Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 293 Looting and Liquidation

Half an hour later, this extremely fierce resistance battle finally ended. The enemy's corpses on the street almost blocked the road, and even the bricks on the ground were soaked with blood.

Wayne briefly counted his own casualties and found that more than a dozen ordinary soldiers had been killed. His face suddenly darkened and he ordered his men to collect his dead companions and continued to march towards the Earl's Mansion without any delay.

Fortunately, he and Duff's combat team arrived at the gate of the Earl's Mansion almost at the same time. They immediately built a temporary firing position according to the combat orders and tightly guarded the main exits of the Earl's Mansion's main gate and side doors.

Dave's combat team was not in good condition either. At least it looked like he had suffered a lot. His uniform and hair were charred and tattered as if they had been burned by fire, and there was a large blood blister on his neck.

Dave loaded his magic gun with bullets and spat heavily on the ground. "Damn it! How could those spellcasters stand on the side of the nobles and the church bastards and even help them attack us? Several fireballs suddenly hit us from the roof, killing several of my soldiers!"

Wayne rolled his eyes and lectured, "Do you think all the spellcasters in the world are members of the Federation? There will always be mages who don't get along with us. Don't be kind to them."

Dave curled his lips and changed the subject. "Mr. Illusion Eye and Ms. Astrologer have already sneaked into the Earl's Mansion. How come there's no news of any movement? Why don't we just follow them and attack directly?"

"This is the command issued by the commander. It's to prevent the remnants of the earl's family from being destroyed along with him. Burn this mansion down. Don't forget, this contains the wealth their family has accumulated over decades of business!"

After a while, other combat teams also arrived at the Earl's Mansion one after another. Even the artillery battalion had completed clearing the road and slowly advanced in their artillery vehicles.

Two figures flew out of the third-floor window of the Earl's Mansion and landed in front of Commander Pierce.

"The Eye of Illusion discovered Earl Fagan's family trying to escape in a secret passage beneath the Earl's Mansion. However, we destroyed the exit, and they are currently trapped inside..." The Astrologer paused and continued, "But a group of Earl Fagan's diehard followers have retreated to the Earl's family treasury and are holding their ground. They have also carried a large amount of wood and kerosene and piled them up. If we force our way in, they will set the entire Earl's Mansion on fire."

The Eye of Illusion exchanged a glance with his companions, spread his hands, and chuckled helplessly, saying, "We've already eliminated all the spellcasters under the Earl's command. We won't be involved in the upcoming battles. You can worry about this on your own."

Pierce bowed and expressed his sincere gratitude to the two high-level spellcasters. He then called out to the artillery battalion, which had already formed up. "In that case, if you want to pay them a formal visit, you naturally need to knock politely first... Let's just fire!"

……

Earl Fagan's secretary listened to the constant thunder coming from above his head and said to Baron Trevor with trembling teeth, "Your Excellency, why don't we follow the Earl's family and escape through the secret passage? I... I don't want to die here!"

A knight stepped forward, turned his sword's hilt, and knocked the coward unconscious with a blow. He then turned and bowed to the baron, saying, "Sir, the kerosene and wood for starting the fire are ready. I only hope that when the enemy storms the mansion, we can still engage them in a final decisive battle!"

Baron Trevor stood there with his sword, looking pale and silent. He looked around and looked at the various jewels, antiques and wealth accumulated by his family for generations in the underground treasury with some reluctance. He was afraid that they would be burned along with him soon.

The Baron gritted his teeth and made up his mind. A fire would cover the entrance to the underground passage and create an opportunity for the remaining family members to escape. After all, his wife, eldest daughter, and youngest son were among those fleeing. Just as he was about to order the fire to be lit, a sudden wailing sound came from the door of the underground treasure house. The guards opened the door and found that it was the family members who had been arranged to escape through the secret passage.

"Your Excellency, Baron, they... they've blocked the secret passage! A spellcaster reached the exit before us and used a huge rock to block the entrance. We... we can't escape!"

The baron's eyes darkened. The other party had sent a spellcaster to sneak in, so why did they only cut off their escape route and not attack the others? Could it be...

He immediately understood the other party's intention. With despair, he sheathed his longsword back at his waist and whispered, "Clean up the kerosene and firewood in the treasury, then relock the door. Let's all lay down our weapons... Come with me out!"

……

The streets outside the Earl's Mansion were deserted. Soldiers of the Northern Army stood in neat rows on both sides of the street. Not far away, one could see traces of blood left by the battle.

Baron Trevor held his sword upside down in his right hand, holding his ten-year-old son tightly with his left arm, and led a group of relatives of Earl Fagan's family out slowly from the gate of the Earl's Mansion, which was left with only a big hole after being bombarded by cannons.

When passing through the broken gate, a palm-sized piece of wooden relief fell from the crumbling door frame and hit the baron's forehead. A line of blood flowed down, making him squint his eyes.

But Baron Trevor still tried his best to maintain the dignity and decency of a noble. He led his men slowly to the silent soldiers and handed the hilt of the inverted longsword in his hand to a pale man who was obviously the leader of the enemy army.

"We've been defeated... The Fagan family has chosen to surrender. According to the conventions and etiquette of noble warfare, we are willing to pay all of our family's accumulated wealth in exchange for the freedom and safety of our captives. Please..."

Pierce took the longsword from the baron and casually stuck it into the ground. He curled his lips and interrupted the baron, "All the wealth accumulated by the family? My dear Knight, are you talking about the treasures in the underground treasury of the Earl's Mansion? With all due respect, I'm afraid that they no longer belong to you. From the moment we attacked Grizzly Castle, those things have been the spoils of war belonging to my lord, His Excellency Harvey Floyd..."

Trevor was stunned for a moment, suppressing the humiliation and anger in his heart. He gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "Then what else can we use to exchange for freedom? Does your lord really want to execute all the nobles? Even the Federation, which is currently at war with His Majesty the Grand Duke of Saint Valen, would not do such a thing..."

Pierce laughed heartily. "You've already surrendered. According to the Lord's policy regarding prisoners, we won't execute you outright, unless you resist like Earl Fagan... However, I still need you to return to the Northern Territory with me and personally meet Lord Harvey. Then you can plead with him and ask what price you'd pay for your freedom and your life."

Baron Trevor's heart sank suddenly. His cousin was indeed not spared and died in the battle. This was probably the first earl to die in the civil war between the fiefdom lords in the country in more than a hundred years since the founding of Saint Valen.

He turned his head slightly to look at the Earl's Mansion, which was no longer as luxurious and magnificent as before, and felt extremely desolate for a moment.

(End of this chapter)