Hearing Rosetta's reply, Ferdinand fell into deep thought. After what seemed like a very long time, he finally lifted his head and saw the ruler of Typhon standing there with an expression as calm as still water. He seemed to be calmer than ever before.
However, Ferdinand sensed a power that had been accumulating and waiting to be unleashed under the other party's calm appearance. This power had been accumulating for many years, and many people even thought that this power had disappeared with the passage of time. However, at this moment, Ferdinand suddenly realized that it was still there, and had not weakened at all.
Rosetta Augustus was both a cautious strategist and a shocking gambler. His guts were still as great as before.
"This may turn into a huge gamble," Ferdinand could not help but say. However, it was not to dissuade him. He only wanted to express his opinion. "Your Majesty, once the balance is out of control, we and the entire Empire will be doomed eternally."
"We're already on the path of no return. It's not that we're pursuing a huge gamble, but that all our chances of survival are already in this huge gamble." Rosetta suddenly smiled. "This is a crisis that is destined to come. Since it has already happened, we should think of a way to turn it into an opportunity."
"… Then I'll do my best." Ferdinand lowered his head after a moment of silence. "And to make up for and wash away my humiliation this time."
"You know that all of this is not your fault … But now, this is indeed what you would say."
Just then, a series of knocks suddenly came from not far away, interrupting Rosetta and Ferdinand's conversation.
Rosetta looked at the door. "Come in."
The magic lab's door opened, and the dignified President of the Royal Association of Mages, Windsor Mappel, appeared at the door. She was a little stunned when she saw Duke Ferdinand talking to Rosetta. Then, she nodded at him, and quickly walked up to Rosetta. She looked like she had something to say but was hesitant.
Rosetta looked at this Legendary-mage's expression, and seemed to have guessed what she wanted to say. He first turned to look at Duke Ferdinand, then turned back to look at Windsor Mappel and nodded slightly. "Just say what you have to say."
Windsor Mappel instinctively looked at Duke Ferdinand. After a moment of hesitation, she still said, "Your Majesty, the communication tower has just received news that Winterwolf Fort … has fallen."
Ferdinand's breathing suddenly became erratic. This old duke's body shook imperceptibly, and he clenched and unclenched his fists. In the end, he couldn't help but say, "Then, Andesha …"
"General Andesha is not dead," Windsor Mappel quickly said, but her expression was even weirder and more hesitant than before. "She … she was captured by Cecil's men."
Duke Ferdinand seemed to be slightly relieved, but his expression quickly turned complicated again. "Was she … accidentally captured?"
"No, she surrendered. She brought the entire Winterwolf Knight Regiment, the Black Flag Mage Regiment, and a large number of surviving standing corps to surrender." Windsor Mappel clenched her teeth, and said in one breath, "The news came from the mage outpost in the Winterwolf area. Cecil's men didn't seal off the relevant information. Now, the flag of the Sword and Plough has been raised in Winterwolf Fort, and the army of the Cecil Empire is constantly building fortifications around the area."
"Surrendered …" Duke Ferdinand's eyes suddenly widened, as if he was more shocked than when he heard that Winterwolf Fort had fallen. The old man's expression was strange and distorted, as if he had heard the most unbelievable thing in the world. "Surrendered?! Furthermore, he had surrendered with two legions and countless standing armies? She surrendered with the entire defense line of Winterwolf Fort?! "
This old wolf's tone gradually became louder. It was an emotional fluctuation that could only be felt after decades of perseverance were met with a heavy blow. His face was flushed red, and it was hard to tell whether it was anger or sorrow on his face. It was as if the joy just now had not dissipated in time, and was now in a complete mess due to the completely opposite emotions.
He was so agitated that even Windsor Mappel, the president of the Royal Association of Mages, couldn't help but take a few steps back. Then, as if she was trying to defend someone, she said, "There are reports that Cecil's men used unprecedented war technology. They launched an attack from the sky, and the power was shocking. They completely destroyed Winterwolf Fort's large shield and the outer city in a short period of time. Only the castle survived under the protection of the backup shield. Under such circumstances, the defense line could no longer be maintained, and there was no meaning in delaying for a moment …"
Ferdinand couldn't help but say loudly, "Then she should have chosen to retreat! At least the main force of the corps could have — "
He had only spoken halfway when Rosetta suddenly placed his hand on his shoulder and said, "If Cecil's men had really launched such an attack, I don't think Andesha would have had a chance to safely retreat with the people trapped in the castle."
