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(Today's second update.
Today's update has already reached 10,000 words, looking for monthly votes.)
Chapter 363 "Exhaustion"
The contents of these four letters were almost exactly the same. Aside from the names of the recipients, the contents of these letters were generally the same.
First, they used a humble and respectful tone to praise the King as the "Great Lord of the Steppe". Then, they expressed their willingness to lead their men and pledge their loyalty. Finally, they agreed that on the day of the final battle, they would lead 40,000 men and enter from the side of the battlefield. They would fight to the death for the Great Lord! At the same time, in order to catch the enemy off guard, they asked the Great Lord to keep this a secret. When the day comes that they would defeat the enemy, they would kneel before the Great Lord and so on …
The signature at the end of this letter was none other than the son of the slave girl whom the other princes had always looked down upon, Saladin.
If it was just Saladin's signature, the four princes might not have believed it. But the problem was, after Saladin's letter of "loyalty", the four princes received another letter at the same time!
And this letter, the four "Kings of the Steppe" had no choice but to fall for it!
This was a letter written by Hamuye himself. Just like the previous letter, the contents of this letter were the same as the previous one.
In the letter, Hamuye used a sincere tone to express that when he was in the palace, he did not accept the King's summons. Instead, he left with his men. This was not an act of fear or treason. After all, his tribe was only 30,000 strong and his men were only a few thousand. He would not be of much help. His departure was actually to preserve his strength. At the same time, he was also looking for strong reinforcements for the King!
And now, he had managed to convince Saladin, the youngest prince, on his own. Saladin has already expressed his willingness to join the King. With him and me, we will have an army of tens of thousands. This way, we will be of great help to the King.
On the day of the final battle, he and Saladin will lead their men and enter from the side of the battlefield. Then …
After receiving Hamuye's secret letter, the four princes were truly fooled.
Who was Hamuye? He was their own uncle and father's brother. In the palace, he had a very good relationship with the other princes.
No one believed that Hamuye would harm them … and no one thought that Hamuye would "join" Saladin. After all, Hamuye was a true Grand Prince! As for Saladin, he was just a bastard born of a female slave. He only got to where he was today by flattering his father. Hmph …
Moreover, it must be mentioned that at the end of Hamuiya's letter, there was one more point!
"Your Majesty. Saladin may have agreed to help us, but I don't think we can fully trust that little bastard. I will help Your Majesty to keep a close eye on him … However, my military strength is limited, and it is very difficult for me to effectively control him. Therefore, I hope that Your Majesty can send some men to assist me. I don't need a lot, just give me another five thousand men, and I will be able to keep a close eye on this fellow. If he dares to do anything strange, I can … "
It was this last sentence that moved the four princes.
Every one of them was overjoyed. As expected of the wise prince of our royal court who had come up with this idea! Hmph, that bastard kid is most likely unreliable! Moreover, his uncle only wanted five thousand people. It was just a mere five thousand people. He could still squeeze them out! To keep an eye on that brat, he would have to send thirty to forty thousand people! This would be a very worthwhile matter.
Although his men were also lacking in strength, he could still squeeze out five thousand people.
Therefore, the four 'Kings of the Prairie' received the 'secret letter'. They imagined that they could get the support of Saladin and Hamuiya and had no choice but to agree to Hamuiya's request.
Three of the princes immediately ordered five thousand men to quietly leave their camps in the middle of the night. As for the fourth prince, he really did not have any extra troops. He simply ordered a small tribe that had surrendered to him to be sent out.
Saladin and Hamuiya had written different times and places of contact in the letter to the four princes. Thus, the following scene appeared:
In the next three days, they went to four different places at four different times. After the four groups of men and horses arrived at the designated place of contact, they met the 'loyal' Prince Hamuiya and his men as agreed.
Then ….. the only fate that awaited these people was to be tricked by Hamuiya. Then, they would be surrounded by Saladin's troops. Finally, they would have to put down their weapons and accept their fate of being reorganized!
What Hamuye needed to do was to run to four different places and put on four shows in three days.
As for Saladin, he did not need to spend a single soldier. He only used a letter in exchange for more than twenty thousand men and horses!
