Since ancient times, there was a rule of not killing captives.
But not all generals followed this rule.
For example, Bai Qi the God of Slaughter had cheated 400,000 Zhao soldiers.
Then, how many nobles were there among the 400,000 Zhao soldiers?
It was said that after the Battle of Changping, everyone in Handan, from the officials to the commoners, wore mourning clothes.
The God of Slaughter was indeed the God of Slaughter. Be it nobles or commoners, they were all killed.
But in the Westeros, if Bai Qi dared to do this, his reputation would be worse than that of the rat chef. He might even be kicked down the hole by his own brothers.
The reason was simple. Nobles were the ones who led the army in war, and there were always winners and losers in war. If you could kill someone else's nobles, they could kill your vassals too.
The seven kingdoms only had nine dukes and a few hundred earls. After a few rounds of killing, they were all dead.
If the nobles were all dead, would the commoners rule the seven kingdoms?
In fact, if Qin did not have a rank 20 military merit system, there would not have been cases of killing generals.
Without the military merit system, there was no way for low-ranking officers to be promoted. The generals who led the soldiers were all nobles. Even if they won, they would keep their title. Of course, if they lost, they would want to keep their original title and status. Hence, there was a need to redeem captives.
This was back to the old ways of the Westeros.
For example, if the Great Jon fought alongside Robb, whether he won or lost, whether his son died or not, he would remain the Earl of Hearthfire. His title and lands would not change.
Since that was the case, why not be more gentlemanly?
In the era where the nobles personally rode their chariots into battle, everyone was very particular about battlefield etiquette. Not to mention killing captives, they were not even allowed to use dangerous tricks.
Everyone was soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals. It was the safest for the noble generals to fight head-on and have a clear and orderly rhythm.
If they wanted to use tactics, even the simplest attack halfway through, when chaos ensued, who would be able to differentiate between nobles, countrymen, and barbarians?
Hence, even though Aegon was in Erlu's hands, he was still safe and had a chance to regain his freedom.
Just like Dani, from the moment she captured You Lun, to the subsequent series of wars … Even if she didn't kill every single Lannister she caught on Dragonstone Island, she still allowed his family to ransom him with money.
If they were alive, they would ransom them, and if they were dead, they would return their corpses for free.
However, Danny had asked for too high a price on Dragonstone Island. Lannister was not willing to be a sucker, so he had only redeemed the Earl and left the rest of the men to mine on Dragonstone Island.
This time, with Aunt Danny backing her up, Sansa decided that even if Erlu offered her an unprecedented one million gold royals, she would get her husband back immediately.
According to the normal price, Jaime Lannister would only be worth three to five hundred gold royals, or at most one thousand gold royals.
Erlu did not go against tradition. He first allowed Jon to be Sansa's representative and visit Aegon, who had a bandage on his leg, in the luxurious cell that was converted from a guest room. Then, he talked to Sansa about the ransom.
"Both of my legs are broken, but I'm fine. He was still conscious when I came, and he told me to tell you--don't worry, and don't injure yourself. "
Sansa's eyes reddened when she heard this. She wiped her tears and asked, "Is your leg injury serious?"
"It's a little serious. His left leg was only broken, but his right knee was crushed."
"Ah!" Sansa exclaimed. Two streams of tears rolled down her big eyes, leaving two wet streaks on her white cheeks. She looked very pitiful.
Jon said gently, "Don't worry —"
Sansa covered her face and cried, "How can I not worry? His knee is crushed. He's the bravest warrior of the Seven Kingdoms. Is he going to end up like Villa?"
"Villa? Who's that?" Jon was confused.
"Villa Tyrell. He broke his knee in a duel with Prince Dorne Obron. Lady Olena even wanted to arrange for Queen Sansa to marry Sir Villa, "Britney said.
Well, Britney was free, and Aunt May was not dead. The murderer was naturally innocent.
Sansa glared at the ignorant White Knight. "You don't have to explain it so clearly."
I didn't expect Sansa to have so many boyfriends when she went to the south.
Jon thought to himself with a strange expression.
First love with Emperor Jorah, a crush on the Knight of Flowers (according to Janeple), a scandal with Villa (Sansa herself was looking forward to marrying Sir Cripple), a marriage to the imp, and a relationship with the heir Harry …
Putting aside these distracting thoughts, he comforted her awkwardly. "Aegon said that you don't have to worry. He said that his aunt … said that Danny Liss can heal his injury."
"Yeah, it's different now. There's the Seven Gods, Danny … Is Danny Liss okay? How about we go to King's Landing and ask Sparrow? "
"Let's redeem Aegon first!"
.....
"I don't need money." Erlu rejected directly.
The negotiation took place in the drill ground in public. The soldiers on both sides couldn't hear the details of the negotiation, but they could watch the progress of the negotiation.
Jon had lost most of his credibility with Erlu. He wouldn't go to Winterfell's main hall again. Sansa didn't want to risk going to Erlu's stone castle either, even if it was her home.
However, Jon was still the middleman.
Erlu and Sansa each led a few knights and sat facing each other.
"What do you want? The Iron Throne? "Sansa mocked.
"Why not?" Erlu looked serious. "I'm Robert's only legal heir. According to the laws of the Seven Kingdoms, the Iron Throne belongs to me."