Ferdinand stopped, speechless. He glanced at Emperor Rosetta, but was surprised to see that there was actually a smile on the other party's face.
"I understand why you're so agitated, Ferdinand," said Rosetta with a smile. "But to be honest, when I heard that Andesha chose to surrender in such a situation, I actually felt a little relieved."
Ferdinand didn't seem to understand the deeper meaning of his words for a moment. "… What do you mean?"
"Andesha is sharper than you. Perhaps it's because she was in the deepest part of the maelstrom that she saw the essence of this matter earlier." The smile on Rosetta's face became even more obvious. "Ferdinand, it seems like you've become slower than before."
Ferdinand calmed down from his agitated emotions. A thoughtful look appeared on his face. In the midst of his thoughts, he heard Emperor Rosetta's voice again. "Aren't you happy for Andesha's safety?"
"I …" Ferdinand opened his mouth. He hesitated, but in the end, he couldn't help but sigh softly. "Sigh, of course I'm happy about this …"
"Perhaps history will prove that she's a hero. For a Wolf General, choosing to give up honor may be more difficult than giving up one's life," said Rosetta dispassionately. "However, we also have to hurry up and do something. Cecil's army's offensive capabilities are stronger than I expected, and I suspect that Gwen Cecil hasn't returned to the Lorren Continent yet. This will probably become the biggest variable … To be honest, I don't trust the intelligence of anyone in the Empire's ruling body other than Gwen Cecil."
Ferdinand nodded.
Then, he looked at Rosetta and seemed a little hesitant for a few seconds. The former Wolf General seemed to have gone through a fierce struggle in his heart. In the end, he couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, Andesha …"
Rosetta glanced at Archduke Ferdinand and finally smiled. "Don't worry, I'll make sure that she returns home safely at all costs. Every Typhon soldier will return home safely."
… …
Cecil's flag fluttered high above Winterwolf Fort. The blue sword and plough with golden patterns welcomed the first ray of gold in the morning light and fluttered in the cold winter wind. Meanwhile, the original black and red flags of the Typhon Empire had all been lowered. They weren't casually thrown on the ground for people to trample on. Instead, under the orders of their superiors, they were properly collected and sent back to Longwind as part of the spoils of war.
Philip stepped into the fort. When he passed through the front door that had collapsed into a huge gap, the young general suddenly felt a little absent-minded.
He never thought that he would step into Winterwolf Fort in this way, or at least, he didn't think that this day would come so early. This sturdy fort that stood at the border of Typhon was a special "symbol" in the hearts of countless Cecil soldiers. From the era of the Ansu Kingdom to the era of the Empire, generations of generals and soldiers had been wary of this fort. They viewed the army in the fort as their greatest opponent and threat. But today … this fort had been taken down so easily.
Of course, it wasn't accurate to say that it was "easy". Although the entire attack only lasted for a day and night, and the process seemed to be very smooth, Cecil's mechanized army still encountered the most tenacious and threatening counterattack they had ever faced in front of this fort. Typhon's strategic spells had caused quite a number of casualties. When they finally attacked the inner city, the Winterwolf Army and Black Flag Magicians had put up a short but tenacious resistance that had shocked the frontline commanders. To be honest, if not for the fact that the fighting strength of the defenders of Winterwolf Fort had suddenly been cut in half, and that they weren't familiar enough with Cecil's "new tactics", this battle definitely wouldn't have been so easy.
But there were no "ifs" on the battlefield. No matter how powerful a warrior was, he would only be a corpse after he fell. On this stage where only results mattered, Cecil's people still had the upper hand.
