Chapter 381: Cessation Tragedy
The bustling banquet hall no longer had its former glory, and hundreds of nobles from Jinhe Township were sitting around the long tables.

The flutes whistled happily, the trumpets emitted undulating vibratos, and the dancers showed off their graceful figures at the party.

The armed peasant girls captured from nearby farms, with crude powder on their faces, toasted to these dignitaries in a flattering manner during the banquet.

But what was different from the past was that these nobles, who were once so noble that they seemed to have no worries at all, were all absent-minded today.

It was clearly a lively banquet, but the atmosphere was so cold that it seemed like water could condense out of it.

They raised their glasses dryly and made irrelevant toasts, but there was no sign of joy on their faces.

Only a few drunkards were still singing loudly in a daze and putting their hands into the collars of the dancers.

"Hey, why don't you drink?" A drunk noble burped and poured the wine into the cup of a wounded noble, "Drink."

"No, no, no." The nobleman pushed the wine glass aside and said in annoyance.

He was in no mood to drink. Even now he couldn't believe that they had been defeated.

An army of tens of thousands of soldiers, thousands of extraordinary knights and cannon fodder peasants was defeated by less than six thousand farmers.

Even the monks' magic had no effect on the devil's gun, and the evil devil wind continued to blow.

Three hundred Cossack knights were completely destroyed.

Of the four hundred extraordinary knights who went out to fight, only over a hundred returned.

The Archbishop of Jinhe Township was arrested, Count Zerlaken was arrested, and Knight Nidsal committed suicide by drinking poison.

This humiliating defeat of Montenegro has become the biggest topic of discussion among the aristocratic society of Jinhe Township in the past two days.

Although everyone said before the dinner that they would not talk about the war, when their eyes met, they seemed to have no interest in talking about anything else.

Therefore, most of the nobles were talking incoherently or just sitting there in silence.

However, some nobles noticed something very interesting.

When they originally held aristocratic dinners, most of the people present were of Frankish and Leonian descent, and it was estimated that only one-fifth of the nobles were of Kushite descent.

After this battle, the nobles of various families suffered heavy losses, but the strength of the Kushite knights was well preserved. The Kushite nobles present accounted for more than one-third of the total number.

In terms of the number of knights alone, the Kushite knights led by the Alco family had the upper hand for a long time afterwards.

Damn it, the original Alco family was just a small branch of the Kush family, but within three generations, it became the most prominent noble family in Jinhe Township.

With this in mind, most people turned their eyes to the dozing old woman, Vivian Christie Alco.

"Have a drink." At the edge of the hall, the noble drunkard was still harassing the injured noble at the same table.

"Oh, I'm not in the mood."

"Drink more when you're not in the mood. Drinking will make you feel better."

"In a good mood? You drunkard, who would be in a good mood with you?" Annoyed by the drunken noble, the injured noble kicked him to the ground.

Under the incredulous gaze of the drunk noble, he stood up in grief and anger and shouted to all the nobles present: "Why don't you say something? First we lost Jeanne d'Arc, then Pavia, then Moncruz, then Montenegro, and there is nothing left to lose next."

"But on the other hand, we are all nobles. With our intelligence and wisdom, we should prepare for war as soon as possible. We may not be able to survive the next time..."

"Oh, God bless us, we couldn't defeat Black Mountain despite all our advantages, can you guarantee that we can win next time?" Another nobleman with gauze wrapped around his face and a lead bullet piercing his mouth said sarcastically, "It's very blue."

"Then what do you think we should do?"

"Anyway, I tried my best, I got hurt, and I completed my 40-day military service. This is your business now."

"If you win, will there be any follow-up?"

"My fault? You say it's our fault?" The nobleman with his face covered slapped the table, causing the plates and forks on the table to jump up. "Bullshit! Why don't you dare to fight the Salvation Army? You retreated and said it was our fault."

Immediately, a Leia noble started to make a noise, "As expected of a Fran. Leia's rabbit would be the most powerful warrior in the kingdom if he went to Fran."

"If you keep scolding me!" The French nobleman blushed and took off his gloves. "Do you dare to come out and fight me in single combat?"

"Quiet, quiet!" In the end, it was Domenico who took the lead and led these old nobles to suppress the quarreling nobles.

As they stared at each other, an old and kind voice sounded.

"I, an old fool, do have an immature suggestion." The old grandmother stood up shakily with her cane, "Now that the Salvation Army is so powerful, instead of confronting them head-on, why don't we learn from the strategy of the former Xiongbao leader?"

The nobles recalled the so-called strategy of the Bear Castle, and a look of surprise appeared on their faces.

The so-called strategy of Xiongbao Territory was that in the early stage of the Hundred Years' War, Xiongbao Territory was once occupied by the royal court.

The local nobles converted to the Lord of Immortality and became tax farmers for the royal court, and even took the opportunity to annex small lords and tribes.

But later, the royal court gradually weakened, and the local nobles immediately rose up and overthrew the local vampire regime.

The slogan they use for themselves is "pretending to change their beliefs, but regretting it later."

