You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

The tribes of the northern deserts were no longer as arrogant as they had been at the beginning; they had to keep a low profile and were feeling uneasy.

To put it bluntly: they have actually already killed enough people to meet the necessary number.

There is barely enough food.

Some khans were blunt: "Conscription and grain requisition have left many families starving this year, coupled with the ongoing livestock plague... people have been dying of hunger and cold during your battles..."

"Fortunately, we have enough left for food, clothing and other necessities, but that's on the condition that we don't cause any more trouble. If we continue to requisition military supplies, it will be a bottomless pit."

"I'm sorry I can't accompany you any longer. We plan to retreat deeper into the grasslands. See you next year."

The Khan, who was not to be spared, left on the spot.

They merely bowed respectfully to Great Khan Erbala, signifying their submission, but each tribe had its own interests and could not continue taking risks; they had no choice but to cut their losses quickly.

"Don't you want revenge? Are you just going to let the losses go unpunished?"

“Your Majesty, sunk costs are not a factor in decision-making. I have made my decision; we cannot take any more risks.”

"I suggest you also avoid confrontation and refrain from direct conflict with Feng Tianyin."

Several Khans left.

They also took a considerable number of men with them, leaving the area around the main tent feeling deserted.

Although he was very angry and filled with rage at the Daqian army's slaughter, he had lived on the grasslands for a long time and knew how to weigh the pros and cons. He would not act rashly and knew when to advance and when to retreat.

The Great Qian is someone that the tribes of the northern deserts cannot afford to provoke right now.

Even if the economic structures of both sides dictate that war is inevitable in the future, it shouldn't be now; at least, we can't plunge headlong into a doomed situation.

That's it.

The people of the grasslands are not the type to be stubborn; those who don't know how to adapt are long gone, and it's not up to the Great Qian to deal with them. Having made up their minds, the Khans immediately took their leave and departed without stopping.

Xia He, who was outside, saw several well-dressed burly men leaving through the prisoners.

"They've already run away?"

She hadn't expected this group to be so decisive. Perhaps it was because they frequently faced the life-and-death separations following natural disasters that they were so resolute. Led by them, the guards followed suit, and the entire tribe quickly evacuated.

It didn't take long at all; they packed up their tents and left without a second thought.

Xia He watched the Khans leave, estimating that they must have taken tens of thousands of people with them, and that they were a force capable of fighting.

While the weather is still alright, let's head out first.

Because of its high altitude, Mount Kurong is constantly covered in snow, while Linchun has a relatively mild temperature, with only some overcast skies, howling winds, and withered grass lying low.

Unfortunately, she couldn't see the rest, and didn't know what was happening inside the tent.

Pfft!

Great Khan Erbala sat heavily in his chair and murmured:

"...weak fellows. If we had united and held Linchun, we could have made the enemy retreat out of fear of losses. We might have been able to seize a sliver of hope. But now it's impossible."

“No, Your Excellency, Feng Tianyin will not compromise,” Gegentana said firmly. “This is a war of faith.”

"So she's determined to destroy the Holy Land?"

“That’s right, no priest would dare disobey the commands of a deity who can truly manifest miracles.”

Thinking of the immense power that shattered all the statues of the Eternal Heaven God, they frowned deeply, and to this day, no one has dared to recreate the eagle-bodied statue.

Even if it's reshaped, it probably won't have any psionic power.

Therefore, when Erbala was considering the battle with the Daqian army, he had to take into account the attitude of the Heavenly Dao, but how could he possibly guess what it was thinking? It was impossible to even begin to explain, given the vast difference in information between the two sides.

The will of Heaven has always been a difficult question to fathom.

Apart from the High Priest Feng Tianyin, no one has ever truly communicated with him.

"So you mean if this battle of faith doesn't go well, the Heavenly Dao might intervene?"

"Hard to say."

Gedentana gave an ambiguous answer. But in reality, many people present shrank back and trembled. It was too terrifying. They were still terrified when they recalled the oppressive aura they had felt before. They probably would be forced to participate, or at least that's what they thought.

After a moment's hesitation, Erbala replied:

"We need to prepare for evacuation; there's no need for a direct confrontation. The enemy might achieve some gains, but they ultimately cannot hold their ground."

Finally, he looked at the high shaman, who nodded in agreement.

The two top leaders have already made their decisions, so the rest is easy. We must act immediately and not delay.

............

"Suddenly in a rush?"

From the perspective of a prisoner, Xia He saw that the barbarians were very busy, hurriedly packing their luggage, afraid that they would be too slow.

It was almost like fleeing a disaster, and they were determined not to linger.

Weird.

So she kept switching between the perspectives of different prisoners, and only then did she hear news from the barbarians one after another: "The Great Qian Army controlled by the Heavenly Dao will attack sooner or later," "The other Khans have all run away, why shouldn't I run away?" "Don't stay here and die." They were clearly disheartened.

