One reason Yun Zhe wanted to divert everyone's attention was that he himself couldn't come up with any design that could represent the family crest.

Yun Zhe sat down on the ground and suddenly thought of a pattern.

The pattern that saved him that night, the pattern from his own past.

The school flag of Avery College.

But there's a problem: is it really appropriate for me to use this school flag? Then Yun Zhe thought again, if there were a flag that could keep him calm at all times, so he wouldn't have to worry about falling back into depravity and losing his humanity, then what was he waiting for?

So, following Yun Zhe's instructions, the craftsmen immediately went down to make it.

Seeing how efficient Yun Zhe was, everyone finally realized that Yun Zhe was determined to slack off on this matter and focus on the city defense and other things he had just mentioned.

Although everyone was puzzled and surprised by Yun Zhe's composure, they all found the same reason: with a formidable enemy at hand, how long he could hold onto this title was still uncertain, so it was understandable that Yun Zhe wasn't in the mood for such things.

And so the matter of Yun Zhe being made a baron was put aside. The problems they now faced were far more serious. Sending over a thousand mercenaries to defend this medium-sized castle was, in terms of manpower alone, somewhat excessive. However, considering the potential enemies they might face, it was insufficient.

“Kurman has 20,000 troops, and the castle was originally defended by less than 1,000 people. Based on these two pieces of information, if Kurman wants to attack the castle, he can only send between 2,000 and 5,000 troops.” Yun Zhe looked at the people around him, whose eyes were full of doubt, as if they were asking something.

Yun Zhe suddenly realized and regretted that he had inadvertently spoken his thoughts. However, explaining would be too troublesome, so Yun Zhe could only say, "Of course, this is just my guess. After all, for our small castle, it would be a loss for 10,000 people to attack, and for a few hundred people to attack, they would obviously be walking into a trap."

Everyone nodded in understanding. Yun Zhe breathed a sigh of relief. This number was calculated based on his knowledge of the attrition rates that ancient warfare could withstand. The logic was that Kurman could only afford a maximum number of losses, and that number of losses determined the upper limit of the soldiers he could send. Based on the troops he had left to garrison the city last time, the lower limit was also relatively easy to calculate: one thousand men plus the maximum number of losses. The total was roughly between one thousand five hundred and four thousand. Taking a larger estimate, that was about the number Yun Zhe had mentioned.

Yun Zhe devised some defensive equipment and discussed it with the generals around him. He also widely solicited everyone's ideas for this defensive operation, to see if there were any gaps or shortcomings.

After discussing for a morning, the group gradually reached a consensus on a few points. The first was to defend the city. After this idea was decided, Cyrus was quite disappointed. He was still thinking about the surprise attack that night, but he didn't expect that the person who was so determined to launch a surprise attack last time would reject this idea this time.

Could it be that he really became more cautious after being granted the title of baron?

Yun Zhe's idea was actually quite simple: use the city walls and the defensive techniques and siege equipment he could think of to inflict heavy casualties on the enemy, increase the kill ratio, and preserve as much strength as possible. Yun Zhe had a vague premonition that defense might only be the beginning, and a larger war might be yet to come.

Secondly, Yun Zhe divided the defensive responsibility areas and made a request that made all the centurion captains uncomfortable: the responsibility area could not be lost unless everyone in that area was dead; otherwise, if anyone fled or retreated, they would all be executed afterwards.

Simply put, as long as the people are there, the position remains.

The debate over this requirement didn't last long, but it generated a lot of discussion. Everyone felt that the requirement was somewhat harsh.

Even Jerok shook his head repeatedly, earnestly advising Yun Zhe not to make such an inhumane rule.

Yun Zhe understood everyone's reaction. He wasn't angry; instead, he calmly advised, "Everyone thinks what I said was a bit excessive, and that this request is unreasonable. But have you all considered that the enemy's attacking force will inevitably outnumber ours? The city walls are only so long and wide, and the number of troops we can deploy is also limited. If you feel you've suffered heavy losses and retreat, then once you've rested, you'll be facing an opponent without the pressure of a siege—an opponent just like you. At that point, what advantage will you gain? Even if you don't think that way, if the enemy loses and retreats, they have plenty of places to escape to. But if we retreat, where can we escape to?"

Yun Zhe paused, seeing the poet hesitate, and decisively continued, "We are all infantrymen. The north is a flat plain. How far can we escape in this terrain?"

Upon hearing this, the poet completely lost the courage to speak. Jelock also stopped trying to persuade Yun Zhe; he had served in the military and knew some basic knowledge. As for the other generals, considering how everyone was running across the plains, it was indeed less convenient than defending the city.

“Therefore, the city wall,” Yun Zhe patted the city wall behind him, “is our most important reliance, and our only advantage over the enemy. We cannot give up this advantage. We must use this advantage, rely on this advantage, to hurt the enemy, to crush the enemy, so that they dare not attack, cannot attack. Only in this way can we truly save our lives and achieve final victory.”

"Indeed, it's the same as dying in battle, but I don't want to be chased and killed," Cyrus said loudly, feeling he needed to show his support for the newly promoted baron.

Valentine, Sancho, and Elke nodded in agreement, indicating their support for Yun Zhe's decision.

Thus, the problem was successfully resolved.

The last issue was about mercenaries. Yun Zhe kept Cyrus and Valentine behind to inquire about the cost of mercenaries.

This was a suggestion Yun Zhe had no choice but to make. After all, as a baron, he relied on mercenaries for combat, and if the mercenaries didn't cooperate, there was basically no chance of victory. Discussing the money was a polite way of starting things off, hoping that these mercenaries would fight seriously for the sake of the money.

"From now on, you'll be paying for everything, hahaha, Baron, isn't that a headache?"

Yun Zhe grinned; he had already anticipated Cyrus's words. It seemed Serena had put in quite a bit of effort. He could certainly afford the mercenary's expenses, but doing so would flaunt his wealth, making it impossible to fool Serena in the future.

Yun Zhe frowned, feigning concern. He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "You may not know how much money I have, but you certainly know that I don't have enough to cover your expenses. So, tell me your terms. You must have your reasons, otherwise you wouldn't have brought your troops here knowing I'm penniless."

Cyrus's eyes lit up; he hadn't misjudged Yun Zhe. Then he held up two fingers. "Two conditions: First, train these mercenaries, and all our future mercenaries. Second, return to our country when we need you."

Yun Zhe took a deep breath, but couldn't utter a word.