Chapter 858: The Comical Battle of the Barbetari Valley (Part 2)

The scattered, various small metal tools were thrown about haphazardly by the nearby Dwarves; although the items were small, they were not light in weight, and if one were hit, it likely wouldn't feel very good.

Fortunately, while the Dwarves had plenty of strength, their aim did not seem to have been specifically trained; they threw them wildly, and the items flew everywhere in the air with a clatter. Either the force was sufficient but the aim was off, causing them to fly in circles past Jier and his warhorse, or the aim was decent but the targeting took too long, and by the time these few Dwarves threw them, Jier had long since ridden his warhorse out of the range of these projectiles.

With a clanging and clattering, these small tools smashed randomly into the fields, causing the neat crops to spill their juices and lean over in disarray.

The Dwarves did not care about the crops in the fields; they called out to their companions, squeezed into groups with those they knew well, and stomped across the entire farmland with a *pat-pat* sound. The waist-high red tomatoes and their trellises were rudely knocked to the ground by the Dwarves, and the onions in the field were crushed by the Dwarves' metal-soled boots, emitting a pungent onion odor. As for the poor wheat, which was still just green sprouts, it was trampled into a patch of grass juice by the whistling Dwarves.

This made some of the Humans following behind the Dwarf squads feel extremely regretful.

However, fortunately, crops could be replanted, but the enemy had to be defeated.

Jier rode his warhorse with a *da-da* sound, not letting Tianxuecao run fast enough to shake off the Dwarves behind him, nor did he intend to fight such a large number of Dwarves and the assisting local Humans in such a foolish manner.

Heh, let's tire them out first, consume their stamina, and then we'll see.

It was noon, and in remote areas like this, people lacked the habit and material basis for eating lunch; therefore, by leading them on a chase and letting these guys behind him drag themselves along, they would consume the food in their stomachs and accumulate more physical fatigue. The little bit of food eaten in the morning would likely be mostly gone after half a day of labor; by leading them on a chase, those who were undernourished and hungry would naturally separate from those with sufficient stamina during the pursuit.

This kind of distinction based on material foundations was something these stubborn fellows could not overcome by sheer mental willpower.

Not to mention those Dwarves carrying exceptionally heavy weapons—it was simply ridiculous. While that kind of heavy weapon was powerful, on this open ground in the Valley, could they hold or carry such heavy objects and catch up to hit him?

With that, Jier relaxed his mindset, riding his horse at a trot across the open grassland, with a large group of Dwarves and Humans chasing behind him.

"Damn it! Coward! Fight me!"

A Dwarf wielding two sharp axes howled.

Jier ignored the other party.

This Dwarf could be considered one of the ones chasing most closely, because he only had two single-handed axes in his hands, so compared to the other Dwarves, this one ran extremely fast, his pair of short legs churning back and forth.

But the other Dwarves in his squad were not doing so well; the Dwarf holding a huge Mudu walked the slowest. It wasn't that the Mudu, which was taller than the Dwarf himself, was too heavy, but simply that the shield was too large in volume, making it very difficult for this Dwarf to move while holding it in front. He had to turn his body sideways like a crab and chase his companions horizontally.

As for the other Dwarf companions in the same squad as these two, they were currently somewhat at a loss, not knowing whether to keep up with the one running fastest in front or to surround the shield-bearing Dwarf.

Thus, the remaining three Dwarves in this squad actually stopped chasing and stood in place arguing with each other.

This left the other Dwarves and Humans passing by from the side not knowing what to say. Big brothers, we are in the middle of chasing and fighting the enemy here, why are you arguing? If you want to argue, can't you wait until things are over? Or is it that your squad has never chased an enemy like this before today?

The other Dwarves who had chased all the way out from Huitou Forest held their shields in one hand and gripped their heavy throwing spears in the other. Although they were divided into three squads, their goal was the same: the outsider Human Knight had injured their companion, their leader, and their elder, so these guys had to make this outsider Human suffer!

These guys didn't care about their arguing companions at all; they locked onto the direction and continued the pursuit.

Five Dwarves carrying Dwarf Spears lagged behind the previous squads because they had to keep their formation neat. While others were crossing the farmland outside the Cunzi, they were still lined up in the fields, with the Squad Leader of their group shouting the cadence for their steps, walking in a rigid, mechanical manner.

"Iron! Copper! Iron! Copper!"

"Iron! Copper! Iron! Copper!"

This Dwarf Squad Leader had a serious face and a focused expression; although he realized they were walking very slowly, he wasn't worried at all.

"Iron! Copper! Iron! Copper!"

"Iron! Copper! Iron! Copper!"

When he shouted the Dwarf term "Iron," the five Dwarves lined up would neatly step out with their left feet and stomp heavily onto the ground in front of them. Regardless of what was at the landing spot, they stepped down directly, leaving a deep footprint in the farmland.

When he shouted the term "Copper," the Dwarves would then step out with their right feet, following the rhythm and stomping down heavily.

"Iron! Copper! Iron! Copper!"

"Iron! Copper! Iron! Copper!"

