Luring the Enemy In

Dragon Spine Pass.

"How many routed soldiers did we gather today?"

Duke Alvin asked with concern.

He had been lucky to escape the battlefield with his life, but as commander-in-chief, he could not feel the slightest bit happy.

In the two days since he had withdrawn into the pass, he had suffered nightmares every night. Even bringing in a priest had done no good.

Whenever he thought of the fallen soldiers, he was tormented.

"Marshal, the enemy surrounded Dragon Spine Pass last night..."

West reminded him tactfully.

They had been gathering routed soldiers all along.

But the enemy was not stupid. Having finally crushed the Northern Frontier Corps, they naturally would not give it a chance to regroup.

Almost immediately afterward, the enemy had fought their way to the city walls.

The few thousand remnants who had made it back were the Northern Frontier Legion's final legacy.

"Why wasn't I informed of something so important?"

Alvin demanded angrily.

Other minor matters were one thing, but no one had even reported something as important as the enemy surrounding Dragon Spine Pass. Clearly, they had no respect for him as commander-in-chief.

"Marshal, orders came from the empire. You've been relieved of your post."

"Lieutenant General Griffin is now in charge of Dragon Spine Pass's defenses. In the city..."

Halfway through, West choked up.

He was worried about Duke Alvin's situation and uncertain about his own future.

He had followed Duke Alvin to make a name for himself, never imagining that their first campaign would end in crushing defeat.

"Relieved of my post?"

"Fewer than one in ten of the Northern Frontier Legion survived. A commander who suffered such a defeat should indeed be relieved!"

"Forget it. Perhaps I'm just not suited to war..."

Duke Alvin said, struggling to suppress his unwillingness.

The empire's decision seemed heartless, but it was understandable.

Replacing a commander on the eve of battle was a great military taboo, but he was an exception.

The defeat at the front had been so disastrous that the nobles and commoners of the northern frontier gnashed their teeth in hatred of him.

If he remained in charge of the northern frontier's defenses, he would not only fail to unite the various factions but also intensify their internal conflicts.

Understanding did not mean he was willing to accept it.

The Holy Glory Empire had suffered terrible losses in the northern frontier's defeat, but his Norton Family was the biggest loser.

Many of the family's elite younger members had served in the Northern Frontier Corps. They had expected to make a name for themselves, just as on previous expeditions.

Instead, after a single battle, they received a long list of the dead.

Even those lucky enough to survive would see their future careers severely affected by the stigma of having served under a defeated commander.

The losses to their private army went without saying.

All in all, the Norton Family had suffered a devastating loss this time and would most likely fall from the center of power.

Goshawk Tribe.

"Cross, are you sure you weren't mistaken?"

Zander asked, his face solemn.

To avoid the enemy's advance, the tribes in the border regions had begun moving deeper into the grasslands of their own accord as soon as the Holy Glory Empire sent out its troops.

But competition on the great grasslands was far fiercer than they had anticipated.

The pastures and water sources all belonged to someone, and the newcomers soon clashed with their original owners.

The Goshawk Tribe was not strong enough to contend with those powerful neighbors, so it had no choice but to risk migrating to the relatively remote outskirts of the Dragonbone Mountains.

They had only just found a suitable pasture when they discovered signs of enemy troops. That was certainly no good thing.

"First Elder, how could I not be careful about something like this?"

"As soon as I received the news, I sent people to verify it.

The enemy has fewer than a thousand men in total, and there are very few cavalry among them. They do have quite a few wagons, though. One look and you can tell they have plenty of good stuff.

They're most likely rear-line troops in charge of transporting provisions. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If we can..."

Cross replied excitedly.

The allocation of pastures depended not only on a tribe's strength, but also on its contributions to the khanate.

For small and medium-sized tribes like the Goshawk Tribe, the latter was their only option if they wanted lush, well-watered pastures.

Compared with paying their regular taxes, killing enemies and slaying commanders on the battlefield was clearly more worthwhile.

"Cross, the Goshawk's people must remain calm at all times!"

"As we watch our prey, our prey is watching us too."

"Answering the royal court's summons, the chief took our most elite thousand-man unit with him. The tribe is at its weakest now.

Even if the enemy is a rabble, the fact that they managed to retreat to the Dragonbone Mountains as an organized force means they aren't prey we can easily swallow."

Zander shook his head.

The Goshawk Tribe had only fifteen thousand people, with just over four thousand able-bodied adults. Even after the chief took a thousand-man unit away, there were still three thousand left.

But war was not simply a numbers game!

Their backward productivity meant they simply could not afford a standing army.

Apart from a small core, everyone else in the tribe had to take part in daily labor.

Only in wartime would they select the strongest tribespeople for basic military training.

And such full-time training usually lasted no more than a month.

"First Elder, most of the enemy troops are dressed in plain clothes, and very few wear armor. They're probably no elite force.

Some have even lost their weapons. Their fighting spirit and morale are already gone.

The tribe still has more than three thousand warriors. That's more than enough to wipe out a few hundred routed soldiers..."

Cross hurriedly explained.

Opportunities in life were hard to come by.

If he missed this chance to make a name for himself, who knew how long he would have to wait before he found another soft persimmon?

"The terrain in the Dragonbone Mountains is treacherous. Even on the outskirts, magical beasts still appear frequently.

Cross, you've taken part in magical beast hunts.

The last time the tribe ran out of food, we ventured into the mountains to hunt and encountered a fourth-tier Thorn Tyrant. We lost dozens of warriors.

If we run into a high-tier magical beast, it's not impossible that the entire force will be wiped out."

Zander shook his head.

As one grew older, there were inevitably more things to consider, and it was hard to go all in on an opportunity as one had in youth.

Once they entered the mountains, their cavalry would become infantry.

Without their prized mounted archery tactics, they would have no advantage against the Holy Glory Empire's army.

The tribe had only so many able-bodied adults, and the slightest mistake would cost them lives.

"First Elder, do you mean to leave the enemy to fend for themselves in the Dragonbone Mountains?"

Cross asked agitatedly.

As one of the Pannosia Continent's ten great danger zones, the Dragonbone Mountains were renowned throughout the continent and forbidden territory for humans.

A routed force entering them without logistical supplies would most likely be wiped out.

But if the enemy became food for magical beasts, that would have nothing to do with them.

The chief had gone to war with the army, but no one knew whether he would earn enough military merit.

If he did not earn enough, they would surely suffer a major disadvantage when pastures were allocated after the war.

If their luck was bad and they were assigned land bordering the Holy Glory Empire, they would definitely become cannon fodder in conflicts between the two countries.

The histories of the Golden Horde Khanate showed that no border tribe had endured for more than thirty years.

"No!"

"Of course we'll eat meat that comes to our door!"

"But how could we keep such glory all to ourselves?

The Cors Tribe isn't far from us, and those brutes love a fight more than anyone.

Spread the news and let them lead the attack for us."

Zander said with a smile.