ALL NOVEL
Chapter 64: What It Means to Surrender First
“Enemy attack!”
“It’s the Khitans!”
“Brothers, charge alongside me!”
To the background of deafening roars, over a thousand Elite Horse Archers unleashed multiple barrages of arrows before they raised their scimitars and accompanied Shu Yichao on a charge toward the smoking Ottomain barracks.
Boom boom boom!
The thunderous stomping from thousands of hooves shook the ground. It only took moments for the Elite Horse Archers to breach the Ottomains’ defense, popping their sweet little dream.
“How did it turn out like this?!”
The Ottomain Regent couldn’t believe his eyes.
He had rushed to Bursa and set up his barracks outside the city, ready to negotiate with the nobles in the city, when Shu Yichao’s army suddenly arrived.
He thought that this was a chance to test out Shu Yichao, so he led a portion of his army to cross blows with the latter…
…it was an utter defeat.
The vanguard force he had dispatched swiftly crumbled, and Shu Yichao proceeded to charge straight into their barracks. In just a few moments, the barracks went up in flames.
War drums boomed as the commanders roared orders in an attempt to put the situation under control. Weapons clanged against one another amidst battle cries. It was an utter cacophony.
Just like that, the Ottomain Regent’s 15,000-men army was destroyed.
Little did the Ottomain Regent know that Shu Yichao was at a loss for words too.
Of your 15,000 troops, only 6000 to 7000 of them are frontline soldiers, and most of them are footmen. There are barely hundreds of cavalrymen in your formation… and you dare to engage me with such a line-up?
Forget it, the computer AI always makes dumb decisions…
In the Beacons of the Otherworld, Shu Yichao had also encountered situations where a group of 20 bandits dared to confront his army of 500 armored cavalrymen.
Who cares what the AI is thinking? I’ll just beat all of them down.
So, the Ottomain Regent and his son died in battle.
Not only was the reinforcement that Bursa was counting on was completely crushed, but it also brought down the morale of the garrison troops guarding the city. That lowered the difficulty of the subsequent siege, though it was not as if the outcome would have been different.
When Shu Yichao finally took down Bursa, Sophia couldn’t help but remark, “Esteemed Caesar, you can now be crowned as the Conqueror of the Ottomains.”
The Ottomain Empire had been at the peak of its power till a year ago, when Shu Yichao broke its backbone. And now, he had gone a step further to take down their greatest city, digging them up from their roots.
With this, the Ottomains were over.
“We aren’t done yet,” Shu Yichao said, “Now that we have dyed the area around the Aegean Sea purple, it’s time to burn down Venice.”
As for how he intended to get to Venice, the answer couldn’t have been more obvious—he was going to slaughter his way there!
Just try standing in my way!
“Really?!” Sophia exclaimed in delight as she grabbed Shu Yichao’s hand with twinkling eyes.
“Of course,” Shu Yichao replied, “Let’s go. We’ll hang Venice’s Governor-General together.”
“You’re the best, Caesar!”
“Hm?”
【Ahh…】
System 12345 sighed wistfully. Vernier’s profile remained gray even after it woke from its sleep.
【Was it not a hallucination? I guess Vernier is really…】
【Oyoyoy, what’s going on?! The latency has been fixed?!】
System 12345 was overjoyed. What did I do just now that fixed the latency?
【My host, my host! There’s no need to be upset!】
This piece of good news rekindled hope in System 12345’s software.
【There are more than enough femme fatales for you to conquer in this world! There’s no need to get hung up over one.】
【Let me tell you, my host, these femme fatales might be dangerous, but if you can open their hearts and turn them into coy wives who can’t leave your side… Hohohoho! Doesn’t the thought of that fill you with a sense of accomplishment?】
System 12345 suddenly started laughing eerily as if it had thought of something.
【Let me see. The closest one is… Ooh, my host, you’re in luck! It’s a female knight this time!】
【Let’s dye the noble and pure female knight with your color… Guehuehuehue!】
It swiftly gathered the relevant information and sent it over.
Amidst the information was a portrait of a cold-faced knight wielding a sword. It looked as if nothing in the world could enter her eyes.
