Ti Meis son Ti Mei paced restlessly by the fire.
The bonfire illuminated his gloomy face.
Wildlings sent to scout the situation towards Deep Valley City were dispatched again and again.
But the news they brought back was always the same.
"Ti Meis son Ti Mei!" a wildling reported cautiously,
afraid of enraging this terrifying Red Hand.
Ti Meis son Ti Mei abruptly stopped, his voice hoarse: "Three hundred men, they really only have three hundred men?"
The wildling swallowed: "Yes, Ti Meis son Ti Mei!"
"Only a few hundred! Even... even those soldiers look listless!"
"They are all guarding the spoils we left behind!"
"Ti Meis son Ti Mei, could this be a trick by the Plainsmen?" another older wildling asked, shaking his head as he approached. "How could three hundred men hunt us down!"
"This time we suffered heavy losses; almost all tribes lost more than half of their warriors." Ti Meis son Ti Mei looked in the direction of Deep Valley City, a fierce glint in his eyes. "Some tribes were even completely wiped out!"
He growled, his teeth grinding. "I cannot return to High Mountain so shamefully. What will the Burning Tribe people think of me? How will other tribes mock me?"
Ti Meis son Ti Mei gritted his teeth:
"That Plainsman war leader called Lord Arthur, he ruined me and everything of the High Mountain Clan!"
"I want his head! I want to take his head back to High Mountain!"
"And take back everything we left under the stone city walls!"
"Only then can we wash away our shame, reduce our losses, and make our tribesmen revere me again!"
He surveyed the remaining tribal chiefs and warriors around him; most of them had fatigue and bewilderment in their eyes.
But some were rekindled with the flame of vengeance by his words.
"Gather all warriors who can still fight!" Ti Meis son Ti Mei ordered. "We will go outside Deep Valley City and cut off that Arthur's head!"
"They will never expect us to return!"
"With his blood and head, we will console the sacrifices of our tribesmen!"
His voice echoed in the cold night wind,
carrying a hint of madness and desperate rage.
——————
Inside the Lord's Hall of Deep Valley City.
"What! You want to borrow troops from me to pursue the wildlings!!" Lord Lofo Deep Valley's mouth dropped open in shock,
looking at the young man in front of him, who was two years younger than his own son.
"Yes, Lord Lofo," Lord Arthur ignored Lofo Deep Valley's astonishment.
"My soldiers, since the first battle, have fought seventeen battles, big and small, winning every single one, never suffering a defeat!"
"Now is the time for their sharpest morale!"
"Moreover, the wildlings certainly won't expect us to attack proactively, which will have the effect of a surprise assault."
Lord Arthur had already learned about the wildlings' situation from the people sent by Bronn.
Although he didn't know why the wildlings had gone from six hundred to only three hundred.
But if he could borrow troops,
he was confident he could keep all the wildlings in the Riverlands.
His reputation would be thoroughly established.
By then,
he would become one of the famous generals of the Riverlands.
After a few years,
he could at least transform from a piece on the chessboard
into a chess piece on the chessboard.
Lord Lofo stared at Lord Arthur,
trying to discern even a trace of hesitation or lack of confidence on his young face.
However, he only saw confidence and seriousness,
and a kind of inexplicable pressure that he felt.
On this sixteen-year-old boy!
"I will not send troops," Lord Lofo said stiffly. "My soldiers need rest, and Deep Valley City needs defense."
"Lord Arthur!" Smallwood's voice carried suppressed anger. "You demand my father send troops?"
"You destroyed all of my family's territory!"
"All the common folk were moved to your own land!"
"Everywhere is ashes! Everywhere is damned floods!"
"And you say nothing about the things plundered by those wildlings!"
"Now you still dare to demand we send troops!"
The atmosphere solidified.
But this was also the issue Lord Lofo wanted to say but found it hard to Opening.
He always felt that speaking to Lord Arthur somehow lowered his status.
Although their two families were both vassals,
one was from a remote, impoverished area, without even family soldiers, at most able to mobilize a dozen levied soldiers.
The other was a family with fertile land, a large population, capable of mobilizing two hundred levied soldiers, and even maintaining seven knights.
If not for this war, he wouldn't even be qualified to sit across from him!
And now, his territory was completely destroyed by this young man.
Even the population was taken away.
Their statuses would be reversed in the future.
What was even more hateful was that he had taken the spoils he had recovered from the wildlings.
He could take half!
But he even gave the other half to the commoners.
Those were things that should have been returned to the Deep Valley family!
The spoils left by the wildlings when they retreated outside the city were also immediately impounded by this young man.
To this day, there has been no mention of returning them!
And the population taken away!
