The Hungry Wolf Pack
While the Fire Tribe was busy cultivating, building, shipbuilding, and transporting grain to accumulate strength over the past few months, the Wolf Tribe in the north never stopped their greedy and ferocious advance.
Xueya, the leader of the Wolf Tribe, had not been without gains since his last encounter with the Pottery Salt Tribe with over four hundred men. Although he hadn't managed to plunder the massive resources he had hoped for, he hadn't come away empty-handed. He had figured out the strengths and weaknesses of the downstream forces— the Pottery Salt Tribe, the Fish Tribe, and the Hundred Crafts Tribe. The Fish Tribe was strong on the water, but their land mobility and daring fighting spirit were far inferior to the Wolf Tribe. Moreover, while these tribes were formidable when united, they each had their own agendas and were not a monolithic entity.
More importantly, Xueya discovered a more "comfortable" way to make money: extorting small, weak tribes.
After retreating from the vicinity of the Pottery Salt Tribe's battlefield and extorting the Green Grain Tribe and Marsh Tribe, on his way back to his stronghold in High Pointed Mountain, Xueya did not return empty-handed. He led his men and "visited" several small, isolated tribes along the way. Faced with the Wolf Tribe, a group of ferocious and ruthless thugs who had just experienced the baptism of war, these small tribes had almost no power to resist. The slightest disobedience would lead to annihilation. Their food, women, and even some handsome young men were all plundered by the Wolf Tribe, leaving only ruins and blood soaking the land.
Having tasted the Tiantou of getting something for nothing and having everything at his fingertips, Xueya seemed to have unlocked his full potential. After returning to his camp halfway up High Pointed Mountain, he rested for a few days, using the plundered food and supplies to reward his troops and replenish his lost manpower. He quickly recovered his strength, and even by absorbing some desperate fugitives and young men captured from the destroyed tribes, the number of his soldiers returned to around five hundred!
This experience further fueled Xueya's ambition. The Horse Tribe, renowned in the north for raising miniature horses, had a total population of around three thousand, but only about five hundred were capable warriors fit for battle. The Fish Tribe, a formidable force downstream, also had a population of over three thousand, but their fighting force wouldn't be much larger. Meanwhile, the Wolf Tribe, through raiding and extortion, had managed to raise an equal number of dedicated warriors! Although these warriors were of varying quality, their ferocity and brutality far exceeding any semblance of discipline or training, Xueya considered this sufficient.
Xueya and his core leaders had become completely addicted to this "hunting" lifestyle. The hard work of farming and herding? That was too slow, too dependent on the weather. What could be more exciting than simply robbing and extorting? Raising a weapon could bring food, livestock, women, servants... This temptation, once taken, was like a leech, impossible to shake off. The entire Wolf Tribe, like a ferocious beast fed on blood and greed, could no longer return to earning a living through manual labor. And the surrounding tribes, large and small, became prey in this beast's eyes, ready to be torn apart at any moment.
Although he didn't gain much advantage from the Pottery Salt Tribe in his last attack, he managed to acquire a considerable amount of supplies from the Qinghe and Shuize tribes through a combination of coaxing, deception, and extortion, which gave Xueya a taste for the spoils. This time, he turned his attention back to the north.
In the north, there were the "fat sheep" he had his eye on— the Niujiao Tribe and the Sheep Horn Tribe. Last time he went there, relying on his superior numbers and fierce reputation, he easily "borrowed" a third of their livestock and grain from these two small tribes that relied mainly on animal husbandry and were not militarily strong. The feeling of the other party daring not to speak out and obediently handing over the supplies was something Xueya enjoyed immensely.
"It's time to 'visit' our old friends again." Xueya licked his chapped lips, a cruel yet excited glint in his eyes. "And while we're at it, let's replenish our horses." In the last battle against the Pottery Salt Tribe, the Wolf Tribe also lost some of its ponies. These valuable mobile forces naturally need to be replenished from the horse-breeding tribes to the north.
