Chapter 001: Trapped

“But we can’t underestimate their strength either. As far as I know, at least the Tatta tribe has joined forces with them. With the addition of the Mountain Giants, it can be said that their strength accounts for at least one-third of that of the entire dwarf tribe,” said Basha solemnly.
The dwarf race has a total population of just over 3.7 million. The Dodge tribe accounts for over 700,000, while the Tatta tribe has over 200,000. Together, these two tribes number nearly a million. Among the dwarf tribes, many with populations of only a few thousand to tens of thousands have virtually no military strength and cannot be considered part of their overall force.
“Based on the general ratio of one-sixth of the population being military personnel, the Dodge tribe likely has around 120,000 warriors, and the Tatta tribe around 30,000. Together, they probably have 150,000 warriors. Moreover, judging from the organization of their attack on the city lord, they must have planned this attack for a long time. This suggests their rebellion plans have also been in place for a very long period, and they likely have many backups,” said another officer.
Hearing the officer’s logical and well-structured analysis, Du Fan raised his head to take a look.
This dwarf actually had a square face, which is rare among the dwarf race. What was even rarer was that his face was completely smooth—without a beard.
“May I ask your name, General?” Du Fan asked with a smile.
“I’m Teyezhen,” replied the dwarf general, smiling gently as he noticed Du Fan asking him.
“Hmm, General Teyezhen. In your opinion, what should we do next?” Du Fan asked.
“What we need to do first is to take action ahead of the Dodge family to pacify the various dwarf tribes. First, find out which side they will take in this rebellion. Second, win over the people’s hearts so that even if war breaks out, it won’t cause excessive chaos, keeping the rebellion contained as much as possible. Third, ask the stronger dwarf tribes to strengthen their military preparations, so that in the event of a full-scale war, they can quickly mobilize their forces to suppress the rebellion,” Teyezhen analyzed systematically.

Not bad, not bad. This Zhe Zhen is truly talented; it seems like a real genius. As soon as I told him what had happened, he immediately came up with the necessary steps. When the Dwarf King hands over the five thousand men he promised, he must definitely recruit this Zhe Zhen too! Du Fan thought to himself.

“Second brother, I think we should leave the pacification work to the members of the Black Panther Knights. After all, their Black Panthers are a symbol that can at least prove their identity in any tribe. What do you think?” Du Fan turned to ask Bashah.

“That’s certainly good, but among the dwarves, the farthest tribes are about half a month’s journey from here. I’m worried it will take too long,” Bashah said.

“What do you mean by ‘too long’?” Du Fan asked.

“I think there’s no need to go and pacify those remote tribes. Not only are they in remote locations, but their population is also extremely small,” Bashah said. “Moreover, going back and forth would take about a month. By then, we might have already quelled the rebellion.”

“What if those tribes find out that you’ve informed most of them but not theirs? Think about what they might think,” Du Fan asked.

“Maybe we should inform them one by one,” Bashah said, realizing his mistake after Du Fan’s question.

“Also, inform the Black Panther Knights stationed in various places to return to base,” Bashah said after some thought.

About twelve hours after Bashah was attacked and the meeting ended, Bashah’s side finally reacted. Orders issued in Bashah’s name were sent out one after another.

In Glass City, Bashah couldn’t return for now, and they had no idea what was going on there. As Bashah’s orders were issued one after another, the internal strife among the dwarves officially began.

Not long after the meeting ended, a message came back.

This message confirmed the news of Karu’s rebellion. The information gathered showed that Karu, in the name of the leader of the Dodge tribe, announced to all the dwarves that Bashah had betrayed them!

