Although Heshima had no idea how dearly the other Barbarian armies had paid to cross the river and fight, he imagined the cost could not have been small.
If his force failed, and Keledu's failed as well, the blow to the Barbarians would be devastating. It would mean more than lost troops; far worse would be the damage to the morale of the entire army.
The Barbarian armies owed their current morale, first and foremost, to the fact that they were going home. To clear a road home, the Iron Bone Tribe had united from top to bottom and worked closely with the Faith Order. Everyone was straining to fight their way back.
The other reason was that the Northern Alliance Army blocking their path was clearly weaker than the forces they had encountered in Two Rivers County. Both their equipment and their fighting strength fell far short. More importantly, they lacked the Two Rivers Army's mysterious, terrifying weapons, which allowed the Barbarians to maintain decent morale.
But if his unauthorized retreat caused today's river crossing to fail, the spirit would drain out of the entire army, and its morale would collapse completely. Fighting the battles that followed would become much harder.
The Iron Bone Tribe's army had already suffered heavy losses in the fighting along the border of Two Rivers County. If its morale broke as well, it would be utterly incapable of fighting.
Heshima could not accept such an outcome. Whatever happened, he had to ensure that today's river crossing achieved something—at least one foothold secured on the far bank, whether by him or by Keledu.
Heshima continued commanding his troops in battle, unwavering even as enemy reinforcements arrived. His own side, too, had a steady stream of Barbarian troops crossing the river.
Even if the grinding losses