Chapter 323: ๐๐จ๐ข๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ง (11)
Then, the eunuchโs anxiety was quickly realized. The expedition that was on the rise began a full-scale counterattack.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โRaise this flag.โ
โU-Ulrike-nim. Is it okay to do this?โ
The knights under Ulrike, who was in charge of the right flank, were astonished to see her casually raising Duke Yeatsโ flag.
The flag of a noble was an object that symbolized their honor. Since many nobles valued honor more than their lives, it was not something that could be handled recklessly.
There was even a war over which nobleโs flag to raise first when a castle was captured. It was an object with that much weight.
And yet, she was trying to steal it and raise it at her own will. . .
It was a dangerous thing to do, even if she was close to the duke.
โ. . .Sir, do you think I stole this?โUlrike said as if she couldnโt believe it. The knight realized his mistake from Ulrikeโs attitude.
โI apologize!โ
โItโs fine. Raise the flags without missing a single spot. Make the enemies panic and confuse them.โ
Apparently, not only the knight, but all the other knights thought that Ulrike had brought it on her own accord. Ulrike suddenly began to reflect on herself.
She wasnโt ashamed of her scheming and tricks, but if her subordinate knights were taking it that way. . .
โ. . .๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐บ, ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ?โ
But come to think of it, the duke was someone who loved tricks more than she did. Ulrike regained her composure.
โSend the signal to advance! Crush the enemies when theyโre shaken!โ
โUlrike-gong. The tribal chiefs have sent a letter of surrender.โ
โTheyโre quick to catch on. Hurry up and tell them to leave their position and run away!โ
Just because there were tens of thousands of them didnโt mean that they all moved in unison. As one side shook and collapsed, the other sides shook violently as well. Since they had made contact in order to betray each other from the beginning, they turned their backs quickly.
โA miracle! God is showing us a miracle!โ
The mounted order knights and priests rode quickly in front of the army and shouted in excited voices. Ulrike smirked at the sight.
The numerous groups of enemies gathered far away were scattering one by one like a mirage.
Anyone who didnโt know the circumstances would naturally feel like it was a miracle.
โ๐๐ฐ. . . ๐๐ด ๐ช๐ต ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ช๐ณ๐ข๐ค๐ญ๐ฆ?โ
When she was young, she had heard a sermon from a priest that had such content. He meant that it came down not only in a direct way that could be seen with the eyes, but also in a metaphorical and roundabout way.
At that time, she was heavily influenced by Countess Abner and thought, โ๐๐ฉ๐บ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ต๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ด๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ญ๐บ?โ, but now that she looked back, she thought that there might be some truth to those words.
Otherwise, how could an enemy force several times larger than them collapse without even crossing swords once?
The sound of people sobbing with emotion spread throughout the army. It was a collective madness that came from witnessing a miracle. Ulrike waited with a bored expression, and was startled to see her subordinate knights trembling as well.
โ. . . . . .โ
If she made a fuss here, the knights would be angry, no matter how high her position was. Ulrike waited patiently for this moment to end.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โNo. . .โ
After taking a break, Johan looked at the remaining enemies in the center retreating and felt disappointed. Suetlg handed him a potion he had personally prepared and said,
โYouโve worked hard. Did you think the remaining enemies wouldnโt run away?โ
โI heard a lot that the enemy commander was fierce and valiant, so I thought Iโd try it out once.โ
Johan had also heard rumors of Yeheyman here and there. As a pagan commander, he had landed like a surprise attack and conquered the Holy Land, so it was impossible for rumors not to spread even if he didnโt want them to.
Although the left and right wings were broken, there were still close to ten thousand troops left in the center, so he thought that the enemy might not give up and charge at them. And he wanted that.
โ๐๐ต ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ช๐ค๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ช๐ฑ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ค๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ญ๐บ. . .โ
Contrary to the rumors, the opponent seemed to be unexpectedly patient and persevering. Maybe the rumors were wrong.
โDid you do as I told you?โ
โDuh. Whose orders do you think I would treat carelessly?โ
In the current situation, the best outcome was to annihilate the enemyโs large army here, and the worst outcome was for the survivors to flee back to the Holy Land and barricade themselves in.
