Panic Spreads
The next day, before the morning mist had completely dissipated, Xueya issued new orders. He left a relatively steady Xiaotou of the Wolf Tribe with fifty warriors to escort the prisoners (mainly women) captured from the White Stone Tