Chapter 473: The Secretly Prepared Serfs
Of course, the South County would not sit idly by and watch the North County’s troops invade.
The previous s.h.i.+rking and compromise had announced the importance of the South County from the day Maas Castle fell, especially the high-ranking n.o.ble families that represented the South County.
To heavily injure the South County was to heavily injure them.
In just a few hundred years, these high-ranking n.o.ble families had been bound to the South County.
In fact, the invasion of the Silver Platter Kingdom back then was not resisted by the Grand Duke Leo. Instead, it was these high-ranking n.o.ble families who had stubbornly resisted the attack. They were unwilling to give up their strength and their families which had been completely rooted in South County.
Now, facing the n.o.ble army of the North County, the troops of the South County had finally gathered.
The 20,000 men army was neat and elite.
They were led by 5,000 knights, 15,000 knight attendants and the corresponding cavalry squires were supporting them.
All of them were cavalry troops, and they were extremely mobile. This was also the army that the Dukedom of Leo was most proud of.
In the battle against the Silver Platter Kingdom, it was these cavalry troops that were extremely mobile that cut off the Silver Platter Kingdom’s infantrymen supply line. They weaved in and out of surprise attacks, and only then did they manage to defeat the enemy army that had the advantages in quality and quant.i.ty.
In the plains, cavalry was the king, and infantry was just an easy target!
The leading viscount of the South County was very confident.
However, he was not arrogant.
This was his foundation.
The training from a n.o.ble family allowed him to hold an extremely high position in commanding troops.
He was already over 35 years old, and he no longer had the arrogance of a young man. He only saw this battle as his gold-plated mission. If he completed it well, then he would be the new viscount who had bravely protected the safety of the South County.
If he fought cleanly and won beautifully, it was not impossible for him to become a count by his battle achievements.
And these were also the unspoken rules of the n.o.ble families.
They would help him ascend to the throne.
This battle was the best foundation for him to ascend to the throne.
Sometimes, mutual compromise could actually result in someone’s success.
Thinking about the upcoming marriage, the young viscount of this high-ranking n.o.ble family of the South County smiled. No matter which family he married, it would allow him to advance further.
Perhaps after defeating the country b.u.mpkins in the North County, he would still be able to control the barren wilderness.
Although the land was barren, the salt mine from the Nahrin Desert was a good thing.
Even the high-ranking n.o.ble families from the South County drooled over it.
The reason why they had not attacked was because they were worried about the sudden attack of the Silver Platter Kingdom. After all, the Dukedom of Leo was still in stalemate with this old enemy. If they were not careful, the entire dukedom would probably be annexed into three new counties of the Silver Platter Kingdom, this was not something they wanted to see.
However, now that the North County had taken the initiative to attack, they could easily defeat the invading troops and then counterattack the North County. Then, Nahrin Desert would be theirs!
They were determined to obtain that salt mine for the huge profit!
On the plains of the South County, countless farms were retreating, and many serfs and free citizens were escaping the flames of war.
However, they hadn’t gone far. This battle was destined for victory, and the lingering prestige of the South County was still resounding in their hearts. Most importantly, the elites of the Dukedom of Leo had never let anyone down.
Even if the group of n.o.ble from the North County came to attack, they might just be sending themselves to their deaths!
Wasn’t the Silver Platter Kingdom like this back then?
Now.
There were also serfs in some farms.
They were prisoners of war captured by the n.o.ble from the South County of the Dukedom of Leo after the Silver Platter Kingdom was defeated.
They were not exchanged back. Instead, they became serfs who were tortured day and night on the farms. They ate the worst food and were treated as human-shaped livestock. In the end, they were exhausted and died on the farms. Even their corpses were buried in the ground to fatten up.
The defeated had no human rights, let alone the defeated invaders.
Therefore, the outcome of the battle had nothing to do with them.
It did not matter who had the upper hand.
They were just serfs.
No one cared about them, and no one was willing to save them.
Perhaps the Silver Platter Kingdom was still preparing for the next attack, but it was another matter whether they were still alive or not. Especially those slave owners or farm owners who had abused them. In order to silence them, they would definitely hang these serfs first.
The Silver Platter Kingdom was also happy to see this happen. After all, some prisoners of war had become serfs, so it was a bit awkward.
However, there were also voices coming from this group of serfs.
There were some serfs who used to be commanders in the past.
They were all secretly contacted each other. After all, the farms were all connected.
Some of the serfs had also become small leaders. Secretly, they arranged a few serfs who went out to work. It was also very easy for them to send messages to each other. Very quickly, in less than half a month, all the serfs had already heard the news.
No one betrayed them, because the ones left were the ones who suffered the most.
If it was possible.
No one wanted to continue living like this!
Moreover, these prisoners of war of the Silver Platter Kingdom were themselves, so how could they be willing to die here?
Just as the South County organized their troops and attempted to wipe out the North County territory’s troops, these serfs also began to organize themselves. Close to 5,000 people were distributed in the various farms in the South County, carefully collecting any supplies.
These supplies included specially sharpened pitchforks and sickles, st.u.r.dy wooden boards, tattered cloth, and animal skin.
There was also a little bit of black bread left over every day.
Pitchforks and sickles could be used as weapons.
Wooden boards could be made into s.h.i.+elds.
Animal skin was washed and dried with feces and urine, which was equivalent to leather made from nitrite. It was a good defensive tool.
Everything was in the process of preparation, but these serfs’ small actions had not been seen by the high and mighty management. Perhaps to them, it was simply impossible for the serfs to erupt into rebellion.
The South County was so powerful that it had even defeated the Silver Platter Kingdom. How could a group mere serfs rebelled them?
What a joke!
Everyone did not take it seriously.
They were a group of people who did not have enough to eat or warm their clothes were doing farm work all day long.
Even eating meat was an extremely extravagant thing. How could they have the strength to make these serfs rebel?
However, the management did not expect that the wealth of the South County had already exceeded their imagination. At the very least, the black bread was actually not bad. It was well made that there was not even sawwood powder in it.
In the North County, only the rich freemen could eat this black bread.
And the meat could be eaten if they caught field mice or water snakes.
The South County was really a good place.
These seemingly exhausted and weak serfs were actually taut muscles. And that tiredness was only consumed by the high-intensity farm work every day.
Once they stopped their farm work, they would be a group of rebellious serfs who were unwilling and wanted to overthrow the South County. They would be filled with hatred!