By the end of the three days of the battle, the streets of the outer city of Mantas were full of corpses, the roads that had been smooth and straight were covered with dents from the shelling, the wreckage of the carriages clogged the crossings, and the flames that had not yet been extinguished showed how fierce the previous battle had been.

The watchtower of the patrol, the bell tower of the church, the top floor of the shop... Everything that could have been used as a fortress against enemies is now in ruins. And at the city gate at the junction of the inner city and the outer city, a large pit more than three meters deep and more than fifty meters in diameter is like an ugly scar, left on this once prosperous and busy city. The surrounding buildings were all destroyed in the terrifying electromagnetic fluctuations and elemental explosions, leaving only a few sections of the city wall made of black gold and stone bricks, which were left next to the pit full of scars, and looked like an indescribable sense of sadness.

The inner city of Mantas has always been a place of nobility in the kingdom, every building here has a long history, and each residence is the residence of the rich and noble, and the luxury and elegance in this place are unmatched by other noble estates in the kingdom.

Before the outbreak of war, hundreds of wealthy merchants were on the streets of the inner city every day talking about the flow of hundreds of thousands of gold coins. In the grand castles and lavish mansions, countless dignitaries and dignitaries came and went every day, holding banquets and balls one after another, enjoying themselves, shaking wine glasses made of crystal, and talking about topics that belonged to the upper class, such as cooperation and marriage. At the doorstep of some high-ranking nobles, there were always family guards no less powerful than high-ranking warriors, wearing ornate armor and holding halberds to guard the courtyard. Inside, the owners of these ruling houses are talking to their friends, and their every word can make the difference between the life and death of hundreds of people or the rise or fall of a region.

Today, however, these high-ranking nobles are huddled in the corners of the wall, their hands trembling and raised, their splendid garments stained and torn with stains and tattered alongside the ordinary soldiers and "untouchables" whom they have always looked down upon. The ladies and their daughters trembled and hugged each other, priceless jewels strewn all over the floor, and expensive magic amulets had long since lost their luster and were full of cracks. These former high-ranking people are now driven into corners, and their property is now being looted by the robbers in their eyes. But there was nothing they could do at this time, and they could only glance at the tall and burly yellow-haired warriors guarding them with fearful eyes, and silently pray to the unknown god in their hearts.

They did not have time to escape, or were forcibly left behind by their king, Salondron, who was convinced that the nobles would not hesitate to betray Mantas once they fled from his fiefdom. And these nobles who were forcibly left behind could only hand over their private troops and guards to Salondrão, and invite their own family's guardians to join the battle to guard Mantas.

If they win, their safety will be assured, and in the subsequent counterattack launched by the kingdom, they can also use the coercion and merit they have encountered in this battle as a justification to include all the territories that have been taken by the southerners into their fiefdoms. And once they lose, then everything for them is likely to be lost, and whether their property, and even their lives, can be guaranteed in the face of those unreasonable and barbaric opponents is a question.

Sure enough, when the forces protecting their security were almost completely wiped out under the internal and external attacks of the enemy, and the strong men who guarded them were either killed or wounded, and all escaped from Mantas, the walls of the inner city were hit by the devastating weapons, the walls were blown out of the gaps, and tens of thousands of troops attacked the inner city, the remaining guards of the nobles quickly collapsed, and their mansions and small castles, which were the last bastions to protect their safety, also fell. During the three days of fighting, except for the most magnificent building in Mantas, the royal palace and castle complex of the Subic royal family, the rest of the inner city was occupied by the troops of the Free Alliance, and the nobles who shouted for aristocratic treatment and shouted for negotiations with the head of the alliance were half hanged at the door of their mansions, and half were put in prison with the civilian criminals. The nobles who surrendered, on the other hand, were confined in their bedrooms, watching the filthy (not really, just mind-ridden) goblin thieves wantonly plunder their family's property.

Some of the young and low-ranking nobles, as well as some unpopular illegitimate children, and the opposition of the royal family, after the surrender, were summoned to the makeshift camp of the two Consuls of the Alliance, where they promised to pay tens or even hundreds of thousands of gold coins to keep their families safe, and to make some shady agreements with each other, to obtain some rights that they had long desired but had not been able to obtain. The old-school aristocracy remained in their position, and they did not owe allegiance to each other, but paid a large ransom in exchange for the safety of the family and the security of their property. And those young low-ranking nobles and those who were excluded from the aristocratic circle chose another path.

According to the rhetoric of the nobles, this was a betrayal of glory and a provocation to the authority of the nobility. But for this part of the people, they are excluded and do not take glory seriously at all, and as for the other rules of the nobility, they are also well aware of it, which is just a means of ruling over the ignorant commoners. They also understand that these invaders always need the support of a group of people if they want to gain a foothold, and they are important pawns used by the other side to stabilize their rule.

It doesn't matter to them whether they make a pawn or not, if they don't take the opportunity, they don't even have to make a pawn. Driven by interest and anger in their hearts, they renounced their allegiance to Salondron and surrendered to Subic's true successor, Her Royal Highness Princess Everia, and declared their allegiance.

I really didn't expect this attack to go so smoothly. I didn't expect that these low-level nobles would take refuge in us so simply. To me, what a baron and viscount is a matter of words, and I myself cannot tell whether it is useful or not, but this empty promise plus the reduction of the ransom is very effective for these young nobles.

I don't care if they're sincere or not, because that's unlikely. But as long as our strength is still there, and we bring them more benefits, I am not afraid that they will betray us.

I discussed with Fang Zi, wait another hour, and then we will launch a general attack, even if we use electromagnetic cannons to bomb the power center of this kingdom into ruins, we must take this place, capture Salondran, and end his rule completely. Or, in other words, the end of the existing kingdom of Subic.

I chatted with Fang Zi for a while, and the two days of fighting made us all a little mentally exhausted, but as long as we can take down Mantas, it will be worth it.

"Your Majesty, the palace has sent an emissary asking for surrender."

Louis walked in and said something I thought I had misheard.

"What?" I couldn't believe his words, and Fang Zi had the same expression as me, and even wondered what kind of trap this was.

"Your Majesty, I don't believe it either, but..."

Louis spread his hands, and his face was also dazed.

"They did surrender, Salondron ran away, and our troops had entered the castle. I know it's hard to believe, but Your Majesty, we do control the palace. They, they seem to have really surrendered. ”10