"The hill barbarian army's movements are all within our predictions. Didn't Tiger Ross send a messenger just a few days ago to report that quite a few barbarian scouts had been spotted in the Black Forest between Bedrock Castle and Bullrest Fortress? Aside from breaking through that stretch of Black Forest, the barbarian army has no other way into our family's territory. Sure, they've gathered a hundred thousand men, but honestly, I don't take them seriously at all. Fighting them would be like bullying children—it wouldn't even be a fair contest!"
"Uh..." Terman scratched his head. He had to admit Lorist had a point. The barbarian army, which trailed the family's forces in every aspect of military equipment, truly was outclassed in everything except raw numbers and brute courage. In Terman's memory, even the recent Long Wall defense battle posed less of a threat to the family's forces than the old
In Terman's view, the Long Wall was simply too long. Only two guard battalions—just over six thousand men—were stationed along its entire length, making the defense force paper-thin. If the barbarians had split into thousand-man formations and launched an all-out assault along the full seventy-odd li of the wall, taking it wouldn't have been difficult. But the single-minded barbarians had instead committed five massive columns of ten thousand each to launch concentrated attacks on five specific points along the wall—and all of them had clustered in one area. It was about as foolish as it could get.
The two defending guard battalions used their chariots and steel crossbows to rapidly transport longbowmen to the attacked sections. With just a thousand men, they easily held off nearly ten thousand attackers at the base of the wall, then proceeded to unleash a slaughter on the hill barbarian warriors—who lacked any ranged weapons—like turkeys being shot at a hunt, causing devastating casualties among the tens of thousands assaulting the wall. Terman recalled that when he and several Furious Bear Knights had watched the battle from atop the Long Wall, their feeling toward the barbarian warriors struggling below had actually been... pity.
Lorist led Terman to the observation platform atop a watchtower in the middle section of the Long Wall. Raising a monocular telescope, he studied the far side for a long while before asking, "When did the barbarian army split its forces?"
Terman thought for a moment. "It should have been around four or five in the morning. The soldiers on watch noticed movement in the barbarian camp and assumed a night raid, so they reported up the chain. I was woken and came to the wall as well. Once dawn broke and the mountain mist cleared, we realized the barbarians camped in the distant forest seemed to have thinned out considerably. I walked the length of the wall again and, through my telescope, saw that nearly half the barbarian warriors had vanished from their camp. Only then did I confirm the army had split, and I came to report to you, my lord."
"Very well." Lorist tossed his monocular telescope to a guard at his side. "We'll wait until tonight. If the barbarians have truly split, they won't light as many bonfires. One more day—we'll know for certain if the fires diminish. Terman, tomorrow morning we lead the Furious Bear Knights on a flanking march through Turtle Mountain Fortress, then follow the Lancang River to strike behind the barbarians ahead. That should put an end to this battle."
When night fell, the barbarian forces camped before the Long Wall proved unable to conceal their reduced numbers, lighting less than a quarter of their previous bonfires. At that, everyone grew confident of the family's impending victory. The next day, Lorist set out from Turtle Mountain Fortress with a battalion of personal guards, accompanying the Furious Bear Knights along the banks of the Lancang River in a direct thrust toward the rear of the barbarian tribes.
The raid on the barbarian encampment left before the Long Wall was uneventful. Not a single barbarian had imagined that the
Though their horizons were limited, the barbarian chieftains understood well enough that they could no longer rely on sheer numbers to assault the Long Wall line. Their warriors' blood should not be spilled uselessly on the soil before that wall. After interrogating and bribing lowland merchants willing to guide the army, they quickly settled on another route—one said to lead straight into the Norton Family's territory, the only obstacle being a stretch of Black Forest several dozen li wide.
The barbarians left behind at the camp before the Long Wall still numbered around forty thousand, but the main force that had split off to seek a breakthrough through the Black Forest had taken nearly all the young and brave warriors. Those remaining in camp were essentially the elderly, the weak, women, and children—or lightly wounded soldiers rescued from the wall attacks. To put it bluntly, these barbarians hadn't even bothered to set up defenses: no palisades, no walls, not a single trench dug. The only structures in camp were several rows of mismatched tents stitched together from various animal hides for the wounded. All the other warriors simply camped around bonfires—men and women, old and young alike—scattered throughout the mountain wilderness and forest.
