But the enemy numbers were too great. Under the pressure of the Saint Roman army, they were packed so tightly that the Barbarian forces could barely move, let alone strike. Many were killed by friendly fire.
By the time Saine and his group reached the front lines, the formidable Saber-Tusk soldiers were nearly annihilated. The survivors were mostly terrified by the Saint Roman army and were kneeling in surrender, some even weeping.
Their defeat was utter. The Saint Roman army had wiped out this Shamanic tribe with almost no casualties. Even Pigal, the leader of the Saber-Tusk soldiers on this expedition, had died in the chaos. Such a devastating loss was unprecedented and was enough to shake the Barbarian lands.
Saine, Spotan, and their hundreds of men pierced through the Saint Roman ranks like a sharp sword. This group of hundreds was filled with experts, while the Saint Roman army on this defensive line was not large and had no commanding officer. Saine and his men quickly broke through.
After breaking free from the encirclement, Saine and his group fled westward. This was Saine's tribal territory, and the vast ancient forest in that direction would facilitate their escape.
Having broken through the encirclement, Saine and his men headed straight for their stronghold. Along the way, they encountered Saint Roman soldiers patrolling everywhere, making Saine and his men tremble. Fortunately, they did not encounter a large Saint Roman army; otherwise, with their limited forces, they would not have been able to hold out.
Even so, by the time Saine led his several hundred warriors to the stronghold's gate, they had suffered nearly half their number in casualties. The pursuers behind them grew in number, clearly having recognized the distinctiveness of their group.
To shake off the pursuers, Saine continuously sent men to cover their retreat. After several attempts, a large number of pursuers still followed them. Fortunately, they soon disappeared into the ancient forest, successfully evading them.
Passing through the ancient forest, Saine returned to the camp. Seeing the camp from afar, Saine let out a sigh of relief.
As the tension of the moment subsided, sorrow overwhelmed him.
Out of his tens of thousands of tribesmen, fewer than a hundred were now by his side. The thought sent a chill down his spine; these were his core supporters.
What made Saine even more despondent was that he didn't even know how they had been defeated.
He glanced at Zu'an, whose face was equally grim. He wanted to question him, but he was in no mood for it. All he wanted now was to return to camp, drink, and drown his sorrows.
Saine and his group rested for a moment when the sound of disordered footsteps reached them, along with the faint voices of Saint Roman soldiers.
"Saine should be ahead..."
Saine had no interest in hearing the rest of their words. He hadn't expected the Saint Roman soldiers to find them again so quickly. Judging by the footsteps, this pursuing force numbered one to two hundred, and their morale was extremely high.
Although Saine was not afraid, he had so few men left with him, and they were all exhausted. It was not wise to engage in a prolonged fight with the Saint Roman army.
Less than five miles ahead was their stronghold. Once there, they could defend the stronghold and hopefully repel the Saint Roman army's assault.
Fortunately, most of their mounts were swift horses from the barbarian lands, possessing excellent stamina.
Seeing that the stronghold was still three miles away, with the camp banners visible in the distance, Saine and his men rallied their spirits and galloped forward.
Suddenly, Zu'an reined in his horse abruptly, shouting loudly.
"Whoa!"
Saine and his group sensed something was wrong and stopped their horses. Saine looked at Zu'an with displeasure and asked, "Zu'an! What is it?"
Zu'an took a deep breath and said, "Look at the flag flying on the banner. Is that our Barbarian King's banner?"
Saine focused his gaze and nearly fell off his horse. Although the banner's shape was similar to his battle flag, it was clearly a Saint Roman military banner.
"Obviously, the Saint Roman army had already captured our camp earlier. But I believe their numbers are not too great, otherwise, they wouldn't be flying the Saint Roman military flag," Zu'an analyzed with eyes like a hunting falcon.
Saine thought to himself: Even if their numbers are not great, they will surely be more than our hundred or so men. Moreover, what use is an empty stronghold to me? With that thought, he took a deep breath. Lost in the vastness of the world, he didn't know where he was going.
Just then, they heard the thunderous sound of hooves in front of them. Judging by the sound, this approaching group numbered no less than five hundred.
