Slaughter in the Valley and Retreat
Before dawn the next day, with the lingering stench of blood and smoke from the previous night, Xueya stood on the ruins of the Green Grass Tribe camp and issued new orders.
"Duyan!" he called to his trusted lieutenant, "You take fifty men and stay behind, pick ten skilled riders to accompany you. Your task is to gather all the supplies here, everything usable, not a single hair! Also," he pointed to dozens of the Green Grass Tribe women, their eyes blank and lifeless, confined in a dilapidated enclosure not far away, "Keep an eye on these 'goods.' After you've finished gathering all the usable supplies, you take your men and belongings and head straight to that secluded ravine near the former Niujiao Tribe to meet us."
The Duyan, its Duyan gleaming with excitement and cruelty, nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, Chief! I'll make sure everything is spotless, and nothing usable will be left behind!"
Having finished giving his instructions, Xueya didn't delay any longer. He mustered the remaining 350 warriors, carrying only the necessary weapons, a small amount of dry rations and water, and set off lightly towards the valley to the northeast. Tujiu, along with his 30 cavalrymen, acted as the eyes and vanguard of the entire force, scouting the path ahead.
The group moved silently and swiftly along the way, each member knowing exactly what to do next, their eyes burning with a desire for more plunder and slaughter. Two days later, they arrived at the outskirts of the valley the Green Grass Tribe had described.
Tujiu had been waiting there for a long time. Seeing the main force appear, he immediately spurred his horse forward, jumped down, and quickly walked to Xueya. His face showed the excitement of a hunter locking onto his prey. "Chief! Those cowards from the Green Grass Tribe weren't lying! The Niujiao Tribe and the Sheep Horn Tribe are indeed hiding here! The two tribes together number about seven or eight hundred, but I estimate that only about 150 of them are capable warriors, and they don't seem to be heavily guarded."
Upon hearing this, Shichui, standing nearby, couldn't contain himself any longer. He brandished his heavy Shichui and roared in a gruff voice, "Only a hundred or so? Chief, give the order! Charge in and wipe them out! They think they're safe just because they've reached the edge of the Horse Tribe? Bah!"
The other Wolf Tribe warriors also began to murmur and cheer, their fatigue from the long march being dispelled by the impending plunder.
Xueya was much calmer than Shichui. He squinted, gazing at the outline of the valley entrance in the distance, his mind racing: seven or eight hundred men, even if only a hundred or so warriors, if they launched a daytime assault, the enemy would hold the valley entrance or use the terrain to their advantage, and even if they won, they would suffer some losses. More importantly, this was nominally within the Horse Tribe's sphere of influence, albeit on the periphery. A quick victory was not an option; if it attracted the Horse Tribe, things would get complicated.
"What's the rush!" Xueya hissed, silencing the team's agitation. "Shichui, use your brain! How many brothers will we lose if we charge in during the day? Don't forget where we are!"
He surveyed the crowd, a cunning and cruel glint in his eyes. "Pass down the order: everyone, find a secluded spot to rest and eat. No fires are allowed, and no shouting! Get plenty of rest!"
He turned to Tujiu and lowered his voice. "Tujiu, you take the cavalry and keep a close watch on the few possible escape routes around the valley. Don't alert them; just keep an eye on them and make sure they don't get away."
"Yes!" Tujiu accepted the order and immediately led his cavalry to disperse, disappearing like silent ghosts into the shadows of the hills and forests.
Although the Wolf Tribe warriors were bloodthirsty and warlike, they dared not disobey Xueya's orders. They all found places to hide, gnawing on dry, hard jerky, and rubbing their weapons, accumulating their brutal power in anxious anticipation.
As the sun began to set and night finally fell, campfires were lit in the valley camps of the Niujiao Tribe and Sheep Horn Tribe. The sounds of human voices and livestock could be faintly heard, a scene of tranquility, completely unaware that death had quietly gripped their throats in the early hours of the morning, the darkest time of day when people were sleeping the most soundly.
Xueya stood up silently, his eyes no longer showing any sleepiness, only a cold killing intent. He didn't need to say anything, he just made a gesture.
Shichui and several Xiaotou immediately sprang into action, gently kicking their men to wake them up. One by one, the message spread, and more than three hundred Wolf Tribe warriors, like a pack of wolves awakening in the darkness, silently gathered together, gripping their weapons tightly.
On the other side, the Tujiu's cavalry were also in position, forming a loose encirclement that firmly locked down several exits of the valley.
"Attack!" Xueya spat out the two words through gritted teeth and charged towards the valley entrance first. Shichui followed closely behind, and more than three hundred Wolf Tribe warriors surged into the sleeping valley like a black flood bursting its banks, silent yet swift. Slaughter erupted suddenly from the silence!
Many members of the Niujiao Tribe and Sheep Horn Tribe were still asleep when enemies broke down their doors and sheds, killing them in the chaos. Those who were awakened hurriedly grabbed their weapons, and before they could even put on their leather armor, they were engulfed in a fierce battle. Fires began to break out everywhere, setting fire to thatched huts and wooden houses, and the thick smoke and flames further exacerbated the chaos.
"Enemies! It's the Wolf Tribe!!" Finally, someone recognized the attackers and let out a desperate scream.
