I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 307 A coincidence
Robin Sheng stood anxiously on the second-floor balcony of the inn, gazing at the end of the street and listening to the shouts and gunfire coming from afar. His expression was uncertain.

"Commander, Commander, something terrible has happened!!!"

A member of the Morning Glory Mercenary Group suddenly burst through the balcony door and barged in. Robin turned around and saw that the man was pale, and his fluffy chestnut hair was soaked with sweat, making it hang listlessly on his forehead.

"What happened? Why are you in such a panic?"

"Entering the city... The Miniese army has entered the city!"

"What!?"

Even Robin, a veteran mercenary who had been in Minicia as a mercenary since his youth and had survived countless battles, could no longer maintain his composure.

From Robin's perspective, everything that happened during this period was so inexplicable and distressing.

The practice of Bagnians coming to Minicia as mercenaries has now become a mature and stable phenomenon. The Minieses pay them money, and the Bagnians risk their lives for them; this is a matter of course and a matter of course.

Robin's Morning Glory Mercenary Group has more than 300 people. It is neither a large group nor a small group. In the organization of the Minisian Army, 300 people are just enough for an infantry company.

The Morning Glory Mercenary Group also serves as a pure infantry unit in the Minisian army. The members of the group do not have ranged weapons. Their armor is a mix of leather and chainmail, and their weapons are shields, axes, longswords, and javelins. They are skilled in infantry formation warfare and the mountain warfare that the Bagnians are best at.

Overall, the Morning Glory Mercenary Group is just a large, somewhat combat-capable cannon fodder infantry company with little influence, and its leader, Robin Sheng, is not a warrior capable of taking on ten men single-handedly.

From its leader to its mercenary group, the Morning Glory Mercenary Group has nothing particularly outstanding about it.

Robin Sheng never thought of himself as anything special, so he always honestly took his money and did his job, working for the Minisians, until now...

Something must have happened in the city. First, the Azalea Mercenary Group's branch in Tavitsky was wiped out and slaughtered overnight.

The next day, the Minieses claimed that the Rhododendron Mercenary Group had colluded with the Kingdom of Bagnia to assassinate its King Auckland.

Robin Sheng didn't believe this reason. Not only did his Morning Glory Mercenary Group think so, but even the mercenaries in Bagnia City, whether they were government-affiliated mercenary groups or independent merchants working for local merchants, all thought it was a lie.

Indeed, because of the old king's previous actions, even the Bagnians who made a living in Minicia looked down on him. At the same time, because the old king was very poor, not many people were willing to follow him.

Even so, the Bagnians, who were fellow travelers, knew better than the Minieses what was going on with the Azalea Mercenary Group. If the former really had some ideas and put them into action, they certainly wouldn't be able to keep it from them.

Mercenary groups are essentially groups that fight for money. There can't be any strict secrecy within them. If a mercenary goes to a tavern at night and gets drunk, he'll say anything.

Therefore, anything could happen with the azaleas, but the Bagnians in the city knew very well that those hundred or so people could not possibly have planned any assassination.

They neither have the ability nor the idea.

The deaths of the Azalea mercenary team, the ongoing searches and interrogations of the Bagnians, and the rule that no one was allowed to leave the city all made Robin Sheng and the more than 300 members of the Morning Glory mercenary group feel fear and unease.

This fear of the unknown future is something even a mercenary like Robin, who is used to life and death, cannot escape. In fact, because they are rough and uncouth men who are used to making a living with swords, this inexplicable oppression and tension makes them even more anxious.

What on earth happened?!

Robin Sheng took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He turned around and strode back to his room, grabbed the wine jug on the table, and took a swig. The spicy liquid slid down his throat, but it couldn't suppress the unease in his heart.

"Has the Miniese army entered the city? How many are there?"

"I don't know, Commander. I dare not observe the scene for too long."

"Which city gate did you enter from?"

"East."

Robin Sheng turned around and went to the balcony again. Listening to the shouts of battle not far away and watching the thick smoke rising from the center of the city, a sense of unease suddenly spread in his heart. He could no longer bear this situation of almost surrendering and waiting to die.

"Those Minisians are definitely going to do something to us. Quick, gather the brothers, take all the weapons and enough food for three days. We need to break out and get out of here!"

At almost the same time, all the Bagnian mercenaries throughout Tavitsky shared similar thoughts.

……

"Kill them... Battering spears, blast the gate open!"

The castle standing in the center of Tavitsky is now shrouded in lead bullets, smoke, and the sound of explosions.

After entering the city of Tavitsky, players such as Ye Ao, Alibaba, and Barbarossa did not linger at the city gates to engage in prolonged battles with the Minieses. After defeating the first wave of soldiers who blocked their way, they headed straight for the city center, abandoning the city gates altogether.

Players are generally very clear-headed when doing quests; they know what they need to do and what the key points are.

The city of Tavitsky is unimportant, their lives are unimportant, what matters is the main quest, the death of that old man!
Therefore, players immediately went straight to the point, completely ignoring the city gate and whether the Minisian army outside would enter the city and wipe them out.

