The Perfect Blood Alliance
So, what exactly should we do for our Ir-en tribe?
I gazed into Sarnai’s brown eyes once more, letting my mind drift back to memories of my past life.
In the past, among the great empires that had brought the entire continent to its knees under the terror of Genghis Khan, there had been a blood brother for his tribe—just like hers.
And that blood brother had been the Onggirad tribe, the very birthplace of his primary consort, Borte.
Throughout the empire’s founding, they had served as his most reliable anchor.
Even amid the brutal and treacherous process by which Khan had crushed Tatar and shattered the Kereit, shattering the steppes with blood and leaving them scorched—the Onggirad had been different.
They had constantly interwoven through marriage with the golden clans, mixing their blood.
When other tribes scattered like bats at the first sign of immediate profit or fear, they had stood firm, shielding the Khan’s shield.
In short, beyond ordinary cooperation, in a world where betrayal and endless wars raged across the plains, they had forged the most perfect fraternal bond of all—never once driving a blade into each other’s back.
‘Sarnai and her father, Chief Baatar, are no different.’
The moment I heard the messenger’s report that the chief’s council had been convened, I had no choice but to send her.
She had arrived in barely a moment’s time.
That meant the expectations and trust placed in her by our Ibin tribe—and by me, the heir to the chieftainship—ran quite deep.
And if I could turn the Ir-en tribe into the perfect ally the Onggirad had been, I would control the second-largest variable in the process of dominating the western plains and unifying the remaining tribes.
Before striking at the Irent, I had needed an unshakable camp where we could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Iteon Kingdom Alliance and the lords, if only to deceive their eyes.
Of course, mere words or bonds of righteousness were never enough.
No matter what crisis arose, even if knights with Orer-clad bodies from the Orer world world were to draw their blades, there had to be an unbreakable link that would never snap.
Politically and militarily, the most reliable and fastest path was simple: the traditional way of mixing blood.
‘So, the best method was still…’
I had calculated the countless variables that lay ahead.
Where to position the Ir-en tribe, what symbolism to display to the western tribes through marital alliances, and so on.
But unfortunately, my brain, crammed with far too much historical knowledge and strategy in such a short time, was already in overload.
The filter that controlled the words leaving my lips had simply given out, overwhelmed by thoughts that kept looping deeper and deeper.
“So, how exactly should we help?”
Sarnai planted both hands on her hips and asked again, her tone growing irritated at my silent stare.
And under her prodding, the most efficient answer I had reached in my mind spilled out without any filter.
“Let’s get married first.”
“…… What?”
Sarnai stared at me with genuine disbelief, then asked again, as if she had misheard.
I should have offered a proper explanation the second time.
My brain was already frozen, so I simply repeated the same words.
“For the trust between the Ibin and Ir-en tribes to grow even firmer, we should marry first.”
“……”
The moment that sentence ended, one second passed.
No, half a second.
SWISH—!
A cool, whip-like friction sliced through the air.
There was no time to dodge or even blink.
When I came to, my head had whipped sharply to the right.
A burning sting spread across my left cheek.
The metallic taste of blood lingered on my tongue, as if a vein had burst.
“Are you insane? Or did you suddenly get too hot?”
Sarnai rubbed the hand that had just slapped my cheek, staring at me with utter astonishment.
A single solid smack from an ordinary burly man could send a person reeling.
Thanks to that, my brain thawed. I touched my throbbing cheek and began an urgent explanation.
“No… it’s not that. To make the future alliance as rock-solid as possible, a traditional blood union is absolutely necessary…”
“Shut up. One more word like that nonsense and the next time I won’t swing my hand—I’ll swing my whip instead.”
Sarnai clenched her teeth, swept the area with her eyes, then spotted an old wooden chair rolling in one corner of the tent.
She dragged it over, sat down with a thump, crossed her legs, and glared at me.
“No more questions. So what’s the real plan? If you’re just going to keep staring at my face like an idiot, get lost and come back with an actual answer.”
“… Fine.”
I pulled over another chair, sat across from her, and lowered my voice.
“You already know that the biggest thorn in the western plains right now is the Irent. They’ve been backed by the Iteon Kingdom Alliance and the lords, killing their brothers in the same plains and stirring up trouble.”
“… Exactly. Because of them, we Ir-en have lost quite a few people already.”
“Precisely. So to build real strength around us, we have to deal with them first.”
Their pattern had perfectly mirrored the Tatars who had once received gold from the Jin and acted as Mongolia’s advance guard.
If that was the case, the solution to the situation I had been given was already clear in history.
‘To crush the greatest enemy, you must draw in a blood brother of equal strength.’
“But to wipe them completely off the plains, we’ll need that kind of power. Even if we pool our strength with the other tribes we promised to help, it won’t be enough. And the Ir-en alone won’t be. No matter how much we sneak up on them, their numbers and the weapons the kingdom alliance has given them are too great. From the start, no tribe is likely to fight us to the death.”
“… So what exactly do you plan to do? The other chieftains you mentioned will probably starve to death by tomorrow, so they’ll stay out of it.”
You’re right.
That was why I had set aside emotional appeals or long-winded stories of loyalty.
I needed a method that would let me examine every gain and loss between each other and hand over the perfect justification.
Fortunately, there was exactly one tribe in the western plains capable of providing that.
“So we need to draw in one more group—one that is at least as powerful as the Irent in military strength.”
Only then did Sarnai finally understand what I was trying to say. She let out a small, stunned breath.
“The Irayte tribe… you crazy bastard. Are you actually planning to join hands with that mad combat fanatic old man?”
“Spot on.”
Just as Temujin had allied with the Kereit, the most powerful force that had once threatened to end him.
I, too, knew that one day they would become my greatest threat.
But right now, to tear apart the enormous prey in front of me, the Irayte tribe’s overwhelming military power was absolutely essential.
In this scenario where the answer and the solution were already given, of course I wouldn’t follow the exact same path.
“Besides, that old man is already irritated that the arrogant kingdom alliance is poking its nose into his own backyard. If it wasn’t me, he’d probably have tried to unify all the tribes sooner or later. There’s enough room for conversation.”
“You’re right… with that old man’s personality, he’d probably do it anyway.”
I stood up and threw a leather cloak over my shoulders.
Then, with a smirk, I looked at Sarnai, who was still thinking seriously about how to convince the Irayte.
“Come on, let’s leave right away.”
“… What? Are you serious, right now?”
“Yes. We don’t have much time left.”
Confusion could come, but the opponent was the Iteon Kingdom Alliance, a force that had maintained its position for hundreds of years against the empire and the southern kingdoms.
They were most likely to target our plains, either to quiet internal conflicts or to blow them up elsewhere.
“A horse-riding expert like Sarnai, who’s already famous even in the western plains! Take me to the Irayte tribe right now!”
At my lively tone, Sarnai let out a bitter laugh.
“You really haven’t changed your brazen attitude from back then to now.”
“Take it as high praise.”
She stood up, brushed the dust off her backside, and unfastened the leather whip tucked at her waist.
“Or are you dizzy because you got slapped on the cheek? No matter how you look at it, charging alone into the lair of crazy battle maniacs in the middle of the night doesn’t sound right, does it?”
Muttering to herself, Sarnai was already walking toward the tent entrance.
“No, it’ll be fun! So come on out quick. Ah! Before that, my butt might get all scraped from the saddle—better wear some kind of protection, okay?”
“You’re so thoughtful.”
I didn’t add anything else.