Upon hearing the strange noise, Niuyan, the chief of the Niujiao Tribe, rolled to the edge of the shed, grabbed his usual weapon, and rushed out. The scene before him made his eyes widen in horror: illuminated by the firelight, the warriors of the Wolf Tribe were moving through his territory with impunity, indiscriminately slaughtering his people, and the cries of women and children filled the air.
"Xueya! You beast!" Niuyan instantly understood that the vicious wolf from the south had come after them! He was both shocked and furious. He was shocked that the Wolf Tribe dared to enter the Horse Tribe's territory and commit violence. He was furious because after the Wolf Tribe finished extorting money, he went to the Horse Horn Tribe and, after seeing the tragic state of the Horse Horn Tribe, he strongly advocated for migration. He thought he could avoid disaster, but it still brought about a catastrophe.
"Warriors! Follow me and fight!" Niuyan forced himself to calm down, roaring as he rallied dozens of his tribesmen who had grabbed weapons in the chaos, and they launched a counterattack towards the most densely populated area of the Wolf Tribe, trying to regain their footing.
However, the hastily assembled, terrified few dozen men were no match for the well-prepared, ferocious, and bloodthirsty elite of the Wolf Tribe. In just one exchange, most of the tribesmen around Niuyan were cut down. By the second round, not a single one of his companions was still standing. He himself was surrounded by Shichui and his men, several spears forcing him to retreat repeatedly until he was tripped and fell to the ground, where several weapons were immediately held to his neck.
Shichui grinned maliciously, dragging the struggling Niuyan like a dead dog to Xueya, who had just entered the battle.
Niuyan was forced to the ground. He struggled to lift his head, glaring at Xueya with bloodshot eyes and rage. "Xueya! We've already hidden here, and you still won't let us go? This is Horse Tribe territory! If you dare to kill and plunder here, the Horse Tribe will not let you get away with it!"
"The Horse Tribe?" Xueya seemed to find this a joke, looking down at Niuyan with a cruel smile. "If you had stayed in your old spot and grazed your livestock properly, I might have been a little more 'polite.' But you insisted on running away, and right next to the Horse Tribe... so I can't let you stay. As for the Horse Tribe..."
He paused, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes. "By the time they find out, you'll all be nothing but bones. And who can prove it was Xueya who did it?"
Having said that, he stopped talking nonsense and gave Shichui a wink. Shichui understood, grabbed Niuyan's hair, and shouted to his two henchmen beside him, "Drag him away! Clean him up!"
"Xueya! You'll die a horrible death! The Horse Tribe will definitely..." Niuyan's curses abruptly stopped as he was dragged into the shadows of the firelight. A short, shrill scream rang out, followed by complete silence.
Xueya listened to the scream, a satisfied yet cruel smile spreading across his face, as if it were the most beautiful music in the world.
Without their leader's command, the two already chaotic tribes collapsed completely, their resistance crumbled rapidly, and all that remained was one-sided slaughter and plunder. The Wolf Tribe warriors were like demons crawling out of hell, destroying all life they saw (except for a few young women who were deliberately spared). The old and children lay in pools of blood, the camp was ablaze with flames, and screams, cries, and maniacal laughter mingled together, turning this once peaceful valley into a living hell.
As dawn broke, the sounds of battle in the valley gradually subsided. In the end, fewer than twenty members of the Niujiao Tribe and Sheep Horn Tribe tribes managed to escape into the dense forest behind the valley, taking advantage of the darkness, the thick smoke, and the complex terrain. However, they had lost almost all their supplies during their escape, and whether they could survive in this unfamiliar forest was uncertain.
Xueya didn't care about the survivors; he was now concerned with the spoils. The valley was filled with the heavy smell of blood and burning. Nearly a hundred young women who had survived (perhaps even more unfortunate than death) were being held captive. Their eyes were vacant, their bodies covered in wounds, and they had long since lost the will to resist.
Shichui, leading a few men, did a preliminary inventory of the spoils and excitedly ran to Xueya to report, "Chief! A bumper Fengshou! There are over thirty sturdy, rideable ponies alone! And more than a dozen foals! Several hundred head of cattle and sheep! The grain, hides, and the belongings they brought from their original tribe are piled up like Little Mountain! Enough for our five hundred-plus brothers to eat comfortably until next spring!"
"Good! Good! Good!" Xueya exclaimed three times, his face beaming with joy. This harvest far exceeded his expectations! Destroying these two tribes not only provided them with much-needed horses and a large amount of supplies, but more importantly, it completely intimidated the northern region. It would probably be much easier to "collect debts" in the future.
But after the initial euphoria, a sliver of reason reminded him that this place was, after all, closer to the Horse Tribe.
"Pass down the order!" Xueya's smile vanished, his tone becoming urgent. "Tell everyone to hurry! Gather the horses, cattle, sheep, and any other valuable and lightweight items! Tie up the women and take them with you! Take as much grain and furs as you can, and burn anything you can't carry! We must be finished and out of here by this morning!"
He glanced at the beginning of the brightening sky and added, "Tujiu, take a team to cover our retreat, clear this place out, and then catch up with the main force as soon as possible! We need to meet up with Duyan first! We can't stay here any longer!"
"Understood, Chief!" Shichui knew the gravity of the situation and immediately turned to urge his men on.
Soon, the Wolf Tribe's caravan, like a bloated and greedy locust, carrying the plundered livestock, supplies, and prisoners, hurriedly left the valley that had just been ravaged by blood, heading back in the direction they had come from, towards the rendezvous point agreed upon with Duyan.