Chapter 438

"Father, what should we do now?" Giovanni said this with a timid look in his eyes.

Lucius's army has crossed the border, and on the border, the royal army has also gathered and is ready to fight.

Giovanni calmed down at this moment. He looked at Donnie and shook his head.

"Send four copies of the letter I will write next to the other dukes."

"If the Duchy of Napoli is eliminated, the royal family and Lucius, who is loyal to the royal family, will expand their territory, and the royal power will expand infinitely. They will not sit idly by."

Now, he can only hope that the other dukes who are also local forces will help him.

Chapter 70: Do you want to live in his shadow for the rest of your life?

Obviously, Giovanni's idea is correct.

There is no need to send a letter. The other dukes have already taken the initiative to ask to see Odysseus.

Their purpose was not to help Giovanni. Now Giovanni was like a person trapped in quicksand. The people around him could only watch. If they tried to help him, they would also sink. Therefore, no one would take the initiative to wade into this muddy water.

However, people still had to ask about the treatment of Giovanni after his defeat.

At least, even if the Duchy of Naples finally ceased to exist, it was necessary to limit the expansion of the royal family and the Duchy of Antica.

Of course, the central army of the empire also began to prepare for war, ready to go south to support the Antica army at any time.

At first, the central army had reservations about whether to go south. In their opinion, going south was possible, but it was not necessary. They could wait until the armies of the two duchies were both defeated before going south. This would maximize the results and reduce losses.

However, after a meeting was held within the army, Scaloni insisted on going south against all odds. Therefore, the imperial army began to prepare and contacted the Antica army, hoping that the two armies would fight together.

...

Duchy of Naples, Florence City.

As an important town in the north of the Dukedom of Naples, this place is not only a historic commercial center, but also an indestructible and impregnable military fortress.

At this moment, on a street in Florence, a man in armor looked at the girl in front of him. The man's eyes were firm, while the girl was already full of tears.

"Judith, don't worry, I will come back if we win this war." The man said this, comforting the girl.

In order to deal with this attack, the Dukedom of Naples has begun an unprecedented conscription operation. All men aged 18 to 45 must take the conscription test.

The slogan of conscription is also very simple. I have received the Duke's grace for so long. Now it is time to take action to protect the land under my feet and defend the Duke's honor.

As for the Duke's excommunication?

As mentioned above, all these are just rumors, and if anyone dares to spread them, they will be directly considered as treason and will be beheaded.

But anyone with a discerning eye can see that this war is definitely a disaster for the Naples side.

The other side was an elite force that had just experienced fighting against orcs, and we were just a group of ordinary citizens who were used to being idle. Even if there were more people, a head-on collision would be dangerous.

From the beginning, this was destined to be a battle that would not win.

When the girl named Judith heard the man say this, she obviously did not believe him and just wiped her tears in despair.

"No, Martin, I heard that each of the enemies can tear a two-meter-tall orc in half. With your body, even if you can beat one or two, you can't beat so many people. I'm not worried about you, but I'm afraid that others will hurt you on the battlefield..."

"Don't worry, Judith." Martin hugged the girl in front of him, and then let her go.

"I have participated in the adventure group before. If even I don't go, my compatriots will have no way to defend the city."

Then, he resolutely turned around, regardless of the girl's objection, and turned to the corner of the street, where there was a group of companions who were also waiting for conscription, and several people embarked on the journey to the military camp outside the city.

Judith looked at Martin desperately as he got farther and farther away from her.

She knew that this separation might be a farewell forever.

Beside her, Judith's mother also walked out of the room and pulled her back.

On the other side, on the way to the military camp outside the city, Martin kept his head down and remained silent.

"Do you still miss Judith a little? Why don't you go back? Your family should be rich, so there's no need to fight like us." The companion advised.

This conscription can be avoided by paying a tax, but Martin doesn't want to do so. He thinks that doing so will undermine his dignity as a noble.

Yes, although his family is not a prominent noble, but just a small noble, they are also the kind that have no worries about food and drink.

