I will be crowned king

The choking smoke has not yet dissipated, but the battle has ended quietly.

On the battlefield shrouded in the crimson sunset, the roar of gunfire gradually became sparse and was gradually replaced by sporadic pursuits and last-ditch attacks; the occasional flash of gunfire scared away the foraging crows and hyenas.

At 18:50, Victor Emmanuel, the Archduke of Aiden, who had been waiting for a long time, launched the general attack on time.

If the big explosion at the right-wing position only frustrated the expeditionary force's hope of breaking out; then when the menacing border corps launched a full-line attack, the organization had already collapsed, and the soldiers of the expeditionary force, who were exhausted and out of ammunition and food, really Totally desperate.

Without the extremely terrifying backbone of Caspar Hered, only the fearful and panicked soldiers of the expeditionary force were left, unable to even organize a decent resistance.

Facing the "weak" Imperial Expeditionary Force, the aggressive Border Legion went completely crazy.

Formation, marksmanship, experience... it all doesn't matter. Those enemies who are still stuck in the position are no different from paper. They will break when touched. As long as the trigger is pulled, the residents of Mount Aiden who have just joined the army for a few days can take down astonishing results. results.

Only ten minutes into the war, this devastating battle turned into a one-sided massacre.

Under the fierce and stormy offensive of the Border Corps, the shattered expeditionary force began to surrender in droves. However, more than 20,000 Ayden residents still did not stop attacking, shooting and killing everyone on the position who was still standing and wearing clothes. A figure in blue and white military uniform.

In order to ensure that no "trophies" were released, Archduke Ayden sent out all the cavalry to pursue and intercept all the remnants of the expeditionary force that had fled into the formation; he also used all his artillery to fire into the open space, creating an impassable "bombardment zone" on both sides of the battlefield. ", turning the battlefield into an "isolated island" and a "hunting ground" belonging to the border corps.

And all the Imperial Expeditionary Force soldiers who are still alive are their prey.

Rows and rows of line infantry pushed forward while maintaining a wall of bayonets on the quagmire-like battlefield. The flickering gun flames reflected one screaming and struggling figure after another.

Some of them were still trying to resist, some were shouting to surrender, and some were trying to rush through the firing line and shelling belt...but in the end they were all beaten into a sieve by lead bullets in front of the bayonet wall, and fell down powerlessly, turning into rolling heads. and bloody minced meat.

The crazy Aiden warriors loyally carried out their Grand Duke’s orders:

Leave no one behind.

At nineteen thirty, the expeditionary force's blocking battle came to an end.

Under the banner of the Golden Iris Army, Louis Bernard, with a complicated expression, looked at the sea of ​​​​fire under the battlefield in the valley; he neither tried to rescue nor break out.

Because that makes no sense.

The entire Hantu War is a gamble and an adventure; since it is an adventure, you must pay a certain price and be prepared for failure.

What's more, from the beginning of this battle, the odds of winning were actually slim.

Just after Caspar Herred led the breakthrough, Louis finally learned the truth from a staff officer-why he would rather take risks than accept his own advice and advance westward.

This means that even if Casper can really convince the entire expeditionary force to break out of the encirclement, get rid of Anson Bach's pursuit, and reach the Grand Duchy of Mist, they will not receive any reinforcements; and the Imperial Expeditionary Force, which is demoralized and out of ammunition and food, will not receive any reinforcements. It is absolutely impossible to cross the entire vast land and reach Eagle Point City by yourself.

When Caspar Herred was trapped under the Castle of Wild Stone, he neither ambushed Hantu's few remaining fresh troops as he expected, nor failed to capture the fortress. From the moment the expeditionary force collectively mutinied...failure was already is an inevitable option.

The battle belonging to the Imperial Expeditionary Force has ended.

But the battle for Louis Bernard has just begun.

Slowly looking away at the sea of ​​blood, the pale young knight turned his gaze behind him.

Almost at the same time as the battle ended, a Hantu army quietly appeared on the west side of the battlefield and quickly surrounded the entire empty camp and headquarters.

In the drifting smoke, the panic-looking expedition officers and soldiers gathered under the golden iris flag, looking in horror at the Hantu soldiers who had surrounded them.

