The various tribes of the barbarians all possessed strange things unknown to outsiders. These things had been passed down for thousands of years with the existence of the barbarians, and it was unlikely that they could be deciphered by oneself.
However, with this relaxation, his body felt less uncomfortable, even normal. Clearly, this poison was not fatal, merely intended to temporarily incapacitate him.
Sai En stared blankly at Gu Sudan, his eyes so calm they were chilling.
"Gu Sudan, I believe I have treated you well and have always greatly supported your tribe. Why are you doing this?"
Gu Sudan said in a deep voice, "Barbarian King, I am doing this not out of selfish motives, but for all the tribes of the barbarians!"
Sai En sneered, "Forget it, you're just holding a grudge and seeking revenge! But I tell you! If you dare to kill me, your tribe will cease to exist in my barbarian lands!"
Gu Sudan's face twitched fiercely upon hearing this. He had no doubt about the strength of Sai En's clan, yet he smiled sadly, "I have known the Barbarian King for nearly ten years, and yet the Barbarian King sees me this way!"
Sai En snorted coldly and looked at the few adults following Gu Sudan. "I am telling you all! It's not too late to regret this, don't..."
"Zu An is not in the military camp at all!"
Gu Sudan felt the internal changes of the leaders behind him and impatiently interrupted him, "Barbarian King, you are not Swain's match, and now our supply route is cut off. Why don't we negotiate with Saint Roman? Lord Swain of Saint Roman is benevolent and will not make things difficult for the Barbarian King..."
"Silence!"
Sai En said sternly, "Our barbarian race has come to this point precisely because of people like you, who grovel and bow their heads! A few words of false benevolence from Swain have moved you all to a state of gratitude, wishing to kneel down to him. We barbarians, born of the bloodline of Ancestral Witches, how noble are we? Why should we submit to them?"
His words caused everyone to look at each other, but Gu Sudan said, "Barbarian King, to achieve such great things, one still needs favorable circumstances. Since we are not Swain's match, why should we die for nothing?"
"Who says we are not Swain's match?"
Sai En glared at Gu Sudan, "Zu An has merely gone to find a way to defeat the enemy. He asked me to wait for him for half a month, and I didn't announce it because I feared it would affect morale. When Zu An returns, everything will be clear."
Gu Sudan sneered, "Barbarian King, stop deceiving yourself!"
Saying this, he shouted, "Take him away!"
A group of barbarian warriors behind him rushed forward, bound Sai En tightly, and sent him to the other side of the Chan River that night.
As the eastern sky began to whiten, Saint Roman's army camp was already bustling.
When Gu Sudan brought Sai En, Xiao Xun immediately rewarded Gu Sudan generously and sent him back to prevent any changes in the barbarian army.
In the central military tent, Xiao Xun sat on the command platform, looking down at Sai En kneeling below, and smiled faintly, "Sai En, when you were captured this time, you said that if you were captured again, you would surrender. What do you say now?"
Sai En sneered proudly, "This was due to my poor judgment in choosing people, what does it have to do with you?"
Xiao Xun smiled faintly and thought to himself: Very good! It seems he really wants me to perform a 'Seven Captures of Meng Huo' play. "If I let you go back again, shall we fight anew?"
The generals and officers were all astonished to hear this and said in unison, "Lord Swain!"
Sai En clearly did not expect Xiao Xun to release him so easily. He immediately burst into loud laughter, "If you can truly capture me with your own ability, I will naturally be convinced!"
Xiao Xun nodded, "If I capture you again and you are still not convinced, you certainly won't get such a good outcome!"
Sai En laughed heartily, "If I am convinced, I will naturally surrender!"
Xiao Xun immediately ordered a banquet to be prepared and drank with Sai En.
During the feast, Xiao Xun said proudly, "Since I began serving His Majesty, I have encountered countless heroes and have always been victorious in battles and invincible in sieges. Why are you not convinced?"
Sai En's expression was dejected. He had heard of Swain's deeds long ago and indeed admired him. However, with Zu An around, he had a chance to fight and win, so why would he submit to others?
However, being in a precarious situation at the moment, it was not appropriate to argue with Xiao Xun, so he simply ate his meat heartily.
After eating and drinking their fill, day had already broken. Xiao Xun led Aaron, his generals, and Sai En on a tour of the camp.
He knew Sai En was poisoned, so he was not afraid at all and walked shoulder to shoulder with Sai En.
Sai En looked around, seeing the camp in neat formation and exuding an imposing aura.
