There can't be a Harvest Moon in the RimWorld.

I covered my face and walked out, thinking to myself, "What karma! I just helped Gray establish his persona down the mountain, and now someone else has directly imposed that persona on me, and I can't just call them out on it. Besides, even if I did say something, I feel like people would think I'm just being stubborn, which would only add to the weird cuteness."

The jay hopped onto a rock, sat on it, and swung its little legs, saying, "Sister Red Sparrow is a renowned beauty, and her medical skills are equally superb. Countless tribal chiefs have wanted to marry her, but in the end, they haven't even been able to speak to her!"

My head started spinning even faster. What if the whole tribe is full of her fans? I'd have to sleep with my eyes closed from now on. Ellie is enough for a nurse character!

"Marcus, where are you going?" Seeing me turn and walk away without saying a word, Jay quickly ran over: "Are you angry? Are you angry?"

I scratched my head and tried to sound calm as I said, "No, that's not true. I just plan to go to the Suiyuan battlefield to find Shuhuan."

…………

"Everyone in the camp, come out!"

The next day, our ten warriors, who had come down the mountain, lined up in a row and stood on the main road leading up the mountain for the tribal alliance, shouting loudly and showing the style of Yi De in his prime.

The ground in front of them was already covered with a mass of people and horses, with people on top of horses and horses on top of people, silently covering the land and forming a buffer zone to block the cavalry.

These were all sentries that the tribe had placed near the Corillo Mountain Pass. I had uprooted them beforehand, shot them into pincushions with a short bow, and left them here.

The craftsmen had forged short bows by hand, and now each man had one, their quivers overflowing with arrows. They were now armed with short bows, daggers at their waists, wooden spears on their backs, wooden war masks on their faces, and wide tribal robes. The twelve men were armed to the teeth for this surprise attack.

"Outsider, your equipment may be well-made, but it can't cover up your lack of tactics."

Even though Ulisses had just recently watched in disbelief as I crafted weapons and armor by hand, and was now wearing the equipment I provided, he still relentlessly criticized my actions, insisting that he still held the upper hand.

His men, who had brought him, also shouted in unison, "That's right," "That's exactly right," "That's right," before whispering to me, "But you're a good craftsman, don't be angry with us..."

These people are aware of the stakes involved. They know that offending Ulises might only result in minor trouble, but offending a miraculous craftsman like me could lead to being assigned wondrous items such as bows that can be disassembled with a single effort, spears that split into three parts when swung, clubs that are as flexible as boneless, and armor that dissolves upon contact with water.

I waved my hand dismissively and said, "It's alright. Just keep going like that later. Don't let them recognize who's who, understand? Listen to me, and I'm absolutely confident I can bring you all back."

Ulises dismissed what I said. From the moment we quietly descended the mountain, our differences inevitably widened.

His plan was to secretly deal with the enemy's outposts, setting various traps and cutting off their retreat routes, just like he did when hunting wild animals. He would burn their food and supplies, creating a terrifying dead end to wear down their morale.

But the moment I encountered the enemy, I charged forward yelling, “I’m a fourth-year student, Corporal Morishita! Is this the attitude you should have?!” Then I lured out their scouts and pursuers and shot them into a pincushion.

I have no interest in Ulises' slow and sluggish approach; what I want is a Showa-era tactic that crushes the opponent like lightning!

"What are you drawing on your protective gear? Mysterious runes?" Ulisses couldn't help but ask, pointing to the six red circles on the wooden armor and mask.

Through my research, I have successfully replicated the tribal wooden armor with the help of the colonist system, and mass-produced it using crafting points. Now they are wearing the tribal wooden armor that I specially crafted.

"This is a six-pointed coin, once the crest of warriors, possessing mysterious power from the East. Back then, the Sanada Ten Braves charged into the enemy ranks wearing armor bearing this mark, nearly slaying the enemy general and rewriting history!"

"Wow! Amazing!" Ulises's men exclaimed, reaching out to touch the patterns, then asking curiously, "And then? Did they succeed?!"

