Xiao Xun took out several envelopes from his embrace, sealed with wax.
He beckoned to his adjutant and said, "Distribute these to the generals according to the names on the envelopes."
The adjutant acknowledged and withdrew.
Kent secretly marveled at Xiao Xun's calculations, never imagining that Xiao Xun had already devised a strategy. This move was clearly superior to his own.
Before Kent could process his astonishment, Xiao Xun lightly pressed the note Kent had given him onto the table and stood up, saying, "Accompany me to meet these barbarian warriors!"
On the white paper placed on the desk, a single character, 'Deception,' was clearly written.
In the Gusudan stockade, a barbarian soldier galloped into the stockade, dismounted, and rushed into Gusudan's tent: "Sibotan has crossed the river with several carts of gold and silver treasures to surrender."
All the generals in Gusudan's tent beamed with joy and breathed a sigh of relief. Sibotan was Sene's own brother, and Sene would naturally not abandon him.
Gusudan, leading the chieftains, eagerly galloped towards Sene's camp.
Upon entering the stockade, they discovered that not only Gusudan and his group had been summoned, but Seikas had also been recalled from the Shakou front line by Sene. Their suspicion vanished, and they strode into the tent.
Seeing that Sene had prepared a banquet and was happily drinking with the chieftains, awaiting only Gusudan and his party, the atmosphere was already jovial. When Gusudan and his group entered the tent, everyone stopped what they were doing. The lively banquet fell silent, and an awkward air permeated the hall.
Gusudan quickly knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, Gusudan has resorted to this desperate measure for the rise and fall of our barbarian tribe. I hope Your Majesty will not blame me!"
The other chieftains also knelt with Gusudan, some of them trembling uncontrollably.
Sene stood up, walked out from behind the table, and approached Gusudan.
The immense pressure forced Gusudan to lower his head even further, sweat pouring down his body. Sene raised his hand and, with lightning speed, struck Gusudan's head with a palm.
Instantly, blood splattered, and even brain matter and other foul substances gushed out. Gusudan was already dead.
Seeing this, the other chieftains were terrified and scrambled to rise, pointing at Sene, "You..."
Sene raised his hand and pushed forward. The two chieftains in front were pushed back by Sene, colliding with those behind them and falling in a heap.
Immediately after, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed, and barbarian warriors with swords rushed into the banquet, engaging the chieftains in combat.
Before long, no one was left alive.
Most of the tribal chieftains at the banquet had not even reacted before the ruthless slaughter ended. They stared in disbelief, clearly not expecting Sene to deal such a severe blow to Gusudan and the tribes who had always depended on him, and to slaughter the chieftains of the tribes close to Gusudan.
In fact, many did not know about the internal coup within Sene's ranks and did not understand why Sene had suddenly unleashed such a massacre. Some who were privy to the events felt a chill in their hearts.
Sene pointed at the pile of corpses and boomed, "This is the fate of those who betray me!"
With that, his gaze, sharp as a torch, swept towards Seikas. His eyes seemed to swirl with countless blizzards, and the immense killing intent made Seikas tense up inexplicably. He stammered, "Bar... Barbarian... King, I didn't... didn't betray..."
As he spoke, Sene's palms magnified infinitely before his eyes. Then, with a bang, the sound of bones shattering was incessant. Seikas had already been flung several dozen feet away, dead.
This scene stunned all the chieftains. In the blink of an eye, Sene had already killed the leaders of several tribes. The entire banquet was filled with a thick scent of blood, and the blood on the ground was terrifyingly vibrant.
No one knew how many people Sene intended to kill that day, so all the chieftains trembled.
"You have no need to fear! Those who betray me will have no good end! But those who obey me, I will never mistreat!"
Sene's voice rang out at the opportune moment, startling the chieftains into shuddering.
Sene, however, was unperturbed and said loudly, "All chieftains, please resume the feast with me to calm your nerves."
At the same time, Sene had already dispatched men to take all of Gusudan's and Seikas's tribes as slaves.
As the bloody massacre in Sene's great stockade was just concluding, Kent accompanied Xiao Xun into the central military tent. The generals of the Holy Roman Empire were already assembled in the tent, and then Sibotan was summoned.
