Warhammer

Several members of the Field family were standing in front of the prince at this time, discussing their plans as if no one else was around.

"Why not pretend that he was killed by an assassin? As long as we insist that we found him after he died, and then send his body in the name of the city, the Double-Headed Eagle should accept it, right? The people will not..."

"No one knows that the prince has been controlled by us yet. Why don't we try to see if the Black Castle can stop the enemy's attack? Then we can decide whether to hand it over to the Double-Headed Eagle or..."

"you've been drinking?"

An old man suddenly spoke, and the young man he asked was stunned, a little embarrassed but still answered seriously: "Mr. Tyrell, I don't drink."

"Then why did you say this was an idea that only a drunk would come up with?!"

The old man's rebuke made the young man feel a little ashamed. He lowered his head and stepped aside silently.

The elders have the final say in this family. An excellent elder of the Tyrell family must be fair, "fair within the family" and "partial outside the family" - the Tyrells don't have such a saying as "support the right side rather than the relatives", and the family is more important than anything else. At the same time, he must be good at scheming and have the means to subdue the young and rebellious members of the family, otherwise it will be difficult for him to be recognized as qualified to lead the family.

What's more, the old man named Tyrell is the young man's grandfather.

"Rodrigo is an arrogant fool, and that woman is much more difficult to deal with than him; and you are a naive fool!"

The old man rebuked the young man mercilessly, "Next time before you make a decision, think about it first!"

"How many cannons does Black Castle have? How many soldiers does it have? Even the city walls can't stop the double-headed eagle. Do you still expect to rely on the nest of the octopus spider?"

"And you!" After scolding his grandson, Tyrell turned to look at the middle-aged man who proposed to kill Rodrigo and fake signs of assassination in order to clear himself of the stain.

"That's a nice thought—but who would believe you?"

"This war was originally started by that idiot. Field, Jon, Benavento, Savini and other families captured Rodrigo, who started the war, made a big mistake, and decided to abandon the city and flee alone. They handed him over to the Double-Headed Eagle to protect the city and the people."

"Any questions?"

“There’s no need to find excuses!”

Tyrell's question made everyone look at each other in bewilderment. It made some sense, but not much.

Of course, as long as people are willing to believe it.

"It was Rodrigo who started the war first, and it was also he who wrote the letter that caused the enemy to come for revenge. We followed the prince to fight to the end, and even decided to die together with the enemy in the Black Castle. But when the prince saw that the situation was unfavorable, he decided to abandon the soldiers on the front line and the people of the principality who had respected him and his family as kings for hundreds of years, and fled in a cowardly manner."

"The Field family was so angry that they captured him in exchange for peace with the two-headed eagle. What do you think of this story?"

One man asked tentatively: "Then, will the public believe it?"

"'Spider' will definitely fight back desperately. The Grand Master is still their man. If the princess escapes..."

"Foolish!" Tyrell tapped the ground with his cane, making a crisp sound. "As long as we fight, whether we kill or make friends, we are already enemies! Do you still expect the octopus spider not to come for revenge?"

"The people? The people listen to whose voice is louder - they will believe whoever has the sharpest sword!" Tyrell snorted coldly, "As for the Grand Master, if the enemy breaks into the city, it is uncertain whether he will live or die. Since the two-headed eagle has supported Gregory, it will not hesitate to support another..."

Just then, the people who had gone out came back, and the princess who was famous throughout the southern world was among them.

"It seems that Her Highness Isabella is more sensible. Let's go and talk to her."

Tyrell glanced at the prince with his mouth sealed and eyes full of fire. When he saw that his wife was also brought in, he twisted his body desperately and made whimpering sounds, trying to warn Isabella.

But as he said, Isabella was much more sensible than her husband. In such a situation where she was at the mercy of others, she would not do useless work, otherwise she might be humiliated.

She came slowly, and even though she was a captive, she still looked like a noble lady dressed in finery, followed on her left and right by her servants.

Several Fields left the prince behind and, led by Tyrell, went over to "greet" the princess, but there was another man with a hideous scar on his face who stayed there, looking at the prince.

