Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 299 The Dagger Appears
The westerly wind, carrying scorching and toxic smoke, swept across the land, and terrifying explosions rang out one after another.

The raging fire spread inland from the riverbank, roaring and burning away the withered leaves, shrubs, and pines, eventually converging into a sea of ​​flames floating above the treetops.

Regardless of their plans, the besieged Teldenans did not immediately choose to break out.

Winters also refrained from launching a full-scale attack, and the battlefield fell into an unsettling silence.

What broke the silence was a fire, a great fire from the water—Samukin's fleet landed under the cover of night, set fire horses into the forest, and ignited several coastal woodlands in one fell swoop.

The scorched-earth policy destroyed most of the trees along the riverbanks, leaving only this woodland at the confluence of the two rivers, in preparation for a decisive victory during the final assault.

The fire was fueled by the wind, and the wind fanned the flames, quickly connecting the scattered fires into a line, turning the ten-mile riverbank blood red with firelight.

Taichi's camp was in chaos. The fire hadn't even reached here yet, but the raging winds were already bringing scorching heat.

Terrified, birds and beasts fled in droves, some even charging into the crowds.

A slave near the woods heard the sound of hooves behind him, but before he could see what it was, he was knocked down by a fully grown stag.

The stag broke its neck and died instantly; the unarmored slave was also pierced by the twelve forked antlers, and soon stopped breathing as blood gushed out.

But at this critical moment, no one cared about the life or death of a stag and a slave.

The Teldenans in the camp were cursing, shouting, and running around in a frenzy, trying to salvage their belongings and lives.

"Prepare the saddle! Quickly, prepare the saddle!"

"Take everything with you!"

"Go away!"

"We can't wait any longer! Get the horses moving! Get the horses moving!"

The people were panicked, and the horses were even more restless. Horses have far more acute senses than humans; they had already detected the unusual scent in the wind.

Without warning, a warhorse threw off its rider, kicking and thrashing about, causing the surrounding Teldun people to scramble and dodge.

"Latch it! Latch it!"

"Ugh! That beast!"

"Get out of the way!" another Teldun man shouted amidst the chaos, "The horse is spooked!"

Another startled warhorse charged wildly, and some slaves who couldn't avoid it were hit hard, spitting blood as they flew away.

The startled horse also experienced a great recoil force, and it neighed and raised its front hooves high.

At that very moment, two lassos were placed on the frightened horse, one in front and one behind, to bring it to a stop.

A burly man with gray hair and a thick waist pounced on the horse, wrapping his arms around its neck and tucking it under his armpits.

The strong man exerted all his strength, pressing the frightened horse's head down while shoving it violently from the side.

The joint structure of a horse results in it having vertical strength but no horizontal strength, so the struggle between humans and animals can only last for a few breaths.

With a thunderous roar, the startled horse was forcefully thrown to the ground by the burly man, Teldun.

The frightened warhorse neighed and collapsed to the ground, kicking and thrashing about incessantly.

The strong man held the frightened horse's neck firmly, preventing it from getting up or giving it a chance to bite.

The rest of the Telden men rushed forward and bound the frightened horse's four legs, bringing the mad beast under control.

When everyone recognized the burly man who had displayed such exceptional horsemanship, they burst into cheers. It was none other than Taichi.

Taichi braced himself with his hands on the ground, struggling to lift his heavy body, as if silently saying, "What's this? I was much stronger when I was young."

Tai Chi's personal guard—who had just thrown the rope to snare the frightened horse—ran over to help him up, saying in a gruff voice, "Na Yan's strength is as great as ever."

Taichi spat viciously: "We'll talk about whether it grows hair later. Have the men you sent to find other leaders returned yet?"

The guard shook his head.

"Father! Zhukota—they refuse to join us!" Taichi's son shouted as he ran over, "Hurry, Father!"

Although the Teldun camp was located on higher ground, the forest obstructed their view of the fire, making it difficult for them to directly observe the situation.

But the night sky was already burning red, and the choking smoke was getting thicker and thicker, clearly indicating that the fire was rapidly approaching as they spoke.

