The Witcher: Make Witcher Great Again

Chapter 424 Nilfgaard's Great Defeat
Thick smoke, carrying the metallic scent of blood, billowed over the battlefield. The Nilfgaardian sun banner, torn to shreds by stray arrows, convulsed and twitched in the air.

The bugle call of the Northern Allied Army tore through the dawn, and in the frosty morning light, the army, composed of flags of various colors, surged like a torrent toward the Nilfgaardian army's fortified walls.

The Nilfgaardian officers' black armor gleamed in the sunlight as they roared orders for their soldiers to maintain their lines and hold their ground.

But in the soldiers' sunken eye sockets, a hungry green light flickered.

Despite low morale and food shortages, the Nilfgaardian army held out for two days before collapsing under the fierce attack of the Northern Allied forces.

Although the Northern Alliance suffered greater casualties than expected, they ultimately crushed the Nilfgaardian army and shattered Nilfgaard's delusion of conquering Sintra.

……

Under the blood-red setting sun, Menno's warhorse suddenly knelt on its forelegs, foaming at the mouth and collapsing into the mud.

Menno was thrown violently by the inertia, his right shoulder slamming into the ground, but after days of running for his life, he was so exhausted that he couldn't even muster the strength to groan.

The dozen or so guards behind him quickly stopped, dismounted, and helped him up.

One of the guards took out the last water pouch and poured it into Menno's mouth.

The rusty liquid slid down his throat, and he collapsed onto the mud. After resting for a while, Menno finally felt that he had come back to life.

"My lord, let's take a rest."

Menno nodded.

With Konoe's help, they ventured into the nearby forest.

They had been on the run for a long time, and although they were still within Nasser territory, they had at least shaken off their pursuers.

Menno leaned against a large tree, and only then did he feel waves of hunger and exhaustion washing over him.

"Is there anything left to eat?"

The guards looked at each other and shook their heads.

"You few come with me into the forest to see if we can hunt some game. The rest of you stay here to protect the adults."

Several guards left with bows and arrows.

Menno leaned his head back against a tree.

He was exhausted and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Then, he had a dream.

In a dream, he escaped back to the City of Golden Pagodas, only to be sentenced by the enraged emperor to be torn apart by five horses.

Not only were they torn into pieces, but they were also sent to various parts of the empire as a warning.

"what!"

A scream jolted Menno awake from his nightmare.

He sensed the concerned looks from the guards around him.

Menno's tense body slowly relaxed.

"Sir, please have something to eat."

A guard silently handed over a half-roasted quail.

Menno took it and chewed on the bloody chunk of meat.

It wasn't that the guards did it on purpose; it's just that they don't usually cook, so even when they hunt prey, this is the best they can do.

However, at this point, no one would care.

As the last rays of light sank below the horizon in the west and dusk fell, the sounds of insects chirping and birds singing filled the forest.

After eating and drinking his fill, Menno leaned against a tree, his thoughts wandering.

The Western Army Group is completely finished, and it was destroyed by its own hand.

If anyone manages to escape back to the City of the Golden Tower, they will certainly shift all the blame onto themselves in order to avoid punishment.

In other words, even if he manages to leave Nasser alive, he will inevitably be bound to meet the gallows.

But if we don't go back to Nilfgaard, where else can we go?
The good deeds he had done in Nasser were enough to make the Nasser people hate him to the point of grinding their teeth.

If I stay in Nasser, they will find me sooner or later, and then I will die anyway.

They could neither return to Nilfgaard, nor remain in Nasser...

We can't very well go and join the Northern Alliance.

Lost in these thoughts, Menno gradually drifted off to sleep.

It seemed like only a moment had passed when Menno suddenly awoke.

The sky was still dark, but Menno felt the sharp blade pressed against his neck.

The witcher standing in front of him smiled at him when he saw that he was awake.

"Shhh."

……

With his hands tied behind his back, Menno Kuhorn sat in the corner of the tent. A few sparks suddenly flew from the wood in the brazier, illuminating the bruises on his face.

“If Alzu and Cosimo were still alive, they would be ashamed of your actions.”

"If we were fighting for the South, would you still say such things? Lord Mennon, we're all adults, let's not act like children and argue."

Menno snorted.

He turned his face away.

"Since that's the case, then I have nothing more to say. Hand me over and ask your master for credit and reward."

Lynn wasn't angry either.

