282 – Skirmish (6)
Mathias trembled with anger and rebuked Rhineland.
“What kind of face did you come back alive with? “How did you come back alive after losing over 1,500 of your best soldiers to Viscount Cologne?”
At those words, though it was humiliating for his knight, Rhineland dropped both his knees to the ground and hit his forehead.
At any other time, people would have said things like, no matter how much he is the prince, he is going too far, and should take his honor into consideration.
The vassals here just cleared their throats.
“Hmm, hmmm.”
Everyone could see that it was a situation where Mathias could not help but be angry.
And this time Matthias’s anger was directed at his lord, the Viscount of Bohemia.
“Viscount! Why on earth did the Viscount entrust his soldiers to such a fool? Thanks to you, Maria, that b*tch didn’t make you laugh so much, did you? If you have something to say, say it!”
Just thinking about the fact that the princess cowardly sent an advance force commanded by the Viscount Cologne to the border area and plundered it made her blood boil.
Although it was a surprise raid, this attack left Matthias, as the future emperor, with a flaw in that he could not guarantee the nobles’ territory and its safety.
‘The vassals will no longer fully trust me.’
Matthias ordered the Viscount of Bohemia to send his best army of 1,500 men to show his majesty and power by cutting off the head of that arrogant bastard, the Viscount of Cologne.
‘I had to cut off Cologne’s head and regain my status!’
However, the reality is that the elite, numbering over 1,500, was annihilated, and Rhineland, the leader, shamelessly returned alive.
Even with her luxury armor and sword that Maria gave her as a gift.
“If you have something to say, at least make an excuse!”
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The Viscount of Bohemia also felt very unfair.
No matter how much of the blame for this problem lies with you, who entrusted your elite soldiers to a sloppy bastard wearing nice armor over there.
I never thought that that damn bastard would lead 1,500 men, lose 1,300 soldiers, and leisurely receive armor and horses.
‘You are no better than a dog, you would rather become a wandering knight!’
If that were the case, it would have been possible to properly handle the deaths and claim that the knight who died for Matthias could not be held responsible.
I guess he could use that as an excuse to eliminate the possibility of being punished, like jumping over a wall…
“No. Please forgive me.”
When Mathias heard that, he clicked her tongue.
“Okay, then Rhineland, I’ll tell you your sins again. “You were given authority by the Viscount of Bohemia to command 1,500 elite soldiers, but you were defeated.”
Rhineland had no excuse for this statement at all.
“And you, fearing that you would be rebuked for your mistake of losing over 1,300 of your men, were captured by Viscount Cologne and switched to Maria’s side. “Isn’t that right?”
Although Maria gave Rhineland great favors, Rhineland did not give Maria any information related to Matthias’s army.
He simply accepted Maria’s favor of giving him armor and a sword without refusing.
Furthermore, in normal cases, this act is an honorable act that is not a problem at all unless it is a true betrayal.
Although he was defeated, his bravery and struggle were recognized by the enemy monarch.
So, even if it is not a commendable action, there is no reason to be reprimanded or labeled as a traitor…
Rhineland claimed his innocence, breaking into a cold sweat.
“It’s unfair! Why would I betray you? And there is no evidence, is there?”
But Matthias was convinced that that shameless man from Rhineland had betrayed him.
No, from a political perspective, whether or not the Rhineland was betrayed was not very important.
If we do not accuse him of receiving these things because of Rhineland’s betrayal, it will be revealed that his capacity as a king, the most important leader, is less than that of Maria.
Matthias pointed his finger at the Rhineland and reprimanded it.
“You bastard! If you hadn’t betrayed me, how would you have come back alive and treated so generously? So there is no need to look for any more evidence. “All the circumstances point to you being a traitor.”
“No! In the first place, it is rare to receive armor and swords like this from an enemy lord, but it is customary…”
“Kneel down!”
The knights under Matthias moved quickly, entrapping Rhineland’s arms and forcing him to kneel.
Then Rhineland’s face turned pale.
