Lin An and the others' worries were not unfounded, and there were some people in the northern county of Sacred Noche who were discussing whether to surrender.

“…… I know what you're thinking. ”

The middle-aged head of the family standing in front of the main seat of the conference table looked at the family members on both sides of the long table, condescendingly saw the opposition on most of the people's faces, and a wry smile appeared on his gentle and elegant face:

"I made this decision not just because I was afraid of death, if I was just afraid of death, I would have already taken you to abandon the city and flee......

"Even if you run away, I won't be so disappointed!"

The young man in second order on the right hand side of the long table finally couldn't help it:

"Surrender to the demons, do you understand what this decision means for our family?"

"In the first demon disaster, the Ferdinand family, the first to openly want to surrender to the demon clan, even if the family inheritance has been severed, no one dares to openly admit that they are descendants of the Ferdinand family, even so, the surname 'Ferdinand' is still nailed to the pillar of shame and cannot be forgiven by anyone!"

The young man was a little speechless under the excitement, "Father, you have been reciting the "Legend of the Muse Hero" at my bedside since you were a child, is it just to make me a coward!" ”

The middle-aged head of the family had pale lips and the blood on his face had faded, he covered his chest with his hands, breathed rapidly, and the green tendons on his forehead appeared.

Seeing this, the eldest son, who was sitting in the first line, immediately angrily rebuked his younger brother: "Andira, you shut up!" ”

The young man named Andira also regretted it a little, but after the middle-aged head of the family took a deep breath, he said to him:

"Andira, do you understand what it takes to be a hero?"

His gaze shifted to the window. "Look outside, look at the people of this city."

"They are our people, they have been loyal fans of the Plantagenet family for generations, and they built the city of Ross from a small village to a great city of 200,000 people, brick by brick."

The middle-aged head of the family seems to have fallen into his own memories:

"Every Plantagenet boy was born in this city, and as it grew and prospered day by day, I used to be proud to be the master of this city, just like most people who grew up in this city."

"If I can exchange my life for the preservation of Ross City, I am willing to do it immediately."

"But. Then the devil has not had the slightest mercy at all. ”

"I also thought that the royal capital could at least drag on longer. Therefore, actively rearmament and warfare! But the royal capital was broken, and in less than half a day, the royal capital was breached! ”

The male members of the family gradually quieted down, and the voice of the middle-aged head of the family gradually lowered:

"The reason why the people of Rus' did not riot and flee on a large scale like the civilians of other cities. It's because they trust the Plantagenet family. They trust their lord to keep the city! ”

"Yes. Of course, I can put on armor and hold a sword, and bravely rush to the city wall to fight the demons, even if I am defeated in the end. It can also leave a valuable wealth for the Plantagenet family, so that future generations can have the prestige capital to make a comeback-"

"But I became a hero, the people of this city, these 200,000 civilians...... What should they do! ”

"I made a bad decision to disperse the people of Ross City in time."

The middle-aged head of the family covered his face, tears overflowing from his fingers, "Now, it's time for us to pay for it." ”

……

The king's capital was slaughtered!

This realization weighed heavily on the hearts of every lord who was under the threat of a demonic calamity.

Not all nobles are selfish, lords are disrespectful of their people, and not all wise and promising lords become heroes of the human race.

When the news of the surrender of Rus' came, the Earl of Sikkim, who was also one of the nobles of the north, sat heavily on his seat.

"Ross City surrendered?"

"That Roddinand, who has a good name, has become the second Ferdinand?"

First in disbelief, then in realization, the Earl of Sikkim sighed deeply, "This is indeed what Rodinand could have done, and only he can make such a decision." ”

The old earl's well-maintained face suddenly had countless wrinkles, and there were regrets, contradictions, and a deep sense of relief in his heart.

The first defector finally appeared.

Although that man was beyond everyone's expectations, many lords must have breathed a sigh of relief as he did.

The pressure on the first to surrender is the greatest, and the fate that awaits them is often the most brutal.

It's a magic box, with the first, the second, the third...... It will come one after another.

The Earl of Sikkim closed his eyes and thought for a while, and asked the person who sent the message, "What about the reaction of the demons?" ”

"There is no news yet, the demon army has been stranded in the royal capital for two days, and it has not yet arrived in Ross City." The soldier who sent the message replied.

"Pay attention to the movements of Ross City, if there is any news, send it back immediately!"

