[Qingqiu, Erlun's palace tent]

It was cold outside the palace tent and very warm inside the palace tent, but Winters was so worried that he did not dare to stay for a moment.

"Why are you here?" Winters wanted to stand up.

Erlun hurriedly supported Winters and answered in a soft voice: "I have always been here."

Winters staggered to get his clothes. He didn't dare to look into Erlun's eyes, because in fact, the white lion had already told him: Erlun was in Qingqiu.

"The hunting suit that I took off has been stained with blood." Erlun took the clothes calmly and naturally and helped Winters put them on: "This is a new one. I don't know if it will fit."

Winters could only respond with a soft "hmm" and "hmm".

Dressing in winter is a very painful thing, especially close-fitting clothing. Because the fabric without body temperature will be as cold as ice and as hard as stone, the process of putting it on your body is like dipping in ice water.

However, Erlun had already heated the clothes in advance, so they were comfortable and warm to wear.

After tightening his belt, Winters moved his hands briefly and felt that some of his strength had recovered. The dizziness and fatigue when he first woke up gradually got used to it, and the wound on his left shoulder no longer hurt so much.

He confirmed that he was ready, so he took a deep breath and turned to look at Erlun: "Eerlun... I need to see the white lion."

Erlun lowered his head: "Brother is not in Qingqiu."

Erlun's words revealed too much. Winters instantly became alert and immediately asked: "Where are the soldiers and horses of the Red River Department?"

"I...I don't know."

Not knowing has two meanings. First, Erlun does not know the current location of the Chihe tribe's troops; second, no matter where the Chihe tribe's troops are, they are definitely not in Qingqiu.

This is quite different from what the little lion said.

Abandoning distracting thoughts, Winters quickly reviewed everything he saw, heard, and knew in his mind:

A spectacular hunt in a show of force;

Mobilizing hundreds of tribes and recruiting tens of thousands of young men, a large-scale mobilization covering the entire territory of the Chihe Tribe;

The far-reaching consequences of the unexpected defeat of the Terton Division;

Small and medium-sized tribes that are wavering on whether to submit to the Chihe tribe;

The mismatch between the unprecedented personal prestige of the White Lion and the severely damaged strength of the Akagawa tribe...

There seem to be countless clues, but Winters vaguely grasps the context - power. In the cruel wasteland, everything is closely related to power.

…

In the Battle of the Great Wilderness, the Chihe Tribe and the Terdun Tribe suffered the most bleeding.

Therefore, after the war, the Chihe Tribe and the Terdun Tribe had to stay together to occupy the original position of the Terdun Tribe and avoid being swallowed up by the Suzi Tribe and Haidong Tribe.

However, the strength of the Terdun tribe was once again damaged - especially the death of the fire roaster - which broke the delicate balance that was already very fragile.

The disastrous defeat in the Blood Mud Battle not only turned the Teldu tribe into a vulnerable target, but also put the Chihe tribe into a crisis of isolation and helplessness.

However, huge crises also mean huge opportunities, and White Lion is undoubtedly the best leader Winters has ever seen who is adept at taking advantage of crises.

A disastrous defeat caused the Terdun tribe to lose its status as one of the three major tribes. However, the population, pastures, and livestock of the Terdun tribe would not disappear because of a disastrous defeat.

There is more than one beast that wants to feast on the flesh and blood of the Terdun tribe, and the Red River tribe is just one of the weaker ones. And in the eyes of other beasts, white lions are also one of their prey.

So just after the Battle of Blood Mud had settled, and before other tribes had time to react, the Chihe Tribe launched this unprecedented-scale hunt.

This hunt is not only for hunters to round up sheep and deer, but also to give the beasts that covet the Red River Department an opportunity to hunt the white lions. It is also a trap for the white lions to hunt down all enemies inside and outside the Red River Department.

…

Unspeakable complex emotions surged into Winters' heart. He felt anger, pain, helplessness and frustration at the same time.

Winters looked at Erlun and asked tiredly: "This is the 'safest place' that the white lion said? Did he regard you as bait?!"

"No, brother is not what you think. He explained it to me carefully." Erlun eagerly wanted to explain: "If the man is not in the old camp, Qingqiu is the safest place. If anything happens, the quiver will protect him."

Everyone, leave. I never thought you would be involved. I didn’t know you would come to Qingqiu from the beginning. Originally, I wanted the little lion to bring you the clothes..."

As she talked, Erlun's eyes filled with tears. She burst into tears and kept repeating: "I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."

"I didn't blame you." Seeing Erlun crying, Winters felt uncomfortable, and he couldn't bear any grudge against Erlun.

He wanted to wipe away Erlun's tears, but could not reach out his hand. In the end, he could only comfort Erlun softly: "I came to Qingqiu not to be fooled or deceived by anyone, but out of my own will. As for Bai

The lion and the little lion are hiding something from me...that is their business..."

