Section 178 Doomsday

"Cannon! Pull the cannon and bombard it with the cannon!"

An officer shouted hoarsely. With his push, several cannons were pulled to the nearest distance. The half-burned gate groaned under the onslaught of dense shells. With the final blow, the gates were reduced to smithereens, and a large gap appeared large enough for three people to walk side by side.

The soldiers shouted cheers and rushed forward.

The battle was much smoother than expected. Perhaps the enemy has also understood that after the gate is breached, it is irretrievable. Their resistance was weak, and the soldiers soon surrendered in droves.

The triple defense of Fornoros City has broken through two layers. All that remains is the central castle, which is also the ducal residence. To say that the city was not built was a huge effort on the part of Byron's ancestors (and himself, of course). After the outer walls were breached, the second layer still resisted for a day. As for the last line of defense, it is known for its danger and narrowness.

But no matter what kind of castle fortress it is, at this point, it will only delay the destruction a little.

The defeat is like a mountain, and this sentence is in line with the current situation. Byron may have fought to the end for the sake of his survival, but his men were scattered and had no intention of continuing the fight. The final blow doesn't even need to be delivered, because as long as the battle slows down and the imminent pressure of life and death is reduced, the human survival instinct will force them to make the right and only choice.

Either you die, or you sell your life and steal it. It's not an honorable choice, but you can't force everyone to have chivalry.

This choice is easier to make for a civil war in a country. Because you can even find good reasons for your actions, and no one will say that you have done something wrong in the future.

Ashrufat had moved his command post to a large house in the city. As many expected, the biggest trouble for him now was not Byron's last stronghold, the Central Castle, but the stack of letters on his desk.

One of the great features of civil war is that the two warring sides are inextricably linked to each other. And the most direct embodiment of these relationships is expressed in the pile of letters on his desk.

These were all letters from all over the country, and Eagle Falcon City accounted for the vast majority. All of these are plea letters.

Of course, these are not letters of pleading for traitors. The conviction of Byron treason has been established, and now someone wants to intercede for him or his men, which is like suicide. These letters of plea are actually from the Chamber of Commerce......

Fornoros is an important city, and like all important cities, almost all chambers of commerce have branches in the city. Originally, these divisions were under the protection of the local lord, the Duke of Byron. But now that Byron's demise is just around the corner, these chamber branches have become a piece of fat.

The content of these letters is not much different, that is, to find ways to use various connections to get Ashrufat to ensure the safety of the lives and property of some people in the city. As for the writers of these letters, the vast majority of Ashrufat only knew their names and did not know their people.

"General, we've caught the magician. ”

As Ashrufat flipped through the letters, several soldiers walked into the headquarters with a man in a crimson robe. The magician was bare-handed, and there were no visible scars on his body. He clearly did not put up any resistance.

Then again, the matter has come to this point, unless it is Byron's closest friend, the other mercenaries are not obliged to be martyred for Byron.

"I surrender," the magician spoke first, his expression relaxed, indifferent. "My employment relationship with Byron has ended, so I demand that the captives be treated accordingly. ”

Ashrufat's gaze was fixed on him, and he didn't look away for several seconds. He didn't speak, but the cruel aura unconsciously leaked from him, and everyone present could vaguely feel it.

"Wait," the magician had realized that something was wrong before Ashruphat could make any moves, and he spoke immediately. "I can provide useful information. Byron is now trapped inside, but there is a tunnel leading to the outside. Byron is likely to take advantage of this opportunity...... I don't know exactly where the Tao is, but I do know the general direction. ”

......

The sound of artillery and shouts of killing fell silent.

There were more than 2,000 people who retreated into the last line of defense, and this was Byron's last strength.

Byron sat down in the conference room with a pale face, and there were five or six of his subordinates seated, and the others were gone. This raid was too sudden, and the effect of the explosion was too exaggerated to even the supposedly impregnable city of Fornoros. After the sudden explosion, the defenders were already out of control. Being able to organize resistance in the second line of defense is the best outcome.

Of course, the capture of the last line of defense was also expected for a long time. In fact, it resisted for a whole day and a night, which was beyond the best estimates.

Now, the city of Fornoros is in the hands of the enemy, and Byron is left with only this central castle. He also had more than two thousand soldiers, almost half of whom were wounded.

Although Byron had painstakingly assembled a large army, it was the militia of the city of Fornoros that really followed him to the end. This also reflects the fact that Byron is deeply loved by the people in his own territory.

However, popular will does not equal victory in the war. The hearts of the people of a city are not enough to compete with a country.