【Look, my host!】
【She is Cassivia, the first female captain in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth’s Holy Knight Order. She has been exposed to religious teaching from a young age, and that compelled her to devote her life to the Lord. She has never hesitated to swing her sword to purge heretics!】
【Don’t be fooled by her reticent appearance—she has a potty mouth. Bugs, trash, useless; insults fly right out of her mouth.】
【There you have it! A short female knight with a venomous tongue; do you like it?】
System 12345 ranted like a passionate otaku.
【My host, just imagine her cute little gestures after you conquer her heart!】
【She would be torn by her loyalty for the guy up there and her feelings for you. Each time you do something, she would feel compelled to turn you away, yet her heart couldn’t bear to do so. In the end, she would press her lips together and gently berate you, “You little bug!”】
【GAHHHHHHH!!!】
【Just thinking of it makes me shiver in excitement!】
System 12345 flickered like a faulty light bulb before looking at the screen with a satisfied smile.
【Speaking of which, why has the screen been fizzing nonstop…】
Vertical lines streaked across the screen. Some parts of the screen were either flickering in static or had gone completely dark.
【Eh?】
【…】
System 12345 consoled itself.
【It’s fine. At least I can see a fourth of it now.】
…
In the Holy Romain Empire…
“Your Majesty, I believe that my words are clear?” Governor-General Giraud put down her cup of red tea as she continued, “The Khitans are no different from beasts. They will trample every city that comes in their line of sight.”
“Orh,” the incumbent empress of the Holy Romain Empire, Frederina, nonchalantly replied while fiddling with her divination book.
Rulers of the Holy Romain Empire needed to receive blessings from Rome for their rule to be deemed legitimate, but they would have to pass through either Milan’s or Venice’s territories to reach the Eternal City.
There was a blood grudge between Milan and the Holy Romain Empire. They were more likely to gouge each other’s eyes out than to talk things out.
So, Frederina had traveled to Rome via Venetian territory to receive his blessings. It was in view of this favor that she had accepted Governor-General Giraud’s request for an audience.
However, Frederina wasn’t interested in Giraud’s talk about the threat posed by the Khitans.
“Your Majesty, think about the tragedies that will happen if the Khitan Caesar and his troops march through the Holy Romain Empire—nobles hung on flag poles, heads of loyal knights heaped into mounds, women and children murdered in cold blood…”
“Orh.”
“…The Holy Romain Empire is a sacred empire blessed by the Church! This is the land protected by the Lord Himself, a pillar of support for the rest of the world! We can’t let the barbaric Khitans taint this land with their bloody scimitars!”
“Orh.”
“…”
Giraud finally reached the limit of her patience.
“Your Majesty, what do you intend to do if the Khitans invade your empire? If you don’t make preparations, do you intend to watch as the Khitans reduce the Holy Romain Empire to ashes?”
“…” Frederina looked at Giraud with a glimmer of curiosity. “I heard the Khitan Caesar is a beautiful man. Do you think he will be interested in pursuing a hot, steamy romance with me?”
Giraud nearly fainted.
Your Majesty, I know that you have many lovers under your dress, but is this the time to be talking about this?
“I’m joking. Don’t worry,” Frederina revealed a mesmerizing smile, “Venice won’t be destroyed as long as you fulfill the conditions we have previously discussed.”
Giraud thanked Frederina before taking her leave.
Shortly after, Frederina’s aide entered the audience room and said, “Pardon my frankness, but Your Majesty, it was unwise of you to accept that Venetian’s plan.”
Even the Ottomains, despite their courage and tenacity, were destroyed by the Khitans. To side with the Venetians at this juncture was no different from tugging at the tiger’s whiskers.
“What did I promise her?” Frederina innocently looked at her aide.
“…” The aide was taken aback. “Your Majesty, didn’t you agree to help the Venetians…”
“I only said that I won’t let Venice be destroyed. When did I say anything about helping them?”
“…” The aide had to concede that the empress was indeed thick-skinned.
“Enough. Let’s not dwell on such a boring topic,” Frederina lazily stretched her back before issuing an order, “Prepare quill and paper. Write a passionate love letter for me.
“My brave and strong Caesar, strength must be oozing from your body. I would want nothing more than to witness your bare valor in person…”