Section 69 Negotiations

"Sophisticated Chaos armor, a warrior in armor. This is the deepest impression that southerners have of the Chaos Legion. Although Chaos also has a large number of cavalry, they use hoplites as their main force and elite, rather than seeing the knights' charge as the most threatening force on the battlefield like the Central Seven......"

Ashrufat paused the pen in his hand and glanced around. It seems that a Chaos Lord should not have the habit of keeping a diary. But if you do keep a diary, there is no uninteresting person to point it out. This is also where Chaos is better than the South. When I lived in the South, people from the church would come to my door every now and then to ask for a little trouble, threatening with words like "piety" and "blasphemy" (minor troubles, of course). But in the Chaos Realm, no one dares to accuse a Chaos Lord of blasphemy - because the gods have long been watching and making a ruling.

“...... On the surface, this is a military tradition, but in reality, it may be the real difference between the Chaos Legion and the armies of the Seven Kingdoms. After actually commanding the Chaos Legion, you will understand that although the Chaos Legion is aggressive on the surface, they are essentially a defensive force. They are not good at interspersing, raiding, and retreating quickly after an onslaught, at least not on a real battlefield. They are also not good at dealing with these cunning tactics. Their really key tactics are relatively rigid, relying mainly on frontal attacks, crushing and crushing the enemy's front like an iron wall. ”

"There are natural reasons for this. All the Chaos Warriors praise the glory of the battlefield, as it makes them more favored by the Chaos Gods and rewards them with supernatural power. The book says that the path of chaos, while it is a path to greatness beyond mortal comprehension, also leads to madness and death. The path of chaos is impermanent, and destruction is always accompanied by the left and right......"

He stopped his pen and closed the journal. The reason for this was that Ashruphat noticed the arrival of the Chaos Wizard Hardmund, the wizard who was dressed in a bit of a "primitive" style. In particular, Ashrufat had always believed that Bruce was the leader of the Silent Panic Tribe, and now he realized that this wizard with a primordial aura all over his body was the number one in the Silent Panic.

This wizard is only one step away from the high position of the magic path, that is, the wizard lord. His position in the Silent Panic is roughly similar to that of Asowen in the Horde. Although I haven't been able to say anything yet, he is also a leader recognized by everyone. But he hid it really well. When we first met before, even Ashrufat couldn't see this.

"Lord Eshurufat," said Hadmund had not come to inquire about the contents of Eshurufat's diary. "Do you think they'll compromise?"

"They will. Ashruphat replied lightly. Chaos armor obscured his face, making it impossible for anyone to see his expression. Speaking of which, doesn't it seem very strange for a man in full armor to write with a pen and paper? If it is a knight's armor in the south, then this kind of thing is at least awkward, if not very painful.

"The Sons of Maraud have always been known for their stubbornness, like their domesticated steel oxen. ”

"But after all, the steel oxen were tamed in the end, weren't they?" replied Ashrufat. "They don't have a choice. ”

The whole battle was lackluster. As Hadmund had speculated before, the tone of the whole thing was set when Flint attacked with his troops. The sorcerer of the Children of Plunder reveals himself after sending a magical message that reads "The base camp is attacked", and is slashed by a sword from Ashruphat who rushes in. The main force of the Sons of Mard, who was unprepared for this turn of events, turned back to reinforce and was ambushed halfway by the speechless and panicked troops.

They could have prevented the accident in advance, or at least been alert. But the previous rambling of the Sons of Maraud had lowered their vigilance. It's like the story of "the wolf is coming", and the seemingly offensive but retreating approach again and again is confusing and paralyzing at the same time. At first, everyone was very vigilant, because everyone wanted to preserve their strength and didn't want to get involved in the battle too early. But this stupid and frivolous move has been seen too much, and anyone would think that it is part of some cunning scheme. You may not be able to guess who will end up in the trap, but at least you know how to avoid it: just guard your camp.

This misguided line of thinking leaves the Sons of Maraud with little effective resistance in the event of a real decisive battle. Yes, the Chaos Warriors are brave (and even insane), but a team that has been scattered like a serpent by a rapid march will always be at a disadvantage when it comes to a premeditated and prepared attack. Even if there is a difference in the number between them.

This is also the common idea in all military books (as long as this situation is mentioned): if you can't fight head-on, then try not to fight head-on. Ambushes, night raids, surprise raids, and so on are all the right ways to reverse numerical superiority. And this time the battle illustrates this once again.

And so the situation developed into the current situation: the silent and panicked troops chased the defeated army all the way to the base camp of the sons of plunder.

Under normal circumstances, the Children of Maraud can hold on to their base camps: such a well-fortified base camp was originally built for this purpose. Unfortunately, however, the base camp was attacked before. The casualties caused by the attackers are not enough, but the real key lies in the destruction of the gates.