The outer city was filled with broken bricks and thick smoke. After the aerial bombardment had penetrated the shield, the results were far better than expected. Almost all the places that the bombardment had baptized had been turned into ruins, and the fires that had ignited everywhere were still not extinguished by the time the sun rose. It was said that some of the fires were set by Typhon's defenders themselves. Their goal was to stop Cecil's soldiers from entering the city. And from the results, their actions couldn't be said to be completely useless.
The magic carriage passed through the bumpy outer city and entered the relatively intact inner city, driving towards the castle that was even more intact.
Philip's gaze looked through the side window and saw many disarmed Typhon soldiers lining up to be registered. After a preliminary statistical record, these Typhon soldiers would be scattered and sent to several prisoner camps at the rear. Cecil's army had always been familiar with receiving large numbers of prisoners of war and quickly building containment facilities for them. And after entering the prisoner camps, it was the first step of the "harmless treatment" of these Typhon soldiers.
The technicians would think of ways to identify the contamination on these soldiers and come up with various solutions. At the same time, these soldiers would also become valuable research samples. The data collected from them would definitely be used in the future of mortals.
The adjutant sat beside Philip. He was also looking out the window. After seeing those Typhon soldiers lining up obediently, this young officer from the south couldn't help but ask, "General, how many people do you think are contaminated? How many of them are still conscious? "
"… I previously judged that the entire Winterwolf Fort had been completely controlled by the spiritual contamination of the gods," Philip said and shook his head lightly. "But after that 'Wolf General' surrendered of his own accord, I suspect that our judgment of Typhon and Winterwolf Fort has been wrong … I'm afraid it's still too early to regard Typhon as a contaminated area by the divine calamity. As for the proportion of contamination here … I can't say for sure. This will depend on the results of the subsequent technical evaluation. "
"It's incredible." The adjutant looked out the window and said with some surprise. "These Typhon people are so quiet. There are no symptoms of spiritual contamination at all … If we hadn't randomly selected a few people from among them and used the Mind Protection Rune and the 'Humanity Barrier' to identify the contamination, I wouldn't have believed that the mental structure of these people has actually mutated … How can they be so cooperative?"
"Not all spiritual contamination will turn people into muddle-headed monsters. Sometimes, sober and rational thinking can be the result of spiritual contamination," Philip said. "For the God of War, he only seeks war at this moment, and for war … fighting is a part of war. Surrendering is also a part of war. Charging is also a part of war. Becoming a prisoner of war is also a part of war. Starting a war is a war, and stopping a war after a war is an 'element' of war. In the absence of major conflicts in these basic conditions, it's quite normal for the less contaminated infected to be quiet and cooperative."
"General, you really know a lot."
"You should read more books in your spare time. Read about all fields. It's good for you."
While they were talking, the arcanotech car had already driven through the front courtyard of the castle. After passing through the well-preserved gate, Philip finally arrived at the core area of the castle.
After getting out of the car, he only brought along his most trusted followers. Under the guidance of the soldier who led the way, he finally saw the highest commander of Winterwolf Fort, the Wolf General who chose to surrender.
She was leaning on a soft couch. Many parts of her body were wrapped in bandages. Mottled blood seeped out from the bandages. It was a frightening sight. Philip noticed that the left eye of the Wolf General was also wrapped in bandages. There was also blood seeping out from there. Compared to her pale face, the redness was even more striking.
Philip could not help but stop in his tracks.
He remembered that he had seen the Wolf General before. At that time, she was valiant and heroic.
Fate was really something that played tricks on people.
Next, he looked at Andesha's side. There was a chair beside the couch, and a young lady with silky blonde hair was sitting there. She seemed to be seriously reading a book with her head lowered. There was also a battle staff with a Holy Light Cannon attached to it.
An armed nun … … No, not an armed nun. Philip noticed the golden patterns on her gauntlets and alloy armor plates. He judged that she should be a 'War Nun' who was one rank higher than the armed nun.
She should be one of the clerics who came to take care of the heavily injured Wolf General.
Judging from the bloodstains on the battle staff and the wear on her gauntlets, she should be a loyal and respectable sister.
She was so loyal that she could kill a bull with a single punch.
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