Bloodstained Grass
Tujiu led thirty Wolf Tribe cavalrymen, stealthily making their way into the northern grasslands like ghosts. They deliberately avoided open areas, using the rolling hills and sparse trees to conceal themselves.
After searching for a short while, the target appeared at the edge of a low-lying meadow ahead: a tribal group of about two hundred people, with their families and herding cattle and sheep, slowly moving south. They seemed to be migrating, but they were not moving fast, more like they were looking for new temporary pastures.
The Tujiu's sharp eyes swept over the group, which included men, women, and children. There were only about forty able-bodied men, and their weapons were rudimentary, mostly sharpened wooden sticks, bone spears, and stone tools. They had almost no protection, and there were not many livestock in the group. It seemed that this tribe was not wealthy, and could even be described as somewhat impoverished.
"It's a small tribe, not much to offer, but... something is better than nothing." The Tujiu immediately made its judgment. More importantly, this was a mobile target that didn't seem very alert.
He made a gesture, and the cavalry behind him immediately dispersed silently and hid behind nearby bushes and tall grass. Tujiu sent two of his most agile cavalrymen to turn their horses around and return as quickly as possible to report to Xueya. He himself, along with the rest of his men, continued to monitor the tribe from a distance.
The Green Grass Tribe was completely unaware of the impending danger. After walking for a while, they seemed to find the meadow to have a good water source and relatively flat terrain, so they stopped and began to unload their belongings and set up a temporary camp, apparently intending to spend the night there. Wisps of smoke rose, bringing a touch of human life to the desolate meadow, but also making them the most conspicuous targets.
Meanwhile, Xueya, who was slowly marching north, was feeling somewhat agitated. The disappearance of the Niujiao Tribe and the Sheep Horn Tribe left him with a frustrated feeling, like a punch that had missed its mark. Just as he was considering whether to venture further north or simply try his luck in a different direction, the cavalrymen who were on the scouting route ahead galloped back.
"Chief! News!" Two cavalrymen reined in their horses at the front of the column, dismounted, and rushed to Xueya, their faces beaming with the excitement of spotting prey. "The Tujiu Chieftain sent us with news! A tribe of about two hundred people has been spotted in the north, heading south. They've stopped and set up camp! The Tujiu Chieftain is keeping watch with his men, awaiting your orders!"
"Hahaha!" Xueya's annoyance was instantly replaced by ecstasy. He jumped to his feet, his face contorted with rage. "Good! Well done, Tujiu! Brothers, did you hear that? The prey has delivered itself to our doorstep!"
The Wolf Tribe warriors around them, who had been restless due to days of marching and fruitless raids, suddenly became excited upon hearing that there was a battle to fight and something to plunder. They raised their weapons and let out low howls and excited shouts.
"You, lead the way!" Xueya pointed at a messenger cavalryman. "You, immediately go back and tell Tujiu that the main force is arriving soon. Tell him to keep a close eye on them and not let 'Meat' escape!"
"Yes!" The two cavalrymen accepted the order. One turned his horse around and galloped back, while the other led the way.
The Wolf Tribe's ranks immediately sped up. One- Duyan and Shichui urged their men on either side, "Quick! Keep up! Don't let the other brothers get ahead!" The thirst for blood and plunder dispelled all fatigue and complaints.
Some time later, Xueya's main force regrouped near the Tujiu's surveillance point. The Tujiu rode up from his hiding place and reported to Xueya in detail, "Chief, that tribe is camped on that meadow ahead. They just started a fire to cook, so they're not very alert and haven't spotted us yet. They have about two hundred people, with the able-bodied probably in their forties, and they don't have a lot of livestock."
Xueya grinned maliciously, drawing his bone knife from his waist. "Very good! Don't let a single one escape! Tujiu, you take forty cavalrymen and flank them from both sides, surround that camp from a distance, and cut off their escape route! Duyan and Shichui, you each take a hundred men and flank them from the left and right! The rest of you, charge with me from the front! Remember, be quick and ruthless!"
"Yes!" the leaders responded in unison, their eyes gleaming with cruelty.
The order was given swiftly, Wolf Tribe, like a true wolf pack, silently and rapidly deployed their hunting formations. The Tujiu's cavalry split into two groups, flanking the Green Grass Tribe's camp from a distance. Duyan and Shichui led the infantry, using the terrain as cover, to infiltrate the left and right flanks of the camp. Xueya himself led his core group of over a hundred fierce bandits, charging straight towards the tribe's camp!
The Green Grass Tribe was still immersed in the fatigue of the day and the slight anticipation of the new grassland. It wasn't until they felt a faint tremor in the ground that someone looked up to the south and saw a large, dark mass of figures suddenly appear on the horizon, rushing towards the camp at an astonishing speed!
"Enemy!!!" A piercing scream shattered the tranquility of dusk.