I thought for a moment, "No, they're all dead."

"...Then those words you were shouting just now must have been a prayer for victory, right?" the subordinate asked, still not believing it, probably thinking that no one could possibly curse him to die.

I thought about it again and said, "Hmm... if you want to operate warships, don't be so naive, understand?"

Chapter 511 No matter how loud you shout, you can't hear it!

As the art of war says, the best strategy is to win hearts and minds.

At first, the tribal camp didn't pay much attention to our actions. After scouting out our pitifully small numbers, they would send out a small group of men from the besieging camp every now and then to drive us away. But I accurately picked off these men with my bow and arrows, using them like kites.

For these non-heavy armored targets, arrows don't even need to be very precise in finding vital points to inflict sufficient damage.

From an initial small team of a dozen or so men, the force grew to thirty or forty, their equipment evolving from rudimentary clubs to complete sets of wooden armor and longbows. The enemy sent out more and more men, but this only resulted in a more pronounced rout, leaving corpses scattered across the open ground outside the camp, a truly gruesome sight.

"Marcus, is this your plan?"

Ulisses asked me, frowning.

Along the way, he gradually came to believe my boast that I could "handle it all by myself," and the facts proved that the people he brought only served to cheer him on from the sidelines. However, he still didn't understand the meaning of what I was doing.

I put down my bow, looked at the row of "Multi-Shot" command records on the colonist system, and nodded in satisfaction. "Hmm, any problems?"

Ulises said, "If you're going to do that, you should follow my plan and inflict damage on the enemy from multiple angles. Killing these minions won't break their offensive!"

I fired an arrow into the distance with a blank expression, and instantly another person was wounded.

"Don't rush..." Amid the shouts, I saw more people emerging from the opposite camp than ever before, so I pointed vaguely into the distance and said, "Let the bullets fly a little longer."

Ulisses frowned and looked around for a moment, then said with his last bit of patience, "This is the last chance. You can't expect them to never figure out our intentions."

I understand that too. But when our opportunities are exhausted, that's when the enemy will show their weaknesses. I never gamble on my teammates' invincibility; the real winning formula lies within the enemy's ranks…

"You sinners of the Brownpool tribe, you will pay the price for your actions today!"

Among the swarming tribal warriors, a group of familiar faces emerged first.

Standing in the center was Chief Bertholdt of the Great River Tribe. This imposing old man, holding the position of leader, remained dignified and solemn, clad in iron armor and wielding a large axe, standing silently at the forefront. From our not-so-distant distance, we could see that his face was shrouded in a heavy cloud of gloom, his mood clearly sour.

To the left appeared Sakam of the Scorpion Yakan tribe. He stood to the side dressed in black, surrounded by menacing guards. His face was pale and gloomy, and he remained silent.

The force that appeared on the other side was not the Balg clan alliance tribe, nor the Sokeno chieftain alliance, or the Fallen Leaf tribe, but the Grays, who were flying the Christmas tree flag!

The original cedar clan was weak and isolated, and after being driven out for many years, even a powerful dragon could not suppress a local snake. They were almost tricked into becoming cannon fodder.

But now, Gray, as chieftain, stood at the front of the procession, beaming with pride. Senbo, fully armed and leaning on a spiked club, stood by his side, while the Freeman Chief Loka, a good neighbor of the Cedar Clan, led his men, carrying flags and swaggering behind them.

Besides these, ten elite warriors from the tribe were leading a large force across the territory of the Thirteen Covenants, and even the starving people following behind them had a slightly rosy complexion.

Without a doubt, Gray not only escaped punishment after his defeat, but thrived, attracting a large number of lower and middle-level troops and becoming a formidable force.

I said mysteriously, "I came here for no other reason than I heard that tribes have many warriors, but I didn't expect that there isn't a single one who can fight in Foshan!"

Gray shouted, "The Thirteen Covenant Tribes are the overlords here, and the warriors you speak of must number in the countless. You're courting death!"

