It seems that the villain is targeting me.

The first thing that came to his mind was: King Jialan had said so much to him, he might be going to kill him.

But King Jialan had no intention of taking action. He simply said, "I will not kill you. When you return, you can tell Banur what I said."

Charles kept a stern face and said nothing. He didn't know if King Jialan was up to something again.

But King Jialan ignored him and just stared into the distance for a long time.

"I will win, I will defeat your warriors," he said. "I am the eagle of the grassland, the king of Jialan, and I will never bow down to anyone."

After hearing this, the eldest prince couldn't help but complain in his heart: What if you lose? Are you so sure that you won't lose?

King Jialan looked at the place where the horizon met in the distance. He could see the green grassland in the distance and smell the scent of river water and sheep blown by the wind.

His figure looked somewhat hunched.

"If I lose..."

"If I lose, I'll just tell them to surrender," King Jialan said softly. "Why fight a war whose outcome is certain?"

"Let my soldiers live. As long as they live, they will have a chance to go home."

Chapter 48 Gwen: I am the sword master!

When King Jialan's request reached the imperial army, the sun had already risen overhead.

The light was just right and the air was cool. The autumn wind blew across the grassland, passed through the heavily guarded military formation, and went away into the distance.

Xiao Niao could smell a faint smell of rust, which was the smell of spindle scales after being wet by rain and then dried. It was a raw metallic smell, a smell that seemed out of tune with the majestic grassland in the distance.

The collision of these auras is like the thousand-year-long confrontation between the farming and nomadic peoples.

By now, most of the soldiers already knew about the battle in front of the battlefield that King Jialan requested, and they were all eagerly waiting - if they could win the battle without having to fight on the battlefield, that would naturally be perfect.

No matter how brave and high-spirited they are, the soldiers at the bottom of the society also value their lives.

Everyone is waiting for the general's decision.

Xiao Niao looked at the general's solemn expression and couldn't help feeling powerless.

She thought helplessly: King Jialan is using an open conspiracy this time.

General Banur seemed to have been inspired and sighed: "...This is an open conspiracy."

Now, the soldiers of both sides have basically known about the duel in front of the battlefield, which makes some cavalry on the imperial army

It was difficult to back down from the tiger's position. If they refused again, it would seem that General Banur was afraid of them.

"What if we send knights over now to kill King Jialan himself and bring back the crown prince?" someone nearby made a suggestion.

"It won't work," Xiao Niao shook his head. "Let's not even talk about whether we can save Charles. If we just rush over and kill their commander, the remaining Jialan cavalry will definitely fight to the death in grief and despair. They're already trapped, and if they struggle in their last moments, it will be a real headache."

On the battlefield, grief and anger are actually the same thing. As long as the emotions are strong enough, they can boost the morale of the army.

Xiao Niao did not have the insight into the enemy's formation like the general, but through the prompts given by the system, she knew very clearly that the Jialan cavalry had secretly made preparations.

These people must still be prepared to try to break through the encirclement.

King Jialan proposed that if the imperial army won the competition, it would have to retreat ten kilometers, but this condition was probably just said casually - he never expected the general to keep his promise.

This person is also a veteran on the battlefield, and cheating and deceiving are his routine operations.

Even if the Imperial Army turned against Charles now and launched a strong attack regardless of Charles' life or death, King Jialan would probably shout that the Imperial Army was cowardly and not to be feared, and then lead the remaining Jialan cavalry to launch a charge.

Moreover, in this process, Prince Charles himself would definitely be killed. Although he was disabled, he was still the emperor's son and belonged to the enemy's senior command unit. Killing as many of them as possible would still encourage the Jialan cavalry.

This was a competition that was tacitly known to all those in the know. Both sides had their own calculations: King Jialan wanted to boost the morale of his men, and the general hoped to win the war with the least sacrifice.

I have to fight.

Xiao Niao looked at the people around her. Most of the highest-ranking generals in the imperial army were here. She couldn't help but start thinking about the candidates for this battle.

Xiao Niao originally planned to recommend the person he trusted most: the Red Moon Knight with extremely powerful fighting power.

Previously, Xiao Niao had spent extra points to simulate the outcome of Hongyue versus King Jialan.

The data from several simulations showed that the Red Moon Knight's winning rate would fluctuate around 91.6%. There was a high probability of injury, but victory was basically secured.

But King Jialan made an additional request: he wanted a warrior worthy of his status.

