Thick smoke and rust-smelling blood rolled over the position. Nilfgaard's sun flag was torn into ragged strips by Liu Ya, twitching in the air.
The horn of Northern Coalition's charge tore through the dawn. In the frost-covered morning light, the army of flags of various colors was like a torrent, pressing against the wall of the Nilfgaard Army.
The jet black armor of the Nilfgaard Army officers gleamed in the sun, and they yelled at the soldiers to maintain their line and hold their ground.
But the sunken eye sockets of the soldiers were beating with hungry green light.
Despite low morale and lack of food, Nilfgaard Army persisted for two days under the onslaught of Northern Coalition before collapsing.
Although Northern Coalition suffered greater casualties than expected, Nilfgaard Army was finally defeated and Nilfgaard's attempt to occupy Cintra was shattered.
Under the bloody setting sun, the war horse under Menno suddenly knelt on its front hooves, foaming at the mouth and fell into the mud.
Menno was violently thrown out by inertia, and his right shoulder collided with the ground. However, after running desperately for days, he was so exhausted that he could not even squeeze out the strength to groan.
More than a dozen guards behind him stopped in a hurry, got off their horses, and went to help him up.
One of the guards took out the last water bag and poured it into Menno's mouth.
The liquid mixed with the smell of rust slid through the throat, and he sat down on the mud again. After resting for a while, Menno felt that he was finally alive.
"Sir, let's take a rest."
Menno nodded.
With the help of the guards, he got into the nearby forest.
They escaped for a long time, and although they are still within the territory of Nazair, they at least got rid of their pursuers.
Menno was leaning against a big tree, and then he felt hunger and exhaustion coming in waves like a flood.
"Is there anything left to eat?"
The guards looked at each other and shook their heads.
"A few of you will follow me into the forest to see if you can catch any game. The others will stay to protect you."
Several guards left with bows and arrows.
Menno tilted his head back and leaned against the tree.
He was very tired and soon fell asleep.
Then, he had a dream.
I dreamed that I escaped back to City of Golden Towers and was sentenced to be quartered on five horses by the furious emperor.
Not only was it torn into pieces, but it was also sent to various parts of the empire as a warning.
"Ah!"
With a scream, Menno woke up from the nightmare.
I felt the guards around me casting concerned glances.
Menno's tense body slowly relaxed.
"Sir, let's have something to eat."
A guard silently handed over the half-roasted partridge.
Menno took it and chewed the bloody meat.
It's not that the guards did it intentionally, it's just that they don't know how to cook by themselves on weekdays. Even if they catch prey, they can only cook like this.
But at this time, no one will care about it.
When the last ray of light in the west sinks into the horizon and dusk falls, the sounds of insects and birds can be heard in the forest.
After eating and drinking, Menno leaned against the tree, thinking.
Western Army Group is completely finished, and it was ruined by his own hands.
If someone can escape back to City of Golden Towers, in order to avoid responsibility, they will definitely put all the blame on themselves.
In other words, even if I could leave Nazair alive, I would definitely not be able to escape my date with the gallows.
If you don't go back to Nilfgaard, where can you go?
The good things I have done in Nazair are enough to make Nazair people hate me and gnash their teeth with hatred.
If I stay at Nazair, they will find me sooner or later, and by then, I will be dead as well.
You can neither go back to Nilfgaard nor stay at Nazair...
You can't take refuge in Northern Coalition.
Amid these wild thoughts, Menno gradually fell asleep.
As if only a moment had passed, Menno suddenly woke up.
It was still so dark, but Menno felt the sharp knife against his neck.
The demon hunter standing in front of him saw that he was awake and smiled at him.
"Shh."
Menno Coohorn sat in the corner of the tent with his hands tied behind his back. The wood in the brazier suddenly burst out with a few sparks, which just illuminated the bruises on his face.
"If Alzur and Cosimo were still alive in this world, they would be ashamed of your actions."
"If we were fighting for the South, would you still say these words? Master Menno, we are all adults, so please stop arguing like children."
Menno snorted.
Turn your face to the side.
"In that case, I have nothing to say. Just hand me over and ask for credit from your master."
Lynn is not angry either.
He moved a stool and sat in front of Menno.
