Blood Dragon

Section 160 VI Changes

When he spoke, he deliberately emphasized the word "before".

"Hey, bring it here!" Cleo called out towards the door.A few minutes later, a follower delivered a box.Essien opened the box, and Marduk immediately saw a human head preserved by lime.He couldn't help but gasped.When he recognized whose head belonged, he cried out.

"Rebas? How can you do such a thing... He is a nobleman, even if he dies..."

"He is no longer a nobleman." Cleo said coldly. "Anyone who raises his troops to betray the queen is a traitor who deserves to die. All noble etiquette and rules are no longer applicable to him, because he has violated the most basic obligation of a noble, which is to serve his own monarch. Therefore, I will His head was preserved and given to the queen to prove his end."

He casually put the box aside, but deliberately did not close it.In this way, Marduk on the opposite side could observe the head of the dead man repeatedly.

"Although your family castle is strong, can it be compared with his city? Although you have a large number of loyal guards, can it be compared with his troops? As I said, I am sitting here because of my personal respect for the city. Your favor, because we are friends, otherwise, I would not waste time at all."

"However, I never thought of betraying the Queen...it's that guy Byron..."

"It's too late to say these things now. Lord Marduk, you should know that when you and Byron made an agreement, when you provided him with war funds... none of your rhetoric will work." Ke Leo said in a sympathetic tone. "Because we are friends, what I can do now is to strive for the best result for you in this situation. Believe this, you will never deny it."

Marduk let out a long sigh, and the remorse on his face was so clear that Cleo had to express his sympathy.

"Don't worry, you're not completely desperate yet. When the dust settles on this matter, and you haven't taken any action to fight openly, then you may still be able to get the queen's forgiveness. You have many friends, and many of them will definitely Become a servant of Her Majesty the Queen. As long as everyone speaks for you...you will definitely have a chance to make a comeback."

Marduk bowed his head with ashen face and remained silent.

"Think about it. By the way, even though that guy named Essien is my colleague, he is a mercenary-born vulgar man! You know, that kind of person is different from nobles like us. They only know Fighting, killing, killing and killing, his mind is full of meritorious deeds on the battlefield so that he can get promoted and make a fortune. He is very disapproving of my behavior. In fact, I can only get three days if I try my best. After three days, he will lead the army Coming under your castle... at that time may be the most embarrassing result for me and the most unfortunate result for you."

Cleo put away the box and left the hut.

The journey was not particularly long, and soon after, Cleo returned to his army's camp, where Essien was waiting for him.

"How is it?" Essien asked immediately when the two met.

"Everything is going well." Cleo smiled. "After three days, you should be able to successfully take over Marduk's family castle and territory, as well as most of his troops."

"Haha, it looks like everything is going smoothly than we expected." Essien let go of his nervousness and laughed loudly.

"That's what it is," Cleo replied. "The troops left behind by the Marquis Marduk... there are at least two or three hundred people. In this way, our strength will be further strengthened."

"Indeed." Essien returned to his desk. "We're going much faster than expected. Come on, I've got a nice bottle of wine, let's have a drink together."

The two quickly opened the bottle of wine in the tent.

Speaking of which, the two friends have indeed not had a drink like this for a long time.When they first accepted this task, they never expected that things would go so smoothly.What can be done about this?Essien is now flying the flag of the White Eagle of the royal family of Gruney.The little queen's victory is no secret now, and anyone with a little ear already knows it—in fact, it has been processed by many people's mouths, and now the rumors have become that Byron is seriously injured and dying, and the city of Fornoros is about to fall.

In this case, Cleo's persuasion ability shows a geometric multiple improvement.

The biggest dilemma for traitors is this situation.Before they formally obtained the royal unification, they could only rely on their own strength to suppress them, but once their strength was destroyed, or when it didn't look so scary, their own subordinates would also have the idea of ​​betrayal.To make matters worse, this kind of betrayal can also be supported by a righteous name.

This is what the saying goes, "The upper beam is not straight and the lower beam is crooked".So far, the attack on Earl Ribas' city was the only decent battle, and it was far easier than expected.According to the original plan, Cleo needs to divide the four sons of Earl Ribas, but before this plan can even be implemented, an unexpected change occurred.

One of Earl Ribas' subordinates visited Essien and Cleo one step ahead of time.What happened next was logical. After receiving the title of knight and the promise to temporarily manage the city, this servant who was loyal to the queen—maybe loyal to the interests—turned his back immediately at the beginning of the battle, directly kidnapped the earl, and opened the the city gate.

