178: Chapter 178 Belief in Wisdom

The God of Winter seemed not to have dissipated its anger yet, as the blizzard continued to ravage a large area of land southwest of the Pioneer Territory.

Given signs that the blizzard was intensifying, Lister ordered all Serfs within the territory not to go out unless necessary.

This was done firstly for the safety of the Serfs, and secondly to prepare for the offensive tribal forces.

As for winter supplies, the Serfs had already made preparations during the initial construction of the territory, and at the same time, Lister had distributed a large amount of supplies, so the Serfs could stay at home safely.

Early in the morning, braving the fierce blizzard, Lister led Red and the other knights on a swift ride toward the southwestern border of the territory.

After several days of the blizzard raging, deep snow had already accumulated on the ground; the moment the horses stepped down, they were completely covered, leaving only their bodies visible.

From a distance, it looked as if the horses were swimming on the surface of the snow, with heroic men clad in full plate armor riding on top of them.

After traveling for twice the usual time, the group finally arrived at the southwestern border of the territory.

Looking out, there was a vast plain with a buffer zone several hundred meters wide between it and the Iron Thorn Territory Branch, with various small forests standing crisscrossed on the plain, blocking most of the view.

According to the map of the Western Frontier Territory in Lister's hand, opposite them was the White Cat-Ear Tribe, which was closest to the Iron Thorn Territory Branch, and their tribe was located somewhere in the center of the crisscrossing forests.

To the left of the White Cat-Ear Tribe, which was near the southwestern end of the Tianping Mountain Range, was the habitat of the Shadow Leopard Tribe, and further past that boundary was the Giant Elephant Tribe.

Crossing past the White Cat-Ear Tribe and continuing forward, after passing another huge buffer zone, was the habitat of the Black Wolf Tribe.

The Black Wolf Tribe bordered the Shadow Leopard Tribe, and the Shadow Leopard Tribe bordered the Giant Elephant Tribe; the only territory that bordered all three in the middle was the most powerful Flame Tiger Tribe.

Every winter, the Flame Tiger Tribe would send troops to harass the three tribes, both to plunder winter supplies and to exert a strong sense of deterrence.

Therefore, although the Black Wolf, Shadow Leopard, and Giant Elephant Tribes had deep conflicts among themselves, because of the existence of the Flame Tiger Tribe, their disputes were usually not particularly large most of the time.

There was even a tacit understanding among the three of them to jointly resist the Flame Tiger Tribe, though it was never spoken aloud.

However, during this period, because the Flame Tiger Tribe was attacking the Frost Lion Tribe, all three of them were spending the winter happily.

Of course, while spending the winter happily, they did not forget to bully their weak neighbors, and their purpose was no different from that of the Flame Tiger Tribe.

Among them, except for the Giant Elephant Tribe which was separated by territory, the Shadow Leopard and Black Wolf Tribes were happily bullying the increasingly weak White Cat-Ear Tribe.

However, because the Shadow Leopard Tribe had other tribes and the Pioneering Lord's forces to the south, and was adjacent to the Tianping Mountain Range, their harassment of the White Cat-Ear Tribe was only superficial.

The Black Wolf Tribe, on the other hand, because the tribal forces in the other directions around them were not strong, and the Flame Tiger Tribe was preoccupied, their attacks on the White Cat-Ear Tribe were quite fierce.

Although it was already deep winter and, by all logic, not suitable for warfare, the Black Wolf Tribe was not prepared to let go of this good opportunity to severely damage or even wipe out the White Cat-Ear Tribe in one fell swoop.

The White Cat-Ear Tribe, whose situation was getting worse and worse, had also thought about asking for help from the tribal forces to the north, but unfortunately, they were all afraid of the Black Wolf Tribe and dared not have any thoughts of providing aid.

"Heh, it really is worthy of being a force that has been fighting each other outside the Western Frontier for so many years, yet remains so loosely organized and in such a terrible state."

"Don't they realize that if the White Cat-Ear Tribe is breached, the next one in line will be them!"

Inside the temporarily erected tent, Lister, sitting on a fur blanket, looked at the intelligence gathered by the Special Operations Department, his calm face revealing a trace of disdain.

According to the intelligence, although the Black Wolf Tribe was very strong, if the several tribal forces to the north of the White Cat-Ear Tribe were willing to send troops to help, their combined strength would definitely be much stronger than the Black Wolf Tribe, and by then, the Black Wolf Tribe would have no choice but to retreat obediently.

