Chapter: Chapter 419
As days turned into nights, the Steel Spear tribe and the Bone Wing tribe remained in a standoff across the great river. During this period, there were several minor skirmishes between the two sides, but they were confined to small-scale conflicts.
Neither side dared to initiate a decisive battle without being absolutely certain of victory.
Since they couldn’t just do nothing while stationed in place, both sides began to strengthen their encampments. After so many days of confrontation, while there wasn’t much progress on the offensive front, the defensive front saw considerable gains.
The generals from both sides praised their subordinates for the sturdiness of their respective camps, claiming that the enemy had no chance of breaching their defenses head-on.
However, those were just words to be heard. In a real battle, the actual effectiveness of these defenses remained an unknown.
Moreover, for the encampments to function, the enemy would need to launch an attack. Currently, it seemed neither side had any intention of making the first move.
After all, at this juncture, the side that struck first would likely not gain much advantage, and might even face the possibility of a decisive counter-attack that could lead to collapse. The generals on both sides were relatively rational individuals and were unwilling to engage in such a high-risk endeavor.
But sometimes, not everyone could understand the thoughts of the frontline generals.
For example, the renowned tribal chief of the Steel Spear tribe.
“But the probability of success in launching an offensive now is almost zero! I do not agree with this battle plan!” In the main command tent of the Steel Spear camp, a lion-headed beastman slammed his fist on the table, shouting.
He was not the same lion-headed beastman whom Laticia had met before. This was a general of higher standing within the Steel Spear tribe, and could be considered one of the more intelligent ones.
His current position would not normally qualify him to lead the main force on an expedition. However, the more qualified commander had been beheaded by the enraged tribal chief due to a previous defeat, leaving the lion-headed beastman, who was second in command to the former commander, to take his place.
Recalling the previous battle, the lion-headed beastman felt a pang of regret. If not for the timely warnings that seemed to come from nowhere, he would likely have met the same fate as his predecessor.
An enraged tribal chief was not one to listen to reason. He feared he would be dragged out and have his head cut off without even a chance to defend himself.
Fortunately, with the help of that information, he had managed to achieve a stalemate with the Bone Wing tribe. Although they hadn’t won, they hadn’t lost either.
The Steel Spear tribal chief, who had been expecting a resounding victory, was not entirely satisfied with this outcome. He wished to replace the lion-headed beastman, but upon looking around, he reluctantly found that among the generals he could trust, the lion-headed beastman was the strongest in terms of combat capability.
The fox beastmen, originally known for their intellect, were now completely untrusted due to the previous betrayal by Firetail. Some innocent fox beastmen had even ended up in the underworld together with Firetail due to their close daily interactions with him.
Having lost their think tank, the Steel Spear tribal chief also lost his clear understanding of the current situation. He mistakenly believed that their side’s strength far surpassed that of the Bone Wing tribe and felt that the frontline lion-headed beastman could launch a full-scale attack and engage in a decisive battle with the enemy.
Thus, he sent his meticulously devised decisive battle plan to the front lines, instructing the lion-headed beastman to engage the Bone Wing tribe in a decisive battle according to this plan.
The plan itself was remarkably simple, emphasizing a reckless charge throughout. The core element of the entire plan was to simply brute-force their way through the enemy.
“With this plan, we will all die here!” The lion-headed beastman was still somewhat rational, knowing full well that with this plan, he might not even be able to return to the tribe alive. “Please tell the tribal chief that the situation on the front lines is not as simple as he thinks. The Bone Wing tribe is very strong, strong enough to rival us!”
The emissary from the Steel Spear tribal chief was a tiger-headed beastman with a slightly effeminate appearance. Upon hearing the lion-headed beastman’s words, his brow furrowed, and a look of displeasure immediately surfaced on his face: “Are you saying that the tribal chief’s judgment is not as clear as yours?”
“That’s not what I mean, but how much do you who stay in the tribe truly understand about the current situation?” the lion-headed beastman argued earnestly.
“How dare you! Who gave you the courage to question the tribal chief’s decision? I am telling you, before I came here, the tribal chief granted me the authority to act on his behalf. If you disobey, I have the power to kill you right now!” The tiger-headed beastman glared, speaking in a condescending tone.
As he spoke, the elite soldiers who had accompanied him simultaneously gripped their weapons tightly, as if they were ready to pounce and tear the lion-headed beastman to shreds the moment the tiger-headed beastman gave the order.
“You scoundrel, did you instigate the tribal chief? Do you even know the current situation?” The lion-headed beastman was furious, the fur on his neck puffing out by a full circle. He knew this tiger-headed beastman well; he was a sycophant by the tribal chief’s side, and it was highly probable that this scoundrel was secretly plotting, leading to the tribal chief’s irrational decision.
“Situation? All I see is a coward who is afraid to fight the enemy!” the tiger-headed emissary sneered and waved his hand at the elite soldiers behind him. “Since you lack the courage, allow me to take your place.”
Two burly beastmen following behind him stepped forward, grabbed the lion-headed beastman’s arms, and attempted to drag him out of the tent.
The lion-headed beastman did not dare to resist too much. These burly beastmen were the tribal chief’s personal guards; they only recognized the tribal chief’s orders. Now that they were obeying the tiger-headed beastman’s command, it must mean that the tribal chief had granted the tiger-headed beastman this authority.
In other words, all of this was indeed the tribal chief’s decision; he truly intended to rashly launch a decisive battle under these circumstances.
As he watched the lion-headed beastman being dragged out of the tent while shouting, the tiger-headed beastman’s face was filled with the smug smile of a petty person who had achieved his goals. He issued his first order to the stunned tent guards: “Summon the other generals here to see me. We must crush that Bone Wing tribe in one battle!”
With the issuance of this order, the previously quiet Steel Spear camp was plunged into minor chaos. This anomaly did not escape the notice of the Bone Wing tribe’s scouts. After careful observation, they were surprised to discover the actions of the Steel Spear tribe, which seemed to indicate an intention to attack.
This news was urgently conveyed to the Bone Wing tribe’s main camp and placed before the two commanding generals.
“Is the Steel Spear tribe plotting some kind of scheme?” the wisely-looking dog-headed beastman muttered to himself, frowning as he read the intelligence.
His partner, a white owl-headed beastman, shook his head. “Could it be that the other side has gone mad and intends to commit suicide?”
“Huh?”
…
I am helping my family with pasting Spring Festival couplets and shopping for New Year goods… Updates may be fewer in the next couple of days.