"I haven't introduced myself yet. It's really rude. My name is Lynn·Augustus. I am the vassal of Kingdom of Kovir and Poviss and the co-master of Hengfors and Isparaden... Or, you can also call me His Highness the Grand Duke in a concise and comprehensive way."
Menno frowned.
He has heard of this name.
Lynn·Augustus, the family crest is a black gold double-headed eagle.
In the Kovir Restoration War, the Archduke the Demon Hunter made a brilliant appearance.
Thinking of this, Menno instantly felt like he had figured everything out.
Exactly so.
I should have thought of it a long time ago.
Those who assisted Northern Coalition were not a small number of witchers hired by the North, but a team of witchers formed by the Archduke.
Menno couldn't help but feel bitter at the corner of his mouth.
The army composed of demon hunters indeed showed extraordinary combat effectiveness. If City of Golden Towers does not pay enough attention and respond to it, they will suffer big losses in the future.
"I have a question." Menno thought he was about to die, so he was not afraid of anything now.
"Kovir has always claimed that he is neutral, why would he join the northern camp?"
In fact, before the war started, the Imperial High Command had made various assumptions:
For example, Skellige Isles and Temeria are certain to participate in the war; Redania may participate in the war; but Kovir and Kaedwen will definitely not participate in the war.
The headquarters believes that Kovir has just undergone a round of regime change. Although there was not much bloodshed in the War of Restoration, it still needs to recuperate. In addition, Kovir is located in the far north and is too far away from Cintra, so there is no mutual interest relationship.
Therefore, the possibility of Kovir joining the war is infinitely close to zero.
The king of Kaedwen, Henselt, is even more short-sighted. Since he became the king, apart from showing interest in the land of Aedirn and the inhuman races that persecute his country, he has turned a deaf ear to everything else.
However, this time the high command was completely wrong. Temeria and Redania did not participate in the battle, but Kovir actually sent a demon hunter unit.
"This has nothing to do with Kovir, we just volunteered to join the war."
Menno remained silent.
But his face was obviously full of disbelief.
For a moment, no one spoke, and the camp was completely silent.
After a while, Lynn suddenly stood up, came over, and untied Menno.
Menno rubbed his wrist with a confused look on his face, unable to realize what Lynn was doing.
"If you want, I can give you a horse to take you back south."
"Will you let me go?"
"I do, but you won't go back."
Lynn paused and then said, "Because Emhyr will not let you go. After you go back, the best result is that you will be deprived of your noble title and territory, and you can only be a commoner from now on."
"And the worst result is a glass of poisoned wine."
Menno was silent.
Because he knows that what Lynn said is right.
Emhyr has many advantages, but it definitely does not include magnanimity.
Eighty thousand Western Army Group were lost, the myth of the invincibility of the imperial army was broken, and Province of Nazair's independence...
All of the above will inevitably affect even Emhyr's own rule.
Not to mention Menno.
Even if Emhyr is a benevolent emperor, he will kill Menno in order to maintain his rule.
Menno knows this, and others can guess it.
Therefore, Menno sneered.
"So you have said so much, do you want me to serve you?"
"Yes, that's what I mean." Lynn admitted very bachelorly.
"Then why do you think I will definitely agree?"
"Just because Nazair people listen to me now, I am the co-owner of Hengfors, Isparaden, and Nazair. Although I am not yet the emperor of Nilfgaard, I am already the largest force in the northern territory."
Menno stabbed Lynn mercilessly. "You are just Kovir's vassal."
Lynn smiled without getting angry, "Kovir was once a part of Redania, isn't it also an independent country now?"
But Menno remained unmoved.
"Hengfors and Isparaden are too far away from Nazair to support the battle against Nilfgaard, and even if Nazair listens to you now, but Nazair has been squeezed by Nilfgaard for so many years. The local business and handicraft industries have long been finished, and there are not even blacksmiths who can make weapons and armor."
"There is also food. The food of the Nazair people has been plundered. How can you feed them? Even though you are the savior of the Nazair people now, if you cannot feed them with food, they will rise up and overthrow you immediately."
Lynn waved his hand.
"Well, I admit that what you said is correct, but don't forget that Toussaint borders Nazair. Nazair people's food was plundered by you, but Toussaint doesn't have it, and Toussaint is still the granary of the south. If it doesn't work, you can still buy some at Cintra, which will definitely be enough for Nazair people to last until next year's harvest."
