Warlords of the witcher world

Chapter 62 They Are All Traitors!
Wengerburg, the city has many titles:

The pearl of Aedirn, the most developed city in the whole kingdom, and the most developed city in the whole north.

All the while, it has a lot of fame in the North.

But now, that pearl has been dusted, and chaos has swept in, changing many things.

Wenger Castle is built on the rich Arden Plains, located in the center of this prosperous land.

The theme song here is prosperity and abundance on weekdays. The earth nourishes the people on it, and people also praise the earth and the gods for everything, but now the theme song here has changed.

On the outskirts of Wengerberg, in this fertile land, the fear of war is now rife.

Some people who were captured by fear are preparing to move out. Their farmland is left in the ground and no one cultivates it, just like that.

The farmers who did not move away worked in the fields in fear. They did not want to leave their homeland, so they continued to cultivate.

While farming, they also dug out the old weapons of their ancestors, preparing to defend their homeland when needed.

As for whether this defense is useful or not, it can only be said that most people are essentially comforting themselves, but people live by comfort.

All kinds of news from the south are horrifying, the massacre of Scoia'tael, the slave capture of Nilfgaard, and the figure of the enemy seems to be everywhere.

Coupled with the news of the rapid advance of the southern army, this is impacting the psychology of the people.

It's not that there were no such phenomena in previous wars, but the systematic brutality and rapid advance of the Nilfgaardians really scared the people.

Frozen three feet is not a day's cold. If this phenomenon can be traced back, we can directly talk about the first Northern War.

For northerners, the First Northern War changed many things.

(In fact, northerners should call it the Nilfgaardian War, but because the Northern War is commonly used, so the Northern War is used)

In the eyes of northerners, war is fighting for a few villages on the frontier, leaving thousands of corpses, and then celebrating on the corpses.

And Nilfgaard destroyed Sintra vigorously within a month and slaughtered the city of Sintra, which completely broke this concept of the northerners.

Massacres, slave arrests, killings... Wave after wave of operations by the southerners shocked the north, and then there was the great battle at Soden Mountain.

Although Nilfgaard's invasion was prevented, in the past four years, Nilfgaard has sent a large number of spies and missionaries to create chaos and spread rumors in the north.

Not to mention there are Scoia'tael activities, and these terrorist activities are also part of the panic.

Under this series of operations, northerners generally have a kind of terror as if the end is coming.

In these short five years, too many experiences passed down from generation to generation have changed, and people's hearts have also become turbulent.

This situation is not only in Aden, but in every place invaded by Nilfgaard, the people will feel this way, feeling that the original world view has been shattered.

And Nilfgaard is very good at using this to spread fear, and the activities of Scoia'tael and Rangers are exactly for this.

The huge shock caused a huge panic, that's why the fugitives kept appearing like this.

Many regions were not even invaded by Nilfgaard, and panic was widespread.

But around Wenger Castle, Herme at least saw patrolling soldiers, and hanged elves and spies were also seen on the side of the road, so the area was relatively stable.

Contempt often followed panic, and more than once Herme had seen farmers hang their captured elves and spies by the side of the road, and the hanged ones kept apologizing for themselves until they were hanged.

Indeed, as they say, the peasants cannot hang them for suspicion without any evidence at all.

It's just that now is an era of contempt, and the farmer will not listen to your excuses. If you are caught, you will be unlucky, and you will only end up being hanged on the side of the road.

Regarding these scenes, Herme did nothing, just watched indifferently.

Because he knows that this is an integral part of this era, and he should learn to accept it instead of resisting it.

And those people really couldn't prove that they were not Scoia'tael or spies. Herme didn't want to save an enemy.

The local patrolling soldiers said that they belonged to the Wenger Fort guards, the defense and security forces of the capital. When asked about the frontline situation of these soldiers, they also expressed that they were very confused. All kinds of news kept pouring in. Even the officers above, It doesn't seem to be clear what's going on.

Seeing that there was no news from these people, Herme didn't hesitate and continued to lead her army forward.

The appearance of such a large army also greatly calmed people's hearts, and the people felt a lot more at ease seeing the appearance of this large army.

After all, an important reason for the widespread panic is that the king ordered the Aedian national army to go south, so people in many places could not see the garrison.

Many lords and lords also led their troops southward, so it was naturally impossible to deal with the enemy on the territory.

Then add the destruction of the Scoia'tael and the Nilfgaard Rangers, and the power of the rumors is infinitely strengthened.

