Jisside had harbored murderous intent towards Bijeys, but seeing Bijeys now miserably pinned beneath his foot, his body stained with blood, immense satisfaction washed over him, greatly diminishing his anger.
Therefore, the blow intended to kill Bijeys was altered. The edge of the saber became its heavy back as it struck Bijeys’ head. Even so, the impact was devastating for Bijeys, leaving his head a bloody mess, making it impossible to tell where the blood was flowing from.
Jisside looked down at Bijeys beneath his feet with undeniable pride.
“Stupid bear! Know my might now? Let me tell you! If it weren't for your master, I would have taken your dog life long ago!”
Bijeys shook his head and forced his eyes open. His vision was a blur of red. Pinioned by Jisside, he couldn’t see the triumph on his face, but he heard the sarcasm in his words, fueling his hatred as he struggled incessantly.
Jisside sensed the hatred radiating from Bijeys but couldn’t see his face. He lifted his foot, kicking Bijeys over, and then stomped on his chest, forcing his face to look towards him. Blood pooled around Bijeys’ eyes, and he squinted, letting out beast-like growls and fiery glares that conveyed his intense hatred.
Seeing Bijeys’ expression, Jisside felt great satisfaction but couldn't stand the contempt in his gaze. Fury flared in his chest, and he sneered, “Oh? It seems you dog refuse to shed tears until you see the coffin?”
With that, he prepared to strike with full force.
Bijeys’ men, seeing this, had lost all their previous arrogance. With a whoosh, a large number of them fell to their knees, pleading desperately.
“My lord, spare our lives!”
“My lord, you must calm down!”
“My lord, we must face external threats together now, let’s not harm the harmony among brothers!”
“My lord, my general knows his mistake, please be magnanimous and forgive him!”
…
Jisside looked at Bijeys’ subordinates with a slight smile, then shifted his gaze back to Bijeys. Bijeys still stared at him fiercely. Jisside shook his head and looked up, his gaze sweeping over Bijeys’ subordinates with an indescribably sinister smile.
“Look, does he show any sign of admitting fault?”
As he spoke, Jisside raised his saber and thrust it violently towards Bijeys. Bijeys let out a piercing scream, and a splash of blood erupted. Large beads of sweat dripped down his forehead.
Everyone around gasped in shock, letting out a collective exclamation. They saw a saber inexplicably embedded in Bijeys’ left eye. Bijeys weakly reached out with both hands, wanting to touch his eye, but dared not.
Jisside was covered in Bijeys’ blood splatters, and he let out a wild, cackling laugh. The scene was incredibly eerie and terrifying.
“Remember! This is the consequence of offending me!”
Bijeys’ men felt a chill run down their spines. The faces of the men in front turned pale, and they kowtowed incessantly.
“My lord, spare us! My lord, spare us!”
Jisside smiled. This was precisely the effect he desired. He wanted to instill fear in those who dared to disrespect him, so who would dare act presumptuously before him in the future?
Jisside looked at Bijeys, his face covered in bloodstains, his hands trembling, as if wanting to pull out the saber but not daring to. He smiled at Bijeys, who was curled on the ground like a dog, “What? Want to pull it out? Shall I help you pull it out?”
Before Jisside could make a move, a trembling, hoarse voice sounded:
“Don’t!”
Before Bijeys could finish speaking, a pain akin to being drained of all life spread from his eye to every cell in his body. Bijeys let out a long, mournful cry, incredibly piercing.
This shrill cry made even Jisside’s men change color. Those who had been watching with amusement now lost their enthusiasm. Many couldn’t help but look away. These hardened men were, after all, not inhumane beasts.
Jisside surveyed the trembling men and declared loudly, “I, Jisside, always return respect for respect. But if you disrespect me, I will smash your dignity into the dirt! Do you understand?”
His gaze, sharp as a blade, swept over Bijeys’ kneeling subordinates. The once arrogant and swaggering men now dared not even breathe heavily. The slightly timid had already lost control of themselves, but no one laughed at them. In a world shrouded in fear, there were no smiles.
Seeing this scene, Jisside felt an even greater sense of satisfaction, laughing with unbridled arrogance.
The echo of “willing to surrender” lingered in the military tents. The various tribal leaders and other legion commanders were momentarily stunned. Why had the city residents surrendered without any resistance? This was different from the resolute and brave Holy Roman troops they had encountered. Exchanging glances, they saw suspicion in each other’s eyes. The elder of the tribes, Gekon, spoke, “You people have always been cunning. Why should I believe you are willing to surrender?”
