Chapter 2, The Hundred Years' War

However, the Warm Water River and Snow Moon Lake still hold certain utilitarian value for the Hami Kingdom—serving as a foraging ground for the free-range snow wolves

Haike Village is such a place where a "wolf head tax" is levied. The people have become accustomed to the fact that whenever a pack of wolves arrives, they only take away the main large livestock, leaving a small number of poultry for the wolves to enjoy. The wolf pack generally does not stay for long; first, they dislike the hot and humid air; second, the next village is only half a day's journey away, where they are also needed to collect taxes.

The source of the Warm Water River is a hot spring lake (Xueyue Lake) formed after a small volcanic eruption hundreds of years ago. The continuous hot springs emit a large amount of thermal energy throughout the year, creating a unique temperate climate on the frozen continent near Xueyue Lake and along the banks of the Warm Water River. The original inhabitants of this territory, the Hami people, have historically been accustomed to living in the cold and snow. As the region gradually warmed, they migrated year after year, and eventually, even the soldiers of the Hami Kingdom seldom came here. Thus, a power vacuum emerged in the Warm Water River basin. The original inhabitants of this territory, the Hami people, have historically been accustomed to living in the cold and snow. As the region gradually warmed, they migrated year after year, and eventually, even the soldiers of the Hami Kingdom seldom came here. Thus, a power vacuum emerged in the Warm Water River basin.

The joyous Emperor Miao VII and his ministers arrived at the Flower Language Plain, and the first impression was indeed that they had entered a paradise: in the northern part of the Flower Language Plain, it is spring all year round, the air is humid, and various flowers bloom continuously. Riding for three days and nights, one would not be without flowers in sight, nor without fragrance in the air. The southern part of the Flower Language Plain is a humid and rainy area, where countless sweet fruits can be found in the vast broadleaf rainforests.

A powerful empire actually exchanged its most prosperous territory for its most barren land—except for the King of the Hamis and the then Empress and Prince of the *Tu* Book Kingdom, the latter of whom indignantly returned to his own territory, risking execution to declare independence and establish the Kingdom of Northern Hamis

Red Moon Calendar Year 3, Red Moon Calendar Year 12, Red Moon Calendar Year 35, Red Moon Calendar Year 47, Red Moon Calendar Year 52, within a mere 50 years, the three generations of monarchs of the Amy Empire launched five regional wars targeting the Snow Moon Lake and Warm Water River basin, deploying all military branches including the Dragon Knights. However, each war ended in a monotonous defeat.

Strictly speaking, Amy I did not deceive anyone—he sent a royal decree to the Kingdom of Hamir, expressing his willingness to exchange the most fertile territory of his own country: the Flower Language Plain in the heart of the Aiminor continent, for land at the southern end of the Frozen Continent. He also showcased the various products abundant in this region to the monarch of the Kingdom of Hamir. Miuya VII of the Kingdom of Hamir was deeply moved, and despite the strong opposition from his younger brother and the empress dowager, he signed the territory exchange agreement that shocked the nations of both continents at the time

Historically, several rulers of the Amy Empire sought to acquire the prosperous regions of Snow Moon Lake and Warm Water River through diplomatic means or deception. However, the kings of the Hamir Kingdom have consistently refused to sign any agreements upon seeing any terms related to territory.

To the south of the Frozen Continent lies another warm continent, which is 1.5 times larger—Aminor Continent. On this continent exists a dominant power—the Aimi Empire. The Aimi Empire, the dominant power of the continent, has no blood relation to the protagonist of this text, Aimi Haber. The name Aimi is extremely common among humans; it can be found among at least 5 out of every 100 people. The Aimi Empire is an ancient empire established 500 years ago, and the name of its founding king is also Aimi.

After the outbreak of war, the Hamir people, relying on their innate instincts, located packs of wild wolves and recruited them into service. The wolves cooperated exceptionally well, and the wolf warriors were organized into various cavalry teams based on their packs. The lead wolf became the mount of the team leader, who assigned wolves of different ranks within the pack to warriors of varying levels.

Throughout the more than 500 years of history of the Amy Empire, successive emperors have been covetous of this unique warm region on the Ice and Snow Continent, repeatedly hoping to acquire the Snow Moon Lake and Warm Water River basin through means such as diplomacy, warfare, and extortion, yet all have been unsuccessful

Why has the most powerful nation from the Frozen Continent become a victim in the Aiminor Continent? Where have the invincible and undefeated Snow Wolf Cavalry gone?

However, during the 15 years following the migration, the new capital established by King Miao VII was breached three times by neighboring countries and even by marauding bandits. In the final instance, King Miao VII led his personal guard into the enemy's ranks, washing away his ignorance and shame with blood

Bang ... ... Bang ... ... Bang ... ...

In this context, all human settlements must learn to properly deal with snow wolves. Moreover, an increasing number of permanent residents have become accustomed to this lifestyle of "wolves come, I hide; wolves leave, I emerge," and believe that this should also be considered a form of tax owed to the Kingdom of Hami. The Kingdom of Hami's frugal lifestyle does not require it to impose heavy taxes on its citizens, and with the addition of the "wolf head tax" and the relatively light book tax compared to other countries, non-Hami residents have no objections to this arrangement.

