They were fierce and exceptionally brutal, and it was precisely because of this that they could survive in a world filled with ferocious and savage demonic beasts. These peoples did not provoke Seien, because although they were fierce, they were mostly scattered, making it difficult to form a force comparable to Seien.
The situation in the hinterland of the barbarians was naturally closely related to its complex environment. The mountains and forests there were higher and denser, with countless ferocious demonic beasts surrounding them. It could be said that every member of these resilient tribes, whether women or children, possessed a formidable killing ability. They were a people who could fight as soon as they picked up a weapon.
After Seien and Zuan finished discussing recent events, Seien sighed profoundly. Zuan, however, smiled calmly, "Swain is deeply cunning and insidious. It is only natural that the Barbarian King could not defeat him, so there is no need for you to blame yourself too much."
Seien had suffered much indignation in recent days, and there was considerable pressure within his own army. Many soldiers simply could not understand his ambition.
Seien said dejectedly, "Zuan! The morale of our brothers is low now. Swain is very cunning. If we only defend and do not attack, I fear we will be captured by him sooner or later."
Zuan shook his head and chuckled, "When did the Barbarian King become so dispirited?"
Seien chuckled awkwardly and sighed, "Swain truly possesses heaven-defying means..."
Zuan waved his hand dismissively, laughing heartily, "Tomorrow, old man will introduce someone to the Barbarian King. I believe the Barbarian King will no longer be so disheartened."
Seien stared intently at Zuan, who smiled and said, "Barbarian King, there's no need to worry. Old man has his arrangements. I will surely make Swain retreat in defeat!"
Seeing Zuan's full confidence, Seien was greatly reassured. That night, he finally slept soundly. In his dream, he fought Swain again. This battle was magnificent, sweeping away all the bad luck and truly resolving the accumulated grievances of several days.
The next day, as Seien and Zuan were chatting in the stronghold, a barbarian soldier rushed in reporting, "My King! A force has been discovered behind Mount Boluo!"
"What?"
The Barbarian King jumped up in shock. "Swain is indeed formidable! We are finished!"
It was known that the Boluo Legion occupied extremely perilous terrain. The Qian Du River flowed in front of the mountain, with the eight hundred li of Ruo Shui surrounding it, making it impossible for even something as light as a goose feather to float. Behind them lay the Witch Realm, with its extremely dangerous terrain. To make a winding approach into the Witch Realm, one would encounter countless perils.
Now that Swain was attacking from behind, it was clearly completely beyond expectation. Even Seien, with his composure, found it difficult to bear, let alone the barbarian soldiers.
However, Zuan already had everything in mind. He stroked his beard and laughed loudly, instructing, "Quickly prepare a feast!"
Turning back, he smiled at Seien and said, "My King, this is the King of the Liao from the Ninety-third Prefecture of the Eight Divisions! Our reinforcements have arrived."
Seien naturally knew the name of the King of the Liao. This was a renowned tribe of witches in the Witch Realm.
They used a local type of black iron for their shields, making them extremely tough, so that long blades and spears could not get close, and fire and water could not consume them.
They all wielded Liao blades, making them extremely fierce. Other witch tribes referred to them as Dao Dun Liao Bing (Blade Shield Liao Soldiers).
Seien, bordering the witch lands, naturally had some knowledge of the closer influential figures of the witch territories.
One had to know that for these witch tribes to exist in their region without perishing, they each had their own means of sustenance. The environment in the witch territories was harsh, with constant conflict. Without a certain degree of self-preservation ability, it was all in vain. Battles were fought here almost every day.
Under such circumstances, almost every soldier possessed the ability to fight ten. The support of any single one of them was a great help, let alone the Liao soldiers, who were among the best in the witch lands. They were by no means ordinary tribes that could resist them.
Although Xiao Xun's troops were formidable, Seien was not overly worried. If it weren't for the excessive scheming involved, in a head-on clash on the battlefield, Seien would have had some confidence.
However, these Liao soldiers were a force that even he himself greatly feared.
Upon hearing this, Seien's face bloomed with joy, his complexion flushing, "Zuan could actually invite the King of the Liao to come?"
Although there were many witch tribes in the Witch Realm, these tribes were extremely attached to their homes and rarely left their territories.
Furthermore, the witch tribes held the barbarian tribes in great disdain, believing their blood was not pure and being ashamed to associate with them.
"Although the King of the Liao has not come personally, he has sent ten thousand Dao Dun Liao soldiers to support us, greatly boosting our morale."
"That is natural. With these ten thousand Dao Dun Liao soldiers, why should we fear the Santiloman army?"
