Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Killing the Innocent for False Merit

Uncle Doyle then explained a bit, and only then did Duke and the other understand that the personal soldiers under Earl Santos were notorious for their violence, often oppressing the commoners. The composition of Earl Santos's personal soldiers was quite complex. Only a part of them were locals from the territory, with many being mountain bandits, robbers, and adventurers taken in by Earl Santos. These people were not originally from Silver County and had no emotional ties to the commoners within the territory. Coupled with their inherently unsavory backgrounds, they could easily revert to their old ways whenever the opportunity arose. This led to the sheer terror the local commoners of Silver County felt towards these personal soldiers, highlighting the great psychological shadow their past experiences had cast on them. Ed was the village chief of Yatai Village, already over sixty years old, which was considered elderly in this era, and his hair was already white. He hobbled over in front of this group of personal soldiers, smiling apologetically, "Sirs, is there anything we can help you with?" The group of personal soldiers was roughly the size of two companies, with nearly thirty people in total, led by a company commander. The company commander jumped down from his horse, approached the village chief, and smiled, "There is indeed something we need your help with. Recently, His Lordship Earl has ordered us to eradicate the bandits nearby. Have you seen them?" The village chief thought for a moment and said, "I've only heard of those bandits; they haven't been prowling around Yatai Village."