Hannoic War
Iron Violence (Part 27)

"God has made sure to man that there is no faster way to win by at least dying once"

hannibal Barca from Livy

Iron Malignancy

Elric stood in front of this huge castle…

The Myhall Castle stands before Elric and thousands of his soldiers who camped in front of him..

The big river White Fork behind this castle is flowing fast..

Seen some Elric warriors fishing there. Although some pee there too.

There are also sometimes Elric saw swimming to the middle of the river, then they were shot dead with arrows by the enemy.

There were also other Elric troops who camped across the river, to prevent the enemy from getting out of the Castle across the river and then plundering the village's food at will.

Elric would starve them in this castle..

Elric already played his part by destroying their supply bearer.Their last hope..

"We should break through this Myhall fortress again my lord" said Knight Mailann beside Elric.

*Mailann's knights.young and kind.but that doesn't make him wise.*, thought Elric.

"We have done it.8,000 have lost their lives" Elric said, looking at his right hand, "we have separated 11,000 of our troops to guard the other side of the river, we have only 14,000 left..if they attack again, they could get out of their castle and ambush us at night"

*8,000 against 14,000.although the number is on my side.but 8,000 enemy troops are more experienced. I could have lost.*, thought Elric.

Elric remembered that night.

He had 33,000 troops against 8,000 troops.all high moral forces for sure won..

Stairs were set up on the walls of the enemy fortress..

The enemy army will run away and will surrender..

Or quickly the Elric army will defeat the enemy troops quickly with a small loss…

Just like the game when thousands of troops beat fewer troops…

With just one button..

But what happened was different…

Hot water was lowered to the Elric team as they climbed up the staircase.

A huge rock was thrown from the top of the wall by the enemy destroying its breaking machine.

Then when Elric's men managed to climb up the wall, most of them inexperienced and exhausted..

While some experienced troops were immediately ready…

This feeling is all too fast.it cannot be eliminated directly to new soldiers even with really old training.

Only a direct battle could train them for this...

The veteran troops were far more skilled thousands of times than the new troops.It was not like a strategy game that only used levels as Elric had imagined..

And after the battle, hundreds of corpses were collected…

Hundreds took the armour of his dead army and took the items from the corpses.

Then smell.smell the corpse.smell the mud.it all nothing compares to the picture digame,film, novel,anime..

Piles of corpses were everywhere, some burying and burning their friends everywhere.

Or just let it go.

Elric saw a naked soldier's corpse from head to toe lying in the camp, all his armour and clothes taken from his friend.

And when the battle comes..

The weight of the command...Elric wanted to do something, but it was stuck in his tongue and throat…

Instead, he followed whatever the subordinates and people around him said..

Hundreds of rapes and looting to find food and Elric could not stop..

Most robbed farmers when they were given swords. Most ask for better wine, cash, more flavored food, gold or iron rings, shoes, or weapons.

Most supply trains are only wheat seeds to then be cooked into a flavorless porridge..

And the troops will get bored of it quickly..

Then over time followed their friends robbing farmers.

Then over time they raped women.

And it turns out that it is true.The Elric many executions are more veteran soldiers..

Soldiers who used to do this in every war..

Unlike what Elric imagined when playing the game.A veteran soldier.heroic, strong, and reliable defeat his enemy..

And the battle comes to the game.it can be completed with just one or two buttons…

And the result should be no more than 8,000 troops lost their lives..

"We have to do this." - Elric said as he stepped forward without a sword on his hips, "get aside from Mailann"

*Tingiarrrrrrrrrttttkkkkkk…*

The wooden gate of Myhall Castle opens in front of Elric..

And then there was a long-haired man standing with black lips on his face..

Around him there is a soldier dressed in iron who is seen following the man's black lips..

His posture and the way the man moves the black lips rather he tilted..

Elric himself stood firm and cold..

*He's the general.* , thought Elric.

"You want to say yes 'Master Hero who will save the world with his big trunk'?" said the general with black lips as he spread out his hands.

*How to diplomacy.* , thought Elric.

