THE FIGHT TO BE KING
CHAPTER 134: THE CAPTURED ARMY
Myro let out a heavy sigh, it seems that the war this time will be very heavy for them. Except for sacrificing a lot of troops, Myro along with his troops did not have a chance to win.
"Falka, when I give the whole army to you, how many casualties are on our side?", Myro asked, confirming that he was staring intently at Falka.
Falka thought carefully, he was indeed not a smart person like Ren where he could make a lot of devious strategies. But if it was a matter of fighting on the battlefield without strategy, Falka still knew very clearly about this "About 500 Praetorian Guards, 1000 new infantry and 400 Mongol Cavalry, this was only an estimate. But there is still the possibility of the number of casualties being more or less, depending on the circumstances on the battlefield later".
"Ren, what about you?", asked Myro again.
Ren thought for a while before his face turned into hesitation. It seemed like Ren was going to say something to Myro, but he decided to shut his mouth back and became hesitant again.
Seeing Ren's actions, Myro waved his hand "No need to hesitate, you can give your opinion here. I don't know if your idea is good or not, but we're all gathered here to find the best solution to this problem, aren't we?".
After obtaining permission from Myro, Ren became firmly "Master, actually what Falka said was true, the strength of all our troops became increasingly decreased due to the snowy weather. Different from us, Orcs and Goblins have lived in this place since they were born, the snowy weather will not make them weak because this is their birthplace. Therefore, I also could not make an accurate plan. Not to mention that we lack a lot of information about the Rulfes Fortress or the strength of the Orc-Goblin Kingdom, this makes it even more difficult for me to make the right plan".
"The number of victims Falka said was still very accurate. If we attack Rulfes Fortress without any information or plan, our casualties would be in line with what Falka said just now. Even so, I actually have another plan that could greatly reduce the casualties on our side, yet I cannot carry out this plan without the permission of the master".
Ren did not speak anymore which made everyone more curious, rather Ren was staring at Myro and waiting for his decision.
"You can tell me your plan" Myro said "As long as it's good enough for me and there's no better plan, I'll give you permission".
Ren nodded then began to tell his plan "Master, why don't we use the Orcs and Goblins in Folk City as a shield protecting our soldiers while attacking Folk City. No matter how many orcs or goblins were killed, the master would not suffer any losses as they were not forces loyal to the master".
Myro's face turned grim when he found out Ren's plan, he already understood what Ren had said just now.
Ren planned to use the people in Folk City as a shield against the Rulfes Fortress.
The guards at Rulfes Fortress must have been hesitant to shoot those from Folk City, this could have weakened their attacks. In addition, Ren planned to use these men as cover for the Myro forces in order to attack Fort Rulfes.
The point of Ren's words was that they would sacrifice the people in Folk City, instead of the casualties in Myro's army would have been reduced to capture Rulfes Fortress.
Myro did not mind being ruthless in order to achieve his goal, but Myro was not a person who already had no other good. How could Myro allow the children and women in Folk City to become victims just because they were trying to seize Rulfes Fortress? Although they were Orcs and Goblins, they were still children and women who were not necessarily guilty, Myro was not that crazy as to sacrifice them so that he could achieve victory.
"Ren, I must admit that your plan is indeed profitable for me", rich Myro without hesitation "But, how could I possibly get civilians to join this war? Moreover, we must use them as shields from enemy attacks, we try to sacrifice civilians to achieve victory! I don't know if anyone is cruel enough to be able to use this plan, but I can't do that cruel thing. I, Myro Aras was not a good person, but I was also not a very cruel person to the point of sacrificing civilians in order to obtain the Rulfes Fortress".
Be it Falka, Lopen and Retya nodded along. As a soldier, they had the honor of the soldier himself. Using civilians as shields and sacrificing them was not in the way of their soldiers, it would destroy the honor of a soldier that belonged to them.
If it was Myro's decision, they would still have to grit their teeth and do so because their loyalty to Myro was far more important than the honor of the warrior. However, they were very happy that Myro rejected him. It was fortunate that their master still had a heart, not a ruthless person who could sacrifice tens of thousands of innocent people.
Knowing everyone was staring at him sharply, Ren was a little speechless "Wait, there seems to be a misunderstanding here. Have I not said in the past that what a leader needs is kindness and care for his people and a strong determination against the enemy, how could I let you do such a cruel thing as sacrifice the lives of tens of thousands of innocent civilians".
Myro had known Ren for 5 years and knew that Ren was not such a cruel person, therefore Myro asked again "Then, what is the meaning of your plan, Ren?".
"Sir, we shouldn't be using civilians, but what if we were using enemy soldiers?", Ren asked with a smile behind his folding fan "During the attack on Folk City, during the time of the attack, we managed to capture about 1000 Orc warriors or goblins, can't we use them as a shield against the Rulfes Fortress? We also accept the repudiation of the soldiers we captured, if someone rejects the call to help us then we do not need to force him against the Rulfes Fortress".
"But for those who agree to help us, I think we can give those Orc-Goblin warriors a gift of free food every day until this war is over, their families will also get food. Moreover when they die on the battlefield for us, master can give his family food for a month to 4 months, he said, I'm sure there are a lot of Orc-Goblin warriors who agreed to help you get all these gifts".
"Now that the Orc-Goblin Kingdom is going through a major food crisis, there are many children and even adults dying from starvation. So does Folk City, the food crisis is here! Not to mention that we just attacked this town which made the food crisis worse, I'm sure the soldiers we captured won't turn down our offer because for anyone, families are very important people to them. There are many people who do not mind dying so that their families can survive, they are also not civilians and are willing to help us in exchange for the gifts we offer. I don't think this plan is cruel, is it? It is better to sacrifice the lives of the Orc and Goblin warriors who are willing to fight for us in order to obtain food, than to have to sacrifice an elite army loyal to the master!".
The whole room went silent, but this time it was not because they were confused to think of a plan anymore, but because everyone in this meeting room felt that Ren's plan was really good.
They did not need to use civilians, besides these Orc-Goblin soldiers helped them willingly, they could refuse if they were not interested in fighting the Rulfes Fortress.
But those who help will get enough food and their families will not have to worry about dying from hunger for at least a few months, everyone was convinced that the many captured soldiers would not refuse to help them attack Folk City. In addition, they do not need to commit acts of cruelty such as sacrificing tens of thousands of innocent people, this is a mutually beneficial cooperation.
The Orc Goblin troops who help can get food for themselves and their families, Myro can reduce casualties in his troops. Be it Myro and the Orc Goblin troops that helped, they both benefited.