This was a field battle!
In the barbaric world, there were many unwritten rules to wars between tribes.
For example, this time, the Chimera tribe and the Wild Horse tribe were fighting for the Fallen Horse Mountain Range, so they had to arrange a place for a field battle. It was not a case of the Chimera tribe declaring war, and the Wild Horse tribe defending their home.
And once you attacked a tribe’s main stronghold, it meant it was a war of conquest.
The battlefield was in the valley near the Fallen Horse Mountain Range. It was relatively open, with enough space for slaughter.
The Wild Horse tribe had ten thousand men. The Chimera tribe had eight thousand.
In numbers, the Wild Horse tribe held the advantage.
Moreover, the Wild Horse tribe had already set up camp, so they held even more of an advantage.
According to warfare in the human kingdoms, in cold weapon combat, the attacking side needed to have at least twice the troop strength of the defending side.
However, this was the barbaric world. The so-called camp of the Wild Horse tribe was also very crude, just a few rows of wooden fences and some horse repellers.
Lanling observed the entire battlefield.
He discovered that warfare in the barbaric world also had some rather interesting aspects.
First, whether in weapons or armour, the barbaric tribes were not as refined as those of the human kingdoms.
Second, siege equipment was completely absent. Even crossbows were rarely seen, let alone precision large heavy crossbows.
As for other siege equipment, such as trebuchets, there was none whatsoever.
It completely relied on human pushing. At best, there were warhorses, and several dozen griffin beasts.
But the barbarian army was absolutely not without merit. For example, the quality of their soldiers was extremely high.
Eight thousand men, marching a hundred and fifty li in a day and a night, and on rugged mountain roads at that.
Just this point alone far surpassed the armies of the human kingdoms.
Moreover, the bravery of the barbarian army, their fearlessness of death, also surpassed that of the human kingdoms.
Last night, when passing through a perilous mountain road, several dozen men fell. Yet the marching barbarian soldiers continued on without changing their expressions.
Additionally, although one could not speak of absolute obedience to orders, the discipline of the entire barbarian army was still quite good.
Not to mention the individual quality of the soldiers, all of which was very high.
This was also like ancient China, where the Xiongnu and other nomadic peoples, although primitive and backward in social productivity, possessed extremely high combat quality.
…
After the Chimera tribe’s eight thousand troops arrived at the battlefield, the Wild Horse tribe was waiting at ease for the exhausted enemy. But they did not immediately attack. Instead, they waited for the Chimera tribe to arrange their battle formation.
This was also considered an unwritten rule of the battlefield.
They had to wait until both sides had completed arranging their battle formations before commencing battle.
On the surface, it seemed extremely civilised, reminiscent of the warfare between feudal lords in China’s Spring and Autumn period.
But this was not civilisation. It was merely an unwritten rule.
This rule could protect the enemy today, and it could also protect oneself tomorrow.
When the true battle commenced, one would discover that this had nothing whatsoever to do with civilisation. Because the bloodiness of great battles between barbarian tribes far surpassed that of the human kingdoms.
In the human kingdoms, a regular unit in field battle would basically conclude combat after suffering thirty percent casualties.
But in the barbaric tribes, once battle commenced, it was truly a fight to the death, until one side completely surrendered or fled.
After Chief Konstantin led the great army to the battlefield, he immediately observed the enemy formation.
The Wild Horse tribe’s formation appeared very simple. The main force of six thousand men was in the centre of the valley. Four thousand cavalry were distributed on the high ground of both flanks.
Although this formation was simple, it was also very practical.
The reason the Wild Horse tribe was called the Wild Horse tribe was because it had many cavalry.
The Chimera tribe had a total of two thousand cavalry. The Wild Horse tribe had a full four thousand. And they were positioned on the high ground of both flanks, occupying the commanding heights.
Cavalry looking down from above. Once they began their charge, the impact force brought by the powerful mobility speed of the warhorses was extremely terrifying, completely unstoppable.
This battle would not be easy to fight. It would even be very hard to fight!
In terms of individual soldier combat strength, the Chimera tribe was somewhat higher.
