Standing on the city wall, Rin watched Riva lead the vast army of the Fourteenth Legion away. On his face, as he looked back three times, Rin clearly saw a worried expression. He was evidently very concerned about the upcoming Imperial military reform.
Was this ultimately right or wrong?
He must have been thinking this in his heart, but alas, the answer always has to wait until it emerges before it can be determined, and by that time, whether it is right or wrong will no longer matter.
The black-armored Seventh Expeditionary Force had completely taken over everything at Skawag Fortress. From city defenses to outposts, patrolling rangers monitoring enemy movements and aerial scouts riding small flying dragons for aerial surveillance had all been dispatched. After the Fourteenth Legion departed, they ensured all operations at the fortress proceeded normally.
Rin reviewed the latest war report in her hand, then looked at the scout kneeling before her, waiting for orders, and said:
"So, the large army of Northern Nomads still needs five more days to gather completely, right?"
"Yes, General! More than half of the Northern Nomads are usually scattered across the entire Northern Region Snow Plains. The small ones number in the thousands, and the largest can be around 100,000. There are hundreds of such settlements, large and small, across the entire Northern Region Snow Plains. These settlements are generally self-governing, and the Northern Royal Family's direct rule is in Ice Mountain City, deeper in the Northern Region. Every year, when the Northern Region Native launch an invasion against the Empire, they need to wait a long time for the leaders of those scattered settlements to gather their people."
"How many Northern Nomads have gathered now?"
"From the number of tents and the aerial view, nearly 200,000 have already gathered. After they are all assembled, there should be around 230,000."
"230,000..."
Rin silently rubbed her temple with her right index finger. After a moment, she sighed slightly with a hint of emotion:
"Nearly 100,000 died throughout the year, yet so many can still come this year. They're truly prolific..."
Compared to the food and grain plundered from the Empire, the casualties of the Northern Native were extremely heavy. Objectively speaking, for a thousand years, the Empire, with the advantage of weapons and city defenses, on average, for every Imperial soldier who died, seven Native lives were exchanged. For every bag of grain they plundered, twelve able-bodied men had to be left buried in a foreign land. Yet, even so, the Northern Nomads still launched large-scale invasion wars against the Empire annually, at fixed times and places, rain or shine, during specific months.
Why has such an unfavorable exchange ratio business been conducted for a thousand years? Because they came to die!
Even if the Northern Nomads didn't store much food each year, it wasn't impossible to store food. So, when heavy snow sealed the mountains, Danger Beasts hibernated, and livestock were kept in enclosures for winter, women would sew leather clothes, cook food, and care for children in their tents. What would the men, who usually only hunted with their knives and herded on horseback, do? That's right, they could only go kill!
Adult men were undoubtedly the biggest consumers of food. If they spent the entire winter doing nothing in their tents, even ten times the amount of stored food wouldn't be enough for them. Therefore, they could only plunder, or die, to reduce the food consumption of the Northern Nomads.
Just like Tohsaka Rin's training philosophy, men who could plunder food and return alive were undoubtedly the most excellent. Their return to their tribal lands to procreate would make the descendants of the Northern Nomads stronger with each generation, continuing to this day.
Another point worth mentioning is that even though the Northern Nomads lost a large number of people fighting on the Empire's border every year, their population never decreased because they were very fertile. There was once a saying: The level of civilization of a nation can be seen in how they treat women, how they treat children, and how they treat leisure. For a group of burly, rough men, what could they do in their tents on this vast, endless snowy plain after hunting during the day and returning home at night? Make babies, of course. Coupled with the fact that these barbaric Native from beyond the Great Wall didn't know anything about contraception or abortion, they gave birth to every child conceived. If people didn't die, how could this vast snowy plain possibly support them?
Ultimately, the war between the Empire and the Northern Nomads was a war caused by incessant copulation. What a morbid and ridiculous reason for war! As she thought about it, Tohsaka Rin didn't know when she had buried her face in her hands, her forehead furrowed with lines, in a state of mental exhaustion. Only when the scout's knees were numb from kneeling did Tohsaka Rin finally come back to her senses, waving him back to his post to continue reconnoitering.
