Only Ourselves to Rely On
Just as the dark mass of the Wolf Tribe was gradually unfolding around the Pottery Salt Tribe camp and was about to complete the initial encirclement, Jia Li's last trusted confidant, at great risk, found an opportunity in the gaps between the Wolf Tribe's scouts and desperately rushed back to the camp.
When Jia Li saw his trusted confidant rushing towards him from afar, and as he approached the camp fence, Jia Li saw that the man's forehead was bleeding profusely from a cut, and a sense of foreboding gripped him.
The trusted aide was soon helped to Jia Li by the soldiers. Ignoring his wounds, he knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling with tears, and said:
"Chief... Your subordinate... Your subordinate is utterly incompetent!" He kowtowed heavily, blood mingling with dirt on his forehead. "I arrived at the Fish Tribe, and they... their forces haven't even set out! They're still leisurely preparing in their camp! I begged desperately, kowtowing, saying the tribe was in imminent danger... But that Julang leader only told me to be patient, that they had already gathered three hundred elite soldiers, but needed time to 'get ready'... Finally, after my relentless pleading, the Julang leader impatiently said that we should fight first, and they would 'deliver a severe blow' to the Wolf Tribe 'when necessary,' and told me to come back and report..."
The trusted aide sobbed uncontrollably, "I... I had no choice but to return... Chief, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry to the tribe! I couldn't bring reinforcements!"
Every word was like an icicle, piercing Jia Li's heart. His last shred of hope was shattered.
It wasn't an unexpected delay, nor was it a road obstruction. It was the Fish Tribe and the Canglan; they had no intention of arriving immediately to rescue them! Their so-called "preparations," their so-called "when necessary," were nothing but high-sounding pretexts and insidious calculations! They were waiting—waiting for the Pottery Salt Tribe and the Wolf Tribe Wolf Tribe fight to the death, waiting for the Wolf Tribe to break through the Pottery Salt Tribe's defenses, or waiting for the Pottery Salt Tribe to pay a heavy price to repel the Wolf Tribe ... Only then would they appear as "saviors" or "fishermen," seizing the greatest benefit and incidentally giving the already weakened Pottery Salt Tribe a good beating!
"Good... good Canglan! Good Fish Tribe!" Jia Li spat out these words through gritted teeth, his face ashen and his chest heaving violently. The anger at being betrayed and schemed against by his allies (at least nominally) almost consumed him. But right now, anger was useless.
He took a few deep breaths of the air, thick with the smell of gunpowder and dust, forcing himself to calm down. The immense sense of crisis and the anger at being betrayed, on the contrary, stirred up the Jianren and decisiveness inherent in him as a businessman.
The Fish Tribe is unreliable. At least, don't expect them to genuinely help until the battle situation becomes clearer.
Right now, they can only rely on themselves, the resources that the Pottery Salt Tribe has painstakingly accumulated over the past few months, and the warriors from the other two tribes in the camp— the Hundred Crafts and the Beast Taming. Although they may not fight to the death for the Pottery Salt Tribe, at least they are still in the same boat for now.
"It's not your fault, you've done your best." Jia Li's voice was unusually calm. He personally helped his trusted aide to his feet, patted the man's shoulder, and said, "Go downstairs, get your wound treated, and get some rest."
After seeing off his trusted confidant, the last trace of hesitation in Jia Li's eyes vanished, replaced by a resolute determination. He immediately summoned all the remaining Xiaotou of the tribe who were still in charge, including the two reinforcement leaders, Kaishan and Liequan.
He didn't hide the fact that the Fish Tribe was "slow"; many had seen the disheveled state of his trusted men. He simply used a more morale-boosting phrasing:
"Brothers! Something's happened at the Fish Tribe; reinforcements might arrive later than we expected!" He raised his voice, masking a hint of weariness, and tried to make his words sound strong. "But that's alright! We, the Pottery Salt Tribe, haven't been wasting these past few months! We've recruited so many brothers and sisters, fortified our camp, and stockpiled food and weapons! We also have the bravest warriors from the Hundred Crafts Tribe and the Beast Taming Tribe coming to our aid!"
His gaze swept over the crowd, especially over the Pottery Salt Tribe tribe. "Everyone knows what the Wolf Tribe is! They're a bunch of beasts who eat people without spitting out the bones! If you fall into their hands, men will have their heads chopped off, women will suffer unimaginable humiliation and be worse than dead, and the elderly and children... don't even have the right to be slaves! Behind us are our homes, our families! We have nowhere to retreat!"
These words immediately resonated strongly with the Pottery Salt Tribe members, who felt indignant. Their fear of the Wolf Tribe's atrocities transformed into the courage to fight a desperate battle.
"Fight them!"
"We swear to defend our tribe to the death!"
"Never let those wolf cubs set foot on our land!"
Seeing that the morale of his troops was high, Jia Li felt somewhat relieved. He then turned to Kaishan and the Liequan, his tone sincere and generous. "Chief Kaishan! Chief Liequan! And brothers from the Hundred Crafts and Beast Taming Tribe who have come from afar! This attack by the Wolf Tribe is ferocious and brutal, a disaster not only for our Pottery Salt Tribe but also a threat to all the surrounding tribes! Today, the two chiefs and brothers have come to our aid, and Jia Li and the Pottery Salt Tribe will never forget it! I have already ordered the tribal granaries to be opened, and the best meat and the finest grains to be brought out to reward all the warriors! After defeating the Wolf Tribe, the reward I promised will be increased by 30%! All trade of the Pottery Salt Tribe will forever be open to the brothers and sisters of both tribes with the most favorable conditions!"
With a generous reward, brave men will surely emerge. Kaishan, a warlike man by nature, was even more emboldened upon hearing this, patting his chest and promising to fight with all his might. Although the Liequan was more Chenwen, seeing Jia Li's generosity and the indeed critical situation, he also solemnly declared that he would fight alongside the Pottery Salt Tribe to the very end.
While boosting morale with words and material rewards, Jia Li personally led his men to inspect the camp, checking every defensive fortification, urging the distribution of weapons, arranging for women, children, the elderly, and the infirm to move to the relatively safe area in the center of the camp, and distributing all the remaining supplies, javelins, and Shitou.
The entire Pottery Salt Tribe camp resembled a hedgehog cornered in a desperate situation. Though filled with fear, it still mustered all its strength to raise its quills in the face of approaching predators. The aroma of food permeated the camp, temporarily dispelling some of the fear, and replacing it with a tragic atmosphere of preparing for a desperate fight.
Standing atop the highest watchtower, Jia Li watched as the Wolf Tribe warriors, growing ever larger and more probing their way towards the camp, gripped his weapon tightly. He knew the most difficult test was about to begin. This time, he could no longer count on any reinforcements arriving out of nowhere; he could only rely on himself and those around him, who might have their own agendas, but were temporarily united on the same side.