Chapter 225: Mandate of Heaven

Wars happened in winter. In agrarian cultures, winter was when the most people could be called to assemble an army.

Despite the season being immediately after the end of the bountiful autumn, farmers were never wealthy. Whether freemen or serfs, after paying heavy taxes to the nobles, they barely had anything left for themselves. Poor farmers even joined wars for money to get through the harsh winter.

In a forest not far from the Arten outpost was an imperial camp. Though this army was not formed with elite men, they still had over eight thousand imperial troops who were preparing for a siege.

"They have trampled and destroyed our lands! How long will we tolerate the barbarian's tyranny? Who are we? We are the guardians of civilization and His Imperial Majesty’s sword and shield!"

"Ooh! Ooh!"

Commander Vagna gave a speech. He belonged to the pro-imperial faction and was assigned to blockade the Arten outpost.

‘The barbarians are not familiar with sieges.’

The attack that was about to be carried out was solely Vagna’s decision. The emperor’s orders were to simply form a blockade, but Vagna pressed for an assault.

‘Blockading the outpost is pointless since the barbarians keep receiving their supplies from the west. If we don't attack, this is all meaningless. His Majesty would have ordered an attack if he were on the field. He just doesn't see the situation from the palace.’

Vagna had conscripted siege materials and troops from the nearby vassal states. No vassal state could refuse an imperial general's request, but that did not mean that they submitted easily.

"Hmph, look at these outdated siege weapons, how pathetic!"

Vagna grimaced at the assembled catapult. It was practically a relic that had been used decades ago. The forces provided by the vassals were also either sick slaves or criminals.

‘Once we take care of the northern and western barbarians, you're next, you damn kingdom scums!’

The long peaceful times and recent conduct of the empire had weakened its control over the vassals.

"General, are we really going to attack?" A concerned adjutant asked.

"Are you questioning my decision?" Vagna retorted.

"It won’t be too late if we wait for His Majesty’s permission. If, by any chance, things go wrong..."

"Are you worrying about losing before we've even started? Do you still call yourself an imperial knight? I have His Majesty’s favor. Dismiss your unreasonable concern!" Vagna shouted, and the adjutant fell silent.

‘If I succeed in wiping out the barbarians, which even Carnius failed to do, I'll be the next face of our military! I, this Vagna, will become the knight of knights.’

Vagna's eyes were already looking at a shiny future.

‘They might have bested us in battles, but we are much superior to the barbarians when it comes to sieges.’

Strong walls were a privilege of civilization and a product of a concentrated labor force in agrarian societies. Civilized armies were specialists at both holding and taking ground.

‘You might have broken through a few walls, but you have no experience defending against a siege.’

Vagna gazed at the Arten outpost. It was a fort composed of a mix of wood and stone. Though the barbarians had worked on fortifying it, it was feeble compared to the walls of civilization.

Vagna's assessment was also somewhat accurate. With an imperial siege attack imminent, many opinions were clashing within the alliance.

The tribal council of the alliance often had at least ten and up to over thirty participants. Chiefs from various tribes, big and small, voiced their opinions.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Let's open the gates and charge at them! Are we just going to sit here and get attacked?"

"Abandon a favorable defense to attack? Opening our gates is exactly what they want us to do!"

"That's only if we're used to defending. What about when their boulders start raining down on us? Are we just going to sit behind our gates and take it?"

The Arten outpost had no defensive weaponry. And its walls were too crude to withstand a proper siege.

Samikan, who was watching the chiefs argue, rubbed his chest and shouted, "Noah! How many warriors do we have?"

"About five thousand. If we order a conscription, we should be able to muster about ten thousand in total in a fortnight."

The alliance had been traveling back and forth through Yailrud to the west. The warriors rested in shifts while stationed at the Arten outpost. The various tribes around the Sky Mountains were urbanizing, with people from different tribes mixing with others.

"Dear brothers, there is no need for us to be alarmed. This is actually a great opportunity for us," Samikan spoke. Some chiefs nodded, understanding his meaning.

"The Great Chief is right. We are hungry. At some point, we were going to have to break through the imperial blockade to go plunder."

The west’s ability to produce couldn't sustain the alliance's supply demand. The westerners had to fight among themselves in the past because they didn't have enough food and resources. What their land gave them wasn’t enough to sustain their growing population.

Contrary to the empire's belief, the west was fully going to self-destruct if it had just maintained their blockade. The empire was unaware of the west's barrenness. Had they known, they would have focused on building forts near the alliance to isolate them.

The lack of scouting for information about the west was the empire's fatal weakness.

They feared the west because they didn't know what was there. Fear of the unknown elevated the plunderers from the west to a terrifying being.

‘We would have had to attack them eventually anyway. We should be thanking them for attacking us first.’

Samikan smirked until he grimaced from chest pain. He took out and swallowed a pill.

‘The Great Chief’s illness is bad.’

The chiefs glanced at Samikan.

No one was unaware of Samikan's illness. The lung disease he had contracted from the injury in the other battle was not going away easily.

"Issue a call-up to all tribes and tell the warriors to prepare for battle. When the siege starts, that’s when we will strike them."

