Chapter 1942 - 1941: Impersonation

Chapter 1942: Chapter 1941: Impersonation

Barbaric Grassland.

On the boundless grassland, a riverside camp stands resilient, unlike the camp at the foothills of Half Border Mountain, this one doesn’t even have basic wooden walls.

It’s noon.

Cooking smoke curls above the camp.

A few Demon Clan warriors sitting by the campfire, holding clay bowls in their hands, suddenly feel the water in the bowls ripple. One warrior immediately lies down and listens intently.

"Thirty miles away, several hundred heavy cavalry."

The warrior says and sits up again. A nearby warrior turns his head: "Haha, your dog ears are sharp, but no need to be so alert. We are deep in the heart of the wilderness, how could Ancestor Dragon City’s humans appear here? It must be a tribe’s forces moving here."

"Hmm, I can feel the ground trembling through my seat. It might be a heavy cavalry troop of a thousand; just no idea which tribe they’re from."

"In our Demon Country, such organized heavy cavalry are rare, probably only a few tribes can assemble them, either the Duobao Heavy Cavalry, Barbaric Bull Heavy Cavalry, Horned Rhinoceros Heavy Cavalry, Giant Lizard Corps, or the Earthcracker Corps."

Another warrior, munching on meat, speaks as he chews.

"Youngster, let’s test you, guess which one is coming?" The warrior turns to a young Demon Clan warrior beside him, challenging him.

The young warrior looks at everyone, ponders for a moment, and says: "Well, Uncle Gou Sheng mentioned five heavy cavalry; Duobao Heavy Cavalry comes from the Duobao Elephant Tribe, known for their Divine Power, one of the Eight Tribes of our Demon Country, the tribe leader being one of the Ten Generals, General Duobao."

"Duobao Elephant Clan has a small population, though each member is exceedingly powerful, the entire tribe doesn’t exceed ten thousand. It’s widely known that despite their small numbers, the tribe’s Duobao Elephants are even scarcer."

"The Duobao Elephant is a real glutton; one can consume the provisions of a small tribe daily. So, despite being one of the Eight Tribes, the Duobao Elephant Riders number less than a thousand, peaking at eight hundred. The last major battle inflicted severe losses, and although they’ve been recovering for the past two hundred years, they haven’t regained their peak numbers."

"Furthermore, Duobao Elephant Riders are cumbersome, heavily reliant on logistics, and can only accompany the army, typically serving as General Duobao’s trusted aides, unless he mobilizes, they don’t move."

"If General Duobao were arriving, the camp would have headed out to welcome him by now, so it’s not this force."

"As for the Giant Lizard Corps, this sub-Dragon unit belongs to the second prince, Dihu, who is a descendant of the Demon Emperor. His mother is from the Snake Clan, Naaga, while the giant lizards are amphibious beasts tamed by the Snake Clan. Though it’s a heavy cavalry, the paws of the lizard don’t create hoofbeats, they run silently, causing no such disturbance."

"So, the Giant Lizard Corps can also be ruled out. With the remaining three, the Earthcracker Corps is unlikely as well. They’re led by Prince Dixin, under whose command are mounts like the mighty Bao Xiong from the earth. Known for their siege abilities but poor at swift assaults, this group can be excluded."

"Only the Barbaric Bull Heavy Cavalry and the Horned Rhinoceros Heavy Cavalry are left. They’re actually both from the Barbaric Bull Tribe, one of the Eight Tribes."

"The Barbaric Bull Tribe ranks among the Eight Tribes not for individual prowess, which isn’t very formidable. Compared to the Duobao Elephant Clan, one Duobao Elephant Clan member can defeat ten warriors from the Barbaric Bull Demon Clan."

"However, the Barbaric Bull Demon Clan is prolific; there are six major tribes with over 100,000 members each, not counting medium or small ones. It’s rumored that the tribe boasts a population exceeding a million, the largest among our Demon Country tribes."

"Moreover, the Barbaric Bull Tribe often deploys heavy troops, including heavy cavalry and heavy infantry. Two heavy cavalry forces are formed: one with the Barbaric Bull as a mount, the other with the tamed Horned Rhinoceros. These two main heavy cavalry units each number fifty thousand, forming the backbone of the heavy cavalry in our Demon Country."

"Heh, youngster learned something, now do you think it’s the Horned Rhinoceros Heavy Cavalry or the Barbaric Bull Heavy Cavalry coming?"

The warrior looks at the young Demon Clan with a smile.

"Hmm, the Horned Rhinoceros and the Barbaric Bull mounts both have merits. In terms of tonnage, the Horned Rhinoceros is tougher and its horns are aligned front-to-back, with four limbs as thick as pillars, comparable to a smaller version of the Duobao Elephant."

"When the Horned Rhinoceros Heavy Cavalry runs, the ground trembles, sound like muffled thunder, but they’re not very fast."

"While the Barbaric Bull Heavy Cavalry, although claimed heavy cavalry, is half the Horned Rhinoceros’s tonnage. With hoofed legs, horns on both sides of the head, they run faster and sound like drums, resonating in the heart."

The young Demon Clan lies on the ground to listen for a moment, then says: "If I’m not mistaken, it should be the Horned Rhinoceros Heavy Cavalry, about five hundred strong, as one can carry two bullhead riders."

"Thus, the Horned Rhinoceros Heavy Cavalry’s thousand-strong unit only equips five hundred rhinoceroses but has a thousand bullhead riders."

"Haha, youngster, right on, they are indeed the Horned Rhinoceros Heavy Cavalry."

At the same time, the camp’s solitary watchtowers relay the cavalry’s presence.

"Chiliarch, there are two Feather Clan orderlies outside, here to deliver General’s orders. Oh, right, about ten miles away a Horned Rhinoceros Heavy Cavalry is heading our way, the Feather Clan said to prepare the fodder."

"Oh, where are they?"

"In the camp."

The camp’s stationed chiliarch quickly stands up, exits the camp, and sees Li Feng and Sikong Yu, disguised as human orderlies. Though they don’t show Demon Clan features, the chiliarch doesn’t doubt their identities.

The noble Demon Country does such to display their uniqueness.

"I am Chiliarch Shi Xing, greetings to the orderlies, any orders from the General?"

Li Feng looks at the kobold with disdain: "Indeed, there are orders. The General commanded us to patrol and inspect the troop movements."

"I ask, currently how many thousand-man units are within the camp?"

Shi Xing has no suspicion of Li Feng impersonating, the kobolds hold mid-to-lower status in the Demon Country, with weak bloodline, naturally deferential to Feather Clan aristocrats.

"In response to the orderlies, only one thousand-man unit is stationed in the camp, though two units departed earlier this morning. This unit arrived at midnight, likely resting until tomorrow morning."

Shi Xing candidly reveals what he knows to both, for during wartime, the Ten Generals yield the most power, while the Demon Emperor wouldn’t handle troop assembly.

Li Feng lets out a sound with furrowed brows.

"The camp is built for a day’s journey, marching by day, resting by night. Why delay half a day, which tribe is this thousand-man unit from?"