Those pairs of eyes filled with anger seemed like they wanted to pounce on them and tear them into pieces.

And Louis' eyes had already stopped at a certain young man who was pushing away the crowd, with an equally complicated expression.

"Sir Louis Bernard?"

Although the tone was inquiring, there was no trace of doubt on the face of little Leon, who was looking at the other party with his hands behind his back, only unspeakable bitterness.

"I am."

The young knight was a little more calm. When he saw that it was little Leon, he even breathed a sigh of relief, and the corners of his mouth turned up involuntarily.

"Good afternoon, Sir." After a brief moment of bitterness, little Leon's expression became serious again:

"I am the son of Claude Francois I, the king of the Hantu Kingdom, and the first heir of the Francois family. In the name of my father, I ask you to surrender unconditionally and become a prisoner of our army."

"Unconditionally?" Louis repeated, frowning slightly:

"Sorry, sorry for the difficulty..."

"boom!"

Before he finished speaking, a gunshot suddenly broke the dead silence.

"clang!"

Almost at the moment when both sides burst into exclamations at the same time, the pale Louis had already drawn his sword out of its sheath, and dazzling sparks exploded in the center of the bright silver blade, disappearing in the wind.

"I'm sorry to have to obey."

Looking at the young knight opposite who was still calm and calm, Leon's eyes widened and he could not hide his astonishment.

The moment he looked back, the Hantu soldier who couldn't hold back his anger and pulled the trigger had been thrown to the ground by the people around him and dragged down with his mouth covered.

"...At this point, do you think you still have a choice?"

"of course not."

Louis shook his head slightly and inserted his sword upside down on the ground: "But I bear the mission of bringing the expeditionary force back home, and it is impossible to accept the result of 'unconditional surrender'."

"Then what do you want?" Leon asked.

"only one."

Louis sighed softly: "All the surviving soldiers of the expeditionary force, and the remains of all the dead in the war... please allow me to take them back home."

"Basically again, I... and all officers with titles and titles can become prisoners of your country and demand a reasonable ransom from our respective families, or transfer us to the Kingdom of Clovis... as your country Disposal."

"This is not a harsh condition, not even a requirement; I hope that your country can maintain the minimum chivalry while winning the victory and treat..."

"What about the summit tower?"

Young Leon suddenly interrupted him and asked in a hoarse voice: "Why didn't the imperial expeditionary force that conquered the summit tower maintain the proper chivalry towards the fortress defenders?"

Louis was silent.

Before he could speak, Little Leon continued: "For the remains of all expeditionary force prisoners and other dead, I can temporarily assure you that no innocent people will be harmed... Just like the expeditionary force is climbing the summit tower, and Carindia That’s what Hong Kong does.”

"But! This is just my personal opinion and does not represent the final decision of the Hantu Kingdom - I can't give you an answer until the war is completely over and everything has settled."

"Before this, if there are any 'excessive' behaviors by any soldiers or commanders, I... will try my best to stop them."

"Of course, just try my best."

"I understand, thank you." Louis breathed a sigh of relief.

He also knew very well that it was simply impossible for the Hantu Kingdom, which had suffered heavy losses, to just let the Imperial expeditionary force go.

The two people facing each other fell into a brief silence.

Little Leon stepped forward, picked up the saber that fell on the ground without saying a word, and handed it to Louis with both hands, but the young knight raised his hand to stop him.

"Take it." Louis looked at the heavy-faced young Leon and said softly:

"I am your prisoner and she belongs to you now."

Little Leon's face moved slightly, he wanted to laugh but couldn't. His hands held a bright silver saber with a golden-purple tassel inlaid at the end of the ivory handle.

"Now I finally understand why you were always unwilling to take the initiative to talk to me about the war when we first met." Staring at the sharp blade in his hand, Leon's voice trembled slightly:

"Before I heard the news about my father's disappearance, I never understood the difference between war in reality and the plots in those legendary novels."

"Even if I witnessed the battle of Eagle Point City, witnessed the destruction of the Yisel Elf Legion, witnessed the siege of Iron Bell Castle, and heard the news of the fall of Summit Tower Fortress... I still don't understand."

