Considering the effect of the pills, Roland did not immediately order the First Army to pursue, but sent Lightning and Maggie to monitor the situation.
The wounded soldiers on the defense line were immediately treated. Throughout the battle, only five people were injured, all of whom were hit by spears, four of whom were from the artillery team. To his relief, the artillerymen did not scatter in panic when the enemy approached about 150 meters and launched their spears, but rather ducked down, using the gun carriages to avoid the short spears, and quickly returned to combat.
Nannawa remained on standby behind the defense line. Especially when the enemy turned and fled, she ignored the rumbling artillery fire and ran with Viscount Tigu to the artillery position to treat those injured by the short spears. It was hard to imagine that half a year ago, she was still a little girl who would become dizzy at the sight of blood.
In the end, all five survived. Amid cheers, many soldiers saluted her and watched her leave the battlefield.
In fact, this battle was much easier than fighting the Duke's coalition. Without the drugs, the militiamen who had fallen into addiction behaved extremely poorly. Some even ran two or three kilometers before lying down on the ground, unwilling to move anymore.
The pursuing troops quickly gathered them all together and escorted them to Longsong Stronghold. During this time, the First Army also captured two knights. Although they had not taken the pills, they had lost the will to resist. Faced with the approaching pursuers, they simply chose to surrender and asked to write letters to their families for a chance to be redeemed.
They arrived at Longsong Stronghold four days later.
According to the intelligence obtained from interrogating the surrendered knights, Nightingale easily disintegrated the troops guarding the stronghold castle. The captain was killed on the spot, and more than a hundred militiamen scattered in panic, subsequently falling into the ambush set up by the First Army at the gate.
Roland's men found Pero, who was imprisoned in the castle dungeon. He looked somewhat haggard, probably due to worry and anxiety, but given the noble status of the Honeysuckle Earl, he had not suffered any inhuman treatment.
After nearly three months, the prince saw this agent again.
"Your Highness, it's so good to see you," Pero's uneasy mood finally relaxed. He recounted all the things he had experienced these days, "I wonder about those envoys from Tiefeike..."
"They are all dead," Roland said casually, leaning back in his chair. "Also, a large part of the 1,500 people they brought died on the border of the town, and the rest are currently locked in the stronghold prison."
Pero looked somewhat surprised when he heard the news that the entire envoy group had been wiped out. "Your Highness, if you do this, I'm afraid the new king... no, your brother will see you as a thorn in his side."
"So I should surrender obediently and return to the royal capital, allowing him to manipulate me?" Roland stared directly at him.
The latter couldn't help but lower his head, "No, Your Highness..."
"From the moment he sent troops to set foot in the Western Region, he has already been my enemy," the prince said calmly. "Tiefeike Wimbledon will only become more and more eager in his actions in order to seize power. He urgently needs land and titles to distribute to those nobles who support him. If it were just for enjoyment, why would you manage this stronghold for me? You should be very clear that only when I become the King of Graycastle can your position in the Western Region be as solid as a mountain." He paused, then continued, "To prevent such a situation from happening again, I need to build an army to defend the stronghold."
"An army?" Pero was stunned.
"That's right, not knights, but an army composed of commoners, dedicated to combat." Roland slowly revealed his plan, "You select a team of three hundred people from the stronghold, and my subordinates will train them how to fight. The requirements for these three hundred people are: they must be commoners, have not committed any crimes, are not church believers, are between sixteen and thirty years old, and have no physical disabilities. During the training period, they will live in Border Town, and the weapons will also be provided by me. Your knights and patrols will only be responsible for city治安 from now on. More details are written on this," he handed the other party a piece of parchment, "You can issue announcements and conduct recruitment and screening according to the contents above."
Wanting to control the city's defenses in his own hands, it was obviously the most appropriate approach to station an army of his own. However, the First Army was too small in number, and even defending Border Town was not enough, let alone garrisoning Longsong Stronghold. Therefore, letting
the other party provide manpower and training them himself was a compromise.
Nightingale's lie detection ability could ensure the purity of the team, and the new army's training methods and ideological education could quickly form the combat effectiveness of this group of people. The weapons were soon-to-be-eliminated muzzle-loading flintlock guns, which would not be a big problem even if captured by the enemy. In addition, this army could also shoulder the task of information and intelligence transmission. As long as someone tried to attack the stronghold, Roland would be able to get the news as soon as possible.
"I understand." Pero nodded.
"I will review the personnel you screen. Don't try to plant spies in the team. This approach is meaningless," Roland warned. "Those scouts you sent before have already entered the mine. If something similar happens again..."
"No, Your Highness," the other party wiped the sweat from his forehead, "I guarantee it won't happen again."
"Next is the church," the prince leaned back in his chair with satisfaction. "You probably don't know yet that the stronghold cathedral was set on fire by Tiefeike's men, and High Priest Tairuo was also killed by them. Now there's only a ruin left."
"They actually burned the church?" Pero was shocked by the news. "This... I have to report to Hermes."
Church law stipulates that kings and lords have an obligation to protect local church facilities from harm. If they are unable to prevent it, they should immediately report the news to the Holy City. This was a normal reaction for the former ambassador who was proficient in law, and this kind of thing could not be concealed at all. I'm afraid that the devout believers in the stronghold had already sent secret letters to the Holy City on the day of the incident.
"Indeed, it should be reported, but the content of the letter needs to be adjusted appropriately," Roland curled the corner of his mouth. "You only need to state in the letter that the attackers were Tiefeike Wimbledon's troops. They left Longsong Stronghold not long after looting and burning the church, and their whereabouts are unknown. Also, attach this thing to the letter," he took out a pill from his pocket and handed it to Pero, "Just say it was something picked up near the church, and they will naturally understand."
"What... is this?"
"The church's secret medicine, also Tiefeike's target. It can allow ordinary people to burst out with extraordinary power in a short period of time, but after the effect of the medicine wears off, the user will slowly weaken and die," Roland explained simply. "Tiefeike wants to strengthen his army with this drug and stabilize his precarious throne. The church will naturally understand his intention when they see this pill."
As for whether they will take measures, that is another matter.
"Yes, Your Highness." Pero replied, putting the pill into his arms.