The envoy’s face was solemn. “As the saying goes, it is better to be a peaceful dog than a war-torn human. Although the world is currently in turmoil, our Northwest has always been spared from conflict and has been peaceful. Compared to the Holy Roman Empire’s constant warfare, countless people yearn for this.
Your Majesty, to be frank, during this western campaign, many in our army are remnants of the Beast Tribe War. They are far from their homeland and have no desire to return south, thus they have no will to fight. How can such an army withstand the General’s might?
Our commander, after careful consideration, believes it is better to stay and pursue great achievements with Your Majesty. I have come to discuss the matter of raising an army to surrender. If our general surrenders, what position will Your Majesty grant him, and how will our army be settled?”
After listening to the envoy’s words, everyone generally understood. In essence, the Holy Roman Empire’s army no longer wished to fight for the Holy Roman Empire. The commander, seeing the unfavorable turn of events, decided it was best to lead his troops to surrender.
It had to be said that the Holy Roman Empire’s commander was a man who understood the times.
Helena looked at Gekon and asked, “What do you think, Lord Gekon?”
Gekon pondered for a moment. “The city residents have always been cunning. This Holy Roman commander’s reaction is within reason. I believe this Holy Roman general’s surrender is not false.”
Domely chuckled beside him. “Lord Gekon is right! The city residents have a saying: to subdue the enemy’s army without fighting is the highest strategy. Since we can win without a fight, it is naturally the best!”
Thompson, however, remained silent. Gekon knew that Thompson was always cautious and likely had some reservations, but he didn’t pay it any mind in front of the envoy. “Our Barbarian King has always been renowned. If your commander truly wishes to surrender, we can appoint him as the commander of the Thirty-Seventh Legion. How about that?”
He then added after a moment’s thought, “And we will grant him a piece of land!”
Upon hearing Gekon’s words, the envoy was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly. He also exchanged pleasantries with the other lords for a long time, agreeing to discuss the surrender in detail three days later.
The envoy walked out of the barbarian army’s camp, letting out a long sigh. He turned back to look at the barbarian army’s camp and smiled knowingly. That smiling face was none other than the Holy Roman Empire’s commander, Ogart.
It turned out that to correctly assess the sincerity of the barbarian army’s acceptance of surrender, Ogart had to risk great danger and come in person.
From the current situation, the other side seemed to have believed it. Now, it was a matter of what to do next.
After Ogart left, Gekon and the other legion commanders deliberated further. Ogart’s words had clearly swayed most of them, with only Thompson maintaining a cautious attitude and expressing doubt about the Holy Roman Empire’s army’s surrender. Gekon also seemed swayed by Thompson, but Domely and others were quite dismissive. As for Jessica, she remained distracted, clearly not paying any attention to the Holy Roman Empire’s army’s surrender.
After the meeting, Domely cordially invited Jessica to stay at her tribe. Domely’s strong support for Jessica earlier, even to the point of arguing with Thompson, had greatly impressed Jessica, who readily accepted the invitation despite Gekon’s attempts to dissuade her.
If one were to ask which of the three cities in the Northwest was the most prosperous, it would undoubtedly be Xidya of Karur. Although its city administration lacked many troops, it was the best governed, which showcased Karur’s capabilities.
Glie’s tribe had already advanced deep into Xidya territory without encountering any obstruction from the rebels. They only saw many local citizens.
Although Glie’s tribe did not harm the people as they passed, the extremely unfriendly gazes of the villagers made the Holy Roman soldiers extremely worried. In the eyes of these people, they were clearly not a just army.
However, it was strange that Glie’s tribe had entered Xidya and had not encountered any significant resistance. The cities they encountered seemed to have had their troops disappear overnight. This greatly puzzled Glie’s tribe. Could it be that the rebels had all vanished?
Glie was even more worried, but his worry was different from others. He feared that Karur would not dare to fight and would lead his troops to flee. However, Autris believed that Karur would not flee without a fight. He was confident that Karur was gathering his forces and fortifying himself in Kasa, waiting for them to be exhausted before launching a decisive attack.
The reason was simple: who would be willing to hand over hard-won territory? After listening to Autris’ analysis, Glie was relieved and led his army straight to Karur’s stronghold, Kasa.
Gazing at the dense forest of blades and spears rapidly spreading forward, Glie’s excitement grew with every passing moment. He raised his whip and shouted, “Full speed ahead!”
Dust swirled as the army snaked its way westward, its sharp edge pointing directly at Kasa.