Chapter 318: Chapter 241 Avton Battle (Part 2)
Suddenly, the military formation became a cacophony, disbelief filling the eyes of the people, their surroundings buzzing with heated discussions.
“He is that Red Dragon? The King of Ashen?”
“How is that possible?”
“This… this can’t be an evil dragon; he is clearly a refined noble.”
“Could it be that Duke Leo deceived us?”
Cassius’s extraordinary charm was enough to distort reality, influencing even giant dragons unconsciously. Therefore, he could easily enthrall these inexperienced mortals even through a mere image.
...
Under the scrutiny of tens of thousands of soldiers, Cassius began his performance:
“I believe you may have some misunderstandings about me, as per the Northern Nobility’s propaganda, I am a bone-crunching evil dragon, a demon who defiles women, and an invader breaking peace and order.”
“But the truth is, it has always been the Northern Nobility who initiated wars every time, whether it was the Tri-Nation Alliance of the Triel Conference or the so-called Anti-Red Dragon Alliance. This is simply because they could not tolerate a kingdom that threatened their ruling foundation, a kingdom that overthrew the serfdom and hereditary nobility systems, the Ashen Kingdom.”
Cassius paused, a hint of confusion in his tone, his expression exceptionally sincere.
“Soldiers, I sincerely want to know—what are you fighting for?”
“Could it be that you truly believe in that laughable doctrine of Scania solidarity? The North is not your country, but Heaven for the nobles; they see you as ‘Gray Beasts,’ as lowly expendables.”
“Everyone, please reflect on your own hurried lives in the North; when have you ever received the proper regard from the nobles?”
“A scholar in the kingdom once said that the class is the only standard for dividing society. In the eyes of the Northern Nobility, you of humble origins have never been of the same species as them, how could you be considered their fellowmen?”
“When they whipped the serfs, violated children, killed slaves for fun, and tormented you for generations, they never remembered you were supposedly their kin.”
Cassius did not speak with great passion; he just stated the facts calmly.
But even with just that, countless soldiers began to think, their hearts wavering, and some even started to fully believe the Red Dragon’s words.
“Is it really… like this?”
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“He seems to make some sense.”
“Yeah, those nobles would never share their wealth with us.”
“My daughter was snatched away by a noble…”
Cassius continued to speak in a deep voice:
“In fact, you have no reason to fight for them or give your lives for them. Even your not raising swords against these nobles is already an enormous act of mercy and forgiveness.”
“And I, as King and in the name of King of Ashen, Cassius, promise that when the Ashen Kingdom rules this land, you will regain the basic dignity.”
“Hereditary serfdom will no longer exist, freedom and equality will become the main themes of society. Anyone can become wealthy through hard work and even strive to become a noble, as has been the reality in Northwind Castle these past few years.”
Under the influence of extraordinary charm, Cassius’s words sounded exceptionally sincere to the ears of the soldiers. However, mindful of the presence of the officers, they could only whisper softly, expressing their rudimentary assessments.
“People like us can also become nobles?”
“It actually sounds quite good.”
“Then why are we still fighting?”
“He is way more generous than those stingy nobles.”
As the noise of discussions grew louder, Count Roland Boske finally realized the opponent’s intention—he wanted to scatter the morale of the troops!
And what chilled Roland to the bone the most was that even he couldn’t help but be captivated by those words and unconsciously began to agree with them.
However, even Cassius’s words could not distort his identity; as a noble, Roland naturally perceived the malignity in these words.
“This is simply the Devil’s whisper!”
“How dare they listen to such words!”
“If not for the guidance of our ancestors, these beasts wouldn’t have what they have today!”
Roland looked around at the hesitating soldiers, gritting his teeth in hatred, his eyes filled with loathing.
“This can’t go on!”
Thinking this, Roland rode his horse and barged through the military formation, his face twisted as he swung his long sword, beheading a common soldier who was speaking enthusiastically about the future and clutching the lifeless head aloft.
“Soldiers, you have been bewitched by the evil dragon!”
“And this is the fate of rebels!”
“Do you all see this?”
Roland, holding up the bloodied head, rode through the formation.
Those soldiers who had been whispering all fell silent instantly. They involuntarily shrank their necks, fear on their faces, but they still stared intently at Roland, suppressing a strange emotion in their eyes.
Indeed, they had not yet reached that “Utopia.”
They were still under the rule of the Northern Nobility.
Roland seemed to be losing his mind. He threw the head away, pointed his blood-stained sword at the image in the air, and rasped:
“Evil dragon! Do you see?”
“We Scania people are invincible and will never bow!”
“The glory of Roselle Boske will forever shine upon the North, we will rule here for a thousand years, ten thousand years!”
But the expression of the “King of Ashen” in the image remained unchanged; he was still indifferent, never even giving Roland a proper glance, completely ignoring him.
Cassius looked down at the tens of thousands of soldiers and said straightforwardly:
“It’s just a pity that you stand in the way of the kingdom’s unification, but I am a Dragon who loves peace and dislikes slaughter.”
“I give you three hours, leave if you do not want to die.”
“Time is short…”
Immediately, the formation became noisy again.
After all, there were tens of thousands here, with most of them being serfs and commoners, and less than ten thousand being the nobles’ personal army. When the Northern Nobility’s prestige was shattered, a rout was a natural consequence.
These people, of humble origins and poorly educated, did not understand much of Cassius’s words, but they understood the nobles’ whips and exploitation because it was what they had personally experienced. More importantly—they wanted to live.
“I want to live.”
“Let’s leave, get out of here.”
“I’ve had enough of those noble lords!”
“How could we possibly win against such enemies?”
The soldiers began to scatter and flee, and the officers could not stop them.
And the army of the Ashen Kingdom actually kept their promise. Even when someone fled in their direction no soldier moved to kill, as it was the direct order of the Red Dragon, and no one dared to disobey.
Roland shouted hoarsely, chasing the fleeing soldiers on horseback:
“Come back! You beasts!”
“You will never repay the ancestors’ kindness in this lifetime!”
His eyes were bloodshot as he killed one deserter after another, but he was still unable to stop the massive rout. After all, this was the scale of tens of thousands.
“Could it be… that I am to fail in such a manner?”
“To lose before engaging in battle?”
“These damned beasts, swine, all should go to Hell! I have been too merciful to them!”
Roland, breathing heavily on his horse, his twisted face covered in blood—not his own, nor even the enemy’s.
“My lord, my lord… stop, we need to regroup the remaining troops.”
His adjutant quickly grabbed him, whispering.