One night, Heshima sought out Keledu alone. "Keledu, we can't go on like this. We were short on food to begin with, and our people are exhausted. If we keep marching this way, the whole force will eventually collapse.
"If possible, I still want to slow down the enemy pursuing us!"
Keledu immediately understood what Heshima meant. He probably wanted to detach some troops to hold off their pursuers, and he had likely come to Keledu because he wanted the Faith Order to contribute men as well.
Keledu wanted to refuse, but their two forces were too deeply tied together now.
If neither side was willing to send troops, their pursuers would eventually catch them both.
After much hesitation, Keledu said, "Even our elite Order Warriors have suffered heavy losses in battle. We have few men to spare—two thousand at most. Would that be enough?"
To his surprise, Heshima nodded. "Two thousand is already a great help.
"I'll send another eight thousand. With your two thousand, we'll have ten thousand men—enough cavalry to hinder the enemy's advance.
"If they can buy us three or four days, we'll have enough time to cross the Shattered Ice River and return to the depths of the grasslands.
"And Keledu, don't worry about the force we leave behind. They won't need to fight the enemy head-on. They only need to delay their march.
"Once they've done that, they can withdraw. If they can retreat across the Shattered Ice River and return to the grasslands, so much the better.
"Even if they can't, they can remain active in this region. This stretch of grassland is close to the southerners' territory, but it's vast enough to sustain them.
"I'll leave them some livestock, plenty of warhorses, and food to help them hold out longer.
"Once the