Chapter 8: Overpower (Part One)

TL: A_Passing_Wanderer

ED: Chrissy

"It looks like everything is working out as you intended, Spirit Chief." Upright Tree said that as he and Kim Gi-Wu stepped outside the tribal meeting venue.

Kim Gi-Wu smirked and replied. "Even so, I didn't think our warriors would react so strongly like that."

"But Chief, I thought you had already predicted this turn of events? I was under the impression that you did."

"Even I can't predict everything, you know. Well, it doesn't really matter which road you take as long as you reach Seoul in the end, so it's all good."

"I'm sorry?"

"It means, as long as the end result is good, it'll be fine."

Just as Upright Tree had alluded to just now, Kim Gi-Wu had been preparing a lot of things since last Spring. That was when he decided on the path of expanding the Creek tribe.

And all of his preparations were, of course, to wage a war of conquest.

'Well, I'm pretty knowledgeable when it comes to the history of ancient warfare, after all.'

This part of the world didn't have horses. In other words, there was no cavalry here.

Even the defensive walls were on the level of wooden fences, and that was about it. As for weapons, most of them were wood bows and spears, their tips fashioned out of ground stones.

In that case, what about armor made out of metal, then? Of course, such things didn't exist here.

'If I am to lose against such opponents... I might as well jump in a lake and drown myself instead.'

The enemy most likely should show up with a far superior number of combatants, according to Kim Gi-Wu's calculation. But, as long as the preparations were done adequately, the Creek tribe should walk away victorious from this war.

Even so, Kim Gi-Wu didn't let his guard down. For the past year and a half, he continued with his preparation to the point where it seemed a bit too excessive at times. In a way, you could say that the tribe's industries were already operating in a state of war even before he made the declaration today.

The preparations included manufacturing things like steel shields, spears with steel speartips, and even...

Fwhoooosh~ smack!

"Nice. That's not bad at all. How many have we produced so far?"

"We've gone past the number 200 today, Spirit Chief."

What Kim Gi-Wu fired just now was a crossbow. That's right, the preparations included the mass production of crossbows.

Unfortunately, they still lacked enough iron, which meant that the mass production of steel armor, gaiters, and helmets were still out of the question. Still, it was already game-breaking to equip the tribe's warriors with steel tower shields to cover their entire figures, as well as spears and crossbows.

"What were the reactions of the warriors like?"

"Their reloading speed has become slower, but overall, it's an improvement, Spirit Chief. Well, they can now take a better aim before firing, so there's nothing to complain about." The tribe's War Chief, Strong Archer, replied while caressing his personal crossbow.

"Hahaha. It seems that you're feeling rather pleased right now, War Chief."

"Unfortunately, a warrior as good as me in archery is hard to find, after all. But with this object called a crossbow, wouldn't anyone be able to display a respectable level of skill after putting in a little bit of effort?"

"You're correct, War Chief. And our enemies will soon get an unforgettable lesson from our crossbows."

The production of a crossbow required a much more sophisticated level of craftsmanship. However, in the last few years, the tribe's artisans experienced an exponential increase in their skill level, and their tools had become so much more advanced, as well. As such, they could mass-produce quite a lot of crossbows according to Kim Gi-Wu's wishes.

"We don't have much time left until the harvest season commences. The battle will most likely occur around then. War Chief, please pay even greater attention to the warriors' training until then."

"Believe in us, Spirit Chief. They are doing their best to train in the phalanx formation you have devised, sir."

"Hahaha. Of course, I believe in you!" Kim Gi-Wu chuckled and nodded away.

The tribe's warriors were agile hunters trained for a long time in mother nature's plains. That's why they were able to acclimatize to the new training quite quickly.

The new training regime increased the workload even more, but well, Kim Gi-Wu & Co. had no choice but to deal with it.

*

Autumn of that year...

The war that they didn't know for sure whether it would start or not... really did start.

With the Choctaw tribe in the lead, four great tribes formed an alliance and invaded the Creek tribe's territory without any prior warning. And their number was nearly fifteen thousand total.

"Everyone, halt!" War Chief, Strong Archer, roared out towards the tribe's warriors following him.

"Halt!"

"All troops, hold your position!"

That prompted other warriors near his side to roar out the same order, bringing the troop's march to a standstill in perfect unison.

All the training in the past seemed to be paying dividends at the moment.

The core of the phalanx formation was maintaining the battle line and military discipline. Only after each combatant protected their spot according to their training and acted as one of the cogs in the machine without backing off would this battle tactic display its true worth.

"They won't just go back home at this late stage, right?"

"I don't think they will. Their food supply must've run out while coming this far, so they obviously wouldn't want to go back nice and easy without pillaging our tribe first."

"Keuk. You're right about that."

The enemy seemed to boast seven, maybe eight times the number of the Creek's warriors. No wonder none of the warriors harbored hope in their hearts that all those enemy combatants would be kind enough to call it a day and go back home now.

'For sure, they do have an overwhelming numbers advantage.'

If the two sides fought the war under the exact same condition, the Creek tribe would've never won. The difference in numbers was simply too big.

However, no one here believed that they would lose today, including their leader, Strong Archer.

That's because, during their training, they had plenty of time to experience the destructiveness of this phalanx formation.

'Indeed, this is one fearsome tactic, isn't it? No, wait. Maybe it's all thanks to these strong weapons?'

But it didn't matter either way since the really amazing person here was their Spirit Chief. His arrival heralded a new dawn of civilization and advancement for the Creek tribe, after all.

Just how much further will our tribe advance in the future? Will we really become the true ruler of this continent, just as Spirit Chief has said?

The more Strong Archer thought about this, the hotter his heart burned in fervor.

And he directly poured that burning emotion out onto his fellow warriors.

"Remember that those bastards used to mercilessly oppress us once upon a time! And today, they have invaded our sacred land without permission once more! Take a look, for they have a far greater number than us! Without a doubt, we will have to fight them all today. Are you scared to fight? If anyone is feeling scared, tell me right now!"

"No, Chief!"

"We are not scared, Chief!"

The warriors were filled with confidence. Their fighting spirit was soaring higher than ever before, too.

"Believe in these powerful armaments that our Spirit Chief has personally devised! Remember all the sweat and tears we have shed until now! We shall definitely emerge victorious today! And by doing so, we shall make them see the Creek's newfound strength!"

"Woo! Woo! Woo!"

Thud! Thud! Thud!

After finishing up a round of strengthening the army's resolve, Strong Archer shifted his gaze over to the enemy camp. They were also roaring out their war cry to bolster the morale.

Since that was the case, it was time to break their fighting spirit, then. A large-scale battle like this one was also a fight of one's fighting spirit, after all.

"Unbreakable Steel Blade."

"Yes, War Chief."

"Go and show them the difference."

"It'll be my honor!"

A young warrior named Unbreakable Steel Blade stepped forward without a shred of hesitation when Strong Archer called him out. He then began walking fearlessly towards the enemy camp.