After saying that, he looked at Sakam of the Scorpion Yakan tribe beside him and said with a smile, "Chief Sakam, your tribe has a long-standing reputation. Surely someone here can deal with the enemies of the Brown Pool tribe?"

Sakam gritted his teeth and said, "Why bother with this madman? Let the warriors fire their arrows in unison and go all out! There are only a dozen or so of them, why should we waste our breath on them?!"

No sooner had Sakam finished speaking than the chieftain of the Loka Free People, who was standing in front of Gray, suddenly stepped forward, pointed at him, and shouted, "How dare you say such a thing?! It seems you're planning to use the lives of the tribe's warriors as stepping stones! Look at the great White Falcon Chieftain, he's slipped up again!"

Upon hearing this, Sakam's expression turned as if he had just eaten Lao Ba's secret recipe bun; he choked on his words, making a hoarse sound but unable to speak.

Chief Bertholdt, seeing his ally caught off guard, quickly spoke up to defend him: "You misunderstand, Chief White Falcon of the Cedar Clan! Sakam means that we have sacrificed enough sentinel lives; it is time to stop their atrocities!"

But after he finished speaking, the chief of the Loka Free People, carrying his flag, took another step forward. Looking up, he saw Chief Bertholdt, tall and imposing, looking down at him. He took a slight step back, but still forced a smile and said, "Don't believe it, everyone! It was you who suggested going up the mountain to besiege us that day, and those spies who plotted against us were also involved with him! Chief Bertholdt, are the lives of your sentries precious, but our lives aren't?! Are the lives of your large tribes precious, but our lives aren't?!"

After saying that, he carried the Christmas tree flag, waved it, and shouted, "The lives of small tribes matter too!"

Upon hearing this, the members of the smaller tribes who had appeared behind the camp, following the Cedar Clan, also shouted, "That's right! The lives of small tribes matter too!"

The shouts were deafening, almost shaking the towering mountains in front of them. The anger and resentment in the camp were like gunpowder, ready to blow everyone to pieces at any moment.

I'm starting to wonder if the plan will be fully implemented before they scatter in the infighting.

Sakam was not a good-tempered man, and the Scorpion Yakan tribe was not a reasonable tribe either, so he completely disregarded the boiling public opinion in front of him and roared, "Enough! White Falcon of the Cedar Clan! You still haven't given us an explanation for attacking the tribe's grain requisition team and robbing the Fallen Leaf Great Tribe's grain!"

Gray remained unfazed by the accusations and, most likely, delivered a righteous speech from the bottom of his heart: "Chief Sakam, this is the one I want to question you about! In the grain requisition team, I found two batches of supplies. One batch of grain was mixed with chaff and wild vegetables, and the few fine grains that were available were moldy and spoiled. The other batch contained meat, vegetables, and more than a dozen roasted lambs that were glistening with oil!"

After saying that, he turned to those behind him and asked symbolically, "Leader of the Loka Free People, have you tasted such delicacies in a long time?"

These words further fueled the already simmering resentment among the warriors of the smaller tribes. A hot-blooded young man from another tribe jumped out and shouted, "Chief of the Scorpion Yakan tribe, you only emphasize that the Fallen Leaf tribe's possessions were stolen. Do you know that the grain they hid has been enough to feed our tribe, which was on the verge of starvation, for three days! You said you were coming here to reclaim the sacred mountain, and we came; you said you would charge, and we went; now you say there's not enough food, but we're the only ones starving! After you die, you will be abandoned by your ancestors and become wild beasts in the wilderness!"

Well said! This young man has good speaking skills. We can observe and train him, and encourage him to start a newspaper or create some self-media content!

Those around him were on the verge of rioting, but Gray kept his distance from them, leading ten warriors from the Cedar Clan forward. In contrast to the roars of the others, he calmly spoke to them.

