Way of Overlord
Chapter 161: Hatred Passed Through The Ages

Chapter 161: Hatred Passed Through The Ages

General Xi Yan gazed down from the city wall, and a heavy sigh escaped his lips. The initial shock of the situation had given way to a sombre acceptance.

"Tens of thousands of horses, and tens of thousands of barbarians. If only Xu Bailong were here, his strategic brilliance could defeat ten thousand men,"

he mused silently.

Xi Yan was well aware that the Xu family had all abandoned the city, and he understood their reasons.

The current interim lord of the city is proving to be utterly incompetent.

The chain of command had become a tangled mess, leaving the soldiers in disarray.

The people of the city were divided, lacking a unified purpose, and the weight of unresolved internal issues was bearing down on them.

It is a dire situation, and as Xi Yan surveyed the challenges before him, he knew that overcoming them would require nothing short of a miracle.

And clearly the current interim lord could not produce such miracle

Xu Bailong, with his keen strategic mind, had perceived these problems all too clearly.

The moment he recognized the dire state of affairs, he took decisive action: he chose to abandon the city.

Xi Yan knew in his heart that if the city lord had only adopted Xu Bailong strategic recommendations, perhaps the city would have had a fighting chance.

However, the city lord had not heeded his counsel, and this crucial mistake had left the city in a perilous predicament.

However, Xu Bailong could leave. But Xi Yan couldn’t

Because Xi Yan and Xu Bailong is different and their position is different and because of that, things that Xu Bailong could do, he could not.

Xu Bailong comes from a noble family and he has no official position. He abandoning the city is like a farmer running out from the city

But Xi Yan eat and drink from the imperial coffer, his salary is paid by the Ji family, and he is the military official of the city.

So how could he leave the city when it is his duty to defend the city?

Even if he knows that it is pointless, even if he could saw the defeat, he has his duty

So, he could only sigh.

As Xi Yan peered from the city wall, his gaze extended far into the distance.

What he beheld was a sprawling spectacle: a vast sea of people, a multitude of tents, a host of horses, and billowing columns of smoke that reached up into the heavens.

While ten thousand people could indeed form a sizable crowd, the sheer scale of the camp sprawled before him indicated something far greater.

Tens of thousands of warriors and their steeds, along with the sprawling tent city and the pervasive smoke, painted a formidable picture.

These barbarians, even at this considerable distance, emanated an aura of dread.

Their imposing figures, towering and robust, were clad in animal skins that further added to their formidable appearance.

Xi Yan regarded the approaching horde with a mix of apprehension and disdain.

In his eyes, they seemed like uncultured savages, foreign and brutish.

He shifted his gaze to his lord, Qiao Meng, is was parading along the city wall, attempting to maintain an air of authority while inspecting the soldiers.

Qiao Meng, donned in steel helmet and armor, was perched atop a towering steed, wielding a massive spear, giving him an imposing presence.

Yet, doubts nagged at Xi Yan’s mind.

If they fight, could they win? With such a city lord?

Xi Yan could only sigh.

....

While Xi Yan is looking at the mass of people underneath the city, Aeryon met the tribe leaders and they all agree on the same thing.

The distribution of the bounty would depend on how much they could take after they break the city.

Aeryon however ask them if they did not want the people, they could give it to them. To many tribes, they want other resources and not people.

After all, more people means more mouth to feed. They wanted tangible resources, like cattle, sheep and even luxuries

Usually all of these tribe leaders would not listen to one chief.

After all, it is not like Aeryon could order them.

But from the moment they all accept his suggestion; they are now united.

Not to mention that Aeryon also controls the chief of Duhai and the chief of Zlata tribe he controls most of the lower southern great steppe.

Zlata chief is inducted into the Elder Council and lost his ability to gather soldiers unless Aeryon approve it.

Slowly, there is now some kind of hierarchies of power under the large tent of the Brolgadhr tribe.

As for the warriors of the Zlata tribe, they are ordered by Durka and slowly their loyalties would shift.

Aeryon had a grand vision of uniting the Marynku tribes and, eventually, all the tribes of the Great Steppe.

