Imperial Crown.

Chapter 341 The Earl Family's Envy

"So, we're defeated...?"

Viscount Fowler did not hear the surrender from Marquis Faraday, nor did he need to hear it. Just using his eyes was enough to observe the situation on the battlefield.

The golden-red light on the 1000 heavy cavalry was so dazzling that Fowler could see how they tore through the central army's defense line without anyone else's report.

The central army of more than 3 troops collapsed almost instantly.

The several square formations that were originally gathered together have been smashed into loose sand. From a distance, it looks like an ant nest that has been dug up, with collapsed and running black spots all over the ground.

Affected by the situation on the central battlefield, the troops under his command, which were already shaken, also collapsed.

The supervision team was unable to stop the fleeing soldiers. Some of them even dropped their weapons and the iron cross emblems on their bodies and fled with the soldiers!

Even the defenders in the Wall of Sighs poured out of the city gate in large numbers, squeezing the living space of Eivor's army from behind.

But even faced with this fact, Fowler still couldn't accept it.

"How could we lose? How could that happen?"

Before the war began, Fowler conducted sand table simulations more than once. Although they would suffer losses to a greater or lesser extent, they had never concluded that they had failed.

7 against 1, and the enemy's left wing was supported by only 3000 newly surrendered soldiers.

They have more heavy armor than the opponent, and there are 3 priests and knights invited from the Church of Light in the team. They should not lose to Raven in any way!

Even in this situation, there was still a messenger who faithfully performed his duties. He rushed to Fowler and said:

"Earl Palmer was killed in battle, and Marquis Faraday ordered the entire army to surrender!!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Fowler's guards and adjutants all turned their eyes to Fowler, and their expressions seemed to be much more relaxed.

If you really want to escape in such a chaotic battlefield, you might be mixed in with the deserters and be chopped down like a small character.

Surrender is a very wise choice.

Moreover, they have the Marquis Faraday to support them, so even if they are convicted later, it cannot be blamed on them.

But Fowler's hands were tightly clenched around the long sword at his waist, and veins bulged on the back of his hand, which was as white as a woman's.

The sword and scabbard collided, making a rattling sound.

"…You mean, surrender?"

"Yes, my lord."

Fowler's steps staggered, his chest heaving violently.

surrender?

Why should I surrender? How can I surrender?
Earl Wanda, who was guarding the Wall of Sighs, died in battle, Earl Tudor of Boland committed suicide, and Earl Palmer also died in battle.

And in all these wars, the Marquis Faraday, who holds the highest rank, is actually going to surrender! ?

You still have the blood of the Grand Duke of House Eivor flowing in your veins!
Fowler wanted to fly to the center of the army immediately, put the sword in his hand on Faraday's neck, and force him to stand up and not surrender!
But when Fowler looked around and saw the looks and attitudes of the people around him, the anger in his heart gradually disappeared, leaving only helplessness.

"Those of you who want to surrender, stay where you are." Fowler said calmly:

"But I haven't forgotten that I am an Eivor."

"Pass on my order! Those who wish to surrender, lay down your weapons where you are."

"Those who refuse to surrender, retreat with me! Fight your way out of the encirclement!"

Some people did not dare to look Fowler in the eye, and left sadly, leaving their swords behind, but more than half of them still stayed.

As the order was passed down, not all soldiers were willing to surrender.

Some, like Fowler, had a sense of patriotism; some simply did not want to have their fingers cut off after being captured; and some simply wanted to escape in the first place, and it was better to have Fowler's command and protection than to fight alone.

There were originally three legions with nearly 3 people. Even though there were many casualties, Fowler still had nearly 17000 people under his command.

But in the end, there were less than 2000 people who escaped with him.

Fortunately, when night fell, Fowler's men did not suffer many losses, and the main force of the Eagle Army did not follow them.

Because this time, the Eagle Army was not too obsessed with chasing the enemy.

A team of 2000 people wanted to defeat them in one go, unless heavy cavalry penetrated from behind, or an entire Eagle Army of no less than 3000 people surrounded them.

