The army of Gasdad and the mixed army of various countries following the Gasdadians totaled more than 100,000, and they were marching towards the royal city of Aaron Landis.
Aaron Landis had six legions.
The cavalry units of the I Corps, the Sixth Corps, and the Third Corps were destroyed on the western battlefield.
The Second Army and the Fifth Army guarded the northern border to defend against the comeback of the Geshu, and could not go south to rescue.
The Fourth Army was guarding the eastern border, and was pinned down by the eyeing Issians at the border, and they were also unable to go to the rescue.
Only the infantry troops of the Third Army Corps, less than 20,000 soldiers, guarded the royal city in the dying royal city.
In the cities of Aaron Landis, most of the troops responsible for guarding the cities are only a few thousand people, and cities with more than 10,000 troops are extremely rare.
Not to mention the combat power of individual soldiers, they simply cannot match the Gasdads in numbers, let alone rescue the royal city.
If the Lion King is still there, as long as he shouts, the troops from all directions will gather, and the troops of all the cities will gather under his command.
However…
Without a clear banner, the city lords and consuls of each city could only reluctantly and cautiously guard their own cities, watching helplessly as the army of the Gasdadians marched towards the royal city.
At this time, while Gasdade's army was still advancing on the road, a group of cavalry from the north had hurried into the royal city by night.
The leading black knight, completely ignoring the uproar caused by his return in the palace, threw the dusty cloak on the maid who was ushering in, and walked straight to Garlan's palace.
The guards who were guarding around the palace day and night according to the order of the crown prince were all taken aback when they saw Heimos suddenly appear here.
The leading knight commander was silent for a moment, then he motioned the others to move away and put Heimos in. He looked at Heimos with a little surprise, because although he received the order, I didn't expect the prince to really come back.
Heimos, who only wanted to see Garlan, didn't even notice the look in the Knight Commander's eyes.
He strode in.
Everything in the palace was exactly the same as before he left, without any changes, including the group of lavender hyacinths by the pool, still fluttering gently in the night wind as before.
However, perhaps because the owner here was injured, or because it was late at night, the courtyard seemed very deserted at this moment.
As a result, the hurried footsteps of Heimos were exceptionally clear in this silent courtyard.
Pushing open the door, Heimos walked in quickly, and saw the white blanket bulging on the bed at a glance.
The blanket it was wrapped in was gently heaving.
Rhythmically, not in a hurry.
Huymerston breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems that Gallan's body should be recovering very well, otherwise he would not have slept so sweetly, and even heard a slight snoring...
snore
Garland never snores when he sleeps.
Heimos raised his eyebrows and looked at the bulging blanket carefully.
The drum is too round.
That handsome face sank instantly, and his expression was gloomy.
Heimos took a step forward, and without saying a word, reached out and lifted the white blanket wrapped in a ball.
As a result, the chubby and chubby teenager hidden under the blanket was exposed in front of Heimos.
Not knowing that the person he was most afraid of was beside him, Tar continued to sleep soundly, and hummed like a little pig twice because he felt a little cold.
The golden red eyes narrowed slightly, Heimos raised his foot, and kicked Tarr off Garlan's bed with one foot.
The little fat man was sleeping soundly, and suddenly fell to the ground with a thud, making him stunned.
He was lying on the ground, there was a trace of saliva on the corner of his mouth, and he opened his sleepy eyes blankly.
Tarr was still at a loss.
Heimos was impatient, and directly reached out and picked up the little fat man who was still lying on the ground looking left and right.
As soon as Tal raised his head and met those golden red eyes, he shivered.
When he saw the dangerous glimmer in Heimos' eyes staring at him, his heart almost jumped out of his throat.
"Where is Garland..."
Heimos's words were not finished yet.
Terrified to death, Tarr hugged his head and shouted in a low voice.
"His Royal Highness, don't do it! The prince asked me to wait for you here!"
"… "
Huymos paused.
So, the little fat man who was terrified by the look of Heimos just now took advantage of the moment when he paused, and pretended to be injured in one breath, and seduced the forces that hid the king city underground with Xie Muer and others. All the things that came out and caught it all were told to Heimos.
Naturally, it included the prince who left the stand-in and sneaked out of the king's city to go to the battlefield.
"You mean, Garlan asked you to wait for me here?"
"Yes, I received a message from the prince from the Westland a few days ago."
Tarr nodded vigorously.
"The prince said that you will definitely come to him, so let me wait for you in his room and give you this when I see you."
