Chapter 264

Wakanda!

The capital city is Bernin Zana!

The once beautiful and prosperous country has recently become somewhat gloomy, not referring to the weather, but to the mood of its people.

War has broken out!

Several neighboring countries dredged up old grievances, amassed troops on the border, and united to declare war on Wakanda.

The Wakanda people are isolated from the outside world, and because they have not been exposed to external cultural invasions, their customs have been preserved very well. Every one of them is raised as a warrior from childhood, and they are fierce and fearless in war.

But not being afraid of war doesn't mean you like fighting; no one wants to see their loved ones die on the battlefield.

Moreover, Wakanda is a small African nation with a limited population and military strength, making each warrior an extremely valuable resource. Occasional skirmishes between tribes are acceptable, but waging war against a nation composed of several tribes simultaneously is essentially the same as losing.

In the royal council hall, King Azzuri summoned the elders of the four tribes to discuss the stalemate at the front.

Wakanda has many tribes, large and small, totaling 28. Apart from the original five tribes, the rest migrated from outside and integrated into Wakanda. To put it bluntly, these tribes are not valued and are not even considered the backbone of the nation, so they have no right to decide the future of the country.

These five tribes are the Golden Tribe, which is the tribe of the Black Panther, and the remaining tribes are the Border Tribe, the River Tribe, the Mining Tribe, and the Ape Tribe.

"Your Majesty, war has broken out. Delving into the cause will not change anything. Repelling the invaders is our only option," the elder of the Ape Tribe said loudly.

He was very dismissive of Azzuri's idea of appeasement and resolving the war through peace talks. What did he mean by saying that there were many doubts about the cause of the war? It was just a war, and they could just make up any reason.

For example, the reason why their Ape Tribe waged war against other tribes was very simple and brutal: I have two sheep that I want to sell to your tribe. What, you dare not buy them?

"Elder White Ape, war doesn't necessarily have to be decided by bloodshed..." King Azu of Wakanda, known as the Wise Azzuri, stood up solemnly and said loudly, "War is never an end in itself; it is merely a means, a diplomatic means that extends from politics. We must first understand the enemy's purpose, what they want to achieve. Otherwise, even if we win this time, there will be a next time."

"Your Majesty, there's no need to say so much. You know we don't understand any of it." The elder of the White Ape Tribe looked impatient. He only knew that the enemy had already reached their doorstep, and as a warrior, he absolutely could not back down.

The other three tribal elders looked distressed. Elder White Ape was right; Azzuri's words were too profound for them to understand.

Azzuri: "..."

Looking at his four uneducated teammates, Azzuri felt he couldn't lead them and sighed, "War can indeed demonstrate the strength of Wakanda, but war Deadman. For the sake of our people, we must be cautious."

The elders of the White Ape Tribe slammed their fists on the table and shouted, "The warriors of the White Ape Tribe are not afraid of sacrifice. Our spears thirst for blood, and our shields thirst for honor!"

Azzuri: "..."

Damn it, so all that was said was for nothing!

"Your Majesty, I believe Elder White Ape is right. The invaders have reached our doorstep, and we cannot retreat in fear. If we leave the enemy with the impression that we are weak and easily bullied, that would be a true catastrophe for the nation!"

"Your Majesty, you worry too much. War will indeed Deadman, but the warriors of the tribe will never complain if they die defending their country."

"That's right. The soldiers have already gathered at the front line. If we retreat now, it will definitely damage morale, and the only one to benefit will be the enemy."

Seeing that the four elders insisted on fighting, Azzuri couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness and defeat. Although he was the supreme leader of Wakanda, the country was not his sole domain. The council of tribal elders, for example, served as his political right-hand men and also as a check on his power. Especially during wars concerning the survival of the nation, the tribal elders' power could become so great that it made him want to dictate everything.

"Everyone..."

Just as Azzuri was about to say something, he suddenly noticed the burning desire in Elder White Ape's eyes and couldn't help but smile bitterly to himself.

The king of Wakanda wields military, political, and religious power, and the position is typically hereditary. However, hereditary succession does not guarantee that the throne will remain unchanged; the other four tribes are eligible to challenge the current king and seize his position and title.

Azzuri saw the ambition in the Elder White Ape's eyes; the latter wanted to become king, which was why he was pushing this war so hard.

Wakanda lost, and as king, he was to blame. Wakanda won, but someone still had to be held responsible for the lives lost, and he, as king, still had to take the blame.

If they don't fight, it's even simpler. Azzuri can even imagine the Elder White Ape's lines. "You coward, what right do you have to be king? Let me take your place. I'm willing to shed blood and sacrifice for the country."

"Gentlemen, let's officially begin the war!" Azzuri sighed. The throne could not be relinquished, so this battle had to be fought, and it had to be won with minimal casualties.

"That's how it should be. That's the king of Wakanda."

