Snowballing

The White Creek Tribe's camp, shrouded in fear, was not peaceful all night. The Wolf Tribe warriors occupied the best positions, wantonly devouring the White Creek Tribe's already meager food supplies. The kidnapped women of the White Stone Tribe (Shichui had gone ahead, and a Xiaotou Wolf Tribe had brought them over) and the slightly attractive young women of the White Creek Tribe once again became tools for the Wolf Tribe leaders and their Xiaotou to vent their lust. Suppressed weeping and savage laughter intertwined in the night.

Xueya didn't care about any of that. What he needed was deterrence and absolute obedience, not hypocritical friendliness. The White Creek Tribe leader, Daxi, sat slumped in the corner of his room, which was occupied by the Wolf Tribe warriors, as if he had lost his soul all night. His eyes were filled with despair and hopelessness.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Xueya ordered the camp to break camp. "Daxi," Xueya said, pointing his whip at the listless White Creek chieftain, "Take the thirty-odd men from your tribe who can still fight and come with us."

Daxi's body trembled. He raised his head, a flicker of struggle in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by a deeper fear. He knew he had no choice. He silently stood up and staggered to where his people were gathered, whispering something. Soon, thirty-odd young men from the White Creek Tribe, their faces ashen and their eyes darting around, were assembled. They carried crude weapons and wore no decent leather armor, a stark contrast to the Wolf Tribe warriors beside them, most of whom were clad in leather armor and looked fierce.

Xueya looked at the thirty-odd "new recruits" and smirked. This was exactly the effect he wanted—to let these forced recruits witness firsthand the power and cruelty of the Wolf Tribe, so that they would have no will to resist from the very beginning and could only follow numbly.

"Let's go! Destination— White Tree Tribe!" Xueya cracked his whip.

The group set off again, this time much larger. In addition to the three hundred elite soldiers and one hundred cavalrymen of the Wolf Tribe, there were also more than thirty "vassal soldiers" from the White Creek Tribe. The remaining members of the White Creek Tribe were ordered to stay near the camp and not wander off.

The White Tree Tribe is only half a day's journey from the White Creek Tribe. This tribe is named after an ancient Baipi forest near its settlement. It has a population of about 150, with warriors in their early thirties. The chief is named Gaoshu, a strong man of about thirty-five years old. He had seen Xueya once a few years ago during a small-scale conflict between the Wolf Tribe and other tribes, and still vividly remembered his fierce reputation.

Around noon, Xueya's army arrived outside the White Tree Tribe's camp. The Tujiu cavalry had already driven all the White Tree Tribe members who had gone out back to the White Tree Tribe's simple camp, just like driving prey.

Upon receiving the report, Gaoshu hurriedly led all thirty-odd men in the tribe who could wield weapons to the camp gate. When he saw the dark mass of people and horses outside the camp, especially the hundred restless ponies and the menacing riders on them, his heart sank to the bottom. And when he recognized the figure riding a tall horse with a hideous scar on his face in the crowd, his last shred of hope vanished.

"It's Xueya from the Wolf Tribe... He's here..." Gaoshu's palms were covered in cold sweat.

Xueya spurred his horse to a stop a few dozen steps from the camp entrance, and even managed to force a "friendly" smile, though the smile looked particularly eerie on his fleshy face.

"Chief Gaoshu, it's been years. How have you been?" Xueya's voice carried a leisurely air, like a cat playing with a mouse.

Gaoshu suppressed the turmoil in his heart and forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace. He clasped his hands and said, "Leader of Xueya... what brings you here today? Is... is there some good news?"

Xueya, too lazy to beat around the bush, went straight to the point, repeating the same "invitation to wealth" rhetoric he'd used with the White Creek Tribe yesterday. Finally, he "thoughtfully" added, "This is a chance for everyone to live a good life together! All the grain, hides, and women we seize will be our share! Much better than you all scavenging for food in the forest every day!"

Gaoshu was stunned, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat. This wasn't an invitation; it was clearly forcing their tribe to plunder other tribes, a crime that would forever tarnish their tribe's reputation!

His lips trembled; he wanted to refuse, but dared not utter the words. His gaze unconsciously swept over the hundreds of menacing warriors behind Xueya.

Xueya seemed to see through his hesitation; the smile on his face vanished abruptly, and his voice turned cold. "Chief Gaoshu, it seems you still have some doubts? No problem, I'll introduce you to an acquaintance."

He waved his hand. "Bring Daxi over!"

Two Wolf Tribe warriors shoved a man forward; it was none other than Daxi, the leader of the White Creek Tribe face was ashen.

Xueya pointed his riding crop at Daxi and said to Gaoshu, "You should know this Daxi chief of the White Creek Tribe, right? Yesterday, we also 'invited' them, as well as the White Stone Tribe next door."

He paused, his tone turning sinister. "Baiyan, the leader of the White Stone Tribe, was ungrateful and rejected our goodwill. Now, the White Stone Tribe has vanished from this world! The leader of the Daxi, however, is a wise man. He chose to cooperate with us, and now, the warriors of the White Creek Tribe are brothers of our Wolf Tribe."

