On the city wall, the horn of the remote rebel army retreating came, and the rebel soldiers on the bridge below the city retreated like a group of black worker ants.
In fact, few arrows flew down from the city walls. Looking at the retreating rebels, most of the defenders were already leaning against the wall weakly, some threw their weapons directly under their feet, and some began to cry out in pain for help.
Most of the archers were exhausted. Almost all of the archers' fingers were bloody, and their arms were sore that they couldn't lift them up again. Only a very few still maintained their fighting spirit, lurking behind the walls of the city wall and shooting at the rebels under the city.
A fat man in armor sat on the ground, panting, his bloated body almost burst the armor, and looking at him almost out of breath, it really didn't look like he was able to breathe. War like. Moreover, the style of his armor is obviously not the standard of the city guard army, and even he is not a soldier of the city guard army at all.
But when the fat man was leaning there and gasping for breath, the other soldiers of the city guard next to him all cast awe at him.
This fat man was covered in blood. In the previous battle, this fat man, who seemed to have difficulty walking, cut down no less than 30 rebels, including two rebel leaders. , were directly split into two halves by his head knife!
Most of the defenders on the city wall did not know where this fat man came from, but from the day before yesterday, this fat man in armor suddenly appeared on this section of the city wall and joined the sequence of the defenders. Only a flag regiment-level officer in charge of the defense of this section of the city wall knew his origins, and he seemed to be in awe of him—people next to him curiously asked about the origin of Fatty, who just smiled and claimed to be a veteran of the Empire.
This explanation is not too surprising.
The battle has reached the current situation, and numerous mobilizations have been carried out in the city of Osgilia, and a large number of young people have been hastily joined the reserve team.
For historical reasons, the city of Osgilia is populated by many veterans who have acquired property due to military exploits, and even a family that has been a soldier for generations. In this Great Patriotic War, after the mobilization order was issued, many people pulled out their old armor and weapons, took their swords and ran to the nearby blacksmith for a little repair, just under the call of the mobilization order Walked up the walls and joined the defensive battle - many of whom have spilled the last drop of blood on the walls of Osgilia!
This fat man looked no different from the veterans who volunteered to go to the city walls to fight - he looked like a soldier from the army, with a loud voice, and a face like that of a bastard nurtured in the army. The only difference is that his armor is too beautiful. This is a high-grade Byzantine-style mountain armor! This is a high-level equipment that can only be equipped by senior generals at the general level. Even the flag officer in charge of this section of the city wall is only wearing black armor.
Many people have speculated that this fat man may be a retired general - but his age does not seem to be similar. There are also some people who speculate that this fat man is probably a descendant of an aristocratic family. This armor must not be his own, but his father or grandfather's - but this seems to be different, his armor is obviously new.
And this fat man's martial skills seem to be very clever and scary!
Today, this section of the city wall seems to have become the main attack point of the rebels. As a result, in the morning, the situation was dangerous for a time. The rebels gathered a group of brave warriors as sharp knives, and they almost rushed to the city wall with them, but at a critical moment, this fat man came over with a big knife, and his whole body shone with the fighting spirit of advanced martial arts! Then, under the ray of vindictiveness, the elites of several rebels were torn to shreds in an instant!
The fat man also kicked a person who looked like a rebel general who was obviously not low-level from the city wall!
Finally, everyone's guess had an answer at night.
After the rebels retreated, just as the big guy was resting on the city wall, waiting for the cooks to deliver meals, a group of guards rushed up, and then from behind, two men in the armor of senior generals of the empire ran up anxiously. .
That beard with a scar on his face immediately became the focus of everyone's eyes!
General Adrick! Now the supreme commander of the Osgilia Defender is also the last pillar supporting the spiritual strength of the Osgilia Defender!
Adrick strode over, strode over from the city wall that was full of wounded soldiers, and stared at the fat man who was panting from a distance: "Ruhl! Come!"
