Section 147: Meeting

Ahead is a forest hut. In front of the cabin in the woods, there is a small bonfire, which stands out in the dark.

Although the night is thick, Ashruphat has an incredible dark vision. This forest hut was supposed to be a hermit's abode, or had once been. Because now half of the building is swallowed up by weeds, shrubs, and climbing vines.

He jumped off his horse. The campfire burned alone, and no one was in sight. However, Ashrufar believed that there was definitely an ambush that Byron had left in the vicinity.

Byron must have been waiting for him in the house.

He strode forward, stepping over the obstructive bushes until he reached the door. As he had guessed, the house had been abandoned for a long time, as the door was gone.

Surprisingly, although there was no door to protect from the wind and rain, the inside of the hut was surprisingly clean.

At this time, in the hut, there were torches for lighting in the four corners, and there was a table and two chairs in the middle of the hut. The chair closer to Ashrufat was empty, and on the other sat a man he knew. In addition to this, there were four people who did not know Ashrufat standing behind the acquaintance.

"Ishrufat, you're here. Byron spoke.

Four torches were enough to illuminate the room, so Byron finally met Ashruphat officially for the first time. Although they had met more than once, strictly speaking, it was only this time that Byron had a chance to look at the man officially.

The man, Ashrufat, was covered in armor, with a white cloak behind him and a sword around his waist. However, he did not carry a shield, nor did he have any other weapons such as pistols, which, if he had, were well hidden from being seen.

His countenance—although Byron had described the man's appearance countless times, he had to admit that the man was easy to impress (and of course, that could have been the reason for the atmosphere). He has a well-proportioned body and slender hands and feet, but he naturally gives people a sense of strength and strength. The most striking thing on his face was the scar, which was right in the middle of the bridge of his nose and was very visible. It can be guessed that if this injury had been three points deeper, this man would not have existed in this world. Often, this striking scar creates a "phase breaking" effect. But this man's face does not look hideous. On the contrary, the scar added a sense of stability to him. In addition, I don't know what Lu Dao is, the hint of a mocking smile that appeared on the corner of this man's mouth seemed to be.

But overall, Byron has to admit that this Ashrufath is not bad.

"You've written to invite, of course I'll come. Ashrufat replied. "It was really amazing to be able to get the letter to me, to be honest. ”

"It's just a little trick to carve insects. Byron disagreed, "Compared to your ability to make the little queen last until now...... It's nothing. Well, we're not here to lift the bar, come, sit, let's talk. ”

"Okay, let's talk. Ashruphat unceremoniously came to the table and sat down on the empty chair. "But I believe that you deliberately called me here before such a big fight, not to find someone to talk to you, right?"

"Actually, it's okay to talk. Byron smiled softly. "Anyway, the two of us can be regarded as relatives of Weng's son-in-law. Shirley's girl...... It looks like I'm about to marry you. ”

"Hehe, it's just a matter of marrying a slave girl as a concubine. As for Weng's son-in-law, if Shirley was here, she probably wouldn't admit it. How can you say that a father would give up on his daughter when she is in the most critical moment? Is it true that blood relatives are used when they are needed, and discarded when they are not needed? You must have heard the old saying that what you plant will reap the fruits of what you sow. ”

Byron frowned visibly.

"Well, let's not talk about these distant things. To tell you the truth, I believe you must know what I am talking to you about. Byron said. "You are a brilliant talent, and I don't want you to be buried with the royal power of Macrémiz. You don't have any chance of winning this battle!"

"Just because you have an army of sixty thousand?" replied Ashrufat. "Triple the troops...... I'll admit it's a big difficulty, but it's not hopeless. ”

Byron laughed this time. Because for him, that's what he was looking forward to. Just like buying goods, bargaining is done on the premise that both parties have a common intention.

"I know you want to repeat the Battle of the Sparger Hills. But the problem is that I'm not Tiberius...... You can be as risky as Garunas, but I have no reason to be as fooled as Tiberius. You chose favorable terrain, but that doesn't mean I have to go to the battlefield you chose to fight me. ”

"It seems that you really have a military ...... Not much is known. Ashrufat said. "The Battle of the Sparger Hills, Garunas didn't take any risks. Although many people felt that this battle was fought on two fronts, the situation was extremely dangerous: the north faced the allies, and the southern front was outnumbered, facing Tiberius's army. But in reality, Garunas did not take even the slightest risk. The choice of the Tiberias was nothing more than to attack or stalemate. If they choose to attack...... History has given us the right answer. Even without Macremiz's surprise attack, the outcome of the battle would still be a dead end. If they choose to hold each other—if the main force of Garunas's army can be placed in the north, the coalition side will certainly not be able to fight—and the war will become a protracted war of attrition. Garunas had to maintain a supply of only 17,000 men, and the supply lines were short. The Tiberios needed to maintain the logistics of five men...... And the route is still long. It's clear who benefits from dragging it out. This is also the reason why the Tiberius had to take the initiative to attack. Unfortunately, many people are unable to understand these details and attribute the matter to the greed of Tiberius. ”

"Very good point," Byron looked a little embarrassed. "But we don't have to pursue these historical issues. Now the question is, can I keep this standoff...... It goes on for a long time, and you can't hold it anymore, right?"

"Why do you think that?"

