195: joint

The resistance of Holy Radiance City, with the fall of Monk, completely collapsed like a sandcastle having its last pillar pulled out.

The first to break were the two hundred thousand temporarily conscripted militia. They were civilians, forced into service, and their loyalty to the royal family was limited. Witnessing the world-destroying power of the airships, the city gates being instantly erased, and Marshal Monk, their guardian god, being utterly annihilated, their psychological defenses completely crumbled.

"Run!"

No one knew who shouted first, but immediately, the sound of weapons being discarded, terrified cries, and chaotic footsteps spread through the militia ranks like a plague. They threw away their crude weapons, shed their cumbersome uniforms, and like a frightened flock of sheep, desperately fled the city walls and barricades, flooding into the streets and alleys of the city, only wanting to find a place to hide and stay away from this nightmare of a battlefield.

The rout of the militia triggered a chain reaction. The regular defenders, who were still hesitating or barely holding on under the prodding of low-level officers, saw the massive militia fleeing first, and their last bit of fighting spirit vanished. Swaths of soldiers laid down their weapons, either kneeling on the ground or standing in place, lost and bewildered.

Only the Royal Guards, dressed in magnificent golden armor embroidered with the Golden Griffon Crest, showed a completely different character. They numbered only about ten thousand, but they were the kingdom's most elite and loyal force, having served the Aolai Royal Family for generations. Witnessing the Marshal's death and the fall of the capital, there was no fear in their eyes, only grief, indignation, and determination.

"For His Majesty! For Aulai!"

"Fight to the death, no retreat!"

Scattered but exceptionally fierce resistance broke out throughout the city. The Royal Guards formed small battle formations and, utilizing their familiarity with the terrain, engaged in a final, tragic struggle with the Star Sea Territory army pouring into the city at street corners, plazas, and the steps before the palace. Their combat strength was extremely high, often requiring several or even ten times the number of enemies to wipe them out. Every place where the Royal Guards fought to the death was left with layers of corpses from both sides, blood staining the ancient cobblestone roads of Holy Radiance City.

But individual bravery could not turn the tide of the war. Before absolute numerical superiority and the equally formidable combat strength of the Star Sea Territory army, these resistances melted away quickly and tragically, like snowflakes thrown into a furnace. When the last Royal Guard captain died of exhaustion at the palace gates after fighting dozens of enemies, leaning against a pillar with eyes wide open as he took his final breath, organized large-scale resistance within Holy Radiance City was declared over.

About two hundred thousand of the original Aulai defenders laid down their arms. They were orderly driven to several designated areas outside the city, kneeling in a dense black mass, their faces filled with the bewilderment of surviving a disaster and fear for the future.

Linn slowly descended onto the battered but still majestic city wall. Generals like Yilman and Angus quickly approached him and bowed.

"Lord Duke, the main resistance in the city has been cleared, and captives are being counted and detained," Yilman reported. He was covered in bloodstains, but his eyes were bright. This battle was won faster and more thoroughly than he had expected.

Linn's gaze swept across the endless crowd of captives outside the city, then looked at the gradually subsiding smoke of war within the city.

"Yilman, report the casualty statistics as soon as possible. These captives," he pointed outside the city, "are all the able-bodied of Aulai, well-trained. Simply detaining them is a waste. Break them all up and incorporate them into our various legions. Tell them that those willing to swear loyalty to Star Sea Territory will receive excellent treatment, and their military merits will be treated equally with the old units. Those who are stubborn should be strictly guarded and dealt with uniformly after the war."

Yilman's eyes lit up. "Yes! I understand!" Absorbing these experienced surrendered soldiers would immediately and significantly supplement the strength of the Star Sea Territory army. More importantly, it would quickly dismantle the remaining military potential of the Aulai Kingdom.

"Payson," Linn looked at the capable old comrade beside him, dressed as a civil official. "Take your people immediately and take over the administration of Holy Radiance City. Reassure the civilians, inventory the treasury, repair necessary facilities, and maintain basic order. Post notices to reassure the people and announce our army's laws! Take nothing from the people, restore trade, and ensure their livelihoods. But anyone who takes advantage of the chaos to loot or cause trouble shall be executed without mercy."

"Sebastian, lead the airships to announce our occupation of Holy Radiance City. Have the governors of the northern provinces come to Holy Radiance City to surrender. Those who surrender will remain as governors; those who do not will be executed on the spot."

"By your command, Lord Duke!" Sebastian led thirty airships toward various parts of the north. Payson immediately led a group of prepared civil officials and a small number of guards down the city wall to begin the takeover mission.

Linn finally looked toward the south with a deep gaze. The fall of Holy Radiance City meant that the northern and eastern regions of the Aulai Kingdom had all fallen under his control. The backbone of the kingdom had been broken.

"Reorganize the army, inventory supplies, and reassure the surrendered soldiers and the populace," he gave the final command. "Within three days, I want to see a rested army with high morale. The 'guests' in the south are still waiting for us."

"Yes!" the generals responded in unison.

---

While Linn was methodically digesting the fruits of the victory at Holy Radiance City, on the Red River Plain in the south, the battle situation was deadlocked in a strange and bloody balance.