This roar suddenly caused countless eyes around him to focus on Fatty!
Ruhr? !
Is he actually Ruhl? !
That Ruhr? !
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The current Ruhr is no longer the "General Rabbit who can only run away" in people's hearts!
On that rainy night, this fat general led the Rodriguez cavalry to attack the rebel camp and fought fiercely for almost one night! I heard that the iron-struck Rodriguen cavalry repeatedly launched dozens of consecutive charges against the heavily fortified rebel camp, forcibly broke the rebel line of defense, and then protected the new emperor and entered the city of Osgilia. , His Majesty the new emperor can enter the city to inherit the throne and be crowned emperor!
The fat general heard that he took the lead and fought bloody battles. After entering the city, his injuries even made the medical officer in charge of treating him faint on the spot!
Since that day, Ruhr is no longer the "runaway general" in people's hearts!
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… It's him? Is it him? !
The soldiers sitting next to Ruhr couldn't help but give way to the side, and looked away in awe.
Adric squeezed in all the way, and the soldiers along the road saluted one after another. While returning the salute, Adrick went up and pulled Ruhr up.
The fat man's eyebrows immediately wrinkled.
"Injured?" Adric frowned.
Ruhl grinned: "It's an old injury."
Adrick's eyes were a little red, and he stared at the fat man: "Why did you come here?! Go to the city privately, why don't you tell me?!"
"I can't be idle at home." Fatty said lightly: "I have no broken hands and feet. Thinking of the soldiers fighting on the city wall, how can I, a veteran, lie in bed and rest?"
"...even if you want to come over, tell me, in my headquarters..."
Ruhl suddenly laughed, and then lowered his voice, his voice was a little hoarse: "What did you say to you? Adric, have you forgotten? I am now... a bare general without soldiers, ha! My army, It's gone... It's better to go up town to fight here than to lie in bed and close my eyes and the faces of the brothers who died beside me dangle before my eyes... It's better than that."
Adrick's eyes reddened, he shook his body, and hugged the fat man hard: "Rodria is also the unit I brought out, do you think I'm not sad anymore!"
Fatty smiled and said in a low voice: "I know you are sad, I heard that you cried at home all night. However, you are the Minister of Military Affairs now, you are not qualified to be sad, you have no right to be sad! But I have, I am not Minister of War, I'm just a bare general who has swept away his troops."
Adric dragged Ruhl and walked down the city. The surrounding guards opened the way. Adrick pulled Ruhl tightly: "Go into the palace with me! I've been thinking about tonight's matter, maybe, you have a way... "
After a pause, Adrick's voice was even lower: "Your Majesty is going to see Ghislund tonight—just before dinner!"
Ruhl whistled: "Good guy!"
Adrick glanced at the fat man: "You just understand! This is simply putting your head in front of the Lantis people and asking them to put shackles around our necks... This is simply actively inviting the other party to blackmail us. …”
"...I can't help it." Ruhr suddenly raised his face and looked at Adric: "Why do you think I have a way?"
The two came to the bottom of the city, the guards brought the horses, and Adric frowned immediately: "Go get a carriage! Didn't you see that General Ruhr was seriously injured?!"
Ruhl sighed and was dragged into a carriage by Adric.
After the wheels rolled, listening to the sound of the bumps under the body, in the narrow carriage, the generals of the two empires looked at each other.
a long time…
"I really can't help it." Ruhl shook his head again, he stared at Adric with a serious tone: "And, if I had to say it, I would even agree with His Majesty's actions."
"...You?!" Adrick stared.
"What else can we do?" Ruhl said lightly: "Even if we can be more patient and support a few more days, waiting for the Lantis people to become anxious... At that time, even if we can choose the 'best' we expect Time', waiting for the Landis people to come to us to cooperate... Don't say whether this is possible, or how likely it is. Hmm... Even if it does happen, you think the Landis people will not blackmail Are we? It's the same! Adric, the Lantis people will also make harsh conditions! Because no matter what we do now, the truth is the truth: we are dying! And the Lantis people are the only ones we can count on Foreign aid! Even if you wait for the best time to negotiate... it's nothing more than a slight reduction in the level of extortion."
