Chapter 534: Great Enemy Ahead, Barbarian Plains Civil War?

"I don't know, Your Highness; it's also our first time seeing this thing."

These rough men who only know how to swing knives and guns have never left the wasteland in their lives, so upon hearing that they naturally kept shaking their heads.

But I must say that the wolf soldier who was bold enough to voluntarily offer a treasure had real guts; not only did he step forward, he also rubbed his hands excitedly.

"But Your Highness, smell this! Fresh fruit is stuck on the butter, fragrant and sweet; look! Inside it seems there's also a layer of blue jam."

…Alright, these hungry wolves probably raided a cake shop and presented a single six‑inch cupcake as a treasure.

Axi Bao, to preserve his own image, certainly didn't want to eat it, but the kid might have succubus blood; the description is just too tantalizing.

"Hmm, since you're sincere, this prince will give you this courtesy."

So after delivering his classic tsundere proclamation, Axi Bao graciously lowered his head and took a small bite.

At that time, there were many people scrambling in the cake shop, so the completeness and delicacy of this piece of cake were probably the highest among everyone's loot.

Thus all the wolf soldiers opened their mouths wide, drooling.

"Your Highness, how does it taste?"

"……"

Axi Bao said nothing, nor did he look up at them; after a light cough, he simply turned around.

Leaving an ambiguous "It's okay," he alone carried the cake and hurried away.

Only the wolf soldiers were left staring at each other, unable to understand what Prince Your Highness meant.

After hesitating for a moment, he wiped his mouth and continued his patrol.

Meanwhile, after winding through a maze of turns into a narrow alley and confirming that no one was around,

"Whoa! This is so delicious!"

So when Axi Bao reappeared before the crowd, his hands were empty, and he pretended to stroll nonchalantly.

He pretended to be on inspection, wandering outside for another round, but unfortunately didn't find any shop selling similar pastries.

He could only slump his head in dejection and return to his base, preparing to seize the time and handle today's duties.

But before that, the countless‑killing, experienced him casually asked a question.

"By the way, now that our hundreds of thousands of troops are gathered, we must be careful about plague; have the human corpses been dealt with completely?"

Unexpectedly, the adjutant beside him lowered his body, his expression odd.

"Your Highness, we… have no human corpses to process."

"Hmm?"

Before Axi Bao could raise his head in confusion, the adjutant hurriedly explained.

"Prince Your Highness, those stationed here are all Pioneers; when they die, they truly leave no bodies, Your Highness?"

Axi Bao was startled, almost slapping the table and standing up.

"You say everyone here is a Pioneer?"

He took a deep breath and instantly understood what the odd feeling he had sensed before was about.

In the past, when he ordered the slaughter of a Tribe, the result was always a blood‑soaked, gore‑filled, gruesome ruin.

Yet today's war, the enemy numbers were unprecedentedly large, but the settlement obtained at the end was also unprecedentedly tidy,

because the so‑called Pioneers leave no bodies after death; aside from the blood splatter at the moment of being cut, one could say they die quite cleanly.

But why?

Why, in such a massive settlement, such a huge city, is there only the existence of Pioneers?

To understand, according to Axi Bao's investigation, the High Tower Community, this coalition, indeed has the Pioneer Force occupying the majority, but the barbarian‑plain natives are also an important component.

Could it be that this city has some strange rule he doesn't know about?

For example, only Pioneers are allowed inside, and all members of the mountain Tribe would be expelled?

Also, thinking calmly now, the capture of this city, which can be called magnificent, was perhaps too smooth.

It seems he just led his men in a casual charge, and with a triumphant march, crushed everything to achieve the final victory.

Is all this normal?

While pondering, Axi Bao even felt an absurd notion that this city was the Pioneers' great mercy, given to him as an apology compensation.

After all, the city's defensive structures are built so solidly, and so many granaries and housing were constructed, clearly to enable a longer hold.

Moreover, with this level of infrastructure, not just ten thousand, even a hundred‑plus thousand or even several hundred thousand troops should be easily accommodated.

