Chapter 84: A Hostage Who Knows the Times
Leon approached Justus as he spoke: "As for me, of course I came to see the battle situation and see when the Empire can fulfill its promise... In case the battle situation here is not favorable..."
Justus smiled sarcastically: "If the battle goes badly and we fail to capture White Hart Castle, you can follow our army back to the empire, right, Lord Rainier?"
The contempt of the Glorious Cross Knight next to him was even more obvious.
Moreover, many knights and crossbowmen approached Justus, and it seemed that they were not confident about this "Rainier".
Li Ang raised his eyebrows, "Of course! After I finish my work, I have to find a safe place first!... I don't want to face Godric, nor do I want to be besieged by the kingdom... Besides, the status that the empire promised me should be fulfilled now!"
Li Ang pretended to be very convincing.
This is also in line with Rainier's way of thinking - for his own safety, he should first hide in the army of the Bacchus Empire.
If White Deer Fort is not taken, the matter will be exposed. He can hide here to avoid being surrounded and attacked by the kingdom and escape with the army.
But regardless of whether White Hart Fort was taken or not, the Empire should "keep its promise", after all, he had "completed" the task of capturing Eldegard.
Justus laughed even harder: "We are still at war. Only His Majesty the Emperor can fulfill the promise I made to you . I can't do that..."
Leon shook his head and approached Justus, seeming a little indignant: "So, will His Majesty the Emperor come here? The Empire must keep its promise, otherwise... I still have thousands of people in Elerdaig, and they don't know about our deal..."
Justus understood what this meant - the Bacchus Empire should not think of killing Rainier after crossing the river, otherwise the "thousands of subordinates" of Eledagen would not know that Rainier was a traitor, and they were from the Kingdom of Sarleon.
This is to protect Mai Xiangling and also to protect himself.
In this way , the failure of the scouts sent by the Bacchus Empire to return can be considered a "misunderstanding" - Rainier was not there, and the "thousands" of defenders were "unaware" and killed the scouts.
This statement should reduce Justus's suspicion.
Governor Justus' smile disappeared, and he grinned: "What are you thinking about... How could His Majesty come here! When the war is over, I will naturally take you to Siyuan City to meet His Majesty! Lord Rainier, don't worry, as long as Eledaig is in your hands, the Empire's promise will definitely be fulfilled!"
The attitude changed quickly...
"Then I'll wait here. I don't want to be sold out... Governor, we will soon be colleagues. Do you mind if I rest in your tent for a while?"
Leon extended his hand to Governor Justus, as if he regarded himself as the "Governor who is about to fulfill his promise".
Don't consider yourself an outsider at all...
Governor Justus frowned, but still dismissed the guards with a professional smile, stepped forward and shook Leon's hand: "Please... hm?"
"Okay, okay, Your Excellency Governor, you are too polite...hahahaha..."
Leon laughed heartily, put his arm around Governor Justus's shoulder and walked into the military tent.
In his hand was hidden a small knife that was less than the size of a palm, with the tip of the knife pressed against the side of Justus' neck. The guards who had just been dispersed were blocked from view by Justus' body.
The two followers behind him looked at each other, then quickly followed in with the dead-faced spy.
As soon as they entered the military tent, the Glorious Cross Knights who had been protecting Justus began to whisper again: "Tsk... the traitor is still so arrogant..."
"The only people those venomous snakes can deceive are rubbish nobles like these, who have no sense of honor..."
"Alas, these poisonous snakes can be considered as heroes of the empire... It's always good if we can reduce the death of some soldiers..."
The sound of their whispering was very low, but it still reached Leon's ears.
This is not because the Lord has some special ability like clairaudience...
The main reason was that after Leon entered the military tent, he immediately lay down in a corner of the tent and observed through the gap the knights who had been whispering before.
And he cupped his hands over his ears and listened attentively to their conversation.
In fact, Leon was just observing the guards and evaluating how to take the hostages away, and eavesdropping was just a side job.
Governor Justus had his mouth covered by two of his followers, and a small curved knife was placed on his neck - this was the small knife that Leon had hidden in his hand when he put his arm around Justus's shoulders just now.
