Simultaneous travel: I am a talented person in all the worlds

Chapter 417 The Collapse of the Border Tribes

When Mo Yu returned to the northern border of the empire with Esdeath, the world situation had already changed drastically.

Mo Yu first led his army to break through the main Changyuan section guarded by General Liwa and captured Brand. Later, he defeated Esdeath on the front line at Pianguan Changyuan.

With the fall of two strategically important passes in Changyuan, the Imperial Army lost two more key generals in quick succession.

They quickly suffered a crushing defeat, with the entire army collapsing.

Thus, the indestructible Changyuan, which had protected the empire for a thousand years and had never been truly set foot on by foreign enemies, was now rendered useless.

Thus, the Church of the God of War, under the command of eight high priests, led hundreds of thousands of tribal troops who had followed them from the bitterly cold lands of the White Mountains and Black Waters.

The troops marched tirelessly, like a torrent bursting its banks, and crossed the long wall that symbolized the glory and fortifications of the empire.

Their iron hooves trod the Central Plains for the first time on that fertile land that was said to flow with milk and honey!

Heading south to graze horses!

The desires and dreams etched into the very bones of all the nomadic tribes in the North, generation after generation!

Today, under the guidance of their high priest and the god of war they worship, this dream that has lasted for thousands of years has finally become a reality!

The eight chief priests, each the commander of their own department, divided their forces into eight routes, like eight sharp knives piercing the heart of the empire.

However, when Mo Yu, the high priest who could control everything and suppress all disobedient subjects with supreme divine power, was not in the army.

Chaos and loss of control, like a wildfire, inevitably began to spread.

The greed and desires inherent in human nature are amplified infinitely after suddenly encountering the dazzling prosperity of the Central Plains.

Even though the Empire's 400,000-strong expeditionary force had lost its original commander, Esdeath, they were still on their way under Najenda's leadership.

However, not everyone, after suddenly becoming rich and losing their sense of self-control, can still clearly understand what they should do, rather than indulging in retaliatory extravagance.

Among the eight high priests, the most loyal to Mo Yu was the old chieftain of the Luoluowu tribe, Urka. He joined forces with the other three high priests who shared similar views, rallied their tribes, and charged forward against the imperial army of 400,000.

They wanted to launch a surprise attack on the last remaining force of the empire before news of the fall of Changyuan reached the empire!

As for the remaining four high priests, they made completely different choices.

Among them, the Sefrik tribe suffered a severe setback in its southward advance because the original chieftain died in battle during the attack on Changyuan, and the new chieftain hastily assumed the position of high priest. Lacking sufficient prestige, the new chieftain was unable to fully control the entire tribe.

The other three tribes, upon entering the Central Plains, triggered the emergence of border peoples from the harsh, cold lands. Besides the positive trait of "fierceness," they also experienced another negative trait—

Honkai Impact!
The former village has been turned into a smoke-filled ruin, the fields have been trampled into mud by countless iron hooves, and corpses and abandoned farm tools can be seen everywhere.

The sky was shrouded in a layer of gray smoke and dust, making it feel oppressive and gloomy.

When the high priest, who was like an incarnation of a god, was present, they could barely suppress their inner wildness and put on a submissive appearance.

But as soon as he was away, his long-suppressed desires, like a ferocious beast freed from its shackles, ran rampant.

Burning, killing, and looting were just routine operations.

Even worse, some chose to massacre entire cities in order to seize wealth and demonstrate their brutality!

Furthermore, they claimed that all of this was the will of the "God of War"!

……

The official road was a scene of devastation.

Mo Yu walked expressionlessly across this once prosperous land, now a living hell.

Esdeath lagged half a step behind him, her icy blue eyes calmly sweeping over everything before her.

She had witnessed countless wars and even personally created countless scenes far more horrific than this.

This is simply the norm in war.

The saying "Weapons are instruments of ill omen" and "A war is like a comb" is no joke.

They risked their lives, finally winning a hard-fought battle, but the reward from above wasn't enough to cover the blood and sweat their brothers had shed.

How to do?
The vast majority of generals chose to let their men search for rewards for three days, allowing them to vent their pent-up frustrations.

Let alone tribal armies, this is routine even for an imperial general like Esdeath.

