My hopes were dashed for a moment as the newly arrived Iroquois warriors began to fire arrows at us in formation without hesitation.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
It was night so we couldn't see clearly, but before we knew it, about fifty arrows were flying fiercely toward us.
"Arrows! Raise your shield and protect yourself!"
At my command, the knights and bodyguards quickly raised their shields to form a defensive wall. At that moment, the sound of stone arrows and bone arrows bouncing futilely outside the shield was heard one after another.
I stood up from my seat inside the shield wall and asked about the safety of the warriors.
"Anyone hurt?"
'Brave Wolf' and 'Heavy Blizzard' quickly checked the warriors and reported.
"Everyone says it's okay, Your Majesty!"
I nodded and gave instructions again.
"The leader blocks the enemy's attacks with his shield. Then he continues to retreat while maintaining his formation."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The archers and bodyguards responded vigorously and stepped back in step with my command.
He turned his head and looked behind him to see that the Iri warriors were also reorganizing their battle lines in preparation for battle with the newly appeared Iroquois warriors.
"Each of you take up your weapon and stand your ground!"
"Let us show them what the pain of a poisoned arrow is!"
The cold voice of 'Red Fruit' echoed throughout the battlefield.
'…Your judgment is also good. You lead your warriors quite well.'
I had a good opinion of her leadership on the battlefield, so I stopped our warriors who were out of range of the enemy's bows.
"stop!"
"The defense will continue to be maintained!"
I turned my head and looked ahead. The Iroquois warriors, unlike before, did not rush in so easily. Since the surprise attack had failed anyway, they were approaching the battle with a cautious strategy.
I didn't miss this opportunity to pause in the fighting and put my next plan into action. I walked forward slowly and confidently announced my name to the Iroquois confederacy.
"I am the great Yi Cheon-il, the son of God and warrior, and the emperor of the 'Sun of the Sky' and the great chief of the Lenape tribe."
"..."
For a moment, the Iroquois warrior camp appeared to be stirring.
'As expected, it works.'
Boom boom!
I shouted again, loudly, in anger.
"Who commands the warriors there? I wish to meet the chief of the Iroquois confederacy who broke the peace treaty and attacked us."
"..."
First, the dice were rolled. Whatever the outcome, the Iroquois confederacy will make the choice. Of course, whatever the outcome, from my perspective, I welcome it.
I looked at the Iroquois warriors ahead and waited for the decision of their commander. Perhaps because he doesn't give the order to attack…
It was clear that there was someone who knew me.
* * *
'The chief of the Lenape tribe?'
The 'Eagle's Claws', who were about to form a line and give the order to launch an all-out attack, were very flustered. If we were not careful, it could lead to an unwanted war with the 'Sun of the Sky' Federation.
'Eagle's Claw' still gave hurried instructions to the warriors assisting him with confused eyes.
"Do not attack, but wait a moment. I will personally verify whether the author is indeed the chief of the Lenape tribe."
"… Yes, Your Majesty!"
'Eagle's Talon' walked slowly forward, leaving the Iroquois warriors behind.
"I am the Eagle's Talon, the great warrior of the Kayuka tribe. Do not attack me, as I will verify that you are the great chief of the Lenape tribe!"
"..."
Although it was dark at night and visibility was a bit poor, as we approached the camp of the Iri tribe, we could vaguely make out the Lenape warriors in battle readiness thanks to the torches placed here and there.
The 'Eagle's Claw's' gaze, which was quickly scanning them, stopped at one man.
'shit!'
It is the Lenape chief that I remember. The very great Yi Cheon-il, the son of God and a warrior. 'Eagle's Claw', whose expression became serious, had a look of question in his eyes for a moment.
'Why is he here?'
'Eagle's Claw', whose head was filled with confusion, quickly retreated. Anyway, right now it wasn't a problem he could solve on his own.
