Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Thurner Tribe Extermination (6)
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Three days later, in the tent of Andras Thurner, chieftain of the Thurner Tribe and Thousand Commander of the Brunick Tribe.
Here, mid-sized and small chieftains who had come leading their soldiers—summoned by the Thurner chieftain upon hearing the news that the Lukr Tribe had been plundered, with the goal of punishing the wicked Reich Empire's army—were gathered.
They were discussing and deciding on their future course of action.
"This can't be happening? The Lukr village, home to nearly 1,500 tribespeople, turned into a complete wasteland..."
"Shut your mouth! Your village and livestock are still intact! Damn it, our tribe is finished now!"
"If the Thousand Commander just gives the word, how about bringing your tribespeople into our Chuik Tribe? I'll give you a spot right under me."
Thurner chieftain Andras Thurner gazed at the chieftains holding their meeting beneath him, thinking how pathetic they were.
Because at a time like this, they should be uniting their strength to figure out how to slaughter the empire pigs who had barricaded themselves inside their walls.
From those scheming to absorb his fallen allied Lukr Tribe and bolster their own power, to the fools wailing that they were doomed.
'Idiots. At a time like this, we should pool our forces, lure the empire bastards to the battlefield most unfavorable to them, and annihilate them. Making such a fuss over just one tribe wiped out...'
It was the kind of talk that would drive the Lukr chieftain here mad if he heard it, but strategically speaking, what mattered was defeating the imperial army while sparing as many of their own soldiers as possible.
To minimize sacrifices among their warriors, they needed to employ luring tactics—and to do that, they had to irritate the pig bastards who had invaded their peaceful lands.
So he had yet to speak a word, merely sorting through his thoughts in his head.
"You morons, you think your tribes will stay safe with the empire acting like this? Your Chuik Tribe could be next! So damn it, we need to wipe out every last empire bastard as fast as possible. We have to intercept them right now!"
There were two main reasons for the Lukr chieftain's outburst.
First, his own village reduced to rubble meant his future—and that of his tribespeople—was bleak indeed.
Second, if they fought the imperial army and won, Ludwig's laws would assign them a hefty share of prisoners. Selling those to the Reich Empire or the Franco Republic would bring in money, allowing them to rebuild.
"What happened to you is tragic, but what do you expect us to do? Right now, the key is luring them to terrain perfect for our cavalry. That's our one reliable tactic. Our horse archers rain arrows from afar, the enemy commander chases like an idiot, and gets crushed. To pull that off, we need to drag them all the way to the Heidel Plains... And back in the day, after a hit like yours, you'd either fade away quietly or, at best, get sold off as slaves. Ludwig Khan is merciful, giving a chance to start over as long as the warriors, families, and horses survive."
"What did you just say, you dog?"
"Isn't it the truth? Before Ludwig Khan took control, tribes lived and died alone—prospered solo, then got stripped bare by everyone else when they fell. Your ancestors did the same..."
The Lukr chieftain reached for his sword to threaten the man, but at that moment, Thurner raised a hand and spoke in a voice laced with fury.
"Enough! What is this disgrace? If we sit idle as those two suggest, we'll all perish. And if we can't lure the enemy to the Heidel Plains for a battle on our terms, too many of our warriors will die—we won't even make it to next year. So we won't rush into open battle just yet, but we start preparing the lure right now."
It was mediation in the style of "you're both right," but with both opinions holding merit and the weight of the Thousand Commander's authority behind it.
The two chieftains quelled their anger and slumped back into their seats.
"For now, as Thousand Commander acting in Ludwig Khan's stead, I order the Lukr and Chuik chieftains to each muster around a hundred horse archers and march to strike the enemy rear."
At those words, everyone nodded in agreement.
Common sense dictated that around two hundred men attacking over two thousand foes was sheer madness.
But if they struck sporadically from a safe distance beyond the enemy's reach, it was enough to inflict real damage.
Besides, these horse archers—upholding the nomad tradition—would never get caught by the Reich pigs who huddled behind walls, feeble as they were.
"Wise indeed. They'll weather the first few attacks, but hit them four times a week, and they'll bite the hook proper."
"Did the same three years back when I nabbed that Swedish count's whelp. Flawless tactic."
