The Suddenly Appearing Golden Eagle Banner

"Pass the order down. Clear away the grass and trees nearby. We'll make camp on this hilltop tonight."

After glancing at the sky, Howard gave the order decisively.

He had won this mission to lure the enemy only after arguing everyone else down.

It was a little dangerous, but the payoff was too good to pass up!

When it came to deploying troops in a proper battle formation, he was a battlefield rookie who had never been tested by fire and blood. He certainly couldn't compare to his rival Felix.

Acting as bait was different. All he had to do was be himself.

If regular troops did it, their killing intent could be felt from far away. Even if the enemy spotted them, they might not dare give chase.

Luring the enemy required caution too. The Dragonbone Mountains were a forbidden zone for humans, and even the outer regions were full of danger.

At night, venomous insects and fierce beasts came out, so they had to be even more vigilant.

But compared to those dangers, the enemy was more dangerous still. The fact that the enemy hadn't pursued them immediately didn't mean they never would.

The Holy Glory Empire and the Golden Horde Khanate had been at war for over a century. Their hatred for each other ran deep, and the khanate couldn't possibly turn a blind eye to an imperial army.

The hill beneath their feet was their first stop in the mountains, and from its summit they could look out over the vast grassland below.

The two sides hadn't put a safe distance between them, and the enemy could attack at any moment.

The Cors Tribe.

"Dorian, are you sure you saw clearly?"

"The enemy's grain convoy came onto our land!"

Moriarty asked with an amiable expression.

Unfortunately, no matter how amiable he looked, his rugged face made it impossible for anyone to feel close to him.

Anywhere else, those looks would have put a hard ceiling on his prospects.

The opposite was true on the grassland. The Tuwu People revered martial strength, and a fierce face like his was exactly what they admired most.

The fiercer he appeared, the more admiration he won from his people.

"Chief, how could I be mistaken about something this important?"

"The ruts left by the wagon wheels are still there. You can send someone to check them whenever you like!"

Dorian assured him at once.

He hadn't seen the convoy pass, but he had seen the ruts left by its wheels with his own eyes.

He had no trouble making that guarantee.

"Good!"

"We were sitting at home, and a fat sheep fell right out of the sky!"

"If we take down these remnants, not only can we claim credit from the khanate, we can make a fortune while we're at it.

"Those fellows from the Holy Glory Empire are neither holy nor glorious, but their things are pretty good.

"Whether it's armor, bows, or crossbows, the quality is first-rate.

"If we can get some salt and sugar too, that would be even better!"

Moriarty began making his calculations with great enthusiasm.

The two countries had fought for years, and he knew something about the Holy Glory Empire.

If they encountered the enemy's strongest main corps, they needed to run fast. People really would die.

The garrison troops were a little troublesome, but they could still be beaten at a certain cost.

The easiest to pick on were the replenishment troops responsible for logistics. Running into them was a stroke of great luck.

They could both earn merit and get rich.

Whenever the Holy Glory Empire launched a northern campaign, the khanate would send troops to intercept and slaughter the enemy's grain convoys while temporarily avoiding the brunt of the attack.

But it was risky work. The enemy often used grain convoys as bait, deliberately luring them into a trap.

There was no need to worry now. News that the Golden Horde Khanate had crushed the enemy's Northern Frontier Corps was spreading across the entire grassland.

Because of their location, they had received the news several days earlier.

He had thought it had nothing to do with the Cors Tribe, but unexpectedly, a fat sheep had come right to their door.

A mere few hundred logistics soldiers were already as good as his.

"Chief, we can't afford to be careless!"

"According to the news from the front, the enemy should be busy fleeing for their lives right now. Even if they wandered into the Dragonbone Mountains by mistake, they should be traveling light.

"Bringing large amounts of supplies and baggage with them is clearly abnormal. It might be an enemy plot!"

The elderly priest beside him hurriedly tried to dissuade him.

Such a windfall had happened to fall into their laps. It was hard not to be suspicious.

If they encountered them on the grassland, their skill with bow and horse, honed since childhood, would let them defeat a third-rate cannon-fodder force without any effort.

Once they entered the mountains, things changed. The cavalry became infantry, while the weakling enemy became the hunters instead.

Defeating the enemy wouldn't be the end of it. They would still have to worry about the magical beasts in the mountains.

If someone set a trap and lured high-tier magical beasts into attacking, they would suffer heavy losses.

"Don't worry, High Priest."

"I won't act rashly without first finding out what the enemy's situation is."

Moriarty spoke of caution, but inwardly he didn't take it seriously.

Anywhere else, he would indeed have been careful, but this place was far from enemy-controlled territory.

If the Holy Glory Empire really had a plot, it should be aimed at the khanate's royal court, not an ordinary nomadic tribe like theirs.

Within the Golden Horde Khanate, there were at least eighty, if not a hundred, tribes stronger than the Cors Tribe.

"Chief... um... the fat sheep are closer to the Goshawk Tribe's pasture."

Dorian added haltingly.

The grassland had no clear borders, but there were boundaries between nomadic tribes.

Pastures, water sources, and game belonged to whichever tribe's sphere of influence they fell within.

The Dragonbone Mountains had no owner, but the pasture outside them did.

"What?"

"Why didn't you say so earlier, you brat?"

"If the Goshawk Tribe gets to them first, won't we lose out big?"

"Pass the order down. Muster two thousand tribesmen at once to follow me and wipe out the enemy!"

Moriarty gave the order with a ferocious look on his face.

Because they were neighbors, relations between the Goshawk Tribe and the Cors Tribe had always been terrible.

If the royal court hadn't kept them in check, the two tribes would have gone to war long ago.

They hadn't fought openly, but there had been no shortage of friction between them in private.

Your sheep went missing today, my cattle disappeared tomorrow-those were only small matters.

Anyone who strayed from the others while herding could be hunted down and killed by the other side.

Vast as the grassland was, its resources weren't limitless.

If one person took a larger share, someone else would get less.

For the sake of the tribe's interests, weakening one's neighbors was also part of surviving on the grassland.

They would rather go away empty-handed than let the Goshawk Tribe gain an advantage.

The Dragonbone Mountains.

"Commander, things aren't looking good!"

"There's a giant eagle embroidered on the enemy's banner. From the look of them, they don't seem to be from the Goshawk Tribe."

Jasper came running over to report in a hurry.

The panic on his face betrayed his unease.

The Tuwu People were accustomed to using the totems they worshipped on their banners. The Goshawk Tribe's totem was a giant goshawk, but now a golden eagle banner had appeared.

According to the original plan, the Goshawk Tribe alone was supposed to be their prey. Now an unfamiliar enemy had popped up as well.

That meant the area where they had stopped happened to lie at the boundary between two or more tribes.

"What are you panicking for?"

"We'll counter soldiers with soldiers and water with earth.

"The enemy's main force is at the front. What's there to fear from a bunch of herdsmen who've only just put down their whips?"

"Send someone to tell Howard to hold steady for now. We'll talk once we know the strength of the enemy force!"

Victor gave the order with a serious expression.

After these days spent training together, the Third Army's military bearing had improved slightly with the addition of a group of veterans.

But its officers were still novices lacking practical combat experience, and their ability to handle pressure was severely lacking.

When something unexpected happened, they couldn't help panicking.