“Please save me! “I never betrayed you!”
“Shut up! “How can a knight betray his master and still live so shamelessly!”
Then Mathias pulled out the sword he was wearing at his waist and raised it.
“Not even Deus will forgive you. Go to hell you coward!”
Matthias, who was not good at using a sword, was able to cut off Rhineland’s head after hitting it several times.
And he lifted his head and declared.
“Fritz von Rhineland, a senior knight under the Viscount of Bohemia, was beheaded for trying to switch to Maria’s side out of fear of being reprimanded for his defeat. “Hang it in the square in front of the city gate.”
Rhineland was not guilty of anything, but a knight ran with his beheaded head for the political benefit of the Third Prince’s faction.
“Furthermore, her family has also committed treason, so her men and women will be executed. “Let the family carry out the sentence and live out their lives at the Viscount Bohemia’s estate.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Clean up the bodies and bury them in an appropriate place, and sell the armor and weapons appropriately. Horses are innocent, so keep them in the stables.”
After saying that, Matthias spoke as if comforting himself.
“Now that the traitor is dead, there will be only victory for our army. Sirs, do not be anxious and prepare for the next battle.”
Everyone answered in agreement with that statement, but this thought crept into their minds.
‘Is this really okay?’
**
The head of a Rhinelander impaled on a spear was brought to the square of Hindenburg Castle, the castle of Prince Matthias, along with a proclamation.
When something as ugly as a dead person’s neck appeared, people’s eyes all turned towards it.
“This is the traitor Fritz von Rhineland, a knight of the Viscount of Bohemia. He led a force of 1,500 men at His Majesty’s command and went to intercept the Viscount Cologne, who had plundered the estate, but betrayed His Majesty and sent his soldiers to death.”
In a world where there is no proper entertainment, there was nothing better to chew, tear, and savor than ‘The Executed Knight’, so those gathered here began talking to each other.
“Oh my god, how can you betray your master…”
“Wow, I can’t believe a bastard like that was going around claiming to be a knight.”
“You traitorous bastard, woo!”
In normal times, cursing a knight would be enough to kill someone, but since it was cursing a traitor, the proclamation did not care.
‘He deserves to die.’
Of course, if the dead Rhineland heard about it, it would have been unfair and he might have risen again with no head…
“So, I will hang up his head in the city square so that the world can know what the fate of the traitor will be.”
The governor chuckled after reading the document.
“You can do whatever you want, whether it’s throwing a stone at a traitor’s neck or throwing trash.”
When the villagers heard that, they started throwing things like mud and rotten eggs as if this was their chance.
Even though they were traitors, it was rare for them to have the opportunity to insult the corpse of a knight who usually ignored them.
“Kill that scum!”
“It’s sad that you can’t kill a dead person again!”
“Oooh, trash!”
And some quick-thinking merchants brought in things like rocks, mud, and rotten food and started selling them.
“Come on, I’m selling cheap rocks, mud, and rotten fruit to throw at the trash lying around over there. “Buy as much as you want!”
In normal times, if you sold something like this, you could have been beaten to death, but now that there is an immediate use for it, it is selling like it has wings.
“Give me everything I have here!”
The person who said that put down a considerable amount of money and threw a rotten pear at the head hanging over there.
“Go to hell and meet homos*xuals! Oooh, you piece of trash!”
However, among those crossing this place, there were those who knew the innocence of the Rhineland.
Level soldiers who were taken as prisoners of war like those in the Rhineland, but were treated well and released.
They were whispering among themselves in the corner.
“Although Lord Rhineland was defeated, he fought very hard.”
“You fought while even telling me to attack you on horseback, right?”
And some of them waved their hands and spoke in low voices.
“Maria, that woman was so generous that she treated Lord Rhineland, who was the commander-in-chief, well. She honestly thought he would betray her. Mary, wouldn’t you have continued to stay in her camp?”
“That’s what it means.”
Among them, one of the highest-ranking soldiers, a platoon leader, chuckled.
“I don’t know if this is okay.”
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