Even Hamuiya, who was known as the 'wise man', admired this bold and bold idea.
But what he did not know was that this idea was not something that Saladin could come up with.
After completing this plan, Saladin secretly met with Alpha. Facing this gloomy prairie man, Alpha may not like this guy, but due to his loyalty to Du-Wei, he still accomplished his mission with flying colors.
"The Duke wants me to tell you that this plan is the last time he will help you. From now on, you will have to rely on yourself. We will not give you any more free help. From today onwards, any help will come with a price. "
•
Unaware that they had already 'lost' five thousand men and horses, the four 'kings of the grasslands' were still dreaming. They thought that with the support of Hamuiya and Saladin, they had already gained the upper hand in terms of strength.
But when the day of the final battle came, reality ruthlessly smashed their fantasies!
•
The four princes who were being eyed covetously by the wolves of the grasslands finally made up their minds to fight! Because they could not delay any longer, they had to defeat their brothers as fast as possible. Then, with the attitude of the strong and the victorious, they would be able to make those tribes submit.
This was the only way.
Therefore, on this morning, the troops from all directions gathered on this grassland. The war drums beat, the horns sounded, the cavalry polished their scimitars, and the horses breathed out white smoke from their noses, kicking their hooves restlessly … …
The snow-white scimitar shone with a golden light under the sun.
But the funny thing was, the four princes were all looking at the side of the battlefield … waiting for their 'surprise reinforcements'.
At noon, when the sun was shining over their heads, the faint sound of hooves could be heard from the side of the battlefield. Then, on the horizon, a large cloud of dust was raised. Who knows how many cavalry were galloping over. Without a doubt, the dust that covered the sky stimulated the confidence of the four kings!
And in front of the cloud of dust, a group of cavalry galloped over, holding the flag of Saladin and Hamuiya!
The most ridiculous and ironic scene happened at this moment.
Almost at the same time, the four Grassland Kings pointed at the dust flying in the air far away, then turned around. With the confidence of a victor, they loudly announced to their subordinates with their faces flushed red, "Look! My brave sons! Do you see those people in the distance? Those are the reinforcements Hamuiya brought to us!! Our reinforcements have arrived!! Victory is ours!! Now, raise your scimitars and charge at the enemy!! "
Although there were some who felt that the cloud of dust was quite big … but the sound of hooves coming from afar didn't seem to be as much as they imagined. But in this tense moment, no one had the time to think about this.
And so … the bugle horn sounded, the soldiers raised their scimitars and urged their horses to charge without hesitation …
•
"Do you think they'll fall for it?" Saladin asked Hamuiya with a smile.
Hamuiya thought for a moment and immediately said: "They will, my King. Also … I really admire your strategy. Humph, you only used a thousand cavalrymen to drag the horses back and forth on the ground with branches tied to the horses, and you raised such a big cloud of dust … They must be thinking that we have mobilized the entire army to help them. "
Saladin smiled sinisterly: "Then … now, let's get on our horses and get ready to move out."
•
On the grasslands, the four armies added up to more than a hundred thousand people. Like a giant meat grinder, they're crushing everything in their path!!
The sound of whistling, the sound of fighting, the sound of shouting, the sound of screams …
After the battle went on for a while, the four "Grassland Kings" angrily found out that the "reinforcements" they had high hopes for did not join the battle! And when the people they sent came back with the news, the four Kings were so angry that they almost vomited blood and fainted!
The so-called reinforcements that came were only a thousand people … The dust that filled the air was caused by the branches tied behind the horses. And when the battle began, they … all ran away!!
"Damn Saladin!! Damn Hamuiya!! "
Still, the four prairie kings uttered the most vicious curses in their respective military formations at the same time. However, they still made a unanimous decision.
There's no way they can stop the battle! In the current situation, whoever retreats will die!
The four Kings gave the order at the same time to have their final reserve army charge forward!
Life and death, will be decided at this moment!!
•
At this time, where are Saladin's men?
He sent out four groups of people, each with five thousand people. These 5,000 people were dressed in the uniforms of the 5,000 people dispatched by his elder brothers. Under their banners, they stealthily approached the base camp of the four prairie kings when they were locked in a fierce battle on the battlefield...
