Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Hans ran through the night, his heavy armor making him breathless, yet he couldn't bear to take it off. His mind was filled with the dying cry of old Oz, the young and determined face of Nicholas, and the figures of the Tanlard and Conrad brothers fighting side-by-side...

"I will avenge you," he whispered his vow, his steps becoming even more resolute.

When he finally arrived at Nebakov Castle, it was late at night. The castle gates were tightly shut, and shadowy figures moved about on the walls.

"Open the door!" Hans shouted. "I am Hans Capon, the future lord of Rattay, and I want to see Yandjeska!"

After a while, the door opened a crack. Hans went in and was surprised to find that he was greeted not only by Jan Jessica, but also by an acquaintance—Father Goodwin.

"Father! What are you doing here?" Hans asked, overjoyed.

Father Goodwin's usually serious face was now filled with the joy of reuniting with an old friend.

"Lord Hannah, seeing that you had not returned for a long time, sent me to investigate," the priest explained. "After arriving in the Troski territory, I heard about the Battle of the River in the tavern, so I came to see for myself and ended up meeting Lord Jesca."

Today, Jessica was wearing a repaired chainmail with a simple leather overlay. His face showed fatigue, but his eyes remained sharp.

"Lord Hans, I apologize for the previous concealment," Jessica stepped forward, "What brings you here this time...?"

"Von Polgar has betrayed us!" Hans exclaimed urgently. "Old Oz, Nicholas, they... they're all dead." His voice trembled. "Von Polgar brought five hundred Prague collaborators and a cannon; they'll attack this place this morning!"

"Five hundred Prague puppet troops, and cannons?" Jessica was also a veteran who had experienced the war with the Ottomans, so of course he knew the power of cannons.

Jessica immediately summoned her subordinates to discuss the matter.

However, to Hans's disappointment, these warriors, who had just won a great victory, were still immersed in the joy of victory, and many of them drank until late at night, still heavily intoxicated.

"cannon?"

A burly man with a full beard sneered, "I've heard of it. It's a clunky contraption used by some southern heretics, so heavy it's hard to even move. What's there to be afraid of!"

"We've just wiped out three hundred enemy soldiers!" another shouted. "Let them come! We'll wipe them all out like hunters!"

Jessica tried to calm the crowd down, but cheers and laughter drowned out his voice. The rabble had become arrogant and complacent after their brief victory.

"These undisciplined crows have been completely blinded by victory."

Jessica, his second-in-command Michael, Catherine the Cow, Hert the Horseman, Zwick the Gambler, Mark the Archer, and Perzel the Horseman—these old brothers from Moravia gathered in the lord's bedroom to discuss countermeasures.

Goodwin and Hans were also somewhat helpless about the situation they were facing.

"How about we ambush them again?" Michael suggested.

"Von Polgao and von Olitz are not that incompetent Ulrich; the same tricks will not work on them."

Jessica shook his head. Putting aside the enemy's vigilance, the group of drunken Ravens in his castle couldn't possibly carry out a continuous ambush without being detected.

"Are we just going to sit here and wait to die?"

Catherine was somewhat unwilling. She had risked her life to return and deliver the message, and although she had won a battle, it still couldn't change the overall situation.

"Perhaps we can take the most valuable things from the castle and leave," said the fast horseman, Helter, pointing to the pile of weapons and armor in the corner. "Why are you looking at me? Am I wrong? We can take this equipment, sell it, or recruit a new group of people, and we can still live a carefree life!"

Gambler Zwick clapped his hands and said, "That's right, boss, what did we come here for? Wasn't it to start a war, lure von Polgao back to our territory, and then plunder for a fortune? Now that we've achieved both goals, why don't we leave?"

Although the archers Mark and Mavperzel did not speak, the intention in their eyes spoke volumes.

Hans was eager to stand up and speak, but Goodwin stopped him and shook his head.

Jessica shifted her gaze, sweeping it over her old comrades before her, and said, "I see now. You are all highly skilled, yet you only care about the present. If we leave now with the money, we will still only call ourselves wandering knights, and in the eyes of others, we will still be bandits. But if we stay and defend our territory, we will become true knights with our own castles!"

"Boss, don't forget, this castle was temporarily lent to us by Baron Red Griffin," archer Mark reminded him.

"If we can hold this out, this will be our territory from now on," Jessica said confidently.

"Why?" everyone asked curiously.

"Because God has secretly marked a price for every gift, and I am willing to pay that price!"

Jessica couldn't help but recall what Peter had said when he gifted him the castle. Did Peter already foresee this day would come? Was that why he had me draw fire for him in Nebakov? It couldn't be that monstrous, could it?

Regardless, Jessica wanted to give it his all; this was one of his few chances to become a true knight, and he was determined to seize it!

..........

Meanwhile, Henry finally arrived at the canyon camp on the outskirts of the Griffin.

In the dead of night, the place was brightly lit, with torches illuminating the scene, a picture of bustling activity. The Griffin Guard was preparing, and more than 300 militiamen from the camp and various villages were arranging themselves into formation, armed with four-meter-long rifles and long-handled flails.

"Keep your wrists steady and your footwork agile." The captains' voices were calm yet powerful. "On the battlefield, even the slightest mistake can be fatal."

Just as Henry was engrossed in watching...

"Henry!" a familiar voice called out to him. Henry turned around and saw Peter standing in the center of the training field.

Today, Peter wore a light leather armor, and his red hair shone even brighter in the firelight.

"Lord Peter!"

Henry came running up, panting. "Von Polgao has betrayed us! von Olitz is bringing five hundred Prague collaborators and a cannon, and they're going to attack Nebakov Castle this morning!"

"Oh, tell me in detail."

Peter's expression was serious, but he didn't seem surprised by the news. He simply led Henry to his tent to rest, poured him some water, and carefully inquired about the information Henry knew.

When Henry finished recounting his experiences at Troskey Castle, especially the heroic deaths of old Oz and others, his voice choked up several times. For an eighteen-year-old boy, no matter how precocious he was, the death of loved ones in front of him was still unbearable.

Peter paused for a moment, then gently patted his shoulder. "You've done a good job. Now, let's deal with this new threat."

The intelligence team brought back more detailed information than Henry had provided, which is why he summoned the village militias from various villages to assemble in advance.

"The officers from each team are coming in for a meeting; we need to develop a detailed battle plan."

Peter gave the order.

(P.S.: This concludes today's New Year's Day update. Happy New Year everyone!)