But the Wild Horse tribe had two thousand more troops, and a full four thousand cavalry.
If they attacked the main force of the Wild Horse tribe, they could easily be caught in a pincer attack from the cavalry on both flanks, with the risk of total annihilation.
And if they attacked the cavalry on both flanks, first of all, the other side was cavalry, and they held the high ground.
In short, the enemy’s main force and the cavalry on both flanks supported each other. No matter which part you attacked, you would fall into peril!
So on the surface, the possibility of the Chimera tribe’s defeat seemed much greater.
…
When in the human kingdoms, even in battles with several hundred thousand troops, Lanling was the supreme commander.
Yet in this battle before him with fewer than twenty thousand men, he had no right to speak whatsoever.
He was merely a deputy centurion of the foreign army, and he did not even have a single soldier by his side. He only had the duty to obey orders.
Konstantin was not in a hurry to fight. After observing the battlefield, he instead retreated two li, then set up camp.
To boost morale, in the evening he even held a bonfire party.
Every soldier was issued three liang of wine, eight liang of meat, and some flatbread. They could completely eat their fill.
Then verbally, he utterly degraded the Wild Horse tribe.
Of course, the Wild Horse tribe’s side was the same, holding bonfire parties, drinking wine, eating meat, and cursing the other side.
As for a night attack? It was too dark!
Fire attack?
Do not be ridiculous. Nearby was the Fallen Horse Mountain Range, with boundless forests. Who knew how many wild beasts were inside.
The two tribes were fighting this battle precisely to contend for this hunting ground. If you burned it all clean with one fire, you would become the public enemy of the entire barbaric world.
At the party, the chief’s daughter, Nini An, became the star that captured the attention of all.
She sang and danced, stirring the hearts of all the soldiers into a frenzy. The gazes turned toward her were filled with adoration.
And Du Yan, Ju Qiu, and Yang Gu, the three of them stared fiercely at each other like male lions competing for a mate. All three of them viewed Nini An as their forbidden fruit.
And this daughter of the chief seemed to immensely enjoy this feeling of being the centre of attention. Singing and dancing, as if completely unaware of fatigue.
“Where is Du Yan?” Konstantin suddenly shouted.
Du Yan stood up. Although his expression was calm, he was so excited that his face was flushed red.
“Come here.” Chief Konstantin beckoned.
Du Yan immediately stepped forward.
Konstantin poured a full cup of wine and handed it to him, saying: “Good warrior, drink this fine wine, and win more military merit for me.”
Du Yan took the wine, his excited gaze trembling. He knelt on one knee and said: “Willing to die for the chief!”
After drinking the wine, Du Yan was about to leave when unexpectedly, Chief Konstantin patted the animal-skin chair beside him and said: “Come, sit by my side.”
Instantly, everyone in the entire field was stunned.
The chief actually valued Du Yan so highly?
The expressions of Ju Qiu and Yang Gu changed drastically. Their martial arts could not compare to Du Yan’s, and they were not as handsome as him. Their only advantage was their status, one being the nephew of the chief’s wife, the other the son of a tribal elder.
And now the chief actually valued Du Yan so highly. They did not even have this advantage anymore.
In many people’s hearts, they could not help but secretly speculate. Was the chief preparing to give his daughter to Du Yan in marriage? This, this was too much honour for him, was it not?
Konstantin smiled toward Suo Mo and said: “Old friend Suo Mo, you are truly remarkable. You actually cultivated such an outstanding adopted son. In the future, the foreign army will have a successor.”
Next, he loudly announced: “I have said that in this great battle, whichever young outstanding talent establishes the greatest military merit, I will give my daughter Nini An to him in marriage. I will absolutely not go back on my word!”
One had to say, Konstantin’s little tricks truly came one after another.
Now he openly supported Du Yan inheriting the foreign army. Seeing the chief’s affection toward Du Yan, even many brothers of the foreign army were filled with fantasies.
Once Du Yan married the chief’s daughter, perhaps the status of their foreign army would rise.
