People in the Middle Ages, draw cards to get promoted

Chapter 977 Final Chapter
Beneath the golden tent, a group of Tatar generals gazed into the distance at the apocalyptic scene, their faces ashen.

Too far away, they couldn't see what had actually happened. They could only use their meager imaginations, combined with the fragmentary words of the Wusun shaman, to imagine the battle that resembled a fight between "gods".

"Your body is the will of Heaven, you can summon thunder and lightning, your breath can turn into rain, you can mold earth into mountains, and you can cut wood into weapons. Kokochu, you arrogant 'Heavenly Wizard' who calls himself that, I never imagined he would be so worthy of the title!"

Only legendary figures like the Wusun Shaman could barely glimpse some details of the battle.

He thought that although there was a gap between himself and Kokochu, the gap was not far. Who would have thought that Kokochu would reach a legendary level without anyone noticing? No wonder Kokochu always looked down on him.

This old man has clearly transcended the traditional shamanistic system and reached a state similar to the "harmony with the Tao" described in Taoism.

"But is it really a good thing that Kokochu is so strong? The Great Khan previously wanted me as a shackle to restrain Kokochu, but now it seems that I am not worthy of it. If Kokochu were not bound by the will of Heaven, with his arrogance, he would probably not even take the Great Khan seriously."

As my thoughts raced, a golden streak of light flashed across the distant sky.

Immediately, as if the sun had just risen and the clouds had cleared and the rain had stopped, all the strange phenomena in the world came to an abrupt end.

"Is it over? Mr. Wusun, did Mr. Kokochu win?"

Jochi clenched his fists. Now, the lives of everyone in the tent were in the hands of Kokochu. Although Wusun had previously reported that "Kokochchu struck the demonic dragon with lightning and gained the upper hand," no one could say for sure what the final outcome would be.

Wusun opened his mouth, his expression somewhat astonished.

He couldn't figure out what had happened in that brief moment, but the fact was that after an extremely powerful burst of energy, both the demon dragon and Kokochu disappeared from his perception.

They perished together?
This might be the best outcome.

After all, Koko's ambition and his strength are terrifying.

"Shuchihan".

A somewhat familiar voice rang out from inside the golden tent.

Everyone looked over, only to be astonished to find that a figure had silently appeared on the throne belonging to Jochi inside the golden tent.

The man wore a golden crown adorned with jewels, had a warm smile, and was incredibly handsome. He was sitting casually in a chair, toying with a tiny, white skull that resembled both a snake and a dragon, with a meaningful smile on his face.

Looking at the skull, Wusun Shaman's eyes widened.

Isn't this the dragon bone artifact that Koko cherishes most? The extra hole on it is where that golden light hit just now.
Could it be that even with such terrifying power, and having become one with the will of heaven, Kokochu still lost to this Lothar Khan?
"You audacious madman, how dare you enter the tent alone!"

"This beast is ferocious! Quickly protect Shu Chihan!"

The people inside the tent instinctively drew their weapons, but looking at the calm man and recalling the earth-shattering power he had displayed when fighting the Tongtian Witch, the weapons they trusted could no longer provide them with any sense of security.

Lothar casually tossed the dragon bone artifact in his hand onto the table in front of him, clasped his hands together, and said, "Kokoch is dead. Who else do you expect to deal with me? This Wusun shaman? Or are you referring to the few pieces of ordinary iron you have?"

In reality, he still cared a lot about this skull that was imbued with the aura of Jormungandr.

This thing is likely a key to unlocking the "catastrophe of destruction." Lothar decided that once things were over, he would start a battle record and throw it into the world of Yesterday's Giant Ship.

On the one hand, he didn't believe that the dead serpent Jormungandr could still cause trouble through this skull, even though they were separated by a world. On the other hand, even if it could, the world of yesterday's giant ship wouldn't be afraid.

Although he and his followers had already reached the pinnacle of the mortal world in yesterday's giant ship world, and even the British Empire at its peak was not in his eyes, it did not mean that the upper limit of power in that world was limited to this.

In that world, there truly exist extraordinary powers like the Heavenly Court and the Underworld, but they rarely interfere in worldly affairs. Even if the Mortal Python were to descend in its full glory, it could only wreak havoc for a time, and would ultimately be severely suppressed.

Wusun was still somewhat incredulous, muttering to himself, "Is Kokochu really dead? How could that be?"

One can question Kokochu's character, but not his strength. Wusun couldn't fathom what kind of person could kill Kokochu, who displayed such power at the "Harmony Realm."

Lothar smiled and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Kokochu's final fate was to be completely destroyed, otherwise I could have provided better evidence. But I think that the fact that I am the one sitting here now, instead of him, is enough to prove everything."

Under the strangulation of the Spear of Destiny, the Holy Spear, and Cherinina, Koko's main body was torn to shreds. It was only because this dragon bone artifact was tough enough that it survived by sheer luck.

Jochi took a deep breath, looked at Wusun, and his eyes held the last glimmer of hope.

But Wusun just shook his head. If he could kill Lothar, he would not hesitate to give his life. For the destiny of the rise of the Tatars, even an arrogant person like Kokochu had the courage to die for his cause. How could he not?
But the problem is, we really can't win.

