In the main tent of the Northern Barbarians, a suffocating and oppressive atmosphere permeated, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Although the torches around the tent were burning brightly, everyone in the tent could feel a biting chill permeating from all directions, as if even the air had frozen into ice.

Hailanhak, the leader of the tribe, sat in the main seat, bowed his head in thought, as if he was weighing some important decision.

His fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a monotonous and annoying “tapping” sound. The sound echoed in the silent tent, adding a bit of tension.

His face was hidden in the shadows, only his deep eyes occasionally flashed a cold light in the firelight, revealing his inner determination.

Everyone in the tent had different expressions. Some lowered their heads and remained silent, as if waiting for something, while others looked at Hailanhak frequently, with hesitation and uneasiness in their eyes.

Their eyes met from time to time, but no one dared to speak first to break the suffocating silence, as if they were all waiting for a signal.

A middle-aged general in armor finally couldn’t help it. His brows were furrowed, and his eyes were full of anxiety and worry.

He stepped forward, bowed and said, “Sir, General Hailan Jiabo has sent three urgent letters in succession!
According to the letter, his troops have been besieged by the rebels and their food and grass are about to run out. If no more troops are sent to support them, I am afraid…”

“What are you afraid of?” Hailanhak’s voice was low and cold, interrupting the general’s words. He slowly raised his head, his eyes like a knife, piercing the general’s face.

The general was shocked by his gaze, and the rest of his words were stuck in his throat, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He lowered his head and dared not continue speaking, as if he was intimidated by Hailanhak’s momentum.

Seeing this, another young deputy general gritted his teeth and stepped forward: “Sir, no matter how daring General Hailan Jiabo is, he is still a member of my Hailan tribe.

He is fighting alone now. If we stand aside and watch, I am afraid…”

“What are you afraid of?” Hailanhak spoke again, his tone still cold, but with a hint of impatience.

“I’m afraid it will discourage the army!” The deputy general gritted his teeth and finally finished his words.

Although his voice was not loud, it was particularly clear in the silent tent, as if it was sounding an alarm.

Everyone in the tent nodded. Obviously, their thoughts were consistent with the deputy general. They knew the importance of Hailan Jiabo and the chain reaction his predicament might bring.

Although Hailan Jiabo has a bad temper, he has a high prestige in the army and many soldiers are his old subordinates.

If he really doesn’t get support at a critical moment, it will inevitably make other generals and soldiers resentful, which will not only affect the current battle situation, but may also shake the unity and morale of the entire tribe.

But even so, Hailan Jiabo still kept her expression.

His eyes slowly scanned the crowd without any meaningful ripples, and his fingers were still tapping lightly on the table, as if he was thinking about something.

When everyone saw Hailanhak’s expression, they were even more frightened.

Just thinking about how their situation would become precarious after Hailan Jiabo’s defeat.

So after looking around and exchanging an extension with each other, they were ready to speak.

But just as they took a deep breath and prepared themselves mentally, they heard Hailanhak’s loud shout and the sound of an explosion.

“Military morale?” He sneered, his voice low and cold, “Do you think military morale is more important than my orders?”

As soon as these words came out, the whole tent fell silent. Everyone lowered their heads and said nothing, not even daring to breathe.

Hailanhak stood up slowly, his armor flashing coldly in the firelight. His figure was tall and majestic, like an unshakable mountain.

“Of course I have read Hailan Jiabo’s urgent letter.”

His voice was still cold, but it carried an unquestionable majesty. “He was besieged by the rebels because he underestimated the enemy and rushed forward without authorization. His failure was his own fault.”

“But, sir…” The middle-aged general couldn’t help but speak, but was silenced by Hailanhak’s cold eyes.

“Nothing but!”

Hailanhak’s voice suddenly rose, with an aura of majesty without anger, “The Northern Barbarians’ army is here to conquer the world, not to save an incompetent general!

If we expose our main forces to the rebels in order to save him, do you know how serious the consequences will be?”

