Chapter 158: At the End of the Rope

That was the territory of the Roman Empire, where there was an abundance of troops to capture these Vikings.

Chen Mu led his troops in pursuit for a hundred li, chasing them all the way to the northern town before withdrawing back to the port.

Inspecting the battlefield, Chen Mu spoke with excitement to the soldiers:

"Brothers, your victory today is utterly glorious. It will be forever engraved in our history, do you understand?"

"Rest assured, after this battle, all of you will receive my rewards. For those who have rendered meritorious service, I will promote you according to your circumstances."

"As for those brothers who lost their lives in battle—"

Chen Mu glanced at them, then said with a trace of sorrow:

"I will provide proper compensation for these brothers. Their families, young and old, will be cared for by me, and if their descendants have ability and talent, I will also promote them, ensuring these children have a bright future."

Chen Mu made a solemn promise, which was equivalent to the posterity's so-called compensation act for revolutionary martyrs.

Chen Mu knew that heroes must not be left to bleed and weep alike. What should be given must be given, so that the soldiers could have peace of mind.

Hearing Chen Mu say this, the others grew excited.

Many even wept tears of joy, thinking to themselves:

Where could one ever find a leader like Chen Mu, who would grant them such fine treatment? Now, to die for Chen Mu would be their willing choice.

Many let out a mighty roar and then continued:

"Your Royal Highness, just give the word! Where shall we conquer next? I am willing to conquer the entire world for you."

Hearing this, Chen Mu chuckled heartily and went on to say:

"No need, there is no need to be in such a rush. Rest well now; after consecutive days of battle, I imagine you are all tired."

"Take a good rest first and take care of your health. Conquest and combat can be discussed later. Rest assured, what is due to you will certainly be given."

Chen Mu still wanted the soldiers to recuperate, hoping they would recover their physical strength while leaving future matters for the future.

Chen Mu never fought an unprepared war, and he believed that after his successive blows, the Westerners and the Germanic people had likely already lost their power.

These people were essentially scattered stragglers; wiping them out was nothing more than delivering the final, decisive strike.

Meanwhile, the scattered remnants of the Western and Germanic armies fleeing across the mountains and plains were converging.

Hans, fuming with anger and surrounded by his subordinates, approached William.

Suppressing his urge to strike William, he said with extreme displeasure:

"William, you need to give me an explanation right now! I have made so many sacrifices fighting for your cause, but what do I have to show for it now? My brothers are nearly all dead in battle, you must give me an explanation!"

Hans roared. Though on the surface he called these soldiers his brothers...

William was equally displeased. "Hans, do not shout and holler in front of me! Have you forgotten what fate your country, your Germanic people, would have suffered without the help of us Westerners?"

"Hans, I am your great benefactor. How can you use such a tone with your benefactor? Do you have no sense of shame left?"

What William said carried a certain logic; it was the Vikings who had seized the territory of the Germanic people, prompting the latter to seek help from the Westerners.

If the Westerners had chosen to annex the Germanic people back then, it would not have been impossible.

However, the Westerners and the Germanic people had united to defeat the Vikings and even occupied Viking territory, from which the Germanic people had indeed profited.

Yet, William's overbearing and arrogant attitude made Hans tremble with rage.

He nearly lunged at Tom, wanting to use his fists to teach this fellow a lesson. How could he, a dignified grand general of a nation, be scolded like a dog?

Just as the two men stood at swords' points, glaring at each other and ready to draw their blades, a Western soldier hurried over.

This man had come to report even more terrifying news:

"Both Grand Generals, disaster has struck! I have the latest intelligence—our rear has been raided and our base overrun."

The expressions of both William and Hans changed drastically.

Hans, being more impatient, quickly shouted: "What has happened? Tell me everything from beginning to end, without hiding anything!"

"Is it Chen Mu's army in pursuit? Good heavens, how could the Great Xia people move so fast?" Tom speculated from the side.

The soldier shook his head. "It is not that. It is a new enemy on our side—the Vikings have returned."

"They brought reinforcements and have now gathered tens of thousands of troops, saying they are here to exact revenge. The lands we previously occupied have come under their attack."

The scout stammered, and it took him a long time to make the matter clear.

William and Hans looked at each other, their hearts sinking to the bottom.

Apart from William's four thousand musketeers, their combined forces consisted of only the six thousand sword-and-shield infantrymen under Hans, which was practically negligible.

However, William suddenly thought of a question:

"The Viking lands have basically all been occupied by us. They have no foundation to make a comeback. Where did their reinforcements come from?"

The scout offered an awkward, bitter smile. He retrieved a map and pointed to the blank expanse of sea to the west, offering an explanation.

Only then did William and Hans realize that far to the northwest lay a large island known as the three islands of Britain.

The people on that island were also Vikings, but they had split off many years ago. Now, hearing that their brother tribes were in trouble, they had crossed the ocean to exact revenge.

This was intelligence the Westerners had extracted through interrogating Viking prisoners.

It seemed that when the Western coalition forces were attacking the Vikings, some Vikings had managed to escape and gone off to summon reinforcements.

"It is over, it is over. We are in a dead end this time," Hans said with an ashen face.

Yet William beside him looked rather strange. After pondering for a moment, an expression of pleasant surprise actually appeared on his face.

"Hahahaha..."

"This game of ours can be revived! I have already thought of a way to secure plenty of reinforcements, allowing us to continue our decisive battle with Chen Mu."

William's words sounded like sheer fantasy, leaving the others completely baffled.

Hans furrowed his brow, looking at William as if he were an idiot.

"What is going on? What on earth are you thinking?"

"We currently have fewer than ten thousand men, just a few thousand old, weak, sick, and disabled soldiers. Do you think we can still fight a decisive battle against Chen Mu with this tiny handful of people? Has water gotten into your brain?"

"There are also tens of thousands of Vikings coming to slice off our heads—where are these reinforcements supposed to come from?"