And Du Yan felt light and airy, incomparably honoured, incomparably happy.
Previously, his adoptive father had actually said the chief did not like Du Yan getting close to Nini An. Now looking at it, that was completely a lie. He was jealous!
A thought surged in Du Yan’s heart.
Adoptive father Suo Mo was jealous, jealous that his status in the chief’s heart surpassed his own, jealous that he would replace him in commanding the foreign army.
Next, Konstantin said loudly: “Old friend Suo Mo, I heard your nephew came to seek refuge. A person of your calibre, what kind of nephew would you have? Let everyone take a look.”
Suo Mo’s expression changed, then he said: “Lanling, come out and greet the various leaders!”
Lanling stood up and walked out.
Konstantin’s gaze fell upon Lanling’s face and he said: “Wow, what a pretty little face. My Nini An, your position as number one beauty is probably in danger.”
The moment these words were spoken, everyone burst into loud laughter!
Konstantin’s meaning was extremely obvious. Lanling was completely a pretty boy, just like a woman.
Next, Konstantin said: “Brother Suo Mo, I heard your nephew has only just done weighted training, and has not undergone sword or actual combat training? This is not good. On the battlefield, swords have no eyes. You should not have let him come.”
Almost every sentence from Konstantin was suppressing Lanling.
After understanding the chief’s meaning, the tribal leaders present all mocked and humiliated Lanling.
“Suo Mo, you had better keep this nephew of yours hidden well, lest one day he is found in the wilderness, his backside hole played with even bigger than his mouth.”
“Perhaps his hole is already bigger than his mouth. Look how white his face is. One can imagine how tender his backside is? Travelling tens of thousands of li all the way here, how did he escape to the Chimera tribe? His backside has probably been done by at least a hundred races.”
“Chief, I say we do not even need to fight this battle. Just offer this pretty boy’s backside to the Wild Horse tribe chief. If he has his fill of fun, perhaps he will give the Fallen Horse Mountain Range to us.”
The humiliation and trampling of the barbaric tribes were almost without bottom line.
Konstantin elevating Du Yan like this and trampling Lanling, all the brothers of the foreign army would instinctively feel that they would certainly prefer to follow a respected and powerful person, rather than a pretty boy who sold his backside.
And Konstantin’s malicious intention was to equate Lanling with a pretty boy who sold his backside. In the future, no matter who mentioned Lanling, they would think of the three words “sold his backside.”
This way, even if they knew it was a shameless rumour, it could never be washed clean.
Suo Mo’s temples immediately throbbed with anger. He became even more disappointed in his adopted son Du Yan.
You, Du Yan, are after all my adopted son. Lanling is your younger brother. Both belong to the foreign army.
When everyone is humiliating and trampling Lanling, you not only do not step forward to help, but you actually laugh along with them?
Du Yan indeed laughed along. When he saw others humiliating Lanling, his heart was filled with delight!
He loathed Lanling!
Not only because Lanling was trying to compete with him for the foreign army, but also because of Dina’s closeness to Lanling.
Although he was wholeheartedly thinking of marrying Nini An, in his heart, Dina was also his forbidden fruit. The two of them had a marriage contract. That meant she was Du Yan’s woman.
And now, Dina was actually getting so close to Lanling?
Not only that, Nini An had actually frequently mentioned Lanling before him, saying how beautiful his eyes were, how handsome his face was.
Unfortunately, she said it in an extremely innocent and carefree tone. Du Yan could not blame her. He could only pour all his anger and loathing onto Lanling’s head.
Suo Mo stepped forward and said coldly: “Various leaders, are all your abilities grown on your mouths? Otherwise, which of you would come out and spar with me to loosen my muscles and bones?”
The moment these words were spoken, everyone instantly fell into dead silence. Only their gazes were filled with gloominess.
Fight with Suo Mo?
Please, no one was crazy!
Who did not know how astonishing Suo Mo’s martial arts were? In the entire Chimera tribe, perhaps only the chief was his match.