If the remaining soldiers, who were still numerous, held out against the walls, it would be a pain in the neck for this side as well.
Even if he couldnโt annihilate them, he had to prevent them from going towards the Holy Land.
โ๐๐ต ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ.โ
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
There was a reason for Yeheymanโs patience, which surprised Johan.
Just as there was a rebellion on the left and right, there was also a rebellion in the center.
Of course, to be precise, the nature was slightly different. If the rebellions on the other sides were literally betrayals, the rebellion in the center was a power struggle among themselves.
โEup eup eup!โ
โForgive me, Yeheyman-gong.โ
The eunuchs who remained in the center tied up Yeheyman tightly and locked him inside. Just in case, they took off all of Yeheymanโs clothes, starting with the weapons he had. They didnโt know what he might do if he was hiding something with magical powers inside.
They were as meticulous and thorough as those who had spent a long time in the Sultanโs court. The problem was that they were doing this to their own allies.
โ(Iโll kill you!)โ
Yeheyman screamed with bloodshot eyes, but no sound came out because of the gag. He was so angry that he forgot that he was someone sent by the Sultan and tried to kill him.
โYeheyman-gong is also at fault.โ
โShhh. Thatโs enough. How can you make things worse by provoking him more?โ
The reason for their quarrel was simple.
Yeheyman insisted on fighting, and the eunuchs insisted on retreating.
For Yeheyman, who had already been defeated by Johan once, retreating again was a humiliation worse than death.
Considering that he had taken several times the number of troops and lost more than half of them, it was clear that he would have to yield all authority to Suhekhar if he returned. Then, he wouldnโt be able to do anything until the Sultan arrived, and even after he arrived.
In that case, it was better to die honorably on the battlefield.
Of course, the eunuchs didnโt understand the heart of such a knight at all. They just wanted to live happily in the Sultanโs court for a long time.
โ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ! ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ง ๐ข๐๐ข๐จ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ค ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ค ๐๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐. ๐๐๐งโ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ซ๐? ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ!
โ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ค๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ. ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐, ๐ง๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ซ!
โ. . . . . .
โ. . . . . .
โ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก. ๐ ๐๐๐งโ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ข๐ญ. ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ก, ๐โ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ.
โ. . .๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ค ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ! ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐.
โ๐๐๐ข๐ญ ๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ญ๐. ๐๐จ๐ง๐ . ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐, ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ. ๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ?
And when he got up after drinking tea, Yeheyman was tied up and locked up. He had no idea where his escorts and slaves had gone. The eunuchs had put drugs in the tea.
Yeheyman gritted his teeth at the eunuchsโ cunningness. He should never have let his guard down.
โIs he still lying down?โ
โYes. He hasnโt regained consciousness yet, so no one is allowed to approach him!โ
The knights cast suspicious and worried glances, but they didnโt dare to argue with the eunuchs. The Sultanโs authority was behind them.
In the end, the eunuchs succeeded in gaining control by lying that Yeheyman had collapsed.
The problem was that this so-called command was not very useful now.
Who would want to take on the role of commanding the defeated soldiers while fierce enemies were chasing after them?
โLetโs quickly ride southeast and enter the Holy Land.โ
โItโs more dangerous because there are so many of them.โ
โOf course we have to split up.โ
The eunuchs were clever and knew the basics of tactics. However, they tried to use their abilities for their own safety.
Even if they were defeated soldiers, splitting them up when their numbers were close to ten thousand would only make them good prey for the enemy. However, it was rather good in the current situation.
The enemies wouldnโt chase the ones they could clearly see right in front of them, but the ones that were hard to catch far away.
Fortunately, this conversation took place in a place where Yeheyman couldnโt hear it. If Yeheyman had heard this as well, he might have really stopped his heart from anger.
โ. . .!โ
โA dukeโs flag in the village. . .?!โ
The eunuchs, who had just ordered their men to split up and chase after them, were shocked by the news reported by the scout as they were about to escape on fast horses.
