Chapter 189: How Dare You Steal My Horses?
Chapter 189: How Dare You Steal My Horses?
Chapter 189: How Dare You Steal My Horses?
Chach’s king was in despair.
Holywolf Warrior, didn’t you say that you would beat up the Tang bandits? Why did you suddenly change your mind and attack us instead?
I didn’t do anything wrong! I fulfilled all your commands!
All the Icewolf Cavalrymen were granted the highest treatment, with a free flow of roasted lamb and fine wine.
Why are you still killing us?
He only survived the crisis because he sensed that something was amiss and darted into the underground cavern.
After a terrible blood fest, Chach’s king staggered out of the underground cavern under his aides’ support.
“Are they gone?” Chach’s king asked.
“Yes, they are gone,” his aides replied with tearful faces, “But now…”
The Holywolf Warrior and her tribesmen wouldn’t show mercy since they had decided to feast on the sheep. Chach’s capital was nearly leveled under their rampage.Houses were burning. Charred corpses were littered on the streets. Women and children were crying. It was a wretched sight.
Chach’s king pounded his chest. “What did I do wrong? Why must heaven punish me as such?!”
While the officials were miserably cleaning up their city, they heard a piece of news from the surviving soldier that left them with goosebumps.
“What did you say?! The Holywolf Warrior attacked us because she lost the battle?!”
“That’s right,” a soldier bandaged like a mummy groaned in response. “I overheard their conversations. Many others heard it too.”
By putting together hearsay, Chach’s officials were able to put together a shocking story.
The Holywolf Warrior had led her Icewolf Cavalrymen to a mountain valley to lay an ambush, but they suffered a tragic defeat to the Tangs instead. The Icewolf Cavalrymen were annihilated; only the Holywolf Warrior and her aides managed to escape.
The first thing she did after escaping was to plunder Chach before resuming her escape.
What was even more shocking was that, according to the Icewolf Cavalrymen, the Tangs had killed the high shaman and reanimated his body as a zombie.
“Ah?!”
Chach’s king fell to his bum upon hearing the news. His head was ringing.
The high shaman is dead. The Holywolf Warrior has fallen in defeat.
And the Tangs, who defeated them, could be marching toward us now.
“…” Chach’s king did a rough estimation of their respective military prowess, but seconds later, his body wobbled unstably before collapsing.
He had fainted.
“Your Majesty!”
Chach’s officials were disconcerted to see their king collapse.
“Your Majesty, you mustn’t fall at a time like this! What should we do?”
“Hurry up and think of a solution!”
The Tangs could be arriving at any time now, but the troops they could mobilize were pathetically weak. It didn’t take long for the officials to start fainting too.
It was then that someone stepped forth.
“Stop crying! I have a solution!”
…
Chach’s capital could be spotted on the horizon.
“We’re reaching soon!” Shu Yichao raised his modao. “Brothers, charge with me! The Dayuan Protectorate is right in front of us!”
The wolves carrying the ghost horsemen widened their strides, sprinting toward Chach amidst a strong gale.
So, how did Chach’s officials deal with this crisis?
Admittedly, there were indeed competent people among them.
All of them kneeled in two rows outside the city walls with their tops exposed and bare feet. Most of them hoisted up white flags and coffins. One held up a tray containing the royal seal.
As soon as they saw Shu Yichao, they shouted, “Milords, please spare our lives! We’re willing to surrender.”
A couple of people led dozens of pegasi over.
“We have been raising horses for Great Tang for the longest time, and these are the finest steeds we have picked out. Milord, please inspect them!” A Chach official stepped forward and presented a document relating to the pegasi.
“Tsk. You’re surrendering just like that? I was planning to massacre everyone.”
Shu Yichao clicked his tongue in annoyance when he saw the Chachs turning into green dots on his minimap.
Chach’s officials shuddered. When they spotted the high shaman’s massive transformed silhouette, they were so terrified that they dared not move.
This is too terrifying. The Tangs have turned even the high shaman into a zombie.
We must never defy them.
Shu Yichao finally received his pegasi, but he wasn’t satisfied.
“Is that all you have? Are you making light of me now?”
Dayuan had offered the Emperor Wu of Han thousands of steeds when he attacked them centuries ago. Shu Yichao thought there should have been enough pegasi to change all the ghost horsemen’s mounts.
Why are you only giving me dozens of mounts? Are you looking down on me?
“We dare not to!” a Chach official cried indignantly. He hurriedly explained the situation, “Our little kingdom has just been plundered. Our livestock has been stolen, including the pegasi. Milord, if you just give us some time, we can transport them from other towns!”
They were frightened that Shu Yichao would level Chach in a spur of anger.
“The steeds got stolen?!” Shu Yichao was infuriated.
I traveled from Shule to Dayuan, and I haven’t even caught my breath. Yet, some fool stole my horses?
“Which bastard did it?!”
“I-It’s the Holy… Icewolf bandits!” Chach’s king kneeled and reported. “They are the bandits whom milord has just vanquished. They have fled northwest.”
For his safety, Chach’s king didn’t hesitate to sell out the Holywolf Warrior.
“Those bandits have fled northwest, but they might take a detour and disguise themselves as merchants to avoid pursuit. Their final destination should be the northern ice field. I can order the cities along the way to tighten their checks and not allow any suspicious groups through.”
“So they are behind it!”
Shu Yichao recalled the Icewolf Cavalrymen who tried to ambush him. He tapped into his minimap and tried to find the red dots.
But…
“Ah…” Shu Yichao was stunned to see that almost the entire minimap was red.
He had invaded so quickly that most of Transoxania’s countries and cities were still in a daze. They only knew that there was some kind of Black and White Calamity going around, and that the Tangs’ undead army was attacking nearby cities.
Most were still scouting the situation.
Under Beacons of the Otherworld’s system, they were still classified as the Karluks’ vassal nations and cities. So, the Transoxania region was a sea of red dots in Shu Yichao’s minimap.
He couldn’t find the Icewolf Tribe at all.
“Fergana, East Ushrusana, West Ushrusana… What’s with all these people? Haa!” Shu Yichao let out a sigh. “I guess I’ll have to work harder to take down Transoxania!”
If I eliminate all the red dots, I’ll eventually find my stolen horses!