Shortly thereafter, a group of burly men entered the tent. Among them, one man, appearing somewhat constrained, strode into the tent, drawing everyone's attention. He was of immense stature, comparable to Sene, with broad shoulders and a thick back, appearing extremely imposing. His fierce face, though deliberately restrained, still revealed a hint of ferocity. Even with a neutral expression, he inspired dread.
Sibotan was not weak; among the top barbarian experts, he would certainly rank in the top ten.
Beside him, the barbarian soldiers were all broad-shouldered and strong-waisted, exuding an aura of fierce power and unbridled spirit from head to toe.
This made Kent no longer doubt how the seemingly brave but foolish Sene could dominate the barbarians. Sene had many fierce generals under him, and he himself was the second-highest expert among the barbarians. It was no wonder he commanded such prestige.
As the saying goes, even a starved camel is larger than a horse. Even if Sene were to die, no one would likely be able to easily unify the barbarian tribes, which further impressed Kent with Xiao Xun's foresight and wisdom.
In fact, with Kent's proud and arrogant nature, he naturally harbored some resentment towards Xiao Xun.
However, since the Western campaign, Xiao Xun had consistently anticipated his enemies, which made it impossible for him not to be moved.
Facing Sene, who was already at his wit's end yet still stubbornly resisting, Xiao Xun shook his head and smiled, "Why continue this futile struggle?"
As he spoke, he gestured with his hand, and the vanguard emerged from the central military tent. The tent was brightly lit by torches, casting a fiery red glow on everyone's faces, exuding a seductive charm.
Sene looked up and saw some familiar figures before him. He was shocked to see countless barbarian soldiers lying scattered inside the tent, recognizing them as Sibotan and his men. His heart tightened: "Sveinn, what is the meaning of this?"
Seeing Sene's terrified face, Xiao Xun's smile grew more unrestrained.
"Although I am a man who values talent, your brother's ability is too high. To reduce our army's losses, I have no other choice. Moreover, if I let you go like this, how can I explain myself to my own people?"
Sene stood on his horse, gazing at the dark night sky, remaining silent for a long time.
Xiao Xun said indifferently, "Or, should I let you go again?"
Hearing this, all the generals were frantic and almost in unison exclaimed, "Lord Sveinn!"
Sene's eyes widened at the words. He felt that even with his thick skin, being captured and released repeatedly was becoming unbearable.
However, knowing how difficult this was, he still held onto a sliver of hope, staring at Xiao Xun and saying, "If Lord Sveinn lets my brother go one more time, I will regroup and fight Lord Sveinn to the death. If I am captured again, I will have nothing more to say!"
Xiao Xun nodded and smiled, "I can let you go again, but there is one thing you must tell me."
"What is it?"
Xiao Xun's smile vanished, and he stared intently at Sene, speaking each word distinctly: "You repeatedly fight and repeatedly lose. What is it that sustains you?"
Under Xiao Xun's intense gaze, Sene dared not look directly at him. His face turned red as he retorted fiercely, "I refuse to yield!"
Xiao Xun looked at Sene's hostile expression and nodded. This was indeed a reason.
But a feeling told him that something must be supporting Sene's actions.
However, Xiao Xun did not want to ask anymore. If there was something, it was something he had to face, so let it come more fiercely.
Xiao Xun waved his hand, and his army cleared a path. Sene entered Xiao Xun's central military tent, helped up Sibotan, and walked out of the stockade.
After being released from the Holy Roman army's stockade, Sene retreated with his army to the Boro Legion, intending to defend the strategic passes. Sene knew his intelligence was limited and he could not outwit a peerless strategist, but he knew someone who could.
Sene knew that if Zu'an returned, he would surely be able to turn the tide and reverse this dire situation.
Sene even thought that if he were to capture Sveinn later, he would also release him twice, to let this fellow experience such hardship.
As Sene gazed afar, his eyes growing weary, and he was almost turning into a stone statue of a waiting woman, he finally received news of Zu'an.
In less than two days, he finally waited for Zu'an.
Zu'an had ventured deep into the barbarian hinterlands, reaching the more remote Ten Thousand Great Mountains.
There, more ferocious Wu tribes resided, formidable tribes that even Sene dared not provoke.