I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 222 The troops are approaching the city
"Quickly, move all the grain into Knight's Castle, don't leave out a single piece of bread!"

"Damn it, what are you dawdling for? Get moving!"

In New Ward village, Miller, dressed in simple leather armor and holding a short spear, shouted at the chaotic free farmers, urging them to come to town.

"Child, what happened?"

Robert, carrying a sack of flour, and Mary, laden with bags and packages, emerged from the ant-like crowd, grabbing Miller's hand anxiously.

He was the richest man among the free farmers, owning the most land. Seeing the chaotic scene, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"Are bandits here again?"

“Father, don’t ask anymore,” Miller shook his head. “You should hurry into the castle. Julie has pleaded with the lady to allow you to sleep in the Deer Hall to keep warm. I can only tell you that this is even more terrible than the bandits.”

"Miller, my child, you are now the master's guard. I don't ask that you stay away from the war, I only hope that you can protect yourself and never get hurt again."

Plump Mary's eyes involuntarily reddened. Ever since Miller returned home with a horrific scar on his chest not long ago, she hadn't slept well for days and had gone to church several times to thank God for his protection. But before she could even recover, war was about to break out again.

“I will, Mother.” Miller nodded, then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a free farmer trying to carry his wooden table into the castle and quickly scolded him, “Damn it, the wooden table is the last thing to be moved!”

In this era of scarcity, even a table was considered a considerable fortune by farmers who were used to poverty.

Unlike the "well-off" villagers of Ward, the dozens of serfs only needed to bring their own earthenware bowls to be herded into the city gates by Jill and Jean, who had rushed over upon hearing the news. If they weren't fully clothed, from a distance, the serfs carrying pots and bowls would look like a group of beggars gathered in front of some relief association.

But whether they were free peasants or serfs, their faces showed panic and numbness.

……

"Honey, are you sure?"

On the third floor of the Deer Hall, Luke opened his secret cubicle and suddenly heard Duss's low voice in his ear.

Turning her head, she saw Duss being helped by Lisa, one hand protecting her stomach, slowly sitting down on the edge of the bed, her eyes seemingly carrying a hint of bitterness that was hard to detect.

The fireplace system at Knightsburg was excellent. It was freezing outside, but the castle was warm and cozy inside. Duss was only wearing a slightly thick linen coat, which covered her slightly protruding belly.

"Be careful of the children."

Luc looked away. It was his first time becoming a father, and he wondered if he was just not aware of the situation, but Duss's belly wasn't as big as he had imagined.

"Don't worry about me. The worst outcome is losing everything. As long as you're alive, anything is possible. As for you, when George comes back, I'll have him take you to Macon County."

"Honey!"

He reached out to interrupt Dusi, ignoring her surprised expression, and continued to arrange all the armor in a circle.

Luc has ample weaponry, but Berri will have even more.

To be honest, he didn't want to confront Berry so soon. If possible, compromising with Berry would be the best approach. Compromise doesn't mean weakness; it's for the sake of long-term development. But Luc also knew that Berry wouldn't give him that chance.

Since that's the case, there's only one way left now.

—Use force to keep Berry out of Knightsburg and force him to compromise!

If Luke were to fight Berry in open field, he would undoubtedly lose. But if it were a battle of offense and defense, I wouldn't say I was sure of victory, but it would definitely be worth a try.

The weather was still cold at the time, and it was impossible for Berry to bring all his knights; his forces were estimated to be at most seventy or eighty men.

Even if most of the men were useless serfs, it was still not easy to take down a wooden fortress that could only hold a hundred men, which was besieged by seventy or eighty men.

"Thanks to the effort I put into the city walls."

Luc took a deep breath and turned to Duss, who was biting her lip, saying, "Don't refuse. You are pregnant after all. While Berry isn't here yet, go to the church to hide for a while. I will write a letter to Hugo. Also, take all your money with you."

If we win, everything will go smoothly.

If they lose, this money will be Luc's capital for a comeback. Besides, sending George and Doris to Maconshire is not simply a matter of seeking refuge.

The Cluny faction had always advocated for a ban on war, and Luke wanted to see if he could find some external help from them, even just some verbal support.

