453: Chapter 453 The Bird-like Elder of Hongwen

Xiao Zhuang watched all of this with a cold gaze.

In his view, the Shule Tribe's suffering under the bombardment was entirely their own fault and deserved no sympathy.

If the Shule Tribe had not targeted the Great Qin Merchant Caravan and trampled upon the dignity of Great Qin, why would Great Qin have launched such a ruthless bombardment against them with mortars?

All of this was undoubtedly the bitter fruit planted by the Shule Tribe themselves; they were now merely reaping what they had sown.

Looking at the completely demolished and unrecognizable Golden Grand Tent of the Shule Tribe, Xiao Zhuang slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on Hei Di as he said, "Governor Hei Di, you may order the general offensive against the Shule Tribe!"

"At your command!"

Hei Di cupped his fists with a solemn expression, his voice ringing out with power and conviction.

Daring not to delay for a moment, he immediately sent out several knights to notify the troops to attack.

The knights leaped onto their horses, clamped their legs against the horses' flanks, and galloped off into the distance, their hooves kicking up trails of dust.

Xiao Zhuang turned his gaze back to Hei Di and asked, "Do you know how to say 'surrender and be spared' in the Shule language?"

Upon hearing this, Hei Di respectfully informed Xiao Zhuang of the phrase the Shule people used for "surrender and be spared."

"Mm."

Xiao Zhuang nodded in satisfaction, then turned and carefully taught the phrase to every member of the Black Dragon Special Forces Brigade, ensuring they mastered it and that every syllable was clear and accurate.

Zhao Fusu had previously instructed Xiao Zhuang to minimize the killing as much as possible.

On one hand, it was to avoid excessive bloodshed; on the other, it was to secure a sufficient labor force.

He needed people to mine.

Mining was inherently dangerous and grueling work; having these captives do it would allow them to reform their thinking through labor, recognize the majesty of Great Qin, and contribute to Great Qin's development.

For those captives who truly wished to integrate into Great Qin and performed well in their labor, Great Qin might consider showing mercy in the future, sparing them and giving them a chance to start anew.

But for those stubborn elements who were determined to oppose Great Qin to the end, they would simply have to mine coal until they died, paying the price for their obstinacy and stupidity.

Pingshan Lake

The Shule Tribe's Great Elder, Niao Rong, was now like a ferocious beast that had been completely enraged and lost all reason, his eyes turning blood-red from the slaughter.

Regardless of the consequences, he frantically conscripted the tribe's warriors, launching wave after wave of reckless charges against the Great Qin Merchant Caravan led by Wei Zheng.

Due to prolonged exhaustion, Wei Zheng's eyes were covered in a fine web of bloodshot veins.

The revolvers in the hands of the caravan guards had run out of bullets.

Fortunately, Wei Zheng had anticipated this moment long ago.

Therefore, he had people collect many of the arrows fired by the Shule Tribe's archers and the bows they had dropped on the battlefield.

Wei Zheng still had a batch of Grenades in his possession, and his eyes flickered with a calculating light.

Standing behind the tribal warriors, Great Elder Niao Rong looked down from his vantage point and saw that the Great Qin Merchant Caravan guards were no longer counterattacking with revolvers, but were instead drawing bows and arrows; a look of overwhelming joy instantly bloomed on his face.

He was as excited as if he had hit the jackpot, frantically waving his shimmering scimitar and screaming at the top of his lungs, his voice sounding particularly sharp and piercing amidst the howling sandstorm.

"Warriors, the enemy is out of bullets!"

"Charge!"

"Charge for me!"

Great Elder Niao Rong's voice had become exceptionally hoarse due to extreme excitement, as if it had been harshly ground by sandpaper,

Great Elder Niao Rong's voice had become exceptionally hoarse due to extreme excitement.

Upon hearing the Great Elder's instigating and seductive shouts, the morale of the Shule Tribe's warriors soared, and they swarmed toward the Great Qin Merchant Caravan like a tidal wave, letting out deafening battle cries.