Interrogating Prisoners

The news of the interrogation of the captured Pirates and the repelled attack spread throughout Lakeheart Town, and the residents took to the streets, gathering in the town's central square to celebrate.

The next day, Earl ordered a victory parade. The troops, formed into square formations by company, marched in step along the main street into the square. A temporary reviewing stand was erected on the north side of the square, where Paul, Schroeder, Bryce, and other senior officers reviewed the troops.

The parading troops marched from west to east towards the reviewing stand. As they passed the stand, the formations swiftly transitioned into a goose-stepping march according to their officers' commands. The young men held their heads high, chests out, their faces filled with pride yet maintaining a solemn demeanor.

The onlookers gasped in amazement, followed by waves of applause and cheers. The old knight on the reviewing stand nodded in approval. This peculiar marching style truly gave off an aura of invincibility, showcasing the troops' discipline and quality. Even the troops he had served with before could not achieve this level without extensive training.

After the parading troops had passed, they were followed by the Pirates captured in the battle. Unlike the flowers and applause that preceded them, they were greeted with rotten eggs and spoiled vegetables. Because of them, the residents of Lakeheart Town had been living in misery for days. Not only were those who went out to farm and work in the fields filled with anxiety, but even the fishermen dared not venture too far from the shore to fish.

Given the significant meaning of this victory, Paul and the senior officers had hastily formulated a temporary reward and compensation system on the afternoon of the day the Pirates were defeated, announcing it during the parade: all those granted temporary military ranks were to be made permanent, and based on their performance in the battle, those who sacrificed their lives in combat were awarded First Class Merit, those who were seriously wounded were awarded Second Class Merit, and nearly a hundred others who showed outstanding performance were awarded Third Class Merit, with different material and monetary rewards given according to the level of merit.

For those who died in action or were severely injured and disabled, rendering them unable to work, their families could receive a sum of five Auldo Gold Coins or other currency of equivalent value from the lord's manor. For the common families in the Northwest Bay area, this was a considerable amount of money.

"You sons of bitches of nobles..." The bearded man, bound with his hands tied behind his back, struggled and cursed as he was led into the hall, two soldiers working together to pin him to the ground.

"So, you're the 'great' Quirk I?" Paul looked with interest at the Pirate leader, who was full of defiance. In the previous battle, the bearded man had actually been trampled unconscious by his retreating subordinates, trampled unconscious, trampled unconscious... Just thinking about it gave him a sense of great revenge.

"I'm your grandpa..."

"Tell him to watch his mouth."

The sound of slaps echoed in the hall as a soldier struck left and right, and in a short while, Quirk's cheeks were swollen high.

"You... you..." The Pirate leader's curses gradually subsided.

"Honestly confess all the information you know. How many of you are there? How much did you steal? Where are the other Pirates?"

"Beat me to death... hiss... I won't reveal... hiss... a single bit." Quirk's face was bruised and swollen, and he couldn't even speak properly.

"He's got a hard bone, doesn't he? Does anyone have a way to pry open his mouth?"

The participants in the interrogation brainstormed, proposing methods of torment, and a good show was staged in the hall.

First, there were whips and thumbscrews, then the tiger bench, chili water, and water torture, giving Quirk a good serving. What? Still won't talk? Since the hard approach didn't work, they went for the soft approach, tickling his armpits and feet, and one after another, insidious tricks were used on Quirk.

"Ugh! Ah! Ugh... haha... haha... ah... oh!!! Hahaha!!!"

Soft and hard tactics were used in turn, and the bearded Quirk was thrown into heaven one moment and thrown into hell the next.

"I'll talk... I'll talk..." After being tormented for a long time, Quirk finally relented.

"You really don't appreciate a toast, only a forfeit. It would have been fine if you had spoken up earlier." The young Earl chuckled sinisterly like a villain in a movie.