He moved a stool and sat down in front of Menno.

"I haven't introduced myself yet, how rude of me. My name is Lynn Augustus, a vassal of the Kingdom of Kovir and Bovis, and the sovereign of Humphries and Isparden... or you may simply call me His Highness the Grand Duke."

Menno frowned.

He had heard of the name.

Lynn Augustus's family crest is a black and gold double-headed eagle.

The Witcher Grand Duke, who shone brightly in the War of Corviel's Restoration.

Thinking about this, Menno suddenly felt a sense of clarity, as if he had figured everything out.

exactly.

I should have thought of this a long time ago.

The forces assisting the Northern Alliance were not a small number of witchers hired by the North, but a witcher force organized by the Witcher Grand Duke.

Menno's lips curled into a bitter smile.

The army of witchers has indeed demonstrated extraordinary combat power. If the City of the Golden Tower does not take it seriously and take appropriate countermeasures, it will suffer a great loss in the future.

"I have a question." Menno felt he was about to die, so he was no longer afraid of anything.

"Hasn't Koviel always claimed to be neutral? How come he's joined the Northern camp?"

In fact, before the war even began, the Imperial High Command had made various plans:

For example, the Skellige Islands and Temeria are certain to participate in the war; Redania may participate; while Corviel and Cordwin will definitely not participate.

The command believed that Kovir had just undergone a change of regime, and although the war of restoration had not been bloody, it still needed to recuperate. In addition, Kovir was located in the far north, too far from Sintra, so there was no mutual interest involved.

Therefore, the possibility of Cowell participating in the war is extremely close to zero.

King Henset of Cordwin was even more short-sighted. Since becoming king, he had shown no interest in anything except the land of Aden and the persecution of the inhuman races of his own country.

However, the command made a huge mistake this time. Temuria and Redania did not participate in the war, but instead, Kovir sent a witcher unit.

"This has nothing to do with Kowell; we were just volunteers."

Menno remained silent, but his face clearly showed disbelief.

For a moment, no one spoke, and the tent was very silent.

After a while, Lynn suddenly stood up, walked over, and untied Menno.

Menno rubbed his wrist, looking bewildered, not understanding what Lynn was doing.

"If you wish, I can give you a horse so you can return to the south."

"You'll let me go?"

“I’m willing, but you won’t go back.”

Lynn paused for a moment, then continued, "Because Emhyr will not let you go. When you go back, the best outcome will be that you will be stripped of your noble title and territory, and from then on you will only be a commoner."

"And the worst outcome is a cup of poison."

Menno fell silent.

Because he knew that Lynn was right.

Emhyr has many virtues, but he is definitely not magnanimous.

The loss of the entire 80,000-strong Western Army Group shattered the myth of the invincibility of the Imperial Army, and led to the independence of the Nasser Province…

All of these factors will inevitably affect Emhyr's own rule.

Not to mention Mennonite.

Even if Emhyr were a benevolent emperor, he would still kill Menno in order to maintain his rule.

Menno knew this, and others could guess it as well.

So Menno sneered.

"So after all that, you don't mean you want me to do your bidding, do you?"

“Yes, that’s what I meant.” Lynn readily admitted.

"Then what makes you think I'll definitely agree?"

"Based on the fact that the Nasser people listen to me now, I am the common ruler of Humphries, Isparden, and Nasser. Although I am not yet as powerful as the Emperor of Nilfgaard, I am already the largest power in the northern territory."

Menno mercilessly stabbed Lynn in the back: "You are merely a vassal of Cowell."

Lynn smiled, not getting angry: "Kovir used to be part of Redania, but isn't it an independent country now?"

But Mennon remained unmoved.

"Henfoss and Isparden are too far from Nasser to support the war against Nilfgaard. And even if Nasser listens to you now, he has been exploited by Nilfgaard for so many years that his local commerce and handicrafts have long since collapsed. He doesn't even have blacksmiths who can forge weapons and armor."

“And what about food? The Nasser people’s food has been plundered. What will you use to feed them? Don’t think you’re the Nasser people’s savior now. If you can’t provide them with enough food, they will rise up and overthrow you immediately.”

Lynn waved her hand.

“Yes, I admit you’re right, but don’t forget, Toussaint borders Nasser. The Nasser people’s grain was plundered by you, but Toussaint’s wasn’t. Moreover, Toussaint is the granary of the south. If all else fails, they can buy some in Sintra. That should be enough for the Nasser people to last until next year’s harvest.”

