Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Officers from the Land Academy all memorized a phrase, "The precondition for a decisive battle is that both sides have the intention to fight one."

The [Herders-Paratu War] is the best footnote to this phrase.

The Herder tribes, taking all their possessions, would run ahead, with the Paratu army chasing behind, until the boundaries of power were redrawn—this was the traditional war pattern.

General Sekler dreamt of engaging the Red River Tribe in a decisive battle, but as long as the Red River Tribe didn't want to fight, such a battle could not be fought.

The reason was simple: The side with greater mobility controlled the choice of the battlefield.

The barbarians were particularly sharp and cunning, accustomed to each rider having several horses, moving like the wind; they would only engage in battles they could win.

At the slightest hint of danger, they would not hesitate to flee, and the battle would once again become a tiresome game of chase.

But now the Paratu People had found the Red River Tribe's weak spot, which was Bianli City.

In earlier years, there had also been some city settlements on the Great Wilderness.

At that time, the Herders were at the height of their power, and they beat the Paratu nobles to the point where they dared only tremble within their castles while the Herder Iron Cavalry looted people, food, and treasures.

Some tribes even moved their entire clans into Paratu lands, attempting to seize control of Paratu.

The eagles grew increasingly strong by tearing apart and devouring the flesh of wild horses.

Prosperous Herder factions started building cities; although most people still roamed in search of water and grass, this did not stop the ruling class from living in cities and enjoying the spoils.

Decorating palaces with looted gold, silver, and jewels, the Herders had Paratu slaves toil for them, and both minor and major Herder nobles lived lives of extreme luxury.

Nothing luxurious was produced on the wilderness, but it didn't matter.

As long as there was money, there would be Venetians.

Venetian merchants traveled from afar, bringing treasures like fine swords, steeds, spices, silks, and wines to the Herder "khan" leaders.

The chiefs competed in showing off their wealth, sparing no expense.

If you use cotton cloth for your tents, I'll use silk. If you use one layer, I'll use two.

Even falcons and saddles had to be "imports," or else they would lose face.

The geographer Baiboluo once recorded, "…the chieftain wore double-layered silk clothes, surrounded by eunuchs, with a dwarf responsible for making him laugh… he had someone bring out three jewel-encrusted scimitars for me to choose from, and when I shook my head, he gave all three scimitars to me…"

Baiboluo also left such records, "When the chieftains lived lives more luxurious than kings, the poorest of their herdsmen had but a pitiful number of cattle and sheep."

With the publication of Baiboluo's "Journey to the West," the term "Herder Chief" gradually became synonymous with "luxurious, wealthy, big spender."

Of course, in Venetian slang, it also referred to those "suckers who don't bargain and spend lavishly," with a hint of disdain… and a bit of reluctant envy.

But feasts always end, and those days are gone.

Since the great defeat of Queye Khan thirty years ago, the tribes have been in decline from their pinnacle.

The tides switched between attack and defense, and the Herder cities were gradually abandoned.

Firstly, relying on the output of the wilderness alone was insufficient to sustain the cities; secondly, the rejuvenated Paratu People specifically targeted the city-building Herder tribes.

Because the cities represented the concentration of wealth, the Herder tribes unwittingly gathered their possessions in one place, saving the Paratu People quite a bit of trouble.

Some Herder cities were breached, looted, destroyed, others were occupied by the Paratu People, and the rest were abandoned.

The [Herders-Paratu War] once again turned into a mobile war of chase and escape.

Therefore, while building cities provided benefits to the Red River Tribe, it also gave the Paratu People a clear target.

The Paratu army surrounded Bianli City tightly, as if grabbing the Red River Tribe by the balls.

If the Red River Tribe wanted to relieve Bianli City, they had to break through the Paratu army.

Sekler only worried about two things: one, that the Red River Tribe reinforcements might simply give up on Bianli City and the White Lion; two, that the Red River Tribe reinforcements wouldn't dare to fight decisively and would instead switch to harassment tactics to delay the siege.

The former, now it seems, was an overconcern, as the Red River Tribe reinforcements show a strong desire to attack without any sign of giving up on Bianli.

As for the latter, it was a gamble between the two sides. The curtain had not yet been lifted, and who was the Hunter and who was the prey could not yet be determined.

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Jeska's night raid was a huge success.

According to the original plan of Colonel Jeska, the raid should have had the entire army strike, shattering the Terdon Tribe's command chain in one blow.

However, the bitter battles of the day had already exhausted the Paratu People.

No sooner had the Terdon Tribe retreated than many Paratu soldiers collapsed on the spot, unable to be woken even if shaken.

Only the cavalry, who did not participate in defending the city, retained the vitality for battle.

Forty-four Dusack light cavalry, sixty-eight borrowed Piaoqi Troops, plus Winters and Andre.

In total, no more than one hundred fourteen riders turned the Terdon camp upside down.

If the Terdon people had all been sleeping in their tents, the victory would have been even more glorious—because the tents were highly flammable.

But the Terdon camp had already been burnt to the ground before, leaving them with barely anything flammable to their name.

Fortuitously, what could have been a calamity meant that the incendiaries Winters had prepared were hardly of any use.

Those by the fire likely never dreamed that a camp would be raided on two consecutive nights.

Roasted on one side, flipped and roasted on the other side.

Amidst the chaos, some audacious Herders simply took the opportunity to go home. Although they nabbed no spoils, it was better than losing their lives.

Furthermore, some rank-and-file Centurions and Chiliarchs, along with their respective troops, fled outright. They were not willing to further risk their clan's assets for the Terdon Tribe's sacrificial golden figures.