The rattling echoed as fierce winds swept sand and gravel against the shacks. The sky was gray and bleak—such weather had never been experienced by the armies of the Wynn Domain and Sage Domain.
The soldiers could only gather behind rocks and shacks, trying to escape the sudden, violent sandstorm.
The plan to attack the enemy stronghold had to be abandoned for now. In such fierce winds, visibility was extremely narrow, and the small holes beneath the wooden walls surrounding the enemy outpost made the soldiers uneasy.
With attacks coming from above and below, even surviving was uncertain, let alone launching an assault. Complaints among the soldiers grew, and more of them developed eye problems. By nightfall, the suffering was unbearable; some woke up with numb, frozen limbs, aching bodies, and even illness.
Winter was fast approaching, and for many soldiers, their impression of the Grant Domain’s pastures was only of abundant aquatic produce, herds of cattle, sheep, and horses, and the envy that people on the grasslands ate meat three times a day.
"Let’s retreat for now."
Cyrus Sage gazed anxiously at the sand seeping in through the cracks and spoke with concern.
The Gus Bull who had gone out to pursue the enemy cavalry had already returned; in such wind and sand, the soldiers could easily lose their way.
"If we retreat now, this year is over for us. We won’t pose any threat to the enemy stronghold, and next spring will be even harder."
Gus Bull spoke quietly. Lydia Lien said nothing, simply watching the swirling sand outside.
These makeshift shacks, built from dry grass, burlap, and wood, creaked constantly in the wind and were far from sturdy. Some soldiers’ shelters had already been blown away.
"Maybe this is actually good news for us!"
Suddenly, Lydia Lien spoke up, and everyone immediately turned to look at her.
"What new clever idea do you have this time, Commander Lydia Lien?"
Cyrus Sage looked at her with excitement. Lydia Lien stood up and walked to the window.
"With this sandstorm, not only is our vision limited, but the enemy’s is too. If we use these days of wind and sand as cover to secretly move the siege posts closer to the enemy stronghold, and then suddenly launch an attack, the enemy might not be able to..."
"That’s impossible."
Bella Liang immediately stood up to refute her, and continued speaking.
"These large siege engines are already extremely difficult to move, and even harder to build. Now, beneath the wooden walls of the enemy outpost, the small attack holes pose a deadly threat to our soldiers. If the assault fails, the siege posts will likely be burned by the enemy. It would take a lot of time to get them here, and this time your plan has no chance at all."
Lydia Lien laughed helplessly and waved her hand, dropping the subject.
Everyone in the room hung their heads, especially Bella Liang. These past few days, he could barely see anything far away, and his eyes were swollen and red.
"Alright, everyone, at most we’ll wait another week. If the weather is still this bad after a week, we’ll retreat south, intensify training, and next spring we can send more soldiers to the front."
No one objected to Bella Liang’s proposal. Sometimes, the outcome of war is decided by the weather. If it hadn’t been for that week of relentless heat during the battle at the pass, Lydia Lien’s plan might not have succeeded.
"We’re already close to the enemy, Yuna. We can attack at any moment."
Phoenix Yu spoke in the midst of the sandstorm. The cavalry all wore burlap hoods with countless small holes, so even in this weather, they weren’t much affected. Even the horses wore such hoods.
Many of the soldiers, long accustomed to the grassland winds and sand, knew the terrain well and didn’t worry about losing their way.
"Move closer to the enemy. I want to wipe out this tribe in one blow—they have less than ten thousand people."
Yuna spoke coldly. The troops began moving through the sandstorm; the distant scene was a hazy blur. Meanwhile, the suffering northern tribe huddled in their shacks or behind rocks, resting and sleeping through the storm, unaware that death had already arrived.
Yuna raised her spear, staring at the distant, blurry enemy. A cold smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. Suddenly, she snapped her whip, and the soldiers behind her shouted and charged forward.
"Enemy attack!"
With a shrill cry, the soldier who shouted widened his eyes, staring at the oncoming horses. On one of them rode a petite cavalrywoman, her whole body radiating murderous intent. She drove her spear into his body, and his scream was quickly swallowed by the wind and sand.
Many soldiers, still asleep, only woke when the horses crashed into the shacks. But it was too late—shouts and killing erupted everywhere, and some soldiers were stabbed to death before they could even grab their weapons.