Samikan declared his decision, and the chiefs cheered.

"War!"

"Prepare to fight!"

As soon as the meeting was adjourned, the chiefs came out shouting. The eyes of the hungry and weary warriors gleamed.

"Fiiiiiight!"

They roared, sharpening their weapons. These warriors were men who had already tasted the sweetness of plundering civilization. They learned that they could get anything they wanted by plundering the civilized cities and that doing the same to each other in the west was fruitless.

‘We can't go back to the west without gaining anything.’

The warriors of the alliance realized how futile it was to fight among themselves.

"We will be taking this fertile land."

Even if they returned to the west, they would just end up shedding blood in tribal conflicts. If blood had to be shed, it was better shed in the civilized world than back home.

"Great Chief Samikan will lead us."

The Great Chief Samikan was the one who led the warriors. The great warrior who ended the civil wars in the west and extended their power outward.

"No, Urich is still the greatest warrior."

"That Urich abandoned us and ran away."

"Bullshit! The Son of the Earth does not run! He will return with a new ally."

There was an argument among the warriors. It had been half a year since Urich had left the alliance. Many warriors were disappointed in him. There were rumors that he had abandoned his brothers and fled.

However, the warriors of Valdima who had fought alongside Urich in the flames still waited for him.

"Urich will not abandon us. He is not the kind of man who would ignore his brothers."

It was easy to recognize the warriors of Valdima. The warriors with the burn scars from Valdima were obvious with a single glance. They took pride in their terrible burns. There were more than a thousand Valdima warriors, so they were not a minority within the alliance. And there were plenty of other warriors who followed Urich besides them.

However, even that influence of Urich gradually declined during his absence. There were many who resented Urich for not returning even as a battle approached.

Ahead of the battle, Samikan called for Six-Fingered. It was a long tradition to conduct rituals and divinations before a major event.

"Cast for our victory, Six-Fingered."

Samikan gestured with his chin while sitting in his chair. Six-Fingered, wearing a hat made from bird feathers, stretched his six-fingered hands forward and chuckled. His staff, made of palm tree wood, was adorned with a bear's paw.

"The will of the heavens is known only on the day, Great Chief," Six-Fingered said, grinning with his buck teeth.

"You are not a seer of the heavens. You are simply a spokesperson for my will."

Until now, Six-Fingered had manipulated divinations according to Samikan's will. Those who did not comply with Samikan's will were beheaded.

"I can no longer falsify divinations. Many other shamans are watching us."

"Do you think your head will stay on your shoulders if you give wrong predictions?"

"Do you think you can still have the heavens on your back after you cut off my head? Oh, almighty Great Chief."

Six-Fingered's sarcasm made Samikan stand up abruptly. He drew his sword and pointed it at Six-Fingered's neck.

"Is a mere shaman like you challenging my authority?"

"Me? How could I ever? I am just trying my best to convince you."

Six-Fingered subtly pushed the blade away.

'This sly shaman...'

Samikan's eyes glittered with murderous intent. Six-Fingered felt a chill down his spine.

'But Samikan cannot kill me.'

Six-Fingered was the shaman who had been collaborating with Samikan for a long time. Just as Samikan was the chief of chiefs, Six-Fingered ruled over other shamans.

'Without me, he can't control the shamans of the alliance. It would also be difficult to raise a shaman who could be his hands and feet during such times.'

Samikan relied heavily on divine proclamations for his authority and legitimacy. Gaining the support of the shamans was crucial.

"However, to convince other priests, we need good bait. Only with good bait can you catch a big fish," Six-Fingered spoke cautiously.

Samikan scoffed at Six-Fingered’s implication.

“Are you proposing that you and I make a deal? Hah!"

"Please make a seat for the priests in the tribal council."

Samikan's laughter stopped and turned into a frown.

"Shamans have no business in external matters! That is not your job! Are you shamans planning to meddle in the affairs of us warriors?"

"We became involved in those ‘external matters’ and not the work of the heavens the moment we forged the first divination at your request."

Six-Fingered was reaching his hand into politics. The alliance was currently governed by its warriors and chiefs with Samikan at their epicenter. Shamans were merely supporters.

"Those who do not even shed blood in battle are craving power..."

Samikan sat back down, laughing helplessly.

"I believe this is a fair request. It is not just my will but that of all the priests."

Six-Fingered closed his eyes and bowed his head, waiting for Samikan's permission.

"You six-fingered fool. Power is a double-edged sword. If you wield power, you must accept the corresponding risks and dangers. I have been your shield thus far, protecting you from all sorts of storms. This deal... am I safe to assume that this is your way of telling me you no longer require my protection?"

Samikan spoke drily. Six-Fingered could not dare to meet Samikan's gaze directly.

"I have enough strength to protect myself."

"Well, see if you can protect this power that you’ve gained with your petty tricks."

"I will take that as your permission."

Six-Fingered left Samikan, stepping backward.

There was a change in the tribal council from the next day. Six-Fingered and four other priests attended the meeting and intervened in the politics of the alliance. They represented not just their tribes but all shamans.