After the Earl of Sikkim finished speaking, his expression changed several times before he stood up and called his henchmen, "You go to this matter in person, and quickly pass it to the Marquis of Xilan." ”

"What do you mean ......"

"Marquis Xilan and his gang are die-hards in the royal party, although the crown prince and the eagle of victory are still missing, they must be on the territory of that gang."

The henchman also knew about the surrender of Ross City, and his face changed slightly, "My lord, do you want to ......?"

"Let's see which way the wind blows!"

The old earl waved his hand, showing his fatigue, "If the demon clan does not accept surrender, then there is no need to mention it." Even if they let Ross City go, the thousand-year-old reputation of the Sikkim family cannot be left lightly, and we have to see the reactions of the surrounding leaders......"

***

"These traitors! These things that bring the glory of our ancestors to shame! ”

The letterhead was thrown on the mahogany tabletop, and the Marquis of Xilan was furious, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, and slapping the table to call the guards:

"Go and inform the crown prince and General Auston, I will go over soon, and I have something urgent to discuss with them!"

"Count Rodinand surrendered?"

Alston was incredulous, "The king praised Rodinand many times during his lifetime, saying that he was a rare and virtuous city lord who won the support of his people, how could he not even resist. Surrender! Could it be that the message is wrong? ”

"No way. The news was sent by the Earl of Sikkim, I know that old thing, the surrender of the city of Rus is easy to verify, he will not do anything in such a matter, it will not do him any good. "Marquis Xilan is categorical.

"Maybe it's a ploy?" Auston had a hard time believing that King Karl would be looking at the wrong person, and he obviously thought of something else, "Maybe Lord Rodinand wants to fake his sincerity?" ”

"Hypothetical surrender? It's not impossible! ”

Marquis Xilan was shocked, "If that's the case, then it's good news for us, Ross City will rebel after pretending to surrender." Let the demons suffer a big loss. In the future, the demons will no longer dare to believe in the sincere, which can also curb the reverie of those who are greedy for life and afraid of death! ”

Soon, however, news from Ross City shattered their expectations.

Ross City did surrender to the demons, it really surrendered. There is no intention of rebellion. Originally from the royal capital. The rolling demon army also spared Ross City and rerouted to the county seat of Beijun.

During this period, the northern county sent a message to the surrounding territories asking for help, and three or four nearby cities sent a small number of reinforcements. Only Ross City did not react.

When the news arrived, Marquis Xilan angrily smashed one of his favorite wine glasses.

He said to the crown prince, "Your Highness, we cannot wait any longer, we must do our best to raise the banner of the king, so that everyone knows that the silver-white scepter of the Divine Noche has not been broken, and gathers the hearts of the people." ”

The crown prince was thirteen years old, already sensible, he sat on the throne and said to the Marquis of Xilan: "Disclose where I am and erect the silver and white scepter royal flag, which will inevitably lead the demon army to your territory." ”

"The military strength of my territory will never be able to resist the demons, if you can't gather the forces of most of the nobles together to resist the demons, there is no difference between being broken a moment earlier and being broken a moment later."

Marquis Xilan said solemnly:

"As far as I know, the Holy Empire's army is already on its way, and if we can delay it until then, maybe we will have a chance to recover the royal capital!"

The crown prince was a little moved, and at this time, Hou Auston interjected, "The king left a will, and he can't trust the people of the Holy Empire. ”

"Of course, if it weren't for the Holy Empire's constant sitting, losing the best opportunity for assistance, and putting a large number of nobles in danger, the battle situation of the Holy Nuoche would not have eroded so much in such a short period of time!"

Marquis Xilan said gloomily:

"But for the sake of Your Highness, we must prepare for the worst. Since the crown prince escaped after the city was broken, he could not be silent. ”

"The royal family is the banner of the nobility, if you set up the name of orthodoxy and let people understand that you have not given up, the supporters of the royal family will definitely be disheartened, even if they want to restore the country in the future, they will not have the strength to support you, and even people will question your legitimacy!"

The situation has deteriorated to such an extent that even a die-hard royal party like the Marquis of Xilan has to prepare for the worst, according to the current situation, unless the reinforcements of the Holy Empire can arrive in time, the fate of the destruction of the Holy Noche Kingdom is irresistible.

Therefore, he even used the term "restoration".

Both the Dauphin and Auston hesitated.