โMaybe only one village was captured. We can go back! Have you checked the other places properly?โ
โT-That. . . Actually. . . A pursuit force sent by the duke appeared on the hill, so we couldnโt search any further. The number is considerable. . .โ
โ!!!โ
The eunuchs felt their hearts sink. The enemies who were supposed to be behind them were already appearing in front of them?
โIsnโt something strange? Theyโre human too, so how can they be this fast?โ
โNo! Itโs possible. They might have pulled out some troops while fighting and set up an ambush.โ
โBut. . .โ
โBe quiet! If the ambush is real, can you take responsibility with your life?!โ
The eunuchs snapped at the knight who had spoken up. The knight was so shocked that he lowered his head.
Neither the eunuchs nor Yeheyman were lacking in ability, but the difference was clear in this aspect. Yeheyman could risk his own life, but the eunuchs thought of their own lives unconditionally first.
If they had thought a little more carefully and checked, they would have been able to find out how many people there were. . .
โLetโs change direction.โ
โWhere to?โ
โSouthwest! Letโs go to Aniza City.โ
Aniza City, located much further south than here, was a port city on the coast.
They had played a part when the Sultanโs army landed, so they were capable, and they could also borrow the power of Viceroy Manansir, the cause of this incident who had formed a marriage alliance with the Sultan.
โThatโs a good idea. It will be easier to escape if something happens, and the enemies wonโt chase us this deep, right!โ
โHowever. . . The people of Aniza City wonโt allow an army to enter.โ
Everywhere they went, the people of the city hated the nobles leading the army. They shouldnโt be mistaken for helping the Sultanโs army land.
โWe can just leave the army outside and go in.โ
โYes?โ
โLetโs hurry! We donโt know when the enemy will chase after us!โ
โAh, no. . .โ
The knight couldnโt continue speaking in his haste. No matter how much Yeheyman had collapsed, wasnโt this too much?
It was one thing to split up the troops and move first, but it was another thing to be so careless. It seemed as if he didnโt care how many soldiers were scattered as long as he could save his own life.
โ๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ. ๐๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ด๐ฐ, ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ-๐ฏ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ถ๐ฑ, ๐ฉ๐ฆโ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐จ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด.โ
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โYouโre really saying they didnโt go towards the Holy Land?โ
โYes!โ
โIโm happy, but. . . Iโm a little flustered.โ
โArenโt they terrified of Your Highnessโs prestige! Yeheymanโs reputation turned out to be nothing but a bubble!โ
Biorarn shouted roughly. He was slightly exhausted from the continuous pursuit, but his expression was brighter than anyone elseโs.
It wasnโt just Biorarn. The knights who were part of the expedition were in a state of excitement for several days and nights.
The joy of the unbelievable great victory was one reason, but the enemy prisoners who kept getting caught were another reason.
Like fish taking the bait as soon as the fishing line was cast, there were now many groups of defeated soldiers scattering like rabbits around this area.
For the poor knights or mercenaries who had participated with only their bodies, this was a reward given by God. They were enthusiastically capturing prisoners as they came across them.
โNow that theyโre scattered like this, the enemy commander wonโt be able to lead many of them! Thereโs nothing to be afraid of anymore!โ
โI see. Biorarn-gong. Thanks to your efforts, the enemies couldnโt escape.โ
โ!โ
โI heard earlier that there was a trace of a camp on the western hill. The enemies seem to be quite strong, so a reliable knight. . .โ
โIโll go!โ
โOh. Would you do that!โ
โYes!โ
Johan sent Biorarn away easily. Suetlg was impressed. If he had left it alone, he would have been bothered by all sorts of offers to accompany him, but he had made the first move.
โYou handle them well.โ
โItโs not that hard. I got used to it because of Iselia. . .โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Iselia, who had been listening quietly, suddenly realized something strange and looked at Johan.,
Then, the eunuchโs anxiety was quickly realized. The expedition that was on the rise began a full-scale counterattack.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โRaise this flag.โ
โU-Ulrike-nim. Is it okay to do this?โ
The knights under Ulrike, who was in charge of the right flank, were astonished to see her casually raising Duke Yeatsโ flag.
