Inside the city gate tunnel, the guards were desperately using their spear tips to poke and drive away the commoners blocking the gate, trying to create space for the iron gate to fall.
They were merciless, constantly attacking these startled commoners with swords, knives, and spears; if the city gate failed to close, they would be dead.
The screeching sound of the winch turning came piercingly.
The battle fell into a stalemate.
Arthur stood on the raft, watching the city gate begin to stir, and his expression finally changed slightly.
He knew that success or failure was in this instant, and under great reward, there would be brave men.
He took a deep breath, used all his strength, and let out a thunderous roar that echoed across the battlefield.
"Gate Taker!!!! Reward suleiman acres fifty mu of land!!!!"
"Gate Taker!!!! Reward suleiman acres fifty mu of land!!!!"
"Gate Taker!!!! Reward suleiman acres fifty mu of land!!!!"
Fifty mu!
This number struck everyone on the battlefield like a bolt of lightning.
The charging peasant soldiers stopped in their tracks, looking back at Arthur, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Is it real or fake! Fifty mu of private land! What kind of concept is that!
The peasant soldiers knew the size of a suleiman acres of public land! A suleiman acres is roughly a thousand square meters! Fifty mu is fifty thousand square meters!
In Westeros, an ordinary farmer who owns five suleiman acres is enough for a family of three to survive.
Fifty mu is almost the entire land of a landed knight who has an allegiance.
Owning fifty suleiman acres, although it cannot be resold or have attached farmers, the land can be rented out, and even just collecting rent every year is enough to live a noble life.
In an instant, all the soldiers' breathing became heavy.
In their eyes, there was no longer fear, only a primitive, insane craving for land.
Lucien was the first to react; he knew from Lord Arthur's tone that His Lordship was very anxious now.
Isn't this exactly when I am needed!
His bloodshot eyes stared intently at the city gate that was slowly closing, and he let out an inhuman roar.
He no longer paid attention to the Willow Wood City guards who were waving their long swords in front of him, obstructing the landing, but turned and stomped hard on the raft beneath his feet.
The huge raft sank half a foot under his weight.
Using this force, Lucien, like a leopard, leaped up, crossed several meters, and landed heavily on another raft closer to the shore.
The raft shook violently, and several peasant soldiers on it almost fell into the water.
Lucien did not stop, he exerted force again, and his whole body shot out like a cannonball, directly crossing the last shallow beach and jumping onto the shore!
"Cover Lucien!!!" On the raft, Brin, who had been calmly observing the battle and shooting at the enemy with his bow, gave a calm and quick order.
He and ten of his brothers who came down the mountain with him quickly raised their longbows.
Bowstrings twanged.
More than a dozen feathered arrows flew through the air, making a sharp whooshing sound, accurately shooting at the guards who were rushing towards Lucien and threatening him.
Plop! Plop! Plop! The sound of arrows piercing flesh rang out one after another.
A guard was about to swing his sword to hack at Lucien's back when an arrow shot into his eye socket, piercing through his entire head, and the contorted expression on his face instantly froze as his body fell straight backward.
The path in front of Lucien was instantly cleared.
"For fifty mu of land!!!!"
Someone shouted.
"Kill!!!!"
The peasant soldiers, frenzied by the heavy reward, surged like a breached dam, bypassing Sir Roger Lygg's sparse and now meaningless defensive line, and madly rushed towards the city gate.
Lucien led the charge; his not-so-strong body, however, was like a rampaging leopard, carving out a bloody path through the chaotic civilians by sheer force, and he was the first to rush into the city gate tunnel.
"Quick!!! Lower the iron gate!!!" The guard officer in the gate tunnel roared hoarsely.
Lucien grinned, revealing a mouthful of molars.
He aimed at the thick rope holding the iron gate, gripped his long sword with both hands, and with all his might, leaped up.
The blade cut a cold gleam in the air, striking heavily on the rope.
"Snap!"
The hemp rope broke in response.
The heavy iron gate let out a deafening roar, slamming down fiercely.
"Boom—!"
The earth trembled.
The iron gate did not fully fall, as it was still pressing down on several bodies that couldn't dodge in time and a crushed cart, firmly stuck in mid-air.
It could no longer be raised, nor could it be fully closed.
But this was enough.
Lucien and more than twenty warriors who followed him pushed away the crowd in front of them and began a frenzied slaughter of the panic-stricken guards in the gate tunnel.
"The city gate is ours!!!"
"Long live!!!"
"Long live!!!!!"
"Long live!!!!!!"
Outside the city, Arthur's army erupted in earth-shattering cheers.
They surged like a tide through the open, jammed city gate, pouring into the undefended Willow Wood City.
Sir Roger Lygg bit his lip tightly, watching the enemy troops desperately bypass him and pour into the city.
A cold despair gripped his heart.
It's over.
Deep within the inner castle of Willow Wood City, a secret room isolated all external disturbances.
Thick walls blocked all sounds, leaving only the scent of women's perfume intertwined with the aroma of wine permeating the air.
Roger Lygg lay lazily on a bed covered with velvet, his obese body naked.
Beside him nestled a young mistress, with fair skin and a full figure, the widow of a knight.
The two had just finished a session of pleasure, and sweat mixed with the scent of wine formed a decadent aroma.
On the silver platter on the table were iced fruits, and next to it was a pitcher of chilled wine.
Roger picked up a purple fruit, put it into his mistress's mouth, and his finger slid across her moist lips.
He suddenly remembered something, a hint of disdain appearing at the corner of his mouth, and he began to mock:
"That so-called Black Lion, the five-day deadline has long passed."
"He doesn't even have the courage to start a war, truly a coward."
Roger even felt a bit of regret; if Arthur had truly dared to launch a foolish attack, he could have crushed them to demonstrate his family's strength.
Originally, that was his plan: to unite his vassals and display his authority and power, but he didn't expect this Black Lion to only have a big reputation, which was truly a pity.
The woman twisted her body in his arms, her voice flirtatious and affected: "My Lord, you are the true lion, the true Black Lion, even in this bed."
Roger was pleased by this flattery, and he laughed heartily, his laughter reverberating in his corpulent chest.
He picked up his wine glass, took another large gulp of chilled wine, and continued to mock:
"Black Lion? Even my black hound dares to bite people!!!"
"You truly disappoint me!"
Just then, a vague commotion faintly reached them, as if seeping through thick walls from a distant place.
Roger's brow furrowed; this sound interrupted his enjoyment and made him feel annoyed.
A nameless unease stirred in his heart, yet he had no idea of its source, which was very bad!
The woman was about to lean in to kiss his neck, but he impatiently pushed her away gently.
"These fools!! Always making noise all day long!!!"
Holding the warm, soft beauty, he forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart, trying to rekindle his desire, and spoke angrily:
"When Roger Lygg returns! I must issue a decree!!! Forbidding anyone from making loud noises during the day!!!"
"Whoever dares to make noise again!! Their tongue will be cut off!!!"
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