I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 295 A Father's Efforts
Chris watched the siege battle for a while, then he got bored.

Nothing new: the judge first used firepower to suppress the enemy, then the infantry moved forward methodically, pushing shield carts and building bridges, and then prepared explosive charges to blow up the castle gates and walls.

The ancient knightly castle was ultimately a product of warfare in the age of cold weapons. After the advent of cannons and muskets, the castle became less effective.

In a day or two or three days, the castle will be breached, and everyone inside will die, without exception. The only difference is whether they are killed by sword, shot by musket, or hanged.

There's nothing new here, and there's probably no surprise. Besides, Chris has important business to attend to; he needs to inspect farmland planting and irrigation conditions in many places, so he doesn't have time to waste here.

However, it was clearly not a good day to go out. Chris and his entourage had not gone far when the cavalry leading the way stopped, causing a commotion.

Not only that, Chris also heard the clanging of swords clashing, which aroused his curiosity. Coupled with the guards' reaction, it seemed that there was no danger, so he spurred his horse forward.

At the front of the group, Chris saw an old man wearing a brown coarse cloth shirt and baggy trousers, who was wielding a classic knight's longsword and fighting a guard.

As Chris watched, he discovered that this old man with white hair, a wrinkled face, and who looked like an ordinary farmer was actually quite skilled with swords.

The ancient, half-sword, riddled with tiny nicks, danced with remarkable skill in his hands. His swordsmanship was simple yet powerful, clearly a type of full-armor swordsmanship. This style of swordsmanship was extremely practical on the battlefield, emphasizing the combination of strength and defense. Every move carried a steady killing intent, as if it could shatter the opponent's armor with a single blow.

Compared to the old man, the guard's swordsmanship was clearly inferior, and soon his sword was knocked away.

Chris wasn't good at swordsmanship, but he could tell that the old man was holding back, and holding back a lot. Otherwise, the guard would have been killed in one round. Even though he was wearing half-body armor, there were still too many openings on a skilled swordsman's body that could be attacked.

After the guard's sword was knocked away, he stumbled back a few steps, turning his head to look behind him with great shame. The head guard, Bruno, waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

Bruno could tell that this seemingly peasant-like fellow was no ordinary person, but he also seemed harmless, since Bruno had sent men to search the surrounding area but found no ambush. Therefore, Bruno must have something to ask of the group for intercepting him.

At this moment, the old man also saw Chris, who was riding a tall horse, dressed in fine clothes, handsome and noble, with more than a dozen warriors in full armor guarding him. It was clear at a glance that he was an important person.

So he immediately knelt down on one knee and bowed his head to Chris.

"My lord, I have important information and a request. Before I speak, I hope..."

The old man knelt on one knee, his rough fingers still gripping the ancient knight's sword tightly, its tip pressed against the earth as if swearing some ancient loyalty. His voice was hoarse yet steady, as if it came from a distant battlefield.
"...I hope you can hear my story before deciding whether to help me."

Chris raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze sweeping over the old man's weathered face and his still strong hands. During his time in Shalu, he had seen far too many people pleading, begging, and even threatening.

But there was something unusual about this old man... an almost stubborn dignity.

"Bruno".

Chris turned his head and called out.

The head guard immediately stepped forward, placed his hand on the handle of the axe-spear, and stared warily at the old man.

"Let him speak."

Chris said calmly.

"But don't let him get too close."

The old man didn't look up, but continued speaking.

“My name is Valentine, and I was once a member of the Knights of the Azaleas… That castle…” He tilted his head slightly, pointing to the fortress in the distance that was being bombarded by cannon fire. “…Inside there is a young man, my foolish son.”

The Rhododendron Knights?

Chris knew about this knightly order. It was the royal guard of the previous king. In other words, it was the knightly order founded by Chris's grandfather. He had heard that it was quite capable in battle and had made many contributions when Bagnia was still frequently raiding other countries.

Then, when the previous king took the throne, that is, during the old man's era, the Rhododendron Knights were disbanded. The reason for the disbandment is unknown, because Bagnia has no history books, and apart from a few elderly people who experienced that era, no one knows the reason.

Therefore, Chris didn't know much about the Knights of the Azaleas, so when someone suddenly appeared claiming to be a member of the Knights of the Azaleas, he couldn't help but become a little interested.

"You want to save your son?"

"Yes……"

Valentine's pale head immediately lowered even further.

"You think your intelligence is very important and can save your son? Tell me, what intelligence is it?"

Valentine looked up at Chris, then took a deep breath, his eyes sharpening as if he had instantly shed his farmer's disguise and transformed back into the knight who had fought on the battlefield.

"It's about the old king. I know he's currently assembling some teams to return to Bagnia and spread rumors about the old king's return... I know the names and locations of some of them."

Wow, this is getting interesting.

“Connie, go and inform the judge to temporarily halt the siege… Knight Valentine, continue.”

Chris could tell from the old knight's expression that he definitely had more than that.

Valentine continued speaking after watching Connie leave.

“Besides that, I also know where the old king is living now, and I can bring people in to get as close to him as possible.”

Oh, that's very interesting.

Chris's original plan against the old man was to find out his exact location after he led the Minisians to attack Bagnia, and then send an elite player squad to decapitate him after the Minisians had been thoroughly defeated by Bagnia's impenetrable defenses.

However, it seems that this decapitation operation can be brought forward.

If successful, the gains will be enormous, as it can eliminate a major threat in advance and avoid many unnecessary losses.

No matter how incompetent the old man is, he was once the King of Bagnia, and there are definitely many fools in the country who still trust him. If the old man personally acts as a collaborator, it will inevitably lead to many people becoming traitors... In this era where there is basically no national or ethnic consciousness, many people have no psychological barrier to being traitors.

If the operation fails, it seems there won't be much loss; at most, some players will die.

Thinking of this, Chris nodded to Valentine.

"Go, Connie, take Valentine to see the judge..."

(End of this chapter)