Chapter Ten: Deceitful Plans
Gulop had read the letter sent by the other party at least ten times carefully, knowing every word by heart. Everything seemed ready—five thousand warriors from the Kat tribe were already prepared to fight. Their long-suppressed desire for battle could erupt with just a glance; they were waiting for his orders.
As the leader of the Kat tribe, Gulop knew his reputation wasn’t very good in the eyes of others—whether it was the Karo tribe, the Siva tribe, the Karunkabo tribe, or the Sanya tribe. They all believed he held his position solely because of his family connections. His indecisive nature certainly didn’t resemble that of a mountain dweller, but that didn’t stop him from controlling the Kat tribe, which ranked fourth among the mountain dweller alliances.
The contents of the letter were as concise and clear as the man had been during their secret talks—just a few sentences, asking him to act according to the plan once the Caucasus army achieved its first victory. It seemed everything was already under his control.
Gulop wasn’t worried about the outcome of this war. He knew that as long as he followed the plan, everything would go perfectly as planned. What worried him was what the victory would bring to all the mountain dwellers, and what the Kat tribe would gain or lose. What would happen to the Kat tribe if they didn’t follow the plan set by the other party?
Such complex reasoning was difficult for Gulop. He couldn’t make up his mind. The Karo and Siva tribes were doomed—that man had already planned everything since leaving the Southern Central Seas region. No one could escape his grasp, not even him.
He had tried to resist, to fight back, to break free, but in the end, he sadly realized he couldn’t compete with that devil-like man. Unless he ignored the survival and interests of his tribe and recklessly threw himself into battle, he couldn’t do it. He wasn’t crazy—he would never sacrifice his tribe’s interests for momentary impulse.
When that man sat in front of him and revealed his plans bit by bit, Gulop even wondered if he was insane—how could he dare to reveal such confidential information so boldly? It wasn’t until later that Gulop understood: the man wasn’t crazy. He had already accounted for him and the Kat tribe, knowing they couldn’t and wouldn’t resist.
From the Karonkabo and Sanya tribes to the Caucasian armies, from his own Khat tribe to the Dark Mage Corps of the Iberian Kingdom that now held considerable power, even the dwarves of Smyrna—this entire plan was like a tightly woven fishing net. He wasn’t afraid that anyone might break one of its links, as he had safeguards hidden in every link.
The target of this net was the Karo and Sanya tribes. Yet Gulop knew that even if he revealed their entire plan to the parties involved, no one would believe him; no one would trust the honesty of someone who had a stake in it and could benefit from it.
In the end, Gulop realized that his attempts to change anything were futile and meaningless—they would only bring harm to himself and his Khat tribe, to some extent or another.
With the cooperation of the Knights of Lan and the Knights of Black Flame, along with the support of the Grand Mage Corps of Nicosia, they launched a fierce and unprecedented assault on the still-unstable coalition of the Karo and Sanya tribes. This attack completely shattered the barbarians’ notion that human armies could only engage in orderly positional and field battles. The combined attack by the grand mage corps left the barbarians’ vanguard utterly confused and disoriented. Although many of them had experience resisting magical attacks, the subsequent cavalry charges completely ruined their chances of organizing an effective counterattack.
The Rock Legion, following behind the knights, played the role of villains who took advantage of the situation. They pursued the fleeing barbarian soldiers like wolves and tigers. If Dragumo hadn’t quickly restrained these frenzied half-orc soldiers, they might have suffered a devastating counterattack from the barbarians’ main forces, who had already set up ambushes upon hearing the news.
From a tactical standpoint, this battle may not have achieved great results—the barbarian vanguard of three thousand was defeated, over a thousand barbarian soldiers died, hundreds were captured, and the rest scattered. Compared to the barbarians’ main force of over forty thousand, this was a negligible number. Yet it convinced Gulop to decide to join Komer’s side. Of course, the Dark Mage Corps of Iberia’s demonstration of power was also a factor.
The sudden attacks by the Carter Tribe and the Iberian Dark Mages on the rear of the Karo and Sanwa tribes plunged the entire South Cordillera Wasteland into utter chaos. It is easy to imagine the devastating impact of this news on the morale of the combined forces of the Karo and Sanwa tribes, especially among the soldiers from smaller tribes who followed these larger groups—whose morale crumbled completely, leaving them devoid of any desire to fight and even prone to joining the rebels at any moment.
Chaos and despair enveloped the Karo and Sanwa tribes. Apart from arguing and fighting among themselves, their leaders could not even devise a proper solution to their predicament. Uguoli, the leader of the Karo tribe, was equally powerless. With their tribal interests suffering heavy losses, the prestige he had painstakingly built over decades in the Cordillera Wasteland collapsed like a mud wall hit by water.
The armies of Karong, Kabo, and the Sanya tribe had launched a counterattack—clearly having received the news. Meanwhile, the mortal armies inside the Gdansk Fortress watched eagerly, ready to pounce and join in the feast of tearing apart this prey.
Fragmented, divided, with hidden agendas—these words best describe the mindset of the leaders of this barbarian coalition. Unable to advance, retreat, fight, or make peace, even their own leaders did not know what to do. Only endless darkness lay before them.