Infiltrating the Empire 3
The place that makes it the easiest for us tribes to fight are plains.
Hearing that the Empire troops were drawing near, we gathered at the ambush location.
Chau Empire’s troops were seen approaching. Too few of them. They aren’t overwhelming.
It wasn’t even 10000, there are only around 5000.
「Kuro、Shie、Arugo、Zun…etc. go play with them」
Au tribe’s Patriarch called the names of many tribes.
They were all tribes that haven’t made any great remarkable partic.i.p.ation
We don’t need our full force for just 5000 troops.
An army of 25000 warriors, fighters, slaves advanced forward.
This time I’m just a spectator
The opponents used their shields splendidly and advanced through our rain of arrows.
Their skills are different to all the other opponents up until now.
The warrior advanced forward and shot on horse back, but soon a great shield was brought out and protected him, then they became melee.
There was a huge man at their frontline, wielding something long and blew our warriors away.
We have number advantage but their soldiers personal combat skills weren’t inferior to us.
「Retreat」
A voice was heard through amplification wind magic.
The opponent openly retreated.
This is strange…
The opponents retreated too grandly. The people who were fighting believed in their victory and looked at the retreating opponent troops.
If one were to look around the battlefield, there were too few dead bodies.
I was thinking about pressing further, but it was obvious that the amount of dead bodies from our side is many.
We already plundered all the surrounding villages, that’s why we headed further south.
We’ll run into the Great river soon.
We have boats for the sake of crossing the Great river. We already got enough food so we were going to go home once we reached the Great river.
I was thinking about such things.
As the scout warriors came back, we heard a surprising report.
There are too little water inside the Great river.
We tried moving towards the Great river and there was indeed too little water inside the stream.
A Fighter tried standing in the middle of the river and the water level was only near his knees.
We went away from the river temporarily and a.s.sembled a meeting.
It’s about if we should go further south or not.
The talk intensified, but there are already 2 factions of a minority who said we already got enough food, and a majority of people who said they want more food and more women.
Becaue Au, Agu, and Shiu claimed to go further south, almost everyone decided to go south, but our Patriarch wants to go home. (TN: No no no, he’s not a p.u.s.s.y, he’s just being smart lel)
Because we had to wait 10 days for the food wagons to gather, the discussion continued during that time.
A few days after the meeting started
I went to the Great river on my own.
I saw one single cabin there. There were many boats lining up around that cabin.
I wonder if they ran when we approached, since there’s no human presence here
I went towards the cabin.
Maybe this cabin is the base camp for the people who give out boats at the Great river.
I surveyed the boats. There was one thing about them that bothered me.
There are moss below the boats.
I was bothered so I got off the horse and touched those moss. It was still slimy without moisture.
I was convinced that this boat was used just the other day.
I hurriedly straddled Keima and went back to the gathering place of the Patriarchs.
「Patriarch」
「What is it, Jumuka」
「Let me partic.i.p.ate in the meeting today, too」
The Patriarch meeting is for Patriarchs and Chiefs only, but a Great Warrior with the Patriarch’s permission has the right to partic.i.p.ate.
「Why？」
「I found a boat delivery camp downstream of the Great river、but there are traces of the boats being used just recently、the fact that the Great river has little water might be the opponent’s trap」
The Patriarch thought, putting his hand on his chin.
「Hm、trap huh…however、hm、alright come to the meeting today」
「Thank you very much。 」
I sat behind the Patriarch at the Patriarch meeting.
「Ronga、that person sitting in the back is the successor？」
I’m not even 17 so I’m the youngest inside this place. That’s why I was out of place in a place of only patriarchs, chiefs and great warriors.
But I’m already here so for the sake of fitting into the atmosphere of the Patriarch meeting, I was put as the successor.
The number of people who know my name are many in the gra.s.slands, but very few know my face.
There wasn’t anyone on the level of Great warriors or Chiefs when I won the bow compet.i.tion, so I’m not known.
「Yeah、 he’s Jumuka、Twin Arrows Jumuka is famous isn’t he。 He’s also a Great Warrior already、there’s no problem for him to be here。 」
Everyone stared at me when the Patriarch introduced so.
Normally it’s good to have one Great Warrior from each tribe, but there are also many tribes who partic.i.p.ated without a Great Warrior.
