Working Prophet.

Chapter 599 Difficult choices

"Because those bastard dwarves don't want to waste any more soldiers, so they plan to starve us to death." Ilkander hated.

"Maybe they also want to see us quarreling over food and water, and appreciate our ugliness of killing each other." Judith also said.

"Perhaps." Cullen said, "What you said is all reasonable, but none of it is the reason why those dwarves have kept us alive until now. The reason why they haven't done anything until now is to use us as bait."

"Bait?"

"That's right, we've lost contact with the outside world for so long. Hells and the others will definitely call up more people to come into the mountains to rescue us. Those dwarves have a big appetite. They not only want to trap us to death, but also want to send the support army to our rescue." eat up.

"Afterwards, when they cross the Longji Mountains and enter the Western Territory, no one will be able to stop them."

Ilkander and Judith looked at each other, and saw a look of horror in each other's eyes.

They originally thought that those greedy guys would at most take advantage of the new emperor's ascension and the empire's turmoil to grab some wool, take advantage of it and leave.

No one expected that those dwarves would be so courageous that they would really dare to annex the western region.

So now this battle and the battle that will happen next are a matter of life and death, and surrender will naturally become impossible.

After all, it doesn't matter if they die, but if they lose their family land, they will be eternal sinners.

As nobles, they have been taught to put the interests of the family first, even Judith, who has the strongest desire for peace, shut his mouth at this time.

Ilkander said directly, "What do you want us to do?"

"How many people do you have on hand?" Cullen asked.

"I still have about 500 people." Judith said, "But there should be less than [-] people who can barely fight, and if it continues, there will be fewer people."

"I still have a thousand men." Ilkander said, "I also have twelve horses."

"Why do you have so many people left?" Judith was shocked.

And Ilkander's answer is also very simple.

"Because I have money."

After a pause, he added, "Although I didn't bring much money with me this time, the surname Emmanuel itself is a guarantee, and the family even asked the blacksmith to cover the elite warrior's left arm armor with a thin layer of gold."

"During the first two days of the siege, I asked my guards to scrape off the gold for food."

"You treacherous bastard, I said why so many of my people starved to death! You still have extra food to feed the horses!"

The head of the Mariel family was furious again.

Ilkander also refused to give an inch, staring at Judith with a sneer.

"What do you know, an old man who only knows how to surrender? Those horses are more important than people. Without horses, you have no chance of escaping from those savages in this mountain range."

"Okay, stop arguing." Cullen said, "I need one of you to leave this valley, report to the people outside the mountain, especially the people who came to rescue us, tell them what happened here, and persuade them to immediately return."

"How? You said just now that those dwarves are targeting the entire western region. How many people did they dispatch this time, [-] or [-] troops?
"And it took so much effort to set up this trap, isn't it just to prevent us from leaving alone?" Ilkander said in a deep voice.

"If they really want to conquer the western border, they must be inseparable from the help of the local people." Cullen replied.

"The establishment and maintenance of a new order has never been an easy task. My family has ruled this land for nearly a thousand years. To eliminate the mark we left behind, it is not easy to do it with armor and weapons of."

"You mean you want us to pretend to join the enemy? Then find a chance to escape." Judit was a little moved.

"Those dwarves are not fools, they wouldn't fail to think of this possibility." Irkander said bluntly, not optimistic about Marquis Cullen's plan.

"Even if they really want to find helpers, they can go out after killing us and pick them up slowly. There is no need to take such a risk."

"You're right, so you must convince those dwarves that you are sincerely going to join them." Cullen nodded and said calmly.

So this goes back to Ilkander's original question - how to do it.

Neither Ilkander nor Judith could find the answer. The two of you look at me and I look at you, both of them are at a loss.

And Cullen didn't hold back anymore, "Kill me. I need any of you to kill me, take my head, and go to those dwarves.

"And the other one wanted to avenge me. He led people to fight desperately with the person who killed me. He was really desperate. In the end, the murderer could only take away less than a hundred of his men, and the rest would die here. Well, if Take some more wounds if you can, and the dwarves will trust you."

Ilkander and Judith were completely stunned.

The Patriarch of the Mariel family was even startled, and tremblingly said, "You, what are you talking about?"

"I said kill me." Cullen said lightly, "You heard me right, anyway, those dwarves can't keep me alive, it's just that I died a few days earlier, and it's not a big deal."

"But, but..." Judit could hear his teeth chattering.

He has lived for more than 160 years and has never been so afraid as he is today.

And Cullen just looked into his eyes and said, "Choose one, Judith, live or die here with me."

Judith opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

Ilkander on the side couldn't understand his pustules, so he took the initiative to say, "Then I will come, I will live."

"Have you really thought it through?" Judit was clearly assigned the responsibility of dying, but Judith seemed to be relieved, and finally he was able to speak again.

His voice was a little hoarse, "This is regicide, no matter what the reason is, as long as you do something, you will be charged with this crime forever, and those dwarves will definitely spread this matter throughout the Bratis continent.

"No, it's not just you... your descendants will be cast aside by the world, without any honor, it will be more terrible than death."

"I know, but someone has to do it, right?" Although Ilkander said it easily, his slightly trembling voice still betrayed him, "Who told you that this is the only way to keep the Western Territory. "

"That's right." Cullen said with a serious expression, "That's our land, and we must keep it at all costs. It is our duty to guard it, and we cannot escape it."

The lord of the western region seemed to have returned to that afternoon a long time ago. Facing the menacing bandits opposite him, he once again drew the sword from his waist.

(End of this chapter)