"No idea who their pig commander is, but he won't handle this. Their feet are too slow—they'll never catch us..."
Thurner inwardly cheered at the sight of his subordinate chieftains stepping up with such zeal.
Because if he personally crushed the so-called imperial regiment of over two thousand, he might rise beyond even Thousand Commander.
More underlings. More women. Stronger power. Endless pleasure.
'That girl imported from the Swedish Empire was exquisite. Time to rack up a bigger feat and get another from Ludwig Khan. Then the two of them in bed, all night.'
The fantasies alone were enough to make his jaw slacken and drool pool, filling him with great joy and hope.
But then the tent flap flew open, and a messenger burst in.
The other subordinate chieftains, spotting the intruder during their chieftains' council, drew swords to slay him on the spot.
"Chuik Tribe's Copenhagen reporting! Yesterday, two thousand imperial troops invaded the Chuik village and turned it into a wasteland!!!"
At those words, the sword-wielding chieftains lowered their blades and stared at the messenger in stunned silence.
"You're not lying, are you?"
"Barging into the chieftains' war council uninvited warrants death. Why would I come here spouting falsehoods?"
"Damage report—what's the damage?!"
"All tribespeople evacuated on packhorses or whatever. No deaths or captures among them. Abandoned the slaves slowing us down, and all livestock but the horses—they were too slow, so we ditched them and fled."
The Chuik chieftain, already aware his village had been thoroughly looted, sank into despair, his mind half unhinged.
The other chieftains felt a sliver of relief that the misfortune had struck Lukr and Chuik, not them—but seeing two tribes plunge into ruin like this...
Anxiety began to crush their chests, the dread that they were next.
"Thousand Commander, we're all dead at this rate! Wasting time on lures, and we'll have no villages left to return to. Then it's over for us!"
"No more half-measures like sending two hundred horse archers to rattle their rear and wear them down. Drag it out like that, they don't bite? We're truly finished!"
"We need decisive battle now. Sitting here scheming, we'll perish without even fighting!"
Andras Thurner let out a heavy sigh.
Were he the Khan—no, even as Khan—he couldn't demand they bide time for a sure victory with a lure tactic while his subordinates' villages burned one by one.
For these men, who had lived under Ludwig's colossal shadow even as chieftains...
Asking them to let their villages go was no different from telling them to die gloriously for the Khan.
These were the types who, in such a pinch, would sooner lop off his head and offer it to the empire in surrender.
"We'll locate where the enemy is now and march our army nearby. We're faster on our feet—we'll catch them before they reach the next village and finish them. Any objections?"
Everyone replied as if they had been waiting.
"None!"
Meanwhile, the Northern Army's 24th Regiment under Peter Jaeger.
"Never in my life born in the Reich Empire have I eaten so much pork and beef."
"Shame alcohol's banned on the battlefield... but meat alone brings happiness. Forage branches from the nearby woods, light a fire, grind hardtack into bread dough, bake it flat—slap grilled meat between, and... kyaa~"
"You'd think that much meat would get boring. But hearing you talk, my mouth's watering already. Shall we ask the company commander tonight? Just one drink can't hurt, right?"
The 24th Regiment under my command had looted the Chuik Tribe's village and was now resting about a day's march away.
Given the nomadic tribes' nature, if we kept systematically demolishing their villages one by one...
Even Thurner and his subordinates would have no choice but to abandon favorable terrain to protect their homes and come to the spot we lured them to.
True pure nomads might simply abandon everything for new lands, but these folk? Lose their villages, no more farming—starvation would claim them in droves.
For tribes where maintaining numbers was their lifeline, they'd panic far more than us. We could just keep razing villages—scorching the heart of enemy territory, in other words.
Not enough for major accolades, but it bolstered the northern frontier. No real issues there.
"As Sun Tzu said: Before battle, let your own army rest at ease, while tiring the enemy."
Sage words indeed. Thanks to us gutting two barbarian villages...
They'd be forced to fight here in this muddy plain—quagmire that Jaeger cavalry despises.
And if we hunkered down waiting and saw no movement in a week? We'd concede they were clever and hit another village. Perfect either way. The best strategy.