Chapter 121: Subjugating The Salgarez Mercenary [2]
The argument that Hardion should be defeated with overwhelming force and the argument that there should be no room for excuses clashed.
But overall, the latter opinion was dominant. Of course, since they all gave full authority to Yusuf, everything was decided by Yusuf's will regardless of their opinions.
As the appointed time approached, Carl looked back at the fourteen men awaiting his orders.
As always, in front of everyone.
"Our goal is already more than half achieved."
Carl spoke calmly, his voice neither loud nor soft.
"By order of His Majesty the Emperor, the goal of subjugating the Salgarez mercenary group that threatens the Empire's territory and people is at hand."
Carl did not confuse his goals.
He clearly understood that the war of nerves with Tumaria was merely a means, and that the ultimate goal was to subdue the Salgarez mercenary group, which was why he had come here.
Only after hearing Carl's words could many people realize it.
Carl had cleverly obscured the truth, and Yusuf and other figures in Tumaris, as well as the nobles of Davron, were mistaken about it. Those who came from Tumari to check whether Carl kept his promise were glaring.
"We focus on blocking the southern side of the rocky hill and holding our position to prevent anyone from escaping as the Tumaris force breaks through from the north," Carl declared.
As a result, Carl ended up solving Hardion's problem with the power of Tumaria.
And Tumari would also be satisfied, as they would win the 'tournament' by killing more enemies than Hardion.
When you say diplomacy, it is diplomacy; when you say politics, it is politics; and when you say strategy, it is strategy.
However, since Carl threw politics aside and gave credit to Govan, taking credit only for the battle, this would be reported as Govan's experienced and skillful handling.
In this way, Carl could hide himself from the wolves of the distant palace and extend his hand of promise to Govan.
Dabron's knight, Govan's son, and Philaine, who had decided to accompany Carl, burst out laughing at the absurdity.
When Govan told him to follow Carl and observe closely, he wondered if it was necessary to do so, but indeed, there was nothing to lose by following his father's words.
Carl looked up at the sky, holding the Emperor's flag tightly in his left hand. He didn't even raise his spear, because you can't swing a spear with one hand while holding a flag.
Instead, he held a relatively short one-handed sword in his right hand, and another one-handed sword hung at his waist.
Everyone was skeptical when they saw that sight. Surely that won't happen.
Beep-!
But the moment they heard the sound of Hyoshi flying from afar, they all realized that their wish had become reality.
"Follow me!"
"Attack!"
Carl, with his small body and a flag fluttering in the strong wind, ran ahead, shouting loudly like thunder!
"Oh my god!"
someone cried out in shock. But when they came to their senses, the wildly fluttering flag and the hem of the cloak had already disappeared far into the distance.
Catherine, Billford, and the imperial soldiers ran silently, following Carl's fluttering cloak, but Philaine could not help but feel confused.
Are they crazy!
Surely they wouldn't say they're going to fight in front of them like this!
They want to stop it, but everyone else is just following along as if it were natural, so they don't know what to do.
But when Carl, who he thought would tire quickly, ran more than halfway without even losing his breath, Philaine somehow felt that it didn't matter.
Under the hottest afternoon sun in this wilderness, Carl ran in full plate armor and still managed to survive. Carl was much more robust than Philaine thought, and what he saw.
"The enemy! Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!"
The valley inside the rocky hill became noisy as Carl and Yusuf's troops approached quickly. Although they were a mercenary group trained in war, they were quick to respond, but they couldn't help but feel flustered.
It was difficult to imagine that Hardion and Tumari would join hands and attack in a situation where their forces were facing each other. It caught them completely off guard.
"Wow, it's the Emperor's flag!"
The Salgarez mercenaries cried out in fear at the sight of Carl, in full plate armor that gleamed in the sun, waving his red flag and red cape at the forefront.
Because Tumari had deployed his troops, Davron acted passively, and the Salgarez mercenaries became overly greedy.
If everything had gone according to plan, it should have been taken out a long time ago. If they hadn't been greedy in the first place, they wouldn't have done something like this. Anyway, it was too late now.
The Salgarez mercenary corps was blocked to the north by Tumaria and to the south by Hardion.
The south saw the emperor's flag and hurriedly fled north, and it could be seen that Carl's intention to avoid battle as much as possible was successful.
"Get in line!"
"Attack!"
The executioner!
As soon as Carl reached the entrance to the narrow canyon, he sent his soldiers forward and blocked the way, much to Philaine's relief. It went without saying that Carl had no reason to fight directly.
"Advance slowly and press the enemy. Remember, our goal is to eliminate the threat to the Empire's territory and people, not to win a childish contest with Tumaria."
Carl didn't scream as loudly as he used to. There was no need for that. Besides, the imperial soldiers' morale was already boosted by Carl's mere presence.
This sight impressed Philaine deeply, for everyone seemed to have great faith in Carl, as if he were a battle-hardened field commander.
Ironically, even Philaine himself, the eldest son of the Marquis of Davron, the Baron of Semilla, a commander who had fought in many battles, and a powerful knight who could control mana, felt the same way.
'You've really played around.' Philaine smiled bitterly behind his visor.
It would be the same for Davron, but it would be really heartbreaking for Tumaris. Abigail's Yusuf? What kind of expression will he make after hearing this fact?