Elric always thought playing diplomacy was not a manly way and not so good…

Elric would rather fight than talk and sit in front of the nobility like a hick.

It is not the way of diplomacy that is manly…

...but sometimes that's the way you have to go...

"I told you negotiations would be carried out without a sword" Elric said in a cold tone.

*Ttttaaakkkk!*

Throw the black-lipped man's sword behind Elric against the grass floor.

"Hm, take the sword" said the man with black lips.

*Sshhrrinhgggg!*

Several knights behind Elric were heard pulling out his sword.

When he saw the Elric knight take out his sword, the enemy archer on the wall readied his arrow.

Even some of the soldiers beside the black-lipped man were seen preparing their shields and swords.

Elric then raised his hand low..

Then all the Elric knights slowly reattached his sword…

And the two enemies returned to the negotiations…

"My name is Elric" Elric said.

"My name is Khajir from the tribe of H'ghaul" Khajir said with a smile formed with his black lips.

"You've heard the letter from Mr. Perrin's Right Hand, haven't you?" Elric said.

"Hehe, 'another hero who will save the world with his other big trunk'?" Khajir said.

"No" Elric said.

*More precisely her big chest*, wanted Elric to say that.

"I don't think you've heard the news, your King Trivistane has been defeated at the Battle of the Sea. His entire navy has been destroyed, 'Battle of Black Fire' people called out to him" Elric said as he moved closer.

Elric kept his voice strong...

"Mr Perrin has given permission for you Akkadian troops to return home without loot.only the ship for you to return, which will be commanded by our captain to be returned, even your King is allowed to go home" Elric said.

The words hurt quite a bit in Elric's mouth.Elric was even surprised when reading the letter from Perrin…

What are the deaths and sufferings of thousands of lives in this siege?

Perrin's action was shocking, but it was true that it would end this war sooner..

Elric thought..

But will Trivistane bring in new mercenaries and then return to Dalmatia quickly?

No. Where there are mercenaries who go to foreign lands then have felt fed up, then want to go there again..

Most would leave Trivistane when returning home in Akkad, more so without loot or proceeds from there.

Trivistane probably paid some of them to come here…

But that doesn't mean Trivistane will pay them all..

30,000 mercenaries.they were promised wealth and results…

But then nothing after coming all the way here..

When everyone had heard Trivistane failed and lost a war to give his mercenaries loot and results…

Nobody wants to go with Trivistane here anymore..

Elric had heard that the Trivistane army passed 5 months in length from Akkad to Dalmatia by ship…

Something must have been sickening for the soldiers..

If you return to Akkadia again.maka Trivistane will sail 5 months back.later 5 months to return here.10 months..

10 Months.that is the minimum time Elric and other heroes prepare for war again..

But that's enough, and we can be ready for war.

The enemy troops all must have a small side in his heart that wants to go home..

"Why did you do that?" said Khajir, frowning his forehead.

*what? Because we're too good to my enemies? Stupidly, our position as the leader of Damaltia is also still insecure. The war will not change that either, if this war is longer then the other great families will move sides to your 'King. 'Why am I siding with a woman? King Trivistane may be legitimate' 'if I switch sides on Trivistane maybe I'll be rewarded' I don't want a lot of people to start thinking about that*, want Elric to say that..

"If Trivistane leaves, then peace will be achieved faster" Elric said.

Khajir fell silent while looking at Elric with his sharp gaze.

"...no.." , said Qharlan in his deep, rock-hard voice, "that's not what I meant"

Elric widened his eyes when he heard Khajir's words.

*He understands.he understands Perrin's tactics to restore Trivistane.he's not entirely an idiot.*, thought Elric looking into his eyes.

"Why do you think Trivistane will leave this land?" Khajir said in a deep voice, "you don't know him...even if you promise to conquer an Akkadian country and crown Trivistane as its king as a reward if he leaves Damaltia.he will not leave.."

Slowly Khajir walked towards Elric with his strong and deep steps.

His teeth were slightly yellow and had flesh left on the sidelines of his teeth exposed…

He smiled broadly..

