"The Holy Father's will!" the soldiers shouted along with Reiner, their spirited voices filling the entire clearing.
This time, Reiner had assembled all his troops. Even the knights had summoned their own retainers and brought them here.
As for the territory's security, he had conscripted dozens of freemen to take up arms and station themselves in the castle. Meanwhile, the hunters who should have been hunting in the forest had entered the castle's arrow towers to stand watch.
Thus, Reiner led nearly two hundred soldiers, flying the banner of the Moreland Family, as they departed the castle in grand fashion.
Dozens of wagons followed behind the troops, carrying their logistical supplies. They had brought a large amount of food—enough to feed Reiner's army for twenty days.
Even taking out this much food had not been easy. Under normal consumption, the food originally stored in the castle could have fed both the army and the people in the castle for another five or six years. After gathering these supplies, however, the castle's food would barely last until the autumn harvest.
Reiner was not wearing his suit of plate armor. To make marching easier, all the soldiers had removed their heavy armor, and the knights had done the same. They were doing this to preserve their strength during the march.
Kahn Castle did not border Morland Castle, but it was a neighbor of Goer Castle, lying to its west—or to the southwest of Morland Castle. Reiner headed south along the route from Goer Castle and arrived there that evening to rest.
He did not take a shortcut directly to Kahn Castle, because that was someone else's territory. If he appeared there with an army, it could very well trigger a war.
When they reached Goer Castle, some of the people remaining inside