Currently, he was employing the banner of the Marynku to consolidate the tribes in the Southern Great Steppe.

However, he understood the importance of adaptability.

If his ambitions led him to the Northern Great Steppe one day, he would raise a banner symbolizing the restoration of the Steppe empire and unification of all the tribes across the vast expanse of the Great Steppe.

It was at this time that Aeryon met with the Chief of Sordkazan, Chief of Khagai and the chief of Esbizuk.

This meeting would surely be recorded in history

The decisions made during this meeting would shape the destiny of these tribes and potentially alter the balance of power in the region.

...

Aeryon sit on cushion inside the tent looking at the far left of his side and then he looked at the far right of his side

To his far right sat the chief of the Esbizuk tribe, a man of imposing presence and deep resolve.

To his far left, the chief of Sordkazan, his countenance reflecting the weight of the matters at hand..

Their discussions had covered practical matters, such as the allocation of bounties and resources, but now, the three chiefs is about to delve into deeper concerns.

Each of them is accompanied by their most trusted warrior, a testament to the gravity of their discussions.

Sitting beside Aeryon is Belarion, Aeryon most powerful warrior and his most trusted men.

Everybody in the tent knows that Belarion is Aeryon sworn brother.

This is the bond between them and it is reasonable then why Belarion is here

Tsendeama Son of Uda the chief of the Esbizuk tribe also known around the area of the east as Demon of the Steppe is also present in the tent with a warrior beside him

Aeryon had heard about Esbizuk tribe three pillars.

One of them is Katakura. And it is Katakura that is accompanying Tsendeama

Then there is the chief of Sordkazan, Karnain Son of Tulgar accompanied by his sworn brother

And then there is Valgrun son of Brugat the chief of Khagai who is also accompanied by one of his warriors.

Out of the three, Aeryon pays attention to Tsendeama.

"Call me Dama" Tsendeama said as he began to talk with each other.

Aeryon talk with these three chiefs and most of them talk about superficial things. They smile at each other but each other them probably wanted to kill each other

In the midst of the tense exchanges, veiled intentions, and hidden rivalries, one undeniable truth bound these Steppe chiefs together: shared pain and a common enemy.

Unlike the officials and politicians of the Yan Empire, who often concealed the edges of their sharp swords behind honeyed words, these chiefs were refreshingly direct.

Their ambitions and desires is apparent, but the urgency of the impending raid on foreign lands demanded cooperation, at least for the time being.

Under the shadow of a common foe, their differences were momentarily set aside.

The harsh realities of the Great Steppe facing the more organized Yan army over the decades had taught them the value of unity when facing external threats.

For now, they understood that their collective strength was needed to achieve their objectives.

At this, they are better than the Yan.

The relationship between Yan and the people of the Great Steppe had always been a complex web of history and animosity.

Yet, a defining moment in this history was etched in the memory of the Steppe: the ruthless campaign by a Yan general that left a trail of blood across the vast grasslands.

Mountains of skulls and tens of thousands of sons losing their father, woman losing their sons and husbands.

Innocent tribes that have nothing to do with the raid, was slaughtered

From that dark Chapter onwards, a deep well of hatred and resentment simmered in the hearts of the Great Steppe’s inhabitants, forever tainting their view of Yan.

Yan painted them as the devil.

But what is the difference between what they do and what they did. They always called the people of the grassland, aliens, foreigners and they preach about all lands beyond to Yan.

They wanted to drink the blood of the children of the grassland and they feel no guilt for they viewed the people of the grassland less than people

This thinking does not change much.

The formation of the current Great Steppe forces is not as sinister as the ministers and people in power in Yan likes to preach.

They preach that the people of the grassland that first provoke them. As for the validty of this, it is hard to determine.

But they forget one thing.

The formation of the Yan dynasty under Jiang Han and the tribal confederacy in the Great Steppe occurred almost simultaneously

Jiang Han established the Yan dynasty in the wake of the collapse of the Xun dynasty

It was the Xun ruler, the First Emperor that was responsible for the indirect formation of the tribal confederacy.

>>>

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.