"Soldiers, continue to interrogate the other prisoners in the prison. Did you remember the torture methods just now? See if their boss's mouth is hard, or if these lackeys' mouths are hard."

"Yes! Earl." The two soldiers saluted with the newly promoted hand salute, rubbing their hands together, and left with excitement.

After Paul chuckled for a while, he slowly said to Quirk, "Then, the great Quirk I, tell me everything you know. If there are any conflicts with what your subordinates say, our Lakeheart Town has always been warm and hospitable, and you will receive even more wonderful 'hospitality'."

The bearded Pirate lying on the ground shivered after hearing this.

After synthesizing all the Pirates' confessions, Lakeheart Town finally understood the enemy's situation.

There were three groups of Pirates involved in this invasion.

The first group was the Quirk Gang, who had just suffered a major setback in Lakeheart Town.

The second group was the Shark Gang, whose leader was named Shark. This group of Pirates ambushed Old Greiman.

The third group was the "Loach" Garden Gang, who had just landed. They were the suspicious people who were just there to make up the numbers in this battle. Seeing the Quirk Gang collectively crash, they quietly slipped away, truly living up to the "Loach" nickname.

The Shark Gang landed first, and after looting and plundering along the coast, they were incredibly lucky to defeat Old Greiman, who had come to suppress them. When they learned that the Greiman Family only had a little brat left, their arrogance grew even more rampant. They directly occupied the coastal city of Fulan, forcibly conscripting local residents to build fortifications, intending to occupy it for a long time.

The Quirk Gang landed later, but the coastal area had already been looted by the Shark Gang. They then advanced inland, and after looting some villages and towns, they decided to do something big, heading straight for Lakeheart Town, and then they crashed.

As for the third wave of "Loach" Garden Gang, Quirk had only just joined forces with them and didn't know much.

But what worried the people of Lakeheart Town was that although these three groups of Pirates were just small gangs, they were all affiliated with another powerful force: Walker Edward, the maritime giant who dominated the North Sea.

Twenty years ago, Walker Edward suddenly rose to prominence, gradually swallowing up the large and small Pirate gangs on the North Sea, and the united Pirates gave the lords of Northwest Bay a headache. They joined forces to try to wipe out Edward.

But the process did not go well. The Pirates came and went on the water, adopting guerrilla tactics, elusive and unpredictable. As soon as the noble coalition retreated, they landed and attacked. As soon as the coalition's main force arrived, they retreated back to the sea.

The nobles tried to build ships and go out to sea to suppress them, but the newly formed fleet was no match for these old sea dogs, and they repeatedly failed.

In the end, the noble lords couldn't bear it any longer. The two sides negotiated, and the lords paid a large sum of money as protection fees. They also designated a coastal area (including part of the Paul Family's territory) for the Pirates to "resupply" every few months. Edward, on the other hand, had to restrain his Pirate gangs from going too far inland and entering the capitals of the various territories and their surrounding areas.

Thus, the lords and the Pirates lived in "peace" for twenty years, while the coastal "resupply area" suffered from the double exploitation of nobles and Pirates.

When Quirk explained this, the Earl angrily smashed the water cup he had just picked up. "These sons of bitches of nobles!!!" he cursed, using the exact same swear word as Quirk had earlier. Not only was Quirk, kneeling in the hall below, stunned, but the others participating in the interrogation in the hall also looked at each other in dismay.

The butler leaned in and quietly reminded Paul, "Ahem... Earl, please be careful what you say. Your grandfather was also involved in the negotiations at the time. Most of the lords in Northwest Bay agreed, and although a few families, including the Greiman Family, were dissatisfied, they couldn't do anything about it and had to agree."

Paul asked coldly, "Oh, so if the Pirates hadn't overstepped this time, would you have continued to turn a blind eye?"

Everyone in the hall lowered their heads and remained silent. For a moment, it was terrifyingly quiet, and only the sigh of the old knight Schroeder could be heard