I Pioneered Scientific Magic

Chapter 263: The Unscrupulous Raydell

Amidst a chorus of both noble curses and praises for Raydell, the miners from the baron's domain and the poor within the castle quickly became acquainted, reaching a point where they spoke freely about everything.

Evidently, Lynn's method of lamenting had proven remarkably effective; in just the duration of a meal, it had dismantled the hostility of most of the impoverished.

Having dined to satisfaction, Raydell declined the requests of those wishing to join his cause, liberating the poor and the enslaved miners. He advised them to take a few days to ponder and make their decision with earnest consideration.

While expanding his ranks was urgent, he knew all too well that recruiting too many unqualified individuals would only render his army weak and ineffectual.

"Tonight, I'll have you lead the night watch. Pay close attention and never let your guard down," Raydell instructed one of his guards.

Although they had dealt with the soldiers within the castle, it didn't signify absolute safety.

Earlier, he had ordered the capture and execution of those infamous wealthy merchants and minor nobles within the castle. The cleanup might not have been thorough, hence the need to beware of remnants plotting a night ambush.

With everything arranged, Raydell, who had been mentally tense to the extreme, finally relaxed a bit. He was about to head back for a good night's sleep when Lynn's voice echoed in his mind.

"It seems you're quite experienced in handling these matters!"

Raydell had long been accustomed to occasional voices popping up in his head; it was not surprising at all. He scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and replied, "That's thanks to your guidance, Lord Lynn."

Now devoid of the miners, Raydell shed his disguise. He was not particularly old, but to instill confidence in others, he had to adopt an air of maturity.

"It's merely guidance. When it comes to actual practice, it's all on you," Lynn responded with a smile. Raydell's performance was even better than Lynn had anticipated. Initially, he had to personally instruct almost every detail about leading troops and tactics. Now, in just over two weeks, Raydell could make some arrangements on his own.

"However, I must tell you some bad news. The Earl Joyce you let escape has fled to the palace. It means your liberation of the enslaved miners in the southern part of the kingdom has been exposed!" Lynn continued gravely. "Duke Rickman leads the legion coming to subdue you, totaling fifteen thousand troops, along with several bishops and some priests accompanying them."

Raydell's expression immediately turned extremely grave. Dealing with just one bishop would cause them considerable trouble, let alone this time when several were on their way.

The Thunderclap technique, while powerful, could only be unleashed during thunderstorms, allowing him to compete with those bishops capable of wielding divine magic, and he could only do so a few times.

A regular legion of over ten thousand soldiers could easily obliterate them.

When dealing with Joyce previously, who had come with only a thousand men for their confrontation, along with the local guard of the earl's domain, which was around two thousand, mostly comprised of hastily recruited peasant soldiers, they had to rely on trickery to win.

After much struggle, Raydell sighed, "I can't defeat them. It seems I can only hide in the mountains."

That was the only way out.

"No, that won't be necessary. I have a way for you to defeat Duke Rickman," Lynn's voice rang out again.

Raydell's eyes lit up. He didn't doubt Lynn's words at all. He had witnessed Lynn's various ingenious tactical ideas, extremely formidable, turning Earl Joyce around like a puppet.

"I've sent reinforcements for you. However, you'll need to buy some time, about ten days or so, while Rickman's legion could arrive within five or six days," Lynn explained.

Transporting the entire artillery squad from Iyeta to the Hadralata Kingdom was no easy feat, especially moving the cannons. Speed wasn't an option...

...

A few days passed in the blink of an eye. The amassed army in the capital, spurred on by Duke Rickman, aggressively marched towards the Earl's domain.

However, barely halfway there, Rickman realized how dishonorable those lowly miners were. Not only had they set numerous traps along the roads, but they also dispatched a guerrilla team that hid in the nearby mountains.

During the daytime, there was no sight of them at all. But as soon as they were preparing to rest at night, these miners would suddenly emerge from a distance, shoot a wave of arrows, then, regardless of hitting or missing, swiftly flee.

Although their accuracy suffered due to the distance and the late hour, hardly anyone was injured, but it disrupted their peace.

These people were like squeaky mice, chirping in your ear, and when you rose to catch them, they were nowhere to be found.

Forced into a corner, Rickman had no choice but to seek the aid of the bishops accompanying the army, utilizing divine magic to deal with these elusive, bothersome mice, and even managed to seize a hundred and fifty crossbows in the process.

"What a foolish tactic! They willingly handed over such valuable crossbows!" Rickman sneered. He had initially thought the leaders of these rebellious miners were formidable opponents, but now it seemed they only knew some petty tricks.

A baron's domain could hardly gather three hundred crossbows, and those rebellious peasants' sole means of resistance was now half-gone, described only as foolish!

Thus, stumbling along the way, it took them almost eight days to reach their destination. Rickman didn't directly opt for a siege because, to ensure an easy escape route for himself, Joyce had dug a secret passage from outside the city to inside the castle, which was now in use!

Rickman promptly dispatched an elite squad, accompanied by a distinguished bishop, to infiltrate the castle through the secret passage, taking advantage of the night, collaborating with the local minor nobles, facilitating a pincer attack.

Things went incredibly smoothly. In less than half an hour after the sealed city gates were breached, Rickman's men stormed in, only to be astonished that all those rebellious miners had already withdrawn.

It was akin to punching cotton, leaving Rickman extremely frustrated.

When Joyce returned to the castle, tears of excitement brimmed in his eyes. However, upon urgently leading his men back to the estate and opening his treasury, he was met with an empty scene.

All the gold and silver had been distributed by Raydell; priceless treasures were buried away, leaving behind nothing but four pristine walls.

"These utterly despicable thieves!" Joyce was so furious he nearly fainted on the spot.

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