What Marquis Xilan said is very reasonable, Auston doesn't know much, but he also knows that if a royal family doesn't even have the courage to stand up when the soldiers are in the city, even if they want to restore the country in the future, the righteousness has been lost.

"But the king said that the Holy Empire cannot be trusted, and he wants us to go to Merlin."

On the run and sending people to the fence, Auston also learned a lot of things that he didn't understand before, but he still didn't know much about politics, and could only insist that what King Karl said was definitely right.

"Wang's prediction of the battle situation is so bad? He thinks that even the Holy Empire can't resist the demons heading north? ”

Marquis Xilan was surprised.

Alston can answer this point, military is his specialty.

"The Demon Race has not sent out the real elite until now, I am fighting with the army of the Holy Empire, and their army does have many elites, but the losses in the previous war are too great, and the number is too small."

"Yes, after all, what we have to face is an entire demon realm!"

"Damn the demons, why didn't they appear on the territory of those barbarians in the north!"

After cursing, the Marquis of Xilan pondered solemnly again:

"The king is right! We really can't expect much from the Holy Empire, if this demonic plague reaches the level of Cheng dù two thousand years ago, Merlin will indeed be the last position of the human race, and if we want to restore the country, I am afraid we must have the support of the Merlin royal family. ”

The crown prince and Auston looked at each other, and they both saw the other's approval in each other's eyes.

They could all see that Marquis Xilan was genuinely planning for them.

In fact, the Marquis of Xilan also had to do this.

The nobility of the nobility either comes from the territory or from the royal family.

When a nobleman who loses his territory goes to a foreign country, no one will take him seriously, but the royal family, even if he loses his land, out of the same hatred and hatred, most rulers will give the exiled royal family a certain respectful treatment, otherwise they may not encounter a similar situation in the future.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the situation of the Holy Noche is almost hopeless, and after the Marquis of Xilan loses his territory, he can only continue to have the honor of nobility and retain the hope of reviving the family in the future by clinging to the name of the royal family.

This is the instinct of the aristocracy, and it is also the limitation of the feudal monarch system, without this stable power derivative system to consolidate the relationship between the obligations and powers of the monarch and the minister, the feudal monarch system of the Muse Continent will not be able to be stably inherited for thousands of years.

There are quite a few nobles who understand the situation as well as the Marquis of Xilan, among which the royal party is the most backbone.

Summoned by the Marquis of Xilan, they quickly gathered around the crown prince, brought a lot of troops, and gave advice to the crown prince.

“…… If we want to go into exile in the Merlin Empire in the future, we must raise the royal banner, otherwise the Merlin Empire will not give much attention to a royal family who has abandoned the country. ”

“…… Yes, the king has already perished with the city, if His Highness resists until the last moment, even if the entire kingdom falls in the end, it will be because it is irresistible and fallen, according to the Ten Forgiveness Decrees of the Demon Calamity, the bloodline of the silver-white scepter will not be tainted by the curse. ”

“…… His Royal Highness must hold the banner of righteousness, the Holy Noche is the first country to suffer from the demonic plague, and the silver scepter is also the first royal family to stand up and resist to the end, only for this, the three empires will pay attention to you, with righteousness, we can hope to gather other fugitive nobles and leave the fire of restoration. ”

“…… But the demon army is violent, and if His Highness wants to stay until the last moment, it is extremely risky, and he must have enough troops to protect him. ”

“…… Although the Holy Empire cannot be trusted, only they can do this at this time, and in the future, if they are exiled abroad, they must also be recognized by the suzerain, so it is imperative to join forces with the source army of the Holy Empire! ”

“…… And the city of Rus, we must take an attitude to condemn this rebellion and drive this silverfish out of the ranks of the nobility, otherwise we will be forced into exile before the army is gathered! ”

……

"Traitors must be punished! No matter if they are greedy for life and afraid of death, or have any bitterness! ”

The news reached Pompey, and only three days after hearing that the royal capital had fallen, the first nobleman to surrender to the Demon Clan had appeared in the Holy Nuoche, and even surrendered the city, and Saxon sank his face.

Lin An said lightly: "Let's take a look at the reaction of the royal nobles of the Holy Noche family first, I hope they are not completely hopeless." ”

(To be continued)(To be continued......

PS: Thank you Suzaku. The sachet of Fenices children's shoes! O(∩_∩)O~