There is no second possibility for the next battle.

Some other lords failed to organize any decent resistance.Everyone knows that a strong castle can resist the enemy for a long time, but it must be based on the strong confidence of the defenders.At the moment when Byron was "defeated and seriously injured, and the city of Fornoros was at stake", who had such firm confidence to resist the army with the white eagle banner to the end?Besides, Essien didn't look like he would kill them all. He at least gave them a chance to preserve their property.

This is a clever way to take advantage of the loopholes in the queen's order, but it also prevents others from fighting to the death.In fact, during this period, Essien's army was growing.He left the queen's camp under the city of Fonoros with 500 men, and now his strength has swelled to [-].

In addition, Essien also established contact with Prime Minister Ailin of Falcon City.Every time he succeeded in expelling the lord, the officials sent by Alynn would arrive soon and take over the entire territory.This avoids chaos and makes Essien's actions worry-free.

All in all, things are going well for now.Both Essien and Cleo are very satisfied.

After three drinks, the topic of the two turned to Byron of Fornoros City.This is also the biggest hidden danger for the two of them.The death of Byerheim was caused by the two of them, which meant that if Byron could stand up...the two of them would probably end badly.

It is precisely because of this consideration—and of course the consideration of making contributions to the queen to show his allegiance—Essien made a trick before leaving Fornoros City—he completely burned down the grain warehouse in the city .This is very simple for him, because his original duty is to guard the warehouse.

"Our Lord Duke... I'm afraid he will be wiped out this time. But the matter in the north..." Cleo said with a half-drunk. "That's a variable."

"Don't worry, that Ashurfate is not easy to deal with." Essien was only slightly drunk, but his mind was very clear. "He absolutely knows which is more important. He will definitely watch Byron die before returning to the teacher. Hey, we were colleagues back then. In terms of title, I was above him. When he was a commoner I was already a knight, but now... he is an earl, and I don't even have the title of knight."

"He also served as the Minister of Finance before, and he attended the imperial meeting! Now it's not the position of the Minister of Finance? He has fallen out of favor."

"But I think he's definitely not that simple. You know, when he was standing next to the little queen... I had a feeling... a vague feeling. Maybe, he didn't fall out of favor. Even the whole thing, Maybe it was all pretended by him. Have you noticed that the way the little queen sees Ashuruffat is completely different from others?"

"Okay, Essien, don't be jealous. When he was in Falcon City, he worked hard to get the blue eyes he has today. Besides, aren't you a general now?"

"The general is a general, but the title has not been settled yet." Essien replied, admiring the drink in his glass.

"The position of general...at the lowest level is also held by a baron." Cleo said. "Besides, Her Majesty the Queen has made a promise that you will become a hereditary nobleman, one of the highest nobles in Gruene... and you can choose a territory that suits you as you like. What do you think of the Earl of Ribas? ?His city is built very well. It is a very rich territory... Although the overall area is not very large, more money is the last word."

"Damn it, I think it would be more appropriate to be a duke. I'd rather my territory be barren... If I were a duke, I would be able to find a wife who was well-matched..." Essien said the same.

"Ah, Essien, your ambition is too great." Cleo suddenly lamented. "I don't know what reward I will have."

The queen made a promise to Essien before, but she didn't say anything to Cleo.Although he can be sure that he will be rewarded for his meritorious service, he does not know what kind of reward it will be.a sum of money?A hereditary territory?Or just a title of high nobility?

"Don't worry, Cleo... But, to be honest, I feel that what I have to worry about is not domestic, but foreign. I'm afraid we have to speed up, otherwise... there is a possibility..."

"Ah, you mean those savages?"

"It's not just barbarians," Essien drank the wine in his glass in one gulp. "And Tiberius. You know, if Byron is cornered, then he has one last trick, a trick of the same nature. That is to bring Tiberius into the war. The result is that Tiberius A fisherman gets a lot of money."

"Ah... I didn't expect that."

"This should have been thought of long ago." Essien said doubtfully. "I believe Ashurfat must have thought of this. Although the city of Fornoros can only be delayed for three or four months, but... this war may not be able to delay even such a short period of time. What do you think he will do? "

"I don't know. I'm not good at these. These are your specialties?"

"I can't talk about expertise. But I think... the future will not be as smooth as we thought! It's just that I can't guess what it will look like in the end..."