Seeing that this Lothar Khan seemed to be a pedantic and benevolent man, willing to give them a chance to negotiate, Wusun felt it was best not to provoke him.

Jochi's face turned deathly pale. He walked into the tent in a daze, asking, "What are you doing here? To mock me? To kill me with your own hands?"

Lothar chuckled. "I'm not that bored. Jochi Khan, and everyone here, I want to ask you one thing: do you want to die, or do you want to live?"

The question was still asked in a casual tone, but anyone could hear the chill emanating from it.

Jochi sneered, “Tartar men have nothing to fear in death. If you want to humiliate me and my soldiers with this, and make us grovel before you, you are underestimating the men of the Eternal Heaven.”

"really."

Lothar nodded in deep agreement: "You, Jochi, are a tough guy. After you die, I will send someone to return your ashes to your father. I just don't know if your father and brothers will be proud of your toughness or despise you, this Merkit bastard, for burying an entire elite Tatar army?"

Excluding the attached conscripts, the Tatar main force had a total of just over 100,000 elite troops, and Jochi only had the most elite troops under his command.

Such a loss was equivalent to Varus's defeat in the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest, where he lost three legions, infuriating Octavian to the point of tearing his robes and banging his head against the wall.

"you!"

Jochi took a deep breath. He didn't believe that Lothar would really give them a way out. He was only saying this now to humiliate them.

But to his surprise, Lothar simply waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly:
"Jochi, take your men and run away. I won't take your life. But remember, you must keep your people in check. If they dare to raid my borders and destroy one of my cities, I will ride a demonic dragon to burn two of your tribes. If they destroy two of my cities, I will burn four of your tribes. If there are any more—your Golden Tent will have no reason to exist."

Jochi's eyes widened: "You really want to let me go? Aren't you afraid that one day I'll come back with a vengeance?"

Lothar picked up the silver flask on the table, took a sip, and chuckled, "If you ever get tired of living, I'll welcome you."

The reason for not killing Jochi was that nomadic peoples could not be eradicated. Due to the arid climate and barren land, Asia Minor had rapidly transitioned to nomadism after the collapse of the water conservancy facilities during the ancient empire period.

The same is true in the Transoxiana region, where oases are scattered throughout, but most of the land is dry land, desert, and grassland, where irrigated agriculture alone is not enough to sustain life.

Moreover, unlike Asia Minor, which was the end of the westward migration of nomadic peoples, this place is located at the crossroads of Central Asia, and historically, large-scale migrations of nomadic peoples have almost all passed through here.

Rather than letting a disorganized, arrogant, and inexhaustible nomadic tribe settle on the new empire's frontier, it would be better to send Jochi. At least he knows how formidable he is, and under his threat, he will be able to control his people.

Furthermore, Persians who had experienced the terror of the Tatars were more likely to tame them when they realized that this formidable neighbor was right beside them.

Jochi couldn't figure out what Lothar was thinking, but the current outcome was already an unexpected joy for him: "Lothar Khan, I will keep my promise."

Lothar smiled, watching Jochi decisively turn and leave, not even caring about the "royal" golden tent, and quietly added: "I only said I'd let you go, but that doesn't mean I'd let all of you go."

Lothar did not intend to intervene in the battle that followed.

He wanted the Sassanid immortals to fight alongside Jeanne's crusaders, to show the Sassanids of the Persian Plateau what a pathetic bunch the Tatars were, and to let them know who could save them from their misery.

Having experienced the brutal rule of the Tatars, the Crusaders were, after all, a group of "scripture seekers." They must have known which side was easier to get along with and which was more difficult to deal with.

...

At this moment, along the banks of the Karen River, a winding cavalry column was marching swiftly.

Under a white banner with gold irises, a female knight with cascading blonde hair raises her hand.

A dazzling stream of light returned from afar and was caught in her hand.

The paladins around her cast admiring glances. The more they came into contact with and mastered the Holy Light, the more they could feel the power of the divine strength that Jeanne possessed, as if an angel had descended to earth. This made them even more convinced of Lothar's identity as the "Holy Son".

The adjutant asked with a smile, "Madam, surely the Holy Lance has achieved its goal?"

Jeanne smiled slightly: "Indeed. The toughest nut has been cracked, and now it's your turn to shine. The Tatars are fleeing, and our mission is to keep as many of them as possible on this land where they committed countless atrocities."

The Persian region is mountainous and has a complex terrain, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Under Sasanian rule, local separatism was quite severe, and local lords could even band together to resist the central government's orders. This is why the vast Persian region could collect less than half the tax revenue of Mesopotamia.

But now, after the Tatars' rampage, the local forces on the Persian Plateau have either suffered heavy losses or have been coerced by the Tatars into conscripting their elite troops.

At this point, the Crusaders, who held the legitimacy of the cause, were in the process of pursuing and killing the Tatars, and it was only a matter of time before they subdued the entire Persian region and incorporated it into the territory of their overseas empire.

"Pass on my order: speed up the march! If we don't hurry, those jackals will get far ahead!"

Jeanne spurred her horse and led the paladins to the very front of the procession.

The sun was high in the distance, and the banners of the Crusaders were flying over the land of Central Asia for the first time.

Everyone knows that a vast empire, originating in Egypt and spanning Syria, Mesopotamia, and the entire Persian region, is rising like the sun.