Iron Powder and Spellcaster

The four-wheeled carriage was speeding on the road. The special envoy of the "Allied Army" Southern Front [Major Ranko Boyle] was sitting in the carriage, but he knew nothing about the situation outside the carriage.

Except for a small window opened on the top of the carriage for ventilation and lighting, the other windows in the carriage were boarded up, and even the gaps were blocked with strips of cloth.

In the Battle of River Valley Village, Red Rose lost not only the main infantry force of the Fifth and Sixth Legions, but also the cavalry units that were finally rebuilt.

In the country of galloping horses, which is vast and sparsely populated, settlements are often far apart from each other.

Losing the cavalry means losing control of the vast wilderness beyond the fortifications.

Therefore, Major Ranko Boyle and his party were discovered by rebel scouts before they passed White Birch Castle. As soon as they entered Xilin Province, they were intercepted by rebel cavalry.

It wasn't that Major Boyle lacked counter-reconnaissance awareness - he didn't want to hide at all, and it was impossible to hide.

The last remaining cavalry of Red Rose now only dare to wander around the castles of the kings.

The reconnaissance cavalry of the newly established rebels came and went freely in the Xilin Province, and some brave guys had even reached the outskirts of the King's Fort.

Coupled with the fact that both sides chose to block the road, the number of business travelers between the King's Castle and Maple Stone City was almost extinct.

Therefore, anyone who dares to walk on the road at this time is either a spy or a messenger.

And Ranko Boyle is both.

——

The sunlight slanted through the skylight on the top of the carriage, casting a trembling spot of light on the wooden board that sealed the window.

But it was not the sun that was shaking, but the carriage that was jolting.

"How many days is it now?" Major Boyle stared at the light spot and thought silently.

It took him a moment to remember, "Oh, it's the fifth day."

"Is the carriage still going west?" Major Boyle thought again.

He tried to wake up his dull mind, and after a while, based on the angle of the sunlight, he came up with the answer, "No, he has already started walking north."

Being locked in a closed space for too long can cause a person to lose their sense of direction and time.

Ever since he was "captured" by the rebels and imprisoned in this carriage, Major Boyle has never been able to take a step out of this mobile cell. Even all major life events must be resolved in the carriage.

Fortunately, the one-eyed rebel captain who was responsible for escorting him still had the most basic respect for his classmates, so he changed the toilet diligently, preventing the tragedy of turning the carriage into a dung truck.

Of course, Major Boyle firmly refused to admit that he was a prisoner in front of the one-eyed Captain, but this did not improve his situation.

"The carriage is starting to go north," Major Boyle said to himself, "which means it's almost there."

People always say it's a thousand miles away, but the distance from Maple Stone City to the Kings' Castle is almost a thousand miles.

Ever since Major Boyle was packed into this carriage, he had to bump on the road for more than ten hours every day, starting before dawn and stopping after dark. Except for necessary changes of horses and repairs, there is never a stop in the middle.

After all, it’s time to get there.

Thinking of this, Ranko Boyle took a deep breath, cheered up, and closed his eyes to meditate.

The figure of Minister Jason Cornelius appeared in his mind again.

"No matter when and where," the minister said slowly, "disrupting the enemy politically is more effective than attacking the enemy militarily."

As he concentrated his energy, the director's voice became clearer and clearer in Boyle's mind:

“Efficient decision-making and quick action are the rebels’ most overlooked abilities, but they are also their most powerful.

“While the King’s Castle was still planning secretly and Guitu City was still hesitating, the rebels had already made up their minds and acted with lightning speed.

"This is the most important reason why they can win in the battle of River Valley Village."

"However, today's rebels have lost this advantage," the headmaster said loudly. "The King's Castle has not yet fallen, which is proof!"

Jason Cornelis' piercing eyes penetrated the fog of memory and stared at Boyle:

“So, the task you shoulder is more important than anyone else.

"You have to look for the cracks within the rebels, divide them, break them up and drive wedges in the gaps."

"The victory or defeat of South Plato will not only depend on success or failure on the battlefield," Jason Cornelius put his hand on Boyle's shoulder through the fog of memory, "it will also depend on your results."

Suddenly, the carriage shook violently, and with the loud sound of horses honking, the carriage stopped.

The image of Minister Cornelius burst and dissipated in Major Boyle's mind like a bubble.

The sound of dense footsteps sounded outside the car, and then the car door was pulled open, and the one-eyed captain's face appeared outside the door.

The bright sunshine outside the car made Ranko Boyle instinctively block his eyes.

"Get out of the car, Major," Captain One-Eyed said, "Fort Maple Leaf is here."

——

The sack on his head was removed. Ranko Boyle wanted to rub his eyes, but his hands were fixed to the chair, unable to move.

