked up to Henry and took a deep breath, trying to maintain his last shred of dignity. His voice trembled slightly, but it was still clear and audible. "Baron Henry, I, the Baron of Ximira, hereby surrender to you. I beg your forgiveness. Please do not harm me or my family."

"I can spare your family, but I must chop off one of your fingers. You have the right to choose which one."

If the Baron of Ximira had not written that letter threatening him with reinforcements, Henry might have actually let him leave unharmed.

The Baron’s mouth fell open, and a flicker of gratitude crossed his eyes. Compared to Baron Sura, his treatment seemed much better.

"I ask of you, could you leave me with one thousand Dinar? It is not for the wealth, but I hope to retain my final dignity, so that I may live out the rest of my days as a nobleman."

Henry was silent for a moment, then said, "No. You are in no position to bargain with me... I can leave you two hundred Dinar as a settlement fee. That’s enough for you to go to a new place and become a village headman."

A relieved smile appeared on the Baron’s face. He had done his best. Although he had lost his castle, at least he had retained some dignity.

He had agonized for a long time outside his study, but in the end, he had given up on defending his noble honor with force. He had already lost the most fundamental, core, and important virtue of a nobleman: Bravery.

"Thank you, Lord Baron. I will remember your mercy."

Henry nodded slightly, then turned to Vasco. "Vasco, ensure his family is safe, give him the Dinar he requires, and take him outside to have a finger chopped off. After that, let him and his family leave."

Vasco acknowledged the order. The Baron and his ministers slowly retreated, their figures gradually receding, leaving long shadows behind them.

Henry stood where he was, watching the Baron’s departing back with mixed feelings.

’What should I have for dinner?’

Henry moved a stool to the castle entrance and sat down. Under Claude’s direction, the other soldiers had already begun the tense and orderly post-battle cleanup.

Soldiers busily moved the carts and all the supplies from the camp into the castle. Officers and Record Keepers began to count the spoils of war and the prisoners, while also tallying the casualties from the battle.

"My Lord, we’ve captured a total of 232 enemies. Most are soldiers of the Baron of Ximira, and the rest are hastily armed Militia."

Henry nodded and had them placed under guard. When Bain returned, he would have Philip send people to transport these prisoners back to Westwood Laine Castle to dig pits and build roads.

The second tally was for casualties. They only needed to assemble the troops in formation to see how many men were missing. They only needed the Medical Master to register the treatment list to know how many were wounded.

Thomas, his hands stained with blood, reported sadly, "My Lord, a total of 120 soldiers died in battle, mostly new recruits. Another 250 suffered minor wounds, and among them, more than fifty are seriously injured. We’re doing our best to treat them, but... it’s difficult to save them."

Thomas didn’t hold out much hope for these seriously wounded soldiers; most would not survive the night. Even if they did live, they would never be able to return to the battlefield and could only become support staff doing odd jobs.

If Henry were merciful enough, perhaps he would create some positions for them to live out their retirement, such as a post as a gatekeeper.

Henry’s expression remained unchanged. Behind every victory lay the blood and sacrifice of his soldiers.

And this was with the Baron of Ximira’s dilapidated armaments and subpar army. Otherwise, the number of casualties would have been even higher.

The short charge with the two Shield Carriers from the ramps to the walls had cost dozens of casualties at the very least! When falling from such a height, no amount of armor would have helped.

"Hold a funeral for the fallen soldiers tomorrow. The wounded must receive the best treatment. We cannot willingly abandon a single soldier who was injured fighting for me."

As for families, these men were mostly serfs who had undergone loyalty training through the Overlord Training system, and most of them had no families.

The sky slowly darkened, but the cleanup work inside the castle continued.

The soldiers sorted and stored the spoils of war. The prisoners were placed in a corner of the castle barracks under guard.

Henry’s army settled into the newly captured castle. The combat-ready soldiers needed to rest while they could; another war awaited them.

The lights of Ximira Castle gradually came on. Claude bustled between the warehouses and piles of supplies, ensuring every item of plunder was meticulously recorded.

Several hours after the battle’s end, after much bustling about, Claude came to Henry with a long list, a weary smile on his face.

"My Lord, I’ve completed a preliminary inventory of the captured supplies. Your haul is quite substantial."

Henry stood up from his stool, took the list from Claude, and began to examine it carefully.

"In terms of weapons, we captured about three hundred Long Swords, two hundred spears, and one hundred and fifty bows with their corresponding arrows."

Claude reported in detail, "As for armor, there are over thirty complete sets of iron armor, Zha Armor, and Chain Armor. There are also about two hundred sets of cotton, cloth, and leather armor, as well as some damaged equipment that can be used for spare parts."

"We also found a complete set of Scale Armor with Skirt Chain Armor in the Baron of Ximira’s bedroom, along with a fine steel Two-Handed Sword."

Henry nodded. These weapons and armor would greatly strengthen his army’s equipment. The Senior Infantry of his Personal Guard could get new gear, and their old equipment could be passed down the line.

Good armor is better than a warhorse, but a good warhorse is also better than most armor.

In the end, if necessary, he could even arm those serfs.