RWNEFE -Chapter 257 Internal Strife Among the Three Tribes!

The foreign tribes had tripwires and war chariots with iron caltrops—and so did they.

They also had formations.

The Great Three Talents Formation was a nested set of linked traps, impenetrable to the outsiders. The Long Snake Formation drove straight into the heart of the three tribes’ generals, with beheading already looming.

As reinforcements from inside the city poured out, the generals of the three tribes’ faces grew increasingly grim.

“Abu Khan, didn’t you say the previous Northern Expeditionary Army had all been withdrawn?”

“Weren’t you saying there weren’t that many troops?”

“What’s going on with these soldiers? Where did they come from?”

More and more of the Northern Garrison troops surged from the city gates, stretching out as far as the eye could see. The shouts from inside the walls shook the heavens. Abu Khan had no doubt—there were countless troops still inside.

“No… impossible. This can’t be. The reports my men brought back clearly said the Northern Expeditionary Army had all left—not a single soldier remained!”

The Tatars, being the weakest of the three allied tribes, were panicking when they saw Shen Lanxi single-handedly charging into their Tatar army and slaughtering their men.

“Abu Khan, today’s losses among our Tatars are all because of you. Your Turks must compensate us for everything we lost today!”

The Persian general was also furious. The Great Zhou army was fighting them like they were the only target, concentrating all its forces against them! Could it be that Abu Khan had secretly coordinated with Great Zhou, intending to wipe out these smaller tribes?

“Abu Khan, did you secretly make some deal with Great Zhou?”

“What benefits did they give you?”

The Tatar general glared at Abu Khan immediately.

“Abu Khan, so it’s you who’ve betrayed our two tribes. No wonder that woman is so formidable. You never mentioned it to us before—that’s why!”

“Abu Khan, you must give us an explanation. Otherwise, don’t blame our two tribes for switching sides and helping Great Zhou destroy your Turks!”

Abu Khan’s head felt ready to explode.

Before the battle, they had already agreed on how to divide the cities of Great Zhou. And now, in less than an hour, his two allies were about to turn on him?

“You are the most precious allies of Great Turkiye. The battle has just begun, the outcome is still undecided, and you already undermine our morale and destroy our prestige? Aren’t you being just a little too cowardly?”

The Persian and Tatar generals cursed angrily. “Morale is everything in war. Once morale is broken, what fight is there left?”

“Abu Khan, you spoke so nicely when asking us to send our troops. Now that you’re losing, you blame us? We really misjudged you!”

“Abu Khan, we’re withdrawing our troops now. If you don’t give a proper explanation, the alliance is dissolved!”

The Turks and Persians were not acting out of spite. Previously, their arguments over dividing Huangtu City had already been tense. In battle, if they were sent forward, they expected fair gains.

The Persians and Tatars were not subordinate to the Turks. They were equal tribes. Abu Khan could not simply act as he wished.

“Quick! Sound the retreat drums!” The Persian general saw his soldiers falling one by one and panicked, shouting the order.

The Tatar general could no longer restrain himself either.

Why was the Great Zhou army specifically targeting Tatar and Persian soldiers? Could it be that they had colluded with Abu Khan in advance?

“Quick! Quick! Sound the retreat drums!”

Having already shown signs of defeat, there was no reason to continue fighting. If they did, more of their men would die.

Abu Khan’s Turkish army was like a pack of hungry wolves—if they weakened, they would be swallowed up, just as they had previously absorbed the Warala tribe.

Seeing his allies preparing to retreat, Abu Khan panicked.

The battle had just begun. The outcome was still uncertain—how could they withdraw?

“They cannot retreat! Their reinforcements are all padding!”

“They recruited all the elderly, children, and women. If we just hold a little longer, we can take the Northwest!”

Abu Khan’s men positioned themselves in front of the two generals.

“Generals, don’t believe me? Look closely—many of the Northern Garrison soldiers are women!” Abu Khan urged frantically.

The Persian and Tatar generals instinctively looked—and indeed saw many female guards.

Just as they were about to believe Abu Khan, someone rushed over with a report.

“General, urgent imperial dispatch—orders you to return to the court with your army immediately.”

Abu Khan’s face changed drastically.

His first thought: the court’s useless princes were trying to seize power from his sister.

No. If his sister lost, not only would her life be in danger, he himself would be expelled from the court.

The Tatar and Persian generals, whose attitudes had shifted earlier, now returned to their original stance.

“General Abu Khan, your court is in trouble. You’d better return quickly. You may take the city here, but you won’t make it back to Turkiye.”

Abu Khan glared viciously in Shen Lanxi’s direction. Just a little longer, and he could vent his anger—make this woman pay.

But Shen Lanxi was already killing so fiercely that no one dared approach!

She shouted at Abu Khan: “Abu Khan, do you want to be a criminal?”

Her ambiguous words caused Abu Khan’s face to change again.

What did she mean?

Shen Lanxi gripped the Companion Star Blade, radiating killing intent!

“Abu Khan, how will you account to the families of the soldiers who died here? They died because of you—you are the criminal of your Turks!”

Abu Khan’s face twisted with rage. Why did she always reflect his own words back at him?

At the same time, he felt a bit relieved. He had thought Shen Lanxi might know what was happening at the court.

Win or lose outside, as long as the Turks remained united internally, they could still scheme another day.

Gritting his teeth, Abu Khan shouted furiously, “I, Abu Khan, will remember you! What is your name?”

Before, he only heard people call her General Shen, only knowing her surname. He had to remember her full name so he wouldn’t take revenge on the wrong person later.

Shen Lanxi sneered and called out: “My surname is Shen. Shen Lanxi—that’s me!”

Abu Khan gritted his teeth: “Fine, I’ll remember you!”

Shen Lanxi: “Make sure you don’t take revenge on the wrong person!”

Abu Khan glared at her, gnashing his teeth, and ordered, “Sound the retreat drums!”

The retreat horns blew one after another.

Abu Khan didn’t even bother having the bodies of the fallen Turkish soldiers collected, hastily returning to the Turkish court.

By Shen Lanxi’s lone fighting prowess, she had driven back the three tribes. The first battle in the Northwest was a resounding victory. From this moment, the Northern Garrison Army had truly established its foothold in the Northwest.

Her name—Shen Lanxi—became renowned across the Northwest because of this battle.

While clearing the battlefield, Xiao Fang asked: “General, what about the bodies of the Turks?”

The bodies of the Tatar and Persian soldiers had been taken away. In war, after a retreat is sounded, it is customary to let the defeated side take their dead. The victors do not interfere.

Delivering the bodies to the families of the deceased has long been a military rule.

“Something serious must have happened among the Turks, or they wouldn’t have left the bodies behind!”

Shen Lanxi looked at Xiao Fang and said: “Bury them ten miles outside Huangtu City. Don’t forget to erect a marker there.”

War is war, enmity is enmity—but on the battlefield, from each side’s perspective, they were all soldiers.