But even so, the Barbarians did not dare launch an attack on Victor's troops. The earlier blow had utterly destroyed their confidence.
They refused to surrender now only because they believed they still had a chance to flee. Although the enemy had surrounded them on all sides, the encirclement still had many gaps due to the enemy's limited manpower.
The chieftains of those Barbarian Tribes did not want to lose their status. Clinging to a shred of hope, they wanted to lead their troops away, but they no longer had any intention of continuing their southern invasion after escaping. They only wanted to flee far away from these terrifying enemies who could unleash flames and thunder.
However, as the bombardment continued, their desire to flee grew ever more urgent. Those attacks were simply too terrifying, and even more Barbarian soldiers were killed by the shelling.
Then came the final straw that broke the Barbarian forces: the Border Fortress had sent out an army as well. This force consisted mainly of cavalry—more than ten thousand cavalrymen pouring out from several gates of the fortress.
The moment they emerged from the city, before they had even formed up, they pressed toward the Barbarian troops. Seeing the fortress garrison move, the other forces refused to be outdone and dispatched large numbers of cavalry as well. Their cavalry forces were not few in number, exceeding twenty thousand in total.
At the sight of so much cavalry, the chieftains of the Barbarian Tribes finally understood that they had lost their chance to escape. Twenty thousand cavalrymen were not much fewer than the remaining Barbarian forces.
Moreover, many of the Barbarian forces' warhorses had been severely spooked by the explosions. Calming those crazed horses alone would take a long time.
With horses like that, escaping from