Hongyue is a nationally famous knight who has won the championship for five consecutive years in the Hussar Duel jointly organized by various legions. He is a gifted monster who is blessed by God and can kill anyone he hits.

But from the perspective of social status alone, if it weren't for Xiaoniao, Hongyue, as a woman, wouldn't even be able to have the title of knight. This is a tradition of knights that has existed since ancient times - something that is deeply rooted in the lower classes of society and extremely difficult to shake.

In short, Hongyue does not meet the requirements in this regard.

King Jialan's original intention was to kill a general who was prestigious enough to boost the morale of his soldiers, but by accident he managed to avoid a losing situation.

We can only consider it from the remaining people.

General Banur is one of the few generals who meets the requirement of "matching the status of King Jialan". He is the only duke present and has the highest status.

But as the commander-in-chief, Banur could not go to battle under any circumstances - even if the general himself had this intention, he would definitely be stopped by Xiao Niao and the staff around him.

Then, perhaps we can consider the general's eldest son?

It is said that fathers and sons fight in wars as close as brothers. In this ancient context, it was very common for sons to take on the challenge of their father's enemy on his behalf.

Xiao Niao said to the system: "Scan the Duke's eldest son."

The system did as instructed: […Eric Tudor's win rate fluctuates around 43.8%, and there's a chance he'll suffer a serious injury that's difficult to recover from.]

"You should try to persuade him when the time comes. It's best not to let him play." The system said.

Xiao Niao's gaze swept across the Duke's eldest son's hand, whose wound had not yet healed - Eric had stood at the front of the team during the charge of the Jialan cavalry. He was protected by the veterans around him, but both his hands were injured.

Although the injury was not serious, it had seriously affected his strength in holding the sword. Now when Eric swung his sword to attack, there would be an unnoticeable pause in his arm.

In a life-and-death duel with a master, this slight delay is enough to be fatal.

On the other hand, those who already understood the situation were also worried about who to choose for the duel.

Eric Tudor showed great courage. He resolutely stood out from the soldiers and took the initiative to ask General Banur:

"Father! You are the commander-in-chief of the army and cannot go into battle under any circumstances. Please allow me to represent your will and fight to the death with the Jialan people!"

General Banur looked hesitantly at his eldest son: he was indeed the most suitable candidate. Fighting for his father was also Eric's duty as the heir. Banur was also willing to believe in the martial arts that his son had practiced since childhood, but...

The general looked at his eldest son's injured arm with concern.

King Jialan was already a very skilled martial artist when he was young. Now that he has gone through the test of time and war, he will only become more mature.

But his eldest son was too young, and certainly could not compare to King Jialan in terms of experience. Originally, he could still fight with the other party with his youth and quick reaction, but now Eric's

My arm is injured...

Banur does not spoil his children. He always encourages his children to accept hardships and challenges - but at least it has to be a hardship, not a torture that wears their lives out.

In this kind of confrontation with such a huge disparity in combat power, wouldn't he be putting his own heir at risk?

Just as General Banur was watching his eldest son hesitating, the voice of the Imperial Prime Minister sounded faintly behind him.

"General," Xiao Niao reminded him, "you have a child, don't you?"

Chapter 49 Gwyneth made up her mind

"You have another child, General."

This sentence reminded everyone present, and everyone subconsciously turned their attention to Gwyneth, who had been quietly following her father and brother.

Just as the Prime Minister said, Gwen is also the General's child. According to the battlefield principle that a son can replace his father, she can also fight on behalf of the General and the Tudor family.

Most people instinctively doubted Gwen after seeing her thin and skinny figure compared to the Duke's eldest son.

But soon, someone remembered the Duke's daughter's amazing performance in the recent siege battle and her calmness when facing a powerful enemy.

Being able to keep a cool head even when at a disadvantage and being able to make accurate judgments in a complex and changing battlefield are undoubtedly necessary conditions for becoming a famous general.

It is said that a tiger father will have a dog son. Unexpectedly, for Banur Tudor, his daughter is also the same. It can be said that she has perfectly inherited his talent for united front work.

No wonder the general always talks about his good daughter eight times a day! I would also treasure a girl like her!

Gold, silver, titles and the like all had to be put aside; reliable descendants were the important guarantee for the family's continued prosperity - and Banuel Tudor gave birth to two such precious children in one go.

For a moment, everyone's eyes became a little sour, and some people couldn't help but compare Gwyneth and Charles.

Both are descendants of famous generals and both come from top aristocratic families. One is a talented general with accumulated experience, while the other is a true portrayal of a good-for-nothing. Gwen is even a girl, and the educational resources she can get are far inferior to those of Charles, the royal heir.