Don't forget, you're still a Holy Knight!
“Unfortunately, old Pons is not a baron of the Duchy of Burgundy, so he cannot easily meddle, David.”

David was also a vassal of Berry.

Tell Lisa to comfort Duss, and Luke, with all his equipment, rushes back to the hall. Then he calls over Ryan, who brought Paul and the others back, and says:
"Let him rest first. Take Hans and shovel up all the excrement that hasn't been collected from the toilet recently."

"Sir, what do you need excrement for?"

Ryan gulped down a mouthful of hot water, and Little Mehman and the lumberjacks pulled the timber into Knightsburg on sleds. Oliver followed closely behind, carrying two boxes of bees. A few startled bees stung Little Mehman, and now his eyes are swollen like a mountain fruit.

Luc sneered, "Of course, we're preparing a good 'dish' for Berry!"

Despite the apparent chaos at Knightsburg, the city was actually carrying out its defenses in an orderly manner. George also brought back news of several waves of knights, each accompanied by a large number of peasant soldiers, entering Cooperburg.

Knowing that he had indeed guessed correctly, he entrusted the sealing wax letter, along with Duss, Lisa, Julie, and the maid Nicole, to George, and rode his traveling horse and the carriage that Duss had used before, heading south.

After seeing the others off, Luke, now free from worries, donned his chainmail and nose shield and ordered Little Maiman to begin working on the catapults!

"It's a pity we didn't have enough iron arrowheads, otherwise we could have made a few more light crossbows."

……

"Damn it. Whose shit is this? It stinks so badly!"

Ryan, wearing the chainmail that Luke had worn before and another concave nose shield, covered his nose and turned his head away with a look of disgust, while fanning the air around his nostrils in an attempt to drive away the nauseating stench.

Hans, who was squatting on the ground in front of him, remained unmoved. He scooped up a handful of charcoal and threw it into the bottom of the pot, and even poked his head out to look at the yellowish-orange excrement in the pot.

"Excrement is inherently unclean filth. Only God can turn decay into magic and transform it into fertilizer that nourishes the land. Now that God's blessing is gone, nature has reverted to its filthy nature."

Peter, who had somehow gotten close to Ryan, glanced at the bubbling excrement and said casually.

Seeing the frozen feces gradually thaw, Ryan didn't plan to stay any longer. Just as he was leaving, he suddenly noticed a wooden stick in Peter's hand and exclaimed in surprise:
"What's going on? Are you going to guard the wooden fortress too?"

Luke has already distributed the weapons to reliable soldiers.

Although Knightsburg now has over a hundred people, only the free peasants who have been allocated land truly support Luke. Compared to their former lords, the serfs are indeed better fed, which makes them very grateful to Luke. They would rather be serfs under a generous lord than free peasants under a stingy lord. This widely circulated saying is a symbol of the wisdom of the lower-class serfs.

But serfs are serfs after all; they have no property of their own and are ultimately unlikely to risk their lives for their country.

Even free farmers are not necessarily all reliable.

Luke armed twelve soldiers. Apart from Ryan, Jean, Gilles, Miller, Hans, old Eck, crippled Paul, Greer, and another free farmer who had fought bandits, only two able-bodied men from Ward were selected, along with a fellow nicknamed Little Kohler.

In addition, people like Robert and Paul's sons were also given armed uniforms, and weapons would be distributed if necessary.

“My arm is broken, so I can’t go to the city walls to defend Knight’s Castle, but that doesn’t stop me from taking up arms.”

Peter's face was shrouded in a black robe, obscuring his features, but the firmness in his voice made Ryan blink.

The entire knight's castle could easily accommodate a hundred people. Luke laid straw mats in the sheepfold and pigsty for the serfs to live in, and divided them into several teams to distribute food and fetch water from the well at fixed times each day.

Even at this point, no one knew who the enemy was, nor had they seen any sign of them.

The anxiety gradually subsided after several days. Just as a few bored guys were about to compare whose bird was bigger after lunch, a group of soldiers finally appeared at the end of the road southeast of Knightsburg.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

Miller's eyes widened, and he quickly lit the ochre powder, shouting desperately.

(End of this chapter)