Translator: Legge
The combat troops of Stronghold 176 on the mountainside stopped their pursuit as well. The soldiers looked up in horror and saw the vortex moving rapidly towards Mt. Zhuolu.
It started raining all of a sudden. As the rain turned heavier, the sand and stones on the mountain were washed away by the sudden storm and gradually formed into several small streams. Following, the small streams converged into a torrent as a surge of silt and stones started washing downhill.
Bulan Zir roared, “Quick, run up the mountain ridge. We’ll die here if we don’t get away now!”
Bulan Zir and Kirghiz Yan were even feeling a little terrified. They imagined the storm was definitely related to that young man. The kid really possessed the power of gods. It was no wonder many of the nomads had claimed he was a god who had descended into this world!
In the past, Bulan Zir did not believe in gods at all. But now he believed it without a doubt!
By this point, the nomads from the eight tribes behind Yan Liuyuan had dismounted from their horses and were kowtowing in reverence to the young man.
Hassan had conveyed their master’s orders that they did not have to take any action this time.
At that time, everyone was somewhat puzzled. If they did not have to take any action, why did they come to Mt. Zhuolu?
Only now did they understand there wasn’t a need for them to make a move.
Not everyone from the eight tribes who submitted to Yan Liuyuan had worshipped him. Before this, there were at least more than half of the nomads who did not believe in Yan Liuyuan.
But when they saw the terrifying storm clouds swirling and flashes of lightning above their heads, and looking at the torrential rain pouring down on Mt. Zhuolu, they had no choice but to believe it now!
The scene on the battlefield turned strange. On one side, people were running for their lives up Mt. Zhuolu. Those who did not manage to escape were washed away by the mudslide.
On the other side, thousands of people had dismounted from their horses to kowtow to the young man, becoming the most loyal believers of a god.
Yan Liuyuan had mentioned to Xiaoyu that he would have to resort to miracles over and over again to strengthen the devotion of his worshippers.
If he was a fraud, he would definitely be exposed one day. But to him, these grasslands were where he belonged. His worshippers were already waiting for him there to convert them.
This was one of the reasons why Yan Liuyuan decided to come to the grasslands.
Bulan Zir and Kirghiz Yan trekked along the mountain ridge and climbed towards safety. If they encountered a mudslide, running down the mountain would be a dead end for sure. Of this, they still had some common sense of what they needed to do.
Therefore, the death toll of the Bulan and Kirghiz tribes was not that high. However, the troops of Stronghold 176 on the mountainside suffered the most casualties.
This time, the troops of Stronghold 176 had been deployed almost in full force for the battle. There were at most only two battalions left behind to defend the stronghold. But with the torrent of mudslides arriving, it was useless no matter how many soldiers they had. That was the power of nature, and humans were exceptionally powerless and insignificant in the face of disaster.
This mudslide lasted for a full five hours. Bulan Zir and the others waited silently atop the mountain under the pouring rain.
They looked at Yan Liuyuan from afar. That young man remained still at the foot of the mountain, and his worshippers behind him also remained kneeling for five hours until the troops of Stronghold 176 were utterly defeated.
Gradually, the torrential rain stopped. Bulan Zir and Kirghiz Yan looked at each other and both ordered their men, “Let’s fight our way back. This is our best chance to counterattack!”
Although there were still quite a few Central Plains people at the foot of the mountain, they were clinging to their lives. Some of them were hiding behind rocks, while others had climbed into the trees. Most of them did not even know where they had abandoned their guns. In contrast, the Bulan and Kirghiz tribesmen were in a much better state than the enemy. At least, they still had their swords with them!
This battle lasted for a full 13 hours, but Yan Liuyuan was not in a hurry at all. He only instructed Hassan to have the tribesmen start a fire and cook while waiting for the battle on the mountain to end.
Some of the soldiers from Stronghold 176 managed to flee from the mountain, but what awaited them were heavy machine guns.
The troops of Stronghold 176 could not figure out when the nomads had managed to get their hands on these heavy machine guns.
Hassan came to Yan Liuyuan and said, “Master, why don’t I lead some soldiers to fight our way in now? By taking advantage of the chaos and killing Bulan Zir and Kirghiz Yan, their tribespeople will naturally submit to us.”
“No need.” Yan Liuyuan smiled and shook his head. “I believe that the two of them are not stupid.”
Throughout the night, there was continuous shouting coming from the mountain. When it was almost dawn, Bulan Zir and Kirghiz Yan emerged from the mountain with blood all over their faces. Only a third of their tribe’s warriors were following them.
Yan Liuyuan mounted his horse and said with a smile, “Not bad, I didn’t expect there to be so many survivors.”
Although he wanted to save them to preserve the strength of the entire grasslands, Yan Liuyuan also had to weaken the forces of Bulan Zir and Kirghiz Yan. Only then would they be convinced and he would finally be able to gain firm control of the grasslands.
So Yan Liuyuan did not use his powers nor allowed Hassan and the others to head into the mountain to help when the battle was being fought in the middle of the night.
Currently, the members of the Bulan and Kirghiz tribes who survived were all their elites. If they were to get involved in another tough battle in the future, the 9,000 people from these two tribes combined would become one of the core forces in the grasslands.
Bulan Zir and Kirghiz Yan panted as they rushed before Yan Liuyuan’s horse. Yan Liuyuan said with a smile, “Submit to me, and I’ll bring you to Stronghold 176 to have a look. If you don’t, you’ll die here today, and your souls can see how I’ll achieve all that you’re not capable of.”
Bulan Zir and Kirghiz Yan looked at each other and prostrated to Yan Liuyuan at the same time with their arms raised and palms facing up.
Yan Liuyuan smiled and used the whip in his hand to brush the two men’s palms. This was a ceremony nomads performed when they wanted to seek their master’s forgiveness. And Yan Liuyuan using the whip to brush their palms was to tell the offenders they had been forgiven and that they could continue to follow him and fight on the battlefield.
Lying on the ground, Bulan Zir roared, “A real god has finally descended on the grasslands. From now on, our Bulan tribe will lay down our lives to serve you.”
Kirghiz Yan hesitated for some time as he did not know how to express his loyalty. Eventually, he roared, “The same goes for our Kirghiz tribe!”
From now on, there were no longer any forces in the grasslands that could hinder Yan Liuyuan from achieving unification.
“Alright then,” Yan Liuyuan said with a smile as he turned his horse around, “Bulan Zir, you seem quite learned for a nomad, knowing how to express yourself so eloquently. On your feet. Do you two still have any strength left? If you do, follow and keep up with us, and I’ll show you that people in the Central Plains are actually not that noble at all.”
When they heard the horse galloping away, Bulan Zir and Kirghiz Yan got up. Hassan brought over two warhorses. “Master has bestowed these to the two of you.”
The warhorses of Bulan Zir and Kirghiz Yan had died in Mt. Zhuolu. To preserve their dignity, Yan Liuyuan bestowed these warhorses to them. Otherwise, if the chiefs of the other tribes were to ride their horses while they followed on foot, they would not be able to lift their heads when they returned to the grasslands.
However, Bulan Zir felt a little puzzled. He asked Hassan, “Did Master just say that we’re heading to Stronghold 176? There’s still a lot of garrison troops there, so how are we going to attack our way in?”
Hassan glanced at them and said, “Can the enemy summon a mudslide from the heavens?”
These words left the two of them speechless. Right, no matter how powerful firearms were, how could they be a match for the power of a god?
When the nomadic army arrived outside Stronghold 176, Bulan Zir and the others saw the stronghold walls suddenly collapsing. Half of the garrison forces on the walls came falling down along with the crumbling walls!
