Chapter 12 Asking
Roning knew that the guards did not betray because of Wiggins' instructions. He had already confirmed this when the traitors just took action.
The reason why he is putting the blame on Wiggins now is mainly to make the other party feel guilty so that he can "compensate" from him.
"Grandpa, those nine guards were carefully selected by my father for me. How could my father not know what kind of people they are?"
Lulans glanced at Wiggins sideways, only to see the latter turn his body to the side with his eyes evasive.
Luo Ning was right. Those nine guards were indeed carefully selected by him; he just chose the worst ones.
Those nine people had done at least one or two of these things, such as laziness, fighting, gambling, etc. The leader, Pierre, was a well-known troublemaker.
He just wanted to find a troublemaker to make things difficult for Roning, but he didn't expect that this group of people would actually betray Roning and even want to kill him.
"My convoy had just left Wushan City and was resting in the woods when these nine people started to attack."
Luo Ning continued speaking, his tone sounding a bit panicked as if he had just survived a disaster.
"Grandpa, think about it. They are just castle guards, and they are all ordinary people. How could they be so bold as to attack me? Although I have been deprived of my inheritance rights, I am still their master, the Baron of Shanlin Town, and the bloodline of the Wushan family!"
At this point, he looked at Wiggins angrily, "I think about it, they must have been instructed by their father, otherwise they would never dare to do it!"
"I don't!"
"Although I hate you and don't even want to admit that you are my son, I won't send someone to kill you!"
Wiggins was so angry that his hair and beard stood on end. He hated being framed the most in his life, but every time he was framed and accused, he found it difficult to find reasons to refute because what the other party said was reasonable and well-founded.
"If I really wanted to kill you, why would I give you so many resources?"
"That's for my dead mother's sake!"
Luo Ning retorted, leaving the other party speechless.
The living room fell into a brief silence. Lu Lansi sighed and said, "Maybe there is something unexpected about this matter. I believe your father is not stupid enough to kill you."
No one knows a son better than his father. Rulans knew Wiggins very well. Although the latter was stupid, reckless and brainless, he would not do such a stupid thing as killing his son.
"Didn't those guys say anything before they took action?" asked the Marquis.
Luo Ning thought about it and decided that since the question had come to this point, he couldn't hide some things.
After all, the remaining traitors are not dead yet, and Lu Lans can find out their motives for betrayal by sending someone to inquire.
"Before they attacked me, they told me that they didn't want to go to Shanlin Town, saying that it was remote and dangerous and that going there would mean death. They also said that the family had given up on me and that I would probably be killed before I even got to Shanlin Town."
Chahar behind him was a little confused. Did those traitors really say these words? Why didn't he hear them?
Suddenly, he understood. It was probably what the traitors said when they chased the Baron into the woods. He had fallen to the ground and hadn't gotten up yet.
"Child, the family has never given up on you. I deprived you of your inheritance rights only for the long-term consideration of the family!"
Lu Lan Si briefly explained the reason to comfort Roning, then he turned around and criticized Wiggins harshly:
"The eldest grandson of the Wushan family dared to go to Shanlin Town, but the family guards dared to retreat. Wiggins, how do you usually train them?"
Wiggins was in the wrong on this point, so he didn't say anything.
Roning still wanted to share some of the blame with Wiggins; he continued: "The leader said he wanted to rob my supplies and money and then leave Wushanling to live somewhere else."
"Although their motives seem reasonable, I feel like there is someone behind them."
He expressed his guess, "Otherwise, they wouldn't have the courage to do so."
"Haha, my grandson, you are wrong."
Lulans understood that Roning mistakenly thought that Wiggins was behind it, so he vented his anger on Wiggins.
"Everyone has the ambition to gain benefits, and the guards are no exception. They must have seen that you are an ordinary person and have no one around you, so they wanted to unite and rob you."
The old Marquis analyzed: "And I'm sure they know that you have a lot of gold coins, so they are interested."
As soon as the voice fell, Hallward, who had followed, felt a jolt in his heart and immediately stepped forward and saluted, "Sir, you are right. That day, when I handed the gold coins you gave to Master Luo Ning, they were in front of them!"
As he spoke, he apologized to Roning again: "I didn't expect my negligence to cause you so much trouble. Hallward is guilty!"
Wiggins spread his hands and said, "See, I told you it has nothing to do with me!"
Luo Ning looked embarrassed and did not reply, which was considered as tacit consent to this result.
His behaviour confused Chahar, the male servant standing behind him.
To be precise, he has been confused since the moment he stood in front of the gate of Wushan Fort.
He didn't understand why the Baron suspected that the Earl had ordered these traitors. He didn't understand why the Baron dared to return to Wushanbao if he thought the Earl wanted to kill him.
"Is the master sure that the Marquis will make the decision for him?" Chahar thought.
At this time, Lu Lans above put away his serious attitude, and his expression softened a lot. If a father really killed his son, he would be very uncomfortable.
"The matter is now clear. Luo Ning, don't be so angry with your father. Although he is a little stupid, he won't kill you. We in Wushan are not the Hyde family."