As the little fat man spoke, he quickly climbed back onto the bed with his agility not like a fat man, turned over a corner of the mattress, and took out a cloth bag and handed it to Heimos.
It was a slap-sized cloth bag, light-colored and slightly stained.
The thin golden rope tightly wound the opening part of it, making it impossible to see what was inside at all.
Seeing Heimos staring at the small cloth bag in his hand, Tar hurriedly added.
"I didn't open it, I definitely didn't open it while you were away, I swear, I swear to Shamash!"
Too lazy to pay attention to the nervous little fat man, Heimos untied the rope and fell onto his palm.
A small emerald green thing gently landed on his hand.
He was startled.
Malachite earrings.
The emerald green gemstone earrings that he had put on for Garlan himself, now lay quietly in his palm.
Followed by falling, there is a small folded white note.
As soon as it was unfolded, Heimos saw the familiar handwriting on the paper.
'Defend the royal city. '
The light-colored thin lips pursed slightly, Heimos lowered his eyes, the dark eyelashes cast a shadow on his cheeks, he was silent, and did not speak.
He clenched his hand and held the malachite earring tightly in his palm.
Seeing that Heimos lowered his eyes and was silent, ignoring him, the little fat man's eyes rolled.
"Well, I've got the things for you, and I've done what the prince explained."
He groaned and got off the bed and said, "I can go now to find the prince."
He showed a happy expression.
The time not so long ago was a nightmare for Tarr.
Others don't know, but as the prince's confidant, he naturally knows where the prince has gone.
The news of the annihilation of the Aaron Landis army on the Western Front was like a thunderbolt, and he couldn't recover for a while.
King Camos died in battle... what about his... his prince
completely annihilated.
In other words, his prince was also killed
From that day on, he was in a daze, he couldn't even eat, and every day he went to the lion park and cried to the big lion Nega.
Every day, the eyes are red and swollen, and people lose weight at a speed visible to the naked eye.
And the big lion Nega is also very irritable, and has always wanted to escape from the lion park, as if he wanted to find someone.
It was not until he received the secret letter from the prince that Tarr came to life again.
If it wasn't for the prince's orders, he would have gone to look for Garlan without hesitation.
It doesn't matter how dangerous the place where the prince is now is.
Many years ago, when the little prince not only did not punish him, but also selected him, a useless fat man, from many children, he swore in his heart.
He has been the prince's most loyal servant ever since.
No matter what happened, he would always accompany the prince and never leave.
So, he has to go to the prince now.
What can the prince do without him
Lord Cayhorth will not take care of people, nor will he make jokes to the prince to make the prince happy.
Tal thought.
He is the prince's most loyal subordinate, so no matter when or what happens, he has to stay by the prince's side.
Ah, by the way, I have to take the big lion Nega with me, or the big lion will be in trouble. It has been so anxious recently that it has started to lose its hair. If the prince comes back and sees a bald lion...
Tal pondered this in his heart, and quickly climbed out of the bed, raising his legs and running out.
After all, Priest Shemuer had promised him that as long as a message was sent to His Highness Heimos, he would immediately send someone to send him and Nega to the prince's side.
Hmm~~ he will see his prince again soon~~
"stop."
The words coming from behind made Tal, who was about to run away, tremble in his heart.
Stiffening his body, he turned around slowly, looking nervously at Heimos who was calling him.
"Your Highness, do you have anything else to do?"
"Are you going to see Garland?"
Holding the malachite earring in his hand, Heimos, who had been silent, looked up at Tarr.
"Uh... yes."
"Help me bring a word to Garlan."
As Heimos walked towards Tar, he raised his hand and took off the lapis lazuli earring he had never taken off from his ear.
He handed it to Tal.
"Give this to him."
Heimos stared at the rough lapis lazuli earring in his hand, and his golden-red pupils reflected the color of the sky, as if melting together.
There seemed to be something inexplicable surging in the bottom of his eyes, making his eyes deeper and deeper.
"'it is good'."
Alright, I'll defend the royal city.
"'I'll wait for you to come back.'"
I am here in Wangcheng, waiting for you to come back.
…
…
Judas City is as quiet as ever.
The soldiers of Gastad, as always, ran rampant in the city they had conquered.
In the middle of the night, in a remote corner of the castle, there is a large wasteland, with small shacks or simple wooden houses built on the wasteland.
This is the residence of slaves.
