Loser System and Berserker Me

Chapter 190: Patiently Holding Our Grounds

Chapter 190: Patiently Holding Our Grounds

The Tangs have returned!

This wasn’t just a rumor but a fact experienced by those residing in Transoxania.

The Black and White Calamity swept through every city and farm like a winter’s storm.

The Anxi Protectorate-General, together with the predecessors of the Anxi army and an endless army of specters, raised the Great Tang’s flag in Transoxania once more.

A question was presented to all countries in Transoxania.

Do you want to live or die?

“That’s why, Your Majesty, we should…”

In East Ushrusana’s capital, before the envoy could finish his report, the king had already taken out an old Great Tang conferment document and his royal seal before rushing out of the city.

“Your Majesty, shouldn’t we discuss this matter with the officials?”

The king was moving faster than they had expected. Even if they wanted to surrender, there was no need to rush into it.

“The fire is already burning up to our ass! What’s there to discuss?” No one had ever seen their plump, ball-like king running so fast before. “Are we going to wait till the Tangs lop off our heads before making a move?”

This was the standard response of most Transoxania nations. They were already accustomed to siding with whoever was stronger anyway.

They had been Great Tang’s vassals when it was at the peak of its power.

When the Persian Empire rose to prominence, they transformed into Persians.

And now that the Tibetans rose to power, they became Tibetan tribes.

They were grasses growing on the fence; they sided with whichever side the wind was stronger. Their ability to perform sliding dogeza was impeccable.

Now that Great Tang had returned, and their high shaman had been killed and turned into a zombie, it was only a natural course of action for them to kneel down and prostrate themselves.

To be fair, they also preferred Great Tang’s rule as compared to the Tibetan Empire’s. The taxes were more reasonable, and they didn’t have to be forced to change their faith.

So, wherever Shu Yichao’s army went, Great Tang’s flags were hoisted up.

Many countries in Transoxania also cooperated with Shu Yichao and issued arrest warrants.

“How dare the Icewolf bandits steal Great Tang’s pegasi? Hand over your ill-gotten gains right now, or else I’ll destroy you from the face of the world!”

Just like that, Shu Yichao’s minimap was swiftly dyed green. Those who dared to shine red were mercilessly culled down.

Meanwhile, Weryomahners was in a daze.

Following the high shaman’s downfall, she fled southward, rushing to Chach’s capital to warn the Holywolf Warrior. But by the time she arrived after taking a big detour, Chach’s capital was already flying the Dayuan Protectorate’s flag.

She tried to scout the situation, and what she heard made her face crumble.

The Icewolf Tribe had been crushed, and the Tangs had tamed their wolves and taken them for their own.

No one in Transoxania could oppose the Tangs anymore.

“How did things end up like this?!” Weryomahner’s cheeks twitched.

With the collapse of Transoxania’s two pillars, it was only a matter of time before the Tangs devoured the region. Given how fast the Tangs’ undead army snowballed, who knew how strong they would be by the time they were done here?

She had planned to backstab the Tangs to buy time for the Tibetan Empire, but it felt like everything she did only bulked up the Tangs.

“…I should head southward to Sindhu and find a place to hide first. The Tangs are impossible to deal with,” Weryomahners murmured in resignation.

She couldn’t think of any way to curb the Tangs anymore.

The thought of Shu Yichao’s ten-million-strong army marching into the Tibetan Plateau after gobbling up Transoxania drove her into despair.

What should I do? Can this calamity be stopped?

Would the Tang army not have expanded to such a massive scale if I had obediently returned to the Holy City back then?

Weryomahners deeply regretted the decision she had made then.

At the same time, the Holywolf Warrior was also in a difficult position.

As Chach’s king had predicted, she and her troops had split up and disguised themselves before continuing their escape northward.

She could tell from the specters that the Tang army didn’t need logistical backing, which meant that they could travel much faster than traditional armies. That was why she decided to split up so that it would be harder for their enemy to pursue them.

Upon arriving at the agreed gathering location…

“Are these all the people we have left?”

The Holywolf Warrior was appalled to see that less than half of her troops had safely arrived. There were less than 800 men left in the previously 20,000-men-strong army.

“You have been ambushed?”

“Yes, Khan,” an injured Icewolf Cavalryman spat hatefully. “Those scoundrels schemed against our Icewolf Tribe, pretending to offer us gifts only to ambush us afterward. Many of our brothers died in the battle. They snatched away our goods and livestock!”

Transoxania’s nations were no fools.

With the Tangs declaring the Icewolf Tribe as bandits, they figured that if they helped to capture the bandits and retrieve some of the pegasi, they might just get into the good books of the Anxi Protectorate-General.

Thus, the Icewolf Tribe faced many hurdles in their escape.

No one dared to mess with the Holywolf Warrior, but the other groups suffered huge casualties as a result of the attacks.

“Those cowardly sheep!” the Holywolf Warrior roared in anger. “They must be tired of living! Which city is it? Which tribe is it? I’ll level them right now!”

The Holywolf Warrior might have fled out of fear, but the ones she feared were the Tang’s undead army. There was no shame in temporarily avoiding an enemy that one couldn’t defeat at the moment.

But she didn’t expect the lowly countries that had been subservient thus far to treat them in such a manner.

I am the great Khan of the grasslands, but you dare use me to fawn on the Tangs?

Looks like it’s high time for me to brandish my scimitar! I shall carve deep into your brains who are the sheep and who are the wolves here!

“Khan!” The eyes of the injured Icewolf Cavalryman lit up. He could already see their enemies kneeling to them, begging for mercy. “It’s West Ushrusana! They are the ones who attacked us!”

The Holywolf Warrior’s face stiffened up.

West Ushrusana? That’s quite close to East Ushrusana.

I heard that East Ushrusana has already surrendered to the Tangs. Will I bump into the Tangs if I head to West Ushrusana to exact vengeance on them?

Furthermore, for West Ushrusana to dare to attack my tribesmen… could this be a ploy by the Tangs’ Anxi Protectorate-General to lure me out? He’d be able to estimate my whereabouts by following my trail.

“…”

After some hesitation, the Holywolf Warrior decided to swallow it down for now. She did, however, paint a bright future for the disappointed soldiers to placate them for the time being.

“Don’t worry. It’s only a matter of time before we put them back in place, but we have more important things to do now. We’ll first get through winter in the northern ice field. Come spring, after the Tangs leave, we’ll eradicate not just West Ushrusana but all the cities and tribes who attacked us!”

“Khan!”

A scout suddenly rushed over.

“Bad news! The White Calamity is here! It’s less than 15 kilometers away from us!”

“The Tangs have caught up with us again?”

The Icewolf Cavalrymen turned as pale as sheets of paper.

“Are the Tangs planning to hunt us to the end of the world? Damn it. We’ll split up and flee!” the Holywolf Warrior roared as she continued fleeing with her tribesmen.

She failed to notice the peculiar light in the eyes of the injured Icewolf Cavalryman.