Imperial Crown.

Chapter 353 More Important Than Life
early morning.

There was heavy snow on Thorn Ridge.

Beneath the snow are clusters of withered bushes.

The sound of snow being crushed was heard, and the steel-clad combat boots crushed a few branches. Lancha walked up the mountain path alone, with a bit of regret in his eyes.

As the main road from Tiehua District to Bolan District, and connecting Ximu and Chaiqiao Districts, Thorn Ridge has always been an extremely important transportation hub and transit point.

If you want to bypass it and go to the Bolan region, it will take at least half a month longer.

A few months ago, when the Eagle Army first entered the Bolan Region, they easily captured this stronghold and destroyed it when they withdrew from the Bolan Region to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Eivor people.

But now, Thorn Ridge has become a thorn in the Eagle Army's throat.

2000 diehard Eivor soldiers were stationed here, blocking the Eagle Army's way.

Just as Lancha was thinking this, he walked around the corner of a valley. Suddenly, a few puffing sounds were heard, and then two spears were placed on Lancha's neck.

These soldiers crawled out of a snow pit, and the animal skins they were wrapped in were still covered with snow.

The leading soldier's hands and face were already red from the cold, and cracked frostbite could be seen, but his movements were extremely steady and his voice was quite excited:
"traitor!"

"You dare to come to the mountain!?"

Lancha's eyes flashed with guilt, but he still said calmly:

"I'm here to negotiate terms."

The leader said angrily: "Ha, that sounds nice, but who knows if you are an assassin sent by Raven?"

"I didn't bring anyone here." Lancha said, "As a holy knight, I can swear to my Lord that I came here only for negotiation and will never threaten the Viscount's personal safety."

"Of course, I can also wait here until you get the magic-sealing steel shackles and lock me up before taking me back. I won't resist."

Several soldiers exchanged glances, and soon one of them disappeared.

About half an hour later, the soldier brought back two more people, one of whom was a knight in full helmet and armor.

Under the supervision of the knights, Lancha had his hands and feet bound by magic-sealing steel and walked into the mountain under their guidance.

Along the way, the snow became deeper and deeper, and the mountain road became more and more difficult to walk on.

Soon, Lancha saw a pass.

The slope of this pass is at least 60° and is covered with snow, so it can only accommodate 4 or 5 people at a time.

It was here that became the nightmare of the Eagle Army infantry. The slope was steep and the ground was slippery in winter, making it impossible to rush up and the engineering equipment could not be deployed.

If they wanted to take the city by force, they would have to sacrifice at least 2 to 3000 soldiers, which was why Raven was stuck here for two months.

With a rumbling sound, a huge wooden basket fell from above.

"Get up!"

The soldier leader kicked Lancha rudely, but failed to make Lancha stagger. Instead, he himself fell down due to the force.

Before the man could get angry, Lancha shrugged, walked to the wooden basket, and allowed himself to be lifted up.

There was a platform above, where most of the snow had been cleared away, and every trace on it could connect Lancha to the previous battle.

Those fist-sized holes were left by the spears thrown by the Wind King's cavalry.

The thick layer of scorched earth with a sheen on the ground was the mark left by the burning of kerosene.

Over the past two months, the Eagle Army has launched various forms of attacks here, but none of them have achieved decent results.

With the cave as cover, neither kerosene nor poison pipes could achieve decent results; the Wind King Cavalry could not gain a foothold on this narrow platform facing the extraordinary.

"What are you looking at? Go!"

A soldier's order came, Lancha nodded, and continued to walk inside under the guidance.

Until we came to a huge cave.

The entrance to the cave was blocked by a fence, on which scorch marks from the raging fire could be seen.

After entering, the coldness from outside gradually faded away.

There were frost flowers on the rock wall at first, but when you go deeper, they turn into wet water marks.

As we walked deeper, we saw many soldiers on both sides of the road, all of them were injured to varying degrees.

The wounds corroded by the poisonous fog and the scars of burns from the raging fire were faintly visible under the bandages, and some had even festered.

There was a flash of pity in Lancha's eyes.

It's freezing cold, and there's a lack of medical care and medicine. Wounded soldiers like these can only wait to die here.

When they saw Lancha coming, the wounded soldiers who were still able to move pointed at his nose and cursed him.

The voices of "traitor" and "scum" were heard everywhere, saliva and spits were flying, and some people even picked up stones on the ground and threw them at Lancha.

Some people would even rush up to Lancha and loudly question him, asking why, as a descendant of the duchy's nobility and the son of Earl Duduo, he would serve the invader Raven?
Lancha could neither answer nor explain.

Just as he could not bring himself to kill the rebellious soldiers under his command.

But soon someone separated the soldiers and took Lancha inside, away from the sea of ​​abuse and into a small hut deep inside.

