Chapter 253 Why Not?

Hassan and the other tribal and city-state leaders calmed their subordinates and people, remaining quietly in the designated open space. They watched the flickering flames and smoke in the distance, the desperate cries of battle and the agonizing screams constantly reaching their ears, impossible to block out.

The army of Masuripatnam was considered quite elite, and under the constant encouragement of Takor, they finally launched their strongest counterattack since the start of the war.

Thousands of heavily armored warriors stood at the front, flanked by the strongest shield warriors, with spearmen and archers following closely behind. A sharp wedge formation charged towards the Great Xia army.

Takor had considered spreading out his troops, as he had realized that dense formations would suffer heavy casualties after being shelled. However, it was already dark, and if the troops were not kept close together, they would be unable to contact distant units or conduct normal command.

Takor pinned all his hopes on the darkness of the night, knowing the Xia people were clearly using long-range weapons. His men, aside from the cavalry, were mostly intact; taking advantage of the darkness and the enemy's poor visibility, he believed he still had a chance to advance.

Unfortunately, Takor was destined for despair. The Yuan army used lightweight catapults to launch a large number of fireballs in their breakout direction, and the flickering firelight illuminated their figures.

The army of Da Yuan had many cultivators. With their powerful night vision, all of Takor's plans became completely transparent. Countless cannon shots accurately 'fired' into the army of the Masuripatnam city-state, and one after another, fresh lives were ruthlessly harvested, whether you resisted or surrendered.

"Who is your leader?"

Hassan and the others recognized Hassan's fluent Sanskrit as the man's subordinate, a traitor to Hubaya. But circumstances forced them to fight for the survival of the men in their tribe. He stood up, bending slightly, and whispered, "I am their leader. What are your orders?"

"Adults need people to do the work, and those who do the work will have food to eat."

It was already late at night, and Hassan and his men were starving. Since they were prisoners, they should be prepared to work and eat.

Hassan selected some people from each tribe and nervously followed Hubaye's men to the work site—the battlefield where the war had just ended.

"Dig a pit, bury the corpse, and also pick up all the ironware and scrap iron. If you're willing to do it, go eat first."

A Xia soldier gestured to the Zhu people, and then Hubaya's men acted as translators, gesturing to Hassan and pointing to a row of large pots. The large bones bubbling in the pots indicated that they were horse bones, and the aroma of the bone broth stimulated the empty stomachs of Hassan and the others, which was extremely tempting.

Hassan almost ate his tongue from the large bowl of bone broth; Da Xia Rao's generosity clearly exceeded Hassan's expectations.

"Hassan... what else is in the soup besides pepper? Why does it smell so good?" another leader, Holin, asked Hassan.

"I don't know, but it's definitely not human flesh... I know what human flesh tastes like."

"That's good... Hehe! I'll accept it even if it's my last meal."

Hollin drank most of the bowl of bone broth without worry. Even though Zhu was famous for its pepper, such a rich soup was not something he could drink often.

Hassan finally saw the horrific scene of the entire battlefield; the sheer number of corpses nearly exhausted the Horin troops responsible for dragging them away.

"Hassan, look, the armor... it's been pierced too..."

Hassan, who was in charge of digging the pit, had become numb. He no longer thought about the war, shook his head, and continued digging.

They dug one pit, then filled it in. The layers upon layers of strangely shaped corpses made Hassan and Holin feel incredibly fortunate; a slight misstep and they would have ended up alongside them.

They worked until dawn, and nearly a thousand captured laborers finally buried nearly ten thousand corpses. Apart from the blackened bloodstains, the land was no different from any other place. Perhaps only the exceptionally lush weeds and vibrant wildflowers of next year could tell the story of this bloody night.

“My master, the great Hubaye Vias, has instructed me to tell you that you may write to your tribes and city-states and send your highest leaders or elders to discuss the fate of your tribes or city-states.”

"Or...you give up your self-redemption and toil as slaves for the rest of your lives."

The translator, named Huber, read out Lord Hubaye's orders to Hassan, Holin, and others. Of course, these orders were originally issued by Qin Mo, and Hubaye was merely his agent and mouthpiece.

“I am the chief of the tribe, and I can make decisions for my tribe. However, if a ransom is required, I must send a trusted messenger back home to have the money sent.”

Hassan secretly pulled his son behind him. As long as his son returned to the tribe, even if he couldn't escape danger in the end, the Takal family could still continue.

"Who else is the supreme leader of the tribe? Mine is the leader who can make the final decision."

Holin and several other leaders stepped forward, indicating that they could take responsibility for their tribes and city-states.

"Come with me, but you must follow the rules. If you disturb the distinguished guest... you will all be executed!"

The translator, Huber, revealed a fierce expression to Hassan and the others. Although his youthful face feigned ferocity, which amused Hassan and the others, no one laughed out loud. Everyone knew who the "nobleman" was; only the people of Daxia were referred to as "noblemen" by Hubaye.

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