113. Intimidation

In the past few days, the numbers reported by the elven scouts kept changing, from an initial two hundred thousand to over six hundred thousand four days later. However, the elves noted that their equipment was uneven; it was possible they were an allied force from across the continent. Mo Fei couldn’t help but smile bitterly to himself—he had finally become, like the bear tribe, an invader of this land.

The enemy continued to amass heavy forces. Now, even if Mo Fei wanted to retreat, it was impossible. More than half of the opposing army had already gathered. No one knew when they would attack, but if his side began to withdraw, who could say when the enemy would strike?

Mo Fei had no choice but to continue drawing troops from the empire. Thanks to the large magical teleportation array, the twenty thousand giant ballistae, accompanied by twenty thousand elven crossbowmen, arrived together. Bear warriors were being transferred ceaselessly day and night. Nearly two hundred thousand elite bear warriors had now assembled.

Meanwhile, the allied forces on the continent had reached an astounding number of 1.2 million. While Mo Fei was gathering his troops, the enemy kept rallying all the armies on this land.

Both sides were continuously amassing their military strength. Mo Fei grew increasingly frustrated, never expecting that the conquest of this continent would come at such a cost.

The plains before the dock were now filled with barracks. Heavy cavalry had advanced to within fifty kilometers of the enemy’s massed troops. Forty thousand reserve heavy cavalry had been brought over. Now, Mo Fei commanded one hundred thousand heavy cavalry, four hundred thousand bear warriors, twenty thousand berserker infantry, forty thousand elven crossbowmen, twenty thousand giant ballistae, and three thousand six hundred bear mages—a formidable force.

Their opponents, however, had more than double Mo Fei’s numbers. Though their combat effectiveness remained uncertain, after the last battle, Mo Fei no longer underestimated the striking power of such a heavy force.

After nearly three months of troop mobilization, the enemy had ceased gathering forces, likely because there were no more troops to assemble. Yet, in terms of manpower, the enemy’s allied forces outnumbered Mo Fei’s by more than four to one. According to the elven scouts’ intelligence, the pressure on Mo Fei was immense. Fortunately, the plains could only accommodate a little over one million troops for battle at a time. If the enemy’s two million troops attacked simultaneously, Mo Fei feared few would survive to return.

The great battle was imminent.

“Your Majesty, shall we launch the attack first?” In the war command tent of the allied forces, a burly man with a thick beard spoke to the ruler seated with a worried expression. “We’ve been facing off for almost three months since the armies began assembling. Although we outnumber the enemy considerably, just look at their weapons and equipment. Now, look at what our brothers hold in their hands. Last time, their forty thousand troops wiped out twelve of Your Majesty’s hundred thousand soldiers. Now, look at Your Majesty’s tribe—do they even have survivors?”

“I did not expect them to amass so many troops either,” the ruler replied to nearly a hundred commanding generals present, “But if we don’t fight, what then? If anyone has a better idea, speak up so we can discuss.”

“Your Majesty,” said another general, “based on the last battle, their weapons and gear far surpass ours. Even with our greater numbers, a head-on clash would yield little advantage. Besides, not far from the docks, their massive ships stand ready to reinforce. If they disembark behind our lines, we would be in grave danger. Your Majesty, the army of Hu is considered strong here. How many generals present have not suffered losses to Hu’s troops? Three to one, and Hu’s hundred thousand were annihilated. Even with a four to one advantage, or five or six to one, it’s unlikely we will gain much from them. Have you seen their cavalry? In the past few days, they’ve been patrolling less than thirty miles away. Our mounts recoil at the scent of their giant beasts. How can we counter their cavalry? And those strange vehicles, always manned by four people—how do we handle those? Do we truly stand a chance?”

“What then? We have over two million troops gathered here. Just feeding and watering them is exhausting. If this drags on, will there even be a battle? Our soldiers might starve before the fight.”

A heated debate erupted in the tent. No one convinced anyone else—some clamored for war, some were undecided, and others urged caution.

“Enough!” the ruler suddenly stood. “What are you even discussing? The enemy has yet to strike. Shouldn’t we take the initiative, then sit down to negotiate?”

The generals ceased arguing and looked toward the ruler.

“Attack—won’t gain much but will drain us. Don’t attack—the enemy presses hard, and we lose a strong tribe here. Alas.” The ruler sighed. “We don’t know their true intentions. When we saw Hu’s defeat, we feared we might be next, so we gathered to protect ourselves. Yet, they don’t seem bent on conquering this entire continent. They have only about fifty thousand troops here, but surely not only that many. Their numbers are insufficient to subjugate us fully, yet they’ve stopped gathering more troops. We have only half our forces assembled when they halted. Either they think this small force can overwhelm us, or... Perhaps we are misunderstanding something?”

