Chapter 39: Decisions of the Council of Elders

The Valenges had no nobles or rulers. For these Valenges who were still in tribal habits, a democratic parliament composed of prestigious elders could determine the fate of all Valenges. The adult men and captains in each village came to the village where the elders' Union Council were located. In the center of this village located in the valley, there was a fountain built by the Valenges. The upper end of the fountain was built by white stones, and the mouth was filled with cool springs. In the hot summer, the people in the village surrounded this fountain and enjoyed this kind of favor. A narrow and long house in the village was the place where the elders discussed the Valenges' affairs together.

The Valeng people, wearing yellow and black striped clothes, carried various old big swords and spears, gathered outside the long house under the leadership of their own village captains. Their weapons were old and the tops of the spears were covered with rust. Apart from linen clothes, there was almost no armor on them. Only a very small number of captains and warriors had armor. Their armor was also leather armor and a small number of chain armors passed down from many eras. Such a unit composed of Valeng people could face the Duke family knights armed to the teeth, completely relying on their loyalty and courage to the tribe.

"Zblaze, my friend, long time no see." A captain like Zblaze saw Zblaze wearing iron-clad leather armor and stepped forward and patted Zblaze's shoulder happily.

"Hello, Lem." Zblaze hugged his shoulder and shouted affectionately. The outside of the long house was crowded with people, and the Valenge people greeted each other's families and harvest.

"Captains, please enter the long house and start the meeting. Others are waiting for the results outside." A gray-haired elder walked out and announced to the Valeng people outside.

The captains of various villages of the Valenger people entered the long house one by one. The light in the long house was a little dim, and the firewood was burning in the middle. The elders sat around and bit each other and talked. A buzzing sound came from the long house. Zblaze and Lem sat down near the door. At this time, the rotating elder among the elders stood up, opened their hands and pressed down in the void. The noise in the long house disappeared immediately, and people were waiting for the rotating elders to speak.

"Have all the people reached it?" The rotating elder looked around and said.

“It’s all here.”

"arrive."

"Very good, then let's start the meeting. Everyone here has received the news from Duke Bergend." The rotating elder bent over and looked at the people in the long house. The Valenges nodded. The news had blown through the valley like the wind. People knew that the hateful hungry wolf was coming again. "Many years ago, when many of you were children, the Duke's father's subordinates invaded our hometown, many houses and fields were burned down, and many brave people were killed. After so many years, they came again. Now let's discuss how to deal with Duke Bergend and his subordinates."

"What else can I do? Start a war and tear apart those damn lackeys." The fierce mountain ethnic Valenge people shouted loudly, and the sound almost overturned the roof.

"Wait a minute, everyone knows to defeat those damn invaders. The damn Dukes of the Pumbrus Empire have abused us for generations and imposed heavy taxes on us. But, look at our equipment, without armor or war horses, how can we fight against the knights who are wearing heavy armor and charging on horseback riding on horseback?" Zblaze said calmly. Unlike her compatriots who are only focused on living in the mountains, Zblaze, who has traveled to the Duke of Bergend, has clearly realized the gap in the forces between the two sides.

"What? My old friend, how do you speak for those damn Dukes? Although we do not have heavy armor or war horses, our brave Valenges will not surrender." Lem stood up excitedly and shouted loudly.

"Yes, we are brave Valenges." The Valenges shouted loudly in the long house. The people outside the house didn't know what was wrong, and they gathered excitedly and discussed.

"My friend Lem, I'm not saying that I won't fight, but I can't fight the knights hard. You have to know that almost no troops can resist the knights' charge head-on. Do you know how long their carriage guns are?" Zblaz was not a coward, but not a hot-headed warrior. He knew very well that his compatriots did not have the power to fight the enemy head-on.

"Zblaze, what are you paying attention?" The rotating elder raised his wrinkled face and said to Zblaze.

"Well, elders, please see." Zblaze walked to the map hanging on the wall of the longhouse. This was a map of the Valengue territory, which was rough, but sufficient to identify the terrain and the mark. "If the Duke of Bergend enters our territory, he must pass through the small plains to the west. We abandon the villages there and transfer them collectively into the mountains. In the mountains, the knights of the Bergendians are useless, but we can attack them boldly."

