Outside Silverhelm Mountain, Byrne Barracks.

The black-haired wizard who sat on the bed, staring at Count Eckert of Fury Castle, did not say a word from beginning to end, listening carefully to the news of the decisive battle.

It wasn't until Eckert stopped talking, and a full minute later, that Loren sighed softly:

"What is the situation now—not only the Boi army, but also the safety of the Grand Duke of Varna. ”

The Count of Fort Fury shook his head.

"It sucks. ”

"Very bad. He added:

"More than half of the Boi's army was killed, the core of the silver-armored horsemen was strangled, and all the remaining troops were surrounded by the enemy in that meadow, ready to be swallowed at any moment—even if the enemy didn't move, they didn't have much to offer......

Eckert's tone was particularly heavy: "The enemy has set up a blockade around the battlefield, hunting down lone horseback people and carrying supplies... They don't know that the front line is surrounded, but it shouldn't be long before they can detect it. ”

"And when the army in the rear line finds out, it should retreat to the city of a thousand tents without a commander, so that the probability of the besieged Boi army breaking through is even lower. ”

"As for Grand Duke Laszló Varna......," Ecter sighed, his eyes flickering, "the herald who sent the information was vague, but judging by his appearance—either dead or missing; ”

"The men who are now in command of the entire Boi army are Master Haringvan Ashmai and Count Seth Braha, the Count is seriously wounded, so Master Ashmai is in charge for most of the time, and it is difficult to say whether they still have the morale and determination to continue fighting. ”

"I'm not an alarmist man, Duke, but the current situation in Boi... It's a dangerous situation!"

"It sounds like it should be. Loren calmly raised his eyes:

"But listening to your tone, it doesn't seem so much that you want me to rescue the Boi?"

"From a moral point of view and the relationship between the two principalities, we must save them, otherwise Boe will be finished, and the friendship between Byrne and Boe will be over!"

Eckert's face tightened: "But it's a trap... The centaurs kept the Boi and did not kill them immediately, hoping that reinforcements would save them. ”

"On the battlefield, doing what the enemy wants us to do is the most stupid thing to do!"

The black-haired wizard nodded, understanding what the Count of Castle Fury had said.

If he immediately led the Byrne army, which had just experienced a bloody battle, to return to the grassland battlefield to rescue László Varna, what would happen to morale and casualties... Rashly intruding into a battlefield that is unobstructed and dominated by the enemy, the only end is to be surrounded and annihilated.

After all, according to the Poi herald, the total number of centaur troops was about 100,000, and even if there were already some casualties and the Boi army was to be surrounded, the number of troops would still be much larger than his own.

Not only that, but Eckert's ideas also represent the attitude of the Earls of Byrne to a certain extent... I can't help but don't want to take the initiative to die, which is very contradictory.

And at this moment, Salika Jonah is probably in the same dilemma - in her heart, she definitely wants to let the Archduke of Varna be torn to pieces by the centaurs, but many of the besieged Boi army are horseback people led by the Great Boi, and they are all her people.

When she inherits the title and becomes the Grand Duke of Boi, all the losses of this war will also become her losses, and once these 100,000 elites are lost, Boi under her rule will also become the weakest and helpless Boe in hundreds of years.

She's not going to do it!

After thinking for a moment, Loren looked at Eckert again: "Then what is your opinion... Retreat westward, and hold the city of a thousand hordes with the grandson of the Grand Duke of Varna, and the retreated horseback people?"

"No, not the City of a Thousand Tents. ”

Shaking his head slightly, Ackert's expression at the moment was extremely calm, and his eyes were extremely resolute: "We must retreat to Byrne's territory as soon as possible, take Warped Peak as the core to guard Byrne's border, wait for the Empire's reinforcements or gather troops, and prepare for a counterattack." ”

"What did you say?!"

Loren's eyelids jumped, and his expression was more shocked and shocked.

He couldn't believe his ears to believe that this could be what Eckert was saying.

