Chapter 393 The Escaped City Councillor
"Get out of the way, shoemaker! Your carriage is blocking the road!"

"The box has fallen over, my friend, can't you wait a moment?"

"Oh!"

"Ah! The new carriage I just bought!"

Under the newly built wall of Xiaochi City built with rubble and mortar, the crowded traffic lined up like a long dragon behind the heavy cedar gate. The square nails on the door still had traces of the fire ordered by imperial decree half a year ago.

At that time, Xiaochi City was hit hard by the Imperial Order.

However, at that time, the Juano faction and the church had not yet torn their faces apart. Considering the reputation of the order, Prince Condé simply plundered the craftsmen and laborers outside the city.

After executing a group of city councilors and extorting a sum of money, they withdrew on their own.

And through the trade of mortar and grain with Langsander County, Xiaochi City has regained some of its former prosperity.

When wearing straw sandals and short boots and stepping on the slippery stone floor, only the traces of burnt fire on the ground and walls and the rope on the flagpole stained black by blood could reveal the bloodshed that had taken place.

However, this short-lived prosperity was once again followed by an unexpected depression.

The streets were filled with soldiers on martial law, and from time to time knights, mercenaries, and armed peasants who were paid to help in the battle entered through the side doors.

In front of the main gate of the city, a checkpoint consisting of three rows of chevaux-de-frise was erected.

Dozens of city councilors, wealthy businessmen and hundreds of their servants from Xiaochi City crowded in front of the checkpoint, and poured boxes of coins into the wooden buckets filled with grain with both anger and helplessness.

The wooden bucket that was once used to hold golden grains was now piled with gold and silver coins, forming a pyramid-shaped peak on the opening of the bucket.

The soldiers standing at the city gate were wearing chain mail or leather armor. They might have been shop owners or craftsmen in a workshop the day before.

But at this moment, they were staring at the wealthy oligarchs in front of them with hatred in their eyes.

They all knew that these wealthy oligarchs colluded with the church for profit and sold out the interests of the entire Xiaochi City to the church.

They all knew that the heavy redemption tax that had to be paid to the church every year was entirely due to the weakness of these city councilors.

They all knew that when the noble coalition arrived, it was these culprits who fled first and even wanted to sell the city defense deployment to the noble coalition.

"I don't know what Monsieur Richelieu was thinking. Why did he let them leave the city under such circumstances?"

"If you ask me, I should kill them all first, huh, traitors!"

A wealthy businessman named Andruk, who was counting the city exit tax, suddenly looked up with a red face, as if he wanted to yell at the two little guys.

But unfortunately, under the provocative gazes of the two soldiers, he still resisted the urge to curse out loud.

After all, now is an important time to leave the city, so don't create any unnecessary trouble.

Like most well-informed wealthy businessmen, Andruk had long known that Count Musak was leading the noble coalition of the Kasha County Church faction towards Xiaochi City.

The coalition forces would arrive in a day or two at most, so they had to escape before tonight.

Count Mussak is an old knight. He was a fierce character who fought a bloody battle with vampire pirates in the Sealand Islands. He is also known as the Titled Knight without a Title.

As for the noble coalition led by the Earl, there were as many as 3,000 strong soldiers and even hundreds of knights.

Facing such a lineup, half a year ago, Xiaochicheng might still have a chance to defend.

But after the imperial decree broke out, all industries declined, the population dispersed, and now there are only more than a thousand soldiers in the city, and most of them are ordinary militiamen.

There shouldn't have been only these, but the elite mercenaries that had previously supported Rapid City were either hiding in the wilderness or were "injured" and unable to exert their combat effectiveness.

It was obvious that they were afraid after learning that Count Mussac was coming.

Xiaochi City had been repeatedly ravaged by war, the city defenses were in ruins, and there was a shortage of manpower. They saw no glimmer of hope.

As for the so-called ally, the Savior Army, that is even more impossible.

It would take them seven or eight days just to get here, and even if they did, it would be useless. With such a long march, and they were all infantry, they would most likely be defeated by Count Mussak, just like the ambush they had sent out before.

It is impossible to hold on to something, it is impossible to hold on to it in this lifetime.

Even if we hold on to Xiaochi City, what will happen? Once Jiliu City is broken, those terrible imperial decrees will come again.

Whenever these wealthy businessmen think of the horrific experience six months ago, they can't help but tremble and hold their tails tightly.

Escape, you must escape, it will be too late if you don’t escape now.

"Just keep talking here, and talk nicely." Andruk blushed and said nothing, but the servants around him were anxious, "When Lord Musak arrives, you will all die."

"Oh, you are quite courageous." The militiaman who was a craftsman raised the harpoon in his hand, "Since you are so courageous, stay and help us defend the city."

This frightened the servant so much that he shrank back in fear, but still stiffened his neck and cursed, "I'm a senior servant!"

"What we want is a high-class male servant." The militiaman pointed the harpoon at the servant's shoulder and squinted at Andruk. "Why, you're not convinced?"

"He is my servant. He has been following me since he was twelve years old. He is an old hired worker..." Andruk stood straight in front of the militia, looking at him arrogantly and coldly.

"Oh, what do you mean?"

"Taxes have to be reduced. If you take him away, you have to reduce my tax for leaving the city!" Andrew spoke righteously as if he was protecting this servant.

In the desperate and dull eyes of the servants, after deducting the corresponding taxes, the former master happily handed his indenture to the militia.

"Well, now you are ours, Senior Butler."

After taking out one third of the money in the carriage, Andrew covered his chest with his hands in pain and signed his name on the agreement.

"I swear, after I leave the city, I will never come back, and everything in Xiaochi City will have nothing to do with me anymore!"

After making the oath in public, Andruk felt as if he had shed a layer of skin.

With the wheels rolling and the horses' hooves clattering, he finally walked out of the suddenly opened city gate.

Looking up, he looked at the earth-gray city wall.

Under the gloomy sky, the hot wind blew on the wall, and a figure in a black and red half-shoulder priest robe was extremely conspicuous.

"Just wait!" Andruk looked at the figure and spat a mouthful of thick phlegm on the ground.

It was this Bishop Richelieu who came from Langsand County who first took advantage of the messenger to drag them to mass, and then sent troops to block the city gates.

It was this bishop who spread rumors that they had sold the city's defenses to the noble coalition and the Imperial Order Company, and that the wealthy businessmen and city councilors were preparing to flee.

Rumor! It's a complete rumor!

They just transferred their property and escorted them personally. There was no such thing as escape.

But this rumor seemed extremely true when compared to the few lucky congressmen who escaped early.

Under the instigation of Father Martin, almost all the citizens in the city stood against them.

Then the insidious Bishop Richelieu developed a three-day exit tax with a tax rate of up to 30%.

Taking this opportunity, the people who stayed in the city forced them to pay a large amount of money, and then used the money to buy equipment and hire soldiers.

But what can be done about it? Can these more than a thousand militiamen defeat the noble coalition forces?
When they thought about their money being taken away by the coalition of nobles, the wealthy businessmen led by Andrew felt a pain like a knife cutting their hearts.

But staying in the city would mean death, so in order to escape quickly, this was the only option left.

"Just stay here and wait for death. When the time comes, I will come back! I will still be the distinguished city councilor of Xiaochi City!"

(End of this chapter)