Although the city has changed masters, and their slaves have changed masters as a matter of course, but their lives have not changed.
At most, it was just a more harsh and vicious master.
They went out early and returned late as usual, working sincerely for the new owner, getting a few biscuits every day to barely satisfy their stomachs.
There is no future, there is no hope, day after day, year after year, just living a life in a daze until death.
It is like a soulless tool held in the hands of others, and when it is used up, it will be mercilessly discarded.
At this moment, a man lying in a wooden house with his head resting on his hands, stared up at the ceiling full of cobwebs in a daze.
Although dozens of people are crowded into one room, this kind of simple wooden hut is much better than the shack made of grass. Only the slaves who are strong and able to work can live.
He was in a daze, wondering what he was thinking, when suddenly, a companion beside him poked him.
"Have you decided yet?"
the man asked.
The man closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"I've decided," he said.
He opened his eyes sharply and gritted his teeth.
"Fight!"
He lowered his voice and said, "They are also slaves. What he can do, we can do too! The big deal is death! But if we succeed and survive, we can get rid of our slave status!"
His companion also nodded with bright eyes, but also showed a worried look.
"However, do you think it's possible that these words lied to us, after all, those nobles have always... If they lied to us to risk their lives, and in the end they regret it, we can't do anything about it, right?"
"I may not believe other nobles, but the crown prince is different. Do you still remember Tozes City?"
It has long been rumored that many slaves in that city were freed after the war, and those who got rid of their slave status became the envy of slaves across the country.
You know, if you are born a slave, you will be a slave all your life, and your children and grandchildren will be slaves.
And the slaves of Tozes actually obtained the commoner status they dreamed of, which is like a dream.
"The man who persuaded us a few days ago was a slave there—no, it should be said, he used to be a slave of Tozes City, but not anymore."
There was light in the man's eyes.
Now they have that opportunity too.
"He said that at that time, the crown prince promised them that they would abolish their slave status by defending Tozes City. Therefore, he is no longer a slave, but has become a subordinate of the crown prince."
"A prince who is willing to let a slave-born person become his subordinate will definitely keep his promise to us slaves!"
The man gritted his teeth and said, "This may be the only chance in our life to get rid of our slave status. Even if we die, I will admit it!"
In the man's voice, the other people in the wooden house also raised their heads one by one and looked at the man.
Everyone had a determined look on their faces.
This scene was played out in different ways at the same time in the many places where slaves were imprisoned in Judas City.
There are timid slaves who choose to retreat, but more slaves who yearn for freedom choose to fight.
The freed slaves in Todez were among them, telling their own experiences from slaves to soldiers, telling themselves that these people lived a life full of hope every day after being freed from slavery.
The hearts of the slaves of Judas grew hotter day by day.
…
…
Another day and night passed in such a hurry, the sun rose and then set again on the horizon.
Judas City, as always, quieted down with the night, and was silent in the dark night.
There are very few lights in the city. Because of the fear of the Gasdadians, the city people rarely light the lights after dark. Therefore, these days, the whole city is pitch-dark at night.
Only the barracks where the army of the Gasthids was stationed, the camp where Aaron Landis descended, and the castle that stood on the ground in the middle of the city were brightly lit at night.
They became the brightest places in the city.
Juta was dining in the ornately decorated dining room, with Gastard's generals.
Prince Tyr took the army away, but left behind in the city of Judas.
After all, this city will become a transit point for his army's supplies in the future, so although there are no troops near Aaron Landis that can fight against the Gasdads, he still cautiously leaves a certain number of troops to guard Ruda. City.
Juta, who gained Tyr's trust, was kept here because he knew the city, but the suspicious Tyr prince still left behind a Gasthard army and two generals.
Juta ate the delicate food calmly, and the two Generals of Gastard obviously disdain to be with him, and sat far away from him, sitting at the other end of the long table.
Most of the Gasdadians are straightforward and simple. They look down on this despicable person who betrayed their country, and they will not give him a good face.
Juta, who was accustomed to this, didn't care.
Yes, he doesn't need to care about the thoughts of these reckless men at all, he just needs to follow Prince Tyr firmly and gain the prince's favor.
Jutah never regretted betraying Aaron Landis.
loyalty? Belief
What can those things give him
And as long as he follows Prince Tyre, he can become a real noble, a ruler over ten thousand people, and the real master of this city!
traitor
Ah.
History is written by the victors.
