industrial lord

Chapter 731 The city gates will never be open
Rank looked around the living room and found that there was only some ordinary furniture, no decorations, the wooden planks without a carpet were worn smooth by footsteps, and the curtains were a long piece of blue linen that seemed to have a musty smell.

“Count Jurmand, thank you for your hospitality.” Count Ranke maintained the elegance of a diplomat. “I have come on the orders of His Majesty King Rudolf of the Rhine Alliance, hoping to have a frank exchange with you.”

Count Ulmand nodded slightly, not saying much about his purpose, but only talking about the weather.

Rank felt like he was from the Kingdom of Anglo-Chinese a few years ago, able to talk endlessly about the weather from noon until dusk, while he couldn't steer the conversation back on track at all.

A servant came to take down the curtains, and soon returned to report that the dinner was ready.

Yulmand then stopped talking about the weather and invited Rank to dinner.

The banquet was held in a small room. When Rank walked in, a familiar musty smell filled his nostrils. The curtains, which had just finished their get off work in the living room, were now working in the dining room.

Several officers sat on either side of the table, dressed in fairly decent clothes, with serious expressions, as if what was about to be held was not a banquet but a military conference.

Ranke somewhat understood why Yulmand had dragged on about the weather for so long; he wanted to make the contents of the negotiations public to the officers, which was a bit tricky.

After the guests and hosts were seated, Rank steadied himself in the chair, which was even less sturdy than his old back, and the waiters began to serve the dishes.

The main course was a roast goose, which looked malnourished, but was still roasted to a golden brown color and smelled delicious. It was surrounded by goose innards, and a layer of potatoes and vegetables on the bottom was soaked in oil.

When the food was distributed to each person, Rank once again confirmed the conclusions he had drawn from his observations.

Yulmand and himself were given goose legs, while the dozen or so officers accompanying him each had only a small piece of goose meat on their plates, along with some offal and vegetables, placed on a few slices of dry, hard bread, which were only two or three sheets of paper thick.

The drinks were also quite ordinary, just bland beer brewed by the castle itself.

The atmosphere at the banquet was somber and oppressive. No officers spoke; they silently ate the meager food before them. Everyone carefully chewed the goose meat, savoring every nuance of its flavor, before finally removing their robes.
Count Ulmand cut the goose leg slowly, as if conserving his energy.

Count Ranke seized the opportunity, put down his knife and fork, cleared his throat, and spoke with remarkable clarity in the quiet hall: "Your Excellency Count Jurmand, please allow me, on behalf of His Majesty King Rudolf of the Rhine Alliance, to express my respect to you and the warriors of Flensburg. The tenacity of your army is truly admirable."

Yulmand looked up at him, his eyes seeming to say, "Begin your performance."

Rank continued, “However, Your Excellency is wise, the Kingdom of Danma is currently in dire straits, and the royal family is trapped in the northern swamp and unable to take care of itself. This winter, when the swamp freezes, I am afraid the outcome will be dire.”

"Frensburg is isolated in the south, with our army pressing in front and Sverrières watching from behind. Your troops are exhausted, and your equipment and supplies... if I may be so bold, they are probably not going to last."

“Continuing to resist will only increase casualties and turn this formidable castle and its loyal soldiers into dust.”

He paused, observing Count Yulmand's reaction. The other man listened silently, his face expressionless.

Most of the other officers stopped eating, having finished the few dishes they had, and were sipping their beer, making the atmosphere even more somber.

Count Rank emphasized, his tone enticing: "His Majesty Rudolf is kind and benevolent, and respects Your Excellency and the others' bravery and loyalty."

"If Your Excellency can adapt to the times and be loyal to His Majesty, His Majesty promises not only to protect Your Excellency and all your soldiers' lives, property and honor, but also to entrust you with important responsibilities. Flensburg and the surrounding territories can still be governed by Your Excellency."

"Isn't this worse than an egg hitting a rock, forcing loyal soldiers to shed their last drop of blood in a war they can't win?"

His words echoed in the silent hall, and all eyes were focused on Count Ulmand.

Count Ulmand slowly put down his knife and fork, picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth.

He raised his head and looked directly at Earl Rank, his eyes showing neither anger nor contempt, but only an unwavering determination.

“Count Rank,” his voice was not loud, but exceptionally clear, “thank you for your king’s kindness, and thank you for your frankness.”

"My loyalty, and that of every soldier in Flensburg, belongs only to the Kingdom of Danma, only to the monarch to whom we have sworn allegiance. This loyalty cannot be measured by the gain or loss of a city or the size of an army."

He glanced around at the silent officers, who, upon meeting the count's gaze, instinctively straightened their backs, despite the weariness still etched on their faces.

“Whether it’s the Rhine Alliance army,” Julmand’s gaze returned to Rank, his tone calm yet carrying immense power, “or the Kingdom of Sverrières, as long as they set foot on Danma’s soil, the gates of Flensburg will never be open to them.”

"What we are guarding is not only the stone walls, but also the remains of our ancestors, the homeland on which our descendants depend for survival, and the oath we have made."

"Therefore, please convey this message to your king: Flensburg accepts only the sword of the conqueror, not the words of those who try to persuade us to surrender. We will never surrender unless we fight to the last man and shed our last drop of blood."

After he finished speaking, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

The accompanying officers remained silent, but something seemed to be ignited in their eyes—a determination that transcended the limits of the spirit and bordered on tragic.

Ranke looked at Yulmand's calm and resolute face, then glanced at the silent but upright officers, and then at the meager food on the table and the musty tablecloth.

