novelraw Chapter 89 Breaking the situation
Chapter 89 Breaking the situation
Most of the dilapidated stone houses were empty, the air was filled with dust, and several soldiers were dragging the bodies of some mercenaries into a makeshift pit.
Inside a two-story house, candlelight flickered, illuminating several tired and anxious faces.
Tiberius pressed a wooden puppet representing a Volantis cavalryman heavily onto a spot on the crude map spread out on the table, his face appearing unusually grim in the firelight.
"The mercenary was right, Mohata has about 1,500 men with him," Tiberius said, his voice hoarse but clear. "These past few days, he hasn't attacked the city many times, but each time he's inflicted significant damage on our soldiers. And we... we only have 800 men who can wield weapons and have any fighting spirit, and we're lacking everything? Weapons, food, and real soldiers?"
Dmitri sighed heavily. "Yes, Tiberius." He gestured to the ragged, terrified Mir soldiers outside the window. "I nominally have about three hundred men left, but half of them can't even draw their bows properly! And when I asked, they were all just hastily conscripted laborers to transport supplies! How can we fight this battle? In just a few days, more than half of my three hundred men are dead!"
Beside him, a minor nobleman from Tyroth, dressed in a tattered silk coat, was deathly pale and trembling uncontrollably. He clung to Tiberius as if grasping at a straw, his voice trembling with sobs: "Brother...brother! Lord Lightning! Save me! My family is rich! We have plenty of money! If you can get me out of this hellhole and back to Tyroth, I...I'll give you a thousand...no! Three thousand gold coins! I swear!" His name was Lezapo, and he was clearly terrified.
The only one who remained relatively calm was Habro, the mercenary group leader. Despite the defeat in the Delta War, he still had about a hundred experienced veterans under his command. He tapped the map with his thick fingers, on which the distribution of the Valantis army around the town was roughly marked.
"Lightning Boy, let's not beat around the bush. Our situation is absolutely terrible!" Habroy's voice was low and menacing. "Those Valantean bastards outside number about 1,500. And they have chariots, infantry, and cavalry—a truly complete force, and most of them are real soldiers, not the kind of slaves dragged from the mines or plantations. This morning, they almost broke down our gates. If we hadn't fought back so fiercely, they would have wiped us all out! They've been trapping us in this wretched town for two days now! I checked the granaries; the remaining food, even if we eat sparingly, will only last us three days at most. And there's not a soul in sight in this town. We can't even find any help to lend a hand! Our lads have to fight the enemy on the city walls, and they also have to move stones, bricks, timber, and arrows!"
He glanced at a relatively intact courtyard not far away, where Lisangzhuo was temporarily recuperating, and lowered his voice.
"And... that guy inside is also a problem. He's badly injured and has difficulty moving. You tell me, in this situation, we only have eight hundred men at most. How are we supposed to fight him?" He paused, a dark glint in his eyes.
"How about...we consider surrendering?"
"Surrender?" Tiberius suddenly raised his head, his gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping over Habroy and several officers around him whose eyes were darting around.
"If you can accept spending the rest of your life carrying ore in the mines of Valantis until you die from exhaustion, or being cured alive in the salt flats by the scorching sun and brine until you're like dried meat, then you can go now! Oh, and by the way, they'll also tattoo your 'profession' on your face, so that you and your descendants will forever remember that you are the property of Valantis!"
His words sent a chill down the spines of everyone present who were of free birth. Even Lezapo temporarily forgot to cry, his face showing extreme fear.
Tiberius stopped looking at them and returned his gaze to the map, his fingers unconsciously tapping the location of Stoneraven Town and the point marked as Twin Bridge Town on the side corridor as he fell into deep thought.
After a long silence, a resolute glint flashed in Tiberius's eyes. He raised his head, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable power:
"No surrender, that's the basic requirement. Surrender means death! And the most humiliating kind of death."
He looked around at everyone and said slowly, "I'll be going to the Valantis camp tomorrow."
"What?!"
"Are you crazy?!"
"They'll nail you to a stake!"
Exclamations immediately rang out.
Tiberius ignored their reactions, turned to Vito, who had been standing silently in the shadows behind him, and commanded:
"Vito, prepare me pen, ink, and a clean sheet of parchment. Write me a letter."