The flag of a noble was an object that symbolized their honor. Since many nobles valued honor more than their lives, it was not something that could be handled recklessly.
There was even a war over which nobleโs flag to raise first when a castle was captured. It was an object with that much weight.
And yet, she was trying to steal it and raise it at her own will. . .
It was a dangerous thing to do, even if she was close to the duke.
โ. . .Sir, do you think I stole this?โ
Ulrike said as if she couldnโt believe it. The knight realized his mistake from Ulrikeโs attitude.
โI apologize!โ
โItโs fine. Raise the flags without missing a single spot. Make the enemies panic and confuse them.โ
Apparently, not only the knight, but all the other knights thought that Ulrike had brought it on her own accord. Ulrike suddenly began to reflect on herself.
She wasnโt ashamed of her scheming and tricks, but if her subordinate knights were taking it that way. . .
โ. . .๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฌ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ธ๐ข๐บ, ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ฉ๐ฆ?โ
But come to think of it, the duke was someone who loved tricks more than she did. Ulrike regained her composure.
โSend the signal to advance! Crush the enemies when theyโre shaken!โ
โUlrike-gong. The tribal chiefs have sent a letter of surrender.โ
โTheyโre quick to catch on. Hurry up and tell them to leave their position and run away!โ
Just because there were tens of thousands of them didnโt mean that they all moved in unison. As one side shook and collapsed, the other sides shook violently as well. Since they had made contact in order to betray each other from the beginning, they turned their backs quickly.
โA miracle! God is showing us a miracle!โ
The mounted order knights and priests rode quickly in front of the army and shouted in excited voices. Ulrike smirked at the sight.
The numerous groups of enemies gathered far away were scattering one by one like a mirage.
Anyone who didnโt know the circumstances would naturally feel like it was a miracle.
โ๐๐ฐ. . . ๐๐ด ๐ช๐ต ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ๐บ ๐ข ๐ฎ๐ช๐ณ๐ข๐ค๐ญ๐ฆ?โ
When she was young, she had heard a sermon from a priest that had such content. He meant that it came down not only in a direct way that could be seen with the eyes, but also in a metaphorical and roundabout way.
At that time, she was heavily influenced by Countess Abner and thought, โ๐๐ฉ๐บ ๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ต๐ข๐ญ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ด๐ถ๐ค๐ฉ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฐ๐ถ๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ต๐ญ๐บ?โ, but now that she looked back, she thought that there might be some truth to those words.
Otherwise, how could an enemy force several times larger than them collapse without even crossing swords once?
The sound of people sobbing with emotion spread throughout the army. It was a collective madness that came from witnessing a miracle. Ulrike waited with a bored expression, and was startled to see her subordinate knights trembling as well.
โ. . . . . .โ
If she made a fuss here, the knights would be angry, no matter how high her position was. Ulrike waited patiently for this moment to end.
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โNo. . .โ
After taking a break, Johan looked at the remaining enemies in the center retreating and felt disappointed. Suetlg handed him a potion he had personally prepared and said,
โYouโve worked hard. Did you think the remaining enemies wouldnโt run away?โ
โI heard a lot that the enemy commander was fierce and valiant, so I thought Iโd try it out once.โ
Johan had also heard rumors of Yeheyman here and there. As a pagan commander, he had landed like a surprise attack and conquered the Holy Land, so it was impossible for rumors not to spread even if he didnโt want them to.
Although the left and right wings were broken, there were still close to ten thousand troops left in the center, so he thought that the enemy might not give up and charge at them. And he wanted that.
โ๐๐ต ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ช๐ค๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ช๐ฑ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐ค๐ญ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ญ๐บ. . .โ
Contrary to the rumors, the opponent seemed to be unexpectedly patient and persevering. Maybe the rumors were wrong.
โDid you do as I told you?โ
โDuh. Whose orders do you think I would treat carelessly?โ
In the current situation, the best outcome was to annihilate the enemyโs large army here, and the worst outcome was for the survivors to flee back to the Holy Land and barricade themselves in.
If the remaining soldiers, who were still numerous, held out against the walls, it would be a pain in the neck for this side as well.