When heading to Wenger Castle, Herme met a Wenger Castle guard who came here specially. This was a messenger sent by the city. The messenger told Herme that Charon wanted him to enter through the Livia Gate, and he also showed Charron Lun and the symbols he had agreed to prove his identity.

Wengerburg has three city gates, namely the Livia Gate facing Livia, the Mahakam Gate facing Mahakam, and the Wilfriel Gate named after the previous king, which is also the gate of Wengerburg. main gate.

Herme originally planned to go to the Wilfred Gate, because several nobles from Wengerburg sent people to invite him there, and said that they had prepared the welcome ceremony.

Herme also agreed. After all, it was the largest gate of Wenger Castle, and it was the most convenient way for the army to enter.

But when he heard the news from Charon, he immediately ordered to change his direction.

Charron must have his intentions for asking him to do this, and his intuition told him that something might have happened in Wenger Castle.

And the enthusiasm of those nobles made him feel very wrong, which was completely different from the attitude of this group of people before.

Hmph, he still remembers how these people despised him as a nouveau riche. If something goes wrong, there must be a demon.

So follow Charron's request. He is the only person Herme can fully trust in Wengerburg.

In fact, Herme wanted to contact Charlene before, but unfortunately he couldn't.

Herme's army soon arrived at the Livia Gate. Although it was not the main city gate, this gate was also very exquisite.

It is full of various carvings and decorations, which should be the scene of the king of Aden fighting. These carvings are very exquisite, and the materials used are not cheap, which shows the wealth of the Kingdom of Aden.

But now, the gate is opening, and the Wengerburg guards are standing in line on both sides of the gate.

The guards wore cloaks bearing the arms of the kingdom, chain mail, and iron helmets.

They have been silent all the time and maintained a strict formation, which seems to be a good quality army.

And the leader was one of Herme's acquaintances, Charlene.

Two years ago, Herme and he had fought against the Scoia'tael together, and their friendship also started from that incident.

Charon has changed a lot now. He has grown a beard, and his demeanor is more mature and majestic.

Now he is wearing a set of plate armor with the coat of arms of Aedirn, which is full of various patterns. It is not cheap at first glance, and he looks like a noble officer.

"Commander Herme, welcome to Wenger Castle. In such a difficult time, your arrival is really timely."

Charron gave Herme a tired smile, it seemed that he had been very tired during this time,
"Now is the time when Wengerburg needs you."

In the past few years, Herme has attached great importance to the relationship with Charon, and this flexible nobleman is also willing to communicate with Herme.

It was through his channel that Hemei was able to know a lot of news about the court of Aden in the first place.

For this, Herme did not spend less money, but he felt that it was worth it. Charlene's reputation as a power broker and intelligence dealer was very good.

As for why Hemei believed in this power broker and intelligence dealer, and planned to connect with him when he came to Wengerburg, the reason was very simple. Anyone in Wengerburg could betray the kingdom, but he couldn't.

In the city gate tower, Herme noticed that there were many fortifications inside the city gate, and these fortifications faced the inside of the city gate, not the outside of the city gate.

Something must have happened, otherwise it wouldn't be a defense inside.

Heme was surrounded by guards and Cossacks, who surrounded him like an iron barrel. After receiving Charon's letter, he knew that some things might be difficult, so he strengthened the guards around him.

"Master Charon, long time no see."

Herme got off her horse and hugged Charon. This is a daily etiquette. Then Herme whispered in Charon's ear,

"What the hell happened?"

Charron suddenly asked him to enter the city through another city gate, which must have explained what happened.

Otherwise this nimble power broker wouldn't do such a thing.

"Ah, it's been too hard for you to come all the way, let's have a drink, Mrs. Hermey, you have to taste this wine, it's Sangeret from Toussaint, from the cellar of Lady Toussaint I took it out, for this wine, I spent a lot of money and entrusted a lot of connections, so I entrusted a nobleman to make some, this is something that should be enjoyed with friends."

When Charon said this, he blinked from time to time. Hemei couldn't understand what he meant, so he naturally understood it, and walked into the city gate tower with him.

And as soon as he walked in, the expression on Charlene's face changed, becoming very serious and solemn, in stark contrast to just now
"The camp of the reserve army is under the control of the traitors. The traitors in this city are preparing to sell the capital to the Nilfgaardians. With the entourage and knights of the nobles, the rebels already have 500 people, and I only have 1000. Therefore, I let you go through the Livia Gate, if you go through other gates, they will arrange assassinations, this is the only gate that the guards can still control."

Herme's expression also became serious. Although he knew that the form of Charon's actions must be severe, he never thought that the form would be so severe.