Saladin's order was very simple.
"Quick! Everything must be quick! Take what you can! Burn what you can't take away! Strike with one strike, no one is allowed to delay! "
The four Princes who had invested all their forces in this battle, their empty main camp was exposed to Saladin's claws. This time, he decided to end his life's hatred in this battle!!
•
Winter of the year 963 of the Roland Empire.
Winter was slowly approaching.
Du Wei was sitting in the Governor's Mansion in Loulan City when he received the last secret report from the grasslands. This was also the last letter sent by Alpha. After that, Alpha will end his two years of life in the grasslands and return to the Desa Province.
In the battle between the four "Grassland Kings", Saladin stood his four brothers up and sent troops to attack their main camp. He looted a large amount of resources and wealth, and even a lot of slaves. In the end, he left.
On the battlefield, the fierce battle lasted until the sky turned dark. The four beasts fought until the last drop of blood was shed. In the end, two of the princes died on the spot. And one of them, seeing that the situation was hopeless, had no choice but to leave the battlefield with his remaining troops. When he fled, there were less than six thousand cavalrymen left, and more than half of them were injured.
The final "victor" was the eldest son of the former Grassland King. Unfortunately, this victor had also paid a huge price … After he finally calculated the results of the battle, he discovered that after including the prisoners of war, his entire force was left with less than thirty thousand people.
And … his main camp was also attacked by Saladin.
Thirty thousand people … How could he call himself a King with thirty thousand defeated soldiers?
So, taking advantage of the night, this "victor" set a fire to burn the battlefield and his "King's Flag". Then, he led his people and left in the southeast direction.
And the only victor of this battle was Saladin!
His strength had increased by a level. After the battle, he already had a population of nearly one hundred thousand people and sixty thousand cavalrymen!
This strength was already considered a first-rate tribe in the grasslands.
Moreover, the smart Saladin remembered Du Wei's advice in the letter that he wrote to him: Slow down and call yourself a King!
From the beginning to the end, he did not set up a King's Flag, nor did he call himself the Grassland King. Instead, he led his army and slowly devoured all the forces that were weaker than him. Then, taking advantage of the disintegration of the royal court and the temporary vacuum of power in the southwest of the grasslands, he quickly increased his capital …
When winter came, Saladin already had an army of more than one hundred thousand! In one leap, he became one of the most powerful leaders in the grasslands!
As for his last two brothers, one of them led a few thousand defeated soldiers to escape. But because of the defeat, he lost his prestige and was killed by his subordinates who rebelled.
The other eldest prince led thirty thousand people to the south. In the end, he was swallowed up by another large tribe and his head was chopped off.
In the winter, several large tribes on the grasslands jointly issued an announcement. They requested all the tribal leaders to bring their people to the former location of the royal court and hold a meeting to elect a new King.
When Saladin received this news, he only sneered and casually tore the letter to shreds.
Then, Saladin smiled, revealing his white teeth. He looked at his uncle Hamuye and sneered: "The Duke of the Roland Tulip Family once told me not to believe in any so-called 'elected King'. A true King is not elected! Hmph! If one wanted to obtain true loyalty, it would be impossible to rely on something as boring as' recommendation '! The only way is to use your scimitar to conquer! Completely conquer the enemy and kill those who don't obey. Finally, the remaining people will become your own people. Only then can you get true loyalty. "
"So … we won't participate in this meeting?" Hamuye asked.
"Of course we will participate." Saladin said: "You will be my representative. But remember, we will only elect others as King. We will not participate. "
•
After Du-Wei finished reading the last letter, he casually handed it over to Philip beside him. Philip smiled and nodded: "Duke, it seems … we don't have to worry about the threat of the grasslands for the next ten years."
Du Wei nodded, agreeing with Philip's words.
