Chapter Seven: Conquering the Mountain

The wild tribes of Siberia, at present, lacked both the energy and the skills to domesticate cattle, sheep, or horses, but some wealthier clans did keep a few great-antlered snow deer. Riding one of these deer, a young captain hurried back to the main camp several days later.

“What is it?” the high priest asked with a frown, eyeing the young captain. Did he not realize the king was taking his midday rest at this very moment?

The young captain gave a wry smile and shook his head, reaching for the old priest’s leather water flask without delay. Only after drinking several mouthfuls of the cold water did the tall captain finally speak. “High Priest, we’ve subdued all the tribes in the western mountains. However, Chieftain Ubu has taken many warriors and is hiding in the highlands—the paths are too steep for us to attack! Major Zhu Ba sent me back to report to the king.”

“This—wait a moment. You’ll report to the chief commander first.” Whatever the matter, the high priest dared not disturb the king’s sleep.

Jingni was napping alongside Uncle Chubby, but she was not as sound a sleeper as Lin Shu. Hearing murmurs outside the cave, she donned her outer robe and stepped out.

Upon seeing the chief commander, the tribal captains immediately bowed and began their reports. “Chief Commander, Major Zhu Ba sent me to report to the king…”

After listening, Jingni nodded. “This is not your fault. Wait here—I will speak to the king about it.”

Listening to the man’s snores, Jingni could only sigh with a wry smile. “He really can sleep! Almost as well as our little one.”

Realizing it was Jingni who called for him, Lin Shu sat up, took a damp cloth to wipe his face, and asked, “What is it, my dear? Have you started missing your husband already?”

“Hmph! Don’t talk nonsense. Major Zhu Ba has sent word… Several thousand men are hiding in the highlands, and our forces can’t break through. If the heavy snows seal the mountains, they’ll not even be able to come out!” With that, Jingni’s own worries surfaced, and she even considered withdrawing the troops.

Lin Shu had originally planned to inspect the western mountains himself, so he ordered the carriage to be brought out of the cave.

“Greetings, Your Majesty,” the high priest and others called out at once, and the captains and warriors from neighboring caves gathered swiftly.

Once most were assembled, Lin Shu stood on the carriage frame and declared, “I will go west now to break the rebel Chieftain Ubu’s forces. High Chief and High Priest, prepare yourselves—upon my return, it will be time for our campaign into the eastern mountains.”

“At your command, Your Majesty.”

After the crowd dispersed, the carriage rumbled and sped away. The secondary carriage could reach speeds of over a hundred kilometers an hour, though it consumed a great deal of energy. For now, it traveled at sixty kilometers per hour, but the young captain—caught between panic and delight—had to cling tightly to the frame lest he be thrown off.

“Lin, the snowfields are as vast as the Seven Kingdoms. Even one winter may not be enough to conquer it all!” Having seen the maps upon the reading table, Jingni had come to grasp the immensity of the world.

Lin Shu knew that in another month or so, snow would pile as high as rivers, making the march all but impossible. Still, he had little time to waste in this wild land.

“All we need is to subdue the tribes of the eastern mountains. If time permits, we’ll visit the southern shores of the Northern Sea. It’s said there are many semi-nomadic tribes there, with plenty of warhorses, cattle, and sheep.”

Jingni smiled and nodded. “All the better. In winter, these nomad riders will not be able to escape, and come spring, we’ll have cavalry ready to conquer east and west.”

While the young tribal captain had ridden his great snow deer for three days, the carriage arrived at the foot of the mountains before nightfall.

From afar, they saw the carriage speeding toward them, bathed in the golden light of sunset as if riding upon a band of gold.

“It’s the king! The king has come!” Warriors on the mountain slope cheered at once.

The newly joined warriors were filled with curiosity: what a wondrous vehicle! Perhaps all the stories were true.

“Ha! The king is here,” Zhu Ba declared in relief at the sight of the carriage.

Glancing up at the mountain terrain, Lin Shu quickly understood: expecting them to charge up there would have been impossible.

“All right, Zhu Ba, send them back to camp. Have them start a fire and burn the carriage. Tomorrow, I shall lead the assault myself.”

“At your command, Your Majesty.”

The mysterious carriage could not only race through mountains, but now a blazing fire had been lit at its rear—fascinating the new warriors even more.

As the sun set, the great bonfire halfway up the mountain shone ever brighter.

“Chieftain, it looks like a carriage!” someone cried.

Chieftain Ubu’s eyesight was poor, but he feigned nonchalance. “Heh, pay it no mind. Let them burn their carriage as firewood. The Dawn Tribe are fools.”

The fire burned through the night, and at dawn, the carriage set out with over two thousand warriors.

“What’s going on? The carriage is climbing the mountain!” The wild warriors guarding the path were dumbfounded—nothing is more terrifying than the unknown.

When he saw the truth, Chieftain Ubu grew anxious. The captains who had surrendered before had warned him: the king descends from the heavens in a divine chariot!

“Hmph! So what if a carriage gets up here? All captains and warriors, charge! Smash that carriage and slaughter the two great beasts for meat!” scoffed a powerful warrior.

“Yes, crush it!” Another captain, buoyed by his own strength, brimmed with confidence.

The mightiest wild captains could strike with the force of a thousand pounds; common stones shattered with a single punch.

“Kill! Kill!”

Without waiting any longer, several dozen of the strongest captains hefted massive stone axes and sprang forward, agile as apes, charging swiftly.

[Psionic Energy: 1500, 1000, 800…] The central mind joyfully counted, assimilating more energy to fully integrate with this world. Only then could the ship autonomously draw power from the land.

Boom—the force field exploded in rings.

“Haha, die!” The captain with fifteen hundred psionic energy leaped from over ten meters away, crashing down like a cannonball.

“Ah—no—damn it! How is this possible!” Within twenty meters of the carriage, the strongest captain surged forward, but his face was only filled with terror.

One by one, the captains and warriors were drawn onto the carriage or the backs of the dragon horses, letting out brief, miserable cries before vanishing swiftly from this world.

“No—no—” Several warriors tried to flee, but within two breaths, they too were drawn back by the carriage’s force field.

The sound of eight hooves and four wheels was not thunderous, but it pierced straight to the hearts of the wild warriors.

“It’s coming—the demon carriage is coming!” In an instant, terror eclipsed their former courage, and the warriors fled in all directions.

Chieftain Ubu did not even call out once; he turned and ran down another mountain path, abandoning even his family.

“No—don’t come any closer—”

“Gods, spare us! Mercy!”

The carriage charged straight into the fleeing crowd.

A few minutes later, the carriage reached the other exit of the mountain path and came to a halt.

“Mercy! Mercy!” The scattered wildlings fell to their knees, kowtowing, all thought of resistance gone.

Though the victory was easy, Zhu Ba could only shake his head with a bitter smile. “Ah! I told you not to court death!”

This assault had cost the carriage several hundred lives; had Lin Shu not put a stop to it, even several thousand would not have satisfied its hunger.

Afterward, Lin Shu spent a few days inspecting the various clans, then departed with six thousand warriors. The wildlings were simple folk—once subdued, they would not easily betray, nor did they dare.

During these days, Lin Shu also exchanged the pelts from the western tribes for soft, dense fur garments. Though no weapons were left behind, iron tools and wares were.

This campaign went smoothly, though Zhu Ba’s force lost nearly a hundred dead and several hundred wounded, most casualties coming from the battle for the mountain. Without the divine carriage, even if Zhu Ba’s men had died to the last, the peak would have remained unconquered.