When the Furious Bear Knights—five or six thousand strong, clad head to toe in heavy steel armor, their tall and powerful mounts also draped in gleaming barding—appeared before the forty-odd thousand barbarians, the result was entirely predictable. The camp collapsed instantly. No one could stand against these steel monsters. After a few valiant warriors who willingly sacrificed themselves to cover others' escape were trampled into paste beneath the knights' hooves, many of the more cowardly barbarians lost control of their bowels, collapsing to the ground in screams...
But the ones who actually escaped were not the rank and file—it was the tribal chieftains and priests who proved to be the clever ones. The moment they saw the Furious Bear Knights charging in, they very sensibly abandoned the bulk of their tribespeople and fled early.
After a cursory sweep of the battlefield, a disgruntled Lorist led the Furious Bear Knights in another lightning raid on Twin Mountain Town, catching the several thousand barbarians stationed there completely off guard and encircling them. This time, Lorist finally drew blood. Since it devolved into street fighting, the Furious Bear Knights held the roads and besieged the town while Lorist personally led a thousand guards into the streets, quickly flushing the barbarian garrison out of the houses, where they meekly surrendered as prisoners.
Twin Mountain Town had served as the barbarian army's logistics hub, though the spoils weren't particularly impressive. They consisted mainly of specialty medicinal herbs from the Demon Dragon Mountains and assorted miscellaneous goods, with the largest quantity being piles upon piles of mountain kudzu root—the barbarian army's emergency rations. The hill barbarian custom of war was for each warrior to carry seven days' worth of food into battle. Once that ran out, they generally foraged locally, eating whatever they could find along the way. Only as a last resort would a tribe bear the cost of rations, weapons, and supplies for its warriors. Everything beyond medicinal herbs for the wounded came from plunder—and the inability to seize anything simply meant a hill warrior was incompetent...
So the barbarians assigned to defend Twin Mountain Town were mostly slaves, warriors who had committed offenses, or those too young or too old. Under the lightning-fast assault of Lorist and his men, these several thousand barbarians crumbled on contact, causing virtually no casualties before being taken prisoner by the Norton Family's forces.
"Withdraw. Gather the prisoners and spoils—we're heading back to Bullrest Fortress. After that, we march to Tiger Ross's position and annihilate the barbarian force on that front." Lorist issued his command to Terman.
On the main road between Bedrock Castle and Maple Forest Manor, roughly midway but slightly closer to Bedrock Castle, a natural spring fed a small lake beside the road. The lake was modest in size but somewhat deep, its water clear and cool. Travelers along this road all enjoyed resting by the lakeshore, drinking some water to refresh themselves from the journey's fatigue. This was also the same stretch of Black Forest where Lorist had first encountered barbarian cavalry after returning to his family's territory.
The barbarian army that had taken the detour through the Black Forest finally emerged on the fourth day, appearing beside the small lake. As the barbarian host poured ceaselessly from the forest, they quickly surrounded the lake in dense ranks, ring after ring. This was understandable—after four days of hard marching through dense forest, every barbarian warrior was exhausted and parched. Worst of all, this stretch of Black Forest was relatively arid, with no streams or pools. During those four days in the forest, the barbarians had been forced to dig deep pits just to obtain a little muddy water, or stuff bitter leaves into their mouths to quench their thirst. Now, having just emerged from the Black Forest to find such a crystal-clear lake, every barbarian warrior was ecstatic.
Of this seventy-thousand-strong barbarian army, over thirty thousand were cavalry. They marched at the rear alongside the various tribal chieftains and several high-ranking priests. Traveling through the Black Forest, all the cavalry had been forced to dismount and lead their mounts on foot, only able to remount as they neared the forest's edge where the trees grew sparse.
When the tribal chieftains and priests emerged from the Black Forest, the warriors ahead automatically parted to create a path, escorting these distinguished barbarians smoothly to the lakeshore. After taking a sip of the clear lake water, the leader of this barbarian army—Great Qiangbasen, chieftain of the Habibba Tribe—nodded with satisfaction: "Excellent water. Very refreshing. But this lake is so small—is there enough for our warriors and warhorses?"
A merchant in his entourage replied respectfully, "Noble and invincible Great Qiangbasen, I have traveled this road many times and am well acquainted with this small lake. Please do not worry about the water running out. There is an underground spring beneath the lake—no matter how many people and horses drink from it, the spring will maintain the water level at its original height. Whatever is drawn is replenished. I stake my life on this..."