True, the gate, which was a key fortification, was completely destroyed by gunpowder - so completely destroyed that a new one had to be built. And such a project – as it is known – cannot be repaired in a short period of time, even with enough suitable materials. Unfortunately, the Sons of Maraud did not pose a formidable threat from an external enemy, and they did not have the materials to repair the gate - they had no plan to deal with the destruction of the gate.

So at this moment, although the camp was surrounded by high walls and deep trenches, the gate was completely open. It's like a woman with no clothes on, which can arouse the enemy's greatest desire to conquer.

If it hadn't been for Ashrufat's forced stop, the two sides would have been fighting to the death in the camp by now. Although the winner of this battle will have to pay a price, no one can resist the temptation of such a victory with such a victory in hand. Ashrufat remembered the anger in Bruce's eyes when he gave the order to stop. For a moment, he almost thought he had to kill the Chaos Champion called Bruce.

The second time Hardmond came with good news. "My lord, the Son of Maraud did not kill the messenger, and agreed to negotiate. He said. And the messenger replied that they had made no attempt to repair the gate. ”

"It's a good thing. Ashrufat replied. "We need to pick a messenger...... Is there anyone in the army who is familiar with the tribe of the Sons of Plunder?"

"No, sir...... How so...... Well, here's the thing: they demand that the emissary of the negotiations must be you. ”

"Me?" said Ashrufat, curiously rhetorical. Nominally, of course, he is the commander-in-chief, but this is only in name. It was Bruce, and perhaps Hadmon, who actually commanded the army. It's only been a day since Ashrufat and this army first met, and although he has nominal power because of his status as a Chaos Lord, it's only in name. He himself did not expect to be able to command an army that he did not even know the names of mid-ranking officers. He was able to carry out his plan mainly because of the support of two people, Hudmund and Bruce.

However, it is well known that Tzeentch wizards are always planning certain conspiracies (one thinks of Tzeentch the wizard as naturally thinks of a fly), and who knows what the real reason for Hadmund's staunch support for Eshuruphat is, and Bruce doesn't even mind openly expressing his displeasure with his orders. As for the ordinary soldiers of the tribe - they knew nothing about him except that Ashruphat was a Chaos Lord. It's a bit of a longing, but it's not about allegiance and support.

"Yes, it's you. Hadmund smiled. I don't know why, when he smiled, his "primitive" dress was less dazzling. "Presumably, they find a Chaos Lord's promise more credible. ”

Ashrufat's first reaction was to think that it was deliberate, a conspiracy to push the boat along. Hadmund wanted him to go, and was then besieged and killed. Well, of course, whether or not Aerufat survives is no harm to Hadmund. I don't know if the wizard's cunning has surpassed Eshurufat's knowledge, and when he hesitated and didn't answer, Hardmond seemed to realize his thoughts.

"My lord, I assure you, this is not a trap. ”

"Why?"

"Too stupid and inefficient. Hadmund said. "You can choose a place where it is easy to retreat and negotiate. The time was too short for them to calmly arrange the traps. And worst of all, regardless of whether the trap is a success or a failure...... They all have to pay a terrible price right away. ”

"Maybe they think you're going to retreat when I'm dead? Ashruphat laughed. Hardmond points to the point.

"Alright then, I'll meet them. Ashrufat replied.

It didn't take long to arrange this, and Ashrufat soon found himself at the location of the gate, which was right next to the wreckage of the breached gate. Unlike him, the Children of Plunder sent a negotiating team. There were five of them, and the one at the head was a Chaos Champion in armor. Several others also seemed to have quite a status, and one of them reminded Ashrufat of Skadra, whose silver hair was impressive. They should be the leaders of the Children of Mardder.

However, even the leaders have left traces of previous defeats. The Chaos Champion's armor was covered in new scratches, and it was clear that he had broken through in a siege. The others were not wearing armor, but their faces naturally had the look of a loser's dejection.

It's inevitable. The members of the Children of Plunder were once ambitious to seize the Salt Pond and become the overlords. But in the blink of an eye, all ambitions were wiped out. A failure ruined his ideals and ambitions. At this moment, they no longer have the luxury of hegemony, but only hope that the tribe can survive. Even Chaos believers who regard war as a matter of course and regard their defeat as "the gods eliminate the weak" naturally don't care when discussing other people's fate, but it is difficult to accept this kind of consequences calmly when this fate really befalls them.

That's how terrible war is. As Claire said before, losers are deprived of a qiē, including life. Whether or not they will survive depends entirely on the mood of the victor - or the interests - or interests.

"You are the ......" The members of the negotiating group saw Ashrufat. From this armor, it was natural for them to know the identity of Ashrufat. "That's true...... About the appearance of a Chaos Lord in the Silent Panic Tribe......"

No wonder they say so. The previous news of the Chaos Lord was first spread, and then it disappeared immediately. No one saw this Chaos Lord a second time. It is impossible for a Chaos Lord to disappear silently, so many people instinctively think that this is a trap, a rumor spread by the Silent Panic Tribe. Unfortunately, the benefits are too tempting. Not to mention the appearance of one Chaos Lord, even if it is ten, it can't shake the greedy heart.