The Squad Leader carrying the Dwarf Spear wasn't worried at all about them not moving fast enough; after all, even if they weren't fast, it was enough that the others were. Let the others run faster to entangle the opponent, while they took their time, walking with neat steps, and using their heavy, sharp spears in a line to kill the Human's horse, finally ending the entire battle.

In the decades prior, when reckless Monster beasts broke into the mine territory, most of the battles were ended by them.

Don't look at the other Dwarf companions running fast; heh, they were all just there to assist them. Real combat still required real methods of war.

The Dwarf Squad Leader carrying the spear proudly wiped the shaft of the spear on his right shoulder, shaking the metal spearhead at the tip toward the sun. The polished, gleaming spearhead reflected tiny spots of sunlight, shining on the others around him.

However, due to this moment of distraction, the slogan the Dwarf Squad Leader was shouting somehow changed a little.

"Iron! Copper! Iron! Copper!"

"Copper! Copper! Uh, Iron! Iron!"

With a slight misstep, all five Dwarves, including himself, continued to step out with their right feet after having already stepped out with their right feet.

For a moment, no one felt that anything was wrong.

It wasn't until the Dwarves' short legs stretched forward with effort but couldn't take a step that the five Dwarves realized something. The Squad Leader hurriedly made up for the missing "Iron" term; very considerately, he also knew that if he stepped out with his right foot twice more, he had to make up for it with two left steps.

Everything that followed left the Humans who were following alongside and passing them by feeling confused.

Several guards carrying Large Bows narrowed their eyes and had to explain to the other villagers: "Don't worry, these are all minor issues."

"Right, don't look at how they tripped themselves; in fact, in many previous battles, it was these few who killed the Monsters."

"That's right! That's right! Don't underestimate these Dwarf friends; thick armor! Metal Spear! This is equipment that only very elite heavy infantry in the armies of stories would have!"

The young Human men and women, holding various weapons and dressed in different ways, accepted the explanation from the few guards specialized in guarding the walls with confusion. After all, these few were professional archers, and their understanding and experience of combat were far greater than theirs.

Besides, they often fought alongside the Dwarves, so what they said must be correct.

Thus, the Humans participating in the battle in the Valley passed by the few spear-wielding Dwarves who had fallen.

By the way, you must be asking where the Dwarves holding the Double-handed Heavy Weapon went, right?

In fact, these few Dwarves were still struggling at the entrance to the Cunzi's farmland. They were using all their strength to either hug or drag the hundred-kilogram metal double-handed weapons, trying to move them and catch up to the squad to participate in the battle.

"How about, *huff, huff*, the two of us carry one together?"

A Dwarf rested his double-handed Great Axe on the ground and suggested to his other companions, panting for breath.

"No! The God of Strength will be displeased!"

The Dwarf in the middle of the group, who was hugging a huge metal box, flatly refused.

This remark made another Dwarf, who couldn't even lift the huge metal club, extremely disgusted. He said: "You say it easily; how about we switch? I believe that you, who are favored by the God of Strength, will definitely be able to run fast while carrying the thing in my hands, right?"

A Dwarf nearby chimed in: "Don't talk about carrying it; maybe without switching, someone could grab one person with one hand, grab another person with the other hand, and bite the metal handle of the shrine with their teeth, and still run with fast steps! Ha, faster than the fastest war sheep!"

The Dwarf hugging the metal box—no, the God of Strength Jinshenkan—was unhappy: "So you're mocking me to my face, huh? But the Divine Power that we few have provided to the deity over these years is only so much. Now that we've used this Divine Power, we can run while hugging the weapons, but what will we do if we catch up and have to fight the enemy? If you ask me, this worked fine before, let's do it this way now too. We'll just slowly follow the crowd, let the crowd entangle the enemy, and finally let us few finish it off."

The only Dwarf who still had stamina remaining shifted the heavy metal double-handed great sword he was carrying on his shoulder to the other shoulder and then said: "The problem is that the enemies of the past were either four-legged but not smart enough, or if they were smart Monsters, they didn't have four fast-running legs. But today, look at the enemy we could see just a moment ago; he has four legs, and as a Human, he is smart enough."

Exhaling a breath, this Dwarf looked at the eyes of his other companions and said: "I think everyone is too reckless. 'Iron Fist' was injured by the opponent in the forest, and this angered many people. They are just like the beasts we dealt with before: angry, but without reason. If it's like this, they will be seen through and targeted by a true hunter."

These words immediately infuriated the other Dwarves.

"What? Was the old guy 'Iron Fist' not good to you? Are you not angry that he was injured?"

"Pah, 'Shishou'! When you first came to the Zhenbao Mine, you owed a lot of money to the lenders outside, right? They came to our Zhenbao Mine to take people, and if it weren't for 'Iron Fist' taking men to block those thugs outside the Forest, stopping the other side, would you still have today? You would have been dismantled by the thugs long ago and forced to rely on begging to survive, right? You've already forgotten the favor you owe 'Iron Fist'? It's only been one hundred and thirty years, is your memory really that bad? Everyone remembers this incident!"