"Hahaha..." Great Qiangbasen laughed heartily. "You've done well, leading us down such a fine road. Now, what was your name again? Forget it—I can never remember you lowlanders' names. Rest assured, the gold for your guide service will be yours. Tell me—is this the heartland of the Norton Family's territory?"
"Noble and powerful Great Qiangbasen, I am most grateful for your generosity. Your loyal servant Benlahertz pays his respects. Yes, this is indeed the heartland of the Norton Family's territory. To the south lies Bedrock Castle, to the north are Huyang Town and Maple Forest Manor, and to the west are the seven towns and nearly a hundred villages of Fengle Plains. Apart from Bedrock Castle, the garrison forces everywhere else are quite weak. The Norton Family's military is currently deployed in Winston Province and the Southern Province, fighting against another Grand Duke—your kinsmen from the grasslands who visited you last year spoke of him. So the garrison strength of these towns cannot hope to stop your mighty and courageous warriors. They lie before you like helpless maidens, waiting for you to lead your brave men to conquer them..."
The merchant Benlahertz bowed respectfully. He had been captured by the Habibba Tribe the previous summer while traveling into the mountains on business. Faced with the threat of bloodied axes and the lure of gold, he had chosen gold and agreed to guide the barbarian army. Being deep in the mountains the whole time, he had no idea of the Norton Family's current situation, and was far less aware that Lorist had already returned to the territory with the family's forces.
"...maidens, hahaha, I like hearing that. But it's already evening and getting dark. Our warriors have been marching hard for days. Tonight, we rest well by this lake—eat our fill, drink our fill, and restore our strength. Tomorrow, we deal with those helpless maidens. Hahahaha..."
Great Qiangbasen's words drew roars of approval from the barbarian warriors. Bonfires were soon lit in stacks, and the warriors pulled out their rations and provisions, tossing them on the fire for a quick roast before washing them down with the cool lake water...
Suddenly, a piercing horn call echoed across heaven and earth, followed by the thunderous roll of war drums from every direction. All the barbarian warriors staggered to their feet in confusion. In the fading light, a black banner bearing the image of a golden tiger with two spread wings stamped itself into every barbarian's vision.
That merchant leapt to his feet: "Impossible! The Flying Tiger Corps—how are they here? We've walked into a trap! Run—"
"Run?" Great Qiangbasen seized him by the collar. "You led us into this ambush! You deserve to die!"
One thrust of his sword pinned the merchant to the ground. Great Qiangbasen roared, "What are you panicking for? Everyone, form up and face the enemy! Don't forget—we have seventy thousand men!"
But the Flying Tiger Corps gave the barbarian army little time to prepare. The Chariot Crossbow Corps struck first, arrows raining down like a storm. Barbarian warriors were knocked flying, tumbling to the ground in row after row. The barbarian army did indeed number seventy thousand, but no matter how many there were, they were nothing but target dummies if they couldn't close the distance. The barbarian warriors began involuntarily retreating, but the Chariot Crossbow Corps pursued relentlessly. Under Corps Commander Dolace's direction, the chariots advanced two paces and loosed two bolts, maintaining constant suppression over the barbarian host. When three to four thousand barbarian cavalry made a suicidal charge at the chariot crossbow line only to be shot down like porcupines in front of everyone, the barbarian army collapsed like an avalanche. Every warrior turned tail and ran, all of them wanting to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the storm of bolts...
But when the Black Forest appeared ahead, the barbarians discovered that three long rows of steel-clad monsters—men and mounts alike encased in gleaming armor—now blocked the way. Terman bellowed: "Furious Bear Knights—charge!"
The horn sounded, and Dolace ordered the Chariot Crossbow Corps to cease firing and hold their positions. Meanwhile, Tiger Ross on the left and Pacheco on the right, each leading five or six thousand armored lancers, drove like twin daggers into the left and right flanks of the chaos-torn barbarian army...
Lorist drew his sword and pointed it at the cluster of barbarian chieftains and priests at the very center of the army—the ones wearing the finest clothes, adorned with the most elaborate headdresses and feathers. He bellowed, "Our target is there! Kill!"
On May 4th, Year 1779 of the Galentea Continent Common Era Calendar, the Norton Family's forces crushed the hundred-thousand-strong barbarian army that had invaded their territory, capturing countless prisoners.
...(To be continued.)