But after a day of fierce fighting, the Eagle Army's soldiers were not made of iron. Shortly after Marquis Faraday announced his surrender, most of the Eagle Army collapsed to the ground, not caring at all about the bloodstains on the ground.

This was especially true for the 1st Legion, which was fully armored.

After a day of fierce fighting, when they took off their armor, it was as if they had been washed with water. They could drink two or three water bags brought by the serfs in one breath.

Some of them fell asleep directly after drinking, and would not wake up no matter how the auxiliary soldiers and serfs carried and tossed them.

Therefore, the task of collecting prisoners and hunting down fleeing enemies was basically left to the heavy cavalry.

Fortunately, the defenders on the Sighing Wall also rushed out at this time, otherwise it would take until the next day just to collect the prisoners.

"Lord Raven, congratulations!" Hyde rode his warhorse to find Raven. "This time we have won a great victory and captured a real marquis. From now on, you will be famous throughout the empire!"

As he spoke, he deliberately glanced at Marquis Faraday, who was stripped of his armor and shackled.

Faraday was left with only a layer of white clothes on his body, looking like a fat worm. Although he could hear Hyde's mockery, he just kept smiling and didn't seem annoyed at all.

"That's all thanks to you arriving in time." Raven said with a smile, "Otherwise, if they took back the Wall of Sighs, I would be trapped here to death."

This was of course a polite remark. At least Hyde knew that Raven himself had a Wind King - even if he didn't, the Wind King troops could transport Raven back.

Of course, that also meant that Raven had absolutely failed in this war.

"You're so polite, Baron Raven." Hyde straightened his chest with a serious expression, pounded his right hand heavily on his breastplate, and saluted in a standard military salute:
"On behalf of the Slater family, I would like to express my sincere respect for your achievements!"

On the city wall, Hyde witnessed the entire process of the war.

Although he was not politically sensitive enough, Hyde was well aware that after this war, Raven's momentum was unstoppable.

He will become an important part of the Nord Province and even a rising star in the empire.

At present, although Raven's title is still lower than his, he can no longer be treated with ordinary courtesy.

Raven's expression also turned serious, and he responded:

"I, Raven Ota Griffith, am also very grateful for the assistance of the Slater family."

"The Griffith family will never forget this friendship!"

After saying that, the two looked at each other and smiled.

This is a tacit understanding reached by the two families. From today on, the Griffith family and the Slater family have become de facto allies.

"Master Raven, your performance today is really wonderful. It really opened my eyes." Jon, the third-level magician supported by the Slater family, came up and bowed to Raven:

"You are simply a magical genius that only appears once in a thousand years!"

He released 10 3rd-level magic spells in succession, and used the Primordial Wild Fire to fight fire with fire, destroying the lava monster created by the Creation of Nirvana. This kind of performance is something that not only a rd-level magician, but even many th-level magicians can never do.

What's more, Raven personally led the charge afterwards - being able to fight on the battlefield is a dream that many magicians cannot realize in their lifetime.

The world of magicians is much simpler than the world of nobles. Whoever has stronger magic power and goes further on the road of magic will be able to gain enough respect.

It has nothing to do with age.

That's why Jon has such respect for Raven.

"Master Jon, please stop praising me. I should be the one grateful to you." Raven said with a smile:
"If you hadn't set up the defensive formation of the Wall of Sighs, giving me time to slowly take action and plan, the outcome of this war would still be uncertain."

The two of them were chatting happily here, but Hyde was a little bored. He yawned:
"Well, Baron, it's getting dark soon, so let's go into the city and stay. We can talk later if we have anything to say."

After a long day, Raven felt a little tired. He nodded, gave instructions on various matters, and rode back to the Wall of Sighs.

According to the rules, the best residence in the city should be occupied by the person with the highest title, but Raven still lived in Wanda's former room - and no one had touched the room since Raven left.

No one raised any objection to this, and even Hyde took the initiative to move into the lower room.

In the next few days, the Eagle Army began to clean up the battlefield, demolish the camp, and count the captured supplies.