The cavalry charged into the enemy camp, plunging the whole area into chaos.
"Fight back! There aren’t many of them!"
The chieftain who had spoken with Stanley Tang before now came out of his shack. The sandstorm was still fierce, and he could barely see. All he could hear were shouts of killing and the pounding of hooves.
All around him, soldiers had fallen into panic.
The battle didn’t last long. By dusk, when the wind and sand had lessened, it was over—another one-sided massacre.
"No, I..."
Before the chieftain could finish, Yuna drove her spear into his neck. Blood sprayed in the wind as cries for mercy and screams echoed all around.
Soon, only corpses remained in the enemy camp.
"Rest here. Eat and drink your fill—we leave at dawn tomorrow."
Yuna shouted, and the victorious soldiers cheered, each searching for a place to rest.
Inside the chieftain’s large shack, Yuna sat down. The wind and sand had eased, but the temperature was dropping. Lona Long was busy making a fire, planning to use the enemy’s meat to make stew. Days of relentless raids had left Yuna exhausted. Lucille Xing lay down on the bed as soon as she entered and fell asleep within moments.
"Not bad—there’s plenty of dried meat."
Sebastian Zhao drank water, gnawing on a large piece of dried meat. Nearby, some generals ate happily as well. Since leaving, they’d barely touched their own supplies, eating only what they took from the enemy.
The northern tribe had prepared ample provisions. After eating, they’d even carry some with them. No one worried about food or drink—every soldier could eat their fill after battle.
No one cared anymore that this food came from slaughtered enemies.
"At this rate, our remaining force of over four thousand should be enough."
Lona Long had already brought the water to a boil and added a lot of dried meat, then tossed in some dried vegetables and salt. Soon, a rich aroma filled the air.
Yuna nodded wearily.
"I wish I could take a hot bath."
Yuna said, and Lona Long smiled and nodded.
"Yuna, there’s river water nearby! I’ll have the soldiers bring some over soon."
In the sandstorm, some cavalry pressed on, exhausted and hungry for days. Stanley Tang gazed gloomily at the swirling sand as night began to fall.
Suddenly, Stanley Tang spotted a faint firelight in the distance. He excitedly ordered his troops to move forward, but after a short distance, he stopped—before him stood a large group of soldiers with bows and spears aimed at them.
"I’m not the enemy—I’m the chieftain of the Tang Clan."
After finally eating his fill, Stanley Tang lay content in the shack prepared for him by the Wynn Domain’s army. Tears glimmered at the corners of his eyes. In his memory, the happiest times were as a child, carefree and running through the forests. Back then, food was plentiful, and every visit to Grant City filled him with joy and anticipation.
"When did it all start to go so wrong?"
He hadn’t thought much of it before, but now Stanley Tang dwelled on the cruelty of war. In previous battles, the chieftains suffered losses, but over the years, it never reached ten thousand. Yet in that dusk, in just an evening and a half, his tribe of over ten thousand was slaughtered. Now, his heart was filled with fear—a bottomless, consuming terror that haunted him every time he closed his eyes.
When night fell, a messenger entered. Stanley Tang woke from sleep, his face filled with fear, and learned that the commanders wanted him to come over.
In the middle of the night, Stanley Tang arrived at the Wynn Domain’s front lines, escorted by cavalry carrying torches. Inside a large pavilion, the lights blazed. As soon as Stanley entered, he saw the three commanders of the Wynn Domain, the commander of the Sage Domain, and several high-ranking generals.
Even at this hour, they seemed to be deep in discussion.
"Chieftain Tang, thank you for coming. I want to hear firsthand about the recent war."
Stanley Tang drank some hot water, sat down, and looked blankly at the commanders and generals.
"Not human."
After a long silence, Stanley Tang finally spoke. Bella Liang frowned at him, while Lydia Lien stood up and walked over.
"Explain—who isn’t human?"
"It’s Yuna. It’s her..."
Stanley Tang choked up, tears falling.
"She slaughtered our tribe’s people, and those of other clans too. The total must be over twenty thousand."
In an instant, everyone in the pavilion looked shocked, staring at Stanley Tang in disbelief.
"Impossible."
Gus Bull immediately retorted, but Stanley Tang just stared at him blankly.
"Go see for yourself—the corpses on the northwest prairie. Why did you delay your reinforcements? Why?"