There was hatred in his eyes, but also a strange amusement, which seemed very strange and chilling to the prince.

"You don't remember me." When he spoke, it was like the uncomfortable sound of a throat filled with razor blades and nails.

He had not spoken a word in the previous conversation, and Rodrigo had ignored this ugly and low-key man, thinking he was a guard of the traitor Field family.

Right now, I'm trying desperately to recall where I've seen this face before. Maybe, it will help...

"It doesn't matter... I know you well enough. I heard that His Majesty, like you, also likes other people's wives. I hope it's not just a rumor."

"Do you think that His Majesty Al would be interested enough in Princess Isabella, Your Highness?"

The words that came out of his mouth made the young prince, who was racking his brains to find out whether he had a "fate" with this ugly middle-aged man in his memory, feel like he was falling into an ice cave.

"Woo-woo!" (Go fast)

Then he struggled desperately, trying to break free from the traitor's control, but how could a prince who was so young and had spent too much energy on women, especially married women and other mature women, break free from the strong servant?

It just brings pain to yourself.

When the ferocious man with scars on his face saw the prince's defense broken, a sense of revenge appeared in his eyes. He stood up, patted his trouser legs and said, "My appearance has been ruined. It's no wonder that His Royal Highness doesn't remember it. I won't go to Her Royal Highness the Princess to get in the way."

"I heard that the King of our neighboring country, El, is very handsome. No matter if he is a man or a woman, everyone likes him. I hope that His Highness Isabella will like him too."

After he provoked the prince again, he met the old man Tyrell's warning gaze as he turned around. He stopped talking and silently retreated into the mercenary team.

"Your Highness, you are much wiser than the Prince."

"To be honest, Field was not the only one to receive the letter... This was not a rebellion by one family, but a decision made by several families working together."

"You can only survive if you obey now."

Chapter 76: Changes in Black Castle (End)

Tyrell came straight to the point. The prince was young and hot-tempered, and could not bear the successive blows. He could only curse, which was really unworthy of his position.

However, the princess had an extraordinary demeanor and remained calm even in the face of great changes, which made the old man praise her in his heart. If the person sitting on the prince's throne was a male version of Isabella, perhaps the Visconti royal power would have lasted for at least two generations.

In response to the old man's frankness, Isabella sneered and asked, "Submit to you?"

"And then hand us over to the beastmen and send us under the banner of the double-headed eagle?"

"Do you think they'll let us go?"

"It's just death. If I die under the swords of my fellow countrymen, I may be able to avoid humiliation. There is no point in saying more. Please do it. We will go to see the Lord of Death together as husband and wife."

The prince, who had been sobbing desperately, stopped moving at this time. Seeing this, he suddenly felt deeply remorseful for his previous decision to act capriciously and use tricks to force his wife to stay and die together.

If he had not used words to stab Isabella, but had ordered the guards to take the princess into the secret passage and join the escape team...

"it is good!"

The old man responded with a shudder, and then continued:

"Before I decided to take action, a letter came to me from a foreign army, saying that if the plan succeeded, and His Royal Highness was resolute and determined to die for his country, he would be given a chance to die with dignity! With this letter, we can say afterwards that 'El, a man from the Golden Palace, forced him to death', to preserve our reputation after death."

Having said that, he took out another letter from his pocket and waved it to everyone.

"I have experienced three generations of princes, and I am considered the 'Old Man of the South'. Although we belong to two different countries, the etiquette, words and deeds, and the mind and bearing of His Majesty of the neighboring country are indeed much better than those of the prince."

He looked at the tied Rodrigo and made a sarcastic remark on the young prince's already scarred heart. Then he passed the letter to Isabella through his servant. The latter opened it and just glanced at the beginning "Margaret No Name, Al sends his regards to Prince Rodrigo" and knew that this letter must be a transcript of Al's reply.

The two letters, one before the other, are in sharp contrast. One is arrogant and even aggressive, while the other is tactful and humble. He first explained why he dared not agree to the big words at the beginning, then expressed the pain that the war had brought to the two countries. Finally, he humbly stated that he could not agree now, and when the war situation was unfavorable (if I surrendered to stop the war), he would be willing to dress as a woman.