The Elder White Ape's eyes flashed with a sharp light. He declared that he would return to his tribe to organize the warriors and departed first. The other three elders also bid farewell and returned to their respective tribes, clearly showing that they also had their own ambitions for the throne.

Inside the council hall, Azzuri looked at the Black Panther totem hanging at the very top and clenched his fists tightly.

"Dora Milaje, come with me to the front lines! I need your strength!"

"Yes, my king."

From either side of the hall, six female warriors, armed with spears and dressed in bright red, stepped forward and knelt on one knee before Azzuri. They were Dora Milaje all-female royal guard, composed of women from various tribes, who could be considered both bodyguards and concubines.

The Elemi Triangle region in eastern Africa, near Lake Turkana.

When Russell arrived, he discovered that Wakanda, a fictional creation of the Marvel Universe, was located near Ethiopia. Of course, such details don't need to be examined too closely; just take a look.

Hydra secretly orchestrated a plan, using its informants in Africa—government officials who had received bribes during World War II —to incite a military invasion of Wakanda. These individuals were forced into this situation; evidence of their crimes was in their hands, leaving them no choice but to obey orders against Wakanda.

Invading a small agricultural country doesn't require the country itself to lift a finger; by promising benefits to a nation composed of tribes, a coalition of cannon fodder is formed.

Because they were cannon fodder, it was difficult to find out Wakanda's true strength. Russell then had Bucky bring in mercenaries from the periphery, bringing the total to six thousand.

Six thousand people is a lot. This is already a major battle in the conflict between tribes. The warriors of Wakanda on the other side only number around three thousand.

A long convoy of military trucks drove across the vast grassland, kicking up clouds of dust.

The vast grasslands are greener than I imagined. In addition to hills and slopes, there are rivers and forests. The scenery is pristine, and occasionally you can see eagles soaring in the blue sky.

Africa is not just desert. Along the way, Russell saw many beautiful landscapes full of greenery and life, and also saw a lot of wild animals, such as lions, rhinos, antelopes, and crocodiles.

Perhaps it was because he was getting closer to Wakanda, but he noticed that Black Panther were appearing more and more frequently. These creatures, which should have been rare, were unusually abundant here. The dark figures lay prostrate on the branches, showing no fear of strangers, their golden eyes staring directly at people as if they were watching prey come to their door.

Hmm... that's kind of annoying!

After a day's journey, the truck reached the border of Wakanda, passing through hills and jungles, with the mountainous region at the end leading to the royal capital, Bonin Zana.

The border was dotted with tents, and soldiers from the tribes lay lazily in the sun, scattered in twos and threes with no regard for military discipline.

The mercenaries weren't much better off; these men were war-crazed fanatics who couldn't stand a peaceful life and had become mercenaries. Seeing the truck arrive, they grabbed their weapons and surrounded it, laughing and joking.

That's right, they're just bored and looking for a fight!

Bang!

A gunshot rang out, and it appeared to be the mercenary leader firing into the air, driving away the troublemakers and clearing a path for the trucks to penetrate deeper into the camp.

The mercenaries didn't know who was in the car, and neither did their leader. All he knew was that the person was someone of very high status, a big shot whom he was willing to risk his life to protect.

Russell doesn't need these people to protect him. With 20 Winter Soldier, Bucky, Natasha, and Jason, no one on this land can easily get close to him.

The trucks lined up and circled around, and hundreds of well-equipped soldiers jumped off to set up camp. In no time, the barracks were built.

Several tribal chiefs, seeing their benefactor arrive, tried to ingratiate themselves and, incidentally, complain about their troubles to raise their price. Russell refused to meet with these scoundrels, leaving Bucky to handle everything, and stayed in his tent, refusing to leave.

He recently got a pet, a huge Black Panther that he caught on the street.

Russell had a fondness for felines and had no intention of making things difficult for it, but this creature was just too arrogant. It squatted in the only way of his path and wouldn't leave no matter what he did, acting like a big shot who wouldn't budge unless he was fed.

Russell saw that it looked elegant and noble, which matched his own temperament, so he had a cage brought and put it in, and then... it has been starving ever since.

"Damn it, some animal dares to steal from me! I'll make sure you don't starve!"

Inside the iron cage, the Black Panther, dizzy with hunger, tried his best to maintain an elegant sitting posture and quietly stared at Russell.

Seeing the other's stubborn appearance, Russell couldn't bear it and thought to himself that he was being too petty and arguing with a big cat.

"Awoo!"

Crackling sounds!

"Awooooo—"

Natasha looked utterly exasperated, while Yelena beside her looked even worse, her expression one of utter despair as if her faith had crumbled and she had lost all motivation to move forward in life.

"Boss, I don't understand why you had to catch it, after all..." Natasha thought to herself, after all, you didn't really intend to keep it.

Russell raised his hand, which was crackling with Electric Arc, and stroked the Black Panther, saying meaningfully, "You don't understand, this is a good omen. The one I've locked in the cage isn't the Black Panther, it's the Black Panther itself!"