Meanwhile, Taichi's men were still busy collecting loot, salvaging valuables, or gathering warhorses.

"There's no time to regroup." Taichi gritted his teeth and ordered, "Take only bows, arrows, armor, food, and water! Forget everything else! Quickly follow me to avoid the fire."

The Tertuns camped in scattered family units, and for a time, Taichi could only control his direct subordinates.

Taichi's son was stunned for a moment, then roared and rushed into the camp, whipping the men who were collecting the loot: "Give it all away!"

……

On a hill behind the third line of defense, Winters and the rest of the command were watching the fire.

The fire was raging better than he had expected, and it seemed that Samukin had accomplished his mission admirably.

The sea of ​​fire resembled a translucent red mist floating above the treetops, with flames and smoke swirling into the air like a light veil fluttering in the wind.

Thunderous explosions rang out one after another, interspersed with the screams of those who were burned alive.

The hellish scene caused the civilian clerks in the command post to show expressions of unbearable pain; some turned their heads away from looking, while others covered their ears, unwilling to listen.

Winters had experienced several fire attacks, and he knew very well that only a small portion of the victims were burned to death; most of the deaths were caused by poisonous smoke—they would run and then suddenly collapse, never to rise again.

His command headquarters had just undergone a round of expansion, adding a group of administrative personnel who were originally under Bader's command.

These literate and arithmetic-savvy clerks freed Winters from some of the mechanical manual labor; at least he no longer needed to write every order or memo by hand, but only dictate them.

This also allowed Winters to focus his energy on more critical matters.

Bard gazed at the raging forest, his face filled with worry, and muttered to himself, "We've driven the Teldens to the brink; they're going to fight us to the death."

Winters pursed his lips and remained silent.

According to the original battle plan, the fire would be the signal for a general offensive, and we should at least wait until the third or even the fourth line of defense was fully completed before taking action.

Even if the Teldens wanted to fight to the death, the Iron Peak County troops could use fortifications and fortifications to hold off the enemy until they were exhausted.

If possible, we should stall the Teldenans for as long as possible until they are exhausted.

But the cage is not yet secure, and the beast has been alerted. What awaits the people of Tiefeng County is a bloody battle, and it may even lead to their failure.

“If my guess is correct,” Winters clenched his fist, a shield-bearing goddess carving in his palm, “the Teldonians’ counterattack won’t be as strong as previously expected—I’d rather be wrong.”

“Don’t think about whether it’s right or wrong,” Bard told Winters. “It’s a risk that needs to be taken to avoid greater risks.”

Winters' warhorse lowered its head, snorted, and pawed the ground incessantly with its front hooves. Perhaps it was because the horse smelled the pungent smoke, or perhaps it sensed its master's anxiety.

With Ljubad at the command post, Winters led Charles and Heinrich off the hill and rode along the front line.

In the original battle plan, the third line of defense was not simply a "wall".

Walls and trenches form the foundation of all defensive works, upon which bastions, arrow towers, and breastworks can be added. With each passing day of preparation, the defensive line becomes stronger, and Winters's confidence grows.

"Are you ready?" Winters asked himself, but he didn't know.

However, he could not show these emotions, because the soldiers, militiamen, and even women guarding the valleys, narrow passages, and passes placed all their hopes on him.

As the once-arrogant Hed barbarians were gradually besieged in this small area, the people of Iron Peak County developed a fanatical reverence for Winters.

Since few people had actually seen Winters' appearance, the object of their fervent worship shifted to his red flag.

Winters rode along the front line, and men and women alike cheered excitedly as they saw the red flag flying through the night, as if seeing the flag meant victory.

This emotion is harmful to some extent—Winters was calmly aware of this, and he felt a certain unease about it.

But he not only couldn't suppress this fervor, on the contrary, he had to do everything he could to maintain it.

Battles are not only about armor and physical strength, but also about courage and willpower.

If an army is convinced of its inevitable victory, it means that it can withstand greater casualties, endure more suffering, and hold out for a longer period of time, which means that it can actually win.