By this point, the humidity was so heavy that it made people feel uncomfortable, and even the burning torches and braziers could not dispel the bone-chilling cold.

And Lancha finally met the target of his trip - Viscount Fowler.

"Mr. Lancha, nice to meet you again." Fowler coughed and stood up: "You all leave, I want to talk to Mr. Lancha alone."

"But sir, what if..."

"No one needs to doubt Mr. Lancha's character." Fowler picked up the teapot on the small stove next to him and said to Lancha with a smile, "Sit down."

The guards quickly retreated, and the knight glared at Lancha before leaving.

And Lancha didn't sit down immediately.

Because Fowler was very different from what he remembered.

His usually neat hair now lay on his head like a ball of rotten algae, greasy; his originally square face turned pale, and even looked fat due to swelling; his beard under his chin had grown into a broom.

However, his body was too thin to match his face, and the skin on his hand holding the teapot was so loose that wrinkles appeared.

Lancha couldn't help but ask: "Viscount Fowler, why are you..."

"Please sit down." Fowler smiled gently, poured a cup of tea for Lancha and placed it in front of him:
"How can a defeated general live well?"

With a sigh in his heart, Lancha sat down, politely picked up the teacup and took a sip. He frowned slightly, but still swallowed it.

The quality of the tea itself was pretty good, but due to poor storage conditions, it had become moldy and spoiled. Lancha could clearly taste the musty smell.

"I really miss you." Fowler drank his tea in big gulps without caring, and said leisurely: "The last time we met was at your coming-of-age ceremony. The whole principality was so peaceful at that time."

"You and I don't have to confront each other like this, as different camps."

At the coming-of-age ceremony, there are flowers, fine wine, blessings from parents, and...

Lancha fell into warm memories, but was awakened by the musty taste in his mouth. The huge gap almost made him cry.

"Viscount Fowler, I'm here to persuade you to surrender."

This sentence really ruined the atmosphere.

But Lancha had to say it, otherwise he was afraid that he would never be able to tell the purpose of this trip.

So once you start talking, you can’t stop:
"You may not know that just yesterday, a rebellion broke out under my command."

"And Lord Raven was very lenient in dealing with them. He only asked them to cut off their thumbs and then released them."

"He is not a bloodthirsty person. In fact, since the Eagle Army arrived in Eivor, there has never been any organized beastly behavior. Occasionally, there will be soldiers bullying men and women, but they have also been severely punished by military discipline."

"This time, Lord Raven also offered lenient conditions."

"As long as Viscount Fowler can lead his troops to surrender, then everyone can forgive their past mistakes. As long as you promise not to fight against the Keynes Empire again, you can return home safely."

Viscount Fowler's expression was as calm as autumn water. He just slowly drank the tea in the cup and then turned it upside down on the table.

In Eivor's culture, this is a sign of seeing off a guest.

Lancha frowned: "Viscount Fowler, are you really not going to think about it carefully?"

"Indeed, there is water in the cave, but what about food? What about medicine? How long can you last here?"

"When I came here, I saw your soldiers wearing the hides of Rockhide Dryhorn Bulls. I'm afraid these first-level monsters have been slaughtered for their meat?"

"You're running out of ammunition!"

"Even if it's for the lives of your soldiers, surrender!"

Viscount Fowler suddenly understood and nodded:
"I'm still wondering why you chose to surrender. This makes sense." "I won't judge whether this choice is right or wrong." Fowler looked into Lancha's eyes:
"But I have a question, why did your men rebel?"

Lan Cha was speechless.

Trapped in Lonely Mountain, the nobles in Bolan City did not dare to fight Raven in the field and did not leave the city for two consecutive months, leaving no help here.

The moment Fowler led his troops up the mountain, he was already trapped in a dead end.

But he stayed here for two full months.

During this period, Lan Cha saw it all, and so did his soldiers.

As a fellow Eivor, how could I not be moved by Fowler's persistence?
Their rebellion was a response to Fowler's actions.

Lancha knew it, and Fowler knew it too.

"That's the meaning, Mr. Lancha." Viscount Fowler said with a smile:
"I have to admit that the Principality of Eivor is rotten from top to bottom. What we did in the Iron Birch District is indeed unworthy of the name of nobility."

"But we are Eivor after all."

"Baron Raven is a master of military strategy. No one in the Principality of Eivor can rival him. Perhaps in the future, Eivor will become a historical name."

"but……"

"She cannot die in such humiliation as she has now! There are so few people who are loyal to her."

"After repeated defeats, the Marquis surrendered. There are now hundreds of thousands of troops gathered in the entire Bolan City, but no one dares to go out and fight Raven in the field."

"Even if this is our own land, even if the other side has only 1 people!"

“This country shouldn’t be like this.”

