Way of Overlord
Chapter 144: The First Raid

Chapter 144: The First Raid

Back then, the vision Aeryon presented appeared like a distant dream, and Mayeux had cautiously tempered his own expectations.

Yet, Aeryon relentless determination and strategic brilliance consistently surprised him, steadily inching closer to the realization of their grand vision.

Mayeux couldn’t help but marvel at Aeryon ability to turn dreams into reality, step by step.

He was also aware that not everyone among the Elders shared his understanding of Aeryon intentions.

Some failed to grasp the depth of Aeryon vision, and they questioned the need to provoke the Yan Empire at this juncture.

However, Mayeux, being closely aligned with Aeryon goals, understood that Aeryon wasn’t merely seeking to avoid appeasement of the Yan Empire but was also working to dismantle the notion of Yan superiority.

Aeryon ambition was not only to unify the Great Steppe but also to assert the strength and dignity of its people.

"Only then a unified front could be created" Aeryon had long said that for his dreams to be a reality, he must take time to create the foundation

Once the foundation is stable and strong, then there is nothing in this world that could stop the people of the Great Steppe to burst with brilliance.

Mayeux has always been a man of great ambition.

Nothing satisfies him more than the idea of him being a great figure in this world and to apply the knowledge that he had learned to the real world.

The Yan people had a long history of self-aggrandizement.

They often belittled other nations, branding them as pitiful and weak.

Their perception is always skewed, thinking that their civilization is unparalleled and superior, often oblivious to the existence of other nations beyond their borders.

This narrow worldview blinded them to the richness and diversity of the world of other people strength and ability.

Within their own borders, the Yan Empire is a place where people lived in servitude to the Emperor.

Merchants are subjected to oppression, and the common people is treated as expendable resources.

Like leeks that should be cut when it is time

Loyalty to the Empire is demanded from the masses, while the teachings of ancient sages is weaponized as tools of control.

The Yan Empire arrogance and disregard for the rights and dignity of its subjects had created deep-seated grievances.

Both Mayeux and Aeryon had agreed that Yan Empire is a powder keg of dissent and discontent, and Aeryon aimed to tap into this discontent to further his own goals of unifying the Great Steppe and challenging the Yan Empire dominance.

"A generation of weak men pretending to be the overlord of the world. Like a young child that could only cry and whine" this is Aeryon assessment of the Yan people

Aeryon vision is the largest vision Mayeux had ever encountered. Not even his father and his grandfather had such vision.

Unifying the Great Steppe, opening up the land and the horses of the Great Steppe rides all over the world!

Mayeux couldn’t help but be captivated by this grand vision of the future that Aeryon had painted for him.

Defeating Nurshira is not merely about a raid; it is a strategic move to weaken the perceived might of the Yan Empire in the eyes of the Great Steppe people.

With each victory, that aura of Yan’s invincibility would slowly fade away, instilling an indomitable spirit among the Steppe warriors for future raids to the south.

The people of the Southern Great Steppe didn’t fear individual Yan people, not even a hundred of them.

What they truly feared is the Yan army itself.

Decades of relentless propaganda had instilled in them the belief that the Yan people are formidable warriors, when in fact, they are more like paper tigers, their roars far exceeding their actual might.

Aeryon understood this deception all too well.

He knew that the true knowledge of war, the art of leading armies and controlling soldiers is concealed from the common people, reserved for the scholars and noble families.

Most of the individuals drafted into the Yan army were farmers, ill-prepared to face the harshness and brutality inherent in the warriors of the Great Steppe.

The Steppe’s people were born and bred for the rigors of war, a formidable force that the Yan Empire’s conscripts couldn’t hope to match.

How could those farmers compare with the people of the Great Steppe that has harshness and brutality carved in their beings?

Mayeux turned his gaze towards the warriors behind him, seeing their readiness.

They stood there, prepared for the impending march, and he couldn’t help but think, "This will be an excellent opportunity to hone and train them."

He understood that Aeryon had also sent these new tribe members on this raiding expedition for this very reason.

It is a chance to train these warriors, to prepare them for the larger conflicts that lay ahead.

This experience would be invaluable, turning them into a formidable force when the time came for greater challenges.

With the expansion of the Brolgadhr tribe following Aeryon campaign to the west of the Southern Great Steppe and the subjugation of various clans and small tribes, the tribe’s size had grown significantly.

Every day, more people and warriors joined their ranks, making it larger and more diverse.

However, Aeryon understood that, with winter upon them, launching an attack to the west or north of the Southern Great Steppe wasn’t feasible.

To build the necessary cohesion and unity among the warriors, he saw this raid as an opportunity.

It is a chance to train both the new and old warriors, forging them into a more formidable force, ready for the challenges that lay ahead.

Another crucial reason behind Aeryon decision to raid Nurshira was to familiarize his warriors with the tactics and strategies employed by the Yan people.

For the past decade, the Yan Empire had likely come to expect infrequent raids from the Great Steppe tribes, which rarely extended as far as attacking a city.

However, Aeryon had a grander vision.