The copper-clad castle gate was very heavy, requiring two people to push it open. However, in the face of the player's explosive siege spear, this copper and wood structure obstacle was still blasted open with a hole about half a person's height after the explosion.

The bolt behind the door also came loose from the impact of the explosion, allowing players to easily pass through its obstruction.

"Charge in, find the old guy, remember, his name is Oakland, chestnut hair!"

Ye Ao was the first to rush into the smoke-filled passage. The first enemy he encountered was the knight who had been wearing plate armor with a double-bladed whale painted on his chest at the banquet.

Enemies are extremely jealous when they meet.

The three knights charged forward shoulder to shoulder with heavy steps, carrying an unstoppable momentum. Ye Ao He Nai, who was at the forefront, sneered, pulled a flintlock pistol from his waist, and pulled the trigger on the helmet of the leading knight.

The gun fired, and the knight's helmet exploded, causing his head to tilt back and sparks to fly.

However, whether it was a problem with the quality of the lead bullet or the quality of the knight's armor being too good, coupled with the wrong angle of impact, the knight took two steps back but did not fall down. His helmet had a dent, but it was not penetrated.

"You son of a bitch!!!"

Enraged, Ye Ao threw down his flintlock pistol, grabbed his weapon, and charged forward. Two players wielding halberds and greatswords followed closely behind him. Three heavily armored players versus three fully armored knights engaged in a life-or-death struggle within the narrow castle gate.

The deafening clang of metal clashing echoed through the stone corridor. Ye Aohe's two-handed greatsword clashed violently with the knight's greatsword, sparks flying.

As the two were grappling, Ye Ao suddenly ducked, the sword grazing his helmet. He seized the opportunity to deliver a shoulder ramming blow, sending the knight staggering backward.

Beside him, four other people were also fighting fiercely. The sound of greatswords and axe-spears clashing against each other was deafening. The clash of swords and shields echoed in the narrow space, as if even the air itself was being torn apart by the intense impact.

Upon seeing this, the players behind immediately shouted in alarm.

"What's the point of fighting? The enemy is all made of iron. Don't cut them down, push them aside, make room for them, don't block the way!"

In the heat of the moment, Ye Ao suddenly realized something. He stopped focusing on fighting the knight and instead charged forward, using his brute force to shoulder-ram the enemy.

Realizing the enemy's intentions, the knight fighting him roared and brandished his sword, desperately slashing at Ye Aohenai in an attempt to block his charge.

However, with iron blocks on both sides, even a musket cannot kill in one shot, let alone a half-sword.

Ye Ao lowered his head, letting his helmet clang as the knight's sword struck him. Like a bull, he rammed into the knight's arms. Armor clashed against armor, and with a loud metallic crash, the two fell to the ground together.

The two fell to the ground, creating an opening. The players blocking the castle from behind saw this and immediately stepped over the two fallen men to rush in.

There are only a few effective ways to deal with a fully armored knight.

The first option was to gather a group of musketeers and focus fire on a single knight, killing him with a hail of bullets.

The second method involved repeatedly striking the helmet with heavy weapons until it deformed and the knight lost consciousness.

Thirdly, there's strength in numbers; the group swarmed forward and knocked the knight to the ground.

Just like now, players squeezed through the narrow castle entrance, not only trampling the fallen knight and the arrogant one until they howled in pain, but also quickly overwhelming the two knights behind them, who were pinned to the ground. A heavily armored player sat on his waist, using his weight to suppress his struggles, while two others pressed his arms down with their knees, and a fourth player took off his helmet and smashed it against the knight's helmet, killing him in just two or three blows.

Three highly skilled swordsmen and amazing martial arts masters in plate armor died a miserable death at the hands of the players' overwhelming numbers.

"Damn, this fully armored knight is really tough. His armor is so damn thick. I might not even be able to kill him with my flintlock pistol. This armor is really something."

"It's a good thing, but that's about it. The price of this set is enough for me to arm ten lamellar warriors. If there had been thirty lamellar heavy infantry blocking this place, we would have lost four or five men before we could break through it."

"Stop talking, stop talking, get inside, don't block the way!!!"

Urged on by the players behind them, the players in front finally started moving and running deeper into the castle. At this moment, the castle guards, armed with halberds and swords and shields, finally arrived late and were quickly wiped out by the players.

In a close contest, the brave prevail. Clearly, the player's courage is beyond that of an ordinary person.

Chaos erupted inside the castle. Players surged into the corridors and rooms like a tidal wave, hacking and slashing at anyone they saw and kicking down any doors. Barbarossa led his musketeer squad straight to the top floor, killing more than a dozen guards who tried to stop them along the way.

Players begin searching and killing in the castle, targeting anyone dressed in fine clothes. Only lips, eyebrows, young servants, and unarmed maids can escape their blades.

