827 Seeking Help (1/2)
After a frosty night, the temperature had dropped drastically. The horses kept snorting restlessly, and every breath came out as a large puff of white steam. On a small hill, Gu Shenwei was mounted on a horse as he surveyed the huge army extending towards the horizon.
According to the report of the scouts, the size of the armies that were mustered to the north of Thousand Horsemen Pass had exceeded their previous expectations.
Dugu Xian had prepared a general outline of the current situation and was now briefing the others. He pointed with his sole remaining arm, saying, ”To the east of Thousand Horsemen Pass, a Central-Plains army is stationed at the foot of a hill. We can barely see them from here, but there are around 20,000 of them.”
”There are Central-Plains troops here?” Gu Shenwei was a little surprised by that fact. He thought that all of the Central-Plains armies stationed in the Western Regions had been wiped out.
Dugu Xian nodded and explained, ”The Loulan Kingdom's main force that had been stationed in the Central Plains was eradicated. Somehow, this one slipped through the net. They might have been planning on taking advantage of this opportunity to occupy Thousand Horsemen Pass; however, any plans they had were halted after they ran into Luoluo's army.”
”Luoluo didn't attack the camps of the Central Plains army as soon as he saw them?”
”I'm guessing that Luoluo's strategy is to first defeat us first with his full strength. If he wins this war, then all the other forces who have been maintaining a neutral stance will take his side, and that Central-Plains army will also surrender without fighting.”
Luoluo's army had set camp about twenty to thirty miles north of the camp of the Central-Plains army, by a nearby river. From a distance, their camps seemed like a vast swamp that had sprouted near the river, which was boundless and countless by comparison.
”The number of Luoluo's troops has exceeded 200,000,” Dugu Xian continued to say. ”Many tribes from the eastern part of the grasslands have joined him. They're stationed to the northwest of Luoluo's main camp, and their forces number at least 30,000 to 40,000 strong. They will act as the forces that will harass our left wing.”
Dugu Xian's arm arced as he pointed to the north. ”There's another group of tribes who have come to watch the battle over there. They haven't decided which side to support yet. The Naihang Tribe is the one that's closest to us.”
The Naihang Tribe had reached the the battlefield's boundaries a day in advance. It was not until the allied forces had arrived that General Zhe Su finally moved their camps forward. They had picked the location of their camps very smartly — they had purposefully evaded the area in front of Luoluo's army so as to reduce Luoluo's hostility towards them. At the same time, they were also not camped too away from the allied forces, showing some exclusive closeness to them.
Further to the north, dozens of tribal armies were randomly scattered across a vast stretch of grassland. They all kept a similar distances from the two warring sides of the final showdown.
The Naihang Tribe had come here because Gu Shenwei and Liman had persuaded Zhe Su into doing so, while all the other tribes had come uninvited. ”Their intelligence networks are amazing,” Gu Shenwei commented. It had only been several days since he had made the decision to accept the challenge, but so many forces had still come in time to spectate.
”Luoluo sent news about the showdown to all of the tribes a long time ago.”
”But we were the last one to know.”
”Luoluo's messengers were pretty spot-on with their timing. Also, all of the spectating tribes traveled nonstop to get here. Since yesterday, many tribes have sent their regards to the two princes.”
Gu Shenwei didn't ask more questions about that subject. This kind of greeting was nearly worthless. No matter how many of these greetings Duodun and Shulitu received, Luoluo would receive just as many, if not more.
This was an open gamble. The winner would win the allegiance of the majority of tribes, and it would thus pave the way for their succession to the throne. The Norlanders venerated the strong, and they had never tried to keep that a secret.
Long Fanyun reminded, ”Some people from the Naihang Tribe are coming.”
A dozen knights were rapidly riding towards this highland. Long Fanyun and fifty guards fell into a formation. Tie Linglong raised her guard and whipped out her saber. Han Fen craned her neck, trying to get a better view. Mo Lin was the most composed, but he also moved a little closer to the Dragon King.
These were all of the people around Gu Shenwei.
It was General Zhe Su who had come. He stopped ten steps away, ignoring all the guards, and asked ”Are you here to explore the terrain, Dragon King? The battlefield's right before you. When do you plan on starting the war? Everybody's been waiting anxiously.”
Gu Shenwei pointed at the army camps of the myriad tribes in the north as he replied, ”Some audience members haven't arrived yet. We might as well wait.”
Zhe Su glanced over his shoulder briefly, looking beyond his camps to further ones. Most of the tribes who had come to spectate hadn't brought many cavalrymen — ranging from dozens to 2,000 or 3,000 at the most. The Naihang Tribe was the only one that had led an army of around 100,000 soldiers here, which made it the most powerful force apart from the two sides that were about to fight in the imminent war.
”Ha-ha, as long as you understand, that's fine. I have already sent someone to talk to Luoluo. He's a pushover — he has already agreed to let the Naihang Tribe select the King Rizhu ourselves.”
”So you've gotten what you want, General.”
”I have to thank you, Dragon King. If it weren't for that time that you persuaded me, the Naihang Tribe would have missed this good opportunity.”
”We have our own respective needs, so you don't have to be so polite, General.” Back them. Gu Shenwei had only been trying to encourage Shulitu to fight, and he had achieved his ends as well.
”Ha-ha, you're a straightforward man, Dragon King. To be honest, I hope that you win. After all, the young king is old King Rizhu's maternal grandson and he's also related to the Naihang Tribe. I'd have a clearer conscience if we supported him. So please do your best, Dragon King. Even if you and Luoluo draw, I'll still join the fight.”
Before the Dragon King could respond, Zhe Su had already turned his horse around and left with his guards.
”He nagged on for so long. What exactly was he trying to say?” Tie Linglong put her saber away, as she asked in confusion.
Gu Shenwei watched Zhe Su's receding figure, ”First, he said that doesn't believe we can win this war. Luoluo's army must've given him a very deep impression. Second, if by any chance we do win, Shulitu will be the only one that he supports and I have to get rid of Duodun and the Second Consort.”
Because of Duo Ercha's recklessness, it was now impossible for the Naihang Tribe to ally with Duodun.
”Ha,” Tie Linglong let out a snicker as she said. Unlike common guards and killers, he dared to speak before the Dragon King. ”This guy really knows how to bluff.”
The Naihang Tribe was a strong force to be reckoned with, so they naturally dared to talk big, and this had already become an ingrained habit and tradition of theirs. But Gu Shenwei had a premonition that this situation wouldn't last for long. The old Khan had wanted to eliminate the tribal forces of the Queen's family, and his wish would eventually come true.
”We've been observing for long enough. We should return,” Dugu Xian said fairly worriedly. They were far away from their own camps. Although they could see the enemies from here, the enemies could also easily see them in return.
Gu Shenwei led the way back as they rode down the hill. First he rode southwards, planning to acquaint himself with the battlefield environment before he would turn to check on the camps in the west.
Tie Linglong was the first one to notice the unusual movements ahead. ”Some other people are headed toward us.”
This time, the pursuers were coming from the east, where Luoluo's camps were located.
Long Fanyun immediately whipped out his saber as he said, ”Please leave first, Dragon King and General Dugu. I'll cover you.”
With the Flame Foal, Gu Shenwei dashed forward a distance to see what was going on and then returned after watching for a while. ”It's not us that they're after.”
As expected, dozens of Norland cavalrymen were pursuing seven or eight knights. During the time when Gu Shenwei and the others had been discerning their identities, two knights had already been shot down from their horses.