A Bounty Forced into Being

One swipe, two swipes, three...

The once impregnable city wall soon had a gap over a hundred meters wide smashed through it by the beast's blows.

The brutal sight left an indelible scar on the hearts of the defending soldiers.

They dared to fight and risk their lives against enemy troops, but against a monster like this? They would rather not!

In their panic, they raced one another back, terrified that if they were too slow, they would end up as the monster's next meal.

Fortunately, the beast only stayed for a limited time. After breaking through the inner city, it vanished from sight.

From its arrival to its departure, less than two minutes had passed.

Yet in those two short minutes, it had not only broken through the wall but also inflicted over a thousand casualties on the defenders.

"Quick, plug the gap!"

When he saw the beast disappear, Lieutenant General Griffin hurriedly gave the order.

But by the time he reacted, it was already too late.

The Tuwu People outside the city had already fought their way through the gap, and the defenders, their morale shattered, had no desire to fight.

Despite their commander's order, not a single unit volunteered to plug the gap in the wall.

In an instant, the fighting spread into the city, and battle cries and screams rang out to the skies.

Outside the city, in the Golden Tent Royal Court's encampment.

"High Priest, are you all right?"

Silas asked with concern as he looked at the High Priest, who had aged thirty years.

"Great Khan, I'm not going to make it!"

"From now on, Xavier will inherit the position of High Priest. The khanate's future is in your hands!"

Blackwood said breathlessly.

A forbidden technique of such great power was naturally not easy to perform.

Not only did it require a large number of sacrifices and a vast quantity of rare magical materials, but the priest conducting the ritual also had to endure the backlash.

"Mm!"

"High Priest, rest and recover. You'll be all right!"

"Whatever you need, just say the word. I'll have someone find it at once!"

Silas said, struggling to contain his grief.

"There's no need, Great Khan!"

"Having lived to see our people break through Dragon Spine Pass, I can die without regrets!"

"Xavier, remember this: summoning an abyssal Magic Creature is a forbidden technique. Never use it unless there is absolutely no other choice!"

"The more powerful the forbidden technique, the greater the backlash. Not only does it shorten your life, but it also..."

Before Blackwood could finish, he breathed his last.

"Keep the news of the High Priest's death under wraps. We'll announce his passing after we take Dragon Spine Pass!"

Silas gave the order, struggling to contain his grief.

Unlike the other nations on the continent, which shared a common belief in gods, the Tuwu People believed in totems.

Every tribe had its own totem. If several tribes had the same totem, they had originally branched off from the same tribe.

Priests were the link to the totems.

Besides conducting the regular rites, priests had always played an important role in the day-to-day running of their tribes.

In the Golden Horde Khanate's power structure, the High Priest had always served as a spiritual leader, a position held by the most respected priest in the royal court.

Blackwood's death was a considerable blow to the Golden Horde Khanate as well.

Silas did not know whether paying such a heavy price to take Dragon Spine Pass was worth it.

But now that things had reached this point, it was no longer for him to decide.

The war had severely disrupted production in the Golden Horde Khanate.

If they could not plunder enough supplies, corpses would litter the grasslands that winter.

Rather than let a civil war break out, they might as well stake everything on one desperate attempt and carry the flames of war into enemy territory.

From the moment negotiations broke down, the southern invasion had become a war for survival.

The Capital of Glory, the Silver Moon Palace.

"Useless!"

"All of you are useless!"

"Dragon Spine Pass, which the empire had developed for years, was actually taken by the enemy in such a short time..."

Upon receiving news that Dragon Spine Pass had fallen, Nicholas completely lost his composure on the spot.

The strongest pass in the north had held out for just over a month before the enemy broke through it.

If word got out, the Holy Glory Empire would become the laughingstock of the entire continent.

"Your Majesty, calm your anger!"

The ministers urged him in unison.

No one offered an explanation, much less spoke in defense of the generals and soldiers at the front.

As one of the continent's five great powers, they had actually been bullied by a bunch of grassland barbarians. The very thought was absurd.

The emperor felt humiliated, and his ministers were just as ashamed.

Not only would they be unable to show their faces abroad, but public opinion at home would also put them at the center of the storm.

"Hmph!"

"You want me to calm down? Tell me how the hell I'm supposed to do that?"

"Dragon Spine Pass has fallen, the northern provinces are about to become battlefields, and the empire's reinforcements haven't even finished assembling.

Something this outrageous has happened right before our eyes, and you still think I shouldn't be angry?"

Having lost his composure, Nicholas began swearing on the spot.

Court etiquette and imperial dignity meant nothing at that moment.

If they could not solve the real problem, everything else was a waste of effort.

"Your Majesty, what's done is done. Anger won't solve anything."

"Duke Sebastian is putting the army in order. It won't be long before he can send out troops, and the main force can reach the front within three months at most.

The immediate priority is to issue orders to the northern provinces, commanding the noble lords in each locality to fulfill their obligations, organize defenses around their castles, and slow the enemy's advance.

If they can't stop the enemy, they should fortify their defenses and clear the countryside.

As long as we keep the enemy from obtaining supplies, we will have achieved a strategic victory.

Once their lines are stretched thin, logistics will drag the enemy down on their own!"

Minister of War Lawrence immediately offered a solution.

Regardless of how feasible it was, at least there was nothing wrong with it in theory.

The enemy had come south to plunder. Once the Tuwu People found they could not plunder enough supplies from the Holy Glory Empire, they would naturally reconsider the costs and benefits.

The only drawback was that the people of the north were about to suffer terribly.

For the Tuwu People, when they could not plunder enough supplies, people could become food too.

"Your Majesty, the Minister of War is right.

The northern regions have long faced the threat of the Tuwu People. Both the local soldiers and civilians have experience dealing with them, and we must have full confidence in them!"

"To encourage the soldiers and civilians on the northern front to resist, I propose issuing a bounty.

Kill one Tuwu, and receive five gold coins.

Kill ten Tuwu, and receive the title of knight.

Kill thirty Tuwu, and receive a knight's fief.

Kill a hundred Tuwu, and a knight will be promoted to baron.

Kill three hundred Tuwu, and receive a baron's fief.

Kill a thousand Tuwu, and a baron will be promoted to viscount.

..."

Benjamin's reply startled the assembled ministers.

The two men, who had always been bitter rivals, were not only refraining from opposing each other today but were even working together.

Their surprise, however, lasted only an instant.

The fall of Dragon Spine Pass had caused such a disastrous political fallout that if they did not hurry to clean up the mess, the government would collapse.

With their own positions at stake, all their old grudges could be set aside for the time being.