Winters had never learned how to be a general. Did the old marshal feel the same confusion as him when faced with the roar of thousands of troops? He didn't know.

When faced with the same fervent emotions, did the famous generals who shone in history accept them calmly, or even take it for granted that they were chosen by heaven?
Will I still feel uneasy about this, constantly reminding myself that "all men must die"?
From childhood, Winters' role model was his adoptive father. He watched Antonio Serbiatti's back as he groped his way to where he is today without much guidance.

But when he finally touched his adoptive father's back, he realized that he knew nothing about his adoptive father's inner world.

Had Antonio never been confused? Or did he simply not show it? Winters didn't know; he had never discussed these things with his adoptive father.

He longed for Antonio's guidance, but the two were separated by a great distance, so he could only imitate Antonio's mannerisms:
Suppress your emotions, silently accept the cheers and salutes, silently return the greetings, and show nothing.

……

The fire had not died out by dawn, and the Teldens launched their attack at daybreak.

Suddenly, the entire front was in dire straits, and messengers pleading for help arrived like hailstones, as if every company and every defensive line was being attacked by the elite troops of the Khan's camp of Teldun.

This was clearly the specialty of the Harts: first, they would feign an attack or simply divide their forces to distract the defenders; once the defenders revealed a weakness, the scattered Harts cavalry would use their mobility to regroup and launch a full-scale attack on that point.

This time, there were no more Telden workers shirking their duties; they had been driven to the brink.

The people of Iron Peak County also knew that victory or defeat depended on this moment. Everyone in Little Stone Town and Oxhoof Valley was mobilized, and even women and children were on the battlefield carrying earth and stones, collecting arrows, and even handling weapons themselves.

The Teldun men, their hair and beards still stained with soot, carried out makeshift siege ladders, battering rams, and large shields—their reluctance to break out rashly did not mean they were idle.

The hastily constructed siege weapons were already few in number, and more than half of them were destroyed by fire.

Therefore, most of the Teldun people still used the old tactics: armored soldiers fought on foot with shields, archers dismounted to provide cover, and the rest dug trenches, demolished walls, and small groups of cavalry sneaked through dangerous places to outflank the enemy.

The main road, where the First and Twelfth Companies were stationed, bore the brunt of the attacks, and was assaulted in turn by at least four Terden Centurions.

The Hed people may be savage, but they are by no means merely beasts driven by instinct.

Having previously failed in their attack on the second line of defense, the Teldenans this time specifically built siege ladders to exploit the weakness of the barricades—their low profile.

A dozen or so Terdun armored soldiers formed a shield formation and worked together to carry large shields that could withstand arrows, slowly approaching the trench.

Arrows could not penetrate the wooden shields, and even lead bullets would get stuck in the wood. The bastion-like structure of the barricades made it difficult to fire from the side, so the soldiers guarding the walls could only watch helplessly as the shield formation approached the trench.

Once they advanced to within five paces of the trench, the shield formation unfolded on the sides, and two squads of Teldun armored soldiers charged toward the siege wall, carrying siege ladders and shouting.

The other Teldun men used their large shields as cover and fired arrows at the defenders.

The rampart was only two meters high, and the siege ladders could be easily placed on top of it, even crossing the moat.

The soldiers defending the siege wall, armed with axes and push rods, tried their best to cut and push down the siege ladders.

The moment the shield formation was deployed, Tamas, who was commanding from his wounded arm and high fever, roared the order: "Throw!"

The long-waiting grenadiers lit the fuses, then inserted the other end of the fuse into the grenades and hurled them at the Teldun's shields.

Winters used to insert the fuse first and then ignite the grenade. This method of use by highly trained elite troops might not cause any problems.

However, after the grenades were distributed to the militia, the tactic of inserting the fuse first and then igniting it triggered a series of accidents.

In the chaos, some militiamen even threw unlit grenades, which were picked up by the Telden men and thrown back at the Iron Peak men.

After learning a bloody lesson, the grenadier's throwing procedure was completely changed to "light the fuse first, then insert the wick".

Hissing grenades flew toward the shield formation.

