Verse 99 wise

"It's fine. "Essien looks much calmer than Clio. At least he could still smile and take a closer look at the enemy's face. "Sure enough, the vanguard was cavalry...... It is impossible for cavalry to come and attack the city. Rest assured, this is a fast force, and the responsibility of the fast force is to surround the city, reconnoiter the enemy, and prevent the enemy from escaping. ”

"Oh," Essien suddenly let out a sigh as he spoke, "and an acquaintance has arrived." ”

"Acquaintance?" Cleo looked puzzled.

"Hey!" Essien took off his helmet, revealing his face, and raised a hand to greet the cavalry near the wall. "Barranca, it's a pleasure to see you!"

Clio stood on the side and saw one of the riders break away from the brigade and come to the bottom of the city. The man was also not wearing a helmet.

"Who is this man?" he asked Essien.

"His name is Barranca, the captain of a mercenary. Essien said. "This guy is the leader of the mercenary unit in the Guards Legion. He's a shrewd guy to be reckoned with. ”

"It's you, Essien!" said Barranca. "Esin, be wise, open the gates. As long as you're not a fool, you should know that with the strength of the garrison, you will definitely not be able to hold this place. For the sake of friends, I'll let you go. ”

"Hey, when you open your mouth, you shout and kill, and there is no atmosphere of old friends meeting at all. Essien sighed. "Actually, Kaesong is fine, but even if it is a negotiation, it is always necessary to find a suitable person to negotiate. ”

"Am I not suitable?"

"Come on, Barranca, we all know that your title of 'lieutenant' doesn't even count as a hair. You're not even a Gruni, why are you so motivated? If nothing else, even if you get the credit for being the first to enter the city, what is it to you? Add a few more Gioli to your salary? Or don't do these immoral things that harm others and yourself, and find someone who can make credit to talk to me carefully. ”

"Essien, you're underestimating me!" Barranca slammed his breastplate a few times. "I'm no longer a mercenary, I'm a nobleman of Gruny. Although at the moment only a knight...... But we always have to look far. ”

"Then I'm really going to congratulate...... But for what is this good news, I only know now, who is this 'knight' of yours?"

"It's not too late to know. This morning, Queen Gruny Luvia61 Angel 61 Macrémiz personally canonized me as a knight. You see, now I'm a full-fledged nobleman of Gruni. Open the door for me!"

"Ah...... I really didn't expect that. What did you do to get such a reward?"

"This really depends on your last reminder, I should really say thank you, no, a thank you may not be enough, I decided to let you go, to express my gratitude. ”

"What did I remind you of?"

"The last time we met, didn't I ask you for the secret of your success? Opportunities will always come, but those who are not prepared will not have time to grasp the opportunity when it passes by'. It was listening to you that I was prepared and patiently waiting for my opportunity. This morning, that opportunity finally came, and I didn't hesitate to seize it. ”

"What does he mean by that?" asked Clio puzzled.

"Clio...... Do you know anything about mercenaries?" asked Essien softly.

"Of course, mercenaries ......" Clio originally wanted to say "a group of thugs who fought for money", but remembering that Esin himself was also a mercenary, he temporarily changed his tune. “...... Hidden dragon and crouching tiger in the middle. ”

"It should be said that there are three religions and nine streams. Essien chuckled. "Actually, not to mention the aristocracy, even ordinary people don't think much of mercenaries and see them as scoundrels who work for money. Not only that, on the battlefield, mercenaries are always regarded as cannon fodder and consumables. Although almost no general would discipline mercenaries, no one cared about the lives of mercenaries. He smiled, but there was no joy in his smile. "Many people see mercenaries paid high salaries, many people see mercenaries have bad military discipline, but they forget one thing...... Except for a very few lucky people who can be favored by the gods, in the mercenary industry...... There is no future. ”

"This ...... It's ......," Cleo admitted. In many battlefields, mercenaries and ordinary soldiers fight together, although mercenaries are paid more expensively, ordinary soldiers are better than mercenaries in another way, that is, they have the opportunity to be promoted. If merit can be made, it is not uncommon for civilian soldiers to be canonized as knights, and even higher status is not a fantasy. In contrast, mercenaries are usually rewarded for their meritorious service on the battlefield.

