Chapter 009: Surrender

Hearing the sound of war drums from Duke Green’s side, the other two armies also began to beat their drums! The drumbeats grew faster and faster, igniting the enthusiasm of hundreds of thousands of soldiers!
Naixiu, who had been prepared in advance, immediately shot an arrow! The arrow flew like a meteor, creating a 50-meter-wide gap in the city wall! As soon as the gap appeared, the soldiers of the Northern Legion shouted “Charge!”
On Ma Shan, hundreds of thousands of soldiers roared wildly, turning the battlefield into a scene of intense combat!
Just as the Northern Legion was about to launch an attack, a white flag suddenly appeared above the gates of Dragon City!
A white flag meant surrender.
“Duke Green, I am the governor of Dragon City, Long Aoyun. I surrender!” A voice spread across the entire battlefield through magic amplification.
“I surrender! But I have one request—after surrendering, you must treat us people of Dragon City kindly!” Long Aoyun’s voice was heard.
“Good, I accept your surrender and agree to your request! Rest assured, since we occupied Bear City, our Northern Legion has enforced strict military orders: no killing of innocents, no looting, no brutality. I believe you are aware of this!” Duke Green’s words also spread across the battlefield through magic amplification.
“Since you have chosen to surrender, please ask your troops to lay down their weapons and come out of the city gates!” Duke Green said.
“Soldiers of Dragon City, lay down your weapons and come out to surrender!” Long Aoyun’s voice was heard.
Immediately, at Long Aoyun’s command, the city gates opened, and the remaining 100,000 soldiers of the Icebound Alliance laid down their weapons and emerged one after another.
“Is it that simple?” asked a general of the Northern Legion standing beside Duke Green.
“Du Fan, it seems the battle for Dragon City ended as soon as you and Rob broke the illusion magic!” Duke Green sighed.
It seemed the last forces of the Icebound Alliance had tried to turn the tide using illusion magic. With that magic broken by Du Fan, they lost any chance of reversal. The remaining 100,000 soldiers and a few dozen holy-grade experts could never match Duke Green’s Northern Legion.
Realizing there was no hope left, the last forces of the Icebound Alliance immediately chose to surrender!
The nearly four-month-long Icebound War ended with a complete victory for the Gavin Empire!
……
“It’s over,” Duke Green said softly, standing in a garden of the Dragon Palace.
After capturing Dragon City, Duke Green chose this courtyard to rest.

After a busy day dealing with matters related to surrender, it was around 10 p.m. before Duke Green finally had some free time.
“Father, the war is over. You should be happy.” Du Fan, standing nearby, couldn’t detect the slightest trace of excitement in Duke Green’s voice.
“Perhaps the real battlefield has just begun!” Duke Green sighed, his gaze growing increasingly deep. Hearing this, Du Fan also frowned.
“Fisher, what will you do next?” Du Fan thought to himself.
“Father, what are your plans now?” Du Fan asked.
“Hmm, we’ll see! We’ve already taken control of the entire Frozen Alliance. Let’s see if he’ll keep his promise! Hmph, besides, our Northern Army already numbers three hundred thousand—what am I afraid of?” Duke Green said coldly suddenly.
Two days later, an order came from Fisher, inviting Duke Green to the imperial capital to receive rewards.
“Should I go back?” Duke Green placed the order in front of everyone.
“My lord, you must not go back!” Carol said immediately.
“Du Fan, what do you think?” Duke Green asked, looking at him.
“Father, you absolutely must not go back. If Fisher intends to harm you, returning to the imperial capital will put you under his control!” Du Fan also said quickly.
“Exactly, that’s what I think too. But I need a reason not to go back!” Duke Green said.
“Father, let me go to the imperial capital in your place!” George stood up immediately. “Tell His Highness Fisher that there are many military matters here and I can’t leave. Send me instead to receive the rewards!” George said firmly.
“Du Fan, what do you think?” Now, Duke Green paid great attention to Du Fan’s opinion.
“It’s good that my elder brother goes back. That way, even if Fisher has any objections, he can’t say much. Besides, as long as Father remains in the north, Fisher won’t dare do anything against our Green family.” Du Fan thought for a moment before speaking.
“Since that’s the case, George, go to the imperial capital in your father’s place to receive the rewards!” Duke Green said.
……
In the imperial palace of Emperor Gavin’s capital, in the grand hall.
Fisher sat firmly on the dragon throne, surrounded by officials below.
“Has Duke Green returned?” Fisher asked from the throne.
“Your Majesty, my father is too busy with military affairs and can’t leave. He sent me here to await your orders,” George replied immediately upon hearing Fisher’s question.