"No need, you all go to the front line, I won't go, that's sorry for our friendship." As he said this, he looked at his companions who were persuading him and forced a smile.

"Alas, since you said so, there's nothing I can do." Seeing Martin like this, the companion also sighed. His character is notoriously stubborn, and he will not easily repent of what he has determined.

"However, fighting on the battlefield is different from exploring in the usual adventure group. Even if you are a sixth-level warrior, if you are not careful on the battlefield, something bad will happen."

"I know." Martin nodded.

But the enemy has advanced to the outskirts of Florence. At most, they will arrive at the gates of Florence in three days.

He doesn't want to see the city destroyed and he and his lover have to leave their hometown.

…

On the other side, the frontline military camp.

Lee Teuk has taken leave and came to the front line. This time she is not the commander-in-chief, but she has also obtained independent command authority of the front-line troops.

Although Orson did not follow her personally, she still sent Virgil as her deputy just in case.

Looking at the battle reports from the front line, Lite was quite satisfied.

Napoli's army had been sparse for a long time and was no match for the Antican army that had been confronting the orcs all year round. In just three days, his army had already captured three cities.

If this progress continues, Napoli will soon be bulldozed.

Of course, it is obvious that the battle situation cannot be so smooth.

According to intelligence, Napoli's follow-up troops are still replenishing the front line. By then, the gap in the duchy's hard power will be reflected.

The advantages in numbers and equipment can definitely make up for the gap in the quality of soldiers to a certain extent.

However, Leeteuk is not worried about this at the moment, because the Central Army under the direct control of the royal family has sent her a letter requesting joint information sharing.

This means that the royal family will start taking action soon.

…

In the dark basement, Downey looked at Zenit in front of him with a look of horror on his face.

"Zenit, is this the only way?"

"Yeah." Zenit nodded seriously. "Master Downey, I'm not kidding, this is the only way."

Just now, Downey found his confidant Zenit and was about to ask him how to break the situation.

After all, Giovanni had been asking Downey to relax, but seeing that the front line was being breached, Downey couldn't relax at all, so he approached Zenit.

And Zenit just gave Downey a bottle of poison.

"Currently, all the spearheads are pointed at the Duke. Therefore, as long as the Duke, the source of evil, is poisoned, Master Downey, you will not only inherit the Duchy of Naples legitimately, but also gain the reputation of killing relatives with righteousness. When the time comes, the enemy Instead of attacking, it will reward you.”

"But...but if I do this, I can't betray my father..."

"So, Master Downey, do you want to live in the shadow of the Duke for the rest of your life? Be the Duke's puppet for the rest of your life and watch him arrange the rest of your life? Doesn't it matter even if you are tried with him?"

Zenit's words hit Donnie's pain point directly. Donnie lowered his head and was silent for a while, then raised his head.

His hands were still trembling, but his tone became unusually firm.

"I understand, Mr. Zenit."

Chapter 71: Unable to confess

"But, Mr. Zenit... the current situation should not be that serious. If there is no improvement and it must be like this, I will do it." After Downey said this, he put away the poison and stood up.

"I can understand. After all, you are the son of the Duke. It is human nature not to want to attack your biological father." Zenit smiled and nodded. "However, Master Downey, please remember that you must not follow the Duke's orders and do too many things to fight against the coalition forces. Otherwise, even if you stop your losses in time, the coalition forces may only consider you to have made up for your mistakes and not give you more benefits. conditions.”

To put it bluntly, Zenit is admonishing Downey to make a counterattack as soon as possible.

In this case, by jumping back early, the Duchy of Naples still has the capital to negotiate with the enemy, and the losses on both sides have not increased. Everything can be reasonably resolved through negotiation.

The later you rebel, the less benefits you will get.

Of course Downey knew this, so he just nodded.

He has no doubts about Zenit's words.

If it weren't for Zenit's suggestion, he would still be grounded by Giovanni, unable to even leave the house, and it would be impossible for him to gain Giovanni's trust.

