“General, the remaining members of the Xianyou Tribe are fleeing north,” reported the scout leader, Zane Wang, as he hurried over.
“Wesley Hu, Felix Wu, Xiao Batian, and Sawyer Shangguan, pursue the Xianyou Tribe,” Oliver Sheng ordered immediately.
“Yes, General!”
The four men promptly led their troops on horseback to chase after the fleeing tribe.
“Harrison Zhou, assign a thousand men to guard the prisoners of war. The rest should quickly clean up the battlefield,” Oliver Sheng instructed.
“Yes, General,” Harrison Zhou responded with a salute.
Oliver Sheng had not slaughtered the ten thousand prisoners of war; they were valuable labor that could be used as slaves.
The royal court of the Xianyou Tribe had already been emptied by the retreating Xianyou people, leaving nothing behind.
The nomadic tribes of the grasslands rarely built cities. Not far away lay the ruins of what was once the county city of River West.
Now, only some broken walls and remnants remained, barely outlining the ancient city.
A great river flowed around the ancient city, with a mountain range covered in lush green trees behind it. The geographical location was quite favorable.
However, the ancient city had been abandoned, leaving only ruins.
With the Xianyou Tribe retreating north, their last resisting forces either killed or surrendered, this grassland now fell into Oliver Sheng’s hands.
Oliver Sheng, along with Lin Jiang, Chi Tiansheng, Wang Zhan, and others, arrived at the ruins of the ancient city.
“This was once the county city of River West, a bustling place in its time. Now, it’s just a pile of collapsed walls,” Lin Jiang said with a hint of sadness.
“Alas, a hundred years have passed, and this ancient city has been completely abandoned,” Wang Zhan lamented.
“General, are we going to rebuild this city?” Harrison Zhou inquired.
The location was not particularly defensible, making it a less than ideal spot for a new city.
It was close to the Barbarian tribes to the north and the Western Regions to the west, not a strategic location for a military stronghold.
“Why not?” Oliver Sheng replied calmly.
He didn’t care whether the city was defensible. As long as they could keep the surrounding troublemakers in check, there would be no need for defense—only offense.
Seeing Oliver Sheng’s determination to rebuild the city here, Lin Jiang and the others had no choice but to comply, as Oliver Sheng was the commanding general.
By evening, Wesley Hu, Xiao Chuyi, Felix Wu, and Sawyer Shangguan returned with their troops, bringing back numerous prisoners and livestock.
The Xianyou Tribe, consisting of tens of thousands of elderly, women, and children, couldn’t flee quickly. Those who lagged behind were captured, while those on horseback escaped, abandoning the livestock and the elderly.
Oliver Sheng looked at the nearly twenty thousand people they had brought back, mostly elderly, women, and children.
“General, we only managed to catch these people,” Wesley Hu reported.
Oliver Sheng frowned. While women and children were manageable, the elderly were a burden.
Seeing Oliver Sheng’s frown, the others sensed his displeasure.
“General, I’ll go and execute the elderly right away,” Wesley Hu said immediately.
“No, you can’t kill the innocent,” Xiao Chuyi interjected.
“Innocent?!”
Oliver Sheng looked at Xiao Chuyi. Despite his fierce name, he had a gentle appearance and a compassionate heart, almost saintly.
“These are Barbarian people. Their sons have long invaded the borders of Great Wei, killing many common people. You call that innocent? Those Barbarian children will grow up to resent Great Wei. Do you want to keep them around to rebel?” Oliver Sheng’s gaze bore into Xiao Chuyi, the pressure making him break into a sweat.
Xiao Chuyi couldn’t refute Oliver Sheng’s words. Those Barbarian children would indeed grow up to hate Great Wei, and keeping them would be like nurturing a future threat.
“Put the elderly and children with the prisoners of war and make them rebuild the city,” Oliver Sheng ordered.
“Yes, General,” Wesley Hu immediately went to arrange it.
“General, what about the women?” Felix Wu asked.
“Have them watched and let them herd the livestock,” Oliver Sheng replied. He had no intention of keeping idle people around.
He planned to utilize all the Barbarian people.
The men, elderly, and children would be slaves to rebuild the city, while the women would herd the livestock, keeping them separated.
Women and children were easier to manage, while the men and elderly would be put to work until their last breath.
