Warlords of the witcher world

Chapter 70 The new owner of Wengerburg

At Vengerberg, the victorious Herme found himself the focal point of the entire kingdom, and indeed the North.

Because Herme's victory came so timely.

Under the background of Livia's surrender, Temeria and Nilfgaard's separate peace and then being tore up the treaty to attack, and the assassination of the King of Redania and the commander-in-chief of the North, this victory has boosted the morale of the army and the people in the North. .

Herme's victory was publicized everywhere in the North, and Heme became the most frequent figure on the posters of the North's victory.

In these posters, Herme's most typical image is a gesture of holding up a shield against the golden sun in the dark sky.

And the Battle of Wengerburg (so named because the battle took place not far from Wengerburg) is now the embodiment of the northern rebellious spirit.

All the northern armies used the Battle of Wengerburg to motivate their troops, and the effect was indeed remarkable. Many people who had lost confidence in the war after seeing the great defeat in the North now regained their confidence.

I believe that if the northerners finally win this war, the Battle of Wengerburg will become a highlight in historical records.

And on all fronts, the Nilfgaardian Empire clearly felt that the offensive was hindered, and the troubles were getting bigger and bigger.

Whether it was ordinary soldiers or the people, they all fought bravely against the Nilfgaardians, and the men in black could no longer advance as easily as before.

The Nilfgaardian Central Group Army is now struggling to move forward in the southern border of Temeria. Although Foltest's separate peace negotiation is shameful, it also gives the Temerian army time to react to Nilfgaard's offensive. After all King Verdon's sudden surrender was something no one expected.

So when the Nilfgaardians brazenly tore up the treaty and launched an attack, after taking Brugge, they hit the iron wall of the Temerians.

And with the news of the Battle of Wengerburg, Nilfgaard's resistance in the countryside became more and more intense, and it could be said that they were struggling.

Even the Temerians counterattacked, forcing Nilfgaard's lines back.

The advance of the Nilfgaard Veden (Western) Front to the west of Brokleon Forest, that is, the ocean coast, fell into the quagmire of security warfare and was unable to advance at all.

This army is the most brutal imperial army. Its commander, Duke Joachim, directly carried out all kinds of destructive looting and killing in the area occupied by Verden. His various methods are exactly the same as Adal of the Eastern Army. No, it should be said to be even cooler than Adal.

Therefore, as the empire's victory bubble is burst, Foden's resistance is undoubtedly the strongest.

What's more, the archipelago fleet can provide support to the fighting Verdon guerrillas and rebels from the sea at any time. The attack of these pirates on the Nilfgaard logistics line can be said to be a headache for the empire.

Problems arose on all fronts, and Emperor Emhyr is said to have lost his temper.

In the empire's plan, the fierce offensive should have lasted until winter, but the fact now is that the progress of various Nilfgaardian armies is hindered.

The progress of the front line is blocked, and the occupied area is full of smoke.

For this reason, Emhyr wrote a letter to severely reprimand Adal, commander of the Eastern Army Group.

It was precisely because of his failure that the empire was in such a mess now, and then the emperor sent the general who directly caused the defeat into prison.

And the impact of this victory is undoubtedly the greatest in Aden.

Herme conquered a large amount of lost land from the Nilfgaardians, forcing the Nilfgaardian army's front line to retreat as a whole, pushing the front line back to the southern border of Aden.

Now Adal Aip Darcy can only set his headquarters in Edelsberg instead of Wenger Castle as planned at the beginning, and the front of the Golden Sun can no longer reach the hinterland of the Kingdom of Aden at will.

What's more, countless Ardians took up arms and went to Wenger Castle to join the army led by Heme.

Their hearts are filled with the ambition to drive away the Nilfgaardian invaders. People are not afraid of war, what they are afraid of is joining a war with no hope in sight, and Herme proved that there is hope for everything.

Intellectuals are the most active group to join the army. In previous wars, except for those who longed for glory and wealth in the war, this group was extremely indifferent to war, and they would often find ways to escape the impact of war.

And now, under the atrocities of Nilfgaard, the intelligentsia of the entire North has reached a consensus.

