Chapter 78: Bloodless Victory

After spending his last joyful night in Lancaster, John set off with his large army. 

With the addition of the Breton knights, John now had over four hundred knights at his disposal. These knights were not just lone warriors; each had their own retinue. 

This army departed from Lancaster, passing through Preston and Burnley, finally arriving north of Rochdale. 

When they appeared in young Robert's sight, the young noble was stunned.

"Is this John's army?" 

Robert rode his horse to the camp gate, gazing at the distant army. 

A keen observer would notice that his hands were tightly gripping the reins, even trembling a bit. 

His plan had completely fallen apart. 

It must be noted that the reason his rebellion plan attracted so many people was that he was adamant John could not muster an additional army. Based on this assumption, young Robert managed to persuade the surrounding nobles of his territory. 

But now, John had used his actions to slap Robert in the face.

"It turns out John has more than one army, Robert," said a noble. "You told us John wouldn't have too many troops under his command, and it was all a lie!"

The nobles around him also came to their senses, especially those closely related to Earl William of Derby. 

They clamored, seemingly demanding an explanation from young Robert.

"Robert, you liar, where is the Earl of Derby!"

"Yes, bring out the Earl of Derby, we demand an explanation!"

"Where did John's army come from? Robert, answer us!"

These voices of doubt now felt like daggers stabbing into Robert's heart, making him feel like a clown. 

Undoubtedly, he was a complete failure.

He watched as John's envoy rode up to him, seemingly flaunting their power, making the expression on Robert's face even more unpleasant.

The envoy loudly declared before Robert, "Robert of the Beaumont family, the Earl of Lancaster hopes you will meet him, in front of both armies and witnessed by all nobles, for a public meeting."

This so-called meeting was essentially forcing Robert to surrender.

Even if he didn't want to meet John now, he had no choice. The nobles around him had already begun to jeer, demanding that young Robert go and meet John.

If he surrendered now, at most, only young Robert would lose his life; these nobles wouldn't have to bear any responsibility at all.

If he didn't back down, a battle would undoubtedly break out between the two sides. Regardless of the outcome, many people would surely die. Moreover, in the aftermath of the battle, even more people would be implicated during the reckoning.

Thus, young Robert was practically dragged over, his expression as lifeless as a corpse.

The royal guards had already set up a tent between the two armies, arranged the necessary table for the talks, and even prepared wine, all in anticipation of Robert's arrival.

John sat there, exuding an air of calm confidence, in stark contrast to young Robert.

The nobles surrounding Robert were not his supporters, but rather those who doubted him. These nobles were afraid that Robert might ruin the peace talks, so they had been elected to supervise him.

In essence, young Robert was in a state of being completely coerced.

"Robert, it's good to see you," John raised his wine glass, "the heir of the Earl of Leicester..."

This statement was like a slap in young Robert's face. For generations, his family had used the name Robert, and his grandfather, old Robert, was once the Chief Justiciar of the Kingdom of England, akin to the current Richard de Lucy.

Holding this position meant the person was a highly loyal and wise statesman of the kingdom.

However, young Robert's father, the current Earl of Leicester, Robert, had participated in a rebellion against Henry II a few years ago. After the rebellion was quashed, the Earl of Leicester fell into despair.

His son, the young Robert standing before John, seemed to have inherited his father's legacy, tirelessly attempting to overthrow Henry II's rule.

"I am quite surprised, Robert. Who gave you the courage to launch a rebellion in the heart of the kingdom? I am here in Lancaster, and Chief Justiciar Lucy is in London. We never left," John remarked.

Young Robert lowered his head slightly, "Your Highness, I was momentarily blinded and listened to the slander of vile people."

Listened to the slander of vile people?

John raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised that young Robert could say something so abstract. The saying "look at oneself first" seemed lost on young Robert, who didn't realize he was the vile person he referred to.

Seeing John remain silent, the nobles around Robert grew anxious. "Your Highness, Robert is the one who incited the rebellion!"

"That's nonsense!" Robert suddenly exploded. "If it weren't for your lies, I would never have done such an outrageous thing! You devils must have used black magic to cloud my mind!"

Good grief, he even brought up black magic.

This absurd excuse infuriated the nobles even more. Young Robert was proving himself to be both foolish and wicked.

As an observer, John watched the nobles and Robert argue, their faces red with anger, embroiled in a heated blame game.

"You are the devil! Your whole family are devils. What good could come from the offspring of an insane old traitor?"

"My God, do you hear the filth you're spewing? Our family was enfeoffed by the earlier kings; how could we be traitors?"

The back-and-forth continued, and the royal guards were witnessing quite a spectacle.

Unhurriedly, John signaled his attendant to take out a package. Opening it, John laid the letters inside on the table.

Though the blood-stained letters made no sound when they landed, they struck the hearts of the rebels like heavy hammers.

These were direct evidence of their rebellion, the correspondence from the planning phase.

Young Robert felt as if he had plunged into an icy abyss, his mind going blank—how did John get these?

Instinctively, he reached out to grab the letters, but a royal guard seized his arm.

"Don't touch," the guard warned, his tone full of menace.

In the past, Robert would have erupted in anger, showing this insolent guard his wrath. But now, Robert had no fight left in him; even breathing seemed laborious.

Seeing the calm expression on John's face, young Robert felt utterly powerless.

It seemed that everything was within John's calculations. Robert didn't dare think any further. No wonder there had been no news from Sheriff Edward; John must have known about this conspiracy all along but kept it hidden, waiting for them to walk into his trap.

"Hahahahaha... so you knew everything, Your Highness," Robert laughed bitterly. "Since you knew everything, why did you toy with us like this?"

John spread his hands, offering no response.

Though John himself had been uncertain about his decisions, he needed to appear infallible. The more confident he seemed now, the more thoroughly Robert's confidence would crumble.

When John responded with silence, Robert felt as if he was going insane. All his previous efforts—what had they been for? To help the royal family eliminate traitors?

Suddenly, Robert spoke, "Your Highness, this time, you have won."

"No, no, Robert. I don't care about winning or losing. Only you do," John smirked. "I can afford to lose, but you can't. Isn't that right?"

John was correct.

Robert nodded. "Indeed, Your Highness. A single mistake for me means total ruin. But you, you have many opportunities. Even if you make a mistake, your father can clean up the mess for you."

This statement painted John as a privileged heir, but John didn't mind Robert's words at all.

Given Robert's state, John let him speak.

John pushed a wine glass towards Robert. "Now, I'm very curious about one thing: where is the Earl of Derby? Will you tell me?"

As he said this, John's gaze sharpened, piercing into Robert. Yet Robert didn't flinch; he took the wine glass, drained it in one gulp, and placed it back on the table.

"I will take you to him now."

When young Robert said those words, he had already accepted his defeat. The nobles around him instantly became dejected, as if their previous arguments with Robert had been mere illusions.

With their leader Robert losing his resolve, they too lost any desire to continue fighting.

With just a few psychological tactics, John had shattered the nobles' mental defenses, ending this civil war without a single drop of bloodshed.

Next came the reckoning.