A grenade struck the shield plate and rolled into the trench;
A lucky grenade flew through a gap in the shields and into the crowd;
More grenades were not thrown directly at the shields, but instead at the unprotected flanks where the shield formation had just been deployed.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Teltonians extinguished the fuse quickly, either by stomping on it or by chopping it with a knife.

The two-legged people were skilled with firearms—the Teldun people were already well aware of this.

Especially the "black mines" that had just been thrown, which exploded like thunder, "shattering men and horses." They had suffered countless losses when they attacked the second line of defense.

While the people of Iron Peak paid their tuition with blood, the people of Teltown were also learning at the cost of their lives. Both sides were forced by war to make rapid progress in their skills of killing each other.

Tamas could see clearly that some of the Teldun men even carried water bags, and as soon as they saw a grenade coming, they would immediately pour a bag of water on it, and the grenade would immediately stop firing.

Enraged, Tamas slammed his fist on his thigh and roared, "Cut the fuse in half! Throw it again on my command!"

Just then, the shield formation suddenly shifted, and the Telden men leaped out of the shield formation one after another as if fleeing for their lives.

The lucky grenade that flew into the shield formation was also destined to go out of control. A dark-faced Teldun soldier reacted quickly, drawing his knife and slashing at the fuse.

However, the shield formation was too crowded, and Xiao Dao's tassel was accidentally caught on someone else's belt.

The dark-faced Teldun soldier yanked his knife, but the gunpowder fuse was almost burned out in the blink of an eye; it was too late.

The dark-faced Terdon armored soldier recoiled in terror, shouting, "[Herd] Black Thunder! Black Thunder!"

Upon hearing this word, the other Terdon warriors let out screams like dying beasts, shrank their necks, abandoned their shields, and fled into the distance without a care.

The dark-faced Terdon soldier watched in despair as the gunpowder fuse burned into the "black mine," and after a moment's hesitation, the black mine exploded before his very eyes.

A large shield was overturned by the shockwave, and within a two-meter radius of the grenade explosion site, there was a bloody mess.

The dark-faced Teldun soldier had both legs blown off, and several dents appeared on his breastplate. He was coughing up blood and couldn't even make a sound, only groaning intermittently.

Several more "black grenades" were hurled in. The dark-faced Teldun soldier, recalling the faces of his mother and son, closed his eyes. Tamas, of course, wouldn't let such a good opportunity slip by. He roared in a hoarse voice, "Fire! Fire arrows! Give them a good beating!"

More grenades, lead bullets, and arrows flew into the shield formation through the gap, churning up chunks of flesh and blood.

The Teldun's first attack was repelled, and their commanders then sent another centurion with more large shields and siege ladders to launch a second attack.

After being stubbornly repelled once again, Teldun brought on their third Centurion team, followed by a fourth.

On their fifth attack, the Teldun committed all their forces.

In the previous four attacks, they had already scaled the horse-blocking wall, turning the battle into hand-to-hand combat.

Finally, Tamas opened the secret door, led his cavalry out of the barricade, swept away and cut off the enemy outside the wall from the flank, and finally repelled the Teldun people.

Facing the fifth attack, Tamas was prepared to retreat to the next line of defense.

However, the Telden men retreated.

At the same time, three kilometers north of Fort Tamas, there was another valley through which a large army could pass.

Taichi's son, whose armor was covered in blood, was directing his men to dismantle the horse-blocking wall.

The Teldun attacked three times and retreated three times. Before they could launch a fourth attack, the Palatul people defending the area abandoned their position and retreated along the valley.

As Taichi grew older and gained weight, he was no longer able to compete.

He examined each of the Parat people's corpses on the battlefield, but found no one with a fatal wound in their back.

“[Hede] What a tough bone.” Taichi called his son over and sighed with a mixture of admiration and solemnity: “[Hede] What a tough bone.”

"[Hede] I've lost two of my sons." Taichi's son spat out a mouthful of blood: "[Hede] That castrated pig, the Fire-Roaster! He's going to wipe out all our men! I think he had this in mind from the beginning!"