It is true that when you compare yourself to others, you will get what you pay for!

If only Miss Gwen had led the Knights from the beginning, the unlucky leader of the Griffin Knights couldn't help but think so. If only Miss Gwyneth was His Majesty's child...

Halfway through his thoughts, the leader of the Knights suddenly shuddered. He shook his head vigorously and quickly stopped thinking.

Gods, what outrageous things is he thinking!

Come back to your senses, come back to your senses! The most important thing now is to deal with the duel with King Jialan!

The surrounding generals all looked at Gwyneth quietly - this made the girl visibly nervous.

At the military meeting after the siege, she had always silently supported her father and brother's decisions, never expecting that she would suddenly become the focus of everyone's attention.

Gwyneth subconsciously turned her gaze to General Banur, hoping to get guidance and help from her father.

But no, her father was also looking at her, with an expression of surprise that was hard to conceal, and he looked very embarrassed.

The general obviously did not expect that the Prime Minister would propose that Gwyneth go into battle.

He intuitively judged that this seemed feasible, but the deeply rooted ideas made the general extremely hesitant, even more hesitant than when he was thinking about whether to let his injured eldest son go into battle.

Gwen is very skilled, and her talent in swordsmanship is amazing. Most importantly, the swordsmanship that Gwen practices and specializes in can theoretically restrain the Galan people's aggressive attack style.

Gwyneth's overall physique and strength are not as good as those of men of the same age, so she learned a sword technique that is completely different from traditional knights and focuses more on body movements and speed.

Xiao Niao stepped forward and tried to dispel the general's concerns with words.

"Everyone has witnessed Gwyneth's performance in the previous siege," she said. "Your Highness is also a master swordsman. I believe you, General, are most aware of this. She can represent you and has a high probability of winning this duel for us."

Winning the duel would be a great honor, and it might even be a turning point in Gwyneth's life - you know, there are many heroes who were once unknown, but became famous because of a battle.

She will gain the support of the army, the trust of the soldiers, and ultimately have more say.

On the other side, Gwyneth looked at the Imperial Prime Minister who was trying to persuade the generals in confusion and a little helplessness.

From Gwen's perspective, the lines of Xiaoniao's profile appeared particularly clean and neat, with a stern brow but not scary. When he held the reins, she could see a slender wrist exposed from under his sleeve.

Butcher persuaded the generals who did not trust him one by one, fighting for the opportunity to fight for himself.

Strive for the opportunity to gain honor, the opportunity that would never belong to you.

Destiny seemed to have already come to her, and she could grab it as long as she reached out.

Maybe it's not just fate - if she reaches out at this moment, can she grab something else, something more precious?

What about the things?

Gwen could sense the trust the Imperial Prime Minister had in her through his words—the same trust he had when he talked about the Red Moon Knight, a trust that made this man spontaneously fight for his own interests.

It was as if, without realizing it, this person had come to regard her as a trustworthy... friend.

Yes, friend.

What else could it be?

Before this, Gwyneth was still feeling upset about her sudden action of grabbing Bird's wrist that day.

The girl's unique modesty and shyness made her wish she could lose her memory, or just bury herself in the flower bed and disappear from the world.

Gwyneth was obviously very bothered by her abrupt behavior that day - it was completely the opposite of what she did at the beginning - she avoided Xiao Niao for several days and didn't dare to talk to him.

Who would have thought that the bird didn't take it to heart at all.

This guy's personality is like this, biased and protective. Once she regards you as one of her own, she will be very tolerant of your various behaviors.

Even if you have a quarrel and get angry, the bird will not remember it and will still be as nice to you as usual.

Moreover, although grabbing the wrist was quite shocking for Gwyneth, for Xiaoniao, who grew up in China, it was normal for girls of the same age to hold hands and kiss on the cheek.

Little Bird: What's the big deal?

She obviously didn't notice the girl's struggles over the past few days, nor did she realize the change in her mood.

Xiao Niao just thought that Gwyneth would be a good candidate, and she had a good relationship with the child, so she recommended her.

[She meets the requirements of King Jialan, and her win rate is also acceptable.] The system recognized Xiao Niao's judgment. [Gwyneth Tudor's overall win rate fluctuates around 70%.]

[The only slightly dangerous aspect is that King Jialan follows the traditional path of a heavily armored knight, while Gwen's advantage lies in accuracy and speed.]

She was just as likely to win the duel unscathed as to be seriously wounded.