Then Xiao Xun pointed to the camp's layout as they walked, "Barbarian King, with my army well-equipped and provisioned, how can you defeat me? If you had surrendered earlier, I would have reported to His Majesty and ensured your descendants would forever guard the barbarian lands. What do you say?"
Sai En saw that although Xiao Xun was letting him go, he was also showing him the camp's layout. If he refused to comply, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to leave safely. With this thought, Sai En frowned deeply and said, "Lord Swain's conditions are indeed tempting. However, although I am willing to surrender, I fear the brothers in the army will not agree. How about this: if Lord Swain lets me go back, I will persuade all the brothers to surrender together."
Xiao Xun glanced sideways at Sai En and said, "Since I have promised you, I will naturally let you go back."
Sai En heard this, felt rebuffed, and fell silent.
That night, Sai En returned to his camp. At midnight, he circulated his internal energy again, and it flowed unimpeded.
Aaron, always cautious in his actions, watched Sai En's retreating back and said, "Lord Swain, letting Sai En go like this might be unfavorable for Gu Sudan, don't you think?"
Xiao Xun's eyes darkened slightly, "Since Gu Sudan did not mention staying in the tent to seek refuge, he likely has his own plans. The barbarians value face; since he didn't bring it up, I certainly shouldn't speak of it."
"Does Lord Swain think Sai En will surrender after this trip?"
Military strategy is like psychology. Xiao Xun shook his head, "When he was speaking just now, his inner turmoil was immense, clearly indicating he has other plans and definitely does not intend to surrender. Therefore, we need to make arrangements."
Aogarath coldly snorted, "Lord Swain, since you know this, why not execute Sai En and then have Gu Sudan guard the barbarian territories?"
Xiao Xun smiled casually, "The barbarians are martial. If Gu Sudan does not pacify the barbarian lands through his own strength, he will ultimately find it difficult to restrain the various tribes. Once our army leaves the barbarian lands, they will inevitably fall into chaos again. Therefore, this time, our army must delve deep into barbarian territory and thoroughly subdue all the barbarian tribes."
The generals all nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
Xiao Xun looked towards the nascent sun rising on the horizon, his brow furrowing deeper.
"My Lord, a letter from the Barbarian King."
Gu Sudan unfolded the letter, his brow furrowing deeper. The other leaders asked, "Gu Sudan, what is it?"
Gu Sudan slowly put down the letter and said, "The Barbarian King is willing to surrender and has instructed us to go and receive the enfeoffment."
Everyone showed signs of joy. Someone said, "This is a good thing! Gu Sudan, why are you worried?"
Gu Sudan pondered for a long time before saying, "I only fear that Sai En harbors resentment and is luring us into the camp..."
The leaders looked at each other, their expressions turning dejected.
Someone heavily struck the table, "How could Swain have let him return?"
Everyone was speechless. No one had expected such a result.
If the Saint Roman army had killed Sai En and then eliminated Sai En's clan, why would they have to endure Sai En's bullying any longer?
However, precisely because of the strength of the Barbarian King's clan, no one dared to suggest killing Sai En, not even Gu Sudan. But now, in such a desperate situation, this was something none of them had anticipated.
Someone proposed, "Why don't we send someone to inquire about Sai En's movements first before making any decisions?"
"What if Sai En truly surrenders?"
Everyone's eyes brightened upon hearing this. Gu Sudan also nodded in agreement.
On the banks of the Chan River, a troop of barbarian soldiers was escorting jewels across the river. These soldiers were all tall and mighty, with powerful physiques, yellow hair, purple beards, gold rings in their ears, unbound hair, and bare feet, exuding a fierce aura from within and without.
After crossing the Chan River, this troop of barbarian soldiers headed straight for Xiao Xun's main camp.
Xiao Xun was discussing military matters with Kent when he heard that the Barbarian King's younger brother, Spoton, requested an audience. They exchanged glances, as if conveying something.
Xiao Xun asked the central army, "How many men did Spoton bring with him?"
"Reporting to Lord Swain, he brought about two hundred men."
"Good, you may leave."
After dismissing the central army, Xiao Xun looked at Kent and said, "Kent, do you know his intention?"
Kent bowed and said, "I fear there are ears listening through the walls, so I dare not speak openly. May I write it down for Lord Swain?"
Xiao Xun nodded.
Kent picked up a brush, wrote a character, and presented it to Xiao Xun.
After reading it, Xiao Xun nodded with satisfaction and smiled, "Kent's words are in complete alignment with my thoughts! Capturing Sai En is today!"