"Mr. Justus, please send your people away first, otherwise we won't be able to have a good chat."
Li Ang leaned close to the governor's ear and lowered his voice very softly.
He did not add any threats. Anyone who could become a governor should at least have the virtue of knowing the current affairs.
"Knights, go help Lord Rainier set up a tent!"
Justus obviously not only knew the situation, but also reacted quickly, and in a blink of an eye he came up with a reasonable way to get rid of the problem...
Leon looked around again and saw that the knights were indeed far away, so he sat down in front of Justus with peace of mind.
Justus raised his head and looked at Leon carefully: "Young man, you are not Rainier..."
Li Ang smiled and shook the dagger in his hand: "I ask, you answer, don't talk nonsense."
Justus wisely kept his mouth shut.
"You are probably the marshal of this war. Tell your men to stop attacking first!"
"I'm not. The Marshal is Governor Kairos."
Leon and the two Lion Knights exchanged glances and said, "You're lying to me... Your tent is the largest here!"
"Sir...I just like a bigger tent, is that not okay?"
Justus felt a little aggrieved. It was just that the tent was a little more luxurious, but he was kidnapped because of it!
Li Ang shook his head in disbelief: "Then why don't I see Kairos' flag? There are only two governor flags here, yours and Levius's!"
"Really? The troops were divided into two groups. After Governor Kairos arranged the siege troops yesterday, he led the cavalry to Serenmis. In fact, even for this group, the commander now is Livius, not me..."
Justus seemed cooperative and emotionally stable.
Hearing this news, Leon was indeed a little surprised. Is the empire mobilizing its entire army?
Leon began to understand the overall plan of the Bacchus Empire...
This was an all-out attack, with infantry and crossbowmen left behind to capture Bailu Fort, while the cavalry, which was of little use in the mountainous areas, took a detour to Serenmis first, probably intending to attack Changhe Town from both sides immediately after capturing Bailu Fort.
Compared to King Ulrich, the Bacchus Empire obviously had more strategies. They sent secret spies to fool the traitors, reduced the kingdom's reinforcements, and lured away famous and skilled generals. It seemed that they were determined to win.
Their minimum goal should be to capture Bailu Fort.
And the highest...probably there is no upper limit.
After all, Governor Kairos took the other half of his troops to Serenmis, which meant that the Bacchus Empire was likely planning to swallow up the entire eastern region of the Sarleon Kingdom in one fell swoop.
"You guys are so generous, but you still go to so much trouble for White Hart Castle?"
Leon felt that the Bacchus Empire's plan was too complicated.
"Trouble? We just sent a few spies to give it a try. What's the trouble? Besides, if we don't capture White Hart Castle, there's no point in making a big move..."
Justus was a little confused.
That's true. For the Bacchus Empire, it was just a matter of sending out a few intelligence personnel.
The main reason is that this guy Rainier made this matter very troublesome.
By the way, Rainier would commit treason, but what about his father?
"Baron Eldred of Qicha Fortress, did you use the same plan?"
Justus shook his head: "Governor Kairos may be in contact with him, I don't know the details..."
So there is a problem too?
Well, it looks like there aren't many loyal subjects in the Kingdom of Sarleon.
"Young man, holding me hostage is actually useless... I am only here to assist in the battle. The main force is commanded by Levius, and they will still attack the city. If you want a ransom, that's fine."
Justus said suddenly.
Li Ang laughed: "Ha, could it be that your Governor Levius has a grudge against you?"
Justus smiled bitterly: "Every governor hopes that other governors will die quickly. Isn't it the same for your Kingdom of Sarleon? You kidnapped me just to rescue White Hart Castle, right? But this will only make Levius attack more fiercely!"
Li Ang knew that what he said might be true - this simple and convenient way of killing political opponents is not something you often encounter.
So the lord sighed and said, "This matter is easy to solve. You are just feeling unbalanced... Don't worry, I will treat everyone equally! Just introduce me to Governor Livius. With both governors under my control, I don't believe anyone dares to attack the city!"
