I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 221 Preparing for War
Upon returning to Campo, Berry's first act was to send scouts to inform all his knights except David.

Then he instructed the steward to prepare a month's worth of rations.

"My lord, are you preparing to attack Luke?"

Seeing that Berry was clearly preparing for battle, Furman spoke up:

“My lord, Luke has opened up the valley without permission. You should revoke his knighthood and strip him of his territory. Besides, he was just a bandit before. You could easily dismantle his position by sending someone to his manor to persuade him. Why bother with a large-scale war?”

Pierre's letter had been delivered. By this time, he had long since fallen out with Luc, so he explained Luc's previously vague background, saying that although he called himself the Knight of Lorraine, he had no family bloodline certificate, which was very suspicious.

"Is that what you think?" Berry asked indifferently, without even looking at him directly.

"Now do you know why you've been unable to be knighted?" Berry slammed his sword on the table. "Because you're as stupid as a pig!"

"Do you still dare to underestimate Luc now?"

“If I’m not mistaken, he had already established himself in that valley long before he made contact with Pierre. Look at that wooden fortress, could it have been built in a short time? He’s been entrenched in the valley for at least three years!”

"But what kind of person did he act in front of us?"

Berry sneered, "He acted like a completely harmless lamb."

"Strip him of his knighthood? Spread the word? Do you think he'll care? Or do you think he'll just surrender like that?"

Berry shook his head: "Whether the Knight of Lorraine is real or fake is not important. What is important is that he has already acquired a territory. The best way is to take him down suddenly when he is not prepared."

The clever Berry only needed to think for a moment to know what kind of crazy idea Luc was up to.

Nobody is a fool, especially Luc. He must know he has no legal standing, so he will definitely try to obtain a legitimate status for his territory. So how can he obtain such status?
"No wonder he wanted to build a church in David's territory, no wonder he wanted to become a church contractor. If it weren't for this accidental discovery, and if we had waited a few more years until his valley became a behemoth, it probably wouldn't have been us attacking him."

Berry drew his sword, which reflected his murderous face.

"Order the craftsmen to make more thick shields; Luke has crossbowmen under his command."

"Also, seize the tavern at the Tref Bridge. Since he betrayed me, I have the right to reclaim all his fiefs!"

As Furman left, Berry slowly sat down and began to calculate the profit-sharing ratio of the expedition.

If possible, he naturally wouldn't want to go to war.

Especially in winter, the cost of money and food for expeditions not only doubles, but also lowers the morale of the soldiers.

However, he could not tolerate watching Luke open up the valley, not only because the profits from capturing that rich valley would be enough to make up for the losses of the expedition, but also because of his authority!
If he doesn't punish Luke for opening up territory without permission, other knights will follow suit, and how can he remain a baron?
Although Berry was illiterate, he was very good at arithmetic, which was a basic skill for an excellent lord, so as not to be fooled by his tax collectors.

Having just calculated the losses of money and supplies, Furman pushed open the wooden door and walked in with a grim expression.

"Sir, the other two men in the tavern are still here, but the fellow named George and his traveling horse are gone!"

Berry took a deep breath upon hearing this.

……

Miller gasped, and after hearing George's words, he couldn't help but look at Mr. Luc, who was in the main seat of the Deer Hall.

The usually composed old man closed his eyes tightly and remained silent for a long time.

As Luke's confidants, they had known about the lack of legal authority in Knightsburg for a long time, but only a few people in Deer Hall knew about it.

After a long pause, Luke delivered his first message: "Old Eck, sound the alarm and have everyone bring their provisions into Knight's Castle. Ryan, go and call Paul and the others back as well."

"Yes!"

Old Ek and Ryan looked serious. As his most loyal right and left hands, they knew the gravity of the situation.

Berry led his men into the deep mountains. It was unclear whether they would discover the existence of Knight's Castle, but caution was always better than no danger. "Don't tell the people the truth for now."

"We understand, sir!"

After explaining to the two men, Luc turned to George and asked, "When did Berry leave?"

"This morning, I planned to rush back after he left, but when I got back, Andrew had taken the traveling horse out for a walk, and it got harassed by two drunkards."

Luc nodded, then asked Miller, "Has anything unusual been detected at the watchtower?"

“I’ve already gone up and asked, but Luke said he didn’t find anything,” Miller, who had long since stopped acting as a lookout, quickly replied.

After hearing their replies, Luke tapped the table and chairs with his fingers.

The Frankish royal court was situated on a vast plain, which is why the invincible Frankish knights were born there. However, in the southwest of the kingdom, centered on the central plateau, the surrounding mountains were extremely high, especially the Alps near Provence.

Although the mountains where Luc was located weren't particularly towering, the summit remained frigid in winter. The sheer white snow made visibility extremely poor after prolonged exposure, even causing eye swelling and pain—a condition commonly known as snow blindness. While covering the eyes with tree bark offered some relief, it could still lead to reduced visibility from the watchtower.

"The valley isn't very big, but it's not small either. We can't pin our hopes on Berry not finding Knight's Castle. George, you're the most suitable scout among my men. Go and investigate again, and see what's going on at Kuber Castle! Remember, even the slightest sign of trouble, you must return and report immediately!"

"Yes!"

"Miller, you and Jill go and maintain order on the plantation, especially in Ward Village, and make sure all the surplus grain in the village is brought in."

After everyone left the Deer Hall, only Luc and Jean remained inside.

Looking at Luc's face, which was both urgent and resolute, he gritted his teeth.

"My lord, Berry is as cunning as a damned fox. I have a feeling he has discovered us and is already preparing his army!"

Looking across the entire Knights' Castle, the one with the greatest hostility towards Berry was none other than the bearded Jean. Upon hearing that Berry seemed to have discovered the Knights' Castle, he remained outwardly calm, but inwardly, boundless killing intent surged within him.

"That's what I think too, so I need to hurry and check the military equipment to make sure we're fully prepared before Berry's advance."

Luke rubbed his temples. Berry's news hit him like a ton of bricks, catching him off guard.

According to his plan, he needs to expand the population by at least one hundred more people to have the confidence to challenge Berry.

We no longer have to be passively beaten like we are now.

“God above, sir, if our Knightsburg cannot withstand Berry’s army, I hope you will take Miss Duss and flee to another land. I will cover your retreat with my life.”

After a moment of silence, he slowly revealed his true thoughts.

Since arriving in the valley, he has been stationed at the Treff Bridge and rarely returns to the castle.

But every time I returned to the castle, I saw that it had undergone great changes.

The hatred I felt a few years ago has long since vanished, and I even feel a certain respect for Luc now.

At least in managing his territory, this new master of his own has even surpassed the young Lord Baldwin.

Militarily, even though Luc won the war against old Pons, he still felt that Luc could not withstand Berry, knowing his strength.

That was a powerful baron on the frontier!
He watched Luc prepare for battle with a cold eye, and refrained from discouraging the troops in order not to disrupt their morale.

Until this moment, he kept his eyes fixed on Luc—he wanted to preserve the last bloodline of the Baldwin family.

Luc looked back into Jean's sincere eyes, offering no words of comfort or assurances of victory. After a long silence, he took a deep breath and said:

"If that day ever comes, I will."

(End of this chapter)