Even if he couldnโt annihilate them, he had to prevent them from going towards the Holy Land.
โ๐๐ต ๐ด๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ.โ
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
There was a reason for Yeheymanโs patience, which surprised Johan.
Just as there was a rebellion on the left and right, there was also a rebellion in the center.
Of course, to be precise, the nature was slightly different. If the rebellions on the other sides were literally betrayals, the rebellion in the center was a power struggle among themselves.
โEup eup eup!โ
โForgive me, Yeheyman-gong.โ
The eunuchs who remained in the center tied up Yeheyman tightly and locked him inside. Just in case, they took off all of Yeheymanโs clothes, starting with the weapons he had. They didnโt know what he might do if he was hiding something with magical powers inside.
They were as meticulous and thorough as those who had spent a long time in the Sultanโs court. The problem was that they were doing this to their own allies.
โ(Iโll kill you!)โ
Yeheyman screamed with bloodshot eyes, but no sound came out because of the gag. He was so angry that he forgot that he was someone sent by the Sultan and tried to kill him.
โYeheyman-gong is also at fault.โ
โShhh. Thatโs enough. How can you make things worse by provoking him more?โ
The reason for their quarrel was simple.
Yeheyman insisted on fighting, and the eunuchs insisted on retreating.
For Yeheyman, who had already been defeated by Johan once, retreating again was a humiliation worse than death.
Considering that he had taken several times the number of troops and lost more than half of them, it was clear that he would have to yield all authority to Suhekhar if he returned. Then, he wouldnโt be able to do anything until the Sultan arrived, and even after he arrived.
In that case, it was better to die honorably on the battlefield.
Of course, the eunuchs didnโt understand the heart of such a knight at all. They just wanted to live happily in the Sultanโs court for a long time.
โ๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ! ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ง ๐ข๐๐ข๐จ๐ญ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ. ๐๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ค ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ก๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ค ๐๐๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐. ๐๐๐งโ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ซ๐? ๐๐ฏ๐๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐ฌ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ!
โ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐๐๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ค๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ. ๐ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ญ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐, ๐ง๐จ ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ซ!
โ. . . . . .
โ. . . . . .
โ๐๐ข๐ ๐ก. ๐ ๐๐๐งโ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ข๐ญ. ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐๐ก, ๐โ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ.
โ. . .๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ค ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ! ๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐๐ญ๐ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ก๐๐ฏ๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐.
โ๐๐๐ข๐ญ ๐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ง๐ฎ๐ญ๐. ๐๐จ๐ง๐ . ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐, ๐ฌ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐๐๐ฌ๐ ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฎ๐ ๐ก๐ญ. ๐๐จ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ญ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎโ๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ข๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ?
And when he got up after drinking tea, Yeheyman was tied up and locked up. He had no idea where his escorts and slaves had gone. The eunuchs had put drugs in the tea.
Yeheyman gritted his teeth at the eunuchsโ cunningness. He should never have let his guard down.
โIs he still lying down?โ
โYes. He hasnโt regained consciousness yet, so no one is allowed to approach him!โ
The knights cast suspicious and worried glances, but they didnโt dare to argue with the eunuchs. The Sultanโs authority was behind them.
In the end, the eunuchs succeeded in gaining control by lying that Yeheyman had collapsed.
The problem was that this so-called command was not very useful now.
Who would want to take on the role of commanding the defeated soldiers while fierce enemies were chasing after them?
โLetโs quickly ride southeast and enter the Holy Land.โ
โItโs more dangerous because there are so many of them.โ
โOf course we have to split up.โ
The eunuchs were clever and knew the basics of tactics. However, they tried to use their abilities for their own safety.
Even if they were defeated soldiers, splitting them up when their numbers were close to ten thousand would only make them good prey for the enemy. However, it was rather good in the current situation.
The enemies wouldnโt chase the ones they could clearly see right in front of them, but the ones that were hard to catch far away.
Fortunately, this conversation took place in a place where Yeheyman couldnโt hear it. If Yeheyman had heard this as well, he might have really stopped his heart from anger.
