Chapter 267:

Chapter 267:

Kevin was almost sleepless the entire night, his heart torn between fleeing or staying to face the lord’s army with everyone else.

In the end, he decided to stand with the others, sure that the lord’s mansion would eventually send troops to suppress them, the only question being when.

After deciding to ‘negotiate’ with the lord yesterday, they were confident in their strength but knew the upcoming struggle wouldn’t be easy.

To gain an advantage, they stationed themselves in Faber Village, as their own village lacked substantial defensive structures. The fortifications used against pirates had been dismantled after their defeat.

Now, the only defensive structure they could find was the Baden family estate, practically a small fortress.

To prevent their families back home from getting involved, they sent messengers to the village overnight, instructing those left behind to hide in nearby forests or caves by the sea, a strategy they had employed previously when pirates threatened.

The smell of roasting meat wafted up from below the tower, and the yard was filled with laughter and chatter. With Baden gone, his livestock naturally fell into the villagers’ hands. Thus, they indulged in meat feasts, a rarity for most of them.Nêww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com

However, Kevin had no appetite, feeling that something bad would happen soon.

At dawn, he volunteered for guard duty and stayed at the top of the tower, coming down only when someone brought him bread, which he ate hurriedly.

Their group of nearly a thousand people might have a chance of winning, Kevin thought, trying to convince himself, having decided to stay and face whatever came.

Around 10 a.m., Kevin’s fears materialized as a troop appeared in his sight.

He immediately recognized them as the lord’s army, familiar with the discipline and formation of sailors from his trips to Port Fran.

Kevin rang the tower bell urgently, the agreed-upon alarm signal.

The bell’s continuous toll threw the yard into chaos. Although the villagers were mentally prepared to confront the lord’s army, fear gripped their hearts when the moment arrived.

“Don’t panic, everyone take your positions!”

“Grab your weapons, stay calm!”

“We are strong, we are invincible!”

“Ah? Oh!”

Quik snapped back to reality and then, as if making a firm decision, yelled, “Attack!”

The navy soldiers, lined up in rows, marched towards the Baden family’s wall, carrying ladders to scale the over two-meter-high barrier.

This included navy officer candidates like Kevin Alfred, who were sent to experience the battlefield atmosphere. Suppressing poorly armed rebels was seen as a suitable opportunity for them.

“Why won’t you surrender? Why not?” thought the young candidates, their strides firm but their hearts conflicted. Alan, for example, came from a salt farmer family and believed more in the narrative of the salt farmers being oppressed by landlords than in their tax revolt.

He knew well the impact of the salt fields on traditional salt farming, having grown up in that environment. But his long-term training in obedience led him to follow orders and attack the salt farmers.

Seeing the army approach without heeding their demands, the people on the wall panicked.

“What’s the panic? They’re only about a hundred. We outnumber them by far,” the ‘commanders’ reminded loudly.

“Hit them with slingshots!”

“Slash them with swords!”

...

A sporadic hail of stones flew towards the navy soldiers, hitting many.

The officers regretted not bringing cannons to quickly reach the riot site, knowing that just a few shots could have demolished the dilapidated wall.

“Spread out, advance at a run!”

There was no need to maintain tight formation against such a disorganized crowd.

The slingshots’ accuracy plummeted, and the sailors quickly approached the wall. The first soldiers to arrive fired a volley, forcing those atop the wall to duck. Others threw hand grenades inside, and after the explosions and screams from within, the sailors quickly scaled the wall without waiting for ladders.

The battle was over quickly...