"Tell that to Cersei. I can't give you something we don't have," Sansa said calmly.
Erlu's lips curled into a faint smile. "You have two armies, one from Valley Valley and the other from Storm's End Castle. 20,000 mixed infantry and cavalry from Valley Valley are approaching Twilight Valley. The 25,000 soldiers from the Golden Legion, Dorne, and Stormlands are approaching King's Landing.
I need the authority to command those two armies and take down King's Landing. If you submit to me, I'll release Aegon. "
Jon was shocked. "You've already …"
That's not right. Even he, the ruler of the Northern Territory, didn't know about this. How did Erlu know?
Before contacting Sansa, he didn't even know about Aegon.
Before Jon could ask, Sansa's pretty face contorted. She shouted angrily, "Have you gone crazy from thinking about the Iron Throne? You want us to help you build the Iron Throne and then submit to you? How can there be such a good deal? "
"Your false king was captured by me, and this is my condition," Erlu said calmly.
Royce pointed at Erlu and said angrily, "He even knows about our army's latest movements. He must have planned this beforehand. Or perhaps, the conflict that day was his scheme! We fell into his trap! "
Erlu's gaze turned cold. He said mockingly, "When you were plotting against me, you should have known that you would end up like this."
Sansa's pupils contracted. He already knew about their plot against him? And he beat them at their own game, captured Aegon, and then took advantage of him?
Who leaked the information?
Sansa had a strong urge to look at her trusted aides and even Jon suspiciously, but she knew she couldn't do that.
She resisted the urge and buried her suspicions in the bottom of her heart.
"Tell me, what happens after I help you take the Iron Throne?" She asked softly with a hint of mockery on her lips.
Erlu seemed to have a plan. Without any hesitation, he said calmly, "Aegon's bloodline is mixed up. There is no place for him in the Seven Kingdoms. He must swear to leave the Westeros forever."
"Stannis, you've gone too far." Countess Medj clenched her fists and shouted angrily.
A vein popped out on Sansa's forehead. The anger and resentment on her face were almost undisguised.
Jon looked around. He wanted to say something but stopped himself.
The Onion Knight frowned and whispered into Erlu's ear, "Your Majesty, perhaps you can give Storm's End Castle … Little Finger is dead. You can give him Helenburg."
Erlu thought about the Hand of the King's suggestion seriously. He recalled the surrender conditions the imp gave him that day. It seemed that he was more generous than himself.
"I will give Aegon the title of Duke of Helenburg, but he must be exiled. His eldest son can return to the Seven Kingdoms and inherit the title and land."
Seeing Erlu's reluctant expression, Sansa's tense body suddenly relaxed. She asked with a smile, "How do you plan to deal with Dragonstone Island?"
Erlu's eyes turned sharp. He said coldly, "That has nothing to do with today's topic."
Dragonstone Island was occupied by Danny, but in the Beira Theon Dynasty, Erlu was the rightful Duke of Dragonstone Island.
Sansa's smile became more sincere. She asked again, "What plans do you have for Dorne, the Valley, Hejian, and the Stormlands?
This has nothing to do with me. If you don't make it clear, will the vassals of the True Dragon Alliance work for you? "
Erlu's jaw muscles bulged. He said in a deep voice, "I will exercise the authority of the king according to the law. Their rights and obligations will be protected by the law."
"Alright, I agree." Sansa nodded.
"Huh?" Everyone around, including Erlu himself, was shocked.
Sansa nodded again and confirmed, "That's right. I agree to your conditions. I promise on behalf of my husband that we will hand over the military command of the True Dragon Alliance to Stannis. After Aegon regains his freedom, both of us will be exiled to a foreign land."
"Your Highness?"
Mormont, Gebert, Royce, and the others were shocked. They couldn't believe it.
"Sansa, you …" Jon's eyes were filled with worry. "You can go back and rest for a day. Negotiations can't be completed in a day."
"No need." Sansa turned around and looked at her trusted vassals. She said seriously, "The foundation of the True Dragon Alliance is Aegon. If we don't agree to his conditions, he won't be free and the alliance will collapse.
So, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but we don't have a choice! "
"This doesn't make sense. No one has ever held a king captive as ransom." Sir Royce's face was red as he shouted at Erlu.
Davos looked at his lord worriedly. His lips moved. "Your Highness …"
He spat out a word, but couldn't continue.
What could he say?
Exchanging a king for a kingdom is ridiculous. The people won't accept it, and the people are angry. Stop dreaming!
How could he say that?
"Does Aegon have a kingdom?" Erlu looked at the knights and asked with gritted teeth, "Isn't Storm's End Castle Theon's? Or is he sitting on the Iron Throne now?
He only has an alliance with a loose foundation. How can he be a king?
From the moment I captured him, the so-called 'True Dragon Alliance' was destined to be eliminated.
As for the vassals of the alliance, you have already raised the banner of justice against Lannister. Now, you only have two choices. Retreat and wait for the Iron Throne to deal with you one by one. Or, join me and continue the unfinished crusade. "
"No matter how weak His Highness Aegon's foundation is, with our support, he's a hundred times stronger than you. Lannister is detestable, but if we only have two choices left, you and Cersei, we'd rather choose Cersei!" Sir Royce couldn't help but say.
"Crack, crack …"
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