Thus, putting all the main forces here, regardless of being proactive or reactive, exhausting every method to have the prairie army's main force fight them here, preventing the enemy from penetrating the barbarian plains and causing greater devastation, that should be the action that meets basic strategic and tactical requirements, right?

However, the current situation is that there are only ten thousand people here, and among those ten thousand, the highest level is no more than fifty, unable to make a move before me and the Fox King.

Even the highly threatening Iron Tortoise King, there are only a mere four here!

All of this combined simply doesn't look like they're scheming against me; rather, it feels like a bait!

But what purpose is there in drawing me in?

It seems that aside from gifting me a solid city and an extra ten‑plus days of rations, there's no other change.

Axi Bao couldn't comprehend these humans' behavior, but his instinct made him keep thinking, trying to figure it out, until his head began to ache.

In a daze, he even entertained the thought of abandoning this city, and, to be safe, leading the main force straight back to the forest.

However, reason told him it was impossible; now there's food, clothing, and shelter—who would want to stay in the wild? The Fox King and Ox King would certainly oppose him.

Moreover, during the day, even though he repeatedly emphasized it, the main force's march through the forest still faced constant issues.

If they truly set up camp in the wilderness, bury pots and cook rice, who knows what chaos might arise!

…Fine, whatever their schemes are, I'll just focus on my own affairs.

Thus, on the second day, the Wolf Prince personally led his army out of the city, splitting into several units, using the fortified city as a center, and began a carpet‑like scorched‑earth operation.

Along the way there were many gains, but as he expected, everyone they captured and killed were all Pioneers; not a single one was a native of the barbarian plains.

Such abnormality made Axi Bao, whose mind was already near a breakdown, furrow his brows tighter, while the Fox King and Ox King, who didn't overthink, grew increasingly delighted.

Can't help it, the gold coins these Pioneers are raking in are really a lot!

This is what? So sweet, I'll take a bite.

This is what? So fun, I'll play with it.

This is what? So nice-looking, I'll wear it.

Heavens, this bunch of beastfolk who crawl on ice and lie in snow on the steppe, spending the whole year either migrating or howling in the wind, today are like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden!

…but this Liu Laolao comes from a bandit background; not only does she intend to rob and slaughter two royal mansions, she also wants to seize the twelve golden hairpins to become the matriarch of the stronghold.

And as the spearhead advanced, they also discovered several Pioneers' cities, though far smaller than Han Cheng, yet equally fortified.

Unfortunately, it was already afternoon, and to be safe, the Wolf Prince ordered all scouts to return to the city tonight.

So they couldn't gather more information, left in haste, and returned to Han Cheng to report.

"Mm, four cities…"

He plotted their coordinates onto the still‑sketchy Barbarian Plains map, and A Xi Bao took another bite of the pastry everyone calls "Pioneers' milk biscuit."

Although these four cities are close to Han Cheng, even the farthest is reachable in just over four hours.

But considering sieges are time‑ and labor‑intensive, and troops moving through mountains and forests will inevitably be slowed.

So if they still insist on the "no marching at night" rule, those sent over will inevitably fail to return after the battle.

In such a case, they can only rely on brave messengers to walk the night road alone to barely keep contact with the main force, which is unreliable.

At that night's war council, A Xi Bao raised this concern.

Although the Fox King and Ox King were weary of his constantly cautious "pedantic" behavior, they still expressed respect for the Prince.

"We don't have to capture all four cities in a single day; we can be more conservative."

"Right! Let's concentrate forces, take the nearest southern one first, and see how the humans react."

A Xi Bao pondered briefly, then nodded slowly.

Now that's something—indeed they are like brothers; after Han Cheng of Silla fell, Yang Cheng of Baekje also fell into the hands of the Royal Court Army.

However, just like in all previous battles, those slain were the body‑less Pioneers, and the spoils consisted of a huge haul of food, drink, and entertainment.

"Again, so much?"

If wealth moves hearts, then on the barren steppe, food and clothing are money!

So the Fox King and Ox King's eyes were almost red; after all, since last year's wolf disaster, they hadn't enjoyed such a feast in a long time.

Moreover, the steppe is full of miserable folks, the chieftains have no surplus grain, so how can these damned upright monkeys be so wealthy, their warehouses practically dripping with fat!