“[Hede] Shut up!” Taichi scolded, “[Hede] He is your Khan, or your uncle and brother; you must take care of him.”

After a bloody battle, Taichi's son's anger grew even stronger: "[Hede] What kind of inhuman Khan is this! You are Grandfather's youngest son, and according to the rules, you should be the one to inherit the Khanate!"

Taichi immediately raised his short whip and struck his son hard. But looking at his only son's face, covered in gunpowder and blood, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"[Hede] Don't mention this again, or I won't be able to protect you!" Taichi reprimanded coldly.

First, find the wooden stake, then use several horses to lasso it and drag it down.

When the wooden stake fell, the baskets and soil fixed to it also collapsed.

Using this method, Taichi's men demolished a large section of the horse-blocking wall, allowing the valley to once again accommodate large armies.

Meanwhile, the Teldun forces attacking other positions also rushed to assemble.

In this desperate breakout, Teldun's troops did not engage in feints; they launched all main attacks, concentrating their forces to strike wherever a breach was made.

Moreover, apart from their warhorses, weapons, and the food and drink they carried, they now had nothing left.

This was precisely when the Hud people were at their strongest, because at this moment they were not burdened by any wealth and were focused solely on survival.

After most of the Kotas had arrived, Taichi no longer waited for the last few and led his Terdun troops forward.

Once they break through this blockade, the Teldun cavalry will be able to roam freely across the land of Zhongtiefeng County, unstoppable and unstoppable.

But the further they went, the more uneasy Taichi felt.

The valley was completely silent; not even the chirping of birds could be heard. A chill filled the air, and the mountains on both sides grew ever steeper, fraught with danger.

Taichi hurriedly summoned the vanguard light cavalry leader, but before Nakota arrived, a cannon shot rang out from both sides of the hillside.

A red flag is raised at the top of the valley.

Then came the familiar yet terrifying battle cry of the Hed: "Uukhai!!!"

Dozens of blazing fireballs rolled down the hillside, growing faster and faster until they crashed into the Teldun's ranks at an unavoidable speed.

These "fireballs" were spherical cages woven from branches, filled with hay, resin, and lamp oil. They could not explode and had limited destructive power. However, they were effective in cutting off the Teldun's forces.

The Teldun tribe marched along the valley, resembling a long snake. A fireball roared down, instantly slicing the Teldun people into several pieces.

Seeing that things were not going well, the leader of Teldun, who was lagging behind, turned around and fled without hesitation.

"[Hede] Rotten flesh! Our retreat has been cut off!" Taichi cursed angrily, wildly cracking his whip and yelling orders to his panicked men: "[Hede] Charge forward! Charge forward! Kill! The gods are watching us!"

"[Herd] Fire Ox!" a Terdon soldier suddenly cried out in terror.

Tai Chi looked in the direction of the sound and saw that the second group rushing down the hillside were hundreds of burning, mad bulls.

The power of the fire bull charge is no less than that of the warhorse, and may even be more ferocious, because the maddened bull will never stop in front of the spear.

The Teldenans had the courage to fight the Paratulans to the death, but no one dared to stand before the raging bull.

The cattle trampled the earth, their hooves thundering, and the Teldun people scattered and fled.

Taichi wanted to fight to the death, but he couldn't even find a worthy opponent to fight him.

Winters coldly observed the devastation in the valley, waiting for an opportunity—rushing down now would easily result in being accidentally injured by the mad bull.

Military texts say to surround three sides and leave one side open to prevent the enemy from making a desperate last stand.

Winters, however, chose to apply this maxim in reverse. In his view, rather than deploying limited forces on the front line like salt, it was better to give the Teldens a way out and then use the terrain to strike them head-on.

Speaking of using fire oxen and fire horses, it was a tactic he learned from the Hed people.

Aside from the Hed people, who else would be willing to treat their precious horses and oxen as disposable items?
He hadn't used this tactic before because it was too unreliable.

The Teldun people once used fire horses to charge into battle, but the fire horses proved useless against the well-ordered square formations equipped with a large number of firearms.