Atos learned of the fall of Holy Radiance City and the death of his Royal Uncle Monk three days later. The communication magic crystal had been destroyed in the fierce battle, and the messenger's journey through the chaotic battlefield and the Star Sea Territory's blockade was a narrow escape from death. When the news finally reached Atos's hands, the young king felt as if he had been struck by lightning. His face turned as pale as paper, and he could barely stand.

"The capital... lost? Royal Uncle... dead?" he muttered to himself, the intelligence scroll slipping from his hand. Holy Radiance City was not just the capital; it was the symbol of royal power and the totem that unified the people's hearts. Marshal Monk was the kingdom's God of War and the royal family's stabilizing force. The simultaneous loss of both was a devastating blow to morale.

Next came a towering rage and a bone-chilling cold. The rage was directed at the "rebel" Linn, while the cold came from the Second Prince's army still attacking frantically in front of him, and the now wide-open north behind him, revealing Linn's fangs.

It couldn't go on like this!

Atos almost immediately summoned his most confidential advisors and drafted a letter for peace talks with extremely earnest wording. Using a secret channel, it was delivered to the Second Prince's camp at the fastest possible speed.

In the letter, he no longer referred to himself as king but called the Second Prince "Royal Brother." He detailed the tragic news of Linn capturing Holy Radiance City, Monk's death, and the fall of the north. He bitterly denounced Linn's "wild ambitions to annex all of Aulai," pointing out that the current fratricide between the Aolai royal brothers was merely "causing pain to loved ones and joy to enemies," and would ultimately only allow Linn, an outsider, to benefit and hand over the thousand-year foundation of the Aulai Kingdom.

"...The kingdom has reached a moment of life and death. The dispute between you and me is an internal family matter. The threat of Linn is a catastrophe. I hope Royal Brother can temporarily set aside past grievances, prioritize the royal Bloodline and the Aulai territory, and that we immediately cease hostilities. Let us combine our two armies and head north to jointly punish the national traitor! Once Linn is driven out and our lands are recovered, we can discuss our matters later. If Royal Brother agrees, I am willing to swear by our ancestors that I will not harm Royal Brother in any way during the period of our combined forces; everything will be prioritized toward defeating Linn!"

This letter was delivered to the Second Prince, who had also just learned of the upheaval in the north.

Second Prince Gordon gripped the letter, his knuckles turning white from the force. His shock was no less than Atos's. Linn's speed of rise and his military strength far exceeded everyone's expectations. airships? Instantly capturing Holy Radiance City? Annihilating Monk?

Each of these news items was like a heavy hammer striking his heart. He had originally planned to use the defection of the Magic Corps to defeat Atos, ascend the throne, and then slowly deal with Linn, the "frontier duke." But now, Linn was no longer a frontier duke, but a tiger that had swallowed half the kingdom and was pointing its blade directly at the south!

He didn't doubt the truth of the content in Atos's letter at all, nor was there any need to. Linn's threat was real and imminent. If he and Atos continued to fight to the death here, the final result would likely be both sides suffering, and then Linn, leading his army south, would easily pick up all the fruits of victory.

The Aulai Kingdom could be the throne he and Atos fought over, but it must never fall into the hands of an "outsider" like Linn!

A complex light flashed in Gordon's eyes—there was a desire for the throne and hatred for Atos, but more so, a sense of instinctive vigilance and a will to unite belonging to a member of the royal family when faced with a massive external threat.

"Reply to my 'dear' Royal Brother," Gordon's voice was cold and decisive. "I can agree to a temporary truce and a joint march north. But there are three conditions: First, an immediate ceasefire, using the current actual control lines as boundaries, with mutual non-aggression. Second, form a coalition army, but the command authority must be negotiated, and my army must maintain its independence. Third, after the war, there must be a fair discussion regarding the succession to the throne. If he agrees, tomorrow at noon, at the Red River bridgehead, the supreme commanders of both sides will meet for detailed talks."

The messenger quickly departed.

Atos received the reply and, with almost no hesitation, immediately agreed to the first two conditions, while vaguely stating that the third was "open to discussion." Now, nothing was more important than stopping Linn from heading south.

At noon the next day, in the center of the battle-scarred and dilapidated stone bridge over the Red River, Atos and Gordon—the brothers who had faced each other in battle, fought for months, and whose hands were both stained with the blood of each other's soldiers—met face-to-face once again under heavy guard, separated by several meters.

There were no pleasantries, only cold scrutiny and suppressed hostility. But on a deeper level, a helpless consensus had already been reached.

"Linn must die," Atos said directly, his voice hoarse.

"Aulai must be the Aulai of the Aulai people," the Second Prince replied coldly.

The simple dialogue marked the pause of the brutal civil war on the Red River Plain, which had lasted for months and resulted in over a million casualties, in an abrupt and ironic way.

Two scarred and mutually resentful armies began to disengage with extreme caution. Under the suspicious supervision of officers, they began preliminary integration and organization. A strange atmosphere permeated the air; yesterday's mortal enemies were today to become "allies" fighting side by side. Suspicion, wariness, and old grudges surged through the coalition like undercurrents.

Although the battle had been fierce, the strength of nearly eight hundred thousand regular troops was still not to be underestimated!