And above all, there was a severe lack of information about the 'Sun in the Sky' and the Lenape people.
'… Should we start by resolving the peace treaty?'
It was clear at first glance that the Lenape chief was deeply angry and could have raised an issue with the peace agreement.
Returning to the friendly camp, 'Eagle's Talon' gave an urgent order for the Iroquois warriors to retreat.
"… Stop the surprise attack and return to base."
"…Understood, Your Majesty!"
* * *
"Your Majesty the Emperor! The Iroquois warriors stand down."
The 'brave wolf', who had known my plan from the beginning, looked at me with an expression full of awe.
'…Anyway, the threat worked.'
I was a bit anxious that things might go wrong, but only then did I look back with my tension relieved.
Boom boom!
The 'Red Berry' and Iri tribe warriors also looked surprised as the Iroquois tribe confederation warriors, with whom they had been fighting fiercely until just a moment ago, quickly retreated from the battlefield.
"Why are you stepping down?"
"Could it be because of the Lenape chief?"
"Are you scared of us?"
But the battle is not over yet. To the left of the Iri Tribe's camp, a fierce battle was taking place, with the sound of clashing weapons and screams constantly being heard.
At that moment, the 'Red Fruit' quickly came to his senses and gave instructions to the warriors.
"… I think it would be a good idea to station a hundred warriors here just in case."
"Understood, Chief!"
The 'Red Fruit' holding a bow looked at me with grateful eyes and then ran to the right side of the camp leading two hundred warriors.
'You really are a hasty person.'
As a chieftain, I could somewhat understand her desire to save at least one more warrior.
"Your Majesty! What should we do now?"
The 'Honest Bear' spoke with a restless look, perhaps worried that he had not done anything for the 'Red Fruit' until now.
'…hmm!'
It would be some time before the Iroquois chiefs learned of my presence in the 'Eagle's Talon'.
'Yeah, the battle isn't over yet.'
I looked at the great warriors and the royal guard warriors and strengthened my resolve once again.
"… The battle will be over soon. Just hold on a little longer."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
"Understood, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
I ran to the right side of the camp with my warriors to support the Iri tribe warriors.
"Keep the march going as it is."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
* * *
The night raid was going well as planned, and with the superior number of warriors, there was no doubt about victory in this battle.
The Iroquois chieftains who had been waiting along the retreat route with three hundred warriors in preparation for an emergency were all speechless at the shocking contents of 'The Eagle's Claw'.
"..."
'Rising Flames' asked 'Eagle's Claws' again with an incredulous look in his eyes.
"What? The Lenape chief is in the camp of the Iri tribe?"
"Yes, Chief!"
Chief 'Singing with the Wolf' of the Oneida tribe also did not stay still and stepped forward.
"Eagle claws! Did I see something wrong because it was dark?"
"No. I saw the Lenape chief with the Rising Flame chief last time. So I remember his face clearly."
"… That's right."
Chief Deep Swamp of the Onondaga tribe sighed briefly and looked at the two Iroquois chiefs.
"..."
Knowing the seriousness of the situation, he was deep in thought for a moment, not saying a word, with 'Rising Flames' and 'Singing with the Wolves'.
"Why did the Lenape chief come to the Iri tribe?"
"Could it be that the 'Sun of the Sky' Federation has come here to form an alliance with the Iri tribe?"
"I think that's the most likely possibility."
"But still, you're coming to this village, not even a tribal village, and making an alliance in the middle of a war? Does that make sense?"
"Why do I keep having doubts? It feels like a deliberate scheme to move us."
'Eagle's Claw', who had been listening to the conversation of the chieftains from the side, stepped forward as if he was frustrated.
"… I'm sorry to interrupt. We must stop fighting right now. If we continue to fight like this and the Lenape chieftain gets seriously injured… we could be drawn into a major war."
'Singing with the Wolf' raised its voice as if it was offended by the attitude of 'Eagle's Claw' who was trying to teach them.
