vstars Chapter 424 Earl, It’s Me
Chapter 424 Earl, It’s Me
Chapter 424 Earl, it’s me
The Kushan Emperor Galisica stood on the coast of Serilius Island. The sand under his feet was gently licked by the waves, making a slight sound.
His eyes passed the devastation in front of him and cast towards the fort ruins in the distance, which had long been riddled with holes due to the bombardment. The broken walls looked particularly desolate under the howling sea breeze, and there were still unextinguished flames dancing on the broken walls, occasionally making a few crackling sounds.
At this time, a Kushan general rode towards him at full speed. The dust raised by the horse's hooves slowly dissipated under the sea breeze. Not far from Kalishika, the general suddenly pulled the reins, and the horse neighed loudly, raising its front hooves high.
The general then dismounted from his horse in one smooth motion, and trotted to Galisica, where he knelt down with a plop. The dust that rose up made him look even more embarrassed.
"Your Majesty, the pagan army has retreated to the island and their resistance is very strong. We organized several attacks, but they were all beaten back."
The general's voice was filled with a hint of anxiety and helplessness. The sweat on his forehead slid down his cheeks, leaving traces on his dusty face.
Galisica frowned slightly. How could he not understand what he meant? The general was asking him to send reinforcements as soon as possible, but there was a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
At this moment, his heart was like a sea swept by a storm, with all kinds of thoughts intertwined and colliding with each other.
On the one hand, as the only military fortress of the pagans on the land of the Kushan Empire, it was like a thorn in his side. Controlling this place would mean that the Kushan Empire would achieve true unification in terms of territory and rule. This was his dream for many years and a key step in his empire, so he really had to suppress the pagans;
On the other hand, the army of the Yoda Empire continued to invade the Kusha Empire like a surging tide. Although he sent the resourceful and magical Tyba to lead the chiefs to fight, the border between the Kusha Empire and Yoda was too long, and the scale of Yoda's army was too large, like a dark cloud covering the sky, which made people breathless. Even as powerful as Tyba, it was inevitable that he felt powerless when facing such a vast enemy army, so he also wrote a letter asking him to lead the army back for help.
When Galixiga was struggling over whether to deal with the pagans on the island first or return to land immediately to fight the Yoda people, General Aibu stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and said solemnly:
"Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I don't know whether to say it or not."
"But it doesn't matter."
Kalishiga looked at General Aibu quietly with a stern and deep gaze.
General Aibu slowly raised his head and began to explain in detail to Galisiga. He analyzed earnestly:
"In my opinion, the Yoda army is the biggest threat to the empire right now. They are now sending troops to attack the territory we just recovered not long ago. If we let them go and keep delaying, I'm afraid our subjects will be slaughtered, which will cause great losses to both your property and reputation."
"In comparison, these pagans on the island seem not that important. They have been surrounded by many enemies, like a turtle in a jar. They must have lost their fighting spirit in this desperate situation. If we can send envoys to persuade them to surrender and offer them conditions for survival, we can easily take this place down without using a single soldier."
After listening to General Aibu's analysis, Jialixijia nodded slightly, crossed his hands on his chest, and after thinking for a moment, a hint of determination flashed in his eyes. He looked at General Aibu with a sharp gaze and asked:
"Then who do you think would be the most appropriate person to send to persuade them to surrender?"
General Aibu immediately straightened up and replied respectfully:
"Your Majesty, I am willing to go. I was taken as a prisoner to Franche-Comté, and while I was there, I assisted John in controlling the plague. During that time, I had in-depth contact with John, and I got to know both the pagans and John. I think if I go there to persuade them to surrender, I have a great chance of success."
Galixiga thought for a moment. He looked at General Aibu with trust in his eyes and said loudly:
"Okay, I order you to go and persuade him to surrender immediately. Tell him that as long as he surrenders, he and his pagans can live."
"As ordered!"
General Aibu took the order and turned around and left quickly.
……
There was a tense and oppressive atmosphere in the fortress. The dim candlelight flickered in the niches on the walls, casting long shadows on the rough stone walls.
When the soldiers escorted General Aibu in, John narrowed his eyes slightly, with a gleam of scrutiny in them. He asked in Kushan language without any emotion:
"who are you?"
"what?"
Seeing that John had forgotten about him, Abu immediately panicked. He thought that John knew him after spending a few years together so they had a chance to communicate. He didn't expect that John now looked at him the same way he looked at other Kushans.
Aibu was afraid that he would chop himself off, so he quickly replied:
"I'm Aibu, Lord John. Have you forgotten? When there was a plague in your place, you asked me to help you raise cats."
John also remembered that there was indeed such a person. There was a slight relaxation in his eyes, and his body also relaxed a little from that highly tense state.
John cleared his throat and asked in a slightly stiff tone:
"So it's you, kid. What's your purpose here?"
When General Aibu heard this question, he took a small step forward, his hands hanging down on both sides of his body, without any unnecessary movements, looking very sincere. He raised his head, looked directly at John, and said slowly:
"Lord John, I am here to persuade you to surrender. Look at the current situation. You are trapped in this fortress, isolated and helpless. His Majesty the Emperor of Kusha has taken control of the situation. His military strength is several times greater than yours, and your soldiers are already exhausted. There is no point in resisting."
As he spoke, he observed John's expression with his peripheral vision. Seeing that John's frown did not relax, he continued:
"As long as you bring your army and lay down your weapons and surrender, His Majesty the Emperor of Kusha will be broad-minded and will definitely forgive you. This is much better than sitting here and waiting to be killed."
John fell into deep thought after hearing this, mainly because he felt that it was unlikely that Calixea would let him go. Once he surrendered to Calixea, the outcomes that lay ahead of him were as follows:
First, this was a scam. When I surrendered to Calixga, he sent troops to surround me, and in the end I was outnumbered and chopped into meat.
Second, Calixtes accepted his surrender, but he and his army would be treated as slaves and work like beasts for the rest of their lives.
Third, Galisica gave him a way to live, but asked him to be loyal to him, convert to paganism and become a lord of Kushan.
Although this was the best outcome, the news would certainly reach the French King's Hall. Under the condemnation of a group of archbishops, the French King announced that John was convicted of heresy and excommunicated, and his parents, wife and children were implicated. And those troops who followed him here might never be able to return home again.
Thinking of this, John really didn't know what the other party might do to him. It was impossible that after he killed so many of his men, the cruel Calixces would allow and send a ship to send him and his army home.
After a long while, John slowly turned around, then he stared at General Aibu with a sharp gaze, and said in a low but powerful voice:
"Aibu, I cannot accept your proposal."
"You said that Galisica would forgive me, but I will not believe the promise of an invader who uses war and conspiracy to expand his territory. I would rather die on the battlefield than be a puppet under his command without dignity. My soldiers are all brave and fearless warriors. They will not accept such humiliating surrender, nor will they accept spending their lives as slaves."
General Aibu looked at John's determined expression and sighed inwardly, but still advised him:
"Lord John, war will only bring more casualties. Why can't you think about your own future? Living is better than dying!"
John sneered:
"You don't understand, Aibu. This is not a simple matter of life and death. This is a decision about honor, faith, and dignity. Even if we have no way out, we will never retreat!"