At the High Pointed Mountain camp, one hundred warriors remained, led by Xueya's brother Xueshou and the cunning Duzhu and Yexiao, to guard the lair and the looted supplies and servants. Xueya himself gathered four hundred of his most capable and ferocious warriors, including fifty cavalrymen, and with sufficient rations and weapons, assisted by ruthless leaders such as Duyan, Shichui, and Tujiu, and once again embarked on the northward plundering journey.
The caravan moved swiftly and silently along the road, carrying the menacing air of a wolf pack before a hunt. Small hunting parties or gatherers encountered along the way either fled at the mere sight of them or unfortunately became "prey" for the Wolf Tribe to replenish their supplies.
A few days later, the Wolf Tribe's party arrived near the pasture where the Niujiao Tribe and Sheep Horn Tribe were known to have been active. However, the scene before them made Xueya frown.
The tents, cattle, sheep, and other animals that were expected to be scattered were nowhere to be seen. The grassland was empty, with only trampled grass, remaining ashes, and some scattered debris, indicating that there had been human activity here, but now, the place was deserted.
"Tujiu!" Xueya commanded in a deep voice.
"Yes, Chief!" The lean, eagle-eyed Tujiu stepped forward, selected a small squad of cavalry, and dispersed to search ahead and further afield.
About an hour later, Tujiu returned with his men, his face clearly gloomy. He dismounted, strode quickly to Xueya, and bowed, saying, "Chief, we expanded the search area but didn't find the camps of those two tribes. Judging from the tracks left on the ground—animal hoofprints and a large number of messy footprints—they all went north, and they're very fresh. I estimate they haven't been gone long; they migrated as a whole."
"Migration?" The Duyan -Duyan beside him gleamed with a fierce light. "North? Further north lies the territory of the Horse Tribe! Have these two small tribes gone to join the Horse Tribe?"
The burly man wielding a pair of heavy Shichui Shichui spat and said nonchalantly, "So what if it's the Horse Tribe? Our Wolf Tribe is strong and well-equipped now, why would we be afraid of them? At worst, we'll just plunder the Horse Tribe too!"
Xueya didn't speak immediately. He squinted, gazing at the vast grasslands and hills to the north, barely visible in the distance. The Horse Tribe was indeed the largest tribe in this northern region, renowned for its ponies and formidable strength. But as Shichui had said, the Wolf Tribe was no longer the small band of bandits struggling to survive. Five hundred warriors, including fifty cavalry (though the horses varied in quality), made them a force to be reckoned with for any medium-sized tribe.
More importantly, the ponies! These treasures, which can greatly enhance the tribe's mobility and combat effectiveness, are currently only possessed by the northern tribes that primarily rely on animal husbandry. The Wolf Tribe has tasted the Tiantou of cavalry, and their thirst for horses is now deeply ingrained.
"The Horse Tribe... is indeed not to be trifled with." Xueya spoke slowly, his voice hoarse, "But our goal isn't to take on that tough Horse Tribe right now."
He looked at Tujiu, his eyes gleaming. "Tujiu, take thirty cavalrymen and continue northward. Search carefully, find out what other tribes are in the north, their size, and how far they are from the Horse Tribe's core camp. Remember, if you find a tribe, hide it and send someone back to report. Don't alert them."
He paused, a cruel smile creeping onto his lips. "We came out this time for horses, for grain, and to strengthen ourselves. As long as we don't touch the Horse Tribe's core pastures and camps, and don't take what they value most right under their noses, the Wolf Tribe Horse Tribe might not fight us to the death for a few peripheral tribes. After all, they also have to take care of their own cattle, sheep, horses, and tribes."
The Tujiu understood immediately and replied, "Understood, Chief! I'll lead my men out right away and make sure we find out what's going on in the north!"
Soon, the thirty Wolf Tribe cavalrymen, led by vultures, vanished silently into the vast northern grasslands and hills like arrows released from Tujiu. Like a pack of true prairie wolves, they began searching for prey that might not be so wary.
Xueya ordered his men to find a secluded spot to camp and rest, replenish their strength, and await news from the Tujiu. He sat on a Shitou, sharpening his bone knife.