Chapter 324: Majestic

“Has the grain for the people of Chu been delivered?”

“It has, Headman.”

“Mm.”

Gelimu held a bamboo toothpick between his fingers, picking at his teeth. Milk tea simmered on a small brazier in front of him.

Among the savage armies, there were differences even between Ten-Thousand Household Commanders, just as there was a vast gap in status between Chief Commanders of the Zhenbei Army or Jingnan Army and Chief Commanders from ordinary regions of the State of Yan.

Gelimu had followed the Savage King from the earliest days of his rise. He belonged to the king’s direct line, so naturally his standing was a full level above the Ten-Thousand Household Commanders from the major tribes that had joined later.

“Gentlemen, the Yan have changed commanders. They removed that wet-behind-the-ears imperial prince and sent out their Southern Marquis instead. I assume all of you know who this Southern Marquis is. Half a year ago, he was the one who stormed into our snowfields and threw the entire western region into chaos. Countless tribes were forced to migrate because of him. Countless cattle and sheep were carried away by the Yan. The totems of many smaller tribes vanished forever.

“In short, he is not an easy man to deal with.”

The four Ten-Thousand Household Commanders seated below silently nodded.

The Marquis of Jingnan’s reputation preceded him. When he took command of the Great Yan Eastern Expedition Army, his appearance did not merely inspire his own side. It placed enormous pressure on his enemies as well.

“But there is really nothing to fear,” Gelimu continued. “Didn’t we already beat them once? We sent tens of thousands of them into the river to feed the turtles. Besides, back then, when we looked at the Situ Clan and the people of Jin, didn’t we also think they were impossible to defeat?

“And now?

“We eat their grain. We sleep with their women. Those high and mighty Jin people of the past are now nothing more than circle after circle of slaves in our hands.

“Things we once never dared imagine have already become reality. So nothing is impossible. As long as we continue following the guidance of the stars and our King, then in the future, the entire land of the Three Jin will once again become pasture for our Holy Race. Even the whole East will be covered beneath the radiance of the stars!

“Come. To the future of the Holy Race—drink!”

“Drink!”

“Drink!”

Everyone inside the tent raised their cups and drank together.

A short while later, Gelimu set down his cup, clapped his hands, and smiled.

“There’s something else rather interesting. A few days ago, word came from the Chu side that a Yan force secretly crossed the Wang River under cover of night. Instead of attacking Yupan City, they kept pushing deeper inland.

“Then another report came later. Guess what? Those two little lambs from the Situ Clan were captured by that Yan force. When warriors from our side reached Fengxin City, the pair were still hanging from the city tower.

“And the stink coming off them—tsk, tsk. Everyone has just eaten, so I won’t describe the details. Hahaha.”

Gelimu himself was of Jin ancestry. His family had once offended the Situ Clan and been forced to flee into the snowfields for survival. So he was more than happy to see members of the Situ Clan suffer.

And collaborators often had one particular trait: when tormenting “their own people,” they were frequently even more vicious than the outsiders themselves.

At that moment, Wenda, a Ten-Thousand Household Commander from one of the great tribes, laughed and said:

“The Situ Clan used to be a dragon. Now they’ve become worms. Anyone can walk up and stomp on them.”

“Hahahahaha!”

Everyone present burst into laughter.

Situ Yi and his brother had, in truth, already been squeezed dry of all remaining value. At present, the savages and Chu divided the eastern half of Dacheng between north and south. There was no longer any place left for Situ Yi’s petty court. If the brothers were gone, then they were gone. It did not matter.

“Well said, Brother Wenda. No matter how domineering you once were, if Heaven’s Mandate is no longer with you, then even if you began as a dragon, you will still end as a worm. The Yan are no different.

“The only reason the Yan were able to gallop through the snowfields half a year ago was because the main force of our Holy Race was tied down along the Snow Sea Pass line and had no troops to spare. That was the only reason their Southern Marquis managed to take advantage of us.

“As for this Yan force now, at most they number ten thousand. Clearly, they are a raiding force sent out by the Southern Marquis to harass our rear.

“It seems that Southern Marquis truly ran out of ideas, if he is reduced to hoping a trick like this will work against us.

“Then there’s no reason for us to be polite. A sheep has delivered itself to our door. We’ll skin it together and roast it over the fire!

“They are staring at Ming’an City. They are staring at our trade market. Then we will stare at their flesh, their warhorses, and their armor!

“The King has spoken. One Yan head can be exchanged for one sheep!”

