Upon waking up, Yun Zhe changed his focus. He stopped dwelling on the rumors and began to consider what outcome the other party actually wanted.

"A baron who indulges vampires"? Such a label does seem to be quite damaging.

The label "a vampire baron" is even more impressive.

Yun Zhe didn't hesitate. It wasn't that he didn't want to do something; it's just that the reason he hadn't taken any action recently was because of his inaction. People seemed to have started to forget about the matter, and no longer felt that it was that serious. Since that was the case, Yun Zhe planned to create a big news story to make people completely forget about it.

However, Yun Zhe must also be wary of someone bringing up the old issue again. Whoever brings it up again will be the source of the problem.

Yun Zhe summoned Jerok and instructed him not to venture out recently and to stay as close to the castle as possible. He also told Gao to increase the frequency of night patrols.

From the other party's perspective, only the idea of ​​vampires harming people could arouse people's vigilance and anxiety. This is precisely what Yun Zhe had to be careful about before creating that big news. Otherwise, it would be a deliberate cover-up, and cover-up would only deepen people's impression.

While Yun Zhe was still pondering what that important matter was, news quickly spread throughout the entire castle.

To the south of the castle, Marquis Kurman's cavalry was spotted. The villagers of Herak village, while out gathering firewood that morning, saw six heavily armored Kurman cavalrymen appear near the woods.

"They were having breakfast, and when they saw the woodcutters, they didn't do anything. They just continued eating as if nothing had happened, and then headed further south." Blazer, who reported the news, frowned deeply, looking displeased.

Yun Zhe calculated the time and found that it was right after the spring plowing had ended. The other party's motive and objective were very clear when they were conducting reconnaissance at this time.

Blazer felt somewhat guilty. He had been using Herak village as a base for reconnaissance, yet he had ignored the Kurman scouts who were already close to the village, which was simply unforgivable.

Furthermore, judging from their behavior, they no longer care whether they've been discovered. Doesn't this indicate that they've already obtained the information they wanted?

Blazer thought so, but Yun Zhe didn't. He was more inclined to believe that the other side had spies in the castle and the village.

"Aren't cavalry reconnaissance teams usually composed of two or four people? Is there any explanation for a six-man squad?" Yun Zhe asked.

Blazer frowned and thought for a moment. "Actually, there's nothing special about it. It's common practice to increase manpower based on the level of danger. I've already deployed all my cavalry in the vicinity, and we'll soon have news of any other Kurman scouts nearby."

Yun Zhe paused awkwardly for a moment, then scratched his head sheepishly. "How many villagers are there in Herak Village now?"

Blazer had effectively taken over the entire village of Herak. He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, "There are actually quite a few people, about four hundred households, around two or three thousand people."

"So many people?" Yun Zhe thought back to his first visit to Herak Village, where there were only about a hundred houses. He hadn't expected it to be able to accommodate so many people.

Blaze chuckled, a hint of pride in his voice, and said, "Many refugees have come here, and I followed your example and settled them all down. I heard the capital is in complete chaos, with bandits roaming and soldiers running rampant. Those who managed to escape here are actually lucky." As Blaze finished speaking, the pride vanished, replaced by a touch of sadness.

Yun Zhe nodded. He understood that Blazer didn't actually have any people-oriented ideas. Winning people over was just a necessary preparation for war that he felt was right now.

"After finding the scouts, we need to reassure everyone. I bet some of them are planning to leave." Yun Zhe patted Blazer on the shoulder. "Hurry back. I already know the situation. Oh, wait a minute, I'll announce this later. You can come along too."

Yun Zhe was secretly delighted. It was like a pillow coming to his head when he was sleepy. This news was more attractive than any vampire. This was the best way to distract himself.

Soon, Yun Zhe announced in the castle square the recent discovery of Kurman scout cavalry. Yun Zhe was not exaggerating, but "in order to prevent possible war," the control of entry and exit from the castle, the training time of civilians, and the corresponding food storage issues have all become stricter and more demanding.

Yun Zhe was very satisfied with the impact of this event on everyone. Although the only drawback was that many people had the idea of ​​leaving, even more people decided to stay and protect their hard-won peaceful land.

Seeing the positive results, Yun Zhe turned to Gao and instructed, "Arrange for people to post relevant notices every day, putting up the precautions I just mentioned. It would be best to have someone publicize them daily." Yun Zhe paused for a moment, then added, "Oh, right, tell Philby about our discovery of the reconnaissance cavalry today. Tell him to get ready as well. They looted the capital during the last war; they have plenty of money."

Gao naturally understood the principle that more money meant more soldiers. He nodded and immediately sent a trusted confidant to inform Philby.

Things suddenly started to develop rapidly in his favor, which caught Yun Zhe off guard and made him quite happy. He couldn't help but review the current situation repeatedly, and only after confirming that there were no problems did he finally relax.

Soon, the whereabouts of several other Kurman scout cavalry units were also discovered. Each unit consisted of six to ten men, all dressed in very formal armor and well-equipped, swaggering around. The furthest unit had already reached the vicinity of Philby's territory.

"They obviously let us know on purpose," Morrison said angrily, slamming his fist on the table. "Their brazenness is clearly a form of showing off and intimidation."

Gao frowned; he too felt things were getting complicated. But he didn't like Morrison's words; they gave the impression that they were weak.

"A total of six reconnaissance cavalry squads, each with more than six men, hmph," Yun Zhe snorted.

Everyone turned their attention to Yun Zhe.

“Regardless of their mentality, we are at least outnumbered and outmatched. Herak Village is in the greatest danger, but it is also our only stronghold for obtaining information about the outside world. Gao, send all the cavalry to Herak Village and hand them over to Blaze. Four or five hundred cavalry should be enough for him. Mercenaries should not take on any distant jobs recently; they should be prepared for the war here. Gao, go find the elves; we need to buy another batch of provisions, more this time, enough for a month.”

Gao winced in pain. "Sir, we don't have enough money."

“Tell the elves that we will pay for it in advance, and we will repay it with the armor of the Kurman soldiers.”