Chapter 952: Chapter 5: Hero of Heroes, Charge, Charge!
Batuer replied: “Yes.”
“The hero bestowed upon the earth by the Heavenly God.”
“The greatest hero recorded in the oldest epics.”
“Tian Ge’er.”
Finally, under the gaze of this tribe’s over four hundred people, the increased, two hundred-strong cavalry continued forward.
Dusty woolen coats made from sheep’s skin mingled with dark blue hunting clothes. Then, they encountered a new tribe, who saw warriors from several different tribes following one person.
Their flames of hatred were thus ignited, and ultimately, they too joined in.
A young boy from the Central Plains, dressed in merchant’s clothes and holding a long spear, was at the very front.
Lei Laomeng watched the constantly expanding team along the road and murmured:
“This scene, it feels so familiar.”
“Has it happened many times before?”
Fan Qing replied: “Because it is Lord.”
……
Saatanati opened her eyes.
She saw people around her who were like herself, children from different tribes, with bound hands, some with bruised faces; their eyes were different from hers, all already dulled.
This ‘noble hunting’ team had come all the way from the city, capturing not only women but also children, binding their arms with ropes, throwing them into this camp, one group after another brought people over.
Saatanati saw at least two to three thousand people here.
No old or young, even those who cooked were strong men, and many more were armored; in the most central place, there was a man in a lavish robe drinking wine, transported from the Central Plains, as expensive as gold.
Saatanati gently leaned against a woman next to her, who looked around seventeen or eighteen years old, very beautiful, but her eyes were lifeless, and said: “Sister, are you alright?”
The woman glanced at the little girl twisting her wrists and said:
“Don’t waste your effort.”
“You can’t escape.”
“Here are nearly a thousand mounted warriors who can shoot arrows, plus over two thousand soldiers with swords and shields, far larger than our tribe. Even if you untie the rope, where could you run to?”
“One arrow could shoot you dead; one knife could cut off your legs.”
“I’ve seen it happen.”
Saatanati paused, with the last bit of light in her eyes, stubbornly replied: “But, we are daughters of the Holy Mountain and lake. Even if shot dead, I should be on the grassland, on the earth, under the sky.”
The beautiful girl did not answer her words, only gazed at her with surprise.
Suddenly a voice came: “Caught another ten or so back, how many now?”
“About five or six hundred, right? We’ve caught all the nearby tribes.”
A guard seemed dissatisfied:
“Ah, this is terrible; our city’s reputation for being safe among these tribes is all gone! This time we caught many young women and children, but next year, many tribes won’t come to our city.”
“If they don’t come to our city, there won’t be enough jerky, trophies, or herbs.”
“We’ll make less money.”
“I don’t know what the master is thinking.”
Another person quickly grabbed him and said: “You want to die, gossiping about the master like this; be careful you’ll be flogged eight hundred lashes, beaten into mush and thrown out to feed the wolves.” His voice paused, then he cautiously continued:
“As for the situation, I’ve heard some things.”
“Oh? Tell me?”
“I heard that isn’t the front line tight? The Dangxiang Kingdom’s main ordered the Thirty-six Tribes to send reinforcements. Our side went up and was beaten, morale is tight, and the nobles and cavalry are very unhappy.”
“By the rules, female slaves must be sent up.”
“Need to have maidservants, and serfs to clean the armor.”
“We must harvest these lower citizens, find some women to send there.”
Saatanati’s face turned pale, she pressed her lips.
The previous guard said: “But it’s strange, the Dangxiang Kingdom has nothing to do with us; Tuyuhun has perished, they’ve occupied the largest territory, vast oases, far from us.”
“Besides, most of the Dangxiang Kingdom has been conquered by that Wolf King, no telling when they’ll be destroyed; why would we send reinforcements?”
“He doesn’t have the [Tuyuhun Gold King Seal].”
Saatanati remembered this object; according to legend, the greatest hero of Tuyuhun, recorded since the time of written history, went from a mere monk-slave to become the ruler uniting the Western Regions, melting together the seals of the Thirty-six Tribes’ kings.
It is said that possessing this seal allows one to command the entire Western Regions.
Even heroes from the Central Plains value this, during the two-plus years since Tuyuhun’s fall, many conflicts erupted, all competing to find this Golden Fierce Tiger Seal.
Even Saatanati heard of it.
He who obtains this seal becomes the Western Regions Dominator!
But the Sages say, he who can guard this seal is the real Western Regions Dominator.
Another guard whispered: “I’ll tell you, but don’t tell anyone else, I heard it’s because the Dangxiang Kingdom’s main issued the King’s Order, hoping the Thirty-six Tribes will gather together to defeat that Central Plains Wolf King.”
“Now the heroes of various tribes have already set out, aiming to regroup into an alliance, saying it’s a competition or something, to elect a leader to lead the heroes of all tribes.”