The four surrendered tribes, including the Nadu Department, were located to the east, south, west, and north of the oasis. The Nadu Department itself was in the northern part, at the foot of Yin Mountain. A century of strategic suppression by the Earl of North Border had been so effective that even his ’puppet’ allied barbarian troops had developed a confident air. Especially in the last twenty years, the other barbarian tribes had rarely launched any counterattacks against the Earl of North Border, leading the Nadu Department’s people to become complacent.
Naduo Jiayang, the "Junior Chief" of the Nadu Department, had assigned fewer than a thousand of his personal guards to a pasture within their territory. He hadn’t publicized this, so the tribe’s perimeter security remained as lax as ever.
The mounted scouts sent out at night would, by habit, find a sheltered spot out of the wind. Wrapped in sheepskin cloaks, they would take a few swigs of mare’s milk wine and soon be dreaming of the Barbarian God.
So, when nearly twenty thousand troops from the other three surrendered tribes had already approached the outskirts of the Nadu Department, there was still no reaction from within.
What happened next was not surprising.
All of them removed the bits from their horses’ mouths, unwrapped the cloth from their hooves, and raised their sabers.
The three tribal chiefs stood at the forefront. They exchanged glances. They each knew that after tonight, only three of the four surrendered tribes would remain.
It was impossible for them not to feel a sense of shared sorrow, for their tribes were connected to the Nadu Department by marriage. But they had no choice. Beyond the Nadu encampment, the iron cavalry of the Earl of North Border watched like tigers ready to pounce, and the Old Madam herself was personally overseeing the battle. The three chiefs had no path of retreat.
The three tribal chiefs raised their sabers in unison and swung them down.
"Kill!" Follow current novels on novel·fire·net
Thousands of horses surged forward, and the warriors of the three tribes let out excited, piercing howls.
They weren’t burdened with the same complex thoughts as their chieftains; all they knew was that tonight, everything belonging to the Nadu Department would be theirs!
It was just a shame the chiefs had specifically ordered no captives. A real pity, they thought, the Nadu Department had quite a few fine women.
The galloping of the warhorses sounded like rolling thunder, jolting the entire Nadu Department awake.
Their defenses were lax, but this didn’t mean they lacked brave and skilled warriors. Many, upon waking, instantly realized what was happening: their tribe was under attack for the first time in nearly twenty years.
Some snatched up their blades, others rushed to their warhorses, demonstrating excellent training. But this readiness proved inconsequential in the face of the surprise raid from the three other tribes.
Just then, Nado Anli, an elder of the Nadu Department, rushed into the tribal chief’s tent, only to be stunned by what he saw. Despite the thunderous commotion outside, the chief was still fast asleep on his couch. Beside the couch, a woman cowered, trembling violently. Clearly, she too sensed the calamity unfolding outside.
Looking at the soundly sleeping chief, then at the woman—the Junior Chief’s new concubine—Great Elder Nado Anli’s lips twisted into a smile. It was a desolate laugh. He knew. The Nadu Department... was finished. Utterly finished.
The Nadu Department’s palisades and barracks were no match for a cavalry charge. Soon, riders from the three attacking tribes poured into the camp from three directions.
For a hundred years, as the hunting dogs of the Earl of North Border, they had repeatedly preyed upon their own kin. Now, they turned on each other, engaging in mutual slaughter!
With the kill-on-sight order in effect, every living member of the Nadu Department became their prey; not one was to be spared.
This wasn’t annexation, nor a dispute over pastures. This was... extermination!
A single word from the Old Madam, and tonight, a tribe of tens of thousands would be wiped from existence.
The desert winds would blow away all traces of their existence.
The cries of children, the screams of women, and the roars of men became the night’s brutal symphony.
Already caught by a surprise night attack and without their chief’s command, the Nadu Department was as fragile as paper. Any pockets of resistance hastily formed after the initial assault were quickly annihilated by the surging tide of the three tribes’ cavalry.
"Junior Chief, they’re attacking! They’re attacking!"
A blood-soaked warrior from the Nadu Department rushed to Naduo Jiayang, collapsing at his feet and crying out.
People were dying, everywhere. The members of the Nadu Department were being ruthlessly cut down, their numbers dwindling rapidly...
"Who is it? Who attacked us?" Naduo Jiayang roared, grabbing the warrior sprawled before him.
He was in an open area to the south of the main tribal settlement, so he hadn’t been hit by the initial cavalry assault. However, he could already see the glow of fires from the tribe’s central gathering place and hear screams so agonizing they felt like his own heart was being gouged out.
"It’s the Amo Tribe, the Guren Tribe, and the Cai Tribe! They’re the ones attacking us!"
"How is this possible? How could this happen? How dare they! How dare they! Aren’t they afraid of retribution from the Earl of North Border?"
This Junior Chief, this supposed descendant of the Barbarian God, actually uttered such a question at a time .
"Impossible, impossible, impossible..."
Naduo Jiayang had completely lost his composure. His nearly thousand loyal warriors gathered around him. Some clamored to charge back, drive out the invaders, and avenge their kin. Others were more rational; they understood the situation was beyond saving. Their priority was to break out with the Junior Chief before the enemy cavalry reached them, to preserve a flicker of hope for the Nadu Department’s survival.