After the war began, in the northernmost part of the Northern Federation of the Amy Empire— the Snowy Forest, large numbers of Hamir wolf-riding warriors consistently launched attacks against the Northern Federation of the Amy Empire along the only Dragon Tooth Mountain continental highway on the frozen continent

Xueyue Lake is the product of a volcanic eruption that occurred 100 years after the Hami people retreated to the frozen continent, thus it can be imagined that the Hami people would not make any further mistakes regarding this matter

Thus, the outcome of each war is that the armies of the Hamir Kingdom besiege the Ice and Snow Fortress, ultimately forcing the imperial army to sign a withdrawal agreement

After the signing of the agreement, almost everyone believed that Amy I had gone mad

The Hami people do not oppose other races residing on the Frozen Continent—as long as taxes are paid. However, the Hami people absolutely do not allow anyone to harm the snow wolves

Heike Village is located on the eastern side of the Warm Water River in the Frozen Continent. According to the border delineation between the Pan-Continental Dominator, the Aimi Empire, and the ancient Hamir Kingdom, this area should belong to the territory of the Hamir Kingdom

At that time, Emperor Miao VII was eager to relocate the capital to the Flower Language Plain and made the significant decision to gradually abandon the territory of the Frozen Continent. Therefore, he did not quibble with his younger brother, who took advantage of this precious time to rapidly expand his own territory from the vassal capital of the Hami Kingdom, eventually occupying all areas to the north and east of Longya Mountain.

At the southernmost tip of the mainland, the Amy Empire occupied all the territory in the shortest time possible—perhaps the term "occupied" is not appropriate, as the Hamir Kingdom had long ceased to station any soldiers in this region

In order to ensure the combat effectiveness of the snow wolves, the Kingdom of Hamir raises all its snow wolves in the wild. Perhaps a more accurate way to put it is that the Kingdom of Hamir lacks the capacity to raise so many battle wolves. For a kingdom established on the barren icy continent, any war that requires full mobilization cannot last too long; otherwise, the national economy will collapse automatically. The core reason for this economic collapse is that it is impoverished by the snow wolves.

The Hami people, who have lived for generations on the frozen continent, possess exceptionally long hair, particularly their eyebrows and eyelashes. To counteract the blinding sunlight reflected off the snow, the eyebrows and eyelashes of the Hami people not only grow long but also grow rapidly. However, upon arriving at the humid Flower Language Plain, this physiological phenomenon becomes almost unbearable, with droplets of condensed water often hanging between their brows. While nobles and ministers still have the time to hire someone to groom them, what about the soldiers? Upon arriving at the humid Flower Language Plain, this physiological phenomenon becomes almost unbearable, with droplets of condensed water often hanging between their brows. While nobles and ministers still have the time to hire someone to groom them, what about the soldiers? The snow wolves have even longer fur, all of which is white, and in the sultry plains, their performance is even inferior to that of ordinary warhorses. On the green grasslands, what was once a natural camouflage has now turned into the color of shrouds after each battle.

On the frozen continent, regardless of the type of troops, when faced with the white-haired Hamir people, confronted by the snow-white battle garments woven from white bear fur, facing the snow-white snow wolf cavalry, and the entirely white expanse of the continent, there is only one outcome—retreat

The combat effectiveness of any military unit in icy and snowy conditions is less than 20%. Even the invincible Dragon Knights can only exert 50% of their combat power. How many Dragon Knights does the Amy Empire have? It is even fewer than a small squad of the Hamir's Wolf Cavalry.

The sole reason for this situation is that the founding monarch of the Amy Empire, Amy I, once successfully "deceived" the king of the Hetushucomcom Hamir Kingdom, and in that act of "deception," acquired territory from the Hamir Kingdom equivalent to approximately 25% of the original size of the empire's territory, thereby establishing the Northern Federation of the Amy Empire

Based on the reasons related to the language of flowers, the Hami people regard temperate environments such as Snow Moon Lake and Warm Water River with caution and distance, refraining from deploying any troops in this area, yet they absolutely do not allow the loss of this territory

Amidst the numerous scratching sounds of the snow wolf's claws, the iron plate above Amy's head began to resonate rhythmically. A pleasant young man's voice inquired, "Is this the Haber residence?"

Later military theorists stated that the theories of mutual restraint among military branches and the enhancement of military branches were written in the blood of a king and 100,000 snow wolf cavalry.

In the end, out of the 100,000 snow wolf army that entered the Flower Language Plain, only a little over 10,000 set foot on their homeland. After that lesson, the Hami people learned a valuable lesson and no longer discussed any matters related to territory with anyone.

To understand why the residents of Haike Village cannot fight against the snow wolves, and may even face deadly retaliation, one must delve into a story that stretches back 500 years, involving the deep-seated grievances between two continents and two vast empires.

The population of snow wolves has remained around 150,000. Originally, they were spread across various corners of the Frozen Continent. However, since the Aimi Empire established its territory on the Frozen Continent, the snow wolves have strangely retreated to the territories of the Hami Kingdom and the Northern Hami Kingdom, each housing approximately 70,000 wolves. The flora and fauna on the continent are extremely scarce, making it very difficult for the snow wolves to forage, often requiring days and nights of travel to catch a single prey. Attacking non-Hami human villages has also become a primary means of foraging for the snow wolves. The flora and fauna on the continent are extremely scarce, making it very difficult for the snow wolves to forage, often requiring days and nights of travel to catch a single prey. Attacking non-Hami human villages has also become a primary means of foraging for the snow wolves