"What did you say!?"
Governor Mohai grabbed the cavalryman by the neck, his face contorted. "Say it again!"
"Do you know the consequences of deceiving me!?"
"My lord governor, I didn't lie, I dare not lie!" The cavalryman pleaded, tears streaming down his face. "It's really the Khitan people."
"They attacked the convoy of the young ladies, and we fought desperately, but we were no match for them."
"In an instant, more than half of our fifty brothers were gone."
"I barely managed to escape back!"
"Get out!"
Governor Mohai didn't want to hear any more from the cavalryman. He pushed him away and slumped onto a cushion.
"Saliya, Salina."
"My daughters."
He covered his face and wept bitterly.
The thought of his beautiful daughters falling into the hands of rough soldiers was something he couldn't bear to imagine.
The bad news continued when the body of Dilibeir, throat cut, was brought before Governor Mohai. He nearly fainted on the spot.
After hearing the descriptions from the captured slaves, Governor Mohai's personal guards were incredulous.
"Dilibeir Pasha was praised by the Sultan for her bravery."
"Ten seasoned warriors wouldn't necessarily be her match."
"To be killed by a prisoner, it's absurd—it all makes sense now!"
"What do you understand?" Governor Mohai gasped, clutching his chest.
"This must be a plot by the Khitan people," the captain of the guards asserted confidently. "They're trying to divide our forces and seize our cities."
"We've had many brave men disappear without a trace these past few days."
"They must have amassed a large force outside the city."
"Is that possible?" Governor Mohai was skeptical. "The Khitan people rarely venture this far from their homeland in groups."
"How many Khitan people did you see clearly?" he asked the cavalryman who had escaped.
"Um..." The cavalryman, who had narrowly escaped death, hesitated and swallowed hard. "About two hundred?"
Governor Mohai stood up abruptly, roaring, "Bring everyone back!"
"Defend the city, we must hold it at all costs!"
By the gods, he boasted of three thousand men, but only eighteen hundred could actually fight.
Daughters could be replaced, but two hundred Khitan people?
If the city fell, he would lose everything!
[Master, why aren't you taking advantage of this opportunity?]
[You've been together all this time, yet your progress seems slower than before.]
[Don't be afraid, even though Saliya and Salina are both dangerous, as long as you're bold and careful, you'll make progress.]
"It's strange, why haven't there been any more monsters respawning lately?"
Since discovering that nomadic cavalry could wear armor, Shu Yichao had been tirelessly attacking monsters everywhere to collect armor.
However, after only a few days of those monsters with natural armor, their numbers rapidly declined, and eventually, there were none left.
Shu Yichao could only wander around with his troops, looking for places where monsters might respawn.
But as it seemed now...
"Did they all gather in the city?" Shu Yichao opened the mini-map, pondering. "Monsters wouldn't voluntarily gather in the city like this."
"They're forcing me to attack the city."
Scouting the wilderness had almost no yield anymore, so if that was the case...
"Let's go!" Shu Yichao gave the order, and the entire army turned.
"We're attacking the city."
————————
"Madam Mati, another one has been found."
Several people dressed in animal skins dragged a person over to the woman known as Madam Mati.
This woman had dark skin, hands covered in calluses, and carried an old hunting bow on her back. Her face was half-covered with a handkerchief.
"Dead or alive?" she asked.
Before anyone could answer, those around involuntarily shivered.
"He's already dead."
"Then..." The others' beards trembled as they glanced at the body, feeling their scalps tighten.
The one being dragged in was a scout from the Esmann scout.
He had no external injuries, but one of his eyes was missing. The remaining eye stared blankly at the sky, as if still filled with the despair and resentment of his last moments.
"How many is this now?"
Someone placed a hand on their chest. "My lord, I've never seen such a terrifying scene."
"Could it be that demons have truly come into the world?"
In recent days, bodies like this had been appearing from time to time.
There were no visible wounds on them, but they had all lost an eye.
Upon closer inspection, it was often found that there was a deep wound where their missing eye had been, almost down to the bone.
This had caused widespread panic, with rumors spreading that the gates of hell had opened and terrifying eye monsters were silently watching people in the darkness, causing great fear.
"It has nothing to do with demons."
Madam Mati said, "Didn't we know this a long time ago? They encountered the Khitan people."
"But Madam, is this something human beings can do?" Someone in the crowd ask.
"We've been fighting with the Esmann people for so many years, and we know what it's like to face their archers."
"To hit within five steps is already remarkable."
"But these..." He lowered his voice, pointing to the bruises on the body. "Clearly, they were hit in the eye by an arrow while riding at full speed."
"Is that possible?"
"And besides, it's not just one or two, it's everyone—it's simply not something a human can do."
"Eh?" Hearing what the squad leader said, people couldn't help but panic.
"Just because the Esmann people can't do it, doesn't mean the Khitan people can't," she said, her eyes burning with anger.
"In any case, we must cooperate with the Khitan people—or rather, we should submit to them."
"The Esmann people have become increasingly rampant in recent years, while our Augostu is cowering in the cities, unable to do anything."
"Joining the Khitan people may be our only chance for revenge."
"Anyway, we can try to make contact with them first."
"Oh, finally encountered a caravan." Watching as more than a dozen large carts, tattered and flying white flags, slowly approached in the distance, Shu Yichao sighed deeply.
"If they hadn't come, my captives would have died out!"
The loot in his hands needed to be liquidated urgently. Although the two sides couldn't communicate verbally, they still managed to enjoy themselves in their own ways.
But Madam Mati, holding her fur, looked bewildered.
"Madam," one of her subordinates was also puzzled, "Did the Khitan people agree to our submission?"
If they hadn't agreed, why did the Khitan people take their captured soldiers' belongings and even ask for money?
If they had agreed, why did they give them a bunch of loot?
"I don't understand either," Madam Mati said. "They were like demons to those Esmann people, killing them as easily as chickens."
"Why does it seem like they're treating us fairly well?"
"Could it be that the Khitan people also have a feud with the Esmann?"
"Excuse me, ma'am." Just then, Shu Yichao bounced over to Madam Mati, leaping onto the donkey cart and looking down at her from above.
"I forgot to ask, do you buy captives?"
"My captives are either strong men or nobles. You can definitely make a good profit from them."
At this moment, a nomadic cavalryman quickly approached Shu Yichao and whispered something in his ear.
"Two more dead?"
"What's going on!?"
Shu Yichao hurried over, and sure enough, two more had fallen.
Seeing this, he lamented to the sky, "This economic restriction system is too much."
"So I have to calculate the time to sell captives?"
"How am I supposed to capture captives to make money?"
Just as Shu Yichao deeply resented his economic limitations, out of curiosity, Madam Mati and her men also approached.
And then she froze too.
"Respected Khitan Batulu," she said cautiously, "Is there a possibility, I mean a possibility..."
"People need to eat."
After saying and gesturing twice, she finally made herself clear.
Shu Yichao understood.
He looked at the Esmann captives, who were almost starving to death, with great surprise. "You still need to eat?"
"Captives also consume food?"
"Why?"
"..."
Shu Yichao pondered for a moment. "Can't make money and slowing down my marching speed—should we just bury them all?"
Are all Khitan people this ruthless?
Madam Mati silently averted her gaze.
Then, her pupils suddenly contracted.
[Ding dong! Master, you've triggered a new side quest!]