In the Name of Empress-Chapter 362 - 248: Traitors Can’t Be Guarded Against
Vernaf never dreamed that he would lose this naval battle, and in such a comical way.
Roland smiled gently. The scepter in his hand looked quite ordinary except for the colorful gemstone at the top, but he could sense the power of this scepter.
With one strike, even the ship’s cabin could be smashed, let alone his head.
Vernaf shrugged, removed his sword, raised it with both hands above his head.
Though defeated in battle, he would not be defeated in spirit.
As a noble, even when surrendering, one must maintain demeanor, and Vernaf did it well.
"Admiral of the Jin Yuan Republic Navy, Vernaf de Kelvin, surrenders to you."
No wonder he’s a guy from the City of Romance, even surrendering is done with such ceremony.
Roland silently criticized.
Vernaf’s appearance was quite tidy, although there were a few crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes, he didn’t look particularly aged, instead appearing more mature.
A standard old Jin Yuan nobility demeanor, much like the lords of the Imperial Capital of Sussex.
Putting away the scepter, he extended his right hand to take Vernaf’s sword, and said solemnly, "Roland, Leader of the Sussex Empire’s Imperial White Rose Knight Order, accepts the surrender of the person in front of me, and guarantees that you and your subordinates will enjoy prisoner of war treatment."
Vernaf said nothing, he summoned his aide and issued the surrender order.
The young aide opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but was interrupted by Vernaf.
"It’s an order, end the battle, end the meaningless deaths."
As the order was given, the sound of cannons gradually subsided, and the shouts of killing quieted down.
The Chaos Overture disappeared into the night, the sea breeze blowing across the sea brought the painful wails of the wounded soldiers.
The noise from outside echoed in the command room, making the place feel even more deathly silent.
Looking at Vernaf’s slightly dejected expression, Roland consoled him in a deep voice:
"General Vernaf, don’t be discouraged, you only lost because you weren’t daring enough."
Vernaf shook his head, sighed, and said helplessly, "A loss is a loss, no amount of excuses will change that."
"Governor Roland, if you trust me, I’d like to go to the Jia Lai Region to help you get your prisoners back. If there are no surprises, your landing forces should have suffered a lot by now."
Remembering the Perth that served as bait and was blown to pieces, Vernaf couldn’t help but jab at Roland.
"Governor Roland’s decisive tactics, truly admirable."
"Heavy losses for the landing forces? That’s unlikely, I’ve already made them surrender," Roland said casually.
Vernaf widened his eyes, looking at Roland in disbelief.
"What, don’t believe me?"
Roland naturally took the main seat and gestured for Vernaf to sit as well.
Vernaf’s mind went blank, and he instinctively sat in the guest seat, only then realizing that Roland had taken his previous spot.
But he did not protest.
His current identity was that of a prisoner, and having a seat was already a sign of respect.
Seeing Vernaf’s hesitant expression, Roland recalled the brave sinking of the Perth, and his teasing thought faded a lot, although he could provide the best pension for the whole crew of the Perth and ensure a good life for their families, he could never bring back those brave warriors.
The joy of victory was also diminished by the sacrifice of Grelinn and others, Roland said calmly:
"Stepping onto the battlefield, everyone must have the awareness of sacrifice. As a commander, I will choose the coldest combat technique, but I will also respect everyone’s right to know. If Captain Grelinn believed that charging first was being cannon fodder, I would never force it."
"If it was a mission that required certain death, I would inform them in advance, seek their opinion, and provide the best compensation, with military merits calculated doubly."
"War always results in death, but they are not just pawns."
Vernaf did not expect Roland to be so candid, and for a moment didn’t know what to say.
He sighed inwardly, deciding to skip the topic, "Governor Roland, you seem confident about defeating Marco? Don’t underestimate him, although he is cold-blooded and brutal, his military talent is undeniable."
Roland said emphatically, "General Vernaf, it is absolutely impossible to defeat a nation awakened like the Jin Yuan Kingdom, but defeating tyrants and traitors is not hard."
Vernaf’s pupils contracted sharply.
He could understand Roland’s intention. To others, Marco, known for being cold-blooded and brutal as well as his adeptness in various confrontational methods, was considered a tyrant in Roland’s view.
He murmured this unfamiliar term a few times, although he could understand Roland’s line of thought, he couldn’t help but remind:
"Governor Roland, there might be some things you are not aware of, so I must remind you. After Mr. Carlo was killed, his supporters, Robert and others, organized an army of more than a hundred thousand to campaign against Marco, but they were utterly defeated by him with less than ten thousand men."
