You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 423 So, there's only one answer!

Approximately 10,000 people were gathered around Lion Castle.

They were dressed in rags like refugees, huddling together for warmth, crowding all the roads.

Seeing that the castle gates, which had been closed for several days, were about to open, everyone rushed forward desperately, jostling each other.

The Golden Lion Knight waved his hand, and the guards, receiving orders, violently pushed aside the throng of untouchables with their spear shafts.

The refugees, their faces gaunt, desperately reached out for help, as if grasping at the last straw before drowning.

"Lord, save us! The blasphemous demon has emerged from the valley, and he will slaughter us all..."

"Get out of the way! Don't disturb the master's journey!" the guards shouted angrily. They were strong and capable of taking on three men at once.

But there were only a hundred or so guards, while the number of commoners was in the tens of thousands, without end.

God knows what those wretches eat to survive, that they can stay around the castle for days on end.

They patrolled the city walls day and night, looking down from their vantage point, and clearly saw that the trees outside the castle had suffered an undeserved calamity. Their bark had been stripped off, and their trunks had been knocked down to be used as fuel to boil a dark brown soup in an iron pot, along with some unknown ingredients, including grass roots. The once beautiful hills were now riddled with potholes and covered only with foul-smelling excrement.

Locusts! A swarm of locusts!
The guard cursed inwardly, struggling to push the spear forward, trying to make way for the Earl.

But the spear shaft that had just been pushed out was pushed back in.

The two sides pulled and tugged at each other repeatedly, and the guards were inexplicably terrified.

Countless hands seemed to reach out from the iron cage, grabbing at them, grasping at their last straw, leaving their golden robes covered in black handprints. Some of their withered hands even instinctively gripped the spear shafts, engaging in a struggle with the guards.

Oh no, the lowly have turned into a mob!

The castle guards couldn't drive away the lowly people who used to berate them at will even after half a minute. In fact, they were pushed back by the lowly people, showing a strong tendency to rebel against the Heavenly Guard.

The Golden Lion Knights could no longer contain themselves and drew their spears or swords, charging towards the crowd outside the castle gates.

"Are you rebelling?!"

They were Earl Felin's personal guards, the unique knights of the Lion Territory, their armor cast in brass, gleaming and dazzling.

If we can't defeat the steel legion of the King of the Valley, surely we can handle you unarmed insects?!
In an instant, blood splattered and severed limbs flew up.

In just a few seconds, dozens of people died!
It was like a bucket of cold water being poured over their heads; silence spread from within, and all the refugees gradually quieted down, becoming completely silent.

But soon, another voice rang out from the outside.

"My lord, man-eating demons are approaching! Please have mercy!"

It's like a drop of water falling into a pan of oil, instantly causing an explosive reaction.

"Please have mercy..."

"Have mercy..."

One after another, crowds knelt down, like a surging, dark sea.

The Golden Lion Knight angrily drew his sword and slew dozens more people. No one resisted, but it was to no avail, and the cries of pleas continued.

The knights were helpless in the face of this non-violent non-cooperation and could only look helplessly at their master.

Count Felin wore black velvet adorned with gold lion-head clasps, a soft gold woven necklace, and a deep red cape with gold trim draped over his back.

He looked haggard, with an unshaven beard, and hadn't groomed himself for days. Now, he stared coldly at the dark, oppressive scene before him, feeling extremely agitated.

For the past few days, he has been in constant pain, and even his favorite apple roast suckling pig has lost its flavor.

How could these starving refugees know about his current struggles and torment?
How can you understand how much he's suffering right now?
Pleading and screams filled the air, like being surrounded by a swarm of flies, and the air was thick with the stench of decay.

How could those lowly people know the difficult choices he went through!
You're just starving to death, but my position is about to be in jeopardy!
The count said in a heavy tone, "Make way! I'm going to negotiate with them now!" The refugees were overjoyed, as if they had seen a glimmer of hope.

If it had been said earlier, a bloody incident might have been avoided.

But who would bother explaining all that to serfs?
Roman, anyway, won't explain.

Earl Felin took a deep breath, his nose instantly filled with the stench emanating from the crowd, which made his face turn ashen.

The Lion's Territory is now isolated and helpless.

Even if he gathered all his vassals and all his troops, they would not be able to withstand a single blow from the valley and would be ruthlessly crushed.

Well, there is only one answer!

……

“I will pledge my allegiance to you, Your Highness!” Earl Felin declared in a loud voice.

Upon learning that the Lion Territory was not occupied by the tyrant Roman, but by Princess White Steel, the Count immediately understood what to do.

According to the conqueror's order, those who surrender will retain their honor and status.

This is a last resort!

The Earl did not believe that Princess White Steel had any chance of winning—unless she gained the support of the Grand Duke of Oak.

In terms of overt power, the gods are first, the dragons second, and the valley third. Only with the support of Oakwood Territory and one of the three Black Iron Dukes can Princess White Steel be qualified to intervene in the future battlefield.

However, it appears that Duke Oak does not support Princess Stainless Steel.

Without a stable rear base, Princess White Steel can only make claims; without a foundation, she cannot defeat the Raging Tide and the Papacy.

Count Felin preferred to surrender to the King of the Valley. In his view, Roman had demonstrated invincible dominance and potential, and since he had emerged, he had swept through every war without any rivals.

But that tyrant was infamous; he never recruited other nobles and refused diplomacy.

All indications suggest that Roman the Blasphemer was quite different from other nobles.

He had no vassals, no fiefs, and his efficiency in warfare was exceptionally high—this was evident even in the design of his banners, which were always thorny iron rings, pure and powerful.

Let's look at other battlefields. Whenever a large-scale war takes place, all kinds of banners are indispensable.

They come in all colors, with all sorts of emblems and shapes.

A conscripted army of five thousand men would most likely consist of three different banners belonging to different noble lords, making it difficult for them to advance and retreat together.

But that's precisely why nobles are nobles.

Without the system of vassalage and fiefdoms, where would the noble lords come from?

Expecting a tyrant to accept the loyalty of nobles is a recipe for disaster.

Unlike the White Steel Princess, she possesses noble lineage, being born into the Black Iron royal family, and should therefore believe in and uphold the Conqueror's Order.

This is the law passed down from our ancestors!
Now, Markel has abandoned him, and the tyrant will not allow him to retain his title; only Princess White Steel can tolerate him.

He then offered a few more words of praise, mentioning that Ionus conquered the land and accepted many lords, and that the nobles, to show their sincerity, welcomed the king's army with food and drink.

The conquerors' power grew with each battle, and with an invincible momentum, they conquered seven kingdoms in just a few years, fighting in the south and north.

Black Iron ascended to the throne. The nobles retained their honor and status, remaining nobles.

As long as Iotashina nodded, the Count immediately supported the White Steel Princess to become the second conqueror.

(End of this chapter)