Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 115: Negotiating a surrender

Two days had passed since the battle, and the fears Maesinius harbored in the aftermath of victory began to feel misplaced and greatly exagerated . His concerns about the enemy regrouping or launching a counterattack had proven unnecessary. In fact, the prince had underestimated the strength of his own position and overestimated the resilience of his adversaries.@@novelbin@@

While Maesinius and his lords prepared to pursue the remnants of the enemy, an envoy coming from the camp had arrived. The once proud camp of the Messenians was now fractured, its lords divided, and morale broken. Their cavalry had been decimated, their infantry scattered, and their leadership wavering under the pressure of defeat.It seemed that of the 6,400 men that marched less than 4,000 came back, with many deserters preferring during the rout to try their luck away from the battlefield and either trying banditry or simply going back home .

The Messenians had sent an envoy under the pretense of negotiating a ransom for the prisoners that the northern army had captured during the battle, in order to to gauge the invader's attitude regarding a diplomatic solution. 

The prince, Maesinius, was more than happy to comply with the idea of negotiating a ransom. Though the recent victory had been decisive, his mind was already turning toward consolidating the new territories gained and beginning the arduous work of reconstruction. Prolonging the war was not in his interest—he had won what he needed, and he wanted peace to solidify his position. If a diplomatic end could be reached, all the better.