Chapter 77: The T?ner Tribe Suppression (6)
Three days later, at the headquarters of the T?ner tribe Chief and the Chief of Thousand of the Brunic tribe.
Here, the minor tribal chiefs, who had been summoned by the Chief of T?ner to punish the evil Reich Empire’s army that had plundered the Lukru tribe, had arrived with their soldiers.
They discussed and decided on their future course of action.
“Can you believe this? The Lukru village, home to nearly 1,500 tribespeople, was completely devastated…”
“Shut up! Your village and livestock are still intact! Damn it, our tribe is now ruined!”
“If the Chief of Thousand permits, how about bringing your tribespeople into our Chuik tribe? I’ll give you a high position right under me.”
T?ner tribe chieftain, Andras T?ner, looked at the tribal chiefs discussing beneath him, thinking how pitiful they were.
Because at times like this, they should have been uniting their strength to devise a plan to kill those pig-like Empire bastards who had barricaded themselves behind the walls.
From those wanting to absorb the ruined Lukru, his allied tribe, to increase their power, to those who just lamented their doom.
“Idiots, at times like this, we should combine our strength and lure the Empire’s army into the most disadvantageous battlefield to annihilate them. Making such a fuss over just one tribe falling…”
If the Lukru chieftain were here, he would go mad, but strategically, it was important to defeat the Empire’s army while saving even one of their soldiers.
To reduce the sacrifice of their soldiers, they needed to use bait, and to do so, they had to irritate those pigs who invaded their peaceful territory.
So, he hadn’t said anything yet, just organizing his thoughts.
“Idiots, do you think your tribe will be fine when the Empire is doing this? Next time, your Chuik tribe might end up like us! So, damn it, we have to kill all those Empire bastards as soon as possible. We need to intercept them right now!”
The Lukru chieftain’s outburst had two main reasons.
First, the devastation of his village spelled a dire future for him and his people.
Second, victory against the Empire’s army would yield many prisoners under the laws set by Ludwig. They could sell these prisoners to the Empire or Francois for money, enabling them to rebuild.
“It’s unfortunate what happened to you, but what can we do? Right now, the key is to lure them to a place where our cavalry can excel. We have only one tactic: shower them with arrows from horseback archers. When their leader foolishly pursues our archers, they’ll fall into our trap. We must entice them to the Heidel Plains… Had you suffered such a defeat in the past, you would either have perished quietly or, at best, been sold into slavery. Khan Ludwig is truly merciful. To preserve warriors, families, and horses is to give them another chance at life.”
“What did this bastard just say?”
“Isn’t it the truth? Before Khan Ludwig’s reign, each tribe fended for themselves and often faced extinction, plundered by rival tribes. Your ancestors suffered the same fate…”
Provoked, the Lukru tribe’s chief drew his sword to threaten him, but T?ner raised his hand and spoke with an anger-tinged voice.
“Enough! What disgrace is this? If we remain passive, as you two suggest, our fate is sealed. Moreover, without luring the enemy to the Heidel Plains for a favorable battle, we’ll lose too many warriors and face survival struggles next year. Thus, we won’t engage in immediate battle, but we must begin preparing the bait now.”
His mediation resembled that of Prime Minister Hwang Hee—acknowledging the validity of both parties’ arguments and bolstered by the authority of a chieftain.
Both chiefs calmed their anger and took their seats.
“First, with the authority granted to me by Khan Ludwig, I command the chiefs of Lukru and Chuik to each lead approximately 100 of their tribe’s horseback archers to strike at the enemy’s rear.”
All present nodded in agreement.
Logically, attacking an enemy force of over 2,000 with just about 100 men would seem like madness.
However, from a safe distance where the enemy’s attacks can’t reach, these few can inflict significant damage with their persistent strikes.
Moreover, the archer cavalry, inheriting the nomadic traditions, were confident they wouldn’t be caught by the Reich’s pigs, who were weakened and confined to their walls. It was a tactic worth trying.
“You are wise. If we attack in that manner, they might withstand the first few assaults, but attacking about four times a week will eventually draw them out properly.”
“I employed the same strategy when I captured the Count’s son from Swedia three years ago. It’s effective.”
“I don’t know who is leading the enemy pigs, but they certainly can’t handle this. They’re too slow to catch us…”
T?ner inwardly cheered as he watched the chiefs under his command enthusiastically volunteer.