"What? Give up my village? No." Lem did not expect that Zblaze would come up with such an idea. He immediately denied the plan. The reason for Xiaoping in the west was that the land was fertile, and the crops produced almost reached the income of the entire Valenge. It was an important granary for the Valenge people. If he gave up there, it would be equivalent to handing over his own granary to the enemy. The elders shook their heads frequently after hearing this plan.

"Zblaiz, we cannot give up there, it is our important granary. If it is destroyed by the Duke of Bergend, how will we face the entire tribe?" The rotating elder also disagreed with this plan. He shook his head seriously and rejected it.

"Old, there is a plain, where there is almost no chance for us to defeat the knights of Duke Bergend, and the mountain war we are good at cannot be played. Retreat to the mountain is our battlefield."

"Even if we retreat, what if the knights don't chase after us? But we become cowards who will give up their territory without taking a single arrow." Lem said angrily. If Zblaze was not his friend, he would definitely think that the other party was an enemy's spy.

"Those arrogant knights will definitely not let us go, as if we will not let them go, and lead them into the mountains to destroy them there." Zblaze tried his best to persuade his excited compatriots, but the angrily Valenges did not see the wonderfulness of this plan. They quickly excluded Zblaze from the meeting and quickly passed the plan to defend the enemy outside the territory in the small plains. The Council of Elders issued an order to gather all the Valenges who could pick up swords and guns and send them to the small plains in the west to strictly order to resist the advance of the Duke of Bergend's troops.

"War, start war~~." When the order of the Elders' Council was issued, the Valenge people gathered outside the long house, holding their weapons and cheering loudly. This direct command was very consistent with the national character of the Valenge people.

"It's so sad, there's no chance of winning at all." Zblaz shook his head sadly, and tears in his eyes were almost falling. He seemed to have seen the blood of his compatriots flowing on the battlefield covered with the bodies of the Valengue people.

"Okay, Zblaze, since the elders have ordered it, we will execute the orders. I know you have always had some small ideas since childhood, but you were wrong this time." Lem did not get resentful because of Zblaze's plan. As a Valenger, no words in the elders' meeting would offend the other party. They are still good friends in private.

"My friend, I don't want to see the blood of my compatriots flowing in vain. We need plans and tactics that have a better chance of winning."

"Forget your plan, my friend." Lyme sighed at his friend's devilish thoughts, and he patted Zblaze's shoulder and walked out of the longhouse.

In the end, Zblaiz did not stop his fellow countrymen. The reckless war plan. The entire Valenge tribe gathered on the western plains according to the orders of the Elders' Council, which was almost filled with Valenge people. Under the leadership of their village captains, they arranged three ancient dense formations. The noise of the Valenge people holding various weapons resounded through the sky. Their feet were squeaking snow, and people exhaled white breaths and looked at the opposite position.

At noon, a roar sounded on the battlefield, and a forest of long carriages appeared on the horizon. The heads of the knights wearing semi-circular pot-shaped helmets were gradually exposed in front of the Valenge people. The knights' bodies trembled with the horse's bumps, and the chain armor and plate armor on their bodies made a rustling sound. The armor reflected a sensational light under the snow. The blouses made of various bright colors on their bodies made the ragged Valenge people on the opposite side ashamed.

The knights formed several rectangular arrays under the leadership of the general and stopped moving forward. The heavy steps behind them also sounded, and a large array of heavy infantry wearing chain armor and hard leather armor appeared. The heavy infantry held long halberds and long swords and looked squinting under the leadership of the sergeant. They not only had neat armor but also wore battle suits as bright as knights. Under the banner of the general under the Duke of Bergend, the soldiers faced the enemy with their spirits.

"Many people." The Valengers saw the soldiers in bright armor under the Duke of Bergend and the knights riding war horses, their nervous lips dried up.

"Oh." Lem saw his timid compatriots, raised the spear in his hands and roared loudly. Under his guidance, the people of Valenge also roared. The sounds on the battlefield restored the morale of the Valenge. They stared at the soldiers of Duke Bergend opposite, as if they were about to swallow those people alive.
Chapter completed!