"Exactly! You might not be clear on this, but those thugs who lend money don't care about anything. They don't care what kind of damn secret Zhenbao Mine this is; they just want to break in and take people. Who could stop them? Even the Soldier Captain of the mine couldn't. Let me tell you, 'Iron Fist' privately covered a sum of money for you, and that's how he persuaded those thugs to leave. 'Shishou', you not only owe him a favor, but a huge sum of money too!"

"In a moment during the battle, if we can catch up, you have to be the first one to go up, cut off that Human's head, and help 'Iron Fist' get revenge for being injured!"

With everyone saying a word, the Dwarf nicknamed 'Shishou' had his expression change again and again, until finally, he let out a breath, didn't reply, and nodded heavily.

He shifted his metal two-handed greatsword to his other shoulder, hesitated for a moment, then looked at his companions who remained in place arguing while recovering their stamina, and turned alone to chase after the main force ahead.

Seeing his actions, the others didn't ask anything, just nodded at each other.

"By the way."

After a moment, one of the remaining Dwarves suddenly said: "Although 'Shishou's' words were harsh, the logic is sound. The companions running fast in front are all a bit careless and rash. I looked from afar just now, and as soon as I saw that Human Knight, I felt he was no mediocre hand. I'm afraid everyone will suffer a loss."

The other Dwarves nodded: "I think so too. That Human was able to injure 'Iron Fist' while being ambushed in the forest; he is clearly a cunning fox."

"I think he's even more cunning than a fox. He slipped away so fast, he's even more slippery than the slickest slug."

"In that case, we have to rely on ourselves?"

The Dwarf holding the metal shrine said: "Not us, but the great God of Strength! May the God of Strength grant us solid muscles!"

One Dwarf followed up: "May the God of Strength grant us muscles like rock!"

Another Dwarf added: "May the God of Strength, uh, may we have muscles like the God of Strength!"

"May the God of Strength grant us more muscles!"

"May the God of Muscles grant us more strength!!"

"Hm?" The other Dwarves felt something was wrong, and one after another, they raised their eyebrows and looked at the last guy.

"Pretty energetic, running quite fast, huh?"

Jier rode on horseback, turned his head to look behind him, and discovered that just as he had expected, although the pursuing force was dozens or hundreds of times his number, at this very moment, the team had stretched out very long due to stamina, foot speed, or other reasons.

Not only long, but also sparse.

The momentum from when they all rushed out of the village at once was long gone.

The Dwarf holding two Single-handed Axes had the best stamina and his weapons were relatively 'light', so even though his legs were short, he was still closely following not far behind Jier. Further back, it was somewhat beyond Jier's expectations; he hadn't expected it to be local Human armed Villagers instead of Dwarves.

This group was quite large, numbering in the dozens, all young Human men and women. Leading them were a few people carrying Large Bows on their backs, wearing Metal Armor Plate, with Short Swords and Long Spears at their waists, looking quite like Refining Qi elites.

And surrounding these guys who looked professional were a large group of dozens of Villagers. They were both men and women, and the weapons and equipment in their hands were even more varied; Jier saw things he had seen before and things he hadn't, all held in these people's hands.

Damn it, Jier even saw a young girl a few years older than him walking in the team holding a flail. There were also people carrying manure forks and holding hoes, and with just that, they dared to pursue Jier, a Knight.

Hey! Who gave them the guts to look down on him so much!

Hmph, in a moment he would have to show them a thing or two. Of course, Jier mainly kept his attention on the Dwarves; he could see that these Dwarves were the most troublesome enemies, and the Humans in the village all looked to the Dwarves for leadership. Defeating the Dwarves—not necessarily killing them all, just breaking them—would cause these villagers to have their spirits broken as well.

Further back in the pursuing force were those Dwarves who had ambushed him in the forest.

These Dwarves had pursued with great momentum and had been the most vicious with their cursing along the way. But hindered by their short legs, they had just been caught up to, overtaken, and left far behind by the Humans from the village.

This made these Dwarves furious.

After all, even the young Human girls were easily striding with the long legs the Dwarves envied, casually overtaking them just like that.

"Haha, I originally thought our Human walking speed was slow enough, but I didn't expect there to be experts. I just don't know, with Dwarves walking so slowly, how do they manage and control such a vast Dwarf Kingdom? Delivering a message must be terribly slow, right? An army sent to suppress rebels, from departure to arrival, probably has to walk for years on the road?"

Jier said these aimless, speculative words, his eyes darting around; he had a plan to deal with the enemies.

First, deal with a portion of the Dwarves to break the spirit of the local Humans. Then, drive and scold the local Humans into withdrawing from the battle, and subsequently defeat the remaining Dwarves who still dared to pursue. Afterward, he could spend some time convincing the local Humans to join him, drive the Dwarves ruling the area away completely, and later return to Human civilization.

To tell the truth, is Human civilization far from here?

Not far, just across the Huitou Forest; not far outside the forest is Shichui Village, and walking north for a few more days is Yemei Town.

These Dwarves here, relying on a strange misty forest and the men ambushed within it, have severed this Valley from the rule of the Saint Hors Kingdom for nearly several decades; it is time to shatter it.

Thinking of this, Jier raised his Long Spear, preparing for battle.