A Camp Hard to Crack
Just as Xueya of the Wolf Tribe and several leaders were gathered together, pointing at the obviously fortified Pottery Salt Tribe in the distance and discussing where to break through the defenses, an untimely commotion arose from the outer perimeter.
A Xiaotou leader in charge of patrolling came running up, his face filled with panic. "Chief! Something terrible has happened! Just now... just now someone took advantage of our inattention and rushed into the gap we were about to close! He headed towards the camp! We chased after him, but we couldn't catch him..."
"Useless!" Xueya's face darkened, a surge of anger rising within him. "Dozens of men riding horses, doing nothing? Couldn't even stop one person?!"
The Xiaotou was too frightened to utter a sound. Xueya cursed again, his mind racing. At this time, those outside who rushed back were most likely messengers sent out by the Pottery Salt Tribe, and probably to urge the Fish Tribe for reinforcements. This meant that Jia Li hadn't given up and was still hoping for outside help, and it also meant that the Fish Tribe's movements had become the biggest variable in this battle.
He suppressed his anger and quickly adjusted his strategy. "Tujiu!"
"Here!" the Tujiu responded, stepping forward.
"Take a team of elite riders and head immediately towards the Fish River! Scout out as far as you can, see if there are any traces of the Fish Tribe's large ships on the river, or any signs of their encampment on the banks! Be careful, and don't expose yourself! Report back immediately if you find anything!" We must first ascertain the true extent of this potential threat from the Fish Tribe.
"Yes!" Tujiu accepted the order and immediately selected about twenty alert cavalrymen, who then galloped off towards the Fish River.
After dealing with this unexpected situation, Xueya turned his attention back to the Pottery Salt Tribe's camp. The camp now resembled a curled-up hedgehog, with the wooden fences raised considerably, and the shadowy figures and spear tips could still be vaguely seen behind them.
"Looks like the guy surnamed Jia is determined to be a coward." Xueya spat, his eyes flashing with ferocity. "Fine, saves me the trouble of chasing him."
He looked at his most capable leaders. "Duyan!"
"Leader!"
"Take a hundred brothers and go up! Don't risk your lives, just test their strength! See where they are weak and where they have fewer men! Remember, it's a test! Don't fucking throw your life savings away!" Xueya needed a small-scale engagement to assess the strength of their opponent's defenses and their will to resist.
"Understood!" Duyan licked his lips, revealing a bloodthirsty smile, and immediately went to count the men.
"Shichui!" Xueya then looked at another burly and muscular general.
"Exist!"
"Take a hundred men and go to the woods over there to cut down trees! Thick and hard ones! We need to build ourselves a shelter first; we can't keep sleeping in the open. While we're at it, see if there's any timber we can use to make siege equipment!" Xueya knew that against a prepared camp like this, simply overwhelming them with sheer numbers was a poor strategy.
"Alright!" Shichui responded with a booming voice, shouldered his signature Langya, and beckoned his men to head towards the woods behind the camp.
After arranging the two groups, Xueya ordered the rest of the men, "The rest of you, half of you come with me to patrol the perimeter of the camp and look for any other weaknesses! The other half, start a fire and cook! Make sure the brothers have enough to eat and have enough strength! The real battle is yet to come!"
The Wolf Tribe's forces began to operate efficiently, scouting, probing, logging, and resting, each fulfilling their duties and displaying a war rhythm honed by numerous raids, characterized by savage efficiency.
After Xueya and his men had finished their inspection, and the crude aroma of meat wafted from the makeshift earthenware pots in the camp, Duyan returned with his hundred men who were in charge of the reconnaissance.
The group was no longer as arrogant as when they set out; many were injured, though not seriously, but their morale was noticeably low. Duyan himself looked particularly grim. He walked up to Xueya, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and cursed, "Chief, damn it, these turtle shells from the Pottery Salt Tribe are pretty tough!"
"What's going on?" Xueya frowned.
"We charged several times," Duyan said, panting, pointing towards the Pottery Salt Tribe's camp. "That old man Jia Li has brought everyone who can breathe onto the wall! Men and women, the old ones who don't look too old, they're all armed! Throwing Shitou and wooden spears! They're not very accurate, but there are so many of them, the hail of Feishi is quite a sight! The most troublesome are the Hundred Crafts and the Beast Taming Tribe, they're ruthless, like we're attacking their own territory!"
He paused, then said somewhat dejectedly, "We didn't gain anything; instead, we lost over a dozen brothers, some seriously. Whether they survive depends on luck. They held their ground quite firmly; they didn't seem like they'd panic at the slightest provocation."
Xueya listened quietly, his facial muscles twitching slightly. He had anticipated that the Pottery Salt Tribe would resist, but he hadn't expected the resistance to be so resolute and organized, with the two supporting tribes also seemingly determined to help Jia Li. This was completely different from his expectation that the "allied forces would be divided and collapse at the first sign of trouble."
If the Wolf Tribe were to launch a direct assault on such a well-prepared, well-manned, and morale-boosted camp, even if they were to win, they would inevitably pay an extremely heavy price. Their plan to "trade new recruits for victory" is unlikely to succeed so easily. If they fail to capture the camp after a prolonged siege, or suffer excessive casualties, and if the Fish Tribe were to arrive, or if an even more tenacious force were to emerge from within the Pottery Salt Tribe, the consequences would be unimaginable.
A heavy pressure quietly weighed on Xueya's heart. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and not to show any hesitation in front of his subordinates.
"Understood." Xueya's voice returned to calm, and he even patted Duyan on the shoulder. "Brothers, you've worked hard. Tell everyone to take turns eating first, and we'll talk about it after we've eaten our fill."
He gazed at the still silent yet seemingly resilient Pottery Salt Tribe camp in the distance, his eyes flashing with alternating glints of ferocity and calculation.
"This Pottery Salt Tribe... looks like we'll have to find a different approach to gnaw on them." Xueya muttered to himself, then ordered those around him, "Pass down the order: after dinner, everyone rest where you are and increase vigilance. Use the timber we cut from Shichui's side to secure our own camp. As for attacking the camp... let me think about it some more." The initial probing attempt had failed, making Xueya realize that this nut to crack was even harder than he had imagined.