This is a deep-seated prejudice: since mercenaries fight for money, wouldn't it be better to reward them with money? But in reality, what ambitious person would set his goal for money? For those who have no ideals, no consideration for the future, or who live in a muddy life, who are drunk and drunk, mercenaries may be a good profession. But for those who have the talent and ambition to stand out in their military careers through war, the status of mercenaries is a shackle that binds them tightly. It was as if there was an invisible transparent wall in their way, and few mercenaries were able to rise to the top by means of war.

The opportunity to climb the ladder through exploits is like the horizon for the average mercenary - it can be seen, but it can never be reached.

"Well, not everyone will be satisfied with the status of mercenary...... But the upward movement to the Lu ...... Hard. Essien said in a voice that was not emotional. "So this Barranca captain was ...... this morning The queen made her choice when she went to the barracks to try to seize military power. ”

"What do you mean......"

"If Barranca chooses to support that hapless Farusha, then he will always be just a mere mercenary captain, with a salary higher than his subordinates, plus a worthless title of 'lieutenant' at most. But if he chooses to support the Queen, then he has a future!"

“...... I get it...... Presumably, Barranca was the first to jump out in support of the queen, and he must have made a vote...... Presumably, it took a lot of effort for the queen to seize command. Of course, our little queen will reward that loyalty...... There is no doubt that this kind of display of loyalty in times of crisis will leave an immense impression on our little queen. If the little queen wins the last victory, I'm afraid it is not impossible for him to become a high-ranking nobleman in the kingdom......" Clio smiled. "It's a pity that that's just a 'if'! I'm afraid that his venture capital investment will end in failure at the very least. ”

"You're wrong, my dear Clio. Essien replied. "His venture capital investment is not going to fail. At least in theory. ”

"Ah, do you think there is hope for our little queen?"

"Of course not, but ...... You see, even if you are a captive, you are treated differently as a nobleman than you are a mercenary. To put it simply...... Even if it really comes to an extremely bad situation, as long as he becomes a nobleman, he will have a traitor...... Do you know what that means? When the time comes, our Duke Byron will buy him after a little bargaining. ”

“...... I see...... I get it! smart man...... He is indeed a smart man. Clio couldn't help but nod. He has always considered himself to be a smart person, so he has respect for other smart people.

"Dear Barranca, I'm sorry I have to refuse your request. Essien poked his head out and shouted to Barranca below. "Even though you are a knight, I am also a knight...... But my current position dictates that it is not appropriate for you to negotiate with me. I need someone who can make a decision...... To be honest, I would like to speak with my colleague, Ashrufat, and of course Her Majesty the Queen. ”

"Essien, you're not a knight anymore. Barranca, who was in the city, didn't look angry after being rejected. Of course, even if he was angry, it didn't matter. "By the will of Her Majesty, Byron committed the grave sin of treason, and he and his followers were to be stripped of all their lands, titles, possessions, and offices. In other words, you're nothing now. ”

"Ah...... Ah......h Of course, this is just pretending. "Well, I'll admit, it was a blow that I didn't expect. Looks like you're ahead of me...... But we'll have to wait and see. If you can't find the right person to talk to me, I suggest that you do your job better. ”

Seeing that there was no end to the conversation, Barranca rode away and returned to his team.

"Are they going to attack the city?" Cleo, who was beside Essien, couldn't help but ask again.

"No way, I didn't even have a hook with me. Essien reassured. "You can't climb the walls empty-handed. ”

The facts proved Essien's judgment, and after a few minutes, part of the cavalry began to break away from the brigade, which was supposed to carry out a search mission. The rest began camping. Of course, no matter how they walked around Eagle City, the final result would not be any different. Because Essien knew very well that all the walls were the same - no one guarded them. Now, the only thing he could rely on was the walls of the city itself, and nothing else. As long as thirty people climbed over the wall with hooks, all of Essin's plans would be in vain. Not to mention Ji Lu's drawing, he himself will die here nine out of nine.

Essien didn't think that Ashrufat would show mercy to his men because of the friendship of his colleagues.

The rest of the day passed like this. As the next day came, Esin saw a huge column of troops coming from afar to the city. In the position of the Chinese army, the white eagle banner of the Gruni royal family, that is, the Makremiz family, fluttered.

Even if it was him, the smile on his face couldn't help but fade at this time. Whether it will survive or destroy depends on what happens next.

Maybe it was the words I had said to Barranca earlier that worked. Before the sun had completed a quarter of its journey, Ashruphat came to the city and met him at a distance.