“Oh!” Upon hearing George’s words, Fischer’s expression immediately changed, only to return to normal in an instant. “Duke Green has just conquered the Frozen Alliance for the empire. With such busy military affairs, it’s only natural that he can’t come in person. George, you shall receive the reward on your father’s behalf!” Fischer said. With a wave of his hand, a guard behind Fischer read aloud, “Edict: Duke Green has rendered outstanding military services and expanded the empire’s territory. He is hereby promoted to King of the North! He shall rule over nine of the eighteen duchies of the former Frozen Alliance, with the right to choose his own locations!” “All soldiers who accompany King of the North on campaigns shall be promoted by one rank!” As the guard finished reading, chatter immediately arose in the hall. King of the North! Promoted to king! In the history of the Gavin Empire, it was the first time a foreigner had been made king! But it wasn’t surprising—Duke Green was already a hereditary duke, so if he were to be promoted, it could only be to king! “Silence!” Hearing the murmurs below, Fischer frowned and spoke loudly. “Are you envious? Haha! As long as someone serves the empire well, I will surely reward them. Whoever helps the empire conquer such a vast territory as the Frozen Alliance will also be made king!” Fischer declared. “Your Highness is wise!” The ministers below responded upon hearing Fischer’s words. … Soon, George conveyed Fischer’s rewards to Duke Green. “Hmph! King of the North! All ranks elevated by one! What’s the use? No money, no food, no weapons or armor—nothing tangible at all,” Duke Green said angrily after seeing what George had sent back. “But there are still nine duchies to choose from, right?” Du Fan said with a smile. “And he can pick any he wants. King of the North—not bad. At least now, when he meets that old guy Wade, he’ll have to pay respects to you, haha!” Fischer’s rewards also took Du Fan by surprise! Originally, Duke Green and Du Fan had assumed Fischer would try to manipulate the territories he had promised, but they never expected him to let Duke Green choose himself. Moreover, the title of King of the North also shocked Du Fan. A royal title! The Austin family had never granted one to a foreigner before! “Anyway, this Fischer hasn’t attacked us,” Duke Green said, relieved. “Father didn’t he want Fischer to attack us?” Du Fan said with a smile, looking at his father.

“Ah, if things could be resolved amicably, who would want to go to war?” said Duke Green.
“Father, have you chosen the nine duchies?” Du Fan asked.
“Of course. Let’s pick the nine duchies near our northern region. As for the other nine, leave them to Fischer,” Duke Green replied after some thought.
Since Fischer had allowed Duke Green to choose on his own, he couldn’t go too far. Although several of the eighteen countries in the Frozen Alliance were far stronger than the rest…
No, it should be called the King of the North now!
Hearing his father’s words, Du Fan nodded repeatedly.
…
Things progressed very quickly. A month later, the handover process within the Frozen Alliance was largely complete. The nine duchies near the empire’s former northern territory, which used to be under the Green family’s control, were handed over to the King of the North, while the nine major empires near the Eastern Army were given to the empire itself.
“We don’t have enough troops!” sighed the King of the North.
“Should I send troops from the south?” Du Fan asked with a smile upon hearing his father’s sigh.
With the troops stationed in the former northern region plus the leaders of the nine new duchies, it was indeed likely that the King of the North’s 300,000 troops would be insufficient.
“No need. Soldiers from the south can’t withstand the climate there, and their combat effectiveness would be greatly affected,” the King of the North said with a smile.
“Father, do we need to maintain the 300,000-strong Northern Army?” Du Fan asked. Though the Northern Army was powerful, its expenses were far higher than those of other troops. In the past, although it nominally belonged to the Gavin Empire, due to embezzlement by the military logistics minister, it was essentially supported by the Green family. So, while nominally an imperial army, it was in reality a private army that only obeyed the Green family.
The cost of maintaining 300,000 troops in the Northern Army would be a huge burden for the Green family!
“We can manage it,” the King of the North replied, his gaze sharpening at Du Fan’s words.
“Your Majesty, under the empire’s name, we can form an army of 200,000 troops. By convention, the empire should bear most of the costs. Moreover, during the conquest of the Frozen Alliance, by seizing the wealth from the palaces of various dukes, I can cover the expenses of the 300,000 Northern Army for five years,” the King of the North said with a smile.
War could also be a source of wealth! This was what they called profiting from war!

Although the Northern Legion strictly prohibited plundering, as the victorious force, it had the right to take possession of the national assets of the defeated side! During their campaigns against the Frozen Alliance, although they did not plunder civilians or private property, the royal palaces and treasuries of various countries were indeed emptied by the King of the North! The value of these assets amounted to an enormous sum! Moreover, there were still numerous artworks and rare items yet to be dealt with! Combined, these assets were more than enough to cover the expenses of 300,000 soldiers in the Northern Legion. Five years later, the nine duchy territories would once again provide a steady stream of income. “Since that’s the case, Father, just keep going for now. If you run out of money, tell me,” Du Fan said with a smile. The items auctioned by the Beiba family had pushed Du Fan’s wealth to astronomical levels! Additionally, during this period, weapons, armor, and daily necessities for the Bilu tribe began to be produced in large quantities. For the ironware crafted specifically for dwarves, Du Fan had ordered the establishment of a dedicated department to handle their sales! A vast amount of wealth kept flowing into Du Fan’s storage ring.