"But we can't let Landis knock our bones and suck our marrow!" Adrick clenched his fists.
Ruhr's eyes suddenly lit up: "What do you... know?"
Adrick's eyes were full of haze, his expression was extremely gloomy, and his next voice almost burst out of his teeth!
"I got the news... Your Majesty asked the Minister of Manners to draw up some alternative conditions, including... Permanent recognition of the territorial rights of the Landis to the ports of the inland sea. The Landis Navy will be responsible for all maritime commerce in our country. Ship branch to protect! Allow the Lantis navy to cruise freely in our internal waters..."
Ruhl curled his lips: "These... are facts before the war. Landis naval warships can enter and leave our inland sea at any time, which does not require us to admit or deny it."
"This is not the most important thing." Adrick's voice was hoarse: "...open up sixteen port cities along the coast of the inland sea, provide dock ports for cruising Landis Navy ships to moor and maintain, and even allow Landis Navy to station in ports. !"
"Your Majesty is crazy?!" Luerten sat up straight: "This is the loss of sovereignty!!! What's the difference between this and ceding territory?! Joke! Let the Lantis navy be stationed in our seaport city? Sixteen seaport cities allow Landis navies to be stationed?! It's like putting sixteen nooses around our necks!!! From now on our coastline is no longer fortified by the Landis! The Tis people can use a chain to lock our country on the land! Once they have any ambitions for us, the sixteen seaport cities will become soldiers towns given to them for nothing!!!"
Adrick smiled: "And... The Landis directly sent 100,000 troops to help our country quell the rebellion, as well as a naval fleet large enough to maintain the sea transportation line, and we sent a huge amount of ordnance to the Landis. The purchase order for supplies... for this we will pay the Landis 30 million gold coins - this figure is the highest standard acceptable to His Majesty."
The fat man whistled again: "30 million gold coins?!"
He looked at Adric: "His Majesty is really crazy. Thirty million gold coins? Does he think we are still before the war? We have lost all the land in the entire north now! Minus the territory occupied by the rebels, we How much land and population are left? Even after the war is over, how much revenue can we have in a year? How long will it take us to recover to the level of revenue before the war? Thirty million gold coins? Is Your Majesty going to sell the palace? Are you here to pay this debt?"
"It's not selling the palace." Adrick shook his head.
"Nonsense, of course I know not." Ruhl smiled bitterly: "Even if His Majesty sells the royal family's properties, those royal gardens, manors, and hunting grounds, they will not be able to collect 30 million gold coins... The treasury has no money long ago. Now, you and I know this very well."
Adrick's expression seemed a bit absurd and a little sad.
He looked at Ruhr for a long time, and finally, finally, the general spit out a word slowly.
"tariff."
Adric's expression was like a dead man: "... Your Majesty decided to exempt all the Chamber of Commerce organizations in Landis, all commercial goods, tariffs for the next ten years! That is to say, in the next ten years, as long as the Byzantine Empire still exists for one day, Any Landis merchant can come to our country and earn our money without paying a single penny! Their large quantities of goods, cheap goods, will flood our market and force our country Our businessmen went bankrupt... The Landis would lie on top of us like a big leech, constantly sucking blood from our bodies..."
"parking!"
Ruhr suddenly shouted, he patted the car window forcefully, and a guard outside immediately opened the car window: "Sir, what is your order?"
"I want to get out of the car! I can't handle this matter, and I don't have the ability to manage it!" Ruhr shouted loudly, and he turned to look at Adric: "Your Majesty doesn't want this country, we can still be in a hurry! I might as well go back. Go to the city, and die there one day sooner or later!"