Lord Arthur sat calmly in the guest seat,
frowning slightly that Lord Lofo did not stop his son's insolence.
"Lord Lofo, the villages I burned were to prevent the wildlings from leaving any supplies."
"I flooded them to save your family and relieve the siege of Deep Valley City."
"As for the spoils, they were obtained by my soldiers through fighting to save your family, and they rightfully belong to them."
"Lord Lofo, if not for my soldiers being here!"
"The one sitting here talking to you right now would probably be Ti Meis son Ti Mei!"
"You can consider reasoning with him!"
Lord Lofo was speechless for a moment.
He had to admit that what this young man said was true.
After the siege ended, he quickly sent people to check the situation of his territory.
And he knew that
if Lord Arthur had not been contending with the wildlings outside, Deep Valley City would probably have fallen long ago.
But he still could not accept his territory being so encroached upon and destroyed.
At the very least, Lord Arthur must collect the other half of the spoils from his soldiers and return them,
and send back the population.
"Lord Arthur!" Smallwood became more agitated when Lord Arthur didn't respond. "That's not your reason for robbing my family's property without permission!"
His voice was loud, and at this moment, it sounded particularly harsh.
Lucien, Hakon, and Lord Arthur's soldiers all put their hands on their sword hilts! Glaring at Smallwood!
Lord Lofo's face changed, and he quickly reprimanded: "He Luo! Silence! Do not be rude!"
The accusation of robbery cannot be casually thrown around!
But Lord Arthur did not react and did not look at He Luo.
He looked directly at Lord Lofo and said:
"I can return half of the spoils obtained outside the city."
"But I need Lord Lofo to do one thing!"
"What do you want me to do?" Lord Lofo asked warily.
"I need you to send people to create the illusion that my main force is still in the camp outside Deep Valley City," Lord Arthur stated his demand. "Maintain it for at least a few days, until I deal with those wildlings!"
Lord Lofo could hardly believe his ears.
This young man really wants to completely eliminate the wildlings!
Lord Lofo was silent for a long time: "Alright!"
Lord Arthur stood up. "Thank you for your cooperation, Lord Lofo."
Smallwood, scolded by his father, became even angrier: "Lord Arthur!"
"You must return everything you stole from my family's land!"
"Your family is nothing but dung..."
His words were cut short.
Lord Arthur kicked over the table!
He took a stride to Smallwood's side.
And knocked him down with a punch.
Then he grabbed Smallwood's hair, pulling him up from the ground with brute force.
Smallwood's feet left the ground, his face contorted with pain and shock.
The Deep Valley City guards who tried to step forward were body-checked by Lord Arthur's soldiers.
Lord Arthur's soldiers did not draw their swords.
Just by their close-quarters presence, like roosters in a fight,
they intimidated the Deep Valley City soldiers with their aura.
One by one, they lowered their heads, not daring to draw their swords.
Forced to retreat.
Lord Arthur's other hand drew a dagger from his waist.
He pressed the blade of the dagger tightly against Smallwood's face, which was flushed red with fear.
He kept rubbing it against his face.
The cold touch instantly stiffened Smallwood's body.
"What should you call me?" Lord Arthur's voice was very soft.
The dagger's blade gently rubbed against Smallwood's face.
Then it moved to his mouth.
Prying open his teeth.
And inserted itself.
"What should you call me?" Lord Arthur's tone showed no change.
Smallwood looked at this person, who was even younger than himself.
He hadn't considered the other party a noble inheriting a title,
so he had always addressed him by his given name.
He hadn't expected the other party to dare to do this.
His body dared not tremble, but the dagger's blade was shaking constantly from being bitten between his teeth.
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead, dripping into his eyes, stinging them so he couldn't open them.
He wanted to say Arthur or curse the other party as Lord Dung.
But what came out was...
"Su... Su... Lord Arthur..." His voice was already tearful. "I... I'm very sorry..."
"Please... please... forgive me."
Lord Arthur did not withdraw the dagger, but his eyes were no longer looking at Smallwood.
"Say it again."
Instead, he looked at Lord Lofo Deep Valley, the Lord of Deep Valley City.
"Su... Su... Lord Arthur..." Tears of fear streamed down his cheeks. "I... I'm very sorry..."
"Please forgive me."
Lord Lofo Deep Valley finally stood up:
"Lord Arthur!"
"Deep Valley City does not welcome you!"
"Take your people and leave!!!"
Lord Arthur withdrew his dagger.
He looked directly at Lord Lofo Deep Valley.
Stepped back three paces.
Sheathed his dagger.
And turned to leave.
All in one fluid motion.
All the soldiers looked fierce.
Following closely behind him.