Chapter 1363: What Kind of Enemy

"I say you two are just timid. With so many Soldiers of ours and such thorough preparations, could it be that we still can't defeat them? Besides, you know them well enough to know how to deal with them, but they don't know me, nor do they know how to fight me. So, with such a great advantage, what is there to fear?"

Jiebing was always confident, yet in the hearts of Jiang Ming and Jiang Cheng, there was always a lingering sense of foreboding. The shock the Heavenly Thunder had given them last year was still vivid in their minds; so what about this year? What should they do?

Last year it was too late, and the other side had no time to continue coming back and forth to attack, but this year they could come straight here all the way. If they couldn't defeat or drive back the Xuanyuan Tribe and Huaxia at the very beginning, in the summer, would they even have anywhere to retreat to?

Retreat to where?

If they retreated when Winter arrived, even if they lied to Shennong, it would be acceptable. They could tell Shennong they hadn't failed and had been resisting the whole time, or that they were evenly matched. Then, at the very least, Shennong wouldn't punish them further, and there would still be room for redemption next year. If they lost right now, there would be no room for redemption at all.

They would be driven by Huaxia and the Xuanyuan Tribe all the way to Changyang Mountain, being fought and occupied every step of the way. At most, they would just exhaust their own Soldiers to buy time for Shennong. At that point, they would only be able to rely on Xingtian to take the field.

Regardless of what they were thinking in their hearts, Xingtian was indeed the person best at fighting in the Shennong Clan right now. Whether the Shennong Clan could gain a voice through military force depended entirely on Xingtian. If Xingtian also lost to Xuanyuan and Huaxia, then the Shennong Clan would be finished.

Following Jiebing's orders, Jiang Ming and Jiang Cheng split their forces into two paths and camped on either side of that high slope. The sparse woods did not actually provide very good cover; it could hide them if there were few people, but with so many people, there was no way to hide themselves completely.

All they could do was find some shrubs and the like, chop them down, and arrange them roughly along the edges to count as a little bit of cover. As long as they didn't move around or light fires during the war, they shouldn't be noticed. After all, there was a very high-profile, very obvious enemy, Jiebing, camped right there.

The Jiebing Tribe was not weak; in fact, it was quite powerful. A tribe like this, no matter where it camped, would certainly attract attention. With the Jiebing Tribe as their enemy, the Xuanyuan Tribe and Huaxia would surely believe it and wouldn't think the enemy was too small; they would definitely think there were other enemies hiding, so their gaze would only be focused on the front and they wouldn't notice the two sides.

If they dared to come into the woods to hunt, that would be a merit delivered right to their doorstep. They could rely on their numerical advantage to slowly wear down the enemy's elite Soldiers.

The Xuanyuan Tribe and Huaxia did not know the enemy had such plans. After walking for two days, Lu and Xuanyuan and the others had become quite familiar with each other, and they could talk openly about any topic, so naturally, it was not as awkward anymore.

"Tribal Chief Xuanyuan, there are only two or three days left before we reach the territory we marked out last year. Do you think it will be the same tribe this year—the enemy from last year—or do you think we will encounter enemies somewhere else?"

Xuanyuan spoke eloquently: "Although their tribe suffered quite heavy losses last year, they are, after all, a Jiang Surname tribe and have a very close relationship with the Shennong Clan. It is just like what you Huaxia emphasize; a Jiang Surname tribe is basically like the Legitimate Son. Perhaps their status has been a bit lower these past few years, but overall, they are very important to the Shennong Clan."

"For a tribe like this, even though they lost a battle, I estimate that the Shennong Clan will not punish them severely. If the Jiang Surname tribe were punished, I fear no one would be willing to fight for the Shennong Clan in the future. After all, if the closest tribes are punished, the other tribes will naturally be even more afraid."

"Therefore, I believe that even if this Jiang Surname tribe is punished, it will not be heavy. There is a high probability they will come again this year, and we will still encounter them."

Lu did not state his own conjecture and instead asked a question that seemed quite silly: "They couldn't beat us last year, so why do you think they could beat us this year?"

"Well, maybe they have come with helpers this year. It is not impossible that a more powerful tribe has come to help them."

Lu nodded: "Hmm, that makes a lot of sense. Then tell me, will that Xingtian come?"

Upon hearing the two words 'Xingtian', Yinglong's head turned immediately. In truth, he and Xingtian did not have any deep blood feud; he only had a grudge against Shennong. Xingtian was merely a person executing Shennong's orders and did not have a direct conflict with him.

However, after some of Xuanyuan's nagging, Yinglong had become a bit sensitized to the name Xingtian, to the point where he had an urge that Xingtian was his greatest enemy and he must kill him with his own hands.

"Who knows? If we were to face Xingtian right now, then I reckon the Shennong Clan would truly have little confidence left, and it would be time for them to perish. Under the current circumstances, the Shennong Clan can at least send out four or five tribes to stop us, rather than sending out their most important Xingtian directly."

"If Xingtian were truly defeated by us, then our entire Shennong Clan would be at the time of its demise."

Lu was truly a bit surprised now: "What, is one Xingtian so important to the Shennong Clan? Does his life or death represent the life or death of the Shennong Clan?"

"It is mainly because the current situation of the Shennong Clan is very chaotic. All kinds of harsh punishments have made most of the tribes unable to bear it, and they have broken away from the Shennong Clan. What remains are the more important tribes like Jiang Cheng's, which have no way to leave the Shennong Clan no matter what."

"The Shennong Clan does not have many Soldiers left. As long as we can persist in defeating their central tribes like the Jiang Surname tribes, and finally defeat Xingtian, then we can consider the Shennong Clan taken."

Lu pointed ahead: "Tribal Chief Xuanyuan, then tell me, where are our enemies now? Why have we traveled so far and for so long, yet still haven't seen any enemies? Will we encounter enemies ahead?"

"Who can say for sure about such things? Perhaps our enemies are right ahead, or perhaps we will have to fight a hard battle tonight. These things are indeed impossible to determine; I can only say, whatever kind of enemy comes, we will fight them."