Any warrior who had spent a long time on the Northern Grassland front might have found this scene somewhat familiar.
On the Northern Grassland, the Jia Wen royal family had used the terrain of Ishan Valley, built by a highly skilled dwarf master, to construct cities and gradually encroach on the orcs' territory. Once a city was completed, the orcs generally found it very difficult to break through by force.
After all, the powerful orcs' advantage lay in cavalry on the grasslands. If the humans holed up in their cities and refused to fight in the open, it was like a ferocious tiger encountering a ten-thousand-year-old tortoise—there was nothing it could do.
Thus, the two sides often ended up confronting each other and trading insults.
Typically, one group would shout from below the city walls, "Spineless humans, come down here!" while another would roar from atop the walls, "If you've got the guts, come up and fight! If you don't, what the hell are you yelling for?"
At times like this, the orcs would bring out a tradition that had been popular among them for ten thousand years: the Gladiator Battle, also known as the Flag Planting Battle!
Normally, when the orcs surrounded a city and the two sides reached a stalemate, a high-ranking orc would plant a flag below the walls and challenge the human knights to single combat!
These duels often involved wagers of resources. For example, if the orcs lost, they would release some prisoners. If the humans lost, they would provide food, tools, and other goods.
The stakes could be even higher, including wagers of territory. During the golden age of Jia Wen I's reign, more than half of the territory had been won through Flag Planting Battles fought by legendary heroes and orc chieftains.
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