Wind Sweeps the Green Grass

The next morning, the camp bustled with activity as the entire force continued its advance toward the Green Grass Tribe's encampment.

Meanwhile, Knight Jack's contingent also began to speed up their journey to the Green Grass Tribe. Along the way, they encountered and silenced several Green Grass Tribe herders.

This time, Jack's group included several cavalry from Edelweiss Territory who understood the Barbarian language. Upon discovering the herders, they immediately began interrogations, and soon Jack received vital intelligence.

The leader of the Green Grass Tribe had personally led 500 cavalry to pursue the remnants of the Wind Corner Tribe and had been missing for over eight days. The tribe was in disarray. The current leader's brother had instigated a rebellion among the two remaining centurion captains and imprisoned his brother's family, declaring himself the new tribal chief.

He was now planning to lead the tribe north. Many of the herders who had fled were supporters of the former leader, and their relatives were among the 500 warriors taken by the former leader.

To prevent these individuals from interfering with the tribal migration or reporting back to the former leader during the move, the new chief had driven the herders out of the tribe, seized their livestock and wealth, and left them to fend for themselves.

Upon receiving this intelligence, Knight Jack dared not delay. He immediately dispatched a messenger to report to Victor and then accelerated his own unit's advance. After all, his mission, besides masking the main force's movements, was to disrupt any potential migration by the Green Grass Tribe.

At 9 AM, as the main force had advanced 5 kilometers, Jack's messenger reached them and delivered the intelligence to Victor. Upon reviewing it, Victor immediately summoned Ron and Jackson, sharing the intelligence with them.

"I originally planned to advance normally and reach the Green Grass Tribe's main camp tonight, launching the attack tomorrow. However, plans change. I need you two to take 150 men to support Jack and ensure we successfully hinder their movements. Jackson, you will leave 50 men behind."

"Understood." The two accepted the orders and immediately began to act. Jackson assigned a deputy named Michael to take 50 men and report directly to Victor. The remaining 150 men, under their leadership, immediately accelerated to catch up with Jack's troops.

"If they push their horses, they should reach the Green Grass Tribe's settlement before 1 PM. 250 light cavalry should be enough to deal with the Green Grass Tribe's barbarian army, especially since the Green Grass Tribe just experienced a coup. Even if they conscript hastily, they won't be able to muster many men."

Victor mused that the two leaders of the Green Grass Tribe were both extraordinary, presenting him with challenges twice over, but ultimately simplifying the "exam."

Had the former leader not pursued the Wind Corner Tribe, Victor wouldn't have had the opportunity to annihilate his army and covet the Green Grass Tribe. If the new leader hadn't staged a coup and the tribe had remained stable, they could have mustered 500 men to resist Victor, making his conquest of the Green Grass Tribe militarily more difficult.

With this thought, Victor directly ordered Michael to organize personnel to scout around the main force. Any herders driven out of the Green Grass Tribe were to be captured and informed that the former leader's troops had been defeated and most were captured. They would now fight for the esteemed Lord Victor, and as his relatives, Lord Victor would provide them with food.

Victor had indeed captured a considerable number of Green Grass Tribe soldiers, but only about 200. However, he didn't mind deceiving these herders, and the herders didn't mind being deceived by Victor. As long as Victor was willing to provide them with food, they would naturally follow him. After all, they had lost everything and needed to eat to survive.

Around 2 PM, as the main force approached within 8 kilometers of the Green Grass Tribe's camp, Victor could see smoke in the distance. It appeared a battle had already begun, with something burning fiercely.

Two messengers reported to Victor. To ensure the accuracy and timeliness of communications, Victor required each squad to have three messengers. Once selected, he would personally meet them, remembering their faces and personal information. These messengers could report directly to him.

Victor questioned the two carefully and learned that two cavalry teams had rendezvoused and launched a direct assault on the Green Grass Tribe's camp. The attack was so sudden that the Green Grass Tribe had no time to react before their camp was breached. To ensure their safety, Victor's cavalry forces merely plundered and burned before withdrawing from the camp. They hadn't expected the fire to spread so vigorously, and no one in the Green Grass Tribe was organizing firefighting efforts, leaving their camp in chaos.

Victor frowned. It wasn't that he felt Ron and the other two had done a poor job, but he was furious at the inaction and incompetence of the Green Grass Tribe's new leader. The destroyed supplies, and the herders and livestock burned to death, were his wealth! He would make the new leader pay dearly.

By this time, three to four hundred herders were following behind Victor's main force, having been persuaded by him. The closer they got to the Green Grass Tribe's camp, the more such herders appeared. At least over a thousand had been driven out of the tribe. Victor simply had the cavalry lead these herders in shouting, and thus Victor led the main force forward, with an ever-increasing number of herders following behind.

A little past 3 PM, Victor arrived with the main force in front of the Green Grass Tribe's camp. He saw Ron, Jack, and Jackson leading their troops around the periphery.

Victor quickly brought his personal guard to them and inquired about their progress and the situation.

"Lord Victor, the fire has just begun to subside. The new leader attempted to escape with his troops, but we drove them back, killing and capturing half. Less than 100 returned to the camp," Ron reported.

"Many herders have fled the camp. We've gathered them together, and someone will provide them with food later," Knight Jack added.

Jackson nodded beside them, saying nothing.

"Well done. These herders are valuable resources; we can't let them scatter. Alone and without food, they'll only become fertilizer for the plains," Victor affirmed their actions.

Looking at the still chaotic Green Grass Tribe camp, Victor pondered for a moment before directly ordering the main force to attack. There was no need to consider anything else. Ending it quickly and minimizing losses was paramount. These unexpected events had cost Victor many potential gains and population.

Soon, the main force captured the tribal camp. Seeing the herders and livestock being driven out of the camp, Victor breathed a sigh of relief. At least the main spoils were secured.