Then, after searching, the players were quite disappointed to find that Auckland was not in the castle. They only found the body of an old man with black hair wrapped in ice at the highest point of the castle.

Why would players want a dead old man? They're looking for a living old man, and then they'll kill him. That's the real business.

"Tell me, where is Auckland!?"

Inside the castle, by the garden pool, Ye Aohenai angrily grabbed an old man in a blue silk robe, held a knife to his neck, and interrogated him in Minisian.

The latter stared at Ye Ao without fear and moved his lips, trying to spit out thick phlegm at him.

Ye Ao anticipated the old nobleman's intentions, and showing no respect for the elderly, he grabbed the man by the collar and shoved him into the pool, giving him a "cool" experience. The old man struggled desperately, flailing his arms wildly, trying to break free from Ye Ao's control, but Ye Ao's strength was too great, and he couldn't escape at all.

"Tell me, where is Auckland?!"

Ye Ao shouted loudly, his voice echoing in the garden, sounding particularly jarring.

Underwater, the old man's face gradually turned red, his eyes widened, and he made incoherent sounds, creating large ripples of air. Clearly, he was about to give up.

Grandpa Aohenai increased his efforts again, and the old man's struggles grew weaker and weaker. Finally, his body slowly lost strength and he collapsed in the pool.

At this point, Ye Ao reluctantly pulled the old man out of the water, allowing him to catch his breath.

The old man was panting heavily and his mind was hazy, but his attitude remained stubborn. He stared wide-eyed, like a rabid Chihuahua, looking for an opportunity to bite him.

Alright, seeing the old nobleman's state, Ye Ao lost patience and decided to cut him off on the neck, ending the life of this wicked old man who had preyed on the people of Minicia.

"Next!"

The next person dragged over by the player was not a nobleman. Judging from his clothes, this young man was just a castle servant. His clothes were covered in dust and bloodstains, indicating that he had been caught by the player in the chaos.

Before Ye Ao could even speak, the young servant, whose legs were trembling like leaves and whose face was as pale as paper, knelt down with a thud.

"M-My lord, spare me! I know where King Bagnia is!"

"Say it!"

The players in the small garden immediately surrounded the servant, eyeing him menacingly.

"He's gone... He was taken away yesterday, heading towards the capital..."

Are you absolutely sure?

The servant nodded repeatedly, his eyes brimming with tears.

“I, I’m sure, they took him away last night. I saw it with my own eyes. They said they were going to send him to the capital so the new king could decide his fate.”

The nobles in Tavisky had no choice. The old king had died under mysterious circumstances, and keeping Auckland there was no solution. So, they sent him away yesterday.

This old guy is both a witness and one of the scapegoats. They're not sure if it will have any effect; it's just a last resort.

The players looked at each other.

"Damn it, I don't believe it! Drag this kid away, don't chop him up, ask the next one!"

Ye Ao He Nai grabbed the servant by the collar.

"You better not fucking lie to me!"

He turned and yelled at the other players.

"Continue the interrogation, continue the search! Turn the castle upside down!"

The players immediately scattered and searched the castle like a pack of hungry wolves.

Some smashed open the wooden door to the cellar, while others used axes to chop at the walls in search of a secret room. Barbarossa led several players into the castle's underground prison, only to find that it was filled with ragged civilians.

After much commotion, shouts of battle and the deafening roar of gunfire erupted outside the castle, finally convincing the players that their objective was not there.

"Holy crap, the game planner is a real piece of work! That guy is so insidious..."

"Holy crap, that's incredibly poisonous..."

"How to do how to do?"

"What else can we do? Kill them all! We're already in the city center, and a huge wave of Minieses has come from outside. We definitely won't get out alive. Killing ten is enough, killing a hundred is a huge profit. Our horses have already been hidden, and we'll send them back to Bagnia when we get the chance. We won't lose too much..."

"Then let's kill! Brothers, follow me out, let's slaughter them until the blood flows like a river!!!"

The players' initial passion for completing the mission turned into anger due to various unforeseen events. As darkness fell, they charged out of the castle in the city center, weapons in hand, and randomly chose the direction from which the shouts of battle were loudest.

Then, to the player's surprise, they discovered that on the streets of Tavitsky, there were other people fighting with soldiers dressed in Minisian blue uniforms.

Both sides in the battle were wearing blue military uniforms, but one side wore dark blue and the other wore light blue. Also, the people on the light blue side generally did not display any flags.

"Ah, is this some kind of infighting among the Miniese, like dogs fighting each other?"

"What's the point of a dog biting a fart!"

Alibaba, who had once visited Tavitsky, revealed the secret.

"Those are Bagnia's mercenaries over there, in light blue!"

"Ah, does that mean these Bagnian mercenaries have revolted?"

"Well, it should be."

Some players stepped forward, shaking their heads and showing off their intelligence to the others.

"It must be that the Bagnian mercenaries in the city saw us and thought it was Prince Chris's army attacking, so these Bagnians revolted!"

"What are we waiting for? Let's hurry over and help them!"

(End of this chapter)