When the Saintess Arrives, No King Exist-Chapter 876 - 827: Dretta, You’re a Pig

The cold wind sweeping across the castle top after the snow melted, shaking a gold-embroidered flag.

On the flag, one half bears the guard bee of the Lanfeng Family, while the other half features a kite-shaped shield.

Near the castle, tents and wooden huts are erected amidst the stream, reeds, and nearby shrubs, countless laborers and soldiers are chopping firewood and fetching water.

Yet, within the core of the castle, the Knight Hall, a roar of battle reaches an extreme level of oppression.

"Aaaaa Dretta, you are, you are a stupid pig!"

Even with the best composure, Raffel couldn't resist gritting his teeth and tearing apart the frontline battle report delivered to him.

Clutching a handful of torn paper, Raffel rolled it into a ball, swung it like a punch towards Dretta's face, and threw it into the fireplace.

Facing the battle report consumed by flames, Raffel seemed to roar at Dretta through the air, "Twenty thousand versus five thousand, and you got counter-killed, can't you fight?!"

Gazing at the blazing paper in the fireplace, only one court priest couldn't help but lean over to take a look.

The rest of the generals merely glanced at each other, not daring to speak.

Inside the hall supported by pillars, were the leading figures of the Leia Kingdom.

Their attire was not comparable to that of those common merchants.

Wearing black silk robes, with collar-like necklaces, and red and white plaid woolen trousers - these were trendy noble garments.

If it was in the Constitution Hall, it would appear to be farmers' hoods, jackets, vests, and Thousand River Valley clogs.

If unaware, one would think they had entered some guild hall.

Yet it was precisely this army composed of farmers, artisans, urban poor, and petty citizens that almost annihilated his nearly twenty thousand soldiers.

Raffel still couldn't believe the word was "annihilated" and not "defeated".

Defeated means retreating, losing important strongholds, but at least the forces remain, and after some regrouping they can still return to the field.

Annihilated means a complete loss of troops.

Originally, in the direction of Adan Castle, there was a force of twenty-three thousand, setting out for Marenpo with a force of twenty thousand, and there were three thousand defenders in Adan Castle.

After the Battle of Marenpo, two thousand troops of the Duke of Wing Nest broke out and escaped, along with roughly three thousand more rebels who fled, died, or went missing gradually.

The remaining over seventeen thousand surrendered to the Thousand River Valley People, even including two decree-linked companies.

According to the accounts of the leftover soldiers, the infantry had put up some resistance, but upon seeing the fall of Adan Castle, the decree companies turned and surrendered to the Thousand River Valley People.

Decree companies, without fighting hard battles, simply surrendered like this?

Raffel really did miss Prince Kongdai a bit.

"This decree company is too much, eating the royal provisions, surrendering without much fighting!" A noble from Thorn Garden indignantly stood up and shouted.

Immediately a River Island aristocrat from the Kingdom Army stood up to argue back: "Did Dretta not surrender? Can decree companies take on hundreds?"

Although the relevant frontline battle report was burned by Raffel in anger, attendant officers still stepped forward to explain to the nobles.

In a moment, the hall seemed to boil over with everywhere filled with chattering discussions.

Originally, after capturing Xia Lvcheng, the difficultly gathered and reviewed over sixty thousand, immediately twenty thousand were gone upon arrival.

This is akin to the coalition of the Oslar Clan supporting in vain, essentially providing no support.

Not only in terms of troop losses, but the loss of laborers was similarly severe.

Before, there were nearly thirty thousand camp followers near Adan Castle, both local and drawn from all parts of Leia.

With the completion of this battle, regardless of local or foreign, all were sent as prisoners to the rear.

Damn it, the plan was executed excellently, where exactly went wrong?

Raffel had contingency plans. Had they truly forced out forces to support Adan Castle, a weak point in forces would inevitably appear.

He could attack this weak point fiercely, though not as effective as breaking through Haji Castle, it wouldn't result in the current level of defeat.