Suo Mo said coldly: “Chief, since I have brought Lanling to the battlefield, I naturally have my reasons. He is absolutely not as weak and powerless as he appears to you. Whether he is a dragon or a worm, wait until he is on the battlefield and then look at his performance. For now, I ask the various leaders to shut their mouths. If there is still anyone who tries to use their mouth to humiliate my nephew, then I will not mind using my fists to correct his mistake!”
This was the kind of person Suo Mo was.
When someone humiliated and attacked him, he could let it go.
But when someone attacked his subordinate, he would immediately step forward and make them shut up. If they still did not shut up, he would beat them until they shut up.
And this was precisely what Konstantin loathed most about him, his disregard for the chief’s authority.
And yet Suo Mo’s martial arts were truly very high. One could say that in the entire Chimera tribe, he had virtually no match.
“Old friend Suo Mo, you want me to give your nephew a chance, to let him perform on the battlefield, correct?” Chief Konstantin said gloomily.
“Correct.” Suo Mo said.
Lanling sighed inwardly, thinking to himself: “Fell for it!”
Konstantin was precisely using a provocation tactic, so that he could righteously kill Lanling on the battlefield and eliminate a rival for Du Yan.
This person’s conspiracies and tricks came one after another, impossible to guard against.
“Rest assured, I will give him a chance.” Konstantin smiled.
Then he stood up and said: “Alright, it is getting late. Everyone rest and prepare for battle!”
…
Early the next morning, the two armies faced each other!
The chiefs of the two warring tribes, each riding a warhorse, began to accelerate in a head-on charge.
The troops of both sides, their gazes closely following their chiefs.
When the two chiefs were still a hundred metres apart, they suddenly slowed down.
Then, Wild Horse tribe chief Duo Duo laughed loudly and said: “Lord Konstantin, do you intend to spill great blood first, or small blood?”
Spilling great blood meant directly commencing battle and slaughter.
Spilling small blood meant first conducting pre-battle individual martial contests.
Or rather, it was not a martial contest, but a duel! Because this kind of martial contest did not distinguish victory or defeat, only life or death!
It served as a warm-up for the great battle, somewhat similar to the duelling between generals on ancient Chinese battlefields, serving to stir the blood of the soldiers and boost morale.
Only, in duelling between generals, one could retreat defeated back to formation. But here, the duel did not allow that. Either you won, or you died!
“Spill small blood first. Let the brothers get a taste of meat, haha…” Konstantin said.
The so-called getting a taste of meat was truly getting a taste of meat.
Because the corpse of the losing side in the duel would become the other side’s spoils of war, to be dismembered and chopped alive, cooked into a meat broth.
Wild Horse tribe chief Duo Duo smiled and said: “Then I will choose my champion first!”
Then, he covered his eyes with cloth, drew his bow and nocked an arrow, and shot fiercely toward the sky above his own great army.
That’s right, he shot toward the sky. The arrow had no arrowhead.
“Swoosh…” The arrow traced a parabola through the air, then fell within the Wild Horse tribe’s army.
Whoever the arrow landed near would step forward to duel. The loser died. The winner counted as ten head counts of military merit.
“Whoever the arrow lands near, step forward to duel!” the Wild Horse tribe chief shouted loudly.
Instantly, a dark, lean man stepped forward.
His gaze was gloomy. He held twin blades. His nose was hooked like a claw.
Although lean, every inch of muscle on his body seemed cast from copper and iron.
This person appeared to have little difference from humans, apart from a tail. There were no other strange features.
But he also had great differences from humans, because his face was extremely angular, appearing as if carved from stone.
Looking more closely at his skin, it seemed covered in tiny dots. These were not bumps, but metal.
Metal embedded in the skin!
Seeing this person, everyone instantly changed colour and cried out in alarm: “Berserker, it is actually a berserker!”
The Wild Horse tribe’s trump card, the berserker!
They possessed special bloodlines and constitutions in their bodies. After reaching adulthood, they rolled through red-hot iron shavings. Those who did not die successfully advanced to become berserkers.
And after these steels cooled, they grew onto the surface of their bodies, like scales.
