The nobles and commoners were stunned.
What was he saying?
Fairness?
Have you read too much of the knights' code?
Wasn't this the kind of thing where, when you became a knight, someone would mention it in passing, and you'd just listen and that would be the end of it?
How could there even be such a thing as fairness?
That was what the nobles were thinking.
As for the commoners, their thoughts were even simpler.
Fairness? That was the nobles' fairness.
It had nothing to do with freemen or serfs like them.
Lot observed their expressions.
[Commoners were accustomed to submitting to the nobles. Getting them to step forward and maintain order would be difficult. But if we can't change these beliefs, we can change the social hierarchy.]
In this era, kings, lords, generals, and ministers truly seemed born to their stations.
That was precisely why the nobles and commoners absolutely could not be allowed to remain together.
"Men, arrest every single noble here. Remember, these nobles are bargaining chips to demand ransom from Vortigern."
Lot gave the order to his subordinates.
The nobles were dumbfounded.
But Lot's soldiers strictly obeyed his commands. Under Artoria's lead, they rounded up every noble present.
The nobles with any real combat ability had already been taken to the front lines by Vortigern.
Capturing the ones left behind was far too easy.
Once the nobles were secured, Lot turned his attention to the remaining commoners.
"These nobles are all followers of the Tyrant King Vortigern. Orkney will never recognize their claim over these lands. Therefore, we have decided to confiscate these territories and return them to Orkney's ownership."
The commoners listened, showing no reaction.
Then, they heard Lot's next words.
"And then, distribute them to you."
Huh?
At this, the eyes of the peasants and freemen present lit up.
Distribute the land?
To us?
The commoners' expressions froze for a long moment.
Then, their eyes filled with disbelieving joy.
[As expected, land is the foundation of the peasants' lives.]
Morgan, listening to Lot's words, quietly took note.
[But this alone isn't enough. The peasants' stance isn't yet firm. Next, we must do something even more critical to ensure they fully board this pirate ship and never disembark.]
Hm? Their stance isn't firm? What else could be done?
"Additionally, these nobles are not recognized by us. Therefore, the houses they've built are also illegitimate. Now, we will demolish these houses. Take your hoes and follow us to tear them down."
Lot continued.
Morgan's eyes gleamed.
Damn, so this was the trap.
Once the commoners tore down the nobles' houses, unless they wanted to face retaliation, they'd have no choice but to follow us.
After all, distributed land could still be taken back.
But if you demolished someone's house and then tried to return the bricks, would that even work?
Hah, lesson learned, lesson learned.
However—
The peasants hesitated, their faces uncertain.
No one dared to move.
Lot grew impatient.
[These peasants still lack the courage. They're still afraid of the nobles' bloodline.]
Morgan heard this clearly.
Bloodline? Who dares compare bloodlines with me?
At this moment, Morgan stepped forward and declared to the peasants:
"I am Morgan Pendragon, the only daughter of Uther Pendragon, King of Camelot. Born with the blood of the Red Dragon, I am destined to rule all of Britain. By my authority, I now declare the titles of these nobles null and void. You may tear down their houses as you please. In the name of Pendragon, I absolve you of all guilt."
The peasants were already tempted.
Now, hearing Morgan's words, the flames of desire in their eyes burned even brighter.
Demolish them!
Led by a few bold souls, the crowd advanced toward the nobles' houses.
Watching them, Lot issued another order:
"Send men to supervise them. Make sure they only tear down the houses and nothing else. Anyone who disobeys—execute them on the spot."
"Understood."
Artoria nodded.
[What a shame. In this era, this is all we can do. Without proper guidance, these peasants would only become like Li Zicheng or Hong Xiuquan. Until technology and ideology progress to a certain level, some things simply can't be pushed too far.]
Lot sighed inwardly with regret.
Morgan sensed his frustration.
Li Zicheng? Hong Xiuquan? Such strange names.
What kind of era does this Horndog want to create?
Unclear.
But since he has a vision, I'll make sure to help him realize it.
Which means I must continue growing stronger.
To achieve the ideal world we envision—at the very least, I must bring the entire island of Britain under my control.
Though Lot felt some regret, he had at least secured a foundation.
Those peasants were now his most fervent supporters.
While they couldn't bolster his army's strength yet, they could maintain order.
As long as no nobles were left to sabotage things…
Finally, peace.
Having accomplished this, Lot let out a sigh of relief.
Then—
He glanced at Morgan, remembering that his father-in-law was still in grave danger.
"Right. Now it's time to make Vortigern withdraw."
Three days passed.
Vortigern led his army in a fierce assault on the Camelot.
This era indeed lacked siege weaponry.
But Vortigern's strength was anything but ordinary.
Several times, he single-handedly scaled the city walls and slaughtered the defenders.
Repeatedly, he forced King Uther to face him in direct combat.
Vortigern was already immensely powerful.
Compelled to fight him head-on, Uther repeatedly found himself on the brink of death.
At one point, Vortigern even dealt him a grievous wound.
Just as victory seemed within reach—
News arrived from the rear: their homeland had not only been defeated but had surrendered the entire fortress.
"What did you say?"
This time, Vortigern was truly furious.
In his mind, the worst-case scenario was the defenders turtling up in the city, too afraid to venture out, completely ignorant of the enemy's movements.
But reality proved even worse.
Just as he was about to take the Camelot—now he was told his homeland had already fallen?
Vortigern glared at the Camelot.
A premonition struck him: if he failed to capture it now, he would never set foot in this city again.