Unfortunately, the leaders of these tribal forces were all cowardly and short-sighted, completely unable to realize the benefits that an alliance could bring.

Red, Spartacus, Sejin, and Aier, who were sitting around the fire, all nodded in agreement.

This simple truth was something that not only the few people present understood, but even the knights under their command would certainly understand.

Putting down his teacup, Red pointed his finger at the large map spread on the ground and suggested: "Lord Lister, since these tribal forces dare not send troops to help, why don't we cooperate with the White Cat-Ear Tribe?"

Seeing the eyes of the few people looking at him, he continued: "The object of our attack this time is the Black Wolf Tribe, but to attack them, we must pass through the White Cat-Ear Tribe."

"One method is to pass through the buffer zone between the White Cat-Ear Tribe and the northern tribal forces, but the journey would be quite long."

"And since it is now mid-winter and the blizzard does not know when it will stop, this method is time-consuming and laborious, which is not conducive to our battle with the Black Wolf Tribe."

"The second method is to pass directly through the middle of the White Cat-Ear Tribe; this way, we can reach the border area of the Black Wolf Tribe the fastest."

"But we have had no interaction with the White Cat-Ear Tribe before, so passing through their territory rashly will definitely be obstructed, or even treated as an enemy and attacked directly."

"However, their situation is very bad now. If we propose to cooperate with them and promise to send troops to help them repel the Black Wolf Tribe, they will most likely agree. After all, this way they can not only protect themselves but also establish a good relationship with us."

"As far as I know, many of these tribal forces have always wanted to establish a connection with our Pioneer Territory."

"Moreover, the Cat-Ear people are naturally averse to war and will definitely not look for another enemy for themselves. With their wisdom, they will certainly be able to see the benefits of cooperating with us."

"Red's analysis is very on point." Lister's face showed appreciation, and he said sternly: "Since we have no conflict with the White Cat-Ear Tribe, there is naturally no need to take a detour to attack the Black Wolf Tribe."

"After all, our purpose in attacking the Black Wolf Tribe is not to completely destroy them, but to use it as a reason to refuse the military conscription of Count Theodore Ferdinand."

"Therefore, being able to attack when we want and retreat when we want is the most important thing. This requires not only good attack and retreat routes but also safe and fast logistical support routes."

"All of these aspects can be fully satisfied by establishing cooperation with the White Cat-Ear Tribe."

"To put it even more bluntly, if we want to wipe out the Black Wolf Tribe in the future, this attack route through the White Cat-Ear Tribe will also be extremely important."

"And as a force standing between us and the Black Wolf Tribe, the White Cat-Ear Tribe can also serve as a buffer zone for the war."

Having said this, Lister paused slightly and took a sip of the hot milk in his cup.

As for the bluntness of his last sentence, no one felt the slightest impropriety; after all, this was reality.

If their Western Frontier Pioneer Territory could serve as a war buffer zone for the Pedan Kingdom, why couldn't the White Cat-Ear Tribe do the same?

Lister continued: "Besides this, after repelling the Black Wolf Tribe, we can also use our cooperation with the White Cat-Ear Tribe to engage in commercial and other exchanges."

"So, from any perspective, establishing cooperation with the White Cat-Ear Tribe is necessary."

"Of course, if they lack the wisdom and are unwilling to establish cooperation with us, then we don't need to be too polite to them."

Hearing the slightly cold and stern tone of Lister, everyone felt a shiver in their hearts, feeling both awe for him and admiration for his growing lordly majesty.

Not long after the action meeting ended, Red and Sejin, along with several knights, quickly disappeared into the temporarily erected station amidst the blizzard.

White Cat-Ear Tribe.

Although they were all tribal forces, the residences of the White Cat-Ear Tribe were not in the form of tents, but a town of considerable scale built beside a lake.

On the outskirts of the town, a long stone wall had been built, and every certain distance, there were Soldiers on patrol and guard.

The overall construction style was no different from that of human kingdoms, which was the result of their long-term study of human kingdom knowledge.

In the center of the tribe, inside the leader's residence built of black refined stone, the atmosphere at this moment was no longer the relaxed and peaceful one of the past, but filled with oppression and gravity.

A dozen figures dressed in the special armor of the White Cat-Ear Tribe stood around a large sand table, occasionally engaging in intense discussion.

Each of them looked almost the same as ordinary humans, but their faces were very handsome and young, and they had a pair of furry long white cat ears.