Menno was stunned.

"Where do you get so much money?"

He knew where Humphers and Isparden were.

Located in the far north, like Kowell, its grain production is far inferior to Toussaint's, its mineral resources are also less abundant, and its commerce is even less developed.

Where will Lynn get the money to buy food to feed the Nasser people?

What Menno didn't know was that the jewel of the North, Novigrad, was practically already in Lynn's possession.

The taxes collected are enough to directly transfer to Nasser for large-scale infrastructure projects.

Besides, it's just buying some grain.

Of course, there's no need to explain these things so clearly to others.

After asking this question, Menno realized how someone could know everything about him, an enemy general, in such detail.

Even if you surrender to the other side, it is only natural for them to conceal something.

"You don't need to know that much. All you need to know is that right now, you have no choice but to depend on me."

“If you return to Nilfgaard, you will be executed as a scapegoat; if you stay in Nasser, you will be killed by the angry Nasser civilians; if you surrender to the Northern Alliance, Sintra and Skellige are xenophobic countries, and you will never be valued as a foreigner, let alone a Nilfgaard.”

"Therefore, you have only one choice: to depend on me. Similarly, only I can bestow wealth and honor upon you."

“If you nod, I can now bestow upon you the title of Earl and allow you to choose any piece of land the size of an earldom from among Humphries, Isparden, and Nasser.”

"If you achieve more military exploits in the future and are promoted to duke, that is not impossible."

“I am an open-minded person. I don’t care whether you come from a prestigious family or a humble background. As long as you can show me your value, I will reward you accordingly.”

Seeing Menno deep in thought, Lynn changed the subject.

"Of course, if you are really unwilling to pledge allegiance to me, or if you have other plans, my previous promise still stands, and I will give you a horse and enough rations for a week."

"However, I still sincerely suggest that you flee north and live in anonymity in the north, which is better than returning to the south to face trial."

"I've said everything I needed to say, so what's your answer?"

……

News of the Western Army Group's defeat eventually reached the city of Golden Pagoda before the routed soldiers.

The government and the public were shocked.

After Emhyr Enris repeatedly sent out scouts to confirm the facts several times, he finally had to accept the fact that the Western Army Group had indeed been defeated.

Emperor Emhyr was immediately enraged and hanged several officers who had been deemed heinous by the emperor without trial.

They also offered an extremely high bounty for Menno Kuhorn, who had not yet returned to the South.

And this is the limit that an emperor can achieve.

Because at this time, the emperor was also facing a mess.

Nilfgaard had 300,000 standing troops, and the loss of 80,000 was a devastating blow.

Furthermore, the Western Army Group had been fighting outside the Manada Valley fortress for several months, spending a huge amount of money. Not only was the national treasury severely depleted, but the value of the Florin gold coins issued by the Empire also declined with the defeat of the Imperial Army.

The Merchants' Guild complained the most about this.

The decline in the value of florins means that the florins they have hoarded are becoming less valuable.

Furthermore, before the war began, they lent the emperor a large sum of money in exchange for the right to choose the spoils and land first after the imperial army successfully occupied the enemy country.

This has been the case for many years, and the Merchants' Guild has never lost money.

They followed the imperial army, which was advancing triumphantly, and made a fortune.

Unexpectedly, we suffered a huge loss this time.

Forget about getting any spoils; they won't even be able to recoup their initial investment.

Moreover, Nasser's independence set a bad precedent.

This could lead other conquered provinces to develop inappropriate ideas.

Therefore, what needs to be done now is not to continue military operations to the north, but to maintain stability.

……

Rhys Lane.

As the former capital of the Kingdom of Nasser, Ras Lane became the province's capital after the entire country was occupied and annexed by Nilfgaard and became the province of Nasser.

Upon learning of the defeat of the Western Army Group and the disappearance of Commander-in-Chief Menno Kuhorn, the garrisons of the two remaining cities still under Nilfgaardian control, including those of Rhys Lane and Eisengre, also abandoned their cities and fled.

Subsequently, Lynn's army entered the city, and the soldiers used spears to disperse the looters and quell the chaos in the city.

Since he would be staying in Nasser for a considerable period of time, Lynn took the opportunity to make Rhys Lane his center of power in Nasser.

(End of this chapter)