“Maybe we should send envoys to them...” a voice suggested.

“On what pretext? If we fail to find a good excuse, we’ll be mocked.”

“Here’s what we’ll do,” the ruler said. “Send a few men to ask why they have come to our land, why they attack our people.”

Before he finished, a messenger burst in. “Your Majesties, generals—envoys have been sent from the enemy camp, requesting an audience with Your Majesty and the generals.”

“Ah...” The ruler was caught off guard, thinking of excuses to send envoys, only to have envoys arrive first.

“Bring them in,” the ruler quickly regained composure. “Generals, sit tight. We must not show weakness.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The envoys entered the tent: the leader of Mo Fei’s berserker squad, flanked by four berserkers as guards. Their fierce aura alone silenced the room; even the generals felt a chill and dared not act disrespectfully.

“Greetings, Your Majesties and generals,” the berserker leader said with commanding presence. “Our army has no intent to fight yours. Our emperor sent us to see if there might be a misunderstanding between us.”

“A misunderstanding?” A general rose sharply. “You wiped out an entire tribe of ours and call it a misunderstanding?”

“That?” The squad leader paused. “Did you not know they first attacked us? We were forced to defend ourselves.”

“They attacked you? They were merely passing through when you surrounded them with your army...”

“Wait,” the squad leader interrupted, sensing something amiss. “Are you saying we surrounded them as they passed?”

“Isn’t that so?”

“Of course not,” the leader said. “We had only forty thousand troops; how could we encircle their hundred and twenty thousand? Could you do that? Besides, the battle began at our docks. Who do you think surrounded whom?”

“You...” the general faltered.

“Our emperor sent us to clarify one thing: we came to your continent not to invade or seize your lands. We heard of your diamonds and platinum, so...”

“So you came with a great army for that?” a voice sneered.

The squad leader’s glare was sharp. “Someone here seems fond of war. I wonder if you’d be so cocky on the battlefield.”

“You...” The ruler bristled with anger. “State your purpose.”

“We came to trade our goods with you, not to conquer by force.”

“Then what of your great army?”

“We arrived initially with only two ships and just over twenty thousand men, escorting our emperor to your war-torn continent. That’s hardly an excessive force.”

“And now?”

“Now?” The squad leader smiled coldly. “Look at yourselves. You have no fewer than two million troops. What are they for? You plan to attack without warning; we will fight to the end. But our emperor wished me to clarify before any needless bloodshed. If you attack with flimsy excuses, our army will not hesitate to slaughter you all. This continent will become the Death Empire’s domain. If your reasons differ, speak now so I may report back.”

The tent fell silent at these brazen words.

“If you want war, do you think we fear you?” the voice sneered again.

“First, I must clarify: it is not we who want war, but you.” The squad leader sized up the speaker. “With your weapons and your two million troops, I doubt many would survive a single charge from our cavalry. You’re nothing.”

“Our empire still has nearly two hundred thousand cavalry and over a million infantry unassembled. Want to know why?” The squad leader laughed heartily. “It’s simple: our fifty thousand are enough to slaughter you all; no need to gather more.”

“Enough. We do not desire war. But since you wiped out a powerful tribe as soon as you landed, we must prepare for the worst. Now that all is clear, what do you want?”

“It’s simple: after our previous victory, the hundred-mile radius around the docks is ours. It is the law of this land, since we won. Secondly, we do not seek conflict with any faction, but if provoked, we will respond without mercy.”

“That’s all?” The generals looked puzzled. “What kind of terms are these?”

“You defeated Hu; that land belonged to him. You can have it. But how can we trust you won’t attack other tribes?”

“Our emperor is not a warmonger. As long as you do not provoke us, we will not provoke you. For assurance, you may visit our camp to see our forces. If we do not slaughter you, you will know our intentions are to trade, not plunder.”

“Enough. I have stayed long enough. We return now. Our emperor warns: If your army has not withdrawn by tomorrow, it will mean war to the death. Do not regret it then. Farewell—I hope we do not meet on the battlefield. Though the Death Empire’s heavy cavalry have not fought en masse for a long time, I do not wish to fight you as invaders.”

As the envoys departed, silence filled the tent. Everyone was calculating their own schemes. The enemy only claimed a hundred-mile radius, land not originally theirs. Was it worth fighting over?

For a moment, no one spoke of battle. Then suddenly, a panicked shout pierced the air—the soldiers in the camps ahead cried out in alarm. Could it be...