108 Grass Law
When large-scale tribes gather, food is the biggest concern.
In order to bring everyone together, there were also tribes that moved from far away. Such tribes had to consume more food than usual during their busy travels.
It’s because they don’t have enough time to graze their livestock, and they spend less time on hunting that could otherwise be spent on moving.
If you ignore such circumstances, dissatisfaction will come out here and there.
In the end, the warriors of the smallest tribe and a hundred ‘Howling Wind’ warriors decided to sack nearby villages to secure food.
But the warriors who plundered did not return.
Even if it takes time to bring the women and livestock, I thought it would arrive by noon today, but it doesn’t come.
The Red Hawk Chief looked at the rising sun.
My heart was beating strangely.
Now that I think about it, I think it was like that on the day Goruka’s father, son-in-law, died.
‘It shouldn’t be anything special.’
The Red Hawk chief tried to calm his throbbing heart and moved on.
Today, a tribal chiefs’ meeting is held in the tent of the Blackrock tribe.
From now on, which village will be plundered from which tribe, and how much warriors will be paid.
‘I have to reduce the number of outgoing warriors, even if the situation gets a little worse.’
The Red Hawk Chief sighed melancholy.
Under normal circumstances, most warriors between the ages of 15 and 45 will plunder.
Other men, too young, too old, or incapacitated, remained in the tribal dwelling to look after the women and livestock.
The older women throw their bodies as bait to protect the young women and children in the event of a wolf or enemy invasion.
Under normal circumstances, there would have been no problem in protecting the family at the place of residence.
But this time there are other tribal dwellings and men in the immediate vicinity.
There were some tribes with some level of exchange, but there were also unfamiliar places. You don’t know what will happen after all the warriors go out.
Especially Black Rock or Howling Wind was a wild and greedy tribe.
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Due to its size, the number of remaining men was naturally large.
Red hawks and other small tribal women may do anything if they are nearby.
Even if the location is narrowed, it would be better to slightly increase the number of remaining warriors in the residence.
When the Red Hawk Chief entered the large tent prepared by the Black Rock Chief, all the other tribes were already there.
The howling wind chieftain had brought a small man with him. The atmosphere is somehow nasty.
As the Red Hawk Chief sat down, the Black Rock Chief opened his mouth.
“Now that everyone is here, let’s begin.”
The Chieftain of the Howling Winds nodded to the little man.
The man sitting behind the Roaring Wind Chief leaned forward and opened his mouth.
“This morning, those who went out didn’t come back, so a few people went out to search. While we were going to the plundered city, we found their traces in half a day’s distance.”
The man twisted his face.
“They were all dead. They were eaten by wolves, and they had to be identified by their clothes, shoes and arrows. But almost all of them were dead. Not a single one was alive.”
“What are you talking about!”
“Nonsense nonsense.”
“Something must be wrong. Didn’t you see an illusion?”
Each of the chiefs said a word, but the little man shook his head.
“I’m sure. There’s no doubt from the bloodstains, clothes, and arrows left. All the warriors who went out to plunder were dead. There were no horses, so it must have been someone who dragged them all away.”
“whoever!”
“Couldn’t it be…wouldn’t they have started plundering the tribe somewhere else?”
“No, that’s not it. The two biggest tribes in the steppe are here, and there’s nowhere to turn them against.”
“But wouldn’t the cowards of the empire have done that?”
While listening to the chieftains’ words, the Red Hawk Chief suddenly remembered Goruka’s face.
If he had been here, he would have been able to get some information.
“Are there any tribes that can contact merchants?”
When the Red Hawk chief asked, the chief in the corner frowned.
“A merchant visited our tribe a while ago. But there was no news.”
The Blackrock Chief, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.
“It doesn’t matter who it is. Whoever it is, rumors will spread someday. No one can hide the truth in the grassland.
Suddenly, the gaze of the Black Rock Chief turned to the Red Hawk Chief.
The Red Hawk Chief avoided his gaze and looked at the drinking cup in front of him.
“But since we’ve already lost 180 warriors, there’s no time to hesitate any longer. When the sun sets half a step in the shade of our tent, we’ll set out. Does anyone object to what I’m saying?”
No one opened their mouths.
This is the time when the sun is at its highest. There was little shade from the tent.
If you set out when the tent’s shade is half a step wide, you won’t have much time to prepare. We were given very little time.
“Originally, I was going to move after preparing food, but I can’t help it because I was taken away by an unknown thief. There’s no time to decide who has a better hunting ground, so let’s all go from end to end together. Then there will be no quarrels.”
Originally, each tribe would appoint a few outstanding warriors and compete with bows or swords to determine the best loot. This time, it is to omit it and move together.
‘Well, I can’t help it.’
Although the Blackrock Chief spoke well, it seems that he is wary of an unknown enemy.
‘But who the hell is that?’
If they killed all 180 skilled warriors without leaving a single one behind, it would not be an ordinary group.
The ominous beating in my heart grew stronger.
The Blackrock Chief looked at the faces one by one and then went on to say.
“I want warriors from each tribe to come out as much as possible, but who has an objection?”
The Red Hawk Chief raised his head.
“I think you’re right enough. But if a mysterious group can kill 180 warriors in an instant, I think it’s better to leave at least a few warriors in the colony.”
At his words, several chieftains nodded.
The Red Hawk Chief continued to speak.
“Our tribe has had a really bad food situation this year. There are several people who are not feeling well. Let’s leave some of them in our tribe.”
The howling wind chief made a grim face.
“I bet you don’t intend to get food for free.”
“In exchange for reducing the number of warriors, we will give up a little bit of our share.”
With those words from the Red Hawk Chief, the policy was set.
The Red Hawk Tribe agreed that it would be okay to leave out some of the number of warriors they could produce.
