A Canyon Running Red with Blood

At midnight, the herd charged the Tuwu People camp once more.

Unlike the smooth first charge, the cattle fell into pits as soon as they rushed in.

The dozen or so at the front all perished.

Fortunately, the herd had gone mad by now. The cattle knew no fear and felt nothing at the deaths of their companions.

With one after another sacrificing themselves at a terrible cost, they filled the pits dug by the enemy with their own flesh and blood.

A strange sight followed. The Tuwu People soldiers in the watchtowers did not attack the herd. Instead, they turned and ran.

The Tuwu People soldiers guarding the entrance had vanished even earlier.

"Commander, something's not right. Could the enemy's main force have run away?"

Felix could not help guessing.

In more than a decade in the army, he had seen all kinds of situations.

But this was the first time he had seen anyone abandon their defenses before the battle had even properly begun.

"There's no doubt about it. The enemy's main force has definitely run away!"

"You can tell just by listening to the sounds inside.

If their main force were still there, they'd be using every means they had against the herd, rather than letting it be nothing but a chorus of wails."

"From the looks of it, the Tuwu People commander we've run into this time must be a ruthless one.

There were so many wounded and sick in the valley, and he abandoned them just like that. Not just anyone could do that.

If we don't attack, it won't be long before the Tuwu People in the valley surrender to us.

After all, the enemy commander is still counting on them to pass the plague on to us!"

Victor spoke with a cold laugh.

A general's triumph was built on ten thousand bones. A commander had to learn to cut his losses promptly in adversity.

Everyone understood the principle, but few could actually put it into practice.

Abandoning the wounded on the battlefield dealt a devastating blow to the army's morale.

No one wanted to be abandoned when they were wounded. A commander like that could only inspire fear, not respect.

The damage to his personal reputation was secondary. He also had to face pressure from within.

Soldiers did not fall from the sky. Behind those thousands of wounded were thousands of families.

"Commander, no matter how much the enemy plots, aren't they still being led around by the nose by you?

It's easy to enter the mountains but hard to get out. Now that the enemy has taken this step, they can forget about getting away unscathed.

Just watch me next. Even if I can't wipe them all out, I can still make them pay dearly!"

Howard eagerly put himself forward.

Fighting a guerrilla war against the enemy in the woods was his specialty.

Last time, even with his lack of experience, he had driven the enemy to a mental breakdown. This time, he had learned his lesson and further refined the details.

"Fight what?"

"Nonsense!"

"Since the enemy wants to crawl through the mountain ravines, let them.

Pass the order to pull our men back from the woods.

Tomorrow we start packing. At first light the day after, the whole army will march out and relocate west!"

Victor gave the order decisively.

He had no obligation to prevent and control the plague for the Tuwu People.

Every enemy soldier who had fled the valley could be carrying the virus.

The reason they had not fallen ill was that each soldier's constitution was different, and the virus's incubation period varied as well.

Rather than wipe them all out, it was better to let them spread the plague virus across the grasslands and weaken the Golden Horde Khanate's war potential.

The Third Supplementary Army did not attack, but the wounded and sick Tuwu People left in the valley were terribly unlucky.

They wanted to surrender, but did not even know whom to surrender to.

There was no communicating with the maddened herd, and the pack of wolves charging down from the mountain was no easier to reason with.

They wanted to resist, but their weakened bodies would not allow it.

The troops responsible for buying time had fled at the first sight of the herd.

Judging by the wails that came from the woods from time to time, their retreat had not gone all that smoothly.

Even the strong and healthy had failed to escape, so the wounded and sick fared far worse.

Many watched helplessly as their companions were trampled by the cattle and bitten to death by wild wolves.

Then intense pain shot through their bodies. Their bodies instinctively let out a wail, and their lives ended in agony.

The few who could still move dragged their weakened bodies up and took up spears, ready to fight.

Unfortunately, their bodies could not keep up with their minds. They had barely raised their spears before the wolves pounced and knocked them to the ground.

Desperate to live, some of the wounded and sick Tuwu People even crawled toward the valley's exit, hoping to save their lives by surrendering.

It was a good idea, but reality was cruel.

Before they could get close, the Third Supplementary Army soldiers guarding the entrance greeted them with a volley of arrows.

At such a sensitive time, the Third Supplementary Army would not accept the surrender of even the enemy's main force, let alone the wounded and sick.

As the minutes and seconds passed, the wails in the canyon gradually grew quieter, and the slaughter drew to a close.

The cattle that had charged inside had long since collapsed from exhaustion.

The wolves, their killing done and their targets gone, gradually dispersed from the valley as well.

The overpowering stench of blood still hung in the valley.

Apart from a handful of cunning Tuwu People who hid beneath their companions' corpses and escaped notice, there were almost no survivors.

Having escaped death for the moment did not mean they were out of danger.

The plague was already rampant in the valley, and now countless corpses had been added with no one to dispose of them. It was a perfect breeding ground for the virus.

Even healthy people would be infected living in such an environment, let alone the weakened wounded.

On a distant mountaintop.

At the camp of the allied army's main force, which had successfully withdrawn from the valley, a harmonious scene of "the sky for a blanket and the earth for a mat" was playing out.

At that moment, the grassland alliance had achieved true equality.

Generals and soldiers, tribal leaders and ordinary tribespeople alike all enjoyed the same treatment.

As for tents, those had long since burned to ashes.

Even if they had not burned, carrying them while marching through the woods would have been a burden.

They were fleeing for their lives, not camping in the wilderness to enjoy themselves. They had no time to concern themselves with comfortable lodgings.

"The enemy attacked ahead of time. It seems our departure was exposed early!"

"The screams just keep coming. I'm afraid the wounded and sick left in the valley..."

Looking in the direction of the sounds, Commander of Ten Thousand Jeremiah spoke with a sigh.

In the wild mountains, they had to clear their own paths, which greatly limited their marching speed.

Half a day was not enough to put a safe distance between themselves and the enemy.

To be precise, they were now at the top of the mountain behind the canyon.

In daylight, someone standing on a boulder at the summit could even see people moving about in the canyon.

"Commander, what's done is done. We have to look ahead."

"The warriors' sacrifices won't be in vain. They used their lives to hold back the enemy's advance.

Sooner or later, we'll make the enemy pay for today's humiliation!"

Knightley spoke up to console him.

The wounded and sick in the valley had chosen to fight to the death, which was far beyond Knightley's expectations.

Their commander had ordered that they be allowed to surrender to the enemy, so there was no need for them to fight to the death.

Even if they became prisoners, the khanate would not hold them responsible.

Their fearless spirit of sacrifice left Knightley deeply shaken.

"Mm!"

"Everyone can rest assured that the warriors' blood won't be shed in vain.

After we return to the royal court, I'll personally seek an audience with the khan and request recognition for their service!"

Commander of Ten Thousand Jeremiah immediately made the promise.

To the dead, honor and disgrace meant nothing, but that was all he could do.

"The enemy is truly vicious. They won't even spare the wounded!"

"They're nothing but devils!"

Sanders was the first to curse.

With so many dead, their resentment needed an outlet.

In an instant, curses rose throughout the camp.

The grassland alliance's senior leaders all cursed Victor's entire family. Butcher, devil, demon, demon king... countless epithets were hurled at him.