"Who doesn't know that? If you stop fighting and meet the Lenape chief, what will you say? You should at least understand the situation and come up with an excuse."
"..."
The tribes were different and had a lot to say, but 'Eagle's Claw' respected the Oneida tribe's chief and kept quiet.
"And we must not miss this opportunity to somehow persuade the Lenape chieftain and conquer the Iri tribe. Okay?"
The two chieftains present nodded as if they agreed with the opinion of 'Singing with the Wolf'. At that time, 'Rising Flames' stepped forward to change the tense atmosphere.
"Okay! Everyone calm down. There's no need for us to fight amongst ourselves. And since the Eagle's Talon's opinion is also reasonable, I think it would be best to retreat the warriors for now. But before that, I have one question for you. Eagle's Talon!"
"yes."
"How many Lenape warriors are there? I scouted the area before the ambush and saw that there were no 'Sun of the Sky' warriors. What's going on?"
'Eagle's Claw' was also questionable.
"I have scouted the borderlands between the Iri and Shawnee tribes, but have not seen any of the Sun of the Sky warriors. From what I can gather, there appears to be only the Lenape chief and about thirty warriors."
For a moment, the eyes of the 'Rising Flame' flashed with a strong murderous intent, then disappeared.
"… That's right."
"..."
"Eagle Claws! Stop the fight and pull back the warriors before the damage increases."
"… Understood, Chief!"
'Eagle's Claw' turned around with a disgusted expression.
* * *
As I expected, on the right side of the camp, there was a fierce battle between the Irie tribe warriors and the Iroquois Confederate tribe warriors.
Eww! Eww! Eww!
There was chaos and fighting, and screaming was constant.
"There's the chief of the Iri tribe! Attack!"
"Protect the chief!"
Blood spurted everywhere and the ground was littered with corpses. I took my warriors with me and checked the map window, stirring up the battlefield in search of the 'red berries' that were in danger.
"Over there!"
"Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
We mercilessly killed the Iroquois warriors who blocked our way.
Swish! Phew! Phew! Phew!
A severed head was rolling on the floor. Blood spurted out like a stream from the deep cut in his chest. The warrior who was hit in the eye with an arrow screamed and stepped back.
At that moment, the 'Red Berries' surrounded by Iroquois warriors came into my view. With only a few Iri warriors guarding her, 'Red Fruit' was barely holding her ground against the Iroquois warriors.
"From now on, we will protect the chieftain of the Iri tribe as our top priority."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
As expected, the 'Honest Bear' charged at full speed, wielding a huge axe, as if trying to protect his woman.
"I am the honest bear!"
A giant axe began to mercilessly trample on the Iroquois warrior confederation.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Heads burst, hearts split, shoulders slumped, the Iroquois warriors fell to their knees in exhaustion. And stepping in step with me, the great warriors and the bodyguards helped the 'Honest Bear'.
Now, it's a supporting role, not a lead role. In an instant, the Iroquois warriors surrounding the 'Red Fruit' were dealt with.
And then, before she knew it, the 'honest bear' was standing right in front of her.
"All those who want to be cut by my axe, come at me!"
"..."
The 'Red Berry' seemed to be in love with the 'Honest Bear' and quietly looked at its broad shoulders.
'Okay.'
Although the situation was deliberately dramatic, 'Red Berry' began to show interest in 'Honest Bear'. And then, just as it happened, the Iroquois confederacy received the order to retreat.
"Cease fighting!"
"Retreat!"
* * *
This is the camp of the Iri tribe. There was a brief pause in fighting between the Iroquois and the confederacy. While the Iri warriors roughly cleared the battlefield in the chaotic atmosphere, I waited in a makeshift hut for the arrival of the Iroquois confederation chiefs.
But they didn't come until midnight. I immediately figured out the intentions of the Iroquois confederacy and snickered as if it was fun.
'See the liver?'