Zu'an cried out, "My King! Let's go!"
With that, he led the charge westward.
Saine, jolted by Zu'an's call, regained his senses and could only force himself to follow Zu'an closely, heading towards the mountain path.
The sound of chaotic hooves echoed from all directions. They didn't know how many pursuers there were, and no matter how they tried to shake them off, they couldn't.
Finally, Zu'an suggested they split up and escape, and then regroup at the Boluo Legion.
However, Spotan refused to separate from Saine, and the remaining personal guards also refused to separate from Saine. As a result, only Zu'an rode off alone.
Saine and Spotan were both tall and robust, making them stand out from ordinary people. From a distance, they looked like two iron towers, making them easy targets.
The Saint Roman army, recognizing the Saine brothers, pursued them closely, inadvertently allowing Zu'an to escape.
Fortunately, this was Saine's territory, and he was very familiar with the terrain. He knew that once they passed the mountain pass ahead, they would return to the Boluo Legion through the mist-filled land.
That mist-filled land was extremely dangerous, something the Saint Roman soldiers could not withstand. Having lived there for a long time, Saine knew how to deal with it.
Saine and his dozens of men entered a wooded area just after passing the mountain pass. As they approached the forest's edge, the light suddenly dimmed, and the crisp sound of armor resounded in orderly fashion.
Saine and his group gasped and looked up. A magical war chariot slowly drove out, with Xiao Xun seated upon it.
Upon suddenly seeing Xiao Xun, Saine recoiled a step. He could hardly believe he would see Xiao Xun in such a remote place.
But thinking of his defeat today being attributed to him, and the image of his slain kinsmen flashing before his eyes, he felt immense hatred. He shouted loudly, "Brothers! This is the man who brought us to this state. Let's kill him together!"
Saying this, he spurred his horse forward and drew his saber, charging directly at Xiao Xun. The other barbarians, their eyes bloodshot, also lunged at the three of them.
A terrifying killing aura swept towards them, but Xiao Xun appeared unfazed. His adjutants behind him watched Saine and his group with indifference, as if they were looking at a group of dead men.
The overwhelming killing aura dissipated abruptly at a distance of ten feet from the three of them, replaced by a crackling, tumbling sound.
Saine and his men fell like dumplings into a deep pit dug by the Saint Roman army. The pit was four to five meters deep and filled with swampy water and swirling miasma.
As Saine and his men fell into it, their minds felt a little hazy. By the time they regained their senses, they were already sinking deeper into the swamp. Their mounts struggled, and soon they were submerged up to their waists.
Saine and his men, having dealt with swamps and mud for years, were not unfamiliar with this situation. They knew that the more they struggled, the faster they would sink. Once they stabilized themselves, they remained still, and their bodies indeed sank slowly. But when they looked up again, they saw long spears and swords on all sides of the pit.
After a short while, Xiao Xun's unhurried voice came from above: "Except for Saine, rescue everyone else!"
After a while, as they were about to be submerged up to their navies, ropes were lowered from above, tying up the barbarian soldiers and hauling them out. Only Saine was left to slowly sink.
Seeing that Xiao Xun truly intended to kill him this time, Saine cried out, "Lord Swain!"
He called out several times but received no response from Xiao Xun. His body was already submerged up to his chest, and he grew increasingly anxious. Unfortunately, the deep pit was extremely deep and large, and he had no leverage. Moreover, the swamp was very sticky, making it impossible for him to stand on his mount. He didn't know how much effort the Saint Roman army had put into creating this trap. Despite his great strength, he was powerless to act.
After being rescued by the Saint Roman army, Spotan and the other barbarians were brought to a relatively flat area behind the forest, where they were bound and knelt on the ground. They immediately looked up and saw Xiao Xun, each of them lowering their heads deeply, not daring to look up again. Only Spotan, upon seeing Xiao Xun, seemed to see a lifeline and pleaded desperately, "Lord Swain, my brother was momentarily foolish. I implore Lord Swain to spare him?"
Xiao Xun rose and paced to Spotan's side, scrutinizing him carefully.