Besides these, we talk about business.

Except for the 5400 million pounds of seized food and more than 7000 sets of heavy armor that could not be sold, all other supplies were basically within Raven's sales range.

Hyde was talking business with Raven while looking at him with envy.

Because with the 7000 sets of heavy armor seized by Raven this time, not only can all the members of his two legions of Eagle Army be equipped with heavy armor, but even the independent legions he incorporated can also wear heavy armor. Purely heavy armor legions, two and a half in one go, even the Slater family does not have the financial resources to do so.

Yes, the cost of heavy armor is not only in the equipment itself. The physical requirements for heavily armored soldiers are greater than those for ordinary soldiers. Not only do they consume more food, but maintenance is also a huge cost.

But how is it possible that Raven is short of money?
After three consecutive victories, Raven seized so many weapons and leather armor that the market price of the Nord Province dropped significantly. However, this could not be exchanged for many gold coins, so I will not say more about it.

Raven’s biggest benefit this time is population!

The number of serfs gathered alone was as many as 12, enough to fill a viscounty.

Raven already had enough serfs collected, so he sold the 12 without hesitation.

Being able to join the military expedition is a kind of selection in terms of physical strength and physique, so the price of this batch of serfs is as high as 2 gold coins per person, and there is no difficulty in selling them.

Not only Hyde needs population, but also the merchants in the Iron Birch District, especially the nobles they represent - Faraday had committed too many sins before.

What is really wanted is the 3 prisoners.

These are all young and strong guys.

This time Raven did not insist on cutting off the prisoner's fingers.

The reason for doing so before was mostly because it was difficult to deal with - raising them would be a waste of food, and releasing them would help the enemy.

Now, as the attitude towards the war within the Nordic province becomes more optimistic, these prisoners of war become the best goods.

They have combat experience, are young and strong, and can become good soldiers with a little training. Therefore, the price of each of them is more than 5 gold coins. And if they have a title, then the redemption gold coins for each person will not be less than 500.

"No wonder all the nobles got their fortunes through war." Hyde, who had just finished a business deal with Raven, exclaimed, "What a profit!"

Even those who come from an earl's family would be jealous of him.

This time he spent more than 40000 gold coins to buy 2000 captives, 10000 serfs, and various leather armors and weapons from Raven.

And he also got something extra - Raven was always generous, and because he provided timely support this time, Raven directly gave him a camp of Eivor's army.

The total value of the materials and people cleared out is no less than 20000 gold coins.

"I'm afraid Raven can earn at least 50 gold coins this time?"

At the same time, at Raven's temporary office.

"My Lord, the statistics have been calculated. Excluding the rewards and pensions given to the soldiers, as well as the dividends for officers at all levels, the total profit is 623772 gold coins!"

Hu Xia introduced it to Lei Wen excitedly.

Although these 60 gold coins were not in his hands, after this victory, the dividends he received were as much as 50 gold coins!
This is still relatively small.

I heard that Eric and his friends, including Akori who was seriously injured and recuperating, each received a bonus of at least 500 gold coins!

Raven nodded and waved his hand, saying, "I understand. You can go down first."

"Yes, my lord!" Hu Xia bowed and stepped back extremely quickly.

After all, he had a lot to write.

As the door closed, Raven leaned back in his chair in a comfortable position, thinking about the pros and cons of this war.

The results of this battle were extremely good. Not only did Earl Palmer be killed in battle and 22000 enemy troops were annihilated, but all resistance forces in the southern part of the Principality of Eivor were completely destroyed.

But the loss is not small.

Two Wind Kings died, and not counting the independent legion led by Lancha, 2 soldiers were killed in the battle, and more than 486 were seriously injured.

Fortunately, the logistics were sufficient and most of the seriously injured were able to be rescued.

It’s a bit embarrassing to say the least.

Regardless of those who died in battle or those who were seriously injured, a considerable number of soldiers appeared in the 1st Legion of the Eagle Army.

The intensity of the fighting is one thing.

On the other hand, the fighting lasted too long and many soldiers became ill from exhaustion.

