Internal Threats

In the Horseshoe Tribe's camp, Centurion Jell was restless. The day before, he had discovered an unidentified Cavalry unit near the camp and reported it to Chief Anlie.

Since it was already late, Chief Anlie had not sent him or the other centurions out to hunt down the enemy. Instead, he ordered Centurion Wen Xi, who was responsible for the night patrols, to increase patrol frequency and add more night sentries. At dawn the next day, Jell and another centurion, Luda, would leave the camp together to search for the Cavalry unit.

But Jell remained deeply uneasy. His younger brother Jian was the centurion in charge of the outpost. He felt that the appearance of this Cavalry unit here might mean something unforeseeable had happened on Jian's side, so in the middle of the night, he sent two warriors skilled in night vision out of the camp to check on the outpost.

Yet early the next morning, his men found the two warriors' horses outside the camp. Perhaps the old horses knew their way and had returned to camp on their own, but the two warriors had vanished without a trace.

This made Jell even more worried about his brother. The Jell family's current situation was perilous. The hundred-man unit Jian had taken away was an important force, one that could ensure the Jell family's continued existence within the Horseshoe Tribe. Whether for affection or self-interest, Jell had to find a way to rescue Jian and ensure the safety of him and his hundred-man unit.

The Jell family was one of the Horseshoe Tribe's great clans. It was precisely because of their support that Anlie could firmly hold his position as tribal chief. And thanks to the merit of supporting Anlie, they had obtained two centurion posts and controlled one-third of the tribe's elite warriors.

But their power had also aroused Anlie's suspicion. He had always sought to weaken the Jell family's military authority, stirring up conflict between the Wen family, the Luda family, and the Jell family, all of whom held centurion posts. He continually sidelined the Jell family and sent the hundred-man units under their command on the most dangerous missions. Of the other two hundred-man units, one belonged to Anlie's An family and was led by Anlie's nephew An Sheng, while the other was managed by Shang Ye, the tribe's strongest warrior.

Still, to obtain news of the outpost, Jell could only swallow his pride and cooperate with Luda. Having made up his mind, Jell went directly to find him.

"Luda, the chief ordered us yesterday to search for that Cavalry unit this morning. When do you think we should set out?" Jell did not dare appear too eager. Though he had prepared himself to pay a price, it was best to save what he could.

"It's barely morning. My men haven't even eaten yet. What are you so anxious about? Even the wolves of the grasslands know that when you get up early, you drink some water first. At the very least, let my men have a bowl of hot soup before we talk." Luda was utterly unconcerned.

"Luda, you know Chief Anlie doesn't think highly of our Jell family. I absolutely dare not disobey his orders. How about this? I'll give you a hundred sheep, enough for you and your men to have a good meal. Let's set out early and not delay the chief's command." Jell quickly offered an incentive and lowered his stance.

"Oh, my good brother Jell, I must thank you on behalf of my men. How about this? Wait two hours. Once my men and I have eaten your sheep, we'll set out." Greed gleamed in Luda's eyes. He felt that this time, he could squeeze Jell properly.

Damn it. A hundred sheep for you and your hundred men? Forget two hours, you couldn't finish them in ten days. Damn you, Luda. Aren't you afraid of choking to death? Jell was furious. Though he had expected Luda's greed, such undisguised behavior was still hard for him to accept.

"Luda, I'm not joking with you. I truly cannot delay the chief's orders, but at worst, I'll be fined some cattle and sheep. At worst, I'll hand all these sheep over to the chief as a penalty. I've already been polite enough to you. Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit." Jell no longer wanted to tolerate this fool and began threatening him outright.

"Brother Jell, no, no, I was joking just now. Giving a hundred sheep to the chief would be too wasteful. The chief's cattle and sheep fill the tribe, so you should give them to me instead. I guarantee I'll immediately lead my men out with you." Seeing the cooked duck about to fly away, Luda immediately changed his attitude.

Jell was astonished by his shamelessness and abrupt change, but then he remembered how, under Anlie's suppression, the Jell family had to rack their brains and expend great effort to contend with the Luda family and Wen family. It suddenly felt wholly unworthy.

I must find a way to drive Anlie from power. Otherwise, the Jell family will sooner or later face disaster. This thought made Jell even more determined to oppose the chief.

Before long, the two hundred-man units were equipped and ready. They were the elite of the Horseshoe Tribe. Though they did not receive military pay like the duchy's professional troops, they were usually well fed, and their weapons and armor were issued to them. They were far more elite than ordinary Barbarian Cavalry, and their discipline alone surpassed them by far.

Luda's and Jell's troops set out one after the other. Because the Barbarian Tribes faced strict restrictions on purchasing weapons, even the Iron Birch Territory's vassal tribes could at best purchase leather armor reinforced with iron plates. Metal armor was not sold to them at all, much less true chainmail or plate armor.

This had shaped the Barbarian Tribes' style of warfare. They favored Light Cavalry clad entirely in leather armor, and because both riders and equipment were relatively light, these warriors generally had one man and one horse unless they were on a long expedition. This gave them tremendous mobility, making them much swifter than Victor's one-man, two-horse Light Cavalry.

Jack, who had been observing from afar, also noticed the two hundred-man units leaving the Horseshoe camp. Realizing they might be coming for him, he immediately led his troops south. There was no need for him to stay and fight head-on.

"According to the plan, the Baron should have already sent out a relief force. I just need to head south. It's a pity about the two warriors we captured last night. There's still much intelligence we didn't get out of them."

Less than two quarters of an hour after they left, Jell and Luda arrived with their men at Jack's Temporary Camp. For them, finding tracks on the grasslands was not difficult.

Seeing the scattered campfires, Jell brushed aside the charcoal and felt it. "It's still hot. They must have only just left and can't have gone far."

After examining the camp's layout, Jell sensed something was wrong. This was clearly the way the duchy's standing army set up camp. Jell had once fought alongside Iron Birch Territory's troops and was familiar with their characteristics.

Although Jell had known from the start that they had come to this border grassland under the eldest son of the Iron Birch Family's orders to disrupt the nobles' development efforts, the intelligence they had received said that the one developing this area was merely a baron who should not have many troops. Yet judging from this camp's layout, at least an elite hundred-man unit had been stationed here. This was not strength an ordinary baron should possess. It was not as if Jell had never seen the military forces of baronial nobles before. An ordinary baron would be fortunate to have a hundred cavalrymen, and if he were coming to develop land, he would not have brought all of them along.