"I want to go to the Valantis camp myself!"
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"Lord Mohatta, the people in the city say they want to send someone to discuss surrender." A soldier with sword-like markings on his face knelt on the ground and reported.
"It would be good if the city showed any intention of surrendering."
Surprisingly, Mohatta suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
For him, not having to fight anymore is a good thing.
Although Valantis decisively defeated the elite forces of the Three Daughters Kingdom on both sides of the Controversial River, Mohata was not given the lucrative opportunity to conquer the Three Daughters Kingdom's western crossing and strongholds... He meant honor, and was only able to try his luck and earn some military merits in places further west, closer to the flank corridor, which made him quite unhappy.
All he wanted now was to finish his mission as soon as possible, return to his territory and villa, and properly enjoy his lover's service and the taste of chilled wine.
"It seems the Kingdom of Three Daughters is indeed terrified of General Marcus. How many batches of soldiers have surrendered this time? I really hope I can count them all on my fingers." He asked his men with a laugh, a joke that made everyone laugh.
"Very well, then, raise the main tent and display the banners and family crest!" Mohata waved his hand, ordering his soldiers. "And the formation, let them see what true celestial soldiers and generals are, what a king's army is!"
Although the soldiers in Stoneraven Town showed a willingness to surrender, Mohata was not careless. He ordered his men to form ranks and set up his own large tent. This was not only because the nobles of Valanthi were very particular about etiquette, which would be useful for the surrender ceremony, but also to make the other side psychologically afraid to continue fighting against the Valanthi people!
Once the large tent was set up and the soldiers began to line up, soldiers outside came to report that the people sent from the city to make contact had arrived.
"Bring him in."
Outside the tent, at the gate of the Valantis camp, the atmosphere was tense. Guards clad in heavy black armor, wielding halberds, coldly scrutinized the unusually young envoy who had come alone.
Behind the soldiers stood two rows of Valantians clad in chainmail and scale armor, each wielding an axe. The sun was now peeking through the clouds, its rays illuminating the gilded blades, casting a shimmering glow that illuminated the path ahead!
Tiberius Mode, with a smile befitting his age and even slightly obsequious, bowed slightly as he entered the camp.
Seated on a magnificent, captured chair was Mohata, the noble commander of Valantis.
At this moment, Mohata had an arrogant expression, with a scimitar inlaid with jewels and diamonds at his waist. He wore a black breastplate inlaid with rubies, and his crimson robe almost dragged on the ground.
"My lord," Tiberius said with just the right amount of humility, giving the pseudonym he had prepared beforehand.
"My name is Vito Coppola." He respectfully handed over a roll of parchment with both hands.
"I am Lord Mario Ferrero's personal bodyguard. Lord Ferrero is currently in town, and he... he wishes to negotiate surrender with your army, and has sent me to deliver this letter."
Mohatta raised an eyebrow, took the letter suspiciously, and began to read. His gaze swept over the contents of the parchment (naturally, a "letter of surrender" dictated by Tiberius and forged by Vito).
His tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly. But when he looked up again and saw Tiberius's still boyish face, a hint of undisguised contempt curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Surrender? Fine." Mohata's voice carried the casualness of a superior, "However, you brat..." He lightly tapped Tiberius's nose with his riding crop.
"So young, and you've already become the governor's son's personal bodyguard? Hmph, are all the officers and nobles in your Three Daughters Kingdom so fond of climbing the ranks by selling their bodies? Just like your Commander-in-Chief Mitristar of Mil?"
His words immediately drew a burst of insulting laughter from the surrounding Valantis officers and guards.
Tiberius's heart pounded in his chest, but his smile became even more "humble." He even blushed slightly and said in a low voice, "My lord, you are right... I, I did indeed... rise to this position through this. I'm sorry for making you laugh." He decided to take advantage of the other party's prejudice, and then changed the subject to the core issue, his tone filled with "concern."
"But, sir, if we surrender... what will become of the soldiers and officers, aside from important figures like Lord Ferrero?"
A fierce-looking adjutant with a scarred face immediately shouted, "Is there even a question! My mine is short-handed! All of you get in there and mine until you die!"
Mohatta waved his hand and gave a fake "kind" smile.