“Gelimu, give the order! We can hardly wait!”

“Exactly! My warriors have already shifted into position to encircle them. Even if that Yan force suddenly grows wings, they will not escape!”

“Yes! They dare covet our trade market? Even the stars will not forgive them!”

All four Ten-Thousand Household Commanders clamored for battle.

Gelimu nodded in satisfaction.

The Savage King’s direct army was currently confronting the Yan along the Wang River. Gelimu had only brought his own force over, roughly ten thousand cavalry. If he wanted to completely swallow this Yan army, he would have to rely on the four Ten-Thousand Household formations contributed by these major tribes.

“Wenda, your force will continue holding Ming’an City. Remember, do not let the Yan scouts realize you are already on guard. Otherwise, the fish may refuse the bait.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“Alantai, I suspect the Yan will send a small cavalry force to harass the area around Ming’an City. The Jin have a saying for it: luring the tiger away from the mountain.

“You will pretend to fall for it and move your troops out of Ming’an City accordingly.”

“Yes. Understood.”

“Limuer, pull your force out from Snow Sea Pass and seal the eastern side of Ming’an City. Do not allow the Yan to escape east.”

“Yes!”

“Age, move your force from the western military camp toward Ming’an City and seal the west. Do not allow the Yan to escape in that direction either.”

“Yes. I understand!”

“As for my own troops, we will continue following the tracks of the Yan main force. We’ve been circling after them ever since Fengxin. Once the moment is ripe...”

*BANG!*

Gelimu slapped his palm over his wine cup and smashed it against the table.

“We eat them!”

...

Jin Shuke lay bent low beneath a large tree, pressing himself into the dead grass around him. Beside him, the First Prince maintained exactly the same posture.

This area already fell within the patrol range of Ming’an City. From time to time, savage scout riders passed not far from where they lay.

Jin Shuke silently reached inside his robe, took out a handful of roasted flour, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed slowly. Even while eating, his eyes remained fixed on the distant city wall like those of a hawk.

After swallowing the mouthful, he took out his waterskin and washed it down before whispering:

“Honored sir, take a look. The number of savages patrolling outside the camps and around our position hasn’t increased. But the liveliness inside the camps has clearly died down.”

The savage camps had once been full of singing and revelry every night. These men, driven half-mad by years in the bitter cold of the snowfields, had entered Jin territory and—according to General Zheng’s earlier description—behaved like a pack of Teddy dogs released from their cages.

Jin Shuke had no idea what sort of ferocious beast a “Teddy” was.

But judging from General Zheng’s tone at the time, he assumed it must be some species with inexhaustible energy.

The present quiet told him something very clearly.

The savages were indeed on guard.

It was not that their acting was poor. Jin Shuke and the First Prince had simply infiltrated too close. At a distance like this, unless every savage in the area was some kind of master actor, there was no possibility they could hide every flaw.

The First Prince nodded.

“We wait until night?”

“Yes. Once night falls. Honored sir, what do you think? Do we strike the camp outside, or rush the gate?”

“Strike the outer camp. It gives us more room to advance or withdraw.”

“Agreed. Safer that way.”

Jin Shuke accepted the suggestion.

The two remained in that posture until nightfall.

Then a barbarian soldier crawled up from behind them.

Jin Shuke turned and whispered:

“Are all our men in position?”

“My lord, everyone is here. We’re only waiting for your order.”

Two hundred meters behind them, every horse had cloth wrapped around its hooves and a bit inserted tightly into its mouth, suppressing sound as much as possible.

Jin Shuke climbed to his feet and stretched his stiff body.

“Good. Tell the brothers to strip off anything cumbersome. Follow me and make one charge. But remember—do not rush so deep you get yourselves killed. We are not here to gamble our lives this time!”

“Yes, my lord.”

Jin Shuke reached out somewhat worriedly and grabbed the shoulder of the First Prince, who was already preparing to head back.

“Honored sir, perhaps you should change mounts.”

The First Prince shook his head.

“No.”

A Pixiu standing among a herd of warhorses was exceptionally conspicuous.

The advantage of a night raid for the attacker was that both advancing and retreating could be done more freely. But that did not mean the defenders were idiots. If they pursued afterward, they would naturally prioritize whichever target looked most valuable.

Still, since the First Prince was so firm, Jin Shuke said nothing further.

At the end of the day, he knew the man’s true identity and had never genuinely thought of himself as the prince’s superior.

Everyone mounted.

At Jin Shuke’s long howl, the charge began.

