"You think you can win the war by capturing me? Come on, little baron, you're just lucky, I'm not going to throw in the towel, and I'm not going to just give up. ”

Count Rimusk sat at the table in the room, eating a boiled duck with both hands, and he was also dismissive of Byron's suggestion of a truce for freedom.

"And I can tell you frankly that if you want a ransom, my family will pay you a sufficient amount of dinars. But it was impossible to get the army to withdraw, and Count Mateas wanted to retake Fort Gruenward, and Serindil was only part of the campaign, a roadblock in the way of the attack. Even if I die, the war will not end, this town will eventually be taken, and you can't stop it. ”

Count Rimusk ate ducks with a mouth full of oil, and there was no pressure at all, but there was already a dark cloud over Byron, who sat across from him.

"You're just going to tell me about your plans? Earl, are you a little too arrogant? ”

Byron clenched his fists and asked with great displeasure.

"Little Baron, you don't have a lot of brains. We've mobilized so many troops, don't you think it's just to take this town that belongs to me? ”

"Come on, except for Fort Gruenward, where is it worth us to capture this season."

Count Rimusk said that, regardless of Byron, he feasted.

Byron walked out of the room with a gloomy face, closing the door almost with a smash.

Fatis and Arenn stood guard at the door, listening to all the previous conversations.

"Sir, I think ......"

Fatis leaned in, but Byron interrupted him rudely.

"Where is Rhodok's army now?"

"They just took Baron Chico's territory and are gathering supplies."

Fatis was stunned for a moment, and then replied to Byron with some apprehension.

"If, as Count Rimusk says, they will not stop, then the day after tomorrow they will reach the foot of our walls. In a day's time, they'll be able to take this place, and we'll be captives. ”

Fatis sounded a little pessimistic, but Byron knew it was telling the truth. The difference in strength between the two sides was too great, even if Byron had previously routed hundreds of Rhodok infantry who followed Count Rimusk with small losses, but after learning that Fort Agorlong had sent more than a thousand elite soldiers to the west to support, the ratio of enemy to friend was still close to ten to one, a terrible ratio that Byron could not surpass.

"Fort Gruenward is now the fief of Count DiLinald, and there are thousands of warriors there, and if they come to our aid, we will be able to break the siege. We have defeated the Southerners once, and they have always been praised for their discipline and crossbows, which now seem to be nothing more than cowardly rhetoric. ”

Alleyn was a little disdainful of the Rhodok army that had come to attack, admitting that the opposing side had many soldiers and outnumbered them, but until now he did not think that he would lose.

"Self-confidence is a good thing, Alleyne. But if you are too self-confident, you will be arrogant, and arrogance will not bring good things. ”

Byron frowned when he heard his words, the previous battle was a little too smooth, which made this noble kid a little fluttery. This is an old problem with Ellenn, and it has caused him some trouble, but he has never had a long memory, so until now Byron is not at ease to let him lead the army alone.

"Fort Gruenward's army was not too many, and most of it was infantry from Uxhall. The Count and the officers of the castle would not risk sending their army so far from the city in order to save a city that did not matter to them. And even if they really wanted to help us, it would be too late. Before they arrive, this place will fall, I know that. ”

Byron pinched the bridge of his nose and glanced at Alleyne with a little helplessness.

"I'm sorry, my lord, but you have the right word."

Alleyne shrugged his shoulders and apologized, but it was clear that he didn't take Byron's words seriously.

Byron didn't care about Alleyne's attitude, he came to the hall downstairs with a gloomy face, gathered his heroes, and discussed the matter for a long time.

"I hate to say that, but we should give up on Serindil first."

Byron felt heartache when he said this, after all, this was his territory, the foundation of his current development, and the symbol of his status. Although they had thought in the previous negotiations that they could retake it later, if they failed, everything Byron had done in Serindil during this time would be in vain.

His prestige would be greatly diminished, and the people of Serindil would perceive the lord as having abandoned them, and the rest of the kingdom's nobles would laugh at him, even if he had captured an Earl of Rhodock.

The heroes looked at each other and did not object to Byron.

In the course of the previous discussions, they thought of many ways to deal with the Rhodoks, and Kress even suggested that half of the town and the invading army should be sent to the sky with gunpowder.

But no matter how you look at it, even if you win by luck using this method, the gains outweigh the losses.

And more importantly, Byron also has peony mercenaries, as well as a large number of dinars and a lot of properties, he doesn't need to risk everything to defend here, and he doesn't need to risk losing heroes or paying a large ransom.

"That's it, tell our people to go pack up their things, and take with them the craftsmen and willing ...... Forget it, whether they want to or not, take those local militias away! And our captive, Count Rimuske, whom we offer to Count Harengos, a little less ransom, but at least he won't be too critical of us for abandoning the town. ”

"Also, set fire to the east and north walls, so that it will be much easier for us to attack them in the future."

Byron's orders were quickly implemented, and many people were asked to pack their bags and prepare to leave immediately. Even if they didn't want to, the soldiers would "help" them pack their things and put them in the wagon.

The townspeople immediately noticed that something was wrong, and they saw soldiers everywhere, and the things in the stone tower were being moved out one by one.

People realize that their current lordship is leaving, just like their former lord of Rhodok.

Half of them didn't care, for them the change of lord was as ordinary as a change of clothes.

The other half of the people were very panicked, they had moved here under Byron's rule, and Byron had given them land and tax relief, and they didn't want to lose them. At the risk of being beaten, they stopped the soldiers to ask questions, but they did not answer them.

Flames rose on the wall, and the women screamed. Unlike before, this time no one tried to extinguish the fire, allowing the fire to burn half of the town's walls.

In the end, Byron's convoy took almost all of the grain from the granary, and when Rhodok's army arrived, there was no other way but to force it from the populace.

This time, Byron was ruthless.