The reserve army camp, as the name suggests, is where the reserve army of Aedirn is located.

Recruited Aedirn recruits will receive training here, and most of the members of Aedirn's army come from this place.

As a tradition, there will be a trainer unit here, all of which are selected veterans, and they are also part of the defense system of Wengerburg.

Counting the several battalions of standing troops that are always stationed outside Cheng Wai on weekdays, the capital of Yadian is usually surrounded by three forces that do not belong to each other.

This arrangement is undoubtedly to prevent the guards from being dominated by one family. The consequence of a single family's dominance is that whoever wins over the guards can force a coup in the palace. If there are multiple forces, everyone can check each other.

Now the standing army of those battalions has gone south with the king, and only the guards and the reserve battalion are left to guard Wengerburg.

And if one of them decides to rebel, the impact will be devastating, and Wengerburg may fall directly into the hands of the Nilfgaardians.

"Then Lord Charon, what are we going to do, who are we going to arrest? Who are we going to kill? And is there anyone in the capital who can preside over the situation now?"

Herme directly said who to capture and kill, now is the moment of life and death, so the consideration should be how to do it.

He knew Charon's loyalty to the kingdom. He was part of the royal family, and he was so valued and promoted by the royal family. If he was not loyal, who would be loyal.

"Thank you very much for your loyalty, Commander Herme. As for the capital, I am afraid that only you can control the situation now. The king and the prince went to the front line together. That is why those people dare to make trouble like this."

As he spoke, he took out a list from his waist pocket, with the names of people densely written on it.
"In fact, I have another identity, which is to be in charge of the kingdom's intelligence work... This is a list of traitors sent by Redania. They got it from the warlocks sent by the Empire on Thaned Island. Now it is these people Make trouble in Wengerburg. Next, we only need to arrest people according to this list, but please spare the lives of ordinary soldiers, many of them were forced to obey orders..."

"Kill! Kill the illegitimate child and the upstart! Aiden cannot be defiled by such people!"

Just as Charlene was explaining the next cleansing activities to Herme, there was the sound of shouting and killing outside the door, followed by the sound of fighting.

Herme and Charon looked at each other. It seemed that what they wanted to do, the other side also wanted to do.

Seeing that Herme had successfully entered the city, they also tore their faces apart and made a last-ditch effort.

If they killed Herme and Charon, they could still succeed.

If they couldn't be killed, they would be the ones being cleaned.

Still a bunch of ridiculous idiots after all.This was Herme's thinking, that's how he saw this group of people, they were just dying.

Herme and Charon drew their swords, and then they opened the door and walked out.

The next step is to organize his subordinates to deal with these attackers.

.

This battle came and ended as soon as it came.

After all, among the rebels, there are only about a hundred truly determined traitors who really know what they are doing.

The guards were already prepared for the rebels' attack. Although Herme's army was puzzled when they saw them fighting, they quickly joined the battle under Herme's order.

The loyal side has more troops, and the rebels already have many coerced people, so this battle should not be simpler.

A large number of rebels surrendered shortly after the battle started, and the loyalists didn't make things difficult for them, they just disarmed and rushed aside.

After the battle was over, Herme watched the short battle, and then took a glass of wine from Charon. As soon as the wine was drunk, Herme realized something was wrong.

"I'm going, this is really Sang Lie, I thought you were just pulling a pretense before."

"I must have the wine to dare to say that." Charlene shrugged, "So Commander Herme, I'll leave it to you."

"Okay, let's get started."

Hemei looked at the subordinates, officers and atamans who didn't know when to surround them,

"Brothers, our great capital has been occupied by a group of traitors! And now what you have to do is to arrest all the traitors, understand? And not only them themselves, but also their whole family."

"Yes!"

Everyone responded loudly, and then, a big manhunt began, and Wengerburg today will be very restless.

As the capital of Aden, Wengerburg is well-known for its good municipal management, and well-maintained landscapes and vegetation can be seen everywhere on the street.

But now, many of these exquisite things are stained with blood and death.

For the citizens of Wengerburg, the sights on the streets were too frightening.

First the armies fought each other, and then groups of cavalry dressed like bandits roared through the streets.

Then the nobles were dragged out of their homes one by one, dragged away like dead dogs.

The same is true of some wealthy families, most of whom are wealthy businessmen in the city.

The lavish mansions did not hold them out much longer under attack, for after all these mansions were built for power and wealth, not for defense.

The residents were very happy that these people were killed. The nobles and rich people should have died long ago.