At this point, Fowler took a deep breath and said, "So, I am insisting here, not because I don't care about the lives of the soldiers, nor because I don't know how precious life is."

"But there are always some things that are more important than life."

Lancha's expression was extremely complicated for a moment. Something that was above his life and family crashed into his mind, turning it into a mess.

He couldn't help but start questioning himself.

Was the original decision really the right one?
Seeing Lancha start to think, Fowler smiled slightly: "But there is no need to be so pessimistic. Eivor is not doomed yet."

"Perhaps, you will have to shoulder part of the burden of rebuilding it from the ruins."

"Don't think too much. Rest here for one night. I'll take you back tomorrow."

Lancha stayed like this.

He did not sleep well that night, not because of the damp straw bed, nor because of the soldiers' constant abuse and ridicule at him all night long.

I didn't fall asleep until I was so sleepy that I fell into a daze.

Early the next morning.

When Lancha was awakened, the cave was almost empty.

He saw Fowler in the open space in front of the cave.

The viscount put on armor and chopped off his beard with a sword, leaving only a thin stubble.

Behind him were all the surviving soldiers, including the wounded who were still able to move.

"You are right. We are indeed out of food." Fowler smiled and whispered to Lancha:

“But we don’t want to be cannibals either.”

After saying this, he drew the long sword from his waist:

"Set off!!"

The King of Wind in the sky cried.

This is a battle whose outcome is already determined.

If they were backed by the high mountains of Thorn Ridge, they could still hold out for the defense; but if they were to fight a decisive battle with the Eagle Army on flat ground, that would be tantamount to seeking death.

Every soldier under Fowler knew it.

But their steps did not hesitate at all.

With unspeakable feelings, Lancha followed the soldiers down the Thorn Ridge and watched them rush towards the iron-clad Eagle Army.

Like an egg hitting a stone.

However, the course of the battle was longer than Lancha had expected.

This was the most cruel thing he had ever seen in his life.

The soldiers under Fowler seemed to have no idea what fear was.

If weapons are broken, use your hands and feet. If your hands and feet are broken, use your teeth, even if it means you can only leave a small dent on the heavy armor.

They are unwilling to give up the fight until they are completely dead.

This was an enemy the Eagle Army had never faced before. Their equipment was extremely poor, but their tenacity was unprecedented since they entered the Principality of Eivor.

The battle of absolute advantage lasted from dawn to afternoon.

The ground was smeared with blood and viscera.

Until Viscount Fowler, who rushed to the front line, was killed in battle.

He was the last one to die. He refused to surrender and was shot through the throat with an arrow.

In this battle, Viscount Fowler led the charge, his armor was torn to pieces, he was hit by 41 arrows and 11 knife and arrow wounds.

Until his death, his body was still in a fighting posture, with not a single wound on his back.

The battle ended, the crowd parted, and Raven walked over to Fowler's body.

Lancha, who was wearing handcuffs, also walked over and lowered his head, not knowing what to say at this moment.

"Viscount Fowler, what did he tell you?" Raven suddenly asked.

Lancha raised his head and took a deep breath.

Perhaps stimulated by the smell of blood, his eyes were a little red, but he still clearly recounted the conversation between himself and Fowler.

After listening to this, Raven remained silent for a while:
"Is there something more important than life...?"

Unexpectedly, there are people in this world who have such awareness.

If Raven heard this from somewhere else, he would just find it ridiculous.

These days, the slogans shouted by the nobles are getting louder and louder, but they themselves don't believe them.

Fowler, on the other hand, put his beliefs into practice with his own life.

Looking at his standing body, Raven wanted to ask a question.

Is it worth it for Eivor?
But in the end, he just sighed and let these words blow away in the wind.

"Clean up the battlefield." Raven raised his hand to call the hyenas:

"These soldiers were all brave warriors. Do not desecrate their bodies. Burn them and bury them together."

"As for Fowler..."

"Have someone take care of his remains, hire a local merchant, and send his body back to his hometown with proper ceremony."

The hyenas retreated as ordered and began to organize auxiliary troops to clean up the battlefield.

The soldiers' logic is simple. They respect warriors, even if they are opponents.

Especially the officers, many of whom had participated in the conquest of the Bloody Heights. Facing their opponents this time reminded them of their former selves.

In just a dozen days, a huge tomb was erected at the foot of Thorn Ridge.

The layout of this tomb is quite simple, just a small hill surrounded by a large number of stones.

At the door, there is a stone tablet with their epitaphs engraved on it:

"The warriors who fought loyally for honor and dignity rest here forever."

"Born great, but died from the cowardice of the Eivor nobility."

Raven carved the final strokes of the epitaph himself, then broke camp and set off.
Directly towards Bolan City.

……

(End of this chapter)