Chapter Twenty-Three: The Scarlet Mandala Dynasty
What kind of exiled Hessian nobleman, if Cangye was just an ordinary nobleman, it would be impossible for him to receive such a high-standard courtesy from the Duke of Seleucus, and the fundamental reason for this is Cangye's inhuman force.
As one of the three major dukes of the royal family of Antiochus, the fief of the Duke of Seleucus was in the north, occupying nearly one-sixth of the territory of the entire kingdom and one-eighth of the population.
In the eyes of the duke, the night's own strength is comparable to that of the great prince of Antiochus, and it may even exceed a little, the eldest prince is the biggest obstacle to Seleucus's ambitions, and now the obstacle has been removed, but there are still many enemies in the kingdom, in addition to the royal family, the other two dukes are also hungry wolves who can't be fed!
The appearance of the night was to present the Seleucid Duke with the sharpest blade to eradicate his enemies.
The Duke of Seleucid took advantage of the night, but what about the night?
"If His Excellency the Duke is willing to accept a nobleman who has died in the country."
The night got up and gave a knightly salute to Seleucus, which was an ancient etiquette, and it was a courtesy from a vassal to a vassal to a vassal king.
Seeing that the blade took the initiative to put the handle of the knife into his hand, the Duke of Seleucid was overjoyed, and also returned the night with the gift of a king:
"Child, I swear to the Blood God in the name of the Seleucid family that you will always be the proudest hound under my command!"
The nobles of Antiochus often referred to their followers as hounds, an affirmation that he would be the first knight and first vassal of the Seleucid family, no matter what the night did afterwards.
The Duke of Seleucid is worthy of being the "wolf of the north", and with such a big interest, no matter how fierce the beast is, he will be willing to become his sharpest minions.
But what the Duke didn't know was what a monster with an inhuman heart was up to.
……
The news that the Duke of the Wolf of the North had brought back a fierce dog spread throughout the kingdom of Antioch.
The duke himself was a group of dozens of vassals, large and small, and the birth of the first vassal shook the hearts of these followers, especially when it was discovered that the so-called first vassal was just a teenager in his teens, this vacillation turned into anger and unwillingness.
Therefore, His Excellency the Duke simply convened a jousting meeting in advance.
The first vassal showed his formidable prowess, and the sharp Antioch scimitar picked off the tassels from the helmets of nearly thirty vassals in an almost humiliating manner, which was a lethal verdict that ignored any points according to the rules of the tournament, and what was even more terrifying, the first vassal took every opponent with one shot.
Since you can easily pick off your tassels, you can also take off your head at will.
The knights who had jumped on the scythe of death were finally convinced, and as the tournament ended, news of the first vassal of the Wolf of the North spread throughout the kingdom of Antioch.
After the death of the Grand Prince of Antiochus, it seemed that no one could subdue this evil wolf from the north, and now, the evil wolf has a helper, and many nobles are gloating at the royal family of Antiochus, hoping that they can do something irrational.
A month later, the royal family finally launched a counterattack.
……
In the castle, His Excellency Duke Wolf and his vassals were enjoying a rare feast.
On a large round table, plates of sumptuous and delicious dishes are arranged.
Suckling pig, roast chicken, steak, swan, ham, lettuce soup, rabbit fillet soup...... Every plate is a delicacy that the common people can't eat, and even some poor little nobles can't put a few plates on the table in a year.
The generous feudal lord held a lavish celebration banquet for his proudest first vassal to celebrate his triumphant return.
Halfway through the dinner, Duke Seleucus smiled and raised his goblet full of wine to his vassals and shouted:
"Gentlemen, a toast to our heroes!"
"The barbarians entrenched in the north of the kingdom, the threat of the past ten years has finally been lifted, one hundred and two heads of the barbarian chieftain have been brought back by my first vassal, along with the cattle and sheep all over the mountains, and the fur, beeswax and gold that cannot be loaded in twenty carts, and the entire barbarian tribe has become my slave, gentlemen, now let us congratulate this hero who saved the kingdom!"
Warm applause rang out at the same time, and all the nobles of the north were present, looking at the first vassal, who was a little strangely calm, with undisguised admiration and awe on his face.
Cangye calmly put down the knife and fork in his hand, and the attendant next to him poured a full jar of wine for him.
For wine, Cangye seems to have an impulse beyond her control, eager to taste it, as if there is some strange magic in it.
Picking up the jar and drinking it down, the cheers almost lifted the ceiling as the night showed the empty jar in front of all the nobles.
Duke Seleucid had a smug smile on his face.
Recruiting Cangye was undoubtedly the most successful thing he had done in his life, and a worthless "first vassal" was exchanged for such a brave and warlike beast, just like the mouth of the damned merchants.
It's just that......
As if thinking of something, Duke Seleucid had a pity on his face.
It's a pity that such a good warrior is not from his own family, and compared to Cangye, his sons are a group of useless pigs and dolphins. However, I still have a lot of daughters, and joining my family as a son-in-law can more or less make up for this regret.
When he had eaten and drunk, the Duke took out an edict from the royal family and handed it to his attendant to read it aloud:
The blood god is above, the kingdom's most sincere and honest allies, the Scarlet Mandala Dynasty, have undeserved evil thoughts, and the greedy minions have reached out to the kingdom's land, which is a shameful betrayal!
The Scarlet Mandala coveted what they did not deserve, and in the honor of Antioch, in the name of all the kings of the Antiochs, hereby decreed: My most faithful friend Herod Seleucus, please take up the banner of the kingdom, bring your soldiers, and bring back the dignity of the betrayed kingdom.
After the attendant finished reading the edict, the field suddenly fell into a deathly silence.
No nobleman is a fool, the king's purpose is obvious, to kill people with a knife, to use the sword of the Scarlet Mandala Dynasty to get rid of the evil wolves entrenched in the north of the kingdom, and even the motive of the Scarlet Mandala to send troops is very questionable.
His Excellency Duke Vicious Wolf scanned everyone's reactions with his careless gaze, and his eagle-like gaze had a soul-stirring power, and no one dared to look at the Duke except the night.
Looking at his most powerful minions, the Duke laughed loudly:
"What do you think of my fiercest hound?"
Cang Ye's expression was cold, and he said in a voice without the slightest emotional fluctuation:
"All according to His Majesty's will."
This sentence is very ambiguous, His Majesty on the surface naturally refers to the king of all Antioches, but Cangye is not an Antioch, and the vassals only obey the orders of the feudal king, the Duke of Seleucus is a vassal of the King of Antioch, but Cangye is not a vassal of the king.
The vassals of my vassals are not my vassals.
Moreover, in the northern territories, many nobles privately addressed the Duke of Seleucid as His Majesty, for a clear purpose.
With an unpredictable smile on his face, the duke's expression suddenly became extremely angry, and his voice was impassioned:
"The people of Mandala have betrayed their allies, and I will make this group of betrayers pay!"
"In three days' time, I will see the stick boys of the whole north standing in front of me, my vassals, don't let me down!"