"It can't go on like this!"

Zheng Ming, who had been besieged by the Dornes for several days and had just tried to break through the siege to no avail, pushed open the door of Lancelot's room.

Lancelot, who was originally staring at the map in a daze with a sad face, looked up when he heard this.

"I know that too. There is not much food left. I'm afraid we'll be hungry with horses in a few days. ”

Speaking of which, Lancelot looked at Zheng Ming and asked the question he had asked countless times in the past few days.

"Don't you have the ability to store things? Is there really no food? Are you looking for it again? Maybe you missed it? ”

Facing Lancelot's expectant eyes, Zheng Ming couldn't help but show a wry smile. It seems that Lancelot has really been pushed to the limit, otherwise how could he hope for such an illusory assumption with his temperament.

"It's gone. Didn't you notice that I hadn't eaten in days? ”

"What to do? The Dornish are besieging but not attacking, they are waiting for us to give up our geographical advantage and fight them in a decisive battle on the plains. With their forces several times our strength, if we go head-to-head with them outside, we will surely suffer heavy losses. It is even possible to be completely annihilated by them. But if we don't fight, in a few days, we will be so hungry that we will not even have the strength to defend the city. ”

"For today's plan, we can only concentrate our forces to break through with all our might. As for the infantry, leave them to defend the city. As long as they rely on the walls for a few more days, they can help us attract the strength of one side. Moreover, the cavalry all went out of the city to break through, and the remaining food could allow them to hold out for a few more days. Maybe we'll be able to wait for reinforcements. ”

Hearing Zheng Ming mention reinforcements, Lancelot raised his head suddenly.

"You said before you sent a letter to the king asking for help before you came. Perhaps, as long as we hold out for a few more days, we will be able to wait for the king's support ....... ”

"Lancelot! What are you still fantasizing? You know better than I do! A few more days? Not to mention whether Arthur will encounter obstacles on the way to support the army, even if the road is unimpeded, with the current food reserves, can we wait until then? That's nearly 20,000 troops, almost as many times as the population in peacetime. With so many mouths to eat, plus war horses, do you think we can hold on for a few more days? Six days? Seven days? ”

Zheng Ming's indisputable roar of anger ignited Lancelot's emotions. He suddenly got up and grabbed Zheng Ming's clothes and yelled loudly.

"So what do you want me to do? Toll! That's more than 12,000 infantry! It includes almost one-third of the noble families of the kingdom. You told me to leave them as bait and run away alone? And then what? Is it hated by all the local nobles like you? Unlike monsters like you, who have a special relationship with the king, we humans are social creatures. It's about cooperation and compromise!

Do you know the effort I put into climbing to where I am now? Decade! At my youngest and strongest age, I worked so hard that I even gave up starting a family. I've managed to get to where I am now, are you going to make me give up? How many decades are there in a person's life? ”

Zheng Ming looked indifferently at Lancelot, who was close at hand, and looked at his stubble and roared at him with a distorted face. may be due to the fact that he has not been cleaned for many days, and the man in front of him looks like he has lost the handsome sunshine of his past, and all that remains is decadence and embarrassment.

"Done venting? Then hurry up and come back to your senses! ”

"Huh? How do you want me to be sensible? Because I didn't want my power to be hollowed out by my family, I led my army straight into the middle of the enemy army. Now this desperate situation is almost caused by me. Even if I survive, I'm done ....... ”

"Bang."

Zheng Ming interrupted Lancelot, who was almost in a state of madness, with his fist. Looking at Lancelot, who was sitting on the broken table and chair with a shocked face and looking up at him, Zheng Ming said to himself: "I have been going out frequently to test these days. It was found that the forces in the rear were somewhat weak. I suspect they may have split up their forces to capture Tulip territory. I will lead the Guards cavalry and break through from the other direction. All the way to their territory. If they don't want to be messed up in the rear, they'll be chasing after me. When the time comes, you just need to lead the rest of your forces and hold the rear where your forces are weak.

I believe that without us people, there should be barely enough food for you to wait for support. And with the Dornites we lure to the south, there will be less pressure on you to defend the city. ”

"You're going to be bait?"

Hearing Lancelot's half-believing voice, the corners of Zheng Ming's mouth turned up slightly, revealing a cold smile.

"No, it's both of us as bait. Which side is weak, which side can't hold on, then they are bait. ”

"You're a madman."

"No, I'm not crazy. It's just not like you. ”

Seeing Lancelot, who was silent, Zheng Ming, who felt that he had finished speaking, turned around and walked towards the door. Lancelot stretched out his right hand, intending to say something, but when he saw the determined back, his lips moved and he chose to be silent.

And Zheng Ming stopped as if he remembered something when he walked to the door.

"Oh, yes. Don't worry about your career, war will always be accompanied by sacrifices. Only those who survive have the right to speak. I speculate that it will take at least twenty days for Arthur to be able to kill here. The food left behind should be enough for you to wait for support, after all, as the battle damage increases, there will be fewer and fewer mouths to consume food. ”

Lancelot stared blankly at the empty doorway, thinking about the meaning of the words that Zheng Ming left behind before leaving, and muttered in his mouth.

"Should I say it's Dragon? Obviously has a humanoid appearance, but it is cold and not human. ”

……

After saying goodbye to Lancelot on the other side, Zheng Ming ordered Seong and the other commanders to gather their subordinates and then stood quietly in the square in the center of the town and waited.

The technologically backward city is crammed with a population that is far several times larger than usual, and the results can be imagined. Beneath the population, which far exceeds the capacity of the town, there is a lingering stench in the air.

The soldiers wandering the streets also seemed to be aware of the difficult situation. They are either sorrowful or grumpy. Those old soldiers who do not leave the inferior ale wine on weekdays are even more openly quarreling and brawling in public. A scene where he knows that his time is running out and gives up on himself.

Soon, the guards who came in line with a uniform pace suppressed the noise. In the eyes of the people around them, these soldiers, who were covered in sweat and smelly, looked quite embarrassed because of the stains on their faces and their tightly clinging hair, ran in front of Zheng Ming.

"Next, I'm going to take you to break through. I can't promise that you'll all come back alive, but I will promise that I will never abandon you as long as you follow me. I'm sure you've heard about the current situation from those old soldiers who don't speak strictly. Now I'll tell you. Stay, we all have to die. Come with me, both of you can live. To tell you the truth, it will be more difficult to go with me than to stay behind, and you are more likely to die. Now I'm giving you one last chance, and those who want to stay can leave. ”

Zheng Ming waited quietly for a moment, but found that there was no sound below, and a group of soldiers under the black pressure stood quietly in place, waiting silently.

"Good. I hope you won't regret it. Now go back and take your mounts, and we'll set out in two quarters of an hour. During this time you can leave your wishes, you can tell your comrades, and those who can write can write down. I assure you that I will not treat those who die or survive in battle. ”

After giving the order, Zheng Ming didn't pay any more attention to the guards cavalry who left in silence in a solemn atmosphere. He just stood in place like a sculpture and looked in the direction where the City Lord's Mansion was located.

At the same time, in the city lord's mansion, the local nobles who got Zheng Ming's movements flocked to Lancelot's location. Zheng Ming's theories of seizure of power, conspiracy theories, complaints, and protests are varied.

However, Lancelot, who was looking south in a daze, did not pay any attention to their intentions, and he knew in his heart that there was no need to talk about the people who would be "sacrificed" in the near future.