Some of them are in the state of taking off armor, which means they have to take off their armor even when they are covered in sweat and exhausted. The body temperature changes so much that their body collapses directly.

Others were so tired that they actually urinated blood. In Raven's opinion, this was typical muscle lysis.

Fortunately, in addition to Begenbao, Raven still has a lot of life essence. As long as the infection is not too serious, he can basically be saved.

Raven also thought about the reason afterwards.

Wearing heavy armor weighing dozens of kilograms and fighting for a whole day is a huge drain on the human body and not everyone can endure it.

Moreover, most of the Eagle Army did not have heavy armor to wear during their previous training, so they needed some time to adapt.

"I can only slowly adapt to the battlefield in the future." Raven muttered to himself.

He did not give the soldiers time to concentrate on training and slowly hone their skills.

The map on the wall is the reason.

Raven’s previous strategic goal was to put pressure on the Fitun city-states to make the empire more flexible at the diplomatic level.

The tactical goal is to take down the Wall of Sighs, expand the actual control area as much as possible, and gain benefits for oneself.

After all, Raven still had the mentality and purpose of grabbing a quick buck and leaving, and quitting while he was ahead.

But now, Raven's appetite no longer stops there!
Raven has always been very confident in his Eagle Army, and after this battle, he was given full confidence.

At the same time, he also got to know the quality of the Principality of Eivor's army.

Apart from the core private soldiers of the nobility, their training level and fighting will are not worth mentioning!
And since he had killed three earls in a row, how many of the remaining nobles would have the courage to stand before him?

The nobles all value their lives, otherwise the tradition of leading troops into battle would not have disappeared.

Taking up the quill given by Lux, Raven made some notes on the parchment, repeating the contents:

"First, within this year, we will continue to advance and capture the entire Bolan Region."

"Second, after consolidating the victory, continue to march northwards, approaching the Eivor region, until we are at the foot of the Blue Castle!"

"Finally, force Eivor VIII to sign a humiliating treaty!"

Placing the quill on the table, Raven let out a long sigh, a smile forming on his lips.

There was a sudden knock on the door.

"Come in." Raven said leisurely.

The hyena came in with a box in his hand:
"My Lord, the Marquis of Faraday has a valuable gift for you."

"Faraday?" Raven was stunned for a moment. "He was stripped naked and under house arrest. How could he have a gift for me?"

"What's in the box?"

The hyena shook his head. "Marquis Faraday said that you must open it in person, so I didn't check it beforehand. But Master Jon has already checked it and it doesn't contain any traces of magical elements, so it's safe."

"Then bring it over and have a look."

Raven was a little curious about what kind of good things the Marquis Faraday had hidden away and wanted to give to him.
It doesn't contain any magical elements. Could it be the formula of the strange potion used by the soldiers of the Volcano Legion?

The drug is indeed powerful, and although the side effects are severe, it is not impossible to neutralize it with Beacon. If we can really get it and mass-produce it, it will indeed be a great boost to the combat effectiveness of the troops.

Physical strength is no longer a problem.

Or maybe it’s a title deed, a family martial arts skill, or even some kind of treasure map?
Faraday has the blood of the Ivor family. Since he wants to please me, his contribution must not be shabby.

With anticipation, Raven rubbed his palms together, held the lid of the box with both hands, slowly lifted it up, and then his expression froze on his face.

The hyenas were a little surprised - is this gift so precious that the Baron attaches so much importance to it?

But immediately, he saw Raven's face darken, his brows furrowed, and the corners of his mouth twitched constantly: "Is this really what Faraday wants to give me?"

With a bang, Raven closed the lid of the box!
"Yes, sir, he said that you must be the first to open it! He also said that this way you will understand his intentions."

"Good, very good, very good!" Raven's fingers were trembling. "He surrendered in front of the battlefield. I thought he was a spineless person who changed his mind according to the situation. I didn't expect him to have such courage!"

"Then I will grant his wish!"

"Take some people over there and cut off his head for me!"

……

(End of this chapter)