When Hailanhak finished speaking, everyone lowered their heads and dared not make any rebuttal.

“Unity?”

Hailanhak’s voice was low and cold, mixed with a hint of contempt, as if he knew everyone’s thoughts very well, “Do you really think I don’t know what you think? It’s nothing more than that you think that under the current situation, the Hailan tribe should unite as one to fight against foreign enemies together.”

He paused, his eyes slowly swept across everyone’s face, his tone revealed a chilling coldness: “But don’t forget, the enemy we are facing is not only Chagan Wuli, but also that powerful rebel army!”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the tent felt a shock, as if they had been hit hard on the head, and the color on their faces quickly disappeared.

They looked at each other, but no one dared to stand up and raise any objections.

Hailanhak’s eyes were as sharp as an eagle’s. He continued, “Chagan Wuli, that was just a dispute among our northern barbarians. Victory or defeat is just a change of power among the tribes.”

“But the rebels… they are the common enemy of the entire Northern Barbarians! Their existence threatens the survival of all of us!”

His words were heavy and powerful, like a hammer, hitting everyone’s heart hard.

The generals lowered their heads one after another, with complex emotions in their eyes.

They wanted to open their mouths to defend themselves, but found that they could not find any reasons to refute.

The atmosphere in the tent became increasingly heavy, and the generals’ faces turned pale, and they lowered their heads and dared not speak. Their eyes wandered between each other, trying to find an excuse to break the deadlock, but reality blocked their mouths.

“how?”

Hailanhak sneered, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone, “You’re not talking now? Weren’t you all eager for me to send troops to rescue people just now? Why, are you afraid now?”

He swept his eyes over the crowd, his eyes revealing a hint of contempt: “What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of taking responsibility for failure, or are you afraid of being branded as someone who ignores the overall situation?”

The generals’ faces became increasingly ugly, but still no one dared to speak.

Their silence was just as Hailanhak had expected; it was not that these people did not care about Hailan Jiabo’s life or death, but that they did not dare to take the risk.

Whether sending troops or keeping them in place, there is a huge risk involved, and no one is willing to take such a risk.

Hailanhak lowered his head and glanced at everyone, the corners of his mouth slightly raised in a sneer.

There was a hint of mockery in his eyes, as if he was looking at a group of ignorant lambs. After all, only a few people knew about the plan he and Hu Yanhuan had made from the beginning to the end, and he was the only one in the entire Hailan tribe who knew about it.

Therefore, he was not surprised that the generals reacted in this way.

But he also understood that besides the Hailan tribe, there was a more important reason why these people were so anxious, and that was Hailan Hake.

He glanced at everyone, his face still maintaining a grim expression. However, his heart was not as calm as it appeared.

These people… ” Hailanhak sneered in his heart, “They are all eager to plead for Hailan Jiabo, which is ridiculous. Do you think I can’t see what you are thinking?”

His gaze narrowed slightly, and a hint of coldness flashed across his eyes, “These people are more or less related to Hailan Jiabo.

In the past, this was nothing, after all, Hailan Jiabo represented my will. But now…”

Thinking of this, a complex emotion surged in his heart.

Hailan Jiabo was once one of his most trusted generals, but all of this is now a thing of the past.

He would never allow someone who had ulterior motives towards him to have such a great influence on his tribe, absolutely not.

Thinking of this, he slowly stood up, the armor on his body flickering with a cold light in the firelight.

His figure was tall and majestic, like a ferocious beast overlooking all living things.

“I know that many of you have been taken care of by Hailan Jiabo to some extent on a daily basis.”

Hailanhak’s voice was low and slow, with an unquestionable majesty, “But you must remember who is the real master of the Hailan tribe!”

His words were like a sharp sword, piercing everyone’s hearts. All the generals lowered their heads, not daring to look him in the eye.