So he could only blink and try to adjust to the light in the room.

There were stones in all directions, there were no windows, the air was turbid, and he was feeling cold all over - Boyle judged that he should be in a basement somewhere;

Three school officers and one lieutenant sat together behind a long table stained with blood, looking themselves up and down - as expected, these were the four leaders of the rebels;

Behind the lieutenant, a man dressed as an ascetic stood in the corner of the room, his face hidden under his hood, and in the dim light, he could not see clearly.

Boyle's heart tightened - who is this? Why didn't the intelligence mention that the rebels were colluding with the Catholic Church? Could it be a confessor? Did the rebels intend to torture him directly?

The four rebel officers just looked at Boyle and didn't say anything. The ascetic in the corner was like a stone sculpture, and didn't say anything.

So Lanco Boyle was the first to break the silence.

"Colonel Geisa, Colonel Skull, Lieutenant Colonel Matthias, Captain Montagne," Major Boyle moved his arms tied with belts, and the chair under him was shaking, "Please allow me to protest your abuse of the envoy."

The bald officer sitting in the middle of the long table, half of his face covered with terrible scars, was arrogant and spoke first, "Prisoners have no right to protest."

"You are wrong, Colonel Geisa, prisoners also have the right to protest," Boyle said calmly, "and I am not a prisoner, I am an envoy responsible for negotiations."

"Get it clear Your situation, federal man," the bald colonel's eyes were cold, "I said you were a prisoner, you were a prisoner; I said you were alive, you were alive."

"You are right, Colonel Gesar, my life or death depends on your decision," Boyle put on a nonchalant polite smile, "but even if it is a death row prisoner, it is inhumane to use that kind of carriage to escort him."

"Inhumane?" The lieutenant sitting on the far left of the long table also laughed, "I came to Palatus in that kind of carriage."

Seeing the lieutenant speak, Boyle looked at him carefully.

But unfortunately, although in Lanco Boyle's opinion, the young lieutenant in front of him was indeed handsome and extraordinary, he still found it difficult to connect him with the "Wolf Blood" in the intelligence.

"You have fallen into a logical fallacy, Captain Montagne," Boyle responded with a smile, calming down. "You are saying that because you have been treated inhumanely, the inhumane treatment has become humane, which is equivalent to denying the inhumane treatment you have suffered."

"I have only one logic," the lieutenant said calmly, "[an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth]."

"That's fine, we are even, I withdraw my protest," Boyle replied happily.

The next moment, he bowed his head deeply to the lieutenant and said earnestly, "But no matter what, please allow me to apologize for the inhumane treatment you have suffered. I hope you can know that not all federal officers agree to treat you in that way. For this reason, I brought you a gift, which is in my carry-on..."

"Is it this?" The lieutenant took out a small box from his arms, opened the lid, and placed it on the table facing Boyle.

A simple seal ring lay quietly in the box.

Boyle, Geza, Skool and Matthias all have the same ring, but the lieutenant has never had one.

"Yes, the ring of the Great Alliance," Boyle nodded, "Yours, and Lieutenant Budd's, and Lieutenant Andrea Cellini's."

The lieutenant gently closed the lid of the box: "This was originally ours."

"Return the property to its original owner," Boyle agreed readily, "It couldn't be better."

"'Return the property to its original owner' is also called a gift?" The bald officer asked sarcastically, "When did the people of the Federation become so shameless?"

Without waiting for Boyle to answer, the tall and thin officer sitting next to the bald officer coughed lightly and stopped the meaningless attack, "Major Lanco Boyle, since you said you are responsible for the negotiations, then explain your purpose."

The tall and thin officer had deep eye sockets, elegant temperament, and a poet's gloom in his expression.

Boyle thought: "There is no doubt that this is Skull Mecklen, 'deeply thoughtful and eloquent', 'good at planning, but not good at handling emergencies'."

"First of all, General Cornelius entrusted me to congratulate you," Boyle cleared his throat and said radiantly, "You have won a great victory. General Cornelius said that even as an enemy, he would applaud you. The Battle of River Valley Village will be recorded in the history of the Alliance forever."

"No thanks," the bald officer smiled, and the scar on his face looked even more terrifying, "I don't think it's a good thing to be written into the history of war by you. Jason Cornelius has become a general? Could it be a reward for a coup? It's not easy, it's really not easy."

"It's not as easy as promoting yourself," Boyle said with a light smile on his lips.

The bald officer frowned.

The black-haired officer who sat at the far right of the long table and had not spoken smiled gently and finally spoke.

His voice was very magnetic, like a spring breeze: "We have received congratulations from General Cornelius. Major Boyle, what else do you want to do? Please explain it at the same time."