In fact, most people are still unwilling to leave:

“Our family has lived here for five generations, and we’ve been farming for a living. How can we leave so easily?”

“In the past, before the time of Feng Tianyin, there were many famines in Xiayi. When famine struck, people would leave their homes. Accept it, this is the majority of history.”

"At least we should avoid Linchun for now; this place is about to become a battlefield."

That's true.

Xia He's strategic goal was to disrupt the religious development of the northern barbarians, or more precisely, to destroy their holy sites.

The temple in the center of the city must be destroyed.

As for other objectives, those are secondary. The barbarians have been badly defeated in this battle and will likely take three to five years to recover. Moreover, the Great Qian Dynasty, with a population of only 90, is not suited to prolong a war; a swift victory is necessary.

In the chaos, she saw the prisoners find an opportunity to untie their ropes and escape.

Some barbarians saw it, but they couldn't care less.

What was supposed to be a well-organized evacuation inexplicably devolved into pushing, shoving, frantic activity, and even chaotic trampling.

Chaos.

Everywhere you look, there are weeping voices, the regrets of families of the fallen, and the angry shouts of soldiers…

Although they frequently engage in large-scale migrations, they emphasize that each family should take care of its own affairs.

"I'm leaving now. It has nothing to do with me. Don't call me if there's going to be a war."

"Where there's life, there's hope."

Barbarians are nomadic hunters who know when to quit while they're ahead. They are also skilled at large-scale migrations, so they can run away without any burden and won't get entangled with you. The sooner you run away, the safer you are.

The vast majority of those fleeing were other subjugated tribes, and they did so cleanly and decisively, while the barbarians under Erbala's command hesitated.

Are you leaving already?

Everyone else just grabbed some jerky and ran, but they also took a huge amount of grain with them.

Xia He glanced at it again and thought it resembled refugees fleeing from the mainland.

"...Linchun's economic structure has actually shifted to agriculture. Before cold-resistant crops like potatoes were introduced, this was indeed the only reliable agricultural area in the northern desert region, so it wasn't easy to run away."

She saw many barbarians reluctant to leave their land, even wanting to inspect it one last time before leaving, their faces full of sorrow.

Humans will be domesticated by agriculture.

In fact, this area is meticulously cultivated, no different from the Cifu Basin.

Fortunately, they hesitated, but the seasoned shaman did not. Gegentana began to mobilize people to organize the evacuation, open the granaries and distribute all the supplies as much as possible, and then evacuate in turn.

A scantily clad young woman, with one hand on her hip, pointed at the crowd and loudly proclaimed:

"Forget about your broken bottles and jars. It's pointless to wait for the Great Qian to attack. Let's save our lives first."

Her authority finally brought the situation under control.

This charlatan was actually quite capable; at least in Xia He's eyes, he could barely muster the manpower, which also suited her interests.

The Great Qian Dynasty would certainly face an even greater challenge in dealing with the barbarian tribes who were united in their resolve to protect their cities.

Yeah.

Xia He, who was pleased with the outcome, coldly observed everything. Serves them right. Although the northern barbarians had not yet invaded the interior to plunder, this action was bound to come at a price, and the current chaos was entirely their own fault.

Unfortunately, the prisoner who provided her first-person perspective had gone far away, and she could see less and less of what was happening.

So Xia He temporarily withdrew her gaze to rest.

But soon, Linchun received new bad news that dampened its spirits.

"Report--"

"Frontline reconnaissance has confirmed that the Daqian army is rapidly approaching us, and it is estimated that we only have half a day's journey left."

The sudden battle report silenced the barbarian high command, who began to discuss it amongst themselves, each preparing to leave behind more supplies, or even more radically abandon resources and flee.

They were truly panicked this time, trembling with fear.

They thought they had enough time to clean up, but the Daqian army galloped at full speed as if their lives depended on it.

As nomadic people, they had a very accurate understanding of the road conditions from Linchun to Kurong Mountain, and they knew the route intimately. It was impossible for them to travel this fast unless they were on an extremely aggressive march. That's not surprising; it's typical of Feng Tianyin's style.

Once the high priest makes up his mind, it's an attack as fierce as thunder and lightning.

coming.

The chosen representative of Heaven is about to arrive. Even before the person arrives, the weight behind that reputation is terrifying, and people are unwilling to be its enemy.

Especially Gedentana's face was gloomy.

She was a complete imposter in front of that being; after all, the so-called representative of the Eternal Heaven was more of an evil god, and only a vague wisp of his will. How could he possess the boundless power of the Heavenly Dao? They were not on the same level. She was merely a shaman and fraudster of primitive faith, perhaps even more so than the latter.

"The Daqian army is not something you need to worry about. Just proceed as planned, and I will go and intercept them."

Erbala's words silenced everyone. They welcomed him, of course, but he was also the backbone of the northern tribes and could not be allowed to fall. If the grasslands fell into chaos, infighting would result in heavy casualties.

However, his mind was made up, and he was ready to go into battle.