Chapter 766 Joining
Balian did not rush to refute after hearing this. Instead, he held his chin with his right hand and rubbed his gray beard habitually.
Art raised his eyes and glanced at Balian. Seeing that he had not expressed his position, he added: "My old friend, I dare to bet you that their leader will take the initiative to surrender to us~"
Balian's fingers suddenly stopped and he looked at Art, with a little doubt in his eyes. However, after careful consideration, the leading Earl of Provence still adopted Art's opinion.
Hiberion patted the simple wooden table in front of him and said, "Okay, Earl Art, I will do as you say!"
After hearing this, Art had a smile on his lips. Because he knew that it was not easy to get this high-ranking Provence nobleman who believed in using force to solve problems to listen to his advice.
"But~" Balian said again, "We still have to be careful to avoid those bastards from cheating. I don't think you will forget how your king Flanders died~"
< br/> "Of course I won't forget it!"
"Sir!"
As soon as Art finished speaking, Ron's voice reached the ears of the two of them as the door curtain opened.
"What's going on?" Art asked, looking at Ron who had already walked in. "Sir, the enemy mercenary leader wants to talk to you~"
Hearing this, Art slowly looked at Balian who was aside, with the corners of his mouth raised slightly.
Although his face was extremely calm, Bellion, who also learned the news, was deeply impressed by Art's prophecy a moment ago, and even felt a little jealous of this guy's amazing decisiveness.
Art stood up slowly, straightened his armor, stretched out his right hand, bowed slightly, smiled politely at Balian and said, "Please, my friend, let's go and listen to what the mercenary leader would say -"
Behind the mercenary defense formation, the gray wolf, the leader of the legion, kept glancing back and forth at the densely packed northern soldiers blocking the front. While marveling at the huge numbers of the other side, they were also impressed by the northerners, who the southern lords said had average combat prowess.
As a "veteran" who has survived various wars, he keenly discovered that these northern soldiers had the same high degree of discipline and organization as his own army.
Judging from the battle between the two sides a moment ago, the combat power of these guys is by no means inferior to the soldiers of the mercenary legion. In terms of weapons and equipment, almost everyone is wearing armor and holding a sword, and the protection is tight. Especially the cavalry hidden among the infantry. Although they are not large in number, they are highly mobile and flexible.
With the throwing spears in their hands, it is enough to tear apart the outer defenses.
Hundreds of crossbowmen who cooperated with the attack fired all their arrows, posing a great threat to the mercenaries under their command as the army retreated. The number of mercenaries killed by their arrows was over a hundred.
Looking at the northern army in front of him with complete arms, well-equipped equipment and excellent combat skills, Gray Wolf was secretly glad that the opponent did not kill him.
Otherwise, with the few troops under his command, he would never be able to survive even half a day.
"Legion commander, they are coming~"
Glen, the deputy commander of the legion who was following behind, pointed to a passage quickly opened among the crowd on the opposite side and warned.
Gray Wolf immediately came back from his thoughts a moment ago and looked at the cavalry squad that was slowly approaching not far away.
In the middle of the small group, a man wearing exquisite full-body plate armor and a silver-gleaming barrel helmet was staring at him intently.
Beside him, in addition to a group of guards holding shields and swords, there were also a few guys who looked like subordinates who stayed close at hand.
“Too young~” Gray Wolf said to himself.
Glenn, the deputy commander of the legion on the side, looked at the gray wolf, confused. Curiously, he asked: "Legion Commander, what are you too young for?"
Gray Wolf slowly raised his right hand and pointed towards Art, who had appeared in front of him. "I didn't expect that this guy, who looks young, has such ability, it's simply incredible."
Glen didn't answer, but dropped his left hand to the scabbard hanging at his waist.
"Put your hands down!" Gray Wolf turned his head and scolded softly. "Are you desperate for your life?"
Glenn lowered his head and slowly removed his hand from the hilt of the sword.
When the gray wolf turned around again, the opponent had already reined in his horse and stopped in place. At this time, everyone on the other side turned their attention to themselves.
Gray Wolf took a deep breath and said to Glenn: "You stay here and sit in case the situation changes." After that, he lightly kicked the horse's belly and walked slowly towards the shield formation guarding the outside. The horse's hooves stepped rhythmically on the withered yellow grass, making a rustling sound. As the distance between the two sides got closer and closer, the facial contour of the northern commander riding on the maroon war horse became clearer and clearer in the gray wolf's eyes.
The dark eyes on the edge of the bucket helmet are so sharp that they seem to be able to penetrate all lies and deceptions. There was no expression on the stern face, and even the slightest vibration of the muscles was undetectable.
After many years of marching, Gray Wolf has only seen such expressions on the faces of those who once feared life and death. They are breathtaking and indifferent.