Because if he personally defeated the so-called Imperial Regiment of over 2,000, he could be promoted beyond the rank of Senior Tribal Chief.
With more subordinates, more women, and more power, he would be able to indulge in greater pleasures.
‘That woman from the Swedia Empire was exquisite. By achieving greater feats this time, I should receive another woman from Khan Ludwig. Then, I’ll enjoy having both women in my bed.’
The sheer thought, enough to make him drop his jaw and salivate, filled him with immense joy and anticipation.
Suddenly, the door to the tribal chief’s tent swung open, and a messenger burst in.
Seeing the messenger intrude abruptly during their meeting, the other subordinate tribal chiefs unsheathed their swords, ready to strike him down.
“Kophenhousen of the Chuik tribe reports. On the previous day, 2,000 Imperial troops invaded Chuik Village, turning it into ruins!!!”
Upon hearing this, the tribal chiefs, who had drawn their swords, sheathed them and stared at the messenger, their expressions vacant.
“You’re not lying, are you?”
“If I intruded on a meeting discussing how to fight the Imperial Army, I would pay with my life, right? Why would I enter such a place to tell lies?”
“What about the casualties and the damage?”
“All tribe members evacuated on pack animals, so none were killed or captured. We left behind the slaves who hindered movement, and other livestock too slow to keep up were abandoned during the escape.”
The Chuik tribal chief, realizing his village had been completely plundered, almost lost his mind in despair.
The other tribal chiefs felt relief that it wasn’t their tribe, but seeing the fates of both the Luukru and Chuik tribes plummet like this, they began to feel an overwhelming anxiety that their turn might be next.
“Chief of Thousand, we’ll all die at this rate! If we spend time on luring tactics, there’ll be no village to return to. Then we’re all finished!”
“We can’t afford to be leisurely anymore, sending just 200 mounted archers to destabilize their rear and induce fear or fatigue. If we waste time like this and they don’t fall for the bait, it’s really the end!”
“We must engage them in battle immediately. If we just sit here brainstorming, we’ll be ruined without even fighting!”
Andras T?ner sighed upon hearing this.
Even if he were Khan, he couldn’t simply wait and use bait tactics for a certain victory while the villages of the tribes under his command burned one by one.
Even though they lived under the shadow of the great Khan Ludwig, for his subordinates who had become tribal chiefs, letting the villages they owned disappear was no different than being told to die gloriously for the Khan.
Moreover, these men here, in such a situation, would rather behead him, the Chief of Thousand, and surrender to the Empire.
“Let’s find out where they currently are and move our army near that location. We are faster than them, so let’s catch and kill them before they move to the next village. Any objections?”
Everyone responded as though they had anticipated the question.
“None!”
Meanwhile, the 24th Regiment of the Northern Army, under the command of Peter Yaeger, was making the most of their situation.
“I’ve never eaten so much pork and beef since my birth in the Empire.”
“It’s a pity that alcohol is forbidden on the battlefield, but… just eating meat is pure happiness. If we gather branches from the nearby forest, start a fire, and bake ground hardtack bread, and it will become quite delicious. Then add some roasted meat to it… Ah~”
“You would think a person could get tired of eating so much meat. Yet, hearing you talk about it makes my mouth water. Should we ask the Colonel tonight? Perhaps he’ll allow one drink?”
The 24th Regiment I led had plundered the Chuik tribe’s village and was currently resting about a day’s march from there.
Given their nomadic lifestyle, if we continue to destroy the villages they inhabited, T?ner and his men would be forced to leave their advantageous positions to prevent further destruction of their homes and would have to come to the area we have drawn them to.
If they were entirely nomadic, they might abandon their village and migrate to new lands, but losing their village meant they couldn’t farm, which would result in many deaths from starvation.
Maintaining the size of their tribe was vital for them, so they would be more desperate than us. We simply kept destroying villages, in effect implementing a Scorched Earth Strategy.
It wasn’t an achievement to be proud of, but it certainly fortified the northern borders, so there was no significant problem.
“In Sun Tzu’s ‘Art of War’, it says, ‘Let your own troops rest while exhausting the enemy before battle.’”
Indeed, it was wise advice. Particularly since we’ve plundered two barbarian villages.
They would now have to fight us on this muddy plain, which my cavalry despised.
If they still wouldn’t make a move after a week of us waiting, then I’d acknowledge their resilience and simply raid another village. This was the best strategy.
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