"To be honest, even now, I think I may still know a little bit about it; but, I finally understand one thing..."

"That's the battlefield. It's really not a place where you can win glory gloriously."

Leon, whose eyes were dim, said extremely bitterly.

When Louis heard these words, he was startled for a moment, his pupils revealed a certain nostalgic light, and then he sighed heavily:

"yes……"

……………………

Under the dimming sunset, an expressionless Victor Emmanuel leaned against the side of a blown over cannon, quietly looking at the hard-working Border Corps soldiers who were still finishing the "clean-up work".

Even for the stubborn residents of Mount Aiden, massacring enemies or prisoners of war who have no ability to resist is not an act to be proud of...it is just a must.

In addition to simply retaliating for the expeditionary force's previous massacre of the summit tower and making them pay with blood, there are also personal considerations for Grand Duke Ayden in this.

That's a matter of taking sides.

Aiden is different from Thun. He did not form an alliance with Clovis from the beginning, and even had a hostile relationship for a time. If it were not for the sudden invasion of the empire and too much given by the Francois family, what would happen to the Emmanuel family? Who he will turn to is still unknown.

This has created a problem, that is, the Emmanuel family is actually a bit marginalized in the current "Kingdom of Hantu"; it is only because they are strong enough and deliberately wooed that they appear to be like Aiden and Thun. The two mortal enemies suddenly became intimate.

Of course it didn't matter before the Hantu War was over, but now that the war was over, Clovis no longer needed the Emmanuel family that much.

In particular, this family was not only once their enemy, but also tried to jump across the border repeatedly, and it was not until the last moment that they truly surrendered to the Kingdom of Clovis.

Compared with the Francois family, which was completely in the camp of the Kingdom of Clovis from the beginning and did not hesitate to rebel against the Yser elves for this reason, the Emmanuel family seemed a bit embarrassing and redundant.

After all, whether it is geographical location, close relationship or tacit understanding of cooperation, it is obviously more advantageous for the Francois family; the Clovis people cannot make the mistake of abandoning Thun, who is close at hand, to win over Aiden, who is under the nose of the empire. .

Claude Francois was able to successfully ascend to the throne and be crowned king. In addition to surrendering to the Clovis people, the most important thing was that his attitude towards the Yser elves and the empire was strong enough, because only in this way could the majority be united. The nobles of Hantu.

If Victor Emmanuel wants to replace him, he must be tougher and more radical than him.

In this case, Archduke Ayden urgently needed a certificate of surrender to prove that he and Clovis were an "unbreakable" alliance, and to prove that he was more qualified than Claude Francois to take over the entire land.

Twenty thousand Imperial Expeditionary Forces, or to be more precise, 20,000 Imperial Expeditionary Force heads, is the best way to vote.

As for whether doing so would completely anger the empire and trigger a full-scale invasion of Hantu... this was no longer within his scope of consideration.

To this day, he has seen clearly what is going on in this so-called Hantu War... Whether it is the Empire or Clovis, they don't care about Hantu's true thoughts at all. All they care about is each other.

Unless it splits again into the Seven Cities Alliance, it is impossible for Hantu to maintain its so-called "neutrality" in front of these two powerful countries.

Jumping sideways repeatedly, the Carinthians are the best examples.

On the other side, the Storm Division coalition forces that had ended the battle had completed their assembly and began to merge with the troops on the left and right battlefields. They did not participate in the "carnival" organized by Archduke Ayden.

In fact, many Han Tu soldiers wanted to join, but due to the orders of Anson Bach, the nominal "Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces", they could only close their formation obediently and return to the camp amidst the unceremonious curses of the officers.

And a certain "unsightly" deputy commander was not idle either. He had another headache.

His "loyal" chief grenadier regiment commander and storm regiment finally returned from the summit tower.

The former Guards officer made a very profound apology for his "absence" in this crucial battle, but at the same time he also gave a very appropriate reason.

"What reason?"

"We met someone on the way here." Fabian, whose expression was a bit complicated, coughed lightly and replied:

"Claude Francois...he's still alive."