The camp erupted into chaos! People dropped what they were doing, women screamed while clutching their children, men frantically searched for weapons, but most instinctively fled towards the camp.
However, an old man who had fallen behind and a lame teenager were easily caught up by the Wolf Tribe warriors who charged straight at them. Their weapons fell to the ground, and the two men collapsed into pools of blood without uttering a sound, becoming the opening sacrifices of this massacre.
Soon, all the Green Grass Tribe members who had tried to escape were driven back to the camp. The remaining forty-odd able-bodied men, urged on by their chief's hoarse voices, barely managed to gather at the camp entrance. With trembling hands, they raised their crude weapons, preparing to resist more than three hundred ferocious enemies who reeked of blood.
The leader of the Green Grass Tribe was a middle-aged man, his face ashen. He stared at the opposing leader, whose face bore a hideous scar and whose eyes were like those of a hawk. Then he looked at the enemy's obviously superior weapons and the cavalrymen on their ponies patrolling the perimeter of the camp. His heart sank to the bottom. He had heard of the Wolf Tribe's fearsome reputation to the south, but he had always thought that the distance was considerable and that he could be safe if he was careful. A few days ago, he had encountered the people of the Niujiao and Sheep Horn Tribe who were hastily migrating. He had heard them say that they were migrating because they were afraid of the Wolf Tribe, and he had secretly mocked them for being cowardly, thinking that their Water Grass homeland was a good thing for his tribe... Now, endless regret and fear overwhelmed him.
Seeing the enemy's posture—killing right off the bat with no intention of negotiation—the Green Grass Tribe chief knew that things would likely end badly today. He glanced desperately at his terrified tribesmen behind him, especially the women and children, a resolute glint in his eyes, and roared, "Warriors! For the tribe! Kill!"
He led the last forty warriors of the tribe in a suicidal charge.
Xueya's face broke into a cruel yet excited smile; he relished this desperate resistance. "Kill! Leave no one alive!" He raised his dagger and swung it forward.
The battle, if it could even be called a battle, ended almost as soon as it began. The warriors of the Green Grass Tribe were commendable in their courage, but in terms of numbers, equipment, combat experience, and ferocity, they were far inferior to the Wolf Tribe. They were like Langhua crashing against rocks, instantly overwhelmed. The Wolf Tribe warriors cut them down like vegetables, and the screams of the Green Grass Tribe were incessant. In just a few moments, all forty-odd Green Grass Tribe fighters lay dead in pools of blood, none surviving.
What followed was an even darker and bloodier moment. Xueya seemed to be intentionally "training" the newcomers, or perhaps simply to enjoy the thrill of killing. He ordered the newcomers to the Wolf Tribe, those "rookies" whose hands were not yet stained with blood, to deal with the remaining old people and children. Screams, cries, and pleas... blended into a tragic song of hell on earth.
The younger women, on the other hand, were dragged out by the ferocious Wolf Tribe warriors; their fate was more tragic than death.
As the looting, killing, and venting drew to a close, the camp was shrouded in a heavy stench of blood and despair. Duyan, carrying a still-dripping Shifu, excitedly ran to Xueya, who was counting the stolen livestock.
"Chief! Good news!" The Duyan Duyan gleamed. "We've found out the whereabouts of the Niujiao Tribe and the Sheep Horn Tribe!"
"Oh?" Xueya turned his head.
"We just caught a few of the more sensible guys from the Green Grass Tribe, and after a little 'questioning,'" Duyan grinned. "They said the Niujiao Tribe and the Sheep Horn Tribe haven't gone far. They're in a valley about two days' journey northeast of us. The two tribes are currently grazing together in that area!"
"They're combined?" Xueya was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter. "Great! Saves me the trouble of searching separately! Perfect for taking them all at once!"
He looked around, watching his men looting the remaining supplies and abusing the poor women. The air was thick with the stench of blood and madness, and Xueya felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction and pleasure. While the Wolf Tribe had previously only been protected by laws, allowing for a steady, long-term operation, nothing compared to the sheer exhilaration of annihilation and clean plunder in one fell swoop! The feeling of power, controlling life and death, as he watched a tribe perish under his own hands deeply intoxicated him.
"Pass down the order!" Xueya roared. "We'll rest at this camp tonight! Let the brothers 'relax' a bit! Tomorrow morning, take everything you can and set off! Destination—Northeast Valley! This time, we're going to go big!"
The warriors of the Wolf Tribe roared with the savagery of beasts. The destruction of the Green Grass Tribe was merely an appetizer for their northward hunt. A far more sumptuous "feast" awaited them ahead. Xueya licked his lips, gazing northeast, his eyes burning with greed and savagery. The Niujiao Tribe, the Sheep Horn Tribe, and their combined herds of livestock... This time, he would devour them whole, skin and bones!