I immediately called out to 'Heavy Snowstorm', who was waiting outside.
"Have you called? Your Majesty the Emperor!"
"Yeah. Tell 'Red Fruit' that I have something urgent to discuss."
"All right."
As the 'heavy snowstorm' receded, the 'fast-footed deer' who was in the hut with me shook his head and muttered softly.
"… You are making the worst move for the Iroquois Confederacy."
The 'brave wolf', who knew my plan, said with a worried expression.
"… I hope we can resolve this here. We need to arm our warriors once more."
Without joining in on their conversation, I quietly waited for the 'red berries'.
* * *
"We can't move right now. Our warriors are very tired, and if we move at night, we may be attacked by the Iroquois warriors."
I once again convinced 'Red Fruit' who reacted negatively to my opinion.
"If we stay here, we might be attacked again by the Iroquois confederacy. And… ."
I thought it wouldn't be easy to convince 'Red Fruit', so I told him the truth about the plan I had prepared. After a while, 'Red Fruit' seemed to be secretly impressed by my meticulous plan.
"… I think that would be better. I will tell the warriors to prepare to move immediately."
"Thank you for following my plan."
'Red Berry', who got up from her seat, smiled faintly at 'Honest Bear' behind her and hurried out of the hut. Only then did the 'stubborn bear', who as the captain of the guard had not even blinked an eyebrow at her greeting, start to laugh like an idiot.
"Hehehe! The red berry said hello to me."
The 'fast-footed deer' playfully congratulated me.
"You like red berries that much? You've been out of your mind since earlier. Anyway, you're a good bear! You're finally getting married and starting a family. Congratulations."
'Red Fruit' accepted the conditions I presented. The Iri tribe decided to come towards the 'Sun in the Sky' and also decided to marry the 'Honest Bear' for a strong alliance and friendship between the two tribes.
"Congratulations, Honest Bear!"
The 'brave wolf' who had grown up in the village with them since childhood also congratulated them.
"Hehehe! This… is all thanks to His Majesty the Emperor."
Phew!
I also felt good seeing the 'Honest Bear' sincerely thanking me. There were some twists and turns, but I kept my promise.
"Let's celebrate later and get ready to move quickly."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
"All right."
* * *
The sun was rising and the day was bright. The night before, as the Irie warriors moved out of their camp, the Iroquois confederate warriors followed them, surrounding them in a wide circle.
The Iri tribe warriors were reduced to three hundred people due to fierce fighting. A confederation of seven hundred Iroquois warriors still had the upper hand in warrior numbers.
The tense atmosphere between the two camps continued until the morning. And the 'Rising Flames' and the Iroquois Confederate Chiefs were still deeply troubled, unable to reach a conclusion.
"Looking at the direction south, I guess it's going to the Shawnee tribe?"
At the words of 'Deep Swamp', 'Singing with Wolves' nodded and said as if it was frustrating.
"It'll be more of a headache if we go into Shawnee territory. Why don't we just attack them? If we kill them all, we'll have a better excuse. We can say that we were fighting on the side of the Sun in the Sky and didn't know the Lenape chief was there."
"Who doesn't know that? The problem is that the 'Sun of the Sky' side must know that the Lenape chief is here."
"Yes. They could use that as an excuse to break the peace treaty and bring in the 'Sun in the Sky'."
As the Rising Flames spoke as if they agreed with the Deep Swamp's opinion, the Iroquois confederate chiefs fell into a long silence again.
"..."
At that time, 'Eagle's Talon', who had gone to reconnoiter the Shawnee tribal territory once again, returned. The 'Rising Flames' and the Iroquois Confederate Chiefs quickly asked him with curious eyes as he approached.
"What happened?"
"What about the Shawnee warriors?"
'Eagle's Claw' answered briefly, catching his breath.
"… there wasn't any."
'Rising Flames' checked again with a cautious expression.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, we divided the warriors into three groups and thoroughly scouted the interior of the Shawnee tribe's territory."
"..."
In an instant, the 'rising flames' and the chief's eyes met. After a while, the decision of the Iroquois confederation of chiefs was strongly opposed by the 'Eagle's Talon'.
"… if we make a single mistake, the entire Iroquois confederacy could collapse."
As if anticipating the concerns of the 'Eagle's Claws', the 'Rising Flames' calmly persuaded him.
"… I can't seem to let this opportunity to conquer the Iri tribe slip away. It's risky, but the political issues between the Sun in the Sky and the tribes will be resolved by our chieftains, so the Grand Master will make a surprise attack tonight as instructed."
"… I will do as you instruct, but you will all be responsible for this decision later."
'Eagle's Claw' did not back down meekly to the chiefs' decision.
* * *
'They still haven't lifted the siege.'
He led the Iri tribe warriors from the front and continuously checked the movements of the Iroquois tribe confederation warriors through the map window.
There had been no movement yet, but I was somewhat anxious that the Iroquois chieftains might cause a major incident.
I turned my head and looked at the 'Red Fruit' leading the Iri Tribe warriors. 'Red Fruit' did not show it on the outside in front of the warriors, but it kept looking around the front and surroundings with an extremely anxious look in its eyes.
'I guess I'll have to hurry.'
He called in the head of the Intelligence Service, the 'fast-footed deer', and asked him quietly.
"… What happened?"