If they don't resist, everything they love and their current life will be burned under the golden sun in the dark sky. In order to defend their lives, they joined the army.

This kind of thinking has also affected the citizens and farmers, and the closer they are to the occupied area of ​​Nilfgaard, the stronger this effect will be.

The Nilfgaardians use fear as a weapon, which is undoubtedly very effective, and that overwhelming fear has proven to be a very effective weapon in past campaigns.

But once the fear goes bankrupt, the backlash it brings is extremely terrifying, and the Nilfgaardians are currently in the midst of such a backlash.

Such scenes are not limited to Aden, but can be seen everywhere in the north. Nilfgaard's killing and slave capture aroused a collective consciousness called "Northern People", and made the mzism in the entire north begin to sprout.

This was a grand struggle, and the Nilfgaardians wanted to take the entire north with a thunderous offensive, but they also awakened something even more terrifying in their unconscious.

Back in Aedirn, the defeated Aedian soldiers who were scattered all over the country gathered in Wenger Castle one after another, and joined the Aedian army again. They wanted to wash away the shame of their defeat on the battlefield.

For these people, Hemei also simply identified some bad elements who were recognized as having a bad influence, and sent them to a military court for execution.

Everyone else accepted it, and now is the time when soldiers are needed.

Every manpower is precious, not to mention soldiers with military experience.

Seeing this, the local real power faction and powerful people in the king also stood under the banner of Xiang Falcon.

Now that the royal family has not shown up for a long time, they can only stand under Herme's flag against the men in black, which is better than being defeated by the men in black one by one.

As for dissatisfaction with Herme and various other ideas, they can only be settled after the war.

Yes, the king has not appeared so far, and the throne of Wengerburg is still empty.

This is a headache for Herme. Every time he sits in the lobby of Wengerburg City Hall, Herme will be annoyed by this. This is not what he wants to see.

He hoped that the king would stand up to the banner, manage the country in war, and deal with the pressure from all sides, not himself, not to carry all of this on his shoulders.

Moreover, he has been in the position of overseeing state affairs for a long time, and he is also very suspicious. This record remains a stain.

The king may not treat him well during the war, but settlement after the war is often unavoidable.

Some of Herme's arbitrary behavior before was because he had figured out how to dance on the tip of the knife without touching the king's bottom line.

But for a long-term regency, it's really hard to say.

Moreover, he is currently handling all the military, civil, civil and diplomatic affairs of the Kingdom of Aden, and Hemei feels his head is going to explode.

He is a complete rookie in these matters, he doesn't understand many things, and he doesn't know what's going on.

If Charon hadn't organized the bureaucratic system of the Kingdom of Aden to help him, Herme would have collapsed long ago.

Faced with such a situation, Herme really wanted to push the matter to other people, and he really needed a lot of people to help him now.

Herme killed many nobles in the capital when cleaning up the rebels. These people occupied many key positions in the center, and now these positions are all vacant.

But everyone else was hiding as fast as anything, and only Selchik, Charon, and the chief of the civil service were willing to accept responsibility.

And the reason why they hid so quickly is very simple. In normal times, countless people would have wanted to get a job from Herme.

But the kingdom is currently in a state of war, and the Nilfgaardian army may launch a second attack at any time. Although Herme survived the first attack, God knows if he can survive the second attack, and God knows whether Herme's government can be stabilized .

And more importantly, the king could return at any moment.

Herme has too much power now, and the king may not know what to do when the time comes.

And under such circumstances, Herme himself will definitely be fine, but those young men who have taken refuge in the past will definitely be dealt with.

Therefore, it has resulted in a scene where such a position can be seen everywhere, but no one is there to do it.

Now everyone is singing the praises of Herme's achievements, but due to various concerns, they are unwilling to hold important positions in the interim government established by Herme.

Therefore, Herme could only handle many things in person.

It seemed that he was exceeding his authority, but there was no other way.

However, Hemei still has an option, which is to vigorously promote those at the bottom
But for these people, Herme is not at ease about their qualities, abilities, and most importantly, their loyalty...

So it can only continue in such an embarrassing way.

Now, sitting in that historic chair, Herme is enjoying a rare break of her own.