The black-haired officer was younger than the other two officers, with a well-proportioned figure and elegant manners. The officer's uniform was ironed very straight and flat, and his thick black hair and beard were also carefully maintained.

"I guess you are Lieutenant Colonel Matthias Korwin," Lanko Boyle nodded.

The black-haired officer nodded.

Lanko Boyle said politely: "Your friend in the Castle of Kings asked me to convey his greetings to you."

The black-haired officer smiled indifferently, "Forget it, Major, explain your purpose."

Boyle retracted his gaze and looked at the two colonels sitting in the middle, "In addition to congratulations, General Cornelius sent me here for a big thing and a small thing."

Geza and Skull exchanged glances, and Skull said calmly, "Let's talk about the big things first."

Boyle cleared his throat, "Given that you and we both hold a considerable number of 'officers loyal to each other,' General Cornelis suggests that we make a reasonable exchange."

"Aren't officers who are loyal to the other side prisoners?" Gesar chuckled, "We have plenty of prisoners, but who can you give us in exchange for them?"

"There are many suitable candidates in the King's Castle," Boyle looked around the three officers with a smile, "such as the former Tiefeng County garrison officer, Major Ronald, and his subordinates."

Then, Boyle turned his attention to Winters Montagne, who frowned when he just mentioned "officers loyal to the opponent."

"Another example," Boyle's smile grew stronger, "some Plato lieutenants from Veneta."

Geza and Skull exchanged glances again, this time taking longer than last time.

"You may think that as long as the kings' castle is conquered, the prisoners can be rescued without exchange," Boyle said at the right time, "so I need to remind you that considering this possibility, as we speak, originally The prisoners held in the King's Castle have already boarded the boat heading to the Piedmont."

Colonel Scull said noncommittally, "Now that we've talked about the big things, let's talk about the small things."

"Small things are very simple, but they are also very important," Boyle said solemnly. "The family members of Colonel Bode Gates hope to take back the colonel's body so that Colonel Bode can return to the family cemetery to rest."

The rebel officers spoke silently again, and this time, they quickly gave clear answers.

"Colonel Bode has been buried in Maplestone City Cathedral. It is temporarily inconvenient to move the coffin," Gesa replied solemnly. "Please rest assured that the colonel's family members are praying for the colonel's soul every day. The monks at Maplestone City Monastery are praying for the colonel's soul every day. If we must The colonel will be buried in the family cemetery...please wait until the dust settles."

"The bereaved families have already considered this situation," Boyle nodded and spoke again, "If it is temporarily inconvenient to move the coffin, they hope to come to Maple Stone City and pay homage to Colonel Bode in person."

This time, not only Geza Adonis and Winters Montagne, but also Matthias Kerwin, who had always maintained his grace, frowned.

"I have to admit, even if I had the most vicious thoughts about you," Gesa spat in disgust, "I never thought you would be so despicable."

"Please clarify," Boyle feigned confusion.

"You actually regard Colonel Bode's surviving family members as bargaining chips?" Gesa was furious. "What's the next step? Arrest all our relatives in the King's Castle and use them as hostages?"

"How dare you insult us like this? Colonel Geza Adonis!" Boyle also changed his expression, like an enraged hedgehog, and his hair seemed to stand on end. He shouted sternly, "If I hadn't been tied to Here, I will fight you now!"

Gesa narrowed his eyes.

"I will not lie to you on this matter," Boyle bowed to the other rebel officers. "Grove Magnus did have a plan to capture your relatives and friends as hostages, and It was General Jason Cornelis who stopped the Viper."

Skull watched the major's performance with a blank expression.

Boyle looked serious and said solemnly: "General Cornelis has given me full authority to guarantee you all with the honor of a soldier. All my relatives and friends in the castles of the kings and the area under the actual control of the Grand Council, There will be no threats. You can bring your relatives and friends to the new land at any time, and the Southern Front will do its best to cooperate. "

Boyle took a deep breath and expressed some real emotion: "Even if we are now at war with each other, we are still the heirs of the old marshal's mantle. We have indeed made many morally controversial decisions, but we will not I'll go as far as using my relatives to threaten my enemies. If someone does this, I'll be the first to draw my sword on him - even if that person is Jason Cornelis, the matter will be settled on the battlefield."

Geza sneered and patted the table.

The one-eyed lieutenant came in from outside with two military policemen, and a sack was put on Boyle's head again.

After a short walk in the dark, Boyle returned to his cell.

Only this time, the shackles on his hands and feet were removed.

Ranko Boyle moved his hands and feet. He knew that even if the rebel knew that he was performing, he had won a little respect in the other party's heart.

This is a good beginning.

[Actually, book friends, I am more afraid of [relapse.jpg] than anyone else, and I will try my best not to step into that swamp again]

[OrZ]

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