"Leader, the Black Wolf Tribe's offensive is too fierce. The garrison on the border line is becoming increasingly difficult to hold. I'm afraid if this continues — — — —"

Among the crowd, a White Cat-Ear man with a heroic face and a burly figure spoke with an urgent tone, explaining the situation on the front line, but he did not finish his sentence.

Yet everyone heard what he meant, and their faces were filled with resentment, frustration, and other expressions.

"Commander Porter, is there really no way to resist?"

The young man leading the crowd asked with a heavy tone.

His appearance was even more handsome than those present, and his figure also appeared somewhat lean; at first glance, one might think he was a pretty boy.

But the intangible pressure emanating from his whole body indicated his extraordinary strength, and he was the leader of the White Cat-Ear Tribe, Lim Carter.

Porter's eyes were dim and dull as he replied: "Leader, now we cannot repel the Black Wolf Tribe on our own; we must rely on external support."

"Heh, external support — — — —" Lim gave a self-deprecating smile and said: "If there were external support, why would we need to waste our breath here?"

"Those tribal forces in the north are all scared of the Black Wolf Tribe to the bone; they have refused every time we asked for help."

"If we are broken, what good can it do them!"

The cruel words echoed in everyone's ears, and the look of pain surged onto everyone's faces again.

Previously, even without external aid, they could resist the Black Wolf Tribe relying on their own strength.

But later, after being continuously weakened by the Black Wolf Tribe and the Shadow Leopard Tribe, their fighting strength became less and less, and they were no longer able to resist the Black Wolf Tribe alone.

Moreover, the location of their White Cat-Ear Tribe was an extremely awkward one; to the west and south were enemies who had always dreamed of eating them.

To the east and north were the Pedan Kingdom's Pioneer Territory and tribal forces, respectively. The former had just had a new lord arrive not long ago, and it was unclear what his attitude toward them was.

The latter's relationship with them could not be said to be bad, but it was not good either; in times of crisis, they would not help, as was the case this time.

It could be said that their White Cat-Ear Tribe was surviving in the cracks, and they didn't even know where to run if they wanted to.

"Is the White Cat-Ear Tribe really going to perish in my hands?"

Just as Lim's sorrowful sigh ended, a soft, bell-like girl's voice came from outside the room.

"Brother, the White Cat-Ear Tribe will absolutely not perish in your hands. You must cheer up."

"Natia, why are you here?"

Looking at the beautiful girl walking quickly into the room, Lim looked surprised.

Natia bowed slightly to the crowd, and then retorted: "If I didn't come, brother, wouldn't your negative emotions affect everyone?"

"— — — —" Lim did not know how to respond for a moment.

Natia continued: "Since those tribal forces in the north are unwilling to help us, why don't we ask for help from the Pedan Kingdom's Pioneering Lord in the east?"

"Pioneering Lord?"

Everyone was stunned, looking at each other, and all of them revealed expressions of disdain in their eyes.

Lim said: "Natia, you should know that those Pioneering Lords are abandoned children of their respective families, and almost all of them are playboys."

"Not to mention whether they have the ability, even whether they dare to help is a question."

"Besides, we have never had any interaction with them. Maybe they are waiting for our White Cat-Ear Tribe to perish so they can get a piece of the pie."

Everyone nodded in agreement, only Natia scolded: "Hmph, you said before that those tribal forces in the north were short-sighted, but I think you are the one who is short-sighted."

"— — — —"

Although she scolded him, everyone, including Lim, could not find words to refute.

One reason was Natia's status, and Lim loved her very much; the other was because she had shown extraordinary wisdom since she was a child, making everyone in the White Cat-Ear Tribe very convinced and admiring.

If she didn't dislike being bothered by all kinds of trouble every day, the leader of the White Cat-Ear Tribe would have to be changed to her now.

Unlike most other tribes, the White Cat-Ear Tribe believed in the Moon Cat God, who was famous for wisdom.

It is said that the wisdom of the Moon Cat God could affect the wisdom lines of life throughout the world, and the power of the god was no less than that of the Goddess of Wisdom.

Therefore, the White Cat-Ear Tribe firmly believed that only a person of extraordinary wisdom could lead the tribe to eternal prosperity, and all extraordinary power served wisdom.

Seeing everyone silent, Natia's tone softened: "Brother, let's talk about some things later. Now, let's all go with me to see the messenger from the Iron Thorn Territory Branch."

"What, someone has come from the Pioneer Territory!"