Then they sealed the doors and windows of their homes even more tightly. They all killed nobles like this. Isn't it easier to kill civilians.

But the worries of the common people are superfluous, because the Cossacks are not interested in them at all. As long as they don't run to the street stupidly, it is still difficult to die.

On the square outside the Wengerburg Palace, Herme's subordinates were hanging traitors one by one. Looking at the scene of hanging people below, Herme felt great joy.

No matter how noble their bloodlines are and how long their history is, the appearance of being hanged here is no different from that of the most humble commoners, and some of them even behave worse than commoners and are even more disrespectful.

Many nobles were still weeping bitterly, hoping that Herme would spare their lives, but no matter what they said, the rope would still be around their necks.

Of course, there are also those who have a tough temper, but the ugliness after being hanged is the same.

Hemei still remembered the arrogance these nobles treated him, and it was really cool to personally supervise them being hanged here.

Heme also treated the traitor's family members very harshly. The women were married to the Cossacks. There were a lot of old bachelors in the Cossacks, and the men all beheaded.

In this regard, no one will say that there is a problem, because this is exactly the way traitors should be treated.

Many loyalists even thought that Herme was being soft-hearted, and that they should kill all their subordinates.

For the subordinates of the rebels, Herme carefully screened them out.

For those who really know what they are doing, there is only a rope waiting for them.

As for those who just obeyed orders, they were all let go or absorbed into the army by Herme, and these people could still be used.

After using such thunderous wrists to deal with these traitors, Hemei instantly felt that the haze in her heart was completely swept away. This feeling is really great.

The last time it was fun like this was when we caught those money collectors in Upper Aedirn.

But the degree of coolness is not as good as this time, because this time he killed a group of important nobles, the top nobles.

At the same time, he also tasted the pleasure of holding power.

Now Herme has established a new command center centered on the mayor's mansion of Wengerburg to conduct military control over the city.

Charon greatly helped Herme rectify the forces in his hands. It was because of him that the officials in Wengerburg and its surrounding areas expressed their cooperation, and the loyal nobles also expressed their obedience.

The first thing Hemei did was to recruit combatants of the right age in the entire city. Now is the time when troops are needed.

Then I rummaged in various armories to find out all the weapons and equipment. Now is the time to use them.

For this series of operations, the people of Wengerburg did not have any resistance to it. On the contrary, they felt at ease, because Herme showed the efficiency that a powerful person should have.

Under the onslaught of war fears, this is exactly what everyone wants to see, and rulers who keep them busy in response to war are better than rulers who do nothing.

Then another thing that Hemei was busy with was to check the wealth of the traitors, and Hemei made a lot of money from it.

After all, there are many aristocrats who have passed down for hundreds of years. The amount of their family wealth is terrifying, and the amount of floating wealth alone is scary.

Then he took half of the floating wealth and distributed it to his subordinates and the civil and military officials of Wengerburg.

Now is the time when everyone needs to work hard, so don't be stingy with money, just throw it away.

With a carrot in one hand and a big stick in the other, Herme quickly took control of Wengerburg under such operations.

Of course, Charon's cooperation also contributed a lot. This friend has too many friends, and he can match Herme everywhere, and as the director of Aden's intelligence work, he also secretly cleared many obstacles for Herme.

While Heme was busy restoring order, Charon's subordinates obtained important information by torturing the traitors, that is, the route of action of the Nilfgaardian army and the accurate frontline battle situation.

At present, it seems that the Nilfgaardians are mainly divided into three routes to the north, and the three forces cooperate with each other, like a meat grinder, efficiently strangling the army of the Kingdom of Aden.

The Aedirn army was defeated, Edsberg had fallen, and the king was forced to flee.

But the soldiers were not killed or captured, they were being driven off by the Nilfgaardians, and Nilfgaard was like a wolf on the hunt.

When the prey can't move anymore, it bites hard, and then let the prey continue to run, and so on, the prey can't run anymore, and finally can only be killed exhausted.

Herme decided that he had to gather these forces as much as possible, and how many defeated Aedirn troops he could gather determined the difficulty for him to resist the Nilfgaardian army.

But if you want to gather the chased prey, you have to kill the hunter first, and Herme has already found the first target.

That was the Nilfgaardian army marching towards Wengerburg, the capital of Aedirn, and the number of Aedirian defeated troops being driven by them is also the largest. After all, the dispersed soldiers subconsciously wanted to go to the capital.

There was no doubt that it was a tough fight, and Herme was ready for it, his guns were hungry and thirsty.

(End of this chapter)