Basha united the humans and elves, attempting to enslave the entire dwarf race. The best proof of this is that when Basha, along with Du Fan and Moses, entered the Divine Ruins, he abandoned his own people and followed the humans and elves. As a result, the Dodge tribe called on all dwarves to declare war on Basha, and this declaration was immediately supported by the Tatu tribe and the Bilu tribe. The Bilu tribe is also one of the most powerful tribes among the dwarves, with a population of 350,000. They have taken a stance against Basha. Moreover, reports say that Basha’s despicable actions have angered the friendly mountain giants among the dwarves, so those loyal mountain giants have sent ten of their kind to assist the Dodge tribe. Hearing this news, Basha became deeply worried. “Second brother, don’t worry. You should know that such orders are only issued by the upper echelons of the tribe. Not all the actual dwarves necessarily oppose you,” Du Fan said soothingly with a smile. “I’m worried about those ten mountain giants. You saw just how formidable that race is last night,” Basha replied. Ten mountain giants are indeed very difficult to deal with. Just one mountain giant last night forced a group of people to flee in all directions. Ten mountain giants are equivalent to dragon-level beings, meaning they are at least on par with late-stage saintly beings. “Even if they’re that strong, we can still defeat them, right?” Du Fan said with a laugh. The second piece of news was truly terrible! A member of the Black Panther Knight Order actually ran on foot to the base of the order to seek help! The one seeking help was from Moses’s side! On his way into the Black Panther Knight Order’s territory, Moses encountered an attack, and 2,000 elf archers were trapped on a mountain peak! The dwarf who came to deliver the news was actually Moses, who, relying on his powerful cultivation, forced his way through the besieging army to bring this man out to send the message! Along the way, the knight ran at full speed, not daring to stop at all. He ran frantically for four hours, eventually killing his own Black Panther mount.

Then, the dwarf knight spread his legs and started running again. After running frantically for an hour, he was finally discovered by members of the Black Panther Knight Order on patrol outside and taken back to their ranks.
“Lord City Master! We’re there, surrounded by 20,000 enemies! The situation is extremely urgent! It’s 800 miles west from here! Please come quickly to provide support!” As soon as the messenger dwarf knight saw Basha, he rushed out these words in one breath before tilting his head and passing out.
Seeing this, Du Fan quickly gave the messenger dwarf knight a small cup of Water of Life. Though usually very effective, it couldn’t wake him up immediately—only keeping him in a deep sleep!
It seemed that the frantic running along the way had exhausted too much of the dwarf’s potential!
“What’s his name?” Basha asked.
“I know him; his name is Marathon,” replied a dwarf.
“Find him a good room and let him rest properly,” said Basha.
Hearing the news that Moses and his 2,000 archers were trapped, both Du Fan and Basha became extremely anxious!
Especially Du Fan—Marathon had passed out too quickly and hadn’t had time to tell him about the casualties on their side. Those 2,000 elf archers were all precious to Du Fan! Losing even one would cause him great pain!
The reason Du Fan sent Moses ahead with those 2,000 elf archers was precisely to avoid them being hurt, as it would break his heart.
Yet, the more he worried about it, the sooner it happened! The 2,000 elf archers were trapped on a mountain top by an army of 20,000, and five more hours had passed since the dwarf knight brought the news!
“Second brother, lead the troops behind. Naixiu and I, the mages, will head ahead first!” Du Fan said suddenly after pacing back and forth in the hall.
“In that case, third brother, you go first. We’ll follow soon! But leave one mage behind so we can stay in touch at any time,” said Basha.
“I’ll leave two for you! Be careful along the way too. If there are ambushes, having two holy-grade mages to back you up will give me much peace of mind!” Du Fan said resolutely.
“Issue orders to gather 5,000 cavalry immediately, equip them lightly, and follow me into battle!” Basha ordered loudly.

At Bashah’s command, the entire Black Panther Knight Corps immediately assembled—five thousand cavalry, all ready within three minutes! And this was merely the reserve force of the Black Panther Knight Corps! Meanwhile, Du Fan took out the Holy Radiance Staff in one hand and grabbed Nai Xiu with the other, along with an elf mage, and soared into the air right away! Du Fan’s heart was already with Moses and the two thousand elf archers who were trapped. The wind magic power stored in the Holy Radiance Staff seeped out like water leaking through a dam, flowing into Du Fan’s hands. From there, the wind magic power poured over Du Fan, Nai Xiu, and the mage like an endless supply. This fierce wind magic power continuously provided the power for the three of them to fly. Driven by this intense wind magic, their speed kept increasing as they flew through the air! Like three meteors, they rushed swiftly toward the west. The distance to the besieged area in the west was eight hundred li. Flying as if carried by the wind, after an hour, they faintly saw a mountain peak crowded with soldiers and horses!