They've only just opened treasure chests in two cities, yet the amount of provisions they obtained already far surpasses previous raids over a vast area of the steppe.

So when they gathered together, they couldn't help but exclaim.

"No wonder that Shen Lin Wang Guo keeps raiding the neighboring Hui Guang's supplies; indeed, these land‑tilling folks are the rich ones!"

The Wolf Prince remained relatively calm; while devouring Pioneers' milk biscuits, he managed to obtain the clue he wanted in Yang Cheng.

After pulling out the municipal hall documents and skimming them, he found that although both belong to the same Community, the relations between the two cities' forces were poor.

And it's not just between them; from human city‑states to beastfolk Tribes, they also curse other members of the Community.

Moreover, there are many conflicting assessments—some good, some bad.

A Xi Bao closed his eyes, linking all the clues in his mind.

Finally, after combining all the previously odd pieces, a solution that explains everything emerged clearly.

—Civil War!

In fact, the wolf disaster was essentially a civil war.

It was a unified war on the steppe, where three self‑proclaimed Royal Court Tribes led countless subordinate Tribes to annihilate other factions.

So if the steppe can, why not the Barbarian Plains?

The so‑called Community was established barely over half a year ago; many places are just getting started, so fearing a full‑scale war is perfectly normal.

Moreover, even the strongest Royal Court Army cannot swallow the Barbarian Plains in one go; the first wave would only hit these border regions.

So why should members in the north have to pay the price for members in the south?

Likewise, why should border city‑states lay down their hatred for the safety of others?

Haha, they could never have formed an effective alliance, right? Stop kidding!

Having attained enlightenment, his mental ailment healed; A Xi Bao felt his skin loosen, and a cool breeze whistled through his mind.

He immediately relayed this bold hypothesis to the Fox King and Ox King, then dispatched riders at full gallop, sending it together with the swift news of capturing Yang Cheng to the Father King.

The Fox King changed color: "Hm? A Xi Bao, what you said is quite possible!"

The Ox King nodded: "I think so too!"

Even the Wolf King laughed: "Come, everyone, take a look at my son's deduction—how interesting!"

With the endorsement of the three Beast Kings, the conclusion of the Barbarian Plains Civil War gradually shifted from a single person's speculation to an objectively acknowledged fact.

Thus, on the third day, the Royal Court Army's operations no longer tapered; three cities advanced simultaneously, launching a full‑scale assault on the humans.

And the three city‑states they were too lazy to name had far weaker combat power than the first two, easily taken by the fierce beastfolk.

At this point, the Royal Court Army had seized a sizable chunk of the Barbarian Plains without encountering any decent resistance, let alone the so‑called "Level‑70 masters."

"Mm?"

The doubtful Wolf King tried to contact the Deep Forest envoy, presumably a human woman, to ask what was really going on.

But he suddenly realized that since she slipped into the Royal Tent last time and gave him some Barbarian Plains intel, she hadn't resurfaced.

…

The Wolf King felt his blood pressure spike and couldn't help shouting a profanity.

"Damn it, she can't be a fraud, can she!"

Moreover, suspicion only becomes more convincing the more you ponder, especially this time under real‑world influence, he still acted on the presumption of guilt.

So he suddenly discovered again that although the woman seemed mysterious, she had the scent of plants and flowers, and also the scent of golden roses……

But in fact, she never actually showed him anything substantive, ah; she was just talking to herself.

Good grief, she said she was the Lionheart King's envoy, right? She said she was very capable……

Wait, she never actually said she was very capable, did she!?

He Chi stroked his forehead, recalling carefully, and realized that all of this seemed to be merely his own wishful thinking.

There's nothing he can do; who made him only level thirty? For him, any existence with a slightly higher level is unfathomably strong.

Seeing this person could silently arrive at the royal tent and still calmly argue with him, the wolf king infamous abroad, he subconsciously assumed he must be some great master.

Now thinking about it, those words exaggerating the threat of the barbarian wilderness……

How is this advising him to personally lead the army and give his all? Ah, it's clearly just trying to dissuade him!