When Tyrell saw her expression, he knew that the princess must have read the two letters a long time ago. He just didn't know whether she knew about it but didn't try to stop it, or whether she only knew about it after failing to stop it?

He took a breath and continued:

"His Majesty the neighboring country is wise and is willing to give the prince a decent treatment...but his Majesty has a mother and six children, all of whom are very angry about the prince's letter of humiliation." These words instantly made the prince, who had just had a fantasy in his mind that he could achieve the original "heroic death in the city" ending, feel a sense of "guilt" towards a kid who planned this incident and looked almost the same age as him.

But he felt more regretful. If it weren't for the pressure from all sides brought by this letter, he might have just run away - or if he hadn't provoked Al, maybe he would have gone to fight Tobaro?

The prince, who had been defeated, is no longer smart. The enemy's surprise attack on Miragliano was obviously a long-planned move. The presence or absence of the letter is just a matter of more or less "legitimacy". In war, is such a thing important?

"So I received another letter, and what it said... Haha, in general, it does not violate the good intentions of His Majesty the neighboring country."

"Your Majesty Al has a kind heart, but the Queen Mother (Alina) and the princes do not want the humiliator to escape retribution so easily."

"The Queen Mother of the neighboring country ordered me to use a nail to pierce the prince's tongue and knock out his white teeth; Your Majesty's eldest daughter asked me to smash the prince's ten fingers that he used to write; the second son asked me to gouge out the prince's eyes and wrap them in the letter to send to the army; the third son heard that the prince was lustful and did not distinguish between men and women, so he asked me to find ten rough soldiers to clean the prince's intestines; the fourth son..."

Just hearing about the tortures was torture, not to mention that you were one of the victims who would be subjected to the pain and humiliation!

Isabella couldn't help but tremble, this was clearly a threat!

But the old man looked back at the prince seriously and said:

"After all, I have experienced three generations of princes. What happened today was only because of your highness's incompetence."

"But since the princess wants to die with Your Highness, and the neighboring king has promised Your Highness a good reputation after his death, if Your Highness does not want to enter the enemy's camp and be humiliated, then I guarantee you both with the honor of the Field family and swear to the goddess: Your Highness will not be handed over alive to the double-headed eagle in my place."

"But I cannot resist those requests, otherwise hundreds of people from the Field family will die."

"So, please let your highness make the decision."

He clapped his hands, and several servants immediately took out two boxes from behind them and opened them in front of him, revealing all kinds of torture instruments.

Just one look at it is enough to make one want to pee. For the prince, the props that can bring him endless surprises suddenly appearing in front of him are even more terrifying than facing an army of 100,000 beastmen outside the city!

"Woo, woo, woo!" He struggled frantically, but because his mouth was blocked, no one knew what he was saying. However, from the prince's desperate attempts to stay away from the boxes, it was clear that he was not very accepting of this proposal.

A man with a sinister smile added fuel to the fire and said, "Let's start by digging out the eyes. If you can't see the torture, it might be easier."

The man with the scar on his face also took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire and said:

"That's not necessarily true. If the eyes are still there, you can see and prepare in advance. If the eyes are dug out in advance, you have no idea whether the next step will be smashing your fingers or breaking your teeth, which is even more terrifying."

These two sentences made the prince struggle even more vigorously.

The old man in charge frowned and waved his hand: "Remove the eyes first. I can't bear to see such a scene, and I can't bear to see the prince see his limbs broken."

So the servant immediately took out an object, which was shining with cold light. It was the tool used to carry out blindness. Another servant took out a small wooden box, took the folded letter from a Field and put it in it, waiting for the two bloody eyeballs to be put in.

The prince then struggled desperately, kicking his legs and struggling with his hands on the ground like a mad donkey, trying to break free from the control, with tears streaming down his eyes, as if he was saying goodbye to the eyes that were about to be lost from his body.

"enough!"