"When Trivistane fought at the Lion Claw as a mercenary, he was ordered to guard the capital of an Akkadian country called Makull, tens of thousands of troops besieged the city and starved Makull for months" Khajir said, improving his posture by standing more firmly..

By standing Khajir shows his body is quite high.

Higher than Elric...

"almost everyone in Akkadian thought that this mercenary named Trivistane would give up the city of Makull in just a month. But even when the commander of all the guards of the capital Makull was dead from starvation he kept guarding the city" Khajir said in the deepest voice he had ever heard.

There has been no sound this deep since Khajir heard Cyrus speak when he was angry..

Elric remembers how Cyrus slammed the table in front of Julius who stood like a demon..

"9 months.9 months he guarded the city of Makull with 2,000 troops.Even when all the people in the city of Makull were starving...he was willing to eat rat meat and even the corpse of his own friend to carry out his duties" said Qharlan as he approached closer to Elric.

When Khajir got closer to Elric, almost all of Elric's warriors held his sword grip.

They were terrified that Khajir was attacking Elric.

"Even when the kingdom he defended was defeated he kept the city, when the commander and the king who ordered him to guard the city were already buried.." ,khajir said with a sharp look.

Elric could only frown his forehead..

"Everyone was surprised to hear that including me and Qharlan, so surprised Qharlan and I chose to save him along with 15 ships to Makull City, his mother was even so worried that he co-ordinated me to take him home" ,khajir said, "i was on the Qharlan ship when I got there he didn't even want to go home when I asked him to. You know why he chose to leave Makull City?"

".....why?" said Perrin, looking at Qharlan with his sharp gaze.

" 'The government or the mother of my flesh? It was the hardest choice I've made in this world, Qharlan', that's what he said when he landed on my ship. He came home only because he was ruled by his mother, a duty stronger than anything in the world" Khajir smiled as he narrowed one of his eyes.

Elric was silent to hear it..

*I've underestimated the people in this world of alien magic.*, thought Elric.

Khajir resigned after that..

"Tell me Lord Elric the Hero who said he would save the world, do you think that destroying all his ships and defeating them in one battle would shift his sense of duty to inherit the throne of King Damaltia?" ,khajir said with his arms stretched back..

Then walking back towards the castle left Elric in front of the castle...

Then the gate closed in front of Elric..

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King Trivistane stands in front of a giant tree whose branches spread throughout the castle garden to touch the castle walls…

The old garden of Rellamia Castle lay before him.

"Your Majesty" said a man approaching Trivistane.

Trivistane then turned his head to look back.

"Memnakh" Trivistane said in his cold voice.

Trivistane then quickly returned to see the giant tree.

"What's wrong?" said Trivistane.

"The Vurav family is switching sides to us" Memnakh said.

"Hm, that little family, they only have 600 troops" Trivistane said with a cold face.

Trivistane saw this tree for a long time..

This tree has strange writing and even more bizarre patterns carved around it in a foreign language that Memnakh did not know.

Under this tree there is a kind of stone chest that can be opened to give this tree an offering.

"Would Your Majesty stay away from this tree, this tree is the form of a demon worshipped by the original Strantos. He said being approached could carry a curse, Your Majesty" Memnakh said.

"Thousands of lives have cursed me for a long time, 1 more curse won't change that. This is not the demon Memnakh, but a place of connection between the Old God of the Strantos and his worshipers" Trivistane said in his iron-hard voice, "heh, the old god...how long has your god been around until people call him the old god?"

Trivistane said with a frown, Memnakh never saw a smile come out of his face.

Trivistane would never laugh even if men from southern Akkadian to northern Victoria gave him their strongest wine.

"Thousands of people say they worship gods, but in fact they only worship money and honor. Some people can't hide it, so they're straight up honest when they worship money and honor" said Trivistane, who then gritted his teeth.

*Trivistane is not a god.but is it just a lie?* ,Thinking Memnakh.

If Trivistane worshipped a god, he would never smile or laugh..

Or has the god smiled and laughed?