Ordinarily, before a city entered a serious defensive battle, the trees around it would be cut down to prevent attackers from using them for cover. The savages stationed at Ming’an City had not bothered.

That allowed Jin Shuke’s little detachment of fewer than two hundred men to use the woodland for concealment, infiltrate extremely close, and then suddenly burst out in an “unexpected” attack.

The charge itself, however, was intentionally shallow.

They loosed a volley of arrows toward the outer edge of the enemy camp, threw several torches, and the moment the defenders began reacting, Jin Shuke immediately ordered a retreat.

Several bodies of troops surged from the camp almost at once. Altogether, several thousand savage cavalrymen raced out in pursuit.

Both sides were acting.

Both sides were cooperating with the other’s performance.

And so everything proceeded with extraordinary smoothness.

It was as though everyone had rehearsed the timing before stepping onto a stage one after another. Lighting, backdrop, props—every piece landed perfectly in rhythm.

Inside Ming’an City, Wenda climbed the wall and looked in the direction of the pursuit.

“Alantai has gone after them?”

“Yes, Headman.”

“Heh. Pass down the order. Everyone stays alert. The main Yan force may come attack the city shortly.”

“Yes, Headman. Ah, one more thing. During that attack just now, I saw someone in the enemy force riding a Pixiu.”

“A Pixiu?”

Wenda smiled.

“Looks like everything has gone exactly as Gelimu predicted. That Gelimu may carry Jin blood, but his brain genuinely works well.

“If there is some important figure inside that Yan force, then their main army’s coming assault on the city will probably be fierce. Tell the warriors to sharpen themselves up. This time, we are going to devour every last Yan soldier beneath Ming’an City.

“That Pixiu—and the man riding it—will be my gifts to the King, to make up for the regret that my tribe hesitated and failed to submit to him earlier.

“Haaah. If I had known things would become like this, I truly should have joined the King much sooner. My tribe might have developed far better than it has now.

“The more I think about it, the more I regret it.

“So this opportunity— we absolutely cannot miss!”

“Yes, Headman!”

...

The disturbance beneath Ming’an City was like a rehearsal.

Or perhaps a signal.

The moment Alantai’s force began its pursuit, the other three Ten-Thousand Household Commanders who soon received the news immediately began pushing their own armies toward the Ming’an City region.

In other words, they began compressing the Yan main force’s room to maneuver.

The fish had taken the bait.

Naturally, it was time to pull in the net.

Gelimu rode at the head of his own troops, driving them forward without pause. As several savage forces continuously narrowed the space between them, the probability of encountering the Yan main army at any moment became greater and greater.

So from Ten-Thousand Household Commander to ordinary savage warrior, no one dared relax. If anything, everyone grew more tense.

That oppressive atmosphere continued until the sky began to pale.

And Gelimu’s heart began sinking lower and lower.

An entire night had passed.

Why had they still not encountered the Yan main force?

He did not believe the Yan had escaped.

They had nearly ten thousand troops, all cavalry.

For a force that large to slip silently through the encirclement was practically impossible.

Then one of Gelimu’s subordinates rode over and reported that the cavalry ahead had already made contact with the outer riders of the other savage formations.

Gelimu drew in a deep breath.

For the first time, panic entered his expression.

Because this meant the Yan main force was not here at all.

Anger immediately surged through Gelimu.

Among the savage tribes, he had always taken pride in the fact that, as a “Jin man,” his intelligence far surpassed that of the savages around him.

Only the Savage King himself had ever been enough to make Gelimu willingly lower his head.

But this time, he had unquestionably been played.

The traces left by the supposed Yan main force.

The attacks by the Yan vanguard against small savage detachments.

The harassment of Ming’an City.

Every last one had been a smokescreen.

And he had walked step by step straight into the trap the Yan had prepared.

Then, fear struck him.

Because Gelimu suddenly realized something.

The Yan had gone to enormous trouble to create this deception and lure them all into the encirclement they themselves thought they were building.

So where right now were the Yan actually?

...

“Ow, ow, ow. I’m exhausted. No, I need to get down and stretch my back.”

General Zheng swung himself off his horse and began doing a few warm-up movements.

Behind him stretched a vast sea of Shengle cavalrymen who had also dismounted to rest.

Liang Cheng stood beside Zheng Fan, his expression serious as he studied the surrounding terrain.

Zheng Fan smiled.

“You know...

Snow Sea Pass really does look majestic.”

[End of Chapter 324]