Before the next visitor came forward, he could close his eyes and rest like this, and no one would disturb him.

Many people would come to see him during his visiting hours every day, and Herme would set aside two hours every day to receive visitors.

Among these people, some were scattered soldiers and officers returning to the army, some were refugees seeking help from him, and some were businessmen and nobles who hoped to obtain compensation from the kingdom... They brought various requests.

To different people, according to the suggestions of those professional bureaucrats and his own judgment, he has to make a series of reactions from time to time, such as enthusiastic, perfunctory, and flat, and the real person will be exhausted.

He didn't know why the clerks who kept writing and recording beside him didn't look tired at all.

Today, he met with Mahakam's envoy, the chief master of the Aden Armor Guild, and the gunpowder workshop technician in succession, and talked about a lot of things.

Seeing that the first two are mainly around the issue of armament replenishment, after all, soldiers have it now, but the equipment is not yet available, so they can only buy it from Mahakam and urge craftsmen to manufacture it.

And seeing the technicians of the gunpowder workshop, the reason is also very simple. In the last battle of Wengerburg, five of the sixteen cannons exploded.

Although no one was killed, the cannon was gone after all.

Herme needs to replenish the artillery, and it must be too late to transport it from Fort Sazar, so it can only be built on the spot in Wengerburg.

After finishing all this, I went to see you today.

Herme's rest did not last long, as the next visitor arrived.

When a visitor enters the hall, the clerk will tell Herme the identity of the visitor.

The name of the clerk who whispered to Herme every time was Marciu, a man in his 40s with a beard and a very credible aura exuding from his whole body.

He is the leader of Wengerburg civil servants, the ribbon on his body indicates his identity, and he always dresses himself meticulously on weekdays.

This person was extremely loyal to the kingdom. Before Herme cleaned up the rebels in the capital, he organized civil servants and guards to arm the city hall, intending to fight the traitors to the death.

He was undoubtedly looking for death. If it weren't for the magic soldiers from Hemei's army, he would definitely be killed by the rebels. How could his little civil servant beat the soldiers.

And the identity of the visitor this time made Herme refreshed all of a sudden, and she got rid of that tired state.

Because that person's identity is the commander of the Aden Special Forces.

"Leyla of Leiria, a major of the Aden Army, was ordered by His Majesty King Demavi to return to the country after leading Livia Queen Mivi to Mahakam. The Aden Special Forces are now returning. There are 870 special forces in total. Two people, there are now 150 six people, over."

This voice made Herme completely refreshed. When he raised his head, what he saw was the face he had thought of, a face with a quarter of elven blood, and his face was as serious as ever.

And that slender figure was standing there with a standard military posture, his black hair was still tied back in a braid.

He was wearing a leather armor with the emblem of the Kingdom of Aedirn on it.

This person is Leila, the officer who cooperated with Herme to destroy the Scotaella.

Now she has become the commander of the Aedirn Special Forces by virtue of her outstanding military achievements.

However, judging from her words, one can tell that the special forces led by her have suffered serious blows in the past month, otherwise there would not be so many people.

But now Herme cares more about the things she mentioned, King Demavi and Queen Mivi.

"Major, I'm glad you're alive."

Herme first said a scene, although she really wanted to have a good talk with Leila about the experience during this time, and catch up with the acquaintances, but there are more important things to ask,

"You said you were ordered by King Demawi, so Major, do you know where the King is now?"

Herme's tone was full of hope. It would be great if the king could come and take over the business.

He is really tired, and because of this, he has gained a lot of jealousy and hostility for no reason, and he has long wanted to run away.

"Earl Herme, I'm sorry, I don't know what the king's situation is. After I broke out from Edelsberg, I was sent to be a guide for Queen Miwei. During the Battle of Edelsberg, this The Queen has fled from usurpers in her own country, and has raised an army to our aid, which is the King's reward. As for His Majesty, at parting he said that he intended to go straight to Redania and seek refuge."

Leila spoke out all the news she knew in a strict and concise manner.

And Herme couldn't help but touch her forehead because she still didn't have the information she wanted, and she still didn't know where His Majesty the King was.