But the problem was, none of the other fortresses showed any abnormalities or weak points in forces.

The ten thousand mountain knights, due to illness and political reasons, were unusable.

Even if Horn's Imperial Guard was deployed and another army hired, it would be at most around thirty thousand.

Even among these thirty thousand, five to six thousand were still in Shangruifo County, commanded by André, maneuvering with the Shattered Stone Plain troops.

While at the Haji Castle - Adan Castle defense line, there were five thousand field troops and two thousand garrison troops.

In a place originally with less than five million people, raising an army over thirty thousand was quite absurd.

Calculating over and over, Raffel figured Horn had to use seventeen thousand to deal with their forty thousand.

According to the battle report, during this time, he could even muster five thousand to attack Adan Castle.

Equivalent to having only twelve thousand on the rest of the defense line, they defended against forty thousand without revealing any loopholes or weak points?

Where did the forces that conquered Adan Castle in just three days come from?

Could it be the Falan stepped in? Raffel's anger gradually faded, becoming a more grim complexion.

Suddenly, he seemed to catch something from the noisy crowd.

Raffel shouted out a name: "What did you just say was the reason for decree companies surrendering?"

The man was an obscure little knight, he chuckled sheepishly: "These are miscellaneous sources from merchants, I'm not sure either."

"Speak, I won't blame you."

Upon receiving Raffel's acknowledgment, this little knight, deemed to have a coppery smell, dared to stand up.

"I heard from merchants that the Thousand River Valley People and the Falan have signed an agreement called the Noble Prisoner Guarantee Agreement.

The content is in this war, noble Leians captured by the Thousand River Valley People will be sent to the Falan Kingdom.

The Falan Kingdom will supply resources and gold pounds to the Thousand River Valley based on two-thirds or half of the noble's ransom.

After the war ends, the Falan will demand the full ransom for these nobles from us Leia.

This way, on one hand, Leia's nobles don't have to be abused by farmer-hostile nobles, on the other hand, the Thousand River Valley People need not worry about the ransom and placement issues of the nobles."

Raffel fell silent, the knight had more to say but he knew what it was.

Noble prisoners of war captured in the war, if the war fails, at the final stage will inevitably be massacred by farmers.

Only winning the war would give the noble prisoners the value of ransom.

For the Thousand River Valley, using this agreement, they can immediately convert the value of nobles into resources.

For Leia prisoners of war, this agreement avoids the possibility of them being massacred after losing the war in the Thousand River Valley.

For the Falan people, not to mention the profits from selling low and buying high, these Leia elite within the nobles, if they can be recruited, are invaluable beyond their ransom.

This was clearly a three-way win agreement, no wonder the decree companies willingly surrendered.

Just stepped out of this troubled water, with luck, might even be recruited by the King of Falan.

The Thousand River Valley People cannot accommodate noble knights, but the Falan people surely can.

The glorious nobles being traded like goods, even able to be bought low and sold high.

This is really...

Raffel was momentarily speechless, raised his head, only to find the nobles below showing expressions of deep thought even surprise.

"Bang bang bang!"

Raffel slapped the arm of the chair thrice, finally waking the nobles from their reveries.

"Losing is a matter of capability, that's forgivable." Raffel warned them, "But attitude is unforgivable, don't forget, you are ultimately Leia people." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Subduing these Leia nobles, Raffel then turned to the main topic: "Next, the opposing forces aren't that different from ours in size anymore, offensives must cease, what are your suggestions?"

The hall, previously quite noisy, suddenly quieted down, followed by louder, more chaotic cries.

"I suggest holding camp, isn't it just holding camp? That mad Pope can hold camp, we can too!"

"Not suitable, should seize back Adan Castle while they are yet to firmly establish."

"We should retract our forces, let the fortresses fall to the Thousand River Valley People, this way forces will inevitably be diluted!"

"Wait until King Jinijis arrives, otherwise our forty thousand aren't a match for their thirty thousand."

Watching the arguing nobles, Raffel helplessly placed a hand on his forehead.