"In the past, the royal family was too powerful. They were enough to suppress the entire grasslands. That's why the grasslands quietly united under the royal court. But now, the most powerful royal family has disintegrated. The remaining large tribes, even the largest, are far from enough to suppress the entire grasslands. They don't have an overwhelming advantage. So even if someone is elected as King, they won't be able to hold on to that position for long. Soon, a new challenger will step up and start a new civil war. According to our calculations, the grassland's civil war will take at least seven to eight years. And with the ambitious Saladin around, it will take even longer. So, we don't have to worry about the grasslands for the next ten years. "
From the beginning, Du Wei had never thought of conquering the grasslands. He knew that with the current state of the empire, it was impossible to do so. Whether it was power or time, neither would allow it.
Du Wei had never thought of sending troops to invade the grasslands. Even if the grassland's strength was greatly damaged, and even if Du Wei could win the war, 'winning a war' and 'conquering' were two completely different things.
Winning a war was easy, but conquering the grasslands and their people was not something that could be done in a short period of time. If that was the case, it would only drag his army into a quagmire.
So, Du Wei's goal was to plunge the grasslands into chaos. A serious civil war that could last for several years would cause the grassland's people to be torn apart and their strength to be greatly damaged! This way, Du Wei could focus all his attention on dealing with the more important enemy.
"So, we can have the small army stationed in the Northwest Corridor withdraw," Philip said with a smile. Philip smiled and said, "We've consumed too much water in the past six months just by transporting water every day."
"Withdraw … … half of them," Du Wei thought for a moment. "The border cannot be undefended. Leaving half of them behind is enough."
•
In the afternoon, Du Wei walked out of the study. He rubbed his aching temples and let out a long sigh.
Looking at the sky, it seemed that it was going to snow soon.
He didn't bring any attendants with him. He directly walked through the corridor to the other side of the castle and went to a room upstairs.
The melodious sound of a zither could be heard coming from the room.
Pushing the door open, it was still a few beautiful girls. They were dancing and sitting in the middle of the people playing the zither … …
Du Wei suddenly felt that he was in a trance. After he saw clearly, he sighed.
Ai Lu, the female assassin of the Snowy Mountain, was wearing a Roland woman's dress, sitting in the middle – even the way she played the zither was like a beautiful girl who was as tranquil as the moonlight.
Du Wei walked into the room with his hands behind his back. Then let everyone go out. Only Ai Lu was left.
Ai Lu's expression was very gloomy. She even used provocative eyes to look at Du Wei.
In fact, in the months after the death of Hanyue, her attitude towards Du Wei has been like this. However, Du Wei did not embarrass her. Even if she made a lot of trouble, Du Wei just locked her up for two days.
"You … … what are you doing here." Ai Lu stared at Du Wei: "Are you going to send someone to die this time?"
Du Wei shook his head. Then his hand stretched out from behind. His hand turned into a ray of light. He had taken out something from the magic ring and held it in his hand.
This is a small zither. Crystal clear zither strings. Apparently someone carefully scrubbed every day. Spotless.
"Your zither is very good." Du Wei said softly: "So, this zither is for you."
Ai Lu did not speak.
Du Wei's next words made Ai Lu's body fiercely shocked.
"This zither … … was left by her. After she left, this zither has been in my hands. "
Ai Lu took the zither. Her fingers gently stroked the strings.
Later, Du Wei went to the window. Looking into the distance, back to Ai Lu: "Play a piece for me to listen."
Ai Lu wanted to object, but when the words came to her mouth, she didn't know why, but it changed into: "What do you want to listen to!"
Du Wei was silent for a moment. Then he said: "What song did she like to play in the past? Play it."
The gentle and harmonious sound of the zither strings rang out. The smooth melody fell into Du Wei's ears. He sighed.
His gaze fell into the distance.
The direction he looked at, was north!!
The dark clouds in the sky were very low … …
"It looks like it's going to snow soon." Du Wei murmured in a low voice: "A year has passed. A year ah … … only two years left … … Time really flies, only two years left. "
Although this guy's back was facing her and she couldn't see his expression, Ai Lu could clearly feel that this young Duke's voice was full of exhaustion!
Yes, exhaustion.
It's the kind of exhaustion that seems to have hollowed out the heart.
"Two years … … What does he mean by two years? And … … He's like this now. If he wants the wind, the wind, the rain, the rain. What else can make him so worried, so tired … … "Ai Lu quietly thought in her heart.
(Today's two chapters, more than ten thousand words.
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