"Also, Hallward was not careful enough so that he will be fined half a year's salary!"
Hallwart did not argue but bowed to accept the punishment. "Hollwart accepts the punishment and will remember this lesson. I hope this will calm the young master's anger."
Although Hallward was indeed a bit careless, the other party also helped in some way, so Roning felt embarrassed to let him be punished.
"Grandpa, this matter has nothing to do with Hallward, so let's just forget it."
Hallward insisted on admitting his mistake, "No, Master, this matter is indeed my mistake. Please don't make excuses or plead for me."
Lu Lans chuckled, "Since Luo Ning is begging for you, forget it."
He then said to Roning: "You and Wiggins are father and son; just resolve the misunderstanding."
Luo Ning also gave Lu Lan Si a face and bowed slightly to Wiggins, "I was too angry just now. Now that I think about it carefully, I really misunderstood."
"Hmph!" Wiggins turned his body and snorted angrily, but he felt better in his heart.
Ronin turned to Rulans and said, "Knight Macken killed four of the nine traitors. I have brought the rest back and prepared to hand them over to my father. I dare not keep such traitors with me anymore."
"Knight Macon?"
Lu Lansi glanced at the unfamiliar knight standing behind Ronin and said, "This is the first time I've seen him."
Luo Ning chuckled and made up a story.
"McKen is a wandering knight. We have known each other for a few months. He learned that I had become the Baron of Hillwood Town and wanted to follow me. Thanks to him, I am alive and well today."
McKen saluted Rulans as a knight and then continued to stand behind Ronin.
Wiggins, on the other hand, looked him up and down. "Although I didn't use any strength in that kick just now, you were able to take it without falling. I think you have some strength. It's worth following the Wushan Family."
It is true that he did not use his full strength, but it is obvious that Wiggins is saying nonsense when he says he did not use any strength at all.
Luo Ning did not point it out but instead began to explain the purpose of his return.
"Although Mikan's strength is not bad, it is still very inconvenient for me to have no guards around. I can't always leave everything to a professional knight."
Ronin's tone became respectful, completely different from his previous attitude towards Wiggins. "So, please help me arrange a few more trustworthy guards, Father."
Perhaps it was because Roning was so polite, or maybe it was because he had just been vindicated, but Wiggins was in a good mood.
Hearing this, he agreed loudly without even thinking, "Sure!"
Wiggins looked at Hallward and said, "Go, find nine new guards for Ronin."
"Father, nine is too few!"
Roning stopped Hallward, who was about to turn around and do his work. "Shanlin Town is too dangerous. If I only have nine soldiers, they will think that the family is sending them to their deaths, and they might even become disloyal. So I hope to be given more people. If I can have a hundred, that would be the best!"
After hearing this, Lu Lans, who was sitting next to him, couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
He suddenly understood why he had felt that awkward feeling as soon as Roning entered the door.
Wiggins returned to his usual bad temper. "What? One hundred? There are less than a hundred guards on duty at Wushan Fort right now, and you're asking me for a hundred!"
"No, absolutely not!"
On weekdays, there is only one knight order stationed in the Wushan Castle area, and every day, the knight order sends a team of knights to guard Wushan Castle.
A knightly order has ten knight squads, each of which includes 12 professional knights, 36 squire knights, ten archers, and 60 infantrymen.
The guards guarding the gate that Roning saw were infantrymen from a knight squad, so Wiggins was not lying, and there were indeed less than a hundred guards on duty.
But Roning didn't need to worry about these. He just needed to open his mouth and ask for it. He wouldn't lose anything if he didn't get it.
"Father, you can't be unable to provide even a hundred guards, right? You are the Earl of Wushan City! In my heart, Grandpa is first, and you are second. But you can't provide a hundred guards. This..."
"fart!"
Wiggins said angrily: "It's just a hundred people. Do you think I can't come up with it?"
Lu Lans simply rolled his eyes and shook his head helplessly. When did his grandson become so irritating?
"Ronin, you want a hundred guards. That's too many."
The old Marquis immediately extinguished Luo Ning's thoughts. "As far as I know, the population of Shanlin Town is less than a thousand. Even if you want to form a defence team, recruiting a dozen or twenty militiamen will be enough. You asked your father to give you a hundred guards. First, you won't be able to use them, and second, you can't afford them."
Hearing this, Luo Ning's burning heart fell into a basin of cold water.
Is the population of Shanlin Town less than a thousand people??
Can this even be called a town?
His territory is too tricky!
"How about this, Wiggins? You arrange 20 guards for Ronin and give him some more resources. This way, when we get to Shanlin Town, he won't have to worry about recruiting militia again."
Wiggins nodded. "Twenty is about right."
"Grandpa, twenty is too few!"
Roning transformed himself into a bargaining businessman. The population in his territory was so small he had to find a way to increase it.
Otherwise, when will he be able to reach the 3,000 population required for the [Population Prosperity] achievement?
How long would it take to rely on natural reproduction from generation to generation?
"Eighty. Grandpa still has my father. Just give me eighty guards!"
"can not be less anymore!"