The victor is king, the loser is villain; everything the defeated have—be it wealth, land, or life—should rightfully be the spoils of the victor.

The laws of war are simply like this; there's nothing more to say about them.

However, when Esdeath caught a glimpse of Mo Yu's gloomy eyes and furrowed brows beside her, a hint of doubt appeared in her own eyes.

What she took for granted as 'common sense' seemed to have a completely different meaning in this man's eyes.

Not far away, a group of drunken tribal soldiers tied looted valuables and scantily clad young women to the backs of their horses.
They toyed with lassos, dragging the men down one by one, and amidst wild laughter, brandished their scimitars in a bloody slaughter game.

Mo Yu did not turn around, but his gaze grew even colder.

Although I had expected it, it was still hard not to feel angry when I actually saw this scene.

He can accept people dying in battle, but he cannot accept humans being tortured and killed like livestock.

They were angry not only at the rapidly collapsing Northern warriors, but also at the people who dared not even resist, allowing themselves to be bullied and slaughtered.

Although this human tragedy was, to a large extent, directly related to him.
"I'll kill them for you?"

Esdeath's fingertips condensed a chilling aura, and an ice crystal spear instantly took shape.

To her, they were nothing more than grunts, whom she could kill with a flick of her wrist.

However, Mo Yu raised her hand and grabbed her wrist, stopping her:
"No need."

Esdeath is currently an enemy general, and a captured one at that. Even if her own tribe commits a crime, she cannot be the one to deal with it.

Moreover, what if these people, like the tribes captured by Numasekha, dared to rebel?

Mo Yu didn't mind lending a hand; that's always been his principle.
God helps those who help themselves; if God doesn't help them, I will!
If one chooses to resist, it means that all suffering is voluntary.

He has no right, nor any inclination, to save those who voluntarily suffer.

Under Esdeath's puzzled gaze, Mo Yu casually drew a talisman on her leg using the Tongtian Talisman.

Immediately afterwards, Esdeath felt her body lighten, and her travel speed increased dramatically.

With a surprised Esdeath by her side, Mo Yu quickly headed towards the location of the Rorou tribe, which she had learned about.

It's true that he's too lazy to save these spineless cowards who dare not resist, but that doesn't mean he won't punish those soldiers who disobey his orders and quickly crumble at the slightest temptation.

This kind of thing, whether for the Church of the God of War or for him, is a liability and dregs that needs to be 'optimized'.

However, such matters cannot be directly punished; they must be convicted within the framework of rules and regulations, first using the laws and scriptures of the Church of War.

Only after a crime has been committed can punishment be imposed. Only in this way can we deter future offenses.

It's troublesome and complicated, but building a force, especially a large force with a large enough number of people, is very difficult.

This process, however, is necessary.

……

The Rorowu tribe.

A temporary camp built along a river on an open plain.

Unlike the scattered and plundering tribes, the camps here were well-organized, with flags flying everywhere, sentry posts densely packed, and patrol teams coming and going in an endless stream, creating an atmosphere of solemnity and killing intent.

The hundreds of thousands of troops obeyed orders without the slightest noise or chaos.

Esdeath's eyes widened in horror. In her view, this army was no less skilled than the Imperial Guard in terms of military prowess.

But how many people are in the Imperial Guard?
Is this the level that their northern tribes can achieve?!
Esdeath, who hadn't been back to her hometown for two or three years, seemed quite lost.

When two streaks of light appeared silently in the army's main tent.

She discovered that the person sitting in the commander's seat was not the old chieftain of the Rorou tribe, Urka, and the middle-aged man was not anyone she knew.

Even when the elusive high priest appeared before them, the manner of greeting and the way they addressed him were different.

"This humble general pays his respects to my lord."

"Li Wu greets her master."

"Master Priest."

At this moment, Esdeath suddenly noticed that there was a beautiful woman in purple robes holding a jade flute inside the tent.

"Get up."

Mo Yu glanced at the three high-ranking members of the Luo Luo Wu tribe who were currently making decisions.

As for Buck?

That barbarian just tells you where to cut, that's all. You really expect him to use his brain?!

The group naturally followed Mo Yu's footsteps and gathered around the table where the maps were displayed.

"What is the current state of the battle?"