"Chief Bertholdt, Chief Sakam, and all the leaders of the Thirteen Covenant tribes, I, White Falcon, have no intention of provoking any conflict. The root of all this lies in the conspiracy we encountered during that attack. Senbo's hand injury was inflicted by his own people, and those who died on the mountain that day also had wounds on their backs. Even one of the best warriors in the Cedar Clan perished on the way to the charge."

That's right. At this point, you need to stay calm and composed. Don't listen to anyone who suggests attacking Rome, Fang La, or Nanchang. You need to have opinions, but you can't be swayed by them. Only in this way can you ensure the correctness of your decision.

He drew his long sword from his waist and pointed it at us in the distance: "These enemies have come today, and I just want to see your attitude! Are you willing to pay any price to reclaim the Holy Mountain, or do you only dare to use your compatriots as cannon fodder and resort to trickery!"

I chuckled inwardly, but remained outwardly calm, taking a small step forward to indicate my willingness to accept any challenge.

I now know very well that Gray has begun the massive purge as I planned.

The pretext for this cleansing was the recapture of the holy mountain!

The recapture of the Holy Mountain was not only a slogan used by the thirteen allied tribes, but also the only spiritual pillar that Gray and his fellow lower-class people recognized during their difficult times.

No matter how Chief Berthold and his ilk operate in secret, if they want to seize power, they must make good use of this slogan, just like Cao Cao's emperor.

My plan is to use their treachery as leverage to portray the disastrous mountaineering battle as a glorious defeat, thus stimulating the already overburdened small and medium-sized tribes.

Recapture the sacred mountain – sabotage by traitors – discovery of an internal mole – internal purge.

This forms a logical and legitimate chain, establishing the legitimacy for what Gray is about to do.

Gray, are you going to be the hero who reveals the truth?

Sure, you can boldly lead your men to attack these tribes with guilty consciences, and in the name of seeking justice, go in to search, interrogate, and ransack!

Do you want to become a kind person who saves starving people?

Yes, you can lead your men into all the large tribes' grain requisition teams and grain storage points to open the granaries, distribute grain, and provide relief to the disaster victims.

Are you worried that you won't be able to find clues and convince the public?

It's alright. Just one success out of a hundred will make up for the previous ninety-nine failures. The tribal warriors, having defeated their enemies, discovered their conflicts, and had their fill of food, will only support and love you even more!

The people in the small tribes are not stupid; I learned this during my visits. They just dare not speak out against their anger.

Gray's arrival was just the right moment to disrupt the balance of power between the thirteen covenant tribes and the smaller tribes, amplifying these faint voices hundreds or thousands of times until they reached the heavens.

Another interesting thing is Gray's stance.

Gray has now become a de facto opinion leader in the Horde's siege of the camp.

Regardless of how the Giant River Tribe and other forces behave, their actions will be perceived as having ulterior motives, unless they can directly eliminate Gray's forces or completely abandon their own interests and wholeheartedly serve the people.

The dilemma these tribes face is that they can't win a fight and can't afford to lose.

In contrast, Gray's image is exceptionally tall and imposing.

He was selfless, upright, brave, and generous. He not only represented the broadest interests of small and medium-sized tribes, but also occupied the moral high ground. What could be more heroic than leading only a dozen people from afar to fight on the mountain, only to be stabbed in the back by one's own people?

What kind of spirit is this? This is the spirit of internationalism!

but……

This guy is really a mole!

He was selfless because his stance was fundamentally aligned with the Brown Pond tribe, even though the Cedar Clan harbored intentions of revenge. I'm not even human, so why would anyone assume I have humanity? Or selfish motives?

He was upright because he had no vested interests with either large or small tribes; he dealt with matters purely on their own merits. He approached the challenges before him in the same way that Iskandar the Great had resolved the Gordian Knot.

He was brave because his inward-slashing technique offered no resistance; any resistance from the opponent only fueled his inner fire of justice. The famous saying of a white-bearded old man in a red hat includes the phrases "I want it all" and "No one will come to save you no matter how much you scream," which perfectly aligns with the corporate culture of Christmas Tree Flag.