At this time, the mercenaries holding shields on the periphery spread out step by step to both sides, leaving an exit for the mercenary leader and his four personal guards following him to pass.
Soon, the gap closed quietly again, as if what just happened never happened.
Having been on the battlefield for many years, Gray Wolf has never encountered such a dangerous situation. Of course, it was also the first time for me to go to the enemy's camp to sue for peace in such a humble manner. Even though he knew it was detrimental to his dignity and honor, he still did it - even if his opponent was much younger than him. He must do this for the life and death of the legionnaires.
Stop!
As soon as they reached the middle of the confrontation between the two armies, a shout suddenly came. The gray wolf immediately reined in the reins and stopped.
At this time, a strong man with dark skin came over and asked loudly: "Are you the leader of this mercenary?"
"That's right!" Gray Wolf replied at the top of his voice, with a look of arrogance on his face.
The strong black man comforted the horse under him and looked at the gray wolf, "My lord, the earl, has ordered me to give you two choices, either surrender and live! Or resist and die! The choice is in your hands. After you have made up your mind, go over to see my master alone. Remember, you don't have much time."
"You~"
Gray Wolf felt annoyed at the rude behavior of the guy in front of him and was speechless. Before he could speak, the other party had already turned the reins and walked back. It was obvious that the guy in front of him had absolutely no aristocratic etiquette at all.
After calming down, Gray Wolf once again looked at the enemy leader who was still staring at him. I thought that the other party would come to talk to me in person, but I didn't expect that he would send a reckless guy to choose a harsh word and then leave without looking back. Although he was clearly the leader of a legion of thousands of mercenaries, yet he was treated like this, which made Gray Wolf feel both angry and aggrieved.
On the other side, watching Odo return arrogantly, Art couldn't help but ask: "How is it? Is that guy angry?"
Otto hurriedly stepped forward and replied excitedly: "Sir, this guy is really calm. If anyone tries to persuade him to surrender in this way, I will definitely slit his throat with the long sword in my hand!"
Everyone couldn't help laughing after hearing this.
There are two reasons why Art treated the mercenary leader in this way. First, test this guy’s temperament.
Second, avoid direct contact with the other party to ensure your own safety. If the other party sincerely surrenders, he will definitely come alone to express his attitude. If there was a scam, he would definitely not dare to go to the meeting alone.
While several people were still talking and laughing, an unexpected scene suddenly appeared for Art. One by one, the mercenary leader dismounted from his horse, took off the sword from his waist and handed it to the guard beside him, and then walked swaggering in the direction of himself.
“Earl Art, it seems you are right!” Looking at the mercenary leader walking over with his head held high, Count Balian could not help but sigh.
"Bob, order some good wine to be prepared. I want to entertain this friend from afar..."
"Yes, sir."
At this time, everyone present except Father Robert looked at Art with wide eyes. No one understood what basis Art relied on to conclude that the enemy leader would definitely come alone.
.—Everyone, come, let’s raise a toast together and welcome Lord Gray Wolf to join us!”
“Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
After a while, in a temporary marching tent, high-ranking military officers from both sides of the battle gathered together and toasted to each other.
A large table of improvised delicacies is being served continuously by the handymen of the Radiation Department.
After a few glasses of wine, a few people began to talk loudly and happily~
"Lord Angus, Lord Earl, I wonder if you have tasted the wine brewed by those pagans. I have been away from there for many years, and I still can't forget the aroma of wine wafting from those breweries."
After hearing this, Angus smiled and said, "Maybe you are talking about the thing that looks like horse urine!"
A few hours ago, both sides were still fighting each other on the battlefield, each fighting for its own master. At this time, no one would believe that the two waves of people, who were originally incompatible with each other, were actually sitting under the same roof, drinking and talking.
All this stems from the agreement reached by both warring parties on the surrender of the mercenary legion.
Him Originally, as the leader of the mercenary army, Gray Wolf wanted to use all the goods he carried as bargaining chips in exchange for the lives of his native soldiers, and immediately retreated south, vowing never to set foot on the land of Lombardy again.
However, Art, the commander-in-chief of the Southern Expedition, rejected his proposal and set his own conditions. In addition to no longer holding the mercenary army accountable, they also did not confiscate all the property they carried. Not only that, Art also invited the mercenaries to join his camp in accordance with the standards of the wartime army, and promised to receive rewards after taking over the southern territories. The reason why Gray Wolf, the leader of the mercenaries, was willing to obey Art's dispatch was not only listed above, but more importantly, the promise that Art made to him alone after the peace talks.
As a mercenary who has been wandering for many years, this promise is a fatal temptation for Gray Wolf~
Now, with the joining of these three thousand mercenaries, the Wells Army is even more powerful-