At this moment, Suzaku, dressed in the standard black battle armor of the Seventh Expeditionary Force, came in through the door carrying a tea tray.
"Big sister, have a cup of hot tea."
"Hmm, thank you, Suzaku."
Taking the freshly brewed, steaming hot black tea, Tohsaka Rin gently blew on it and took a sip before asking Suzaku:
"Is anyone having trouble adjusting since we arrived here?"
"Not yet. Although it's much colder here than in our city, everyone has received Big sister's professional cold-resistance training. Even sleeping naked in the snow is not a problem. As for reactions, most are probably itching to rush out and fight the Native, as everyone has become particularly fond of the thrill of life-and-death struggles under Big sister's guidance."
"I see. Then tell everyone to hold on for a few more days. Once the main force of the Native has fully arrived, we will crush them in one fell swoop. A truly exhilarating battle is not far off."
"Yes, I will relay your words exactly as they are."
At this point, Tohsaka Rin held the teacup in both hands, her gaze sweeping over the form-fitting black battle armor on Suzaku, her eyes sparkling as she admired Suzaku's graceful and charming curves... "Not bad, it suits you well. My judgment was indeed correct."
The battle armor on Suzaku was specially made by Tohsaka Rin using the scales of the Black Qilin, crafted specifically to ensure the absolute safety of her beloved deputy in the extremely dangerous battlefield.
The black knight armor was the standard combat attire of the Seventh Expeditionary Force, its style and design based on a simplified version of Tohsaka Rin's Demon God Dragon Armor: Knight of the Lake. The higher the rank and position, the more similar the armor style was to Tohsaka Rin's. This type of armor would also be the iconic symbol of the future Seventh Expeditionary Force.
Quietly drinking tea with Suzaku, chatting about the current situation of the troops, little Najenda lay asleep on a nearby chair, covered by Tohsaka Rin's cloak. At this moment, Tohsaka Rin's gaze inadvertently swept over the distant snow-capped mountains outside the window, and she suddenly remembered something.
"Suzaku, is this not far from the Morosde Great Snow Mountain?"
"Morosde Great Snow Mountain?"
Suzaku was slightly startled by Tohsaka Rin's sudden question. After recalling the world map of the Northern Region she had memorized, she said:
"That's right, it's less than a hundred kilometers from our Skawag Fortress... Ah! I remember now, isn't the Morosde Great Snow Mountain where the Balutes Tribe's tribal lands are located?!"
At this, Tohsaka Rin replied thoughtfully:
"Hmm."
As she spoke, Suzaku also fell silent. She had just remembered that while Tohsaka Rin was a member of the Balutes Tribe, she was an anomaly within the tribe. As a child, she suffered bullying and endured a weak childhood through hunger and cold. After she came of age, she voluntarily left the snowy mountain tribal lands and came to the Imperial Capital.
Therefore, neither Tohsaka Rin nor the Balutes Tribe had any fond memories of each other.
After a moment of contemplation, Tohsaka Rin suddenly stood up, picked up yatsufusa from the table, and walked towards the door.
"Big sister! Where are you going?!"
"I'm returning to the Balutes Tribe for a trip. You will be in charge of all military affairs for me temporarily."
With that, Tohsaka Rin tossed her Reverse Black Cross medal to the unprepared Suzaku. This unique military emblem, made of Black Qilin precious jade, was equivalent to seeing Tohsaka Rin herself for the soldiers of the Seventh Expeditionary Force.
"If any major unforeseen event occurs that absolutely requires me, send a signal, and I will rush back immediately. At the full speed of the Wind God Winged Dragon, it won't take me more than a minute to return. Also, take good care of Najenda."
As she spoke, Tohsaka Rin had already walked out of the main gate of the fortress's highest command post. The figure of the Wind God Winged Dragon soaring into the sky flashed past the window, and before Suzaku could react to the sudden change, Tohsaka Rin's figure had already disappeared.
"How can this be..."
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