Dark Clouds over the City

Below Dragon Spine Pass.

"Great Khan, those southern barbarians refuse to surrender. Give the order to attack the pass!"

Marshal Slate urged anxiously.

They had fought their way to the enemy's doorstep. Once they took Dragon Spine Pass, the army could drive straight in and plunder the Holy Glory Empire's northern frontier provinces.

Yet at this crucial moment, the khanate's leadership had grown hesitant. They feared that forcing their way through the pass would enrage the Holy Glory Empire and turn the conflict into a fight to the death between the two nations.

Wiping out the Northern Frontier Corps had certainly dealt the enemy a painful blow.

But the Holy Glory Empire had deep reserves. If it chose, it could easily raise a second or even a third Northern Frontier Corps.

What constrained the Holy Glory Empire had never been its overall national strength, but its corrupt internal bureaucracy.

Any rational politician faced with such a behemoth had to think carefully before acting.

"Marshal, sit down and rest for now. Some things can't be rushed."

"Dragon Spine Pass is easy to defend and hard to attack. There's no way to take it quickly, and forcing an assault is the worst option!"

Chancellor Oliver immediately objected.

War was a continuation of politics. If they could achieve their goal through diplomacy, there was no need to wage war.

Taking Dragon Spine Pass by force would certainly bring the Golden Horde Khanate great prestige, but it would cost the lives of tens of thousands, perhaps over a hundred thousand soldiers.

Attacking a fortified pass with cavalry under bombardment from the enemy's magic crystal cannons was hardly a sensible choice.

The Tuwu People were not afraid of sacrifice, but they could not make such meaningless sacrifices.

Once they took Dragon Spine Pass, the enemy's northern frontier provinces would indeed lie open to them, but that did not mean there would be no resistance.

The enemy's wealth was concentrated mainly in cities and in the castles of noble lords across the land, and they would not give it up easily.

Their forebears had already tried advancing from castle to castle. Before they could plunder enough supplies, enemy reinforcements had come charging in.

Rather than repeat their forebears' failure, they would be better off using their current advantage to strategically intimidate the enemy into handing over money and grain themselves.

"Chancellor, everyone knows your preferred strategy: subdue the enemy without fighting.

"The problem is that we're willing to negotiate, but the enemy refuses to hand over money and grain. All they want is to stall for time.

"If this drags on, the pressure on the army's supply lines will become enormous!"

Marshal Slate immediately retorted.

He had spent his life fighting the Holy Glory Empire and had finally been given a chance to launch a full-scale counterattack. How could he give it up so easily?

If they kept dragging their feet until the enemy reacted, they would be unable to fight even if they wanted to.

"Both of you, calm down. There's still one day before their final reply is due. Let's see how the enemy responds.

"If the enemy refuses to pay war reparations, it won't be too late to attack then!"

The old priest Blackwood spoke up to persuade them.

Speed was vital in war, but siege warfare truly was not the Tuwu People's strength.

A small force could have bypassed Dragon Spine Pass and plundered enemy territory, but with their main force out in full, they dared not leave their rear exposed.

While the Tuwu People deliberated, the dispute inside Dragon Spine Pass was even fiercer.

"The enemy's appetite is too big. Eighty million gold coins, ten million tons of wheat, thirty thousand tons of refined salt, twenty thousand tons of white sugar... Why don't they just rob us?"

Duke Alvin cursed.

Paying war reparations after a defeat was a tradition on the Pannosia Continent.

The current situation was highly unfavorable to the Holy Glory Empire.

If they could end the war by paying a certain price, it would be a good choice for all sides.

Unfortunately, the Tuwu People's demands were too high. If the empire really agreed to those terms, he, the commander who had suffered the defeat, would be in dire straits.

Even if he did not have to bear the entire loss, making him pay just one-tenth of the reparations would deal the Norton Family a crippling blow.

"Marshal, they are robbing us!"

Lieutenant General Griffin reminded him with a perfectly serious expression.

It was clear that he had no goodwill toward this imperial marshal who had lost so many men and officers.

It had nothing to do with a personal grudge; Duke Alvin had simply landed him in a terrible mess.

Originally, as the commander of Dragon Spine Pass, he had only needed to inspect its defenses every few days. The rest of the time, he could relax and listen to songs at pleasure houses.

Duke Alvin's crushing defeat had thrust him straight into the heart of the storm.

With just the ten thousand defenders in the pass and a few thousand remnants of the Northern Frontier Corps, he was expected to stop the Tuwu People's advance south.

Any renowned general of the age would have been daunted in his position.

"You..."

The curse was on the tip of Duke Alvin's tongue when he caught himself.

He was no longer an imperial marshal, but a defeated commander awaiting punishment from the empire.

He had been allowed to attend the meeting only out of respect for his status as a duke. His say in matters was practically nonexistent.

"Enough, both of you."

"There's still no word from the imperial capital. It looks like the empire won't agree to the Tuwu People's terms, so let's put all our efforts into preparing for battle!"

Governor Steele waved a hand as he tried to calm them.

There were enough troubles already. If internal strife broke out as well, there would be no way to fight this war.

If the enemy broke through the pass, Dragon Spine Province would suffer the most.

When misery spread throughout the land under his administration, he, the unfortunate governor, would be held primarily responsible.

"Governor, when will the reinforcements arrive?"

Lieutenant General Griffin asked.

From the moment the Tuwu People presented their terms, he had known the negotiations could not succeed.

The other side had overestimated the empire's economic strength and overlooked the difficulties it faced.

The empire could still scrape together eighty million gold coins.

Ten million tons of wheat was not so simple. It looked like nothing more than an ordinary province's grain output, but transporting it was difficult!

Transporting ten million tons of wheat to the northern frontier would actually consume several times that amount.

As for thirty thousand tons of refined salt and twenty thousand tons of white sugar, that was sheer nonsense.

If the empire could really gather that many supplies, it would have used them to expand its army long ago. Who would hand them over to aid the enemy?

"As soon as I received the news, I issued an emergency mobilization order.

"The nobles' private armies are gathering across the province as we speak.

"The first reinforcements are expected to reach Dragon Spine Pass in three days."

Governor Steele promptly promised.

There would certainly be reinforcements, but their quality was hard to say.

The nobles' private armies sounded impressive, but most of them were there to make up the numbers.

For an ordinary minor noble, supporting one or two knights was the limit of his financial means.

(Combat strength: someone who could defeat two armored soldiers was a first-rank knight; someone who could defeat two first-rank knights was a second-rank knight, and so on.)

The headquarters of the Third Supplementary Army, in the Dragonbone Mountains.

"Commander, the Goshawk Tribe has stopped outside the Dragonbone Mountains."

Captain Felix reported with a grave expression.

The net had been laid, but the fish had stopped a few meters short.

If they drew in the net now, taking down the Cors Tribe members who had entered the mountains would be no great problem, but they would not be able to catch the Goshawk Tribe.

Unless they pulled out that thorn, the Third Army could not solve its supply problem.

"Where has the Goshawk Tribe set up camp?"

Victor asked expressionlessly.