It is impossible for the king to go to Redania right now. The previous scene of the collapse of the front line that seemed to be falling apart has been shattered by the victory in the Battle of Wengerburg. The king can return to the capital to preside over the situation.

"Okay, Major Leila, thank you for the information you brought and your loyalty to the kingdom. Now you can go down. I will arrange someone to lead your troops to the resettlement area, and start preparing for the manpower."

Herme's words brought joy to Leila's stern face. For a commander, there is nothing more sad than the army being in a state of disability.

A crippled unit is likely to face the risk of disbanding, which the commander does not want to see.

But Herme said he wanted to rebuild the army, which of course pleased Leila.

The reason why Hemei rebuilt the special forces is very simple. Right now, the Scoia'tael are running everywhere, and it is precisely the special forces that specialize in dealing with the Scoia'tael that are needed.

They shouldn't be fighting on the frontal battlefield, but fighting Scoia'tael in the forest, or various special combat missions.

After performing a standard military salute, Leila withdrew.

This communication made Herme feel very good, and the communication with Leila was relatively easy.

Go straight, things are very simple and direct, don't have to think so much.

Next, Herme could rest for a while with the next visitor, and the clerks next to her were busy writing some summaries for the records.

Herme really didn't understand why these civil servants liked to record so much.

At work, the civil servants surrounding Hemei recorded all of Hemei's orders, and then archived them.

This is the tradition of Aedirn's civil service system, and it is necessary to record both formal meetings and important meetings.

However, this also brought benefits, that is, Herme became more cautious in her words and deeds.

When they said it was inappropriate and they recorded it, it was absolutely bad. No one is making trouble now, but maybe someone will make trouble at some point in the future.

He didn't want to be taken advantage of by these civil officials. Although these civil officials could not threaten him, those things might have an impact at any time.

The next visitor arrives, and hearing who this person is brings Herme as much energy as hearing Layla's voice.

Because that person is a royal archer, that is, the archer next to the king, this means that they are likely to obtain the latest information related to the king next.

A blood-stained archer walked in, with a black shawl covering his entire shoulders, and the badge of the Kingdom of Aedirn on his chest, representing his identity.

His body was stained with blood, but it had turned black, which showed that the blood had been there for some time.

His face was full of loss from time to time, as if he had experienced some huge blow, and he carried a bow and arrow on his back, which fit his identity as a royal archer.

And he was holding a baby in his hand. The baby's swaddle was very expensive at first glance, and it was full of patterns. It seemed that the baby's identity was not simple.

And Herme noticed one thing. After this person appeared, Marcie, who had been calmly assisting him, immediately became restless.

Not only that, but also Selchik and Charoen.

Yes, Selchik and Charoen have also been standing in the hall.

The former was the former commander-in-chief of the Aden army, so he would naturally attend such an important occasion to give Herme advice when necessary.

As the intelligence chief and the hero who contributed to the establishment and normal operation of the Herme government, the latter naturally had to provide his advice.

"Tybalt? What about you? Where is His Majesty the King? Aren't you with the King? Who is this child?"

And these few words reminded Herme of some pictures she saw in her previous life. A big bald man escaped the attacks of mages and archers, came to them nimbly and killed them, and then came to the king behind him ...

Herme thought of this person's identity, plus the previous reminder of the identity of the royal archer, isn't this the personal archer of King Demavi that he saw in the famous cg there in his previous life?
"Master Selchik, the king is dead, and so is His Royal Highness the Prince."

The tone was full of sadness, and these words echoed in the historic city hall. No one spoke, because everyone was shocked by the sudden news.

And the shock it brings will be even more terrifying.

"Tybalt! What the hell are you talking about? Are you sure you're not talking gibberish?"

Selchik's scolding sounded, and other civil servants were also in a mess. The impact of this news was too great.

Herme was the most shocked one. He was completely stunned and couldn't hear what these people said.

What?The king is dead?The prince died too?What is this person talking about?ah?ahh?Ahhh?

The reason for Herme's panic was simple. This was different from the "history" he knew. Demawi should not have died in the Second Northern War.