"If we don't come to the rescue of the Grand Duke of Varna and sit back and watch the 100,000-strong army annihilated, then Boi will be completely finished. The Earl of Fury Castle said coldly:

"In such a war situation, there is no point in holding on to the Thousand Hordes City, in the past, the strength of the Thousand Hordes City was based on its special geographical location, as well as the two powerful territories of the East and the West, which supported each other, both of which were indispensable. ”

"Now, the big Boyi Collar has fallen, the Little Boli Collar has emptied his family, a lonely city... Aside from sitting back and watching Boi fall and finally being completely trapped by the enemy, it will not have any impact on the outcome of the battle. ”

Looking at the dark-haired wizard's face, Eckert continued to explain, "In you... During the ten days we were besieging Silverhelm Mountain, your Coalition Chamber of Commerce sent a message about the Empire. ”

"The three Imperial Legions, which were supposed to be on rotation, and their auxiliaries, were not disbanded and headed north—nominally to assist in the defense of the Boundary Mountain Fortress, but instead placed on the border between Poi and East Sackland. ”

"Obviously, the Empire is ready to send troops... Three legions, even without the strength of Byrne and Boe, are enough to fight the centaurs. ”

"Imperial Legion ......" Loren thought thoughtfully: "Do you know who the commander is?"

"I don't know, but there's a very bad rumor... This time, His Majesty Eckhart II seems to intend to lead his troops and personally conquer the Great Green Sea. ”

After saying that, Eckert couldn't help but sigh heavily.

The Centaur War, which had high hopes and was intended to revive Byrne's prestige, ended up with the fall of Boy and the Emperor's salvation of the Empire......

Even if Salika Jonah was no longer happy, she had to accept the "assistance" of His Majesty the Emperor to revive the Duchy of Boi, because she had no choice.

What's more, even if she didn't want to, there were Boi who did, and the emperor could have put her aside and support the grandson of the Grand Duke of Varna... Salika couldn't afford to take that risk.

The two of them were speechless, and the atmosphere became a little lower.

"So... And that's the end of it. With a hard breath, Loren leaned back on the bed behind him and folded his hands: "After so many sacrifices and so many difficult battles, in the end you have to give the greatest credit to others?"

Ackert, who frowned, bowed slightly, and his eyes drooped: "This is... Not to mention that you've proven yourself and got your own loot. ”

"Loren?" said Loren, chewing on the word.

"You have captured the fortress of Silverhelm Mountain, for whatever reason, for what purpose, for what secret... The facts will not change. Eckert said softly, but it sounded more like comfort, "This is a great feat that all the Duke of Byrne has not been able to accomplish in twelve generations. ”

"Even the Black Duke failed to do it. ”

But his consolation, to Loren, sounded more like sarcasm.

The capture of the fortress of Silverhelm Mountain, a more glorious feat than Roland Turin... But it was a trap set by the "Black Cross" Serol, a complete trap.

And what about next, "Black Cross" Serol ... And what would he want himself to do?

fled far away, watching the Duchy of Boi and the dwarven Yunling Kingdom being destroyed by him step by step, and the strength of the empire was weakened again, right?

Yes, it was definitely a very reasonable decision, and any decision maker who remained calm and sane would think... It is crazy and extremely irresponsible to take risks when your strength is compromised and you are far weaker than your enemies.

What any "sane" and "calm" decision-maker would think......

That must be what the "Black Cross" hopes he will have.

Whatever the purpose, he must have done so desperately to weaken the strength of the empire itself, as well as the various principalities and important allies, for some purpose; today it is the Boe and Yunling Kingdoms, will it be Byrne's turn tomorrow?

Is it possible... Isn't it impossible?

"Thank you, Eckert, for taking the trouble to enlighten me. Loren turned his head and looked at the Earl of Fury Castle, "But I still want to do something." ”

"I don't want to return to Byrne with my warriors, both alive and dead, so that they can hold their heads high and triumph proudly!"