โ. . .!โ
โA dukeโs flag in the village. . .?!โ
The eunuchs, who had just ordered their men to split up and chase after them, were shocked by the news reported by the scout as they were about to escape on fast horses.
โMaybe only one village was captured. We can go back! Have you checked the other places properly?โ
โT-That. . . Actually. . . A pursuit force sent by the duke appeared on the hill, so we couldnโt search any further. The number is considerable. . .โ
โ!!!โ
The eunuchs felt their hearts sink. The enemies who were supposed to be behind them were already appearing in front of them?
โIsnโt something strange? Theyโre human too, so how can they be this fast?โ
โNo! Itโs possible. They might have pulled out some troops while fighting and set up an ambush.โ
โBut. . .โ
โBe quiet! If the ambush is real, can you take responsibility with your life?!โ
The eunuchs snapped at the knight who had spoken up. The knight was so shocked that he lowered his head.
Neither the eunuchs nor Yeheyman were lacking in ability, but the difference was clear in this aspect. Yeheyman could risk his own life, but the eunuchs thought of their own lives unconditionally first.
If they had thought a little more carefully and checked, they would have been able to find out how many people there were. . .
โLetโs change direction.โ
โWhere to?โ
โSouthwest! Letโs go to Aniza City.โ
Aniza City, located much further south than here, was a port city on the coast.
They had played a part when the Sultanโs army landed, so they were capable, and they could also borrow the power of Viceroy Manansir, the cause of this incident who had formed a marriage alliance with the Sultan.
โThatโs a good idea. It will be easier to escape if something happens, and the enemies wonโt chase us this deep, right!โ
โHowever. . . The people of Aniza City wonโt allow an army to enter.โ
Everywhere they went, the people of the city hated the nobles leading the army. They shouldnโt be mistaken for helping the Sultanโs army land.
โWe can just leave the army outside and go in.โ
โYes?โ
โLetโs hurry! We donโt know when the enemy will chase after us!โ
โAh, no. . .โ
The knight couldnโt continue speaking in his haste. No matter how much Yeheyman had collapsed, wasnโt this too much?
It was one thing to split up the troops and move first, but it was another thing to be so careless. It seemed as if he didnโt care how many soldiers were scattered as long as he could save his own life.
โ๐๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ. ๐๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ด๐ฐ, ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐บ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ-๐ฏ๐ช๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ๐ด ๐ถ๐ฑ, ๐ฉ๐ฆโ๐ญ๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐จ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ค๐ข๐ต๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด.โ
๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
โYouโre really saying they didnโt go towards the Holy Land?โ
โYes!โ
โIโm happy, but. . . Iโm a little flustered.โ
โArenโt they terrified of Your Highnessโs prestige! Yeheymanโs reputation turned out to be nothing but a bubble!โ
Biorarn shouted roughly. He was slightly exhausted from the continuous pursuit, but his expression was brighter than anyone elseโs.
It wasnโt just Biorarn. The knights who were part of the expedition were in a state of excitement for several days and nights.
The joy of the unbelievable great victory was one reason, but the enemy prisoners who kept getting caught were another reason.
Like fish taking the bait as soon as the fishing line was cast, there were now many groups of defeated soldiers scattering like rabbits around this area.
For the poor knights or mercenaries who had participated with only their bodies, this was a reward given by God. They were enthusiastically capturing prisoners as they came across them.
โNow that theyโre scattered like this, the enemy commander wonโt be able to lead many of them! Thereโs nothing to be afraid of anymore!โ
โI see. Biorarn-gong. Thanks to your efforts, the enemies couldnโt escape.โ
โ!โ
โI heard earlier that there was a trace of a camp on the western hill. The enemies seem to be quite strong, so a reliable knight. . .โ
โIโll go!โ
โOh. Would you do that!โ
โYes!โ
Johan sent Biorarn away easily. Suetlg was impressed. If he had left it alone, he would have been bothered by all sorts of offers to accompany him, but he had made the first move.
โYou handle them well.โ
โItโs not that hard. I got used to it because of Iselia. . .โ
โ. . . . . .โ
Iselia, who had been listening quietly, suddenly realized something strange and looked at Johan.