"If His Majesty worships what?" , asked Memnakh.

Trivistane then shifted his head looking again at Memnakh…

Trivistane's gaze was something very strong, so Memnakh was convinced that his gaze was more able to survive the typhoon than this castle..

"I don't worship anything Memnakh, I've decided since I saw how my friends plundered Hamarurr City in 'Lion Claws' married animals. With hundreds of women raped, hundreds of babies and young children murdered, all eyes looking at the beautiful city being burned" Trivistane said with her jaws looking as hard as iron, "i've decided that ever since, if no god deserves my prayers if they let this barbarity happen"

Trivistane's own face was half guilty of having iron strength.

His gaze upon Memnakh was like that of him saying 'Without realizing I was also doing that.maybe all this time I didn't deserve to be followed..'

But his iron-like face almost eliminated it.

But that's how the war is, the mercenaries that Trivistane brought in do need gifts and guarantees when coming here…

'female who can cry and be played at will'

Memnakh then gulped at Trivistane's words.

"Pardon me ask your majesty" Memnakh said.

"What news do you bring back?" asked Trivistane, who then returned his gaze to the tree.

"Your Majesty?" muttered Memnakh in confusion.

"There's a letter in one of your pockets, I don't think I saw it, is that bad news other than the Battle of Black Fire again? Why don't you show it?" Trivistane said with his ringing armour.

Memnakh then became more nervous in front of Trivistane, anyone who approached and saw Trivistane could already see who he was..

The Gargayole call Trivistane 'The Iron General'...

Harmanakh from the Sand Cloak mercenary group called him 'Iron that will break before it can bend'

'The Ferocious Silver Lion of the West'

Trivistane will never be easy to reverse himself when he has decided something..

"False Hero Lord Perrin sent you this Your Majesty" Memnakh said as he pulled out a letter from his pocket, "he gave you permission to go home with your troops to Akkadian, they'll provide the ship if you want"

Trivistane simply fell silent then picked up the letter..

He read the letter briefly.

"Burn this letter" said Trivistane, "do not show this to anyone, if any soldier knows, then the contents of this letter will spread. Then the soldier who wants to go home will rebel and the morale of the soldier decreases. 'The 'Battle of Black Fire' alone had already made the warrior's morale quite low"

Memnakh can only be half relieved to hear it..

"You don't want to go home like me" Trivistane said, giving Memnakh back the letter, "you still have a sense of wanting to go home but smaller than most people here, that longing is natural"

"Wife, your majesty" Memnakh said.

"Hm?" , muttered Trivistane.

"I have a pregnant wife in my house" Memnakh said.

"Hm, yes thousands more also have, almost all of our soldiers have families" Trivistane said, "but I have to do my duty Memnakh, some will say that I am an illegitimate child. But my mother and father were married to the priestess of the god Aurex on Akkadian soil, I was not an illegitimate child, I was the rightful heir to this foreign kingdom"

Trivistane then saw a gray flower growing under the sacred tree.

*If he wants, he can be king of an Akkadian dynasty. But he chose Damaltia who was about to be damaged by war.Since he had the right to blood here, it was his duty to pass it on.*, Memnakh thought.

"We will stop at another Castle, we need strength to take back this country" Trivistane said with an iron-cold voice in their armour, "are you afraid Memnakh? If we're gonna lose and you're never gonna go back to Akkadian to meet your wife and daughter?"

Memnakh just nodded slowly then looked towards Trivistane.

"Law, I was scared too, hundreds of times I tried to get rid of it but it never could" Trivistane said, "I could see it Memnakh. I'm not so stupid as to not know that coming here could bring us destruction"

Trivistane then walked past Memnakh..

"But we must do our duty, be it bad or good for us. I follow my destiny Memnakh, my destiny is to carry out all my duties, some say that we are the ones who carve our own destiny" Trivistane said as he took his male lion fur cloak hung on a tree.

Trivistane then faced forward and put on his robe..

"Let them say what they believe, and I will do what I believe" Trivistane said as he walked forward.