Eckert's frown deepened, and his gaze became more hesitant and complicated.

"As a member of your round table council, and one of the 'most qualified' members, I must warn you that there are dangerous consequences of doing so. He spoke softly:

"This is a very unwise, emotional decision, and you may end the entire expeditionary force and sacrifice more lives and even your own lives, and in doing so, you are putting the fate of the whole of Byrne at risk. ”

"And even if you do, it doesn't necessarily make things better, and it could even be worse. ”

He just looked at his duke quietly, his eyes recalling the day when he and the others crowned him.

"But... So what does it matter?"

Eckert's voice trembled slightly:

"Ed Turin didn't think for a second when he was besieging the dwarven castle;

On the day of Roland Turin's death at the fortress of the Broken Mountains, he saw something we could not see;"

"The Duke of Byrne will never be swayed by the will of her subjects, and the wine and knights of Byrne have made her strong, but she has been made great by the dukes who lead her way!"

"So, if it's your will......" Eckert slowly got up, and with some difficulty, he fell to one knee in front of Loren's bed:

"Eckert of Fury Castle will serve you wholeheartedly until death!"

Exhaling lightly, a slight smile appeared on the black-haired wizard's somewhat pale face.

"Of course, at the moment we are still at a disadvantage. ”

Sitting back in his seat, Ackert calmly analyzed: "After the battle of Silverhelm Mountain, our army suffered more than one-third of the casualties, and the wounded soldiers alone will drag down a lot; ”

"Internally, we have no aid from our country for the time being, and Boi has lost all his last capital;

Externally, we don't know what kind of attitude the dwarven Yunling Kingdom has, and the centaurs have completely blocked the battlefield around, and we can't get around.

So as a matter of common sense, we don't have a chance of winning. ”

"So, we have to break the rules, or... Think differently. Shrugging, Loren took his words: "It is a fact that the centaurs of this war have won the most crucial battle, and are even about to win them all. ”

"But the other fact is... They just have a big advantage, and even have to drag down because of this advantage. ”

After thinking for a moment, Eckert's expression became a little clear: "What do you want to ......say?"

"You mentioned that while they were besieging the main force of Boi, they were also frantically plundering the surrounding baggage teams and horseback people. Loren said lightly:

"Why is that?"

"Because their supply lines have been cut off by us, there is not much logistical baggage left. Without even thinking about it, Eckert blurted out directly: "So they must not be able to hold out for long!"

"What is the most important thing for the centaur army right now?" Loren seemed to ask, but he seemed to say to himself, "It is to completely destroy the main force of this Boi army and kill them all." ”

"Only in this way can they come to occupy the entire Great Green Sea and even the Duchy of Boi, instead of being held back by this army all the time, the huge force cannot move, and even have to be on guard against the counterattack of the army and the rescue of the outside world. ”

"That's the real situation right now... The Centaurs are about to win, and even have the absolute upper hand, but it does not mean that they have won, but they are in the most fragile marginal balance between victory and defeat, and the slightest movement can immediately break this balance. ”

A faint smile appeared on Loren's face: "And if we leave, retreat to the Thousand Tent City and even the Peak of Hope, and give them the victory... That was the foundation for their victory. ”

"So, do you think we should join this fight and be a variable?" Ekt asked thoughtfully, "to break the balance in this battle?"

"No, it's not all. The corners of his mouth were hooked, and the corners of Loren's eyes showed a flash of cunning.

"Huh?"

"To make the centaurs scared and upset the balance, our own strength is not enough. The black-haired wizard shook his head: "So... We also have to use other people's pieces by the way. ”

Someone else's pawn?

"The Boi reinforcements in Thousand Hordes, the Imperial Legions in East Sackland, and... The dwarves of Silverhelm Mountain. Loren said lightly:

"What do you think would happen if they attacked the centaur army at the same time?"

"It can't be!"

Eckert asserted, but then laughed too:

"But we can try it and make it look like it's really possible. ”