Startled livestock cannot be judged by common sense, and no one knows whether the frenzied fire bull will turn around and charge back at the main force in the next moment.

However, in terrain with "two mountains flanking a ravine", there is no need to worry about this problem when using fire oxen to charge, because the fire oxen will instinctively charge down the hillside.

Moreover, the more the target runs, the more the bull will chase after it. The panicked and fleeing Teldens are the fire bull's number one target.

Seeing that the Telden men had been scattered, Winters nodded, and Charles understood and removed his bugle.

The sharp marching tune echoed through the valley. Under the red flag, the militiamen waiting on the reverse slope shouted in unison, picked up their spears and maces, and charged down the hillside.

The main force was deployed at various points along the defensive line. The main force of this ambush consisted of the "strong and able-bodied soldiers" and "adult soldiers" of the militia—that is, the strongest part of the militia.

These militia members are not good enough for tough battles, barely good enough for chaotic skirmishes, but they are best at chasing down fleeing enemies.

"[Herd] Towards that red banner!" Taichi drew his scimitar and shouted hoarsely to his guards and armored soldiers, "[Herd] Follow me and kill!"

Even at this moment, Taichi still hadn't given up on the idea of ​​a final gamble. The enemy's full-scale offensive meant that their commander's main camp was undefended.

Warhorses struggle to gain momentum on uphill terrain, but four legs are always faster than two.

To Taichi, killing the enemy general and seizing the flag was his only chance to turn defeat into victory.

The Terdun people, facing dire straits, were also aroused to ferocity. The armored soldiers tore off their armor and cut their saddles to lighten the load on their warhorses.

Nobles, guards, Nako'er... all the brave Terdun people gathered together and, led by Taichi, went against the current to launch a desperate attack on the position of the red flag.

Winters also noticed the unusual activity of this small group of Teltown people.

“You go first,” Winters said, drawing his saber and turning to Bard.

Bard sighed and drew his saber.

Taichi clung tightly to his warhorse's neck to reduce the resistance. The warhorse, foaming at the mouth and trembling at the knees, struggled to climb halfway up the mountain.

Suddenly, Taichi heard his son shouting behind him.

It turned out that the leader who had turned to flee was frantically waving a horse tail flag, the meaning of which was clear: his escape route had not been cut off.

Without Taichi giving the order, the other Terdun nobles turned their horses around and fled, their guards and attendants also running away with their master.

His desperate courage vanished in an instant, and Taichi suddenly understood the ruthlessness of his opponent:

He could see clearly that most of the enemies were "slaves" without helmets, armor, or even swords, carrying only a wooden stick.
If they are surrounded on all sides, the children of Teldun might actually have a chance to turn the tide if they fight to the death.
But once there was a way to escape, the Teldun children only thought about escaping;

The valley is narrow; how many could possibly escape? Those who flee discard their weapons, armor, and even their saddles. Even if they manage to escape, how can they fight again?

Taichi let out three painful howls, then yanked on the reins and fled with his son.

Winters sheathed his sword; the battle was undoubtedly a resounding victory, yet his expression grew increasingly grave.

The same applies to Bard.

What you fear most often happens—this elite force of the Teldun tribe, supposedly the "Khan's Guard," was far fewer in number than it should have been…

……

That night, the Teldun people, who had retreated in disarray back to the blockade line, surrendered for the second time.

This time, they were very sincere: Tai Chi, along with two other Qing Lingyu, personally came to surrender.

They finally met the opposing commander, a cold-faced man who was much younger than they had imagined.

Even so, the three prominent Teldun nobles still dared not look the other side in the eye—they had been completely humiliated and lost all courage.

"[Hede] Our men are scattered, we beg the general to grant us a few more days." Taichi licked his lips, bowing and scraping, no longer displaying his former arrogance: "[Hede] Allow me to take in our men, and the Teldun tribe is willing to surrender their weapons and submit to the general."

Worried that the other side might not have slaves who understood Hebrew, Taichi and his companions specially brought an interpreter.

"Do you know who I am?" Winters asked, scanning the three of them with a scrutinizing gaze.