So, they could be called virtually impervious to swords and spears.
Of course, the number of berserkers was very small, only about a hundred or so. They completely guarded the chief’s side.
And this berserker had a white tattoo on his forehead, a star!
This signified that this berserker’s cultivation had reached the demon warrior realm!
A berserker whose cultivation had reached the demon warrior realm possessed extremely astonishing combat strength, because they were virtually impervious to swords and spears!
So, even if one’s cultivation was two or three levels higher, other warriors were unwilling to provoke a berserker.
Unexpectedly, the first pre-battle duel chosen by the Wild Horse tribe chief was actually a demon warrior level berserker.
Not only that, but immediately following, a shaman priest also placed a helmet upon this berserker.
Wild Horse tribe chief smiled and said: “Lord Konstantin, it is your turn to choose.”
Konstantin wrapped his eyes with a cloth strip, then shot an arrow toward the sky above the Chimera tribe’s great army.
Lanling noticed that not far behind him was Du Yan!
He knew in his heart that Konstantin’s arrow would certainly land near him.
Letting Du Yan inherit the foreign army, this was Konstantin’s unchangeable will.
And Suo Mo actually wanting to let Lanling inherit the foreign army, this had violated Chief Konstantin’s will. So he wanted Lanling to die, and to die righteously on the battlefield.
Provoking Suo Mo last night was merely laying the groundwork.
Today, he wanted Lanling dead. One could see that his patience was truly not very good.
And Konstantin doing this also appeared very irrational. Killing Lanling would undoubtedly enrage Suo Mo. Would this not have a huge impact on the outcome of the great battle, losing sight of the bigger picture for a small gain?
Konstantin was not this kind of person. Then there must be some other conspiracy in this battle between him and the Wild Horse tribe.
“Swoosh…”
That arrow without an arrowhead traced an arc through the air, then… it landed directly before Lanling.
Just as expected. Not the slightest surprise!
Instantly, a savage smile crossed Du Yan’s face, while the expressions of the brothers of the foreign army cavalry unit changed.
Although they did not trust Lanling and looked down upon him, they absolutely did not wish for him to die.
Lanling’s superior, the cavalry unit’s centurion Lei Tong, his face twitched, then he stepped forward and said in a low voice to Lanling: “My life was saved by Lord Suo Mo. Today I will repay it. Remember, do not ruin Lord Suo Mo’s reputation. Do not destroy the foreign army.”
Then, he was about to step forward to fight in Lanling’s place.
Although the consequence of this might be death!
Lei Tong was also a demon warrior, but the opponent was a berserker demon warrior, virtually impervious to swords and spears. So if he fought, he would basically die.
He did not like Lanling, but to repay Suo Mo’s kindness, he was willing to die!
Lanling blocked him and said: “No need. Whose it is, is whose!”
Then, he pushed through the crowd and emerged before everyone!
When everyone saw that it was actually Lanling, this pretty boy, who was stepping forward to fight, they could not help but be greatly shocked!
There was no star-shaped tattoo on his forehead. There was also no star-shaped mark on his armour, signifying that he was absolutely not a demon warrior.
And the hearts of the foreign army grew even colder!
Lord Suo Mo’s nephew was going to die a miserable death!
He had only experienced weighted training. Sword and actual combat training, he had never had.
And the opponent was a demon warrior level berserker. A hundred Lanlings would certainly die!
And Suo Mo’s eyes were about to split open. He knelt down and hissed: “Chief, please withdraw this order. Even if I must pay any price!”
His meaning was clear. To save Lanling’s life, he would even announce right now that the heir to the great chief of the foreign army was Du Yan.
And Chief Konstantin said coldly: “This is a sacred pre-battle duel. Whoever is chosen is entirely the will of the gods and demons. It cannot be changed!”
Suo Mo instantly turned completely cold, his limbs going numb.
And Lanling smiled at him, then walked toward the centre of the battlefield, toward his opponent, that demon warrior level berserker.
At this moment, the entire battlefield was his stage.
Unexpectedly, the moment for his performance had arrived so quickly!