When Brian walked out of the camp, the victorious soldiers were coming back one after another.
Compared to the neat and tidy troops when they set out, they were now like a group of refugees. Their bodies were stained with blood, and not a single piece of their clothes was intact. There were either holes here or there, and it was obvious that such scars could only be left after an extremely intense close combat.
In addition, the number of soldiers was even more shocking. Less than half of the 2,000 ambushers could walk back standing. In order to transport the wounded, no one rode on the horses or camels, and each horse had to carry two or three people. Coupled with the captives, the whole team was very scattered. From afar, it did not look like a well-trained army at all.
But there was not a trace of depression on their faces. On the contrary, they seemed to be in high spirits, completely different from when they had set out for the battle.
It was the first time in the Southernmost Region that a small tribe had defeated the big clans in the Iron Sand City!
Brian knew that after this battle, they had truly transformed from hunters into soldiers.
What made him even more satisfied was that although the ambushers were disheveled and their clothes were in tatters, they firmly remembered his instructions — no matter what, soldiers should never abandon their weapons.
Most of their water and grain bags were missing, and some of them even lost half of their new shoes, but their guns and sabers were still hanging on their backs.
The First Army could not guard the Southern Border for the Sand Nation forever. They had to rely on their own strength to keep the tribe running according to the order set by Graycastle — this was only a superficial order from the King of Graycastle. Brian knew that His Majesty wanted more than that.
He needed more soldiers, and he needed the Mojins to join the Battle of Divine Will in an organized manner.
And now, these people had the qualifications to go one step further.
The Flintlock Battalion Commander turned around with satisfaction and nodded to Jodel. "Now you can tell me the details of the battle."
As far as the battle itself was concerned, there was nothing amazing about it. Instead, it was full of flaws and mistakes — according to the plan, the 2,000 Sand Nation people were divided into two groups. One group would pretend to be the bait and sneak back to the Silver Stream Oasis. Then, they would march north along the Silver Stream at night to create the illusion that they wanted to sneak to the saline-alkali land. The other group would set up an ambush at the last uninhabited oasis at the end of the Silver Stream.
The Wildwave and Cut Bone clans naturally would not allow a small tribe to challenge their authority. A group of more than 800 cavalrymen set off from the Iron Sand City and followed the footsteps to catch up with the "traitors". Even though the bait had more people, they didn't care about the Sand Nation from a small tribe that couldn't even be considered watchdogs.
The two teams, one fleeing and the other chasing, soon entered the ambush circle. This part was still going according to plan, but everything after that was a mess.
The "bait" should first dismount and surrender. After tricking the other party into dismounting, they would then find an opportunity to scatter the horses, allowing the ambush team to attack. However, the Sand Nation who was in charge of sealing the road had ignited the fire in advance. As the fire soared into the sky, the enemies immediately realized that the situation was not good and began to break through the encirclement in the direction they had come from. If they hadn't prepared a large amount of black water in advance, this ambush would have failed.
After that, the battle turned into a chaotic dogfight. The bait group drew their swords and attacked the returning enemies, and the troops that were lying in ambush had no choice but to join in. Many of them had only fired one shot from the beginning to the end, and the previous training of taking turns to shoot and reload were completely useless. The way to determine the winner was still the Sand Nation's most traditional hand-to-hand combat.
Just as Brian had said, they did not only have guns as their only weapon. Under the illumination of the fire and the neighing of the horses, this small oasis that was already in a shrunken state became a battlefield of life and death for both sides. Throwing oneself at a rider or having one's intestines trampled by a horse's hooves was a common sight on the battlefield. When two people hugged each other, teeth could also take the opponent's life.
It was not that the small tribes did not have warriors. The Sand Nation had to face an extremely harsh living environment from the moment they were born. Those who could survive the sandworms and poisonous scorpions had basically mastered excellent fighting skills. It could be said that in terms of individual strength, the gap between them and the big clans was not so great that they could not catch up.
The disadvantage of these tribes was the lack of resources, which limited their reproduction and expansion. No matter how strong a warrior was, he could not defeat an enemy ten times his size. As long as the tribal form did not change, it was difficult for them to compete with the big clans.
But now, this disadvantage did not exist anymore.
The warriors of the Sand Nation came from dozens of Silver Stream tribes. They no longer had to fight for resources. Everyone ate the same food, wore the same clothes, trained together, and slept together. In the face of the powerful clans of Iron Sand City, the last thing they lacked was the courage and determination to break the rules.
The massacre of the small tribes by the Wildwave and the Cut Bone tribes happened to make up for this.
The battle lasted from night until dawn.
The Sand Nation army won the battle like a cornered beast.
When the fire was extinguished, only black charcoal was left in the oasis. Without the cover of the trees, the yellow sand would soon bury the water source here, making it completely disappear from the surface of the earth. The Silver Stream would shrink again until the next oasis was exposed to the erosion of sand and dust.
But the Sand Nation people would survive.
This battle was like a symbol. It sped up the disappearance of the oasis, but also pointed the way for the other Sand Nation people.
After listening to Jodel's report, Brian walked up to the crowd.
"Well done! You have won honor for yourselves and a chance of survival for your tribes! This is a victory that belongs to you. You should decide how to deal with the spoils of war! "
He pointed at the warriors of the big clans who had been captured.
"Kill! Kill them! "
"Sir, my family died in the hands of these people!"
"I want them to pay with their lives!"
Under the expectant gaze of the Sand Nation people, Brian raised his right hand and gently waved it down. His meaning was self-evident.
Then came the sound of blades being unsheathed.
Hot blood immediately dyed the salt sand under his feet red, like flower buds blooming in the snow. The high morale of the warriors reached its peak!
"But the threat from Iron Sand City has not been completely eliminated. Wildwave and Cut Bone clans can still send troops to the hinterland of Silver Stream at any time. Your people are still under their blades!" Brian shouted. "The great chief has given you the right to enjoy the eternal oasis, but the rebels want to destroy it all! Tell me, what should you do? "
"Attack Iron Sand City and banish them to Blackwater Swamp!"
"Let these people know the consequences of betraying the great chief!"
"Battalion Commander, I still have friends in the oasis. Please let them join this team!"
"And me... my sisters can also fight!"
The crowd instantly burst into cheers. The power contained in the cheers made Guelz and Thuram involuntarily take a step back.
Brian looked in the direction of Neverwinter.
Your Majesty, the rebels have used their own blood to decorate your coronation ceremony. The scattered Mojins are gradually coming together. I think it won't be long before Iron Sand City comes under your control.
But this is just the beginning.
The entire Southernmost Region will eventually be in your hands. In this desert, there will no longer be anyone who will resist your will.
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