“[Hede] I dare not… I don’t know him.” After hearing the interpreter’s translation, Taichi replied with a hunched back.

“I don’t know who you are either.” Winters narrowed his eyes coldly. “But I know Monkey Butt Face… humph, that is, your chief, the Fire-Baker.”

The translator was dumbfounded and didn't know what to do. Only after being urged by Tai Chi and the others did he truthfully translate the word "monkey butt face" into Hede.

Taichi subconsciously raised his head, only to meet the other person's gaze directly.

In an instant, it felt as if Taichi had been seen through from head to toe, his hair stood on end, and cold sweat seeped out from his back.

The other Qinglingyu suddenly realized, her face turning deathly pale. She pointed at Winters in disbelief and cried out in a horrified voice, "[Herd's] You...you are...you are..."

The third Qinglingyu was bewildered and clueless.

Until he heard his companion utter that name, "[Herd] You are Paratubala the Bald!!!"

His knees buckled, his vision went black, and he fell straight backward.

"Delaying time, waiting for the fire-brooders to come and rescue you?" Winters kicked over a blood-soaked wooden crate beside him and demanded sharply, "Do you think I don't know what you're thinking?"

Taichi couldn't understand what the other person was saying, but he could still feel the thunderous rage in their tone, and he instinctively shuddered.

"Isn't it strange where the fire-brooders went? Come on!" Winters said with a sneer, "Meet your chieftain."

Winters kicked the wooden crate again, and a head that was no longer human rolled out.

Rolling out with the head was a blue horsehair banner, now tangled with blood and brain matter—the Khan's token.

The Qinglingyu who recognized Winters saw the blue horsetail banner, his vision went black, and he collapsed limply.

Taichi knelt down with a thud and buried his head in his hands.

The head looked as if it had been torn apart by a ferocious beast, or as if it had exploded from the inside, with the nose and eyes drooping out, as if it had experienced the most agonizing torture in the world.

But the blue nine-tailed banner couldn't be faked.

Overwhelmed with grief, Taichi burst into tears.

Winters watched silently as the heartbroken Teltonian and the fire-warmer's uncle sang, then suddenly burst into laughter: "Stop pretending, they really believe it, but I don't think you do. Translator, translate for him!"

The interpreter was stunned by the series of dramatic changes and translated the words with trepidation.

Taichi wiped away his tears and slowly stood up.

"The one who warms himself by the fire dies, or you all die. It's one or the other." Winters leaned on his cane, slowly sat down in the chariot, leaned back, and said calmly, "You're a smart man; you can understand what I'm saying."

After listening to the interpreter's words, Taichi pondered for a moment and asked in return, "[Hede] If my tribe surrenders, will Batu spare my tribe?"

“I will not kill you, nor will I sell you into slavery.” Winters looked directly at Taichi: “If the Fire-Burning People kill me, you can go back to being your Nayan. In any case, I will deal with you first, and then deal with the Fire-Burning People. Time is precious, give me an answer now.”

“[Hede] How can I trust that Batu will not break his oath?” Taichi asked seriously.

“There’s no other way.” Winters narrowed his eyes. “But I have another name, Herstas.”

……

Taichi is decisive and efficient in his work, and so is Winters.

Having agreed on the terms, Winters immediately followed Taich alone into the enemy camp to swear an oath with the Teldun people.

While Winters was making a vow and holding a ceremony with Taichi in the presence of more than two thousand remnants of the Terdun tribe, the true elite of the Terdun Khanate had already crossed the Dajiao River from Duanlu Township.

The people who were warming themselves by the fire built a pontoon bridge.

At this moment, however, Zhevodan had no soldiers.

[Sorry I'm late]
[Surprise! A long chapter is here!]
[Finally, we've arrived at the part of this battle that I truly enjoyed the most... I've been building up to this for too long, my bad.]
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, donations, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
[There will be another chapter on Saturday or Sunday, but it will probably be Sunday night.]
[I will compile the list of acknowledgments from the past few days by the weekend.]
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(End of this chapter)