"… I made a fire before leaving camp, so I should be able to meet the Shawnee warriors before tonight. Just in case, I'll light some smoke to signal them when we rest."
He nodded with a satisfied look at the actions of the 'fast-footed deer' who was quick-witted.
"okay."
As the 'fast deer' retreated, he called the 'brave wolf' and gave him instructions.
"It seems like a scout party won't be enough for a heavy snowstorm. I think it would be better to send more scout parties."
"Understood. With the help of the Red Berry and Iri Tribe warriors, we will form more reconnaissance units."
"At least five units."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
The 'brave wolf' ran quickly towards the Iri tribe. I'm done with preparing for the worst. Now it's a race against time. Will the Shawnee warriors arrive first?
Or will the Iroquois confederation attack first?
"… I guess a decision will be made today."
* * *
The sun was gradually setting toward the west. 'Eagle's Claw' reorganized the battle lines while comforting the tired friendly warriors who were chasing after the Iri tribe warriors.
"Check your weapons."
"Make sure you have enough arrows."
"Check your positions."
Although he was preparing for another surprise attack under orders from his superiors, 'Eagle's Claws' was still reluctant.
As time passed, the field of vision grew dark and night fell. The torch-wielding Iri tribe warriors continued to advance south without stopping.
Moreover, the border has become more severe. The 'Eagle's Claw', which had been observing the movements of the tribe while waiting for the right moment to attack, frowned.
'… It won't be easy.'
At that moment, the 'Rising Flames' came with an enraged face.
"Eagle Claws! It's night, why aren't you attacking?"
"… If we launch a surprise attack now, our soldiers will suffer great losses. Please wait a moment. We will attack the Iri tribe when they are most likely to let their guard down.
"… If you had told me that earlier, wouldn't I have waited calmly?"
After hearing the strategy of 'Eagle's Claw', 'Rising Flame' coughed in embarrassment and returned to its original position.
'Eagle's Claw' looked at the place where the chiefs were and cooled down with a cold gaze.
'…We must delay the attack as much as possible.'
After a while, the 'Eagle's Talon', who was under the stinging gaze of the Iroquois chieftains, could not delay the attack any longer.
'Is this how it ends up?'
At that moment, 'Eagle's Claw' let out a long sigh with a stern expression and was about to give the surprise attack order.
A warrior came running in a hurry.
"Your Majesty! Five hundred Shawnee warriors have appeared in the rear."
"… I see."
For a moment, a faint smile appeared on the corner of 'Eagle's Claw's' mouth and then disappeared. Meanwhile, news of the Rising Flames reached the Iroquois chiefs.
"…The Shawnee warriors are here?"
"… How did you know?"
"… That was a close call. Anyway, I'm glad it turned out okay."
The Iroquois chiefs each became lost in thought, their expressions changing from moment to moment. "Rising Flames" said with a serious face, as if his head was aching.
"…We need to quickly form a negotiating team before the misunderstanding deepens further."
* * *
A small space was created between the two factions of the Iroquois and the Erie tribes. All around, warriors with torches were lighting up the negotiating room, and in front of me, the Iroquois confederation of chieftains were sweating profusely as they made excuses.
"…I really didn't know the Lenape chief was there."
"…If we had known, would we have broken the peace treaty and attacked?"
"… There was just a misunderstanding."
I chuckled at their ridiculous excuses. We already had the justification anyway. To be exact, it is the 'sun in the sky'… . I went a little stronger.
"Then, let me ask you one thing. Last night, when I asked you to meet me, you didn't come, but when our warriors arrived, you came as if you had been waiting for us. Why?
"...."
For a moment, the 'Rising Flames' and the Iroquois chieftains exchanged awkward glances, speechless. 'Rising Flames' swallowed hard and stepped forward.
"… It just took some time to discuss with other chiefs how to resolve this misunderstanding."
"I understand what you mean. But why don't you lift the siege?"
When I asked the question again, hitting the nail on the head, 'Rising Flames' seemed to be stuck in a deep swamp and struggled to find a suitable excuse.
"That, that…."
The faces of the remaining Iroquois chiefs turned red in embarrassment at the sight of the 'Rising Flames' urgently calling for help.
"...."
Their numbers were clearly visible.
'Where are you getting your medicine?'
Now that we have taken the initiative as planned, it is time to start negotiating in earnest. After a while, I acted as a mediator between the two tribes, further cornering the Iroquois chiefs.
"…I say again, I trust that you will not break the peace treaty with us, the Iri tribe and our allies."
"...."
"I hope the two tribes can come to a ceasefire here and now and live in peace."
"...."
The 'Rising Flames' and the Iroquois chiefs seemed to be in a dilemma and were unable to respond.
"I think my work is done. Well, I hope everyone here can wrap things up well."
As I stood up from my seat, the 'Red Berry' gave me a look of gratitude. As soon as I left the negotiation room with my group, I heard the firm voice of 'Red Fruit'.
"… … The first condition of the armistice is the return of our tribal territory."
* * *
As I was waiting for the results of the negotiations between the two tribes, far away from the negotiating table, a series of welcome notifications rang in my head.
Tiring!
[Quest completed.]
[Level up.]
[The Celestial Library is opened.]
and.
Tiring!
[When a condition is met, one trait blooms randomly.]
"… What is the trait this time?"