Although the old lady is a Norn from the Iron Sword Territory, she is very clear about the dark history of the people of Bearburg.

"You mean, you pretended to surrender, but regretted it later?" A Leia knight asked with disdainful eyes, "Old lady, this is not the wild land of Bear Castle or Iron Sword Territory." "Why not? The Savior Army will definitely go to rescue Rapid City, and we can accumulate strength during this period."

"Yes, our Jinhe Township is the first line of defense to stop the Black Snake Bay. If the Salvation Army and the Black Snake Bay really join forces, the consequences will be disastrous."

"Aren't you just afraid of the Saviors? Coward! Unclean!"

"Who are you calling a coward? Humph (inhales), who are you calling a coward!"

Originally this idea was only discussed on a small scale, but with repeated promotion, almost all the nobles joined in.

Even some areas have started fighting and personal attacks, or they have been digging up people's dark history.

The whole hall was as noisy as a fruit and vegetable market in the early morning, with people shouting, smashing tables, crying, and tearing their clothes. It was more chaotic than a village meeting.

The nobles' hair was disheveled, and their finest formal clothes were torn loosely and hung on their shoulders, revealing their hairy chests and half of their pale shoulders.

The band that was playing was terrified, and the dancers and maids huddled in the corner, trembling as they watched everything in front of them.

Many young girls stared blankly at the scene in front of them, as it was inconsistent with their impressions.

You know, according to their sisters and mother, these nobles would talk politely and eat quietly, and it was only after the meal that the rude side of men would come out and put their hands inside their clothes.

If you are lucky, you can spend a night with a noble aristocrat and become pregnant with his child.

But today it seems that the nobles are no different from bandits and robbers, even more chaotic and rude.

The old lady sighed as if with helplessness and contempt, wrapped herself in a blanket and cloak, and walked out of the banquet hall with her crutches.

Domenico and other Kush nobles nearby immediately stepped forward to support them. Seeing that the elders had left, the remaining Kush nobles stood up and followed them out.

Some nobles who agreed with the old grandmother's idea also stood up and followed the old grandmother.

By the end, only about one-third of the nobles were left in the entire banquet hall.

The sounds of quarreling gradually stopped, replaced by the constant sounds of doors opening and closing.

All the opponents in the quarrel had left, leaving only these forty or fifty people, so naturally there was nothing to quarrel about.

The hall fell into an eerie silence. People just sat there in silence, and no one thought of asking the band to play again.

Looking at the gloomy atmosphere, an old noble shook his head helplessly: "Now that things have come to this, let's eat first. Serve the food!"

…………

"Grandma, are we really going to regret this?" Domenico asked hesitantly as he followed the grandmother who was walking fast but tremblingly.

The old grandmother turned away nonchalantly: "Loyalty is the cloak of interest. Clothes are not important, but who wears them is important."

Seeing Domenico's relaxed and watery eyes, the old grandmother missed her illegitimate grandson Bernardo who died in Pavia even more.

"As long as he can make us Kushites free, I can remain loyal until one day he can't do it anymore."

She explained the principle behind it to Domenico in the most straightforward language possible, and the old grandmother continued walking down the mountain regardless of whether he understood it or not.

Domenico, like his two good brothers (Perini and Enrico), basically couldn't understand his grandmother's complicated calculations, and his simple brain was not prepared to listen more.

When he caught up with his grandmother, Domenico asked what was worrying him: "What should we do with these nobles next?"

The old grandmother seemed not to have heard it and continued walking forward at a fast pace.

Domenico thought the grandmother was too old to hear him, so he raised his voice by two decibels and shouted fiercely beside the grandmother: "Grandmother! What should we do with these nobles next?!"

The grandmother was so frightened by her well-behaved grandson that she trembled and hit him with her cane: "Do you want to die? I'm not deaf, idiot."

"But you don't answer me." Domenico followed behind awkwardly, but before he could ask for clarification, he heard a strange explosion.

The moment he turned his head, his eyes widened in horror.

Black smoke mixed with flames came out of the courtyard on the hill, and the sturdy wooden courtyard collapsed with a loud bang.

In mid-air, cups, wine jugs, and plates flew wildly, wooden boards and chairs collided with each other, and the nobles fell from the second floor with their mouths wide open, emitting bewildered howls.

A column of yellow and green liquid rose up, and dozens of nobles fell into the cesspool below the courtyard. At some point, hundreds of extraordinary infantrymen emerged from all around.

They stood on the edge of the pit, holding their spears and halberds high, and stabbed and knocked down the nobles who tried to climb up.

The flag representing Domenico was flying, and under the flag, dozens of extraordinary knights from the Arco family stood on the side holding longbows.

Occasionally, some nobles broke through the blockade and climbed ashore, but they would be shot down by arrows.

Pointing his trembling index finger towards the courtyard, Domenico turned his head stiffly and looked at the old lady's kind and calm face.

The old lady walked downstairs without looking back, and her kind voice echoed in Domenico's ears.

"When did they develop the illusion that they could choose sides?"

(End of this chapter)