“Okay, then drink the oath!”
As the Blackrock chieftain raised his cup, the other chieftains followed suit.
The Red Hawk chief drank the alcohol in one go and came out of the tent.
Suddenly, looking at the sky, I felt that something was shining in the sunlight from far away.
I narrowed my eyes, wondering what it was, but the glittering might have been an illusion of my eyes. Didn’t see it again.
‘Did I see it wrong?’
The Red Hawk Chief muttered and moved on.
With the consent of the other chiefs, let’s leave as many warriors as possible.
I didn’t like this raid from the beginning, but the story I had just heard in the tent made my heart pound even more.
The Red Hawk chief instructed the warriors of the tribe who would remain in the residence to take precautions while he was away plundering, and then left the residence.
There were about 250 warriors excluding 630 black rocks and about 100 killed by the roaring wind.
The next largest red hawk tribe can have up to 250 people, but only 150 this time.
The other four tribes all had only 50 to 100 warriors.
However, for about a hundred years, there has been no plundering of this magnitude in the grasslands.
Looting will cover a fairly large area. This time they go to distant regions that have hitherto been scarcely plundered.
As several warriors gathered at once, excited horses neighed here and there.
Calming the horse, the warriors slowly drove their horses forward.
A total of over 1,200 warriors from seven tribes leave their settlements.
Even though he was obviously dissatisfied and anxious about this plunder, his blood began to run wildly like when he was young.
The Red Hawk Chief rode his horse in a mildly excited state.
hahahaha! hahahaha!
The sound of young warriors lightly urging their horses could be heard here and there.
[Spirit of the Earth, bless the warriors of our grasslands.]
I heard someone muttering.
***
scary.
Born as a son of Chowon, he lived without knowing fear. At least he wasn’t as cowardly as the others.
But these people are afraid. The soldiers of the Empire have been considered weak cowards, but I have no idea who these people are.
Goruka saw the boy emperor who summoned a shining bird with an innocent face.
Rudy held out a hand, and two beautiful birds folded their large wings and nestled in the boy emperor’s hand.
The boy emperor narrowed his eyes and smiled.
It was a beautiful smile that opened my eyes, but what he said was never as soft as his expression.
The boy emperor spoke to the bird in a low voice.
“Did you find them?”
Poron, poron, beautiful light burst from all over the bodies of the two birds.
These birds were clearly communicating with their owners. Maybe he understands everything people say.
“Yeah, well done.”
The boy emperor spoke and held out his hand again, and the two birds soared high into the sky.
Soldiers wielding mysterious weapons of light chatted about useless things and giggled around the boy emperor.
It looked so light that a warrior in the plains would sneer at it, saying that it looked like a girl.
‘But the weapons they have…’
No matter how well you shoot your bow, it will look like child’s play to these people.
However, what made Goruka’s heart tremble more than anything else was the boy emperor himself.
I heard that he was still 11 years old, but there was no part of him that was young at all in the way he fought the warriors.
The figure wielding a large sword is by no means weak compared to the warriors of the plains.
No, this boy emperor was a plain warrior himself.
In addition, the light birds and mice that this boy commands make it impossible for anyone to escape from his clutches.
As soon as you escape the gaze of the high-flying bird, there is no one in the meadow, no one to escape the mouse that runs in an instant and reaches a person at a distance.
If this boy emperor wanted to, no one who lived in the steppe would be able to escape from his presence.
I was still looking at the boy emperor, but he looked up at the sky and then turned his head.
The boy emperor spoke to Gorukawa’s soldiers.
“The warriors of the steppe have moved. It seems they are going to plunder. We take advantage of that opportunity to set up their tents. Do not set your sights on the other person because they are an old man or a child. Today, your hearts are cold river water. I think I left it inside.”
“All right!”
Soldiers respond vigorously.
Goruka asked the boy emperor before leaving.
“Your Majesty, what do you plan to do if they surrender?”
Rudy turned his dark eyes to Goruka. He tilted his head like an innocent child and asked.
“How about Law of the Meadow?”
“In the steppe, when the opponent surrenders, it is mostly accepted unless there is a deep grudge. In such a case, the surrendering tribe or warrior must make reparations.”
Rudy smiled.
“Then follow the law of the steppe. The black rock and the howling wind are not allowed. If the other tribes surrender, they will be accepted.”
The boy emperor turned his head to see the soldiers.
“Neither the black rocks nor the roaring winds leave a child behind.”
The soldiers roared loudly and raised their weapons.
Goruka put a hand on his chest and bowed his head.
***
That’s what I said, but it didn’t make me feel comfortable.
What is the sin of a child who is still young? What about the unborn baby…
However, an anecdote told by Goruka made Rudy decide to do so.
Rudy shook the black horse’s reins and drove off.
My residence is a few hours away from here.
In just a little while, his hands will be stained with dirty blood.
*
A long time ago, a war broke out between certain tribes and tribes in the steppe.
According to custom, the chief of the winning tribe killed all the males of the opposing tribe, even their one-year-old children. All of them died, including unborn babies of unknown gender.
But I thought it was a waste to kill a beautiful woman. It was the first beauty I had ever seen.
So, contrary to custom, the chief raised the fetus as his own son.
The child has grown up very well. He grew up respecting the patriarch who killed his real father as his father.
The chief was also proud of the child.
Then one day the child learned the truth from a man from another tribe.
How do you think it went?
The child cut off the throat of the adoptive father who killed my biological father in the middle of the night.
It was because of the education the child had received.
The patriarch taught the child according to customs passed down from generation to generation.
Grudges must never be forgotten, bloody vengeance must be done, never forgive your son, your father, and the one who killed your father.
From the moment the man of the plains is born, no one can escape from that education.
*