He believed that Zenit made this move because the situation was unavoidable. Otherwise, if it were in peaceful times, he would definitely have a better way to take over the responsibility of the Duchy of Naples from his father earlier.

"So, Mr. Zenit, how can I continue to gain his trust and favor next to my father?" Downey changed the topic and asked about the things he usually talked about most with Zenit.

Zenit seems to know Giovanni better than Downey, and the advice he gives often suits Giovanni's interests.

For example, when Downey was out on business, Zenit asked Downey to bring back some local gifts and specialties for Giovanni. As a result, although Giovanni didn't say anything on the surface, his attitude towards Downey in the next few days was indeed Much better.

"The Duke must not be in a good mood these days. Master Downey, all you need to ensure is that no outsiders will disturb the Duke. In addition, the two of you should talk more about family topics."

"Okay." After getting advice from Zenit, Downey thanked him and left.

…

Back at the Duke's Mansion, Downey paused for a while at the door of Giovanni's office to calm down before walking in again.

After all, he had just been discussing with others to poison his biological father. Even if he was finally forced to do so, it was still a human life.

To put it nicely, it is called killing relatives for justice, but to put it badly, it is called parricide.

"Come back?" Giovanni sounded tired and did not look up at Donnie.

"Well, father, several earls don't seem to want to work hard for us. They didn't withdraw troops from their territory to support us, nor did they intercept the enemy's army. What should we do?"

"Now that things have come to this, let them go." Unexpectedly, Giovanni didn't get angry, but sighed decadently.

What happened in the past few days has brought him a blow that has surpassed the past ten years.

Just a month ago, he thought he was a spectator under the stage, but now he has become a clown on the stage.

Of course, he did not completely give up resistance. If the enemy really planned to come to Romulus City, he would fight the enemy here for the final decisive battle.

He did not have no trump cards.

Then, he looked at Donnie, who was standing stiffly in place, and asked: "Donnie, do you think that for the sake of the soldiers on both sides, should I surrender and take the initiative to accept the trial?"

"Sorry, father, I don't know..." Donnie shook his head. "But if you, father, accept the trial, the Florence family may..."

"That's true."

Giovanni glanced at Donny and said frankly: "I don't know if it's because the Dukedom has suffered hardships that have made you grow up, but, Donny, in my opinion, you have really grown up recently."

"The reason why I don't let you lead an army alone is not because I don't trust you, but because I don't have anyone I can trust now."

"As a lord, I am a failure, but I don't regret it, because at least I still have you as my son."

"I often talk to you about Lucius's two sons, thinking that they are better than you, but that's not the case."

"In my opinion, you are the most powerful. The reason I say this is to inspire you. I am very pleased to see that you have really grown up now."

Donny was silent.

The more Giovanni said this, the more tormented Donny was.

For a moment, Donny even wanted to tell Giovanni all about his conspiracy with Zenit, to let Giovanni know that his son, who had high hopes for him, was actually discussing with others how to murder him.

But he didn't dare to say it in the end.

After all, if Giovanni knew about this, he would definitely be severely punished.

Giovanni looked at Donny's hesitant expression, sighed secretly, and then said: "You have been busy outside these days, and you are a little tired. Go back and rest first. I can handle these things by myself."

After Giovanni said these words, Donny was relieved and fled the room quickly.

Just after Donny left, a man in a black cloak with an unclear appearance came out from the shadow of the room.

"My Lord Duke, why didn't you continue asking just now?" The man in black asked, his tone full of doubts.

"I'm giving Donny a chance to repent." Giovanni said so.

"He's just a kid. It's too much pressure for him to confess." Giovanni sighed, then his tone turned cold: "The dark mouse hiding behind Donnie, you'd better not let me catch you, otherwise, you will die more miserably than Marcus did back then."

...

On the other side, in the Imperial College.

Although 20% of the students' hometowns are in the areas where the war broke out, there are actually only a few students who asked for leave to go back this time.