Seien immediately prepared a grand banquet to entertain the ten thousand Dao Dun Liao soldiers. The next day, he led the barbarian forces and the Dao Dun Liao soldiers to march together.
Xiao Xun led his troops to the Qian Du River. The Qian Du River was the Ruo Shui, meaning Ruo Shui, which was so shallow that even goose feathers could not float on it, let alone boats.
Fortunately, Falui offered a plan. They cut down local bamboo poles to construct a bamboo bridge, allowing the Santiloman army to cross the river.
However, after crossing the river, the Santiloman army did not continue towards the Boluo Legion but instead camped and established their positions.
The Boluo Legion was the main base of the Barbarian King, and it was within Seien's own clan's operational area. Other barbarian tribes could not enter freely, and it was even more difficult for outsiders to enter.
Moreover, this place was close to the Witch Realm, and the witches were cruel and bloodthirsty, tenacious and fierce. No one was willing to risk entering the Witch Realm.
Therefore, Falui did not venture deep into the vicinity of the Boluo Legion, and the terrain map of Ping Man did not include the area near the Boluo Legion. Consequently, the Santiloman army was not familiar with the terrain near the Boluo Legion.
To prevent a surprise attack by the barbarian soldiers, Xiao Xun first established camps along the river and dispatched numerous scouts to probe deep into the hinterland of the Boluo Legion.
Although most of these scouts were barbarians from the barbarian territories and had undergone training, the terrain of the Boluo Legion was complex, and there were many snakes, rats, and insects. It was still a near-death experience, and very few survived.
While Xiao Xun was anxiously waiting for news from the scouts in the camp, he heard a great clamor and palpable killing intent from outside the camp. He guessed that Seien had sent troops to provoke them and immediately led his generals out of the camp to observe the enemy.
They saw a rumbling sound approaching, with dust billowing. The barbarian soldiers, arrayed in square formations, marched with neat steps towards the Santiloman army camp, their presence solemn and steady, exuding a heavy and chilling killing intent.
Kent, taken aback by the enemy's momentum, took a deep breath and said, "The barbarian army has suffered repeated defeats, yet they do not possess such a magnificent presence. There must be something peculiar going on!"
The Santiloman generals were all seasoned veterans of many battles. As soon as Kent finished speaking, they noticed the uniqueness of the barbarian army.
The barbarian soldiers in the foremost ranks were noticeably taller than ordinary barbarian soldiers, with dark skin and powerful physiques. Each held a sword in one hand and a shield in the other. Their gazes were cold and sharp, indicating that they were seasoned warriors who had killed countless people.
"This force is completely different from the barbarian army we encountered before."
Aaron took a deep breath, clearly sensing the distinctive aura of this formation.
The other generals' hearts trembled. The powerful killing intent caused their hair to stand on end, and the fierce fighting spirit made it impossible for them to breathe. What kind of formidable unit could impart such a feeling?
Xiao Xun nodded, "The people of the barbarian territories are indeed fierce. Such savage and violent energy cannot be withstood by brute force."
Hexacast sneered, "Lord Swain, your humble subordinate volunteers to lead a force to curb their arrogance!"
"Impossible!"
Xiao Xun quickly stopped Hexacast. "To clash head-on with such a formidable force will surely come at a painful price, and this is not what I wish to see."
Having said that, he looked back at his generals with a solemn expression and said, "All generals, listen to my orders. Hold fast to your camps. Without my command, do not engage in battle. I have a clever strategy to deal with the enemy!"
The generals dared not disobey and all responded with a resounding "Yes."
The Santiloman army held fast to their camps, refusing to emerge. However, the barbarian soldiers' morale soared.
With the assistance of the Dao Dun Liao soldiers, the barbarian army's morale had already been greatly boosted. Now that the Santiloman army refused to fight, their morale became even higher. They even dared to brazenly advance to the Santiloman army camp, clashing against the Santiloman army's encampment.
However, the Santiloman army camp was equipped with excellent defensive facilities. Although the barbarian soldiers were strong, they could not pose a threat to the Santiloman army camp.
However, as these barbarian troops clashed with the camp, they allowed the Santiloman army to witness the ferocity of these Liao soldiers.
These Liao soldiers feared no arrows. Not only did they have strong shields to block arrows, but their agility was also extremely remarkable, and they could also use their blades to deflect arrows.
Even when facing flying stones and rolling logs, their resilience was much stronger than that of ordinary soldiers, which amazed the Santiloman army with their formidable ability to withstand damage.
To think of engaging such a formidable force sent shivers down their spines.