Xiong Tianba was unusually excited about this venture deep behind enemy lines. Like Hu Xiaotian, he had changed into Dangyi clothing and followed their guide toward the Han'erjin Tribe. When they were still twenty li from its camp, they saw that the tribe's army had already set out. Sure enough, after receiving the news, they had mustered their forces and marched toward Eagle Ravine, intending to demand that the Tali Tribe hand over the fugitives and answer for harboring them. On the Ankang Grassland, the Han'erjin Tribe was the undisputed overlord. Since Guo Guangbi had retreated to defend Ji City, its strength had only grown by the day.
The three of them hid behind a grassy knoll and watched the army advancing swiftly in the distance. At its current pace, it would reach Eagle Ravine in six hours at the latest.
Xiong Tianba swallowed. "Damn, that's a lot of people. Looks like more than ten thousand!"
Hu Xiaotian could not help worrying about the situation at Eagle Ravine. Although he knew Zong Tang could lead the others to safety, his heart still sank at the sight of the Han'erjin army surging forward like a tide. Huali's earlier estimate had apparently been conservative. These Dangyi tribespeople excelled at individual combat, but had little grasp of coordinated strategy or tactics.
The guide also understood Chinese. With his entire family still in the tribe, he said in a trembling voice, "Even counting everyone, we only have ten thousand people. How are we supposed to fight this battle?" To him, catastrophe was clearly upon them.
Hu Xiaotian said calmly, "They need six hours to reach Eagle Ravine. We only need to throw their home camp into chaos and send a signal within two hours. The people you sent to the Enke Tribe should have