As long as Prince Tyre becomes the master of Aaron Landis, and he himself becomes the prince's confidant and favorite, then the records of him in the history books will change from a so-called betrayer to a time-savvy follower of the wise master.
And the truth will be buried in the river of time with the demise of Aaron Landis, disappearing without a trace.
Just when Juta finished dinner and stood up to leave, suddenly, the originally quiet city suddenly became noisy.
There were shouts everywhere, and from the floor-to-ceiling windows, sporadic firelight suddenly appeared in the dark night, which was extremely conspicuous.
And the places where the fires appeared were mostly places in the city where slaves were banned—including the place where the fire was lit in the castle.
The two Gastard generals put down the unfinished dinner and stood up frowning.
Soon, a soldier hurried over to report.
"My lord! The slaves in the city have rioted! Not just the slaves in the castle, but all the slaves in the entire city!"
"slave?"
A Gastard general frowned.
In his impression, slaves are like pigs and sheep, so these fellows who are equivalent to livestock dare to rebel against their Gasdadians, which he does not understand.
However, if he doesn't understand, he doesn't understand. As the city's defending general, he must suppress those guys.
He said to his companion, "Move the army to suppress those guys and kill them all."
They are just some slaves. If they dare to resist their Gasdadians, they will kill them all.
The Gasthod never knew what mercy was.
If you are not obedient, you will be obedient.
His companion nodded and was about to go out with him when suddenly a voice came from behind them.
"Not right."
Juta frowned tightly and said, "Why did the slaves suddenly resist? There's something wrong with this, I'm afraid it's not that simple."
He, who was already extremely suspicious, said, "You'd better not act rashly and look at the situation first."
The two of them used to look down on Juta, and after hearing this, they just snorted heavily, and they didn't bother to pay any attention to Juta, and walked out quickly.
They are going to mobilize the army to suppress the rioting slaves.
Seeing that the two Gasdard generals ignored him, Juta's brows were full of gloom.
You two stupid fellows, wait, you will regret it.
Is it just that the slaves can't bear the oppression of the invaders so they resist
No, it must not be that simple.
Otherwise, why did those slaves not resist early and late, but resisted at this time
And those slaves should understand that they cannot be the opponents of the army at all. Even if the army is caught off guard for a while, they will eventually be suppressed by the army.
So why would they do such a winless thing
unless… …
Juta's heart tightened suddenly.
Unless someone can pick them up!
Some people want these slaves to cause a commotion from the inside, take the opportunity to open the city gate, and let the people who meet them rush in!
Thinking of this, Juta couldn't hold back any longer. He quickly ran out of the castle and hurriedly dispatched his subordinates to the city gates in three directions.
And he himself led a team of cavalry, and quickly ran towards the east gate.
Suppressing slaves is enough for the Gasdadians, he has to arrange for people to be guarded at the gates of the city.
Juta frowned.
Although I don't know where the reinforcements came from, as long as the slaves are not allowed to approach the city gate and the city gate cannot be opened from the inside, then the person who planned this event has failed.
Juta galloped like a horse, thinking inwardly.
It's just, who is the person who secretly planned this incident, who actually made the slaves of the entire Judas City willing to fight to the death...
Before he could understand, Juta looked up, and the East Gate was in front of her.
The tall city gate stands in the dark night, silent, and there is no fire.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Well, it seems to have caught up.
Those slaves haven't rushed here yet.
Just when Juta was relieved—
In an instant, the fire lit up.
Dozens of burning torches lit up on the city wall of the East City Gate, and the fiery flames slammed into Juta's face, causing him to close his eyes subconsciously.
The stinging pain in his eyes subsided after a few seconds, and when Juta opened his eyes again, his pupils suddenly dilated.
On the city gate, on the high city wall, someone stood in the firelight.
Dozens of flames were burning behind the man, and his face could not be seen clearly, but he could only roughly see that it was a slightly slender young man.
The boy stood in the flames.
The bow in his hand was stretched to its limit.
The arrow flashed a cold light.
The taut bowstring seemed to break in the next second.
The gust of wind whizzed past the teenager on the high wall, and the bright blond hair reflected in the fire flew in the air, like a cluster of golden flames burning in the dark night.
That is-
The long golden hair flying like a cloud in the night sky was deeply reflected in the depths of Jutah's dilated pupils.
A hum.
Arrows shot through the air.
A cold light pierced the night.
Heart-piercing pain suddenly came from his shoulders.
Juta, whose left shoulder was pierced by the arrow, fell heavily from his horse and fell to the ground.