"I'm sorry." Erlun sobbed: "I'm sorry."

"But I didn't come to Qingqiu alone, Erlun." Breathing affected the injury, Winters coughed violently: "My companions are still in danger. I want weapons, armor and horses, and I want to go back as soon as possible.

Come to them."

…

[Outside of the hunting ground, temporary fortifications of Tiefeng County Mission]

Most of the attacking cavalry were killed, and only a few escaped with injuries.

In the sky full of dust, old Sergei dragged the body of an incoming cavalry back to the felt wall and spat ferociously with sandy spit: "Look!"

Pierre, who was leading people to change the saddles of the captured horses, was confused: "What's wrong?"

Old Sergei drew his knife and struck the corpse's chest. There was no scene of blood and flesh splattering, but the muffled sound of metal colliding was heard.

Old Sergei immediately opened the robe on the corpse, and saw thin iron plates fixed to the inside of the leather robe.

"They are all wearing dark armor!" Old Sergei pulled off his scarf and spat again: "I told you that even if you were hit by an arrow, you wouldn't see any blood."

"Cloth armor? Plate armor?" Lieutenant Colonel Moritz reached out and touched it curiously: "Can the Herds make it too?"

Pierre frowned: "As far as I know, it's not possible. When we fought last time, the armored soldiers of the Red River Department were still wearing armor made of small iron pieces."

"Don't worry about what the Hurd Barbarians can do in the future!" Old Sergei pointed not far away - the people from the Badlands were happily picking off the body's armor.

Old Sergei gritted his teeth and showed a wolf-like expression: "Look! Not many of the Badlands barbarians are wearing armor. They are here to hunt, not to fight! Look at the barbarians who sneaked up on us, all of them are wearing armor.

Anjia! They are already prepared! With such a big investment, no matter who wants to deal with the Chihe tribe, they will definitely not send just this few people!"

The members of the Tiefeng County Mission all had similar thoughts, but old Sergei was the first to point it out.

The strong wind mixed with the whining sound of sand and dust, and the sound of hoofbeats, screams and the impact of iron tools could be vaguely heard in the wind, as if there was fighting and bloodshed everywhere.

The sense of security that everyone had just gained disappeared in an instant.

"What do you mean?" Pierre asked old Sergey in a deep voice.

"Let's go, let's go now." Old Sergei said resolutely: "Two people are riding on one horse, and three people are riding on one horse. We must go back to the camp first, and then find a way to find the tribune.

Decide whether to leave or stay. Get more horses, the more the better. If the Chihe tribe cannot hold on, we can only rely on ourselves."

"It's safest to go back to the camp." Pierre thought over and over again and found it difficult to make a decision: "But now the wind and sand are getting bigger and bigger, and it's hard to tell the direction..."

Lieutenant Colonel Moritz suddenly stretched out his right hand, spread his fingers, and raised it high, as if he was feeling something.

This sudden move attracted everyone's attention. Everyone looked at each other, but due to his status as a lieutenant colonel, it was difficult to ask questions rashly.

Moritz took back his right hand and looked around at everyone: "The wind is getting smaller."

…

[Hunting Ground Central, Qingqiu]

Winters also sensed the change in the wind. He immediately looked at the flag in front of the palace tent, where the horse's tail was lowering little by little.

When the wind and sand were the strongest just now, standing on Qingqiu, it was impossible to tell the direction, and all you could see was red dust all over the sky.

With limited vision, Winters relied on the orientation of the palace tent to judge north and south, and roughly determined the direction of the Tiefeng County mission.

Erlun did not dissuade him, but asked the guard captain stationed in Qingqiu to send someone to escort Winters.

Before setting off, Winters found the little lion and said goodbye.

The little lion was still in a coma, his face was pale, and he was lying quietly on the soft couch. An old doctor was standing by his side. When he saw Batu walking into the bed tent, the white-haired doctor nodded slightly and continued to move.

Rosary beads.

Winters stayed for a few seconds, said nothing, and turned to leave.

However, the wind speed has changed significantly as soon as it enters and exits.

The sand moves with the wind, the wind weakens, and the gravel settles, leaving only some fine dust floating in the air.

Standing on the top of Qingqiu, the panoramic view of the hunting ground becomes clearer little by little.

Erlun was relieved and timidly asked Winters: "Is it... over?"

"No." Winters replied: "Now is the most dangerous moment."

…

[Outskirts of the hunting ground, unknown location]

The change of wind did not only occur in Qingqiu, but also in Nuo Da's hunting ground. Everyone noticed that the strong wind appeared inexplicably and disappeared inexplicably.

"[Herd] What's going on?!" The leader of the Shiya tribe [Geha] was frightened and frightened, and sternly asked the soldier beside him: "[Herd] Why did the wind stop?"

Dark red viscous liquid dripped from Gehar's scabbard, and Gehar's spear was also stained with blood.
To be continued...