"Haha......ha The fact that you are here says a lot in itself. Byron laughed. "With a little logical analysis, you can know the way. If you're sure to beat me...... If you're only half as sure, you won't come here to see me. You yourself know that you don't have any chances, at least those that are slim. ”

Byron put away his smile and became serious in his tone. "I'm not talking nonsense, if you're willing to take the Guards with you, then I can give it to you...... A lot of money, enough for you to live a life of luxury. He held out three fingers, "What about that number? Three million." He smiled again. "Of course, this is only an option. I know you're rich. If you want more power, I can give you the title of duke, and put Brassian...... No, all the royal lands of the province of Arcanea are given to you as your fiefdoms. ”

That's a very generous condition. Byron smiled and looked at Ashrufat's face. He knew that as long as Ashrufat had this mind, this condition should be able to satisfy him—at least about the same. In any case, Ashrufat was just a newly crowned nobleman - he was just an earl without a fief under the little queen. He shouldn't have that much of an appetite, as he should.

"Ha Lu Ha ......" Ashrufat also smiled slightly. "Sure enough, it's a lot like a condition that someone like you would put forward. Why don't you come and hear what my conditions are?" he said. "Let your troops lay down their arms and surrender, and I will convince Her Majesty to spare you and your family, and of course the other rebels. Of course, your title, land, and possessions must be confiscated, but your life will be spared. Ah, I'm not a harsh person, and if you take some gold and silver with you, I can pretend not to see it. ”

"Presumptuous!" This time, it was not Byron who spoke, but one of his attendants.

"Hmph, it seems that you don't have the sincerity to negotiate. Byron made a gesture to stop his men. "Although I don't know why you are so confident in Lu. But in my opinion, your bluff is really ridiculous. ”

"Yes, I'm bluffing, and you're ......," Ashrufat said. "Because you've set up an ambush here, you feel like you're in control, aren't you?"

"Hah...... You can see it, too. Byron replied. "But it's useless to see it. To be honest, I know that you came alone, so bluffing or anything won't work for me. You may know what to say, but let me remind you that being too greedy is also a mistake, and it is a mistake that young people often make. ”

"I know a lot more than you think. ”

"Oh, like?"

"For example, I knew a long time ago that you would talk to me before the war, so I made everything special. The current Guards Legion is indeed under the command of the Queen, and I, the commander, have been suspended for the time being. In other words, whatever happens here will not affect the military. ”

"Ah...... You've known the Tao for a long time?"

"yes. I remember at that time that you wrote to Tiberius's general Berel, asking him for advice. Béral has given you two proposals, one of which is to use the Queen's military pressure to force the great nobles to swear allegiance to you. Another offer was to offer a large price to buy me...... That's what you're looking for me for. Of course, Bayral also made it clear that it is best to buy it, and if it doesn't work, kill it. So I'm pretty sure you must have arranged the trap...... At least in your opinion, a well-thought-out trap. ”

Ashrufat's gaze shifted to the four men behind Byron, passing over them one by one.

"As far as I know, because the church refuses to assist either side, there are only two mages in your army right now, and this can't be helped, most of the wild mages are also inextricably linked to the church. The church has strict orders, so you can't hire a magician even if you have the money. The question arises, if there are only two magicians, then how do you arrange them?, and there is no doubt that the only option is to keep one in the city of Fornoros, and you to follow the other, so that the magic communication can be maintained...... Anyway, the queen doesn't have a magician, am I right? Actually, receiving magic communication does not require a high level of magician, but ...... Anyway, a magician who is not a genuine card can't feel at ease...... This is also a kind of prejudice. ”

Ashruphat spoke in a calm, even playful tone. Although Byron didn't understand what the other party wanted to say, he instinctively felt a sense of unease, and he clenched his fists.

"However, that precious magician should be by your side now...... Maybe it's an ambush somewhere nearby, waiting for you to send out a code. Ashrufat continued. "Together, he'll use the Demon Breaker Scroll. For a short time, magic can no longer be used...... Then your other subordinates can take advantage of this opportunity to kill me. No wonder people say you're a good politician. The traps are also cleverly laid. You should have no less than a hundred people around here. As we chatted, they took the opportunity to slowly approach and form an encirclement. ”

Byron didn't answer, but his face made it clear that Ashrufat had guessed correctly.

"Unfortunately, you're just a politician after all. Ashrufat said. "The opponents of politicians are always neutral people, people who are not hostile, or at least people who cannot show hostility. In the face of this kind of enemy, you are strong, very good, maybe invincible. But you're really not fit to be a general. Because a general has to face enemies who have already shown naked hostility. ”

He paused, looking at Byron's iron-blue face. "If you were a real general, you would never do such a thing as trying to buy off an enemy general before a decisive battle. At least wait until you've achieved your initial victory. ”

"You...... What do you want to say!" Byron finally pressed his nerve and asked.

"I just want to tell you one thing, one simple thing," Ashrufat still smiled, gesturing to the door of the hut. "Look outside, dawn is not far away. Now Her Majesty our queen should have taken up a good position with her army, when the first rays of light appeared on the horizon," he said. "She will lead an army to launch a surprise attack on your army. ”

Byron's face became less like a human face, but carved out of a piece of bluestone.

"I guess you should have left the camp before dusk in order to set this trap against me, did you? You didn't think about the enemy attack, and you were going to build a strong wall, so now the whole camp is ...... There are loopholes everywhere. The worst thing is that the Supreme Commander is not in the barracks. ”

Ashruphat looked at Byron's face and continued. "In fact, the book is right, if there is no essential difference in combat power, and the difference in strength is three times, it becomes almost impossible to win. But there is an exception, and that is the death of the commander-in-chief! In fact, there is no need to die in battle, as long as you leave the battlefield and cannot command? Once the army loses control, then ...... Even with three times the number of troops, it is not invincible...... Byron, you've already lost. ”