In a sense I have the right to speak above the Patriarchs of smaller and weaker tribes.
As the meeting began, the argument started.
The argument right now is whether we should cross the Great river and invade in one go, or carefully advance.
「Listen for a bit alright？ Today Jumuka discovered something downstream the Great river、would you listen to that？」
At the Patriarch’s words, other people glued their gazes on me.
I stood up and spoke about the boats downstream the Great river.
About the boats were used recently, about the possibility that insufficiency of the amount of water in the river is a trap
「Ridiculous。 Changing the amount of water in the Great river from a different location、it’s impossible even for 30,000 water magic users」
Agu tribe’s Patriarch laughed and said so, looking down on me a bit.
Other Patriarchs also smiled wryly and nodded.
Magic users, they didn’t use just that one magic, if they used 2 magic then even commoners could do to the same extent of talented individuals.
It’s a sound argument that if they didn’t gather 30,000, then it’s impossible to move the water of the Great river.
However, that’s the case when they use Water magic.
「But、it’s possible to dam up the river with 1 to 2 thousand Earth magic users isn’t it？」
「・・・that’s indeed possible、but who would do that？ It seems stupid。 」
「That’s why I think it’s good to send scouts upstream to investigate。 」
「That useless thing is unnecessary。 」
Agu tribe’s patriarch raised his voice.
As me and Agu tribe’s Patriarch glared at each other, the sound of a whip hitting the floor resounded.
「Agu…leave it there、」
It was Au tribe’s Patriarch that used the whip.
「Before a youth’s progressive argument、the reserved argument of an experienced man shouldn’t be crushed but…it’s a youth’s reserved argument huh…OK、Jumuka」
「Yes」
「Next battle、the Empire troops will be on the other side of the Great river right?。 When that times come, you’ll be the commander。 」
The atmosphere changed to surprise.
「It’s the same at my place, but this guy is extremely popular among the youth。 Each tribe gather 15~7 warriors and fighters to be under Jumuka’s supervision…No、give 17 people of any kind、you’ll escort the horse-pulled wagons over the Great river。 If it’s the enemy’s trap, don’t let them steal the wagon、if it’s not then protect it from the enemy and slowly cross the Great river。 」
「Nmu、that’s good」
「That’s indeed good」
「If something happens protect the food、if not then it’s fine、as one would expect from Au’s Patriarch’s wisdom」
The Patriarchs approved one by one.
Then Au tribe’s Patriarch stared at me. Those were the eyes that said ‘rejecting is a no go’.
「Udnerstood。 」
I obediently nodded.
3 days later
As we crossed the Great river there are more Chau Empire troops, the aggression began.
At a certain camp
「Brother、Earth magic operation at the upper stream of the Great river seems to be done」
「That so、then dispatch 1000 earth magic users and 85000 soldiers borrowed from his majesty to the front」 (TN: So it’s actually 100,000 that they borrowed, I put 10,000 last chapter but that’s a mistake, I’ll fix that. The Tribes also have 100,000 troops)
「Where are we going？」
「We decided didn’t we」
Shaomin pointed towards the north.
「To the other side of the Great river」
Shaomin’s army of 5000 marched without a single disorder.
They quickly retreated from fighting with the tribes.
「Brother、why did we retreat right away？ I could’ve done a lot more」
「No、that’s fine already、it’s in order to make the opponents think they won already and cross the river towards this direction」
「Ah、so that’s how it is。 」
「Iyaa、it’s because the tribes didn’t chase us at all even when we retreated with comfort」
「You know things well, Brother」
「That’s because I examined the tribes」
「As expected of Brother」
「If you know your division and know yourself you’ll cut down thousands of dangers、If you know your division and know yourself you’ll cut down thousands of dangers、If you know your division and know yourself you’ll cut down thousands of dangers」 (TN: So this “lovely” sentence was written in ALL KATAKANA, which indicates a special way of speaking)
「You just love that kind of wording aren’t you, Brother」
「Yeah、the moment I heard these words I felt numb、moreover, the person who used these words was a 15 year old girl 2 years ago」
The two lined up their horses and retreated.
♦ That was a long chapter… that’s it for me today.
♦ Also, thanks two Anon’s for the donations the other day!