He aimed to reorganize the people under his rule, specifically preparing the state for a state of perpetual warfare.

This required not only training his warriors but also ensuring that the strategies employed by the Yan people were well-understood by his forces.

By doing so, he hoped to turn the tables on their powerful neighbours to the south.

Aeryon, in a detailed conversation with Mayeux, outlined his plans for reforming the tribal military structure.

One of the central ideas is the implementation of a decimal unit system to organize the warriors and horse riders efficiently.

Aeryon had set a remarkable goal for all the tribes that had been brought under his rule: each was expected to provide a levy of one thousand men to the unified army.

Mayeux at that was visibly taken aback when he heard this plan.

Aeryon ambition had always been clear to those close to him, and Mayeux is among the select few with whom Aeryon had confided about his grand vision.

That ambition is nothing short of uniting the entire Great Steppe.

Stretching across vast landscapes, the Great Steppe is inhabited by hundreds of tribes and thousands of clans.

If Aeryon succeeded in conquering the entirety of this immense territory, and if each tribe indeed supplied him with one thousand men, there would be a formidable force of a million soldiers under his command.

Such numerical superiority had the potential to make Aeryon an unstoppable force capable of influencing events far beyond the Great Steppe’s borders.

With this kind of numerical advantage, Aeryon could sweep the whole world.

Mayeux couldn’t help but be stunned by Aeryon audacious plan when he first heard it.

Yet, deep down, he realized that if Aeryon managed to achieve this monumental goal, and if he could play a significant role in making it happen, their names would be etched into the annals of history for all time...their names would forever be immortalized in history.

Aeryon painted a vivid mental picture of a world where he commanded millions of men.

He envisioned them as an unstoppable force, their horses galloping across deserts, green lands, and icy expanses, conquering whatever lay in their path with a mere wave of his hand.

It is a vision of dominance and unity on a scale that had rarely been seen in history.

The ideas was very shocking to Mayeux at that time.

Aeryon also wanted to have his own personal bodyguard and he wanted it to be a ten thousand men

This bodyguard would be selected from the elite standing army of the Great Steppe and which trained commanders for the other divisions. Aeryon ambition could easily be categorized as insane.

Because he dreams too big for a small tribe leader chief.

He dreams that on day, he would not only source his troops from the tribes but also from allies and conquered states.

And that one day, these soldiers from these conquered would even outnumber the Great Steppe contingents

Mayeux understand then the extent of Aeryon ambition.

Vast as the world, boundless as the Heavens.

What Aeryon meant by saying that is he would conquer the world, that every state and very city in the world would pay tribute to him and bow their heads to him. It is no wonder that Aeryon uncle could not believe such outlandish dreams and requires proof

But to Mayeux, with each victory, Aeryon is slowly moving toward that dream.

And Mayeux is also anticipating it. Becoming an adviser to such a person would surely make his name carved in the annals of history.

"There is many other things that we need to do" he thought to himself

Mayeux lead a thousand horse riders and the order came and they began to move. Aeryon also came out of the tent.

They would ride tonight to Nurshira. In calculation they would arrive a few days later at Nurshira right after Mayeux and Belarion arrives

Aeryon bring around two thousand men.

The force is basically seven thousand men.

But while this mobilization is going on in the tribe, the elders in the elders tent gather for a meeting

The tent is silent and the tense atmosphere could be felt

"Rukari, have you talked to your nephew?"

"Did....he really wanted to raid Nurshira?"

"If he did this, what if the Yan empire come to attack?" everyone look toward Rukari.

As Aeryon uncle and the closest toward Aeryon, the elders turns toward him each time, they wanted to know the intention of Aeryon.

Elders in some other tribes have very powerful speaking power as they are regarded as the wisdom of the tribe.

But clearly their influence in the Brolgadhr tribe is very different from other elders in other tribes. That is because Brolgadhr rise is very miraculous and bizarre.

Before Aeryon, the Brodgar tribe is a small tribe with no influence. Other than the fact that they used to be very powerful in the past, Brolgadhr tribe had nothing going for them, then some old alliance and old connection.

But when Aeryon become leader, he had elevated this tribe and created all kinds of miracle. So, the only speaking power that have influence now is none other than Aeryon.

Rukari stands from his seat and then leave the tent. His attitude is clear to all, he would side with his nephew this time

"Rukari!"

Rukari turns his head and smile

"If you are not satisfied, go ask him" Saying this he chuckles and went out from the tent, no longer interested in saying anything.

The Elder could only sigh.

No one in the tent would dare say anything and so they could only accept

From the moment, Aeryon issued his order, his order has been absolute and unquestioned.

The moment had arrived. Outside the elder’s tent, the warriors and horse riders stood prepared.

A powerful energy surged through the air as horses whinnied, and then it came: the war horn’s resounding call that signalled the beginning of the raid.

With that signal, the horses sprang into action, galloping across the lush, green grasslands.

The wind whipped through their hair and tugged at their clothes as they thundered toward Nurshira, the adventure into the unknown beginning in earnest.

The raid toward Nurshira begins!

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