Menno was stunned.
"Where do you get so much money?"
He knows where Hengfors and Isparaden are.
Both Kovir and Kovir are in the same extreme northern region. The grain output is far less than that of Toussaint, and the mineral resources are not as rich as Kovir, let alone business.
Where will Lynn get the money to buy food to feed Nazair people?
What Menno doesn't know is that Novigrad, the pearl of the north, is almost always in Lynn's pocket.
The taxes collected can be directly transferred and paid to Nazair for large-scale infrastructure construction.
Not to mention just buying some food.
Of course, there is no need to explain these things so clearly to others.
After this question was asked, Menno also realized, how could others fully understand everything about an enemy general like him?
Even if you surrender to the other party, it is only human nature for the other party to hide something.
"You don't need to know so much, you just need to know that now you have no other choice but to rely on me."
"Return to Nilfgaard and you will be executed as a scapegoat; stay in Nazair and you will be killed by angry Nazair civilians; surrender Northern Coalition, Cintra, and Skellige Isles are all xenophobic countries. You will never be reused as a foreigner, let alone a Nilfgaard person."
"Therefore, you have only one choice to rely on me. Likewise, only I can bestow you with glory and wealth."
"As long as you nod, I can now canonize you as Earl, and let you choose a piece of land the size of Earl among Hengfors, Isparaden, and Nazair."
"If you make more military exploits and be promoted to Duke in the future, it is not impossible."
"I am a very open-minded person. I don't care whether you are from a famous family or from a humble background. As long as you can show me your worth, I will give you a corresponding reward."
Looking at Menno who was deep in thought, Lynn changed the subject.
"Of course, if you really don't want to be loyal to me, or have other plans, my previous promise is still valid. I will give you a horse and enough food for you for a week."
"However, I sincerely suggest that it is better for you to flee north and hide your name in the north than to go back to the south and face trial."
"I've said everything I need to say, so what's your answer?"
The news of Western Army Group's defeat finally reached City of Golden Towers before the troops were defeated.
The ruling and opposition parties were shocked.
After Emhyr Enris repeatedly sent spies and confirmed it several times, he finally had to accept the fact that Western Army Group was indeed defeated.
Then Emperor Emhyr became furious and hanged to death several officers who were considered by the Emperor to have committed heinous crimes without trial.
And a very high reward was offered to Menno Kuhorn who had not yet returned to the south.
And this is the limit that the emperor can do.
Because the emperor at this time was also facing a lot of mess.
Nilfgaard had 300,000 standing troops, but lost 80,000 in one fell swoop.
In addition, Western Army Group gnawed outside Marnadal Valley Fortress for several months, spending a huge amount of money and causing serious losses to the treasury. The value of the Florin gold coins issued by the empire also declined with the defeat of the imperial army.
In this regard, Merchants' Guild complained the most.
The decline in the value of Florin gold coins means that the Florin they hoarded have become less valuable.
And, before the war began, they lent the emperor a large amount of money in exchange for the right to first select the spoils and land after the imperial army successfully occupied the enemy country.
It has been like this for so many years, and Merchants' Guild has never lost money.
They followed the advancing imperial army and made a lot of money.
Unexpectedly, I lost a lot of money this time.
Not to mention getting the spoils, it is impossible to get back even the investment that was made before.
Moreover, Nazair's independence has also made a bad start.
This makes it possible for other conquered provinces to have ideas that they shouldn't have.
Therefore, what we need to do now is not to continue sending troops to the north, but to maintain stability.
Les Lane.
As the former capital of Kingdom of Nazair, after the entire country was occupied and annexed by Nilfgaard and turned into Province of Nazair, Les Lane also became the capital of the province.
After learning that Western Army Group was defeated and that Commander-in-Chief Menno Coohorn was missing, the garrisons of Les Lane and Eissengray... the only two cities still under the control of Nilfgaard, also abandoned the city and fled.
Subsequently, Lynn's Army entered the city, and the soldiers used spears to disperse the thugs who took advantage of the situation and stopped the chaos in the city.
Since he had to stay with Nazair for a long period of time, Lynn took advantage of the situation and made Les Lane the center of his rule in Nazair.