"Why did Robert choose to go into exile, was it because he didn’t like the prosperity and freedom of Xidai? They simply failed."
Roland’s heart tightened, his eyes narrowing.
Romeo and the others spoke nothing of this event, only mentioning betrayal by traitors and backstabbing by villains.
Marco’s coup to seize power, with only a few thousand loyal followers and without proper legitimacy, could win a decisive victory against Carlo’s supporters with their hundred-thousand-strong army, showcasing his military prowess.
He knew about Romeo and the others’ exile following failure, but hadn’t realized the defeat was so severe.
From Vernaf’s words, it was clear he was very dissatisfied with Marco, only keeping silent before due to lacking the power to resist.
The old chap was quite cunning.
He dared not act himself, but hoped Roland and Alina would defeat Marco.
"General Werner, please continue."
Roland needed more detailed information.
Seeing Roland’s humble attitude, Vernaf felt slightly relieved, sat up straight, and began to recount the many unknown secrets during Marco’s coup.
After listening to Vernaf’s account, Roland was even more surprised.
He had an illusion that Marco’s bold and adventurous spirit was somewhat similar to Sif.
But Marco’s military ability was more solid.
Fortunately, he had already offended everyone. Politically, he lost completely; no matter how strong his military ability, it would be hard for him to turn the tide.
The more Roland thought, the more frightened he became. Despite offending so many people, Marco still firmly controlled the political situation, eliminating dissidents and concentrating power.
If given another three to five years to reorganize order and restore people’s livelihood, he might indeed return an independent and strong country to the Jin Yuan people.
At that time, there would naturally be literary scholars and news agencies to whitewash him.
Almost let this dog succeed.
Roland’s back felt slightly chilly. Marco had the ability and the skills, but not the right timing.
Now was Marco’s weakest time and also the best window to defeat him.
Seeing Vernaf’s tightly furrowed brows, Roland’s firm voice sounded.
"Military is politics with blood; no matter how capable Marco is, his will ultimately needs soldiers to execute. Vernaf, choosing Alina is choosing a free future."
Choose Alina?
Vernaf felt somewhat indifferent at heart.
Roland was not a philanthropist; the heavy price Alina had to pay to return to West City was unimaginable.
Thinking of the recently popular lover’s literature in West City, he couldn’t help but have a somewhat impolite thought.
Alina, she might already belong to Roland.
This is politics; to gain, you must pay.
However, this had nothing to do with him planning to retire after the war. Ultimately, he was old; the last wish to defeat the Sussex Navy was completely dashed, what else could he pursue?
Once Miss Alina successfully restored, he would hand over military power and retire to his territory.
The future world belonged to the young; old things should exit the stage. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶
Having said what he needed to, Vernaf simply stood up to bid farewell to Roland.
"Governor Roland, please dispatch capable personnel to escort me to the Jia Lai Region. General Soboslo and I have years of friendship; getting back the captives shouldn’t be a problem."
After a slight pause, he smiled and added, "As long as you convey your confidence to him, Soboslo will also support Alina and you."
"General Werner, I am short of people here; you should take your own guards."
Vernaf suddenly raised his head and made eye contact with Roland.
Looking into Roland’s clear eyes, he felt somewhat bewildered.
He was surprised to find that he couldn’t understand Roland at all.
Allowing Roland to send people to escort him was actually to monitor him, just leaving some face.
Roland couldn’t possibly not understand.
But Roland let him take his own guards, which was a sign of trust.
Was Roland pretending to be generous or was he serious?
While Vernaf was lost in thought, Roland smilingly explained: "General Vernaf, you are a truly respectable noble. I believe in you."
Roland’s words made Vernaf feel as if he had taken a hot bath in cold weather, every pore of his body relaxed.
Who doesn’t like to hear pleasant words? Unless the speaker’s status is too low.
With Roland’s status, even if it was flattery, he appreciated it.
Watching Vernaf leave, the smile on Roland’s lips gradually faded.
His trust was not in Vernaf at all, but in Marco.
No matter how many reasons Vernaf had, in Marco’s heart, he was a waste who surrendered to the enemy. Once Marco suspected someone, death would not be far off.
Vernaf had raised his sword to surrender long ago, leaving him no way back.
Since he couldn’t turn back, Roland naturally didn’t mind showing magnanimity to give him some face.
Old nobles are like that; you can hit them, scold them, even kill them, but you must give them enough face.
As he sent Vernaf off, Roland’s brain began to operate rapidly, and the corner of his lips slightly lifted.
Originally, there was only a thirty percent chance to capture West City; now, there was one hundred percent.
No city, no matter how fortified, could guard against internal traitors.