Daxi was pushed forward. Looking at Gaoshu, whose face was deathly pale behind the fence, and recalling the horrific scene of Baiyan, the leader of the White Stone Tribe, being publicly beheaded yesterday, his throat went dry. In a hoarse voice, filled with endless bitterness, he pleaded, "Gaoshu... brother, what Chief Xueya said... is all true. The White Stone Tribe... is gone. Baiyan... I saw him fall with my own eyes... For the sake of the tribe, for the sake of survival... agree..."

Gaoshu felt as if struck by lightning, his body swaying. He knew Daxi and knew he wasn't the kind of person to speak carelessly. Looking at the thirty dejected White Creek warriors behind Daxi, like stray dogs, and the Wolf Tribe army behind Xueya, exuding murderous intent and overwhelming in number... a chilling despair gripped his heart.

He turned and glanced at his terrified tribesmen inside the fence, especially the children hiding behind their mothers, staring blankly out at the outside world. Refusing meant the extermination of the tribe, just like the vanished White Stone Tribe. Agreeing, though shameful, though it would drag the entire tribe into an abyss of no return, turning them into accomplices of bandits hated by everyone... at least, they could survive for now.

Immense pain and struggle were etched on his face. Ultimately, the instinct for survival and the fear of his tribe's extermination overwhelmed everything, and he seemed to age several years in an instant, his shoulders slumping. He said in a dry, weak voice, "I... the White Tree Tribe... agrees to join."

"Hahaha!" Xueya burst into hearty laughter, his voice filled with smugness and the thrill of conquest.

"Hahaha!" Duyan, Shichui, Yexiao, Tujiu, and the surrounding Wolf Tribe warriors also burst into wild laughter, a celebration of yet another tribe's will being crushed.

"Very good! Chief Gaoshu, you're a smart man!" Xueya's laughter subsided, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Take thirty of your tribe's strongest fighters and come with us immediately! The rest of your tribesmen, stay near the camp and wait for our good news!"

Gaoshu nodded weakly, turned around, and walked heavily back to the camp. Soon, thirty equally pale-faced White Tree Tribe warriors were gathered together and joined the ever-growing "vassal army" at the end of the column.

Xueya didn't linger in the White Tree Tribe. He simply had everyone eat something light, replenish their water and a small amount of food, and then continued on his way.

The next target was the "White Fur Tribe," which was half a day's journey from the White Tree Tribe. This tribe was slightly larger, with about two hundred people and around forty warriors. When Xueya led his already swelled force to the White Fur Tribe at dusk, the visual and psychological impact was far greater than before.

As usual, the Tujiu cavalry completed their drive and encirclement. When the White Fur Tribe chief cautiously arrived at the edge of the camp, he no longer saw a few thugs, but an almost endless "army"! Especially when the White Fur Tribe chief saw those familiar faces in the ranks— Daxi from the White Creek Tribe, Gaoshu from the White Tree Tribe, and the dejected tribesmen behind them— the White Fur Tribe chief was even more terrified.

Xueya didn't even bother repeating his complete speech; he simply stated "invitation" and then had Daxi and Gaoshu step forward to "give their testimonies."

When Daxi recounted the destruction of the White Stone Tribe in a trembling voice, and when Gaoshu bitterly admitted that the White Tree Tribe had "joined," the last glimmer of hope in the White Fur Tribe leader's heart was completely extinguished. Resist? Look at the enemy's lineup, their murderous aura—was it even possible? Refuse? That would mean the same fate as the White Stone Tribe!

Faced with absolute military intimidation and a brutal example, the White Fur Tribe chief barely hesitated, or rather, dared not hesitate. With a pale face, he "agreed" to Xueya's "invitation" on behalf of the tribe and handed over forty able-bodied warriors.

Thus, in just a few days, Xueya successfully bound three small tribes to his war machine through the bloody massacre of the White Stone Tribe and extreme intimidation, instantly increasing his available "forces" by more than a hundred people, while paying a negligible price.

That evening, the group set up camp outside the White Fur Tribe's camp to rest. The Wolf Tribe warriors were arrogant and enjoyed the treatment of "victors." Meanwhile, the "new recruits" from the White Creek, White Tree, and White Fur tribes were gathered and guarded in a corner of the camp. They looked numb and were filled with confusion and fear about the future.

Xueya sat in the makeshift animal-hide tent, listening to Yexiao report on the newly acquired vassals, his face beaming with undisguised smugness.

"Boss, this method really works!" Yexiao said obsequiously. "We've gained over a hundred men with minimal effort. Although we can't fully trust them yet, once they've done one or two jobs with us and gotten their hands dirty, they'll never turn back."

"That's right." Xueya took a swig of goat's milk, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "This is just the beginning. Once we've gathered a few more tribes, assembled four or five hundred vassal troops, and added our own elite forces... Hmph, then, who in this western region would dare disobey us? The Pottery Salt Tribe? The Fish Tribe? We can finally have a proper 'talk' with them!"