They knew in their hearts that Hailanhak’s words were not only a warning to them, but also a warning to them – no matter how close they had been with Hailan Jiabo, there was only one highest authority in the Hailan tribe, and that was Hailanhak.

“In the past, I might have tolerated your stupidity.”

His voice was low and cold, with an air of authority that came from not being angry. “But now, I am the only one who has the final say in the Hailan tribe!”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone seemed to have their secrets revealed, and the calmness on their faces had already turned into deep fear.

Now these generals were trembling all over, their lips slightly open, but they could only open slightly.

Looking at the reactions of the crowd, Hailanhak’s expression finally showed a slight fluctuation.

He sat back at the table, picked up the wine jug on the table, slowly poured a glass of wine, took a sip, and there was a deep light in his eyes.

“Besides…” He put down his wine glass, his tone became low and meaningful, “Do you think I will really let Hailan Jiabo be captured?”

When these words came out, everyone was stunned, and they all raised their heads to look at Hailanhak with confusion in their eyes.

“Could it be that… Your Excellency has already made some arrangements?” an elderly general asked tentatively, with a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

Hailanhak glanced at him coldly, with a sarcastic smile on his face: “You guys, do you really think I will let Hailan Jiabo fall into the hands of the enemy?
Or do you think I would easily expose our main force for Hailan Jiabo?”

His eyes were sharp and cold, as if he could see through everyone’s hearts.

He slowly stood up, walked to the table, looked down at the generals, and his tone was full of unquestionable majesty: “Chagan Wuliguo is a group of rabble, they besieged Hailan Jiabo just to force us to send troops so that they can set up an ambush.

If we rush out rashly, we will just fall into their trap.”

But if we don’t send troops, General Hailan Jiabo…” The young deputy general finally couldn’t help but speak, with a hint of urgency in his tone.

However, before he could finish his words, Hailanhak raised his hand to interrupt him.

“Shut up!” Hailanhak’s voice was as sharp as a knife, instantly cutting off the deputy general’s words.

He stared coldly at the deputy general, as if warning him not to say anything more.

The deputy general was frightened by his gaze and immediately lowered his head, not daring to speak again.

But his face still showed reluctance and worry, and he was obviously worried about Hailan Jiabo’s safety.

Hailanhak looked at the deputy general’s reaction, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a sneer: “Do you think I will leave Hailan Jiabo isolated and helpless? Do you think I will let him be captured by Chagan Wuli like this?”

He turned around slowly, his eyes deep and cold: “I have already sent people to his base secretly, bringing enough food and reinforcements for him.

His mission is not to ask for help, but to delay Chagan Uli’s main force and buy time for our next plan.”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the tent suddenly understood.

They all lowered their heads with complicated expressions on their faces, a mixture of awe for Hailanhak’s foresight and shame for their previous doubts.

“It turns out that my Lord has already made arrangements…” the older general whispered, with a hint of admiration in his tone.

“Arrange?” Hailanhak sneered, with a hint of mockery in his eyes, “Don’t you people understand? From the beginning, this war was not for saving people, but for victory!”

His voice was low and powerful, as if it sounded a warning bell in everyone’s heart.

“Hilan Jiabo’s failure was the result of his underestimation of the enemy and his reckless advance, but this does not mean that he is completely useless.”

His tone was low and indifferent, as if he was stating a cold fact, “His presence can buy us time and contain Chagan Uli’s main force.

All we have to do is wait quietly until the moment when the rebels show a flaw.”

“But…” a general said cautiously, “If the rebels really break through Hailan Jiabo’s defense line, will it affect our overall situation?”

“will not.”

Hailanhak said decisively, with a firm tone in his voice, “The reinforcements I sent are enough to support him for a while, and Chagan Uli’s goal is just to force us to send troops.

They do not have enough power to completely annihilate Hailan Jiabo.”

He paused, his eyes showing a hint of coldness: “What’s more, even if Hailan Jiabo really fails, for us, it’s just one less chess piece.”

(End of this chapter)