Mo Yu glanced at the marked map in front of him, and with his military expertise and experience, he had already guessed the general idea.

The fact that the armies of the four tribes have set up camp like this suggests that they have abandoned their plans for a surprise attack and are now aiming to defeat the Imperial Expeditionary Force head-on.

As expected, Master Gen clasped his hands and said:
"Reporting to my lord, last night I personally led a scout team to investigate the enemy camp. We found that although the enemy troops were fully armored and their soldiers had ruddy complexions, they were a regular army."

However, its commander lacks the ability to lead a large army.

Upon hearing this, Mo Yu glanced at Esdeath, who looked embarrassed, with a playful expression.

"cough!"

General Bi from Qin Shilai didn't recognize Esdeath, but Ulka did. He immediately coughed, pointed at Esdeath, and whispered to Genshi:
"General Genshi, this is General Esdeath, the Empire's strongest warrior."

Genshi glanced up slightly at Esdeath's beautiful face and tall figure. As a captured enemy general, she was not restricted in any way, and even her complexion was quite good. She didn't look haggard like a defeated general at all.

He glanced at Esdeath out of the corner of his eye again, and a flash of understanding crossed his eyes as he instinctively moved closer to Mo Yu.

Mo Yu glanced up at Gen Shi and said:

"You go on."

"Yes"

Master Gen also coughed softly, carefully considering his words:

"Since the enemy's current commander, Najenda, lacks the ability to command a large army, and given that the enemy's former general, Esdeath, was defeated by the lord and the fall of the Millennium Wall, the morale of our army will inevitably be disrupted when we appear before them."

"At this point, given the enemy general Najenda's command capabilities, it is impossible for her to quickly stabilize the morale of the troops in a short period of time. Instead, as time goes on, panic will spread."

"In that case, allowing our troops to rest and regroup after their long march and then engage in direct combat will actually allow us to achieve the greatest results at a lower cost."

Mo Yu looked at the map and pointed out the key point:
"You already possess the ability to command large legions? I remember your previous command limit was only around 30,000, right?"

A commander of a large army is an imperial treasure in any era.

Gen said that Najenda lacked the ability to command large armies, but in reality, she never did.

Even in the Qin Dynasty of the Qin era, there are currently only two veteran generals, Meng Ao and Wang He, who can be considered commanders of large armies.

Wang Jian was only just beginning to show his talent.

As for Gen Shi, also known as General Bi, his limit is 30,000 to 50,000 men.

His leadership stat is actually about the same as Najenda's, and Najenda's leadership stat might even be higher.

Li Wu, however, leaned against Mo Yu's side, holding her flute and giggling:

"Thanks to the treasure bestowed by my master, my flute music can now cover and influence 100,000 soldiers."

Master Gen nodded in agreement, confirming this point:
"With the flute's effect on the legion's organizational strength, I can command an army of 100,000 and allow it to unleash its full power."

"Then, with me in the central command and the four clan leaders each leading 30,000 soldiers on the flanks, defeating the demoralized and poorly commanded Imperial Expeditionary Force head-on will not be a problem."

Looking at the Imperial Flute in Li Wu's hand, Mo Yu recalled that when he was fighting Numasek, there was indeed a woman who controlled tens of thousands of alien cavalry through the sound of her flute.

If you don't add buffs like Berserk and instead add Organization, you can indeed turn a general with the ability to command 30,000 to 50,000 into a commander of a large army with 100,000 troops.

Forty-eight Imperial Arms—most of them are quite overpowered for a country, with many being national treasures.

However, even with so many overpowered Imperial Arms left behind, the Empire inevitably declined into this wretched state a thousand years later.

It can only be said that what truly determines the outcome of a battlefield is people, not simply powerful weapons.

"Just stick to the original plan."

Mo Yu nodded, first affirming Gen Shi's battle plan, then turning to look at Ulka:
"In addition, summon the other high priests to arrive here within three days to meet and jointly attack the imperial army."

"Those who disobey the order will be killed without mercy!"

"Yes!"

Urka's pupils contracted slightly, and he quickly bowed his head to accept the order.

He knew perfectly well who Mo Yu's order was aimed at.

Those three tribes, I'm afraid, won't obey the imperial edict so easily.
(End of this chapter)