He began to understand why Rainer called them "martyrs," people who had disregarded their own lives and whose only purpose was to be buried with the Kingdom of Danmar.

Ranke then changed direction: "Frensburg cannot fall into the hands of infidels."

The war lasted for two years, and both the Church of Light and the Church of Nature seemed to be unaware of it, making no announcement whatsoever, and remaining oblivious to the fact that their followers were fighting against infidels. Both sides had their reservations.

The Church of Nature is cooperating with Frederick. If it escalates into a religious conflict, the business will fall through, and neither side will be happy.

None of the cardinals in the Church of Light were from the Kingdom of Danma, so naturally no one spoke up. Some were even waiting for the heretics to occupy more territory so they could then use the pretext of expelling the heretics to make money.

In order to make his own mark, Ranke exposed the religious background of the war.

He said he was worried after speaking out that if he ruined Frederick's business, he might face retaliation.

If he had known that Frederick had already prepared to establish the "Flying Instant Noodle Church" immediately after the Church of Light and the Church of Nature declared a religious war in order to avoid the religious war, he wouldn't have been worried.

Unmoved, Julmand simply said calmly, "If Flensburg falls into the hands of infidels, we believe that the messenger of the God of Light will rescue her, and the rescuer will become the new master of this land."

Ranke's hopes were completely dashed; the other party offered no bargaining, effectively blocking any avenue for negotiation.

He no longer thought about negotiations, but instead assessed the defending troops: low morale, dilapidated equipment, and scarce supplies... But the commander's will was as firm as a rock, and the soldiers' loyalty was fueled by despair. Persuasion to surrender was no longer possible; only a fierce and bloody attack was possible.

Count Ranke paused for a moment, then stood up and gave Count Yulmand a standard noble salute: "I understand Your Excellency's will, and I will convey your words to His Majesty Rudolf without missing a single one."

His tone returned to its initial calm, but the previous confidence was gone.

Count Yulmand rose to return the greeting: "I will not see you off further; may the God of Light bless your journey home."

His words were polite, but carried a sense of detachment, as if he were seeing the guest off.

Count Rank, accompanied by his entourage, left the gloomy main hall of the castle under silent gazes. He passed through the oppressive castle courtyard, walked out of the heavy city gate, and as he stepped onto the drawbridge, he seemingly casually touched the thick iron chains, finding not a trace of rust.

As he stepped out of the bridgehead and looked back at the gray castle, seeing the graffiti under the firelight, his cold judgment became even clearer: this was not a ripe fruit that could be easily obtained, but a tough nut to crack.

On the city wall, as Rank's caravan disappeared into the night sky, the deep weariness and polite calm on Count Yulmand's face vanished instantly, replaced by a sharpness like that of a falcon.

He turned abruptly to the still-silent officers around him, his voice rising sharply, full of power, and without a trace of hoarseness:
"You all heard that?! The Rhine people think we're a bunch of starving beggars who can't even lift a sword! They think we're scared out of our wits! They're wrong! Utterly wrong!"

"Put away that junk! Bring out the best canned goods, instant noodles, wine, beer, and Emperor's Happy Water from the cellar! Go to the pigsty and slaughter the fattest pig! Have the kitchen start a fire immediately. Starting tonight, every soldier in the castle who can still breathe should have hot stew, bread, and noodles!"

"Tell them that only when they are well-fed will they have the strength to fill the moat with the corpses of the Rhine people!"

The command, like a thunderclap, instantly shattered the castle's deathly silence.

The officers shed their masks of numbness and exhaustion, their fervent fighting spirit ignited, and everyone sprang into action like wound-up springs. The oppressive atmosphere vanished, replaced by a blood-soaked excitement of an impending great battle.

"Yes, Your Excellency!" The officers' voices were loud and clear, and they rushed forward.

Count Ulmand didn't stop. He strode towards the castle, ordering his adjutant who followed closely behind, "Messenger, go to the armory immediately! Take out all the weapons that just arrived, distribute them, and teach those who don't know how to use them how to use them!"

The adjutant took the order and rushed off. Soon, wooden crates were brought out of the armory, and oil paper packages bearing the Springfield Armory logo were opened. Brand new four-barreled shotguns, large-caliber revolvers, and heavy bullets used to deal with large monsters appeared before the soldiers.

Yulmand arrived at a tower in the castle, far from the main gate, where a squad of soldiers in black uniforms were stationed.

He gazed greedily at the soldier's latest weapon from the Duchy of Wessen, then went up to the tower after giving his report.

Under the lights, a woman dressed in a black military uniform had just disassembled a revolver and was carefully instructing a little boy of about one year old on how to arm the gun.

After bowing, Julmander said, "Madam, Count Rank, the envoy of the Rhine Alliance, has left. The Rhine army will arrive soon. Please leave as soon as possible."

"Thank you sincerely for your continued support of Flensburg."

Without looking up, Catherine said, "We're leaving tonight."

"I did what you asked me to do."

Yulmand immediately replied, "I will certainly keep my promise."

Catherine added, "If you have nowhere to go, you can come to the Duchy of Jelgard. I need someone like you."

Yulmand didn't respond to the question, but instead asked, "Madam, if I may be so bold, could you satisfy a dying man's curiosity?"

Catherine reached out and gently patted the little boy's head beside her, saying softly, "Since you've already guessed, why ask again?"

Yulmand understood why she had gone to such great lengths just to kill Rudolf; it was to pave the way for that person.

(End of this chapter)