Forced March

Within about ten minutes, all the soldiers of the Moreland Family who could still stand assembled before Reiner. Their sleepy eyes quickly sharpened from the bitter cold.

In fact, if it weren't for the freemen and serfs conscripted by the knights, and the serfs conscripted by Reiner, the entire army would have assembled in just five minutes. After all, even freemen couldn't compare to regular troops in terms of combat power and discipline.

The gathered soldiers were very confused. They had just won a battle and were sleeping soundly in their tents. Why would the Baron wake them up at this hour?

Reiner suppressed the anxiety in his heart and loudly addressed the assembled soldiers: "Soldiers!"

"I know your hearts are full of questions. You don't understand why I'm waking you up now, and I completely understand your thoughts!"

"But! Our castle is about to be attacked! Our home is about to be ravaged by a pack of jackals! If we don't return to the castle to defend against the enemy's attack, everyone's home, including mine, will be destroyed by the enemy! Women will be raped by the damned enemy, innocent children will be used for their wanton amusement, the blood of children and women will flow everywhere, and their souls will curse you! They will hate you! Hate their husbands, their fathers, hate that you didn't save them from the enemy's hands! If you don't care about this, then you can go back to your tents and continue sleeping! I swear you will not be punished for it!"

Reiner shouted hoarsely. At first, he was panicked by the impending siege of the castle, but he quickly adjusted his mindset and began to rally the soldiers' morale.

He knew that the soldiers were exhausted at this moment, and having been forcefully woken from sleep, their morale probably wasn't high. If he returned to the castle with such a force, it would be useless.

How could a tired, depleted, and demoralized army contend with an intact enemy? Therefore, Reiner had to boost the soldiers' morale.

After hearing Reiner's words, the soldiers began to whisper among themselves. They also had a desire to protect their homes, but they felt somewhat doubtful.

"Soldiers! Do not doubt the truth of my words! This is absolutely true! We must return to the castle to protect our families! Defend our homes! Knights! Defend your fiefs! Defend your honor! Do not let cowardice bring shame upon your families!"

"Honor is my life! I will defend my liege with my life!"

The knights drew their swords and placed them across their chests. The firelight shone on their longswords, proving their resolve!

"Defend our homes!"

"Drive out the invaders!"

The soldiers, too, emotionally raised their spears and shouted loudly. Protecting their families was far more important than getting a little more sleep.

"Excellent! Now, the wounded soldiers will stay here. Those who can still fight, follow me back to the castle to defend our homes!"

And so, the group of over two hundred people set out on their journey back to the castle on that dark and stormy night. Though physically exhausted, they strenuously overcame these difficulties.

Meanwhile, Baron Lobean's army had already placed ladders against the city walls. Seeing the motionless city gate, his expression couldn't help but change.

He had thought this plan was foolproof. These were elite spies he had borrowed from Count Zebo, and he didn't believe anyone in the small Morland Castle could discover him.

In front, his soldiers scrambled to climb the ladders onto the city walls because Baron Lobean had promised that once the castle was breached, they could freely coerce the women inside and divide the spoils.

These were noblewomen that these serfs wouldn't even dare to dream of on normal days. With such a promise, they were instantly invigorated, climbing frantically onto the city walls.

Baron Lobean, below the city wall, no longer thought about these things. Astride his warhorse, bareheaded, a horsewhip in hand, he spoke to a middle-aged man in chainmail nearby: "Thank Count Zebo for me. I am very willing to serve him in the Northern Territory. Please assure him that the Moreland Family, and indeed the entire Northern Territory, will not cause any trouble, as long as our agreement continues!"

"Yes, my dear Baron, I will convey your words to the Count verbatim. Now, please allow me to leave your army to deliver this message to Count Zebo!" The middle-aged man bowed as he spoke. His large beard fluttered in the wind, making him look a bit unkempt.

Baron Lobean nodded proudly, gesturing for the other man to proceed as he wished, saying nothing more.

The middle-aged man turned expressionlessly and, with his two retainers, was about to leave.

However, as he turned, a flicker of annoyance and indignation appeared on his face, though he dared not show it openly due to Baron Lobean's authority and power.

Watching the conscripted serf soldiers desperately climbing the city walls via three ladders, Baron Lobean frowned deeply. He was reluctant to have his knights or the standing army he funded "gnaw" at such a wall. Even sending the conscripted serf soldiers felt a bit wasteful. After all, he had adopted a method with fewer losses, but it didn't seem to be working. Helpless, he could only send the conscripted serf soldiers first.

Knights and regular soldiers were precious, but conscripted serf soldiers were different. They were merely fulfilling their obligations; they had to serve their lord. In Baron Lobean's eyes, these people were like weeds in a field. A few deaths were of no consequence; after a few more years, they would grow back anyway. Their only value was to be exploited by nobles and to give their all for them.

In his eyes, these people were even less valuable than arrows. Arrows cost money, but these conscripted serf soldiers did not.

Such a thought, to Reiner, and indeed to all modern people, seemed utterly absurd. However, in this era, it was the prevailing thought among nobles, and most nobles acted this way.

Freemen were no different. They had to purchase their own weapons to increase their chances of survival on the battlefield, which often led to many freemen going bankrupt. But times had changed. This was no longer the era of constant warfare where nobles had to rely on strong freemen for battle. Nobles actually wished for them to go bankrupt.

Only then would they sell their land and become his serfs, increasing his income, rather than being like the lowest vassals now, whose feelings he had to consider.

For nobles, only the army they funded and armed themselves was worth preserving, and the same went for knights.

"Faster! Warriors! We must be faster! Our families could be persecuted by the enemy at any moment! The sooner we get back, the safer our families will be!"

Reiner rode on a draft horse. He had stripped off all his armor, leaving only several layers of warm clothing, and loudly addressed the soldiers jogging behind him.

At this point, the Moreland Family soldiers were a bit out of breath. Marching in the snow was extremely strenuous. Reiner's regular standing army was fine; they were well-trained and strong, fully capable of maintaining such a marching speed.

But the conscripted serf soldiers were exhausted. They were already undernourished and not strong, and jogging in this snow almost drained all the strength from their bodies.

While the freemen were slightly better off, they were also panting, as they still couldn't compare to regular troops who trained every day.