"Hey, don't frighten our young envoy." He looked at Tiberius and said in a "gentle" tone, "For those who voluntarily lay down their weapons and surrender, I, Mohatta, swear on the honor of my family that I will guarantee their personal safety as prisoners of war."
[After the war? Hmph, then it's not up to them! As for those great nobles, they can be exchanged for a hefty ransom.] He sneered inwardly.
[Besides, I suspect you're the ones who killed the mercenaries I hired! I'm already being lenient by not throwing you all into the farm to work!]
In his view, Vito, and the Tyrossi and Mil people of Stoneraven, were destined to spend their lives in the mines and plantations!
Suddenly, Mohata seemed to remember something, slapped his forehead, and looked as if he had just realized something.
"By the way! Your name is Vito Coppola, right? In the Three Daughters' Alliance, do you know a young man named Tiberius Morde? He's about twelve or thirteen years old, and his nickname is something like 'Lightning Boy'?"
Tiberius felt a sudden tightness in his chest, and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.
"He's been discovered?! No, that's impossible! How could he possibly know what I, Tiberius, look like?"
He almost couldn't resist reaching for the dagger hidden in his boot, but he forced a look of bewilderment and a perfectly measured "admiration": "Tiberius Mode? I know him! Of course I know him! He's that rising star, the 'Lightning Boy'! I heard he pulled off some kind of 'blood fight' in Rhys, winning against overwhelming odds and solving the cannibalism case at Bloodwave Point! He's a formidable figure! But..." He scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
"I'm just a nobody; I've only heard of his name, but I don't know him personally. In any case, he's not among the people who came to Broken Sword Fortress with me..."
Upon hearing this, Mohata's face showed a complex expression, and he sighed softly: "I don't know him... never mind, it's mainly about Bloodwave Cape. My family had a good-for-nothing younger brother who disappeared in the Bloodwave Cape area a few years ago... never to be seen alive or dead. The family had almost given up, but unexpectedly, this Tiberius found out the truth, his remains, and his belongings... Although the ending is sad and regrettable, it's better than being kept in the dark forever, with no one knowing."
He looked at Tiberius, his tone unusually earnest: "Vito, if you ever have the chance to meet Tiberius Mode, or if he knows my terms... you can tell him that if he is willing to surrender and pledge allegiance to Valantis, I, Mohata, swear in my family name, will grant him a fertile estate! And I will bring him to Valantis in a grand procession, in a carriage studded with gold and ivory, and treat him as an honored guest!"
[That was close...]
As Tiberius was led out of the tent by two Valentes, he found himself suddenly drenched in cold sweat, his shirt almost completely soaked, and his palms ice-cold.
This time, he truly put himself in an extremely dangerous situation. Even with the bonuses of the titles "Lightning" and "The Ruthless," he might not have been able to save his life at that moment!
But what could they do? They had to survive against 1,500 enemies with only 800 men. Even if the enemies made a foolish mistake, their chances of winning were still too slim. Tiberius could only try his best to increase their chances of winning, even if it was just a 10% chance.
For every 10% increase in their chances of winning, they could save a lot of lives...
Tiberius had considered sending his men to feign surrender, but ultimately he couldn't bring himself to do it.
The reason is simple: it has too many shortcomings.
For example, Vito was clever, eloquent, and worldly-wise, but sometimes his mouth couldn't keep secrets, and Tiberius was afraid that he would let something slip.
Dmitri was the most educated and highest-ranking among those who accompanied him in the escape. He was perfectly capable of handling minor matters, and Tiberius even learned a great deal from him about the Mil people's experience and methods of managing their army.
If Tiberius and Vito are both absent, he will manage the camp in their place.
But he was overly cautious.
Moreover, and most importantly, Tiberius did not have enough time to fully trust him because he had spent so little time with him.
Although Lisandro, the rich second-generation young master, is brave and resourceful, he ultimately lacks psychological resilience. Once he's alone in the military camp, facing the arrogant reprimands of the Valantis nobles and the might of the Valantis army, he certainly won't be able to withstand it.
Habrol is a brave man, but he lacks wisdom and is too rude, not like the personal bodyguard of a rich young nobleman.
As for Lezapo, although he can read, write, and do arithmetic, and is considered reliable—after all, he's in charge of distributing the grain, and he's doing a good job—he's far too timid.