After countless battles and bloodshed, Oliver Sheng’s heart had become as hard as iron. A true general should show no mercy to the enemy.
With a single command, Oliver Sheng decided the fate of these people.
Xiao Chuyi’s compassionate heart couldn’t stop Oliver Sheng’s orders.
The Xianyou Tribe fled north in panic. The Gudis and Shanrong tribes were only fifty kilometers away from Oliver Sheng’s forces.
Each tribe had an army of a hundred thousand, totaling two hundred thousand, but they hadn’t advanced yet.
“Report!”
“The Xianyou Tribe has been defeated and is fleeing north. The River West grasslands have been occupied by the Great Wei army,” a scout reported.
Gu Yuan, upon receiving the report, was overjoyed.
“Hahaha, with the Xianyou Tribe defeated and fleeing, this fertile grassland will be ours.”
“Mobilize the troops immediately. I want to take the River West grasslands by tomorrow morning.”
The Shanrong Tribe also received the report of the Xianyou Tribe’s defeat. Their leader, Gao Qi, immediately ordered his troops to march towards the River West grasslands.
Oliver Sheng’s forces set up camp at the former royal court of the Xianyou Tribe.
Rebuilding the county city of River West would not be a quick task.
The next morning, just after breakfast, Zane Wang hurried back.
“General, the Barbarian army is approaching, two hundred thousand strong.”
Oliver Sheng immediately ordered, “All soldiers, prepare for battle. Mount up!”
Having anticipated this, Oliver Sheng had sent Zane Wang with scouts to the north. The Barbarians were not just the Xianyou Tribe; they wouldn’t sit idly by while Great Wei reclaimed the grasslands.
Other Barbarian armies would surely come to attack, which was why Oliver Sheng hadn’t celebrated or sent a victory report.
The two hundred thousand strong army approached with a thunderous roar, kicking up a terrifying cloud of dust.
Gu Yuan looked at Gao Qi, their eyes meeting.
Both wanted to claim the River West grasslands for themselves, but facing the Great Wei army, they didn’t argue. Instead, they exchanged smiles.
“Brother Gu Yuan, it seems your Gudis Tribe has grown stronger. Your warriors are quite formidable,” Gao Qi said with a smile.
“Brother Gao Qi, your Shanrong Tribe is not bad either.”
They exchanged compliments.
“Let’s join forces to defeat Great Wei first, then we can divide the River West grasslands,” Gao Qi suggested.
“Agreed, that’s my thought as well,” Gu Yuan nodded.
They were straightforward, with their goal being the River West grasslands, without any pretense.
“Let’s go meet the Great Wei army. Defeating the Xianyou Tribe must mean they’re not weak.”
The Gudis and Shanrong tribes combined their forces and marched towards Oliver Sheng’s camp.
Oliver Sheng’s forces were ready, awaiting the Barbarian army’s arrival.
The two hundred thousand cavalry approached with overwhelming momentum, their hoofbeats shaking the ground. The sight of the dark, surging mass of the Barbarian army on the horizon did not intimidate Oliver Sheng’s forces.
Chi Tiansheng, Wang Zhan, Felix Wu, Wesley Hu, and the others were filled with high spirits and fighting intent.
They believed that under Oliver Sheng’s leadership, they would be invincible.
As the Barbarian army approached, Oliver Sheng could clearly sense that there were only two Grandmasters among them.
In his perception, there was no presence of a Great Grandmaster.
Oliver Sheng smiled. Were these Barbarians fools?
Coming to challenge him without a Great Grandmaster?
“Wind!” Oliver Sheng raised his silver spear and shouted.
“Great Wind!”
“Great Wind!”
The three thousand soldiers echoed, their voices thunderous, their morale soaring.
The powerful momentum continued to rise, the murderous aura condensing, the blood energy almost forming a single entity.
This army was on the verge of developing a military soul. Any other general witnessing this would be astounded.
An army capable of developing a military soul was the elite of the elite, the ace of aces.
In all of Great Wei, only four armies possessed a military soul.
The General Who Guards the North’s army defended against the Huns, the General Who Guards the East’s army guarded against Da Li, the General Who Guards the South’s army defended the southern borders against the Miao Territory and Da Chu, and the last was the Demon Suppression Army, guarding the southwest at the Demon Suppression Pass.
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