Isabella could no longer bear it. She walked past the crowd and came to her husband. She knew that the prince had previously planned to seek "reputation after death", so she stepped forward, stopped the two followers who were approaching, mustered her courage, looked straight at the crowd and said:

"He and I are one. I was also at fault for sending that humiliating letter. Just use the means of revenge they demand on me. If His Majesty is truly kind, he will not hold you accountable."

"'The death of a noble man must not be bloody'. He is your monarch, so the same should apply. There is poison in the Black Castle that can kill instantly."

Isabella used a folk proverb to persuade the Fields, but the old man nodded first, then shook his head and said with emotion: "If Her Royal Highness was a man, I think the bloodline of the Besiegers would have a chance to be revived."

"Why don't you ask the Prince's opinion?"

The servants behind him immediately removed the prisoner's gag, and the prince immediately shouted:

"I won't be punished! I won't be punished! I want to see that man! I want to see that man in person!"

"I wrote the letter, just hand me over!"

Tyrell was surprised and said, "Your Highness, if you think about it, I can also promise you that it will be as quick and neat as possible, without too much pain. If we reach the neighboring country... Based on your letter."

"Hand me over! Isn't he kind and tolerant? Let me go to him and see if he is really kind and tolerant!"

"If it's true, you don't have to be afraid! If it's false, anyway, I didn't die in your hands, so I'll take responsibility for everything!"

The prince had been holding back for a long time, and uttered a long string of words in rapid succession. After a short silence, a laugh suddenly came from the crowd. It sounded so harsh in the quiet at that moment, but the prince, with a flushed face, ignored everything else and just stared at the old man from the Field family, trying his best to regain his former dignity and majesty.

Isabella held her husband's hand and felt his palms were full of sweat, and she groaned in her heart.

It's all over.

Now they are completely at the mercy of others.

Those who should have left long ago chose to stay and "wait to die";

When it was time to die, he was afraid of the intimidation of traitors and the torture before death, so he chose to live a miserable life.

Once you fall into the hands of the enemy, your life or death will no longer be in your control!

Tyrell looked at the prince who nervously asked to "go face to face with Aiel" and proposed an idea with a rather strange expression:

"Your Highness has provoked wars before and sent letters to humiliate the emperor of a neighboring country. This is really too much. If you see the double-headed eagle flag, I'm afraid you won't feel any better."

"I have an idea... maybe it can save your Highness and the Princess."

Chapter 77: Conquering the city, dressing as a woman

When Aiur rode his griffin through the Miragliano Gate, nearly one-third of this city, which was once known as the "Crown of Tyrell" in its heyday and was compared to Margarita, the "Pearl of the South" in Estalia, had been swept by flames and suffered varying degrees of damage.

Hera's bombing attack brought a great fire to the city, burning countless buildings and houses along the way.

The ground was covered with bloodstains that had not been cleaned up in time. If you looked closely in the corners and crevices, you could see tiny pieces of flesh and blood, or black blood stains that looked like mud.

The whole city looked extremely miserable, and was only one step away from being shattered.

The Griffin Queen advanced on the cobblestone road, and the soldiers of the legion occupied both sides of the road and various high grounds. They held their heads high and lined up from the city gate bridge to the Miragliano Castle. Having experienced the ravages of the Akshay Fire, no resident dared to approach the bloody avenue where the legion broke through the city and reached the palace.

The situation in the city was even more desolate than outside. The soldiers were angry at the general support of the citizens of Miragliano for the defenders and their attack on the legion from behind, and were unwilling to take the initiative to collect the bodies of the Tyrells. The civilians who had suffered from the ravages of the war did not dare to make any attention-grabbing moves in the face of such a grim scene. As a result, the "Triumphal Avenue" leading into the city of Aiur was simply cleared of the road that would be stepped on by the king, and the broken limbs were swept away. Except for the soldiers who died in the legion, the bodies of the defenders were even swept to both sides and piled up like garbage, with the first goal of not obstructing traffic.

Together with the Miraglianos who knelt in rows on both sides of the road, living on one side and dying on the other. The living dared not look up and the dead stared with wide eyes, watching the conquerors who had trampled through their city and stepped over the land they had fought to protect.