The castle, like a sturdy iron nail, was hammered into the crevice of the hill.
Arthur's army had besieged it for three days without launching an assault, like a pack of patient wolves.
Arthur, at a makeshift outdoor command post, gazed at the small stone castle, which belonged to an Old Knight, a somewhat wealthy vassal of the Legge Family.
He had not ordered a direct assault, only cut off the water supply, and then waited; many civilians had taken refuge in the castle, and it was clear that its food supply was absolutely insufficient to sustain so many people. Now, all that was needed was to wait, as waiting was the cheapest weapon in war.
But Arthur looked at the small castle, his eye twitching: "This is too outrageous."
"Why is every castle built better than that Dreadfort?"
In the distance, several riders were galloping, and as they drew near, Olivier dismounted swiftly.
Olivier clutched a thick booklet tightly in his hand, the fatigue on his face replaced by a joyful excitement. Although he did not support looting the Legge Family's property, he was still pleased with this harvest.
His voice was a little hoarse, yet filled with suppressed joy: "My Lord!"
"The accounts of Willow Wood City have all been tallied!"
Arthur turned around and gestured for him to sit down and rest.
Olivier did not sit; he opened the ledger, his fingers gliding quickly across it.
"Various gold and silver artifacts, jewelry, and other valuables, when converted, amount to approximately three thousand Gold Dragons."
"One thousand five hundred twenty-seven spears, eight hundred sixty-four swords and various other weapons."
"Six hundred nine sets of chainmail, and… plate armor! From the knights who surrendered in Willow Wood City and subsequent battle spoils, there are a full thirty-seven sets!"
Olivier's breathing quickened. As a former steward of a great noble, he did not support looting noble property, but now he had to admit that through this plunder, Arthur had made a very large fortune…
"The plundered grain is piled up like mountains, forty-three cattle, six hundred seventy-two pigs and sheep, and over three thousand four hundred chickens and ducks."
"Even farm tools, we've plundered over six thousand items, tables, chairs, ladles, basins, not a single one left behind."
Arthur listened quietly, a thought emerging in his mind: perhaps he should just go out and plunder from now on. As an Ironborn who farmed, it was no wonder everyone wanted to wage war. Relying on farming, how many years would it take to accumulate such wealth?
Olivier finally closed the ledger and added, "And people, My Lord."
"Over two thousand one hundred people are willing to follow us and migrate to the new territory, among whom more than seven hundred are adult men capable of wielding weapons."
Arthur controlled his joyous voice, trying hard to keep his emotions hidden, his voice very calm: "Very good!"
"Settle those new commoners in the villages vacated by the old commoners first."
"The grain they harvested from the Legge Family's land, distribute it to them. The farm tools, pigs, sheep, chickens, and ducks should also be distributed equally among each household."
"The cattle should be distributed equally among the various villages for collective use by the villagers for plowing."
He pondered for a moment, thinking that the land in High Mountain must be cultivated first to achieve actual control.
"Tell Evelyn to prioritize allocating the public lands in High Mountain to the new commoners."
The excitement on Olivier's face froze, not because of the land allocation, but because of the free distribution of all the grain, farm tools, and livestock.
He cautiously began: "My Lord, doing this… is somewhat inappropriate."
"We have already given them land and shelter; this is a great favor."
"These grains and livestock should be purchased by them with their remaining property."
"This way, we can both enrich the treasury and make those who have lost their property work hard again."
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