The bigwigs all left, and the military discussion naturally couldn't be held, and everyone dispersed, only the Marquis of Trensu thought for a while and chased in the direction where the duke left.

Moments later, he met with the Duke in his private dining room.

"Do you think I should continue the fight, or should I retreat, or should I surrender?" asked the Duke, looking a little tired and lacking in energy.

Marquis Terensu smiled: "My lord, I want to ask a question. ”

"What a problem. ”

"If you surrender Thrace, a knight can still be a knight, a baron can still be a baron, a viscount can still be a viscount, a count can still be a count, a marquis can probably still be a marquis, but can a duke still be a duke?" said the Marquis of Trensu, "as far as I know, there are only two dukes in Thrace, whether it is Erantz 'Storm' or Piduz 'Mountain', who can resist the king and say 'no' to the Thracian family." My lord, do you think you have the confidence to do this?"

Duke Norma smiled bitterly: "Don't make fun of me! The strength of the Norma family may not even be comparable to the marquis of Thrace, let alone the two dukes!"

"So...... Do you think that if you surrender Thrace, the Norma family will still be able to maintain their status as dukes?"

"Probably not...... But it's not a big problem, it's just to split a family into several marquises, or even more counts. "I believe that as long as we try to negotiate with us, at least the land and population will not be reduced much." ”

He sighed: "Just like Yunero said just now, you will definitely not be able to beat it, and if you run again, the loss will be too great...... In comparison, perhaps the loss of surrender is a little smaller. ”

The Marquis of Trensu listened to him quietly, and then asked with a smile: "My lord, then what should you do when the time comes?"

Duke Norma was stunned and looked at him suspiciously, not understanding what he meant.

"If you surrender, the Norma family will be split into at least two marquises, or three...... When the time comes, which of the three marquis do you think is better?"

"It doesn't matter which one you want, anyway, I'm still the patriarch of the Norma family, and other marquis still have to ...... after all" Duke Norma's words came to an abrupt end, his eyes widened, and his face showed a strong uneasiness, and even some panic.

He understood what the Marquis of Trensu meant.

Even if he was demoted from duke to marquis, he would still be the patriarch of the Norma family, but would Thrace allow this situation? Is it possible for them to allow themselves, the defeated generals, to still control the entire Norma family?

Definitely not!

So what will Thrace do?

On the plus side, they might retire themselves and let their children and two of their contemporaries serve as the three marquises. Such a group has a high historical status, and the other two branches have a high seniority, and they strike a balance between each other.

From a bad point of view, they will choose to directly withdraw themselves and their direct line from the core ruling circle of the Norma family, and let the side line of the Norma family serve as all three marquises, everyone has the same status, and no one can overpower the other.

In fact, there could be even worse......

Duke Norma's knives and forks fell on the table, gasping violently. His face was so pale that there was no trace of blood, and his hands were shaking.

After a long time, he finally calmed down and asked, "Look, what should I do about this?"

Marquis Terensu smiled: "It depends on how you choose, doesn't it?"

Duke Norma sighed, "Old friend, don't joke with me, I'm in a mess right now, I can't think carefully!"

Marquis Terensu put away his smile and said solemnly: "What is the future of the Norma family, there is nothing to worry about. No matter what one chooses, this huge family is unlikely to decline in a generation or two. But what will happen to my old friend, I'm worried...... If you can't keep your position, then your status and prestige will become a noose around your neck!"

"So...... I don't have a choice?"

"Yes, you don't have a choice. ”

Duke Norma nodded, not surprised or sad: "If you don't have a choice, you don't have a choice, and this choice is not unacceptable - but now there is still a question, how can I convince everyone?"

He said distressedly: "For everyone's benefit, it should be better to surrender......

The Marquis of Trensu sighed, worried about the weakness of his old friend.

This old friend of his own is not a fighting profession, but a scholar, and if in a peaceful era, a lord like him is obviously a good thing for the territory. But in this era of war and chaos, his gentle and easy-going personality has become a huge flaw, and it can even be said to be a fatal wound.

He also knew that in fact, for himself and the Trensu family, colluding with Thrace and betraying the Norma family was the way to obtain the greatest benefits.

But he couldn't do that kind of thing.

One world and two brothers, who called everyone a good friend who studied and played together since childhood!

Over the years, the Telunsu family has been very well cared for by his friends, and he has to reciprocate whether it is reasonable or reasonable.

"The easiest way to get them to give in is to be harsh. "No matter how many interests there are, surrender is always taboo." Wait a minute, and then open a military discussion, I will severely criticize this kind of thinking, whoever dares to mention surrender again, immediately locked up, can only be released if the battle is won, and will be executed if the battle is lost!"

"Isn't that a death story?" said Duke Norma, taken aback.

"Does anyone dare to touch the mold?" asked the Marquis of Trensu rhetorically.

Duke Norma thought for a while and nodded: "You are right, when the time comes, I will clearly express my support for you, in this case, no one will dare to mention surrender again in the military council, at least this time I don't dare - this time I don't dare, and there will be no next chance." ”

"That's not enough. "There is one more thing that must be done—that Yunero must be punished severely!"

"He is also for the good of the Norma family, for the good of everyone......" Duke Norma hesitated, "If you don't accept his kindness, how can you punish him!"

"You are a benevolent man, but remember that mercy alone is not enough!" said the Marquis of Trensu solemnly, "these are extraordinary times! Whether Yunero was well-intentioned or not, he was the first to surrender and shot him first. ”

"But ......"

"There is no 'but'! Now is your life and death, and there is no room for mercy at this time! If you don't use strong means to make everyone obey and don't calm the situation all at once, you will be finished!"

Duke Norma was silent, and it took several minutes before he sighed deeply.

"You're right. He looked frustrated, "Just do it." ”