For a traveler, the most frightening thing is knowing that things are not going in the direction he thought.

However, the panic was quickly calmed down by him. Although the news of the king's death surprised him, fortunately, it was not a big impact.

The death of the king will not cause the current situation to collapse, and he has nothing to worry about if the situation does not collapse.

"My lords, what I have said is true. His Majesty King Demawi and Prince Stannis are both dead. They were killed by assassins sent by the Nilfgaardians... No, those are monsters. Did you Seeing that scene, we have hundreds of people, all of us were killed by the monster, and those who stood in front of the monster were either killed or injured. The king and prince were finally caught up by it, and then were torn into pieces .”

Listening to the words of the royal archer, another kind of panic surfaced in Herme's vest, which was some thoughts extended from Demawi's death.

In order to kill Demavi, the Nilfgaardians actually used such monsters, so if they killed themselves, they would have to resort to such methods.

Thinking like this, Herme decided to triple the number of guards, and then equip everyone with silver weapons and magic gold... No, this is not enough, it needs to be quadruple...

Herme's thoughts became more and more crazy, but after he accidentally touched the Cliff amulet on his body, he immediately felt relieved.

Really, what was he worried about, he was blessed by Cliff, so there was no need to panic.

But thinking about it this way, the guards still have to be doubled.

Naturally, no one knew about Herme's brainstorm in just a few seconds. Right now, everyone was listening intently to what the royal archer had to say, and Herme also hurriedly joined in, for fear of missing some information.

"When His Majesty the King saw that the monster was unstoppable, he handed over his illegitimate son to me. The king fought so long in Edelsberg, largely for this child, and gave his coat of arms to me. It was handed over to me, and I was also given a document that could prove the identity of the child, so I fled and brought the child to Wengerburg."

Said sadly like an archer, while taking out documents and coat of arms.

As the chief of the civil service, Marcius took over these two things and discussed with the other civil officials for a while.

Finally, Marcius said,
"There is no problem with the coat of arms and documents. The coat of arms is the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Aden, and the document is also written by His Majesty Demawi. It is about legalizing the child Baldwin as the king's child. It also mentions that the king will marry this The child's mother as a wife, giving her the title of Countess... eh? The child's mother is Damietta? Did she survive?"

King Demawi has always had secret lovers, things that are not known to the general public, but are not secrets among those at the court of Vengerburg.

So except for Herme, everyone present showed a clear look.

The royal archer answered with a shake of his head.

Hearing this, Herme also understood what was going on, well, the king died, and so did his heir.

This is really good enough, really good, too good to be too good.

The death of the king will undoubtedly bring turmoil to Aedirn, and some nobles may fall to Nilfgaard or Kaedwen, not to mention the more serious impact on the morale of the army.

After finally winning a victory, the news of the king's death came. Although it would not cause Aden to collapse, the blow was still huge.

"Marcius, since you know etiquette, please tell me who should inherit the throne of Aedirn next."

Herme mentioned the crux of the problem, which is the succession of the throne of Aden. In any case, there should be a monarch in Aden now.

"His Majesty the King and his heir are both dead, so the one who should inherit the throne now should be the Prince Baldwin who is still in his infancy. He should be the new king of Aedirn, Baldwin I."

That answer gave Hermi a toothache, and the baby king, well, was fine.

"Well, we now have a baby king, which is great. Forget it, call the priest, we have to spread the word quickly, and then come and crown the prince, the most important thing right now is to secure the throne of Aedirn continue."

Herme stood up from his seat, there was no excitement on his face, this was not what he wanted to see.

But, but, but, in the deepest part of her heart, what Hermi felt was joy.

During these days, although I was in a hurry, the feeling of being in control of power was really great...

After that, Herme left the hall with the excuse of needing a rest, and no one said anything.

Many people need to take it easy, the impact of this news is really too great.

And Marcius, an official with high execution ability, started to continue working soon to complete Herme's orders. Seeing this, other people also took action.

Under such circumstances, there is a person here, the commander of the Wenger Castle guard, the chief intelligence officer of the Kingdom of Aden, and he followed Herme. He has something to say to Herme.

(End of this chapter)