novelGlobal Chapter 564: Lives Are Not Counted That Way!
Chapter 564: Lives Are Not Counted That Way!
Veins bulge on Grand Duke Kolen's forehead. "You traded a newly formed legion for one of the kingdom's knight orders. What do you have to be angry about?"Henwell says coldly, "That is how you count it. In my eyes, the newly formed Fifth Legion would definitely become stronger than the Night Falcon Knights in the future!"
Henwell is not boasting, nor is he deliberately raising the Fifth Legion's value.
He genuinely believes this from the bottom of his heart, and this is exactly what he planned.
As Peace Haven grows stronger, these full-strength regular legions established early on will certainly become stronger and stronger.
Better weapons and equipment, better tactical development, and better cultivation of talent.
Henwell can be certain that if they had another ten years, these legions would be able to directly withstand knight orders.
But what about now?
These outstanding young people who went through strict training and layer after layer of selection have all become cold corpses.
To others, Peace Haven using one newly formed legion to trade away the Night Falcon Knights is an extremely successful piece-trading tactic.
But for Henwell, this is not a victory worth boasting about.
If this can be called a victory, it is only a tragic one.
If possible, Henwell would rather not have won this world-shaking battle.
This was a last resort, an inferior option chosen only to break the deadlock.
Seeing that Henwell truly is furious, Kolen, whether sincerely or not, does not continue discussing this topic.
After calming himself, Kolen says, "How do you plan to end this now? The kingdom will no longer accept any of your negotiation terms."
Henwell sneers. "Heh. What a joke. Why do you think I fight wars? To negotiate with you?"
"Come then. I will wait."
"If I can wipe out your Night Falcon Knights today, I can wipe out the Golden Guard Knights tomorrow."
"What does Ika rely on to stand among the two strongest kingdoms on the continent?"
"Is it not the Night Falcon Knights, the Cross Spear Knights, and the Golden Guard Knights?"
"Oh, right. There are also those ace legions."
"Come on."
"Have Baleqi send them all here."
"I will let you see just how many legendary legions I can destroy."
"Without these ace elites, never mind whether the Ika Kingdom will still be safe. Baleqi himself will be finished."
Duke Kolen frowns. "Henwell, that is rather arrogant."
Henwell glares at him. "If I am not arrogant, what should I do? Kneel down and apologize to you?"
Duke Kolen says, "I came to negotiate with you, not to argue with you!"
Henwell slaps the table. "Since you know this is a negotiation, stop dragging the conversation all over the place."
"I am not a child. I have been through plenty. Do not try to scare me with that old routine."
Duke Kolen says, "Then let us first discuss the matters before us, the things we can decide now. We should exchange prisoners first."
"In last night's battle, quite a few of your soldiers failed to withdraw in time. They have now surrendered and been captured."
"One of your warriors for one Night Falcon knight. We need to complete this exchange as soon as possible. Otherwise, those who want to make this matter bigger will not let the opportunity pass."
Henwell rolls his eyes. "Are you still asleep? A one-for-one exchange? One ordinary man for one professional?"
Duke Kolen says, "Did you not say your warriors are just as precious as the Night Falcon knights? A one-for-one exchange follows your own values."
Henwell spreads his hands. "That was in battle. Now that they are prisoners, we need to weigh value."
"It is not about how much they are worth to me, but how much they are worth to you."
"I think the captured Night Falcon Knights are very valuable to me."
"It seems you also think the soldiers under my command are very valuable to you."
"Perfect. Then we will not exchange them yet. We can wait until both sides reach a consensus."
Henwell immediately adds, "Also, I know exactly how many of my soldiers were captured."
"Do not play tricks with me. I have undercover people on your side. This kind of thing cannot be kept secret."
"If any of my soldiers die in your prisoner camp for any reason, I guarantee the same number of Night Falcon knights will die here."
Henwell points outside. "In addition, many of my soldiers are seriously wounded. Your field medicine is awful. I cannot let my soldiers keep dying."
"I will send a medical team. They will carry no weapons or equipment, and I guarantee they are not soldiers, only doctors."
"They will treat my soldiers. And you can be at ease. The Night Falcon knights will also receive treatment, so their physical condition will be kept stable."
Duke Kolen nods. "That is acceptable. As for their safety, I can guarantee it."
Henwell says calmly, "Your guarantee is useless. Someone will definitely kill my warriors to vent their rage."
"And I will definitely kill Night Falcon knights in response."
"In any case, I have already killed more than seven thousand Night Falcon knights. A few more are something I can bear."
"And if anyone kills my captured soldiers, I do not care whether the killer is one of your ordinary soldiers or one of your princes and nobles."
"After the war, I will definitely go find him, and I guarantee he will not live."
Kolen's expression turns ugly. "You are not negotiating at all."
Henwell shakes his head. "You do not understand. My credibility is excellent. Everyone on the continent knows that."
"Because of that, many people will use it to deceive and mock me. So I will take this opportunity to prove that I keep my promises, and I can also be extremely vicious."
"If you do not want me to kill people, you need to do everything possible to stop your own men from acting rashly."
"I have a small suggestion. You can push out some stupid noble and execute him in public to prove your resolve."
Duke Kolen says, "Henwell, must you really go this far?"
Henwell sighs with him. "Duke, this is a war of life and death. This is not like our previous cooperation to make money."
"This is a game where both sides gamble with lives as the stakes."
"I dare use my own life as a stake. Tell me, whose life in Ika is not a stake? Whose life is more noble than mine?"
Duke Kolen says, "I will do my best to arrange protection. I will arrange everything properly, but you need to give me time."
Henwell shakes his head. "This is not a negotiation. It is a notification. My position and decision will not change."
Then Henwell changes the topic. "There is one more matter we can begin right now."
"We are already collecting the corpses of the fallen Night Falcon knights. I have prepared coffins as well."
"I hope you can return the bodies of our warriors. This must be done as soon as possible."
Duke Kolen remains silent for a long time. "Sigh. I will arrange it. Your soldiers' bodies will not be humiliated."
Henwell says flatly, "Even if they are, that only humiliates you."
After that, Henwell sees his guest out.
Over the next two days, the exchange of corpses is completed.
Henwell immediately begins cremating the bodies of his own soldiers and placing their ashes into boxes.
It is summer. Corpses rot quickly, and rot brings plague. That would be fatal.