Looking around the city, the only person who could be described as "greatly wise and courageous" and "unparalleled in wisdom" was Tiberius himself.
[Although the negotiation process was thrilling, the result was quite satisfactory. They actually followed my plan!] Tiberius muttered to himself.
In fact, you only realize after doing it that as long as you don't give yourself away, people who come to negotiate surrender are not in too much danger. They are much safer than those strategists in history who were often thrown into a large pot and boiled alive, or ambassadors who were thrown out of the window by local councilors.
Tiberius was quite proud and pleased with his achievements and the impending success of his plan, but at that moment, he suddenly saw several Valentes chariots escorting a group of disheveled people covered in dust, walking towards him.
"What is this?" He looked at the Valantians beside him, his face full of confusion.
"They are companions of your Three Daughters Kingdom."
The Valantis man said smugly, "We've caught two or three hundred of them already, fleeing westward from the Controversial River, and they're all being held captive behind the lines!"
Tiberius's heart skipped a beat, but he remained silent. As he continued walking with the Valantis, he brushed past the captured men...
Tiberius watched as their faces were tattooed, ten men in a group, each with heavy chains and shackles on their hands; the slightest lapse in attention would result in a whipping.
A commotion arose ahead, revealing a fair-skinned captive from the Kingdom of Three Daughters, clearly of noble birth, struggling on the ground. Several Valantis were pinning him down, hurriedly binding him with ropes.
"Behave yourself!" A Valanthi man held him down while another handed him a red-hot branding iron with an "S" shaped metal piece on the top.
Tiberius lowered his eyes, pretending not to see what was happening, and temporarily blocked out the smell of burning fur and the screams from his mind.
He wouldn't speak up for the prisoner, after all, he was currently in enemy territory and could barely protect himself, let alone a complete stranger.
"As for you who are willing to surrender, there is no need for that," the Valantis officer said in an arrogant tone, but Tiberius saw the cat-and-mouse-like schadenfreude in his eyes.
[Lies, all lies!] Tiberius thought through gritted teeth. [It's all a lie!]
Tiberius, covered in a cold sweat and carrying crucial intelligence, safely returned to the dilapidated house in Stoneraven Town that served as his temporary command post. He recounted to Dmitri, Habro, Lezapo, and Vito, who were gathered there, everything he had seen and heard at the Valantis camp, especially the part about the fate of the surrendered and Malaco's attempt to recruit him.
"...Well, you heard it too." Tiberius wiped the sweat from his brow, his voice regaining its composure. "I just came out of their camp and saw it with my own eyes! Not to mention ordinary soldiers, even some captured nobles and mercenaries had tattoos on their faces. Any resistance was met with whips and shackles! They even pressed red-hot branding irons onto our bodies, so..."
His sharp gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on the face of Habro, who had previously suggested surrendering.
"Surrender is not an option! We have no choice but to fight to the death!"
He stared at Habrol and the others, repeating the Valantis' "promise" word by word: "Commander Habrol, Dmitri, and Lezapo, when the Valantis say they'll 'guarantee your safety,' they probably mean 'safely' sending you to some dark, sunless mine or a salt flat under the scorching sun, until you die from exhaustion or disease!"
"Pah!" Vito spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his eyes flashing with ferocity, and the fleshy muscles on his face trembling.
"Damn it! I knew those bastards in the black walls were up to no good! I'll fight them! I'm going to die anyway, I'd rather die like a warrior under swords than rot away in some hellhole!"
Centurion Dmitry slammed his hand on his thigh, making the water jug on the table jump. His eyes bloodshot, he roared, "Yes! Damn it, let's go! My laborers may not know how to draw a bow and arrow, but they can always grab sticks and stones to throw at people! We'll take one down with us, two down and we'll make a profit!"
Even the terrified Tyrosian nobleman Lezapo shuddered at the mention of "slave brand" and "mine." His extreme fear overwhelmed his cowardice, and he screamed, his voice distorted.
"I...I'll risk it all! I'll pay! I'll give a huge reward to everyone who survives! As long as we can get out of here!"
Seeing the impassioned crowd, Tiberius knew that there was no way out but to fight. He took a deep breath and pointed to the simple map.
"Alright! Now that everyone has made up their minds, let's discuss how to carve out a path to survival from this encirclement of 1,500 Valantis!"