"Lord Duke, the enemy...... Temporarily retreated......" one of his subordinates reported. His face was dark, it was the result of the long use of firearms, but no one cared about grooming anymore. "But, tomorrow ......"

His words were not finished, but everyone knew what he meant. Although the central castle is the third line of defense, it cannot be relied on to turn the tide, it can only delay its demise, and it can only delay it temporarily.

If reinforcements are available, then maybe hold out - or at least try. But...... There were no reinforcements in the city of Fornoros. Byron's vassals had all betrayed, and they had been the hardest part of the previous attack. The Tiberius were too far away, and even if they were to prepare to send troops now, they would not have time to save Byron. As for the Chamber of Commerce, Eagle Falcon City, secret agents, and so on, they are not even "far water", let alone "quench their thirst".

"Go down, all of you. Byron let out a long sigh. Although the meeting had not even begun, no one objected. It's all here, do you still need a meeting?

All of a sudden Byron was left alone in the room. No, two people should be said, because after everyone had left, a figure suddenly came out of a cabinet next to it. This one is the previous Chaos Believer,

Byron looked up at him, but did not speak.

"Rest assured, Lord Duke, our agreement is absolutely valid. The other party smiled slightly and said. "I hope the messenger will protect your children and grandchildren. ”

Byron nodded. The other party has kept silent about Byron's own safety, which shows that the "omnipotent" god in his mouth has the limit of his power after all. Of course, at this point, Byron no longer wants more. As long as his family can continue.

He reached out and trembled as he pulled his pistol from the holster at his waist. His pistol is both a weapon and a work of art, lightweight, ornate, and powerful. Although Byron didn't know how many times he had shaken the handle of the gun, it was the first time he had noticed how heavy the gun could be.

His hand holding the pistol trembled.

Hold it to your temple, pull the trigger, and end the qiē like a dignified nobleman. You tried, you failed, and that's the best outcome. A voice whispered in my heart.

But his body seemed to instinctively reject this opinion. It was a very simple and light thing to do with the muzzle of a pistol to his head, but at this moment, Byron's right hand was shaking so hard that he could not do it.

He held his right hand with his left hand so that he could continue to hold the handle of the gun.

The cultists were watching Byron's every move, and he seemed curious and mocking.

The shame of having his weaknesses exposed to others gave Byron new courage. He gritted his teeth and raised the muzzle of his gun to his temple.

But the instinct of the body was fed back with greater force, and although his fingers were on the trigger, he couldn't even lift half of the strength. In his heart, there was a life-like instinct that roared to prevent him from doing such a thing as pulling the trigger. His arms were still shaking, and even the muzzle of his gun was shaking.

Although Byron tried his best to calm himself, he could not be calm. Because no matter how calm a person pretends to be on the surface, it is just a disguise to deceive others. There is no way to deceive oneself, to deceive one's heart. Death is easy to say, but only a warrior can do it.

Byron was never a warrior.

However, he was well aware that he had no choice. The battle was hopeless, and there was no way that demonic little girl could forgive him. The fate of Bairheim is the best proof of this. In a sense, Byron still doesn't know what's going on, and he doesn't understand why his careful planning and perfect layout could be the way it was. But he knew that his end was near. That Ashrufat, cunning like a fox. On the surface, he pretended to be under siege for a long time, but in fact he was planning to attack the city by blasting through tunnels. Byron had thought he had a few months to go, and the illusion paralyzed him. Knowing this, he would have agreed to all the terms of Tiberius at the first time, rather than trying to bargain.

If that time ...... It would be nice to be willing to be a regent...... A trace of remorse flooded my heart. But how can a regent, though he be noble and illustrious, compare to the supremacy of royal power?

You have no choice, the voice in your heart said coldly again. Do you see the eyes of the men who just left? They are all waiting for you to die. As soon as you commit suicide and they surrender again, it is a perfect ending for them, and they do not need to bear any sin. It is also because they are waiting for this outcome that they are still by your side and obey your commands. If you dare to go against their expectations, surely some of them will surrender. When the time comes, it will not be a cute bullet, but a punishment of unknown nature.

No...... No...... I don't want to die! I don't want to die like this! In the depths of his heart, the roar of instinct was still strong, and the desire to survive was so persistent that it ignored the logical reasoning of reason. I will hand over a qiē, and I will cry and beg her for mercy...... She will forgive me...... She will definitely forgive me......

His will repeated this miserable and hopeless struggle. It wasn't very hot, but sweat was pouring down his head and wetting his hair. The pistol trembled violently, and the steel of the muzzle rubbed even a small piece of skin on Byron's temple. Suddenly, he noticed that the cultist had come to him at some point.

In the conference room, a clear gunshot rang out.