Ciudad de Severa, Grand Ducal Palace.

Adhering to the tenet of "one feast a day", Grand Duke Ian did not abandon this habit even in times of war. But of course, he didn't dare to be too public, so the scale of the banquet was much smaller than before.

The banquet hall is lavishly decorated with exquisite ornamentation. The lamp made of pure gold, fueled by blubber from the deep sea, is bright and dazzling, not only has no smoke, but also emits a faint fragrance.

Grand Duke Ian sat on the soft couch, hugging left and right, the beauty in his arms, and the boredom in his chest was finally reduced by half a point.

"Drink, drink to your heart's content. He waved his hand vigorously, and the fat on his cheeks quivered habitually. The concubine brought the golden cup to his lips, the wine was as red as blood, this is the finest berry wine produced by the seaside plantation in Buyada, with a mellow fragrance and endless aftertaste.

Lance, who was regarded as a confidant by Grand Duke Ian, sat on the other side. The delicate Mei Ji next to him, intentionally or unintentionally, rubbed his arms with his chest, which made the young officer obviously a little unsettled.

"Why are you so restrained?" said Grand Duke Ian, dissatisfied, as he reached into the skirt of Mei Ji in his arms, and pretended to be generous, "In the evening, you can take her back and give it to you." ”

Many of the concubines and maids of the Ian nobles were bought from slave traders, and they were considered private property and could be freely circulated and sold. It is also very common to give it to others as a gift.

Several other cronies showed expressions of envy or jealousy at the same time. These women who accompany the wine are all graceful and colorful, which makes people horny at a glance.

"This ......" Lance was stunned for a moment, subconsciously wanted to excuse himself, opened his mouth, but didn't know how to say it.

Instead, it was the girl who was taken as a gift. There was a look of resentment on his face, and he didn't follow his voice. However, secretly, it was a secret joy. This young officer, even if he is not good, is better than the fat pig with a short temper and quirks. Now, it can be regarded as out of the clutches of the devil.

"That's it. "Don't let him say anything. Grand Duke Ian clapped. The banquet continued, everyone pushed the glasses and changed the lamps, and soon there were guys who were too drunk to drink, drunk and unconscious.

Grand Duke Ian was not to blame, and directly ordered his own soldiers to carry them away. In the end, in the banquet hall, only Lance, who was quite self-disciplined, and the Grand Duke himself, who couldn't tell whether he was drunk or awake at all.

"You go out first......" he commanded, waving his hand. Wait until the guards and concubines leave. Grand Duke Ian leaned back on the cushion and asked casually, "Lance, I heard you've been to Snowton before?"

"Hmm...... Yes," Lance hesitated for a moment, nodded, and explained, "When I was younger. He was a mercenary for a while, and he once traveled in Snowton. ”

"Those years. Since it had not been long since the Irendil Rebellion, there had been peace between the North and the South, but it was a rare period of peace," recalls Archduke Ian, blinking his cloudy eyes, "and it was precisely because of the 'Victory Day Celebration' that followed. The Holy See's vain attempt to attack Vanuna and support Jonas to seize the throne has led to today's disaster. ”

"It should ...... Right. When it came to Archbishop Inedil, Lance didn't dare to comment too much, just concentrating on dealing with the cooked venison in front of him.

"I've heard of it. Grand Duke Ian poured all the residual wine in the cup into his throat, coughed for a while, and then said mysteriously, "You have some friendship with the former Grand Duke of Anlan, Onisha?"

Lance's hands with his knife and fork froze suddenly, and he looked up at Grand Duke Ian, only to find that the other party was also watching him. There was a sly look floating on the fat face, which had always been known for its mediocrity.

"It was a long time ago," Lance replied in a low voice, "I only spent time in a mercenary squad, and I didn't know she was Princess Anlan." ”

"Even if you knew that Onisha was Princess Anlan at the time, I am afraid that you would never have imagined that she would make such a big noise later," Grand Duke Ian echoed a few words, and then his voice changed, "There is also news, it is said that you and Count Allegri of the Snowton Empire also know each other?"

"Your Highness, where did you hear that?" At this moment, Lance was more than surprised. He and Onisha were in a mercenary squad, which was not a secretive thing, and it could be found out from the mercenary union. But he and Allegri only performed one mission together, and then parted ways, where did Grand Duke Ian know?

"Just ask, don't think about it," Grand Duke Ian laughed, poured himself a glass of wine, and said soothingly, "Yesterday's friend, today's enemy, this kind of thing has never been uncommon. ”

"yes. Lance sighed, a faint wistful moan between his brows.

"Alright, you can go back. Grand Duke Ian got up on the soft couch, walked over slowly, patted him on the shoulder, and admonished, "You know what happened tonight, don't spread it." ”

As soon as Lance wanted to speak, a sound of Shen Xiong's horn came from afar.

The arched horned bison in the northern steppes is the special material for the Snowton military horn, and the timbre is rich and majestic, which is completely different from the metal horn commonly used in the southern countries.

"Your Highness, the Snowton army has arrived. Lance took a deep breath and turned back to pray.

"Coming?" Grand Duke Ian was stunned for a moment, the fingers holding Lance's shoulder, were trembling slightly, but in an instant, he completely relaxed, and said with a strange smile, "That concubine, I have already sent someone to your mansion, just enjoy it." ”

On the night of 12 September, apparently stimulated by the results of the Western Route Army, Snowton's Central Route Army marched overnight and arrived at the city of Severa.

Within a day, the Central Route Army set up three camps in succession on the open plain north of the city. The knights, including the "Hibiscus", took turns patrolling around the city of Severa, turning a radius of dozens of miles into a military martial law zone for Snowton.

The Snowton army that was eyeing the tiger made the people of Severa panic, and they closed their doors tightly, not daring to fight. Under the strict protection of the army, the siege machinery began to be assembled, gradually revealing its hideous minions.

Although not as important as the holy city of Ranken, the fall of Severa, the capital, will definitely demoralize the Ian people to the extreme. And the king of Nacini also intends to use this city as a cornerstone to establish a dynasty hegemony that encompasses the entire continent.

One side is bound to win, the other side is stubbornly resisting, and a bloody battle is inevitable.

Soon, hundreds of thousands of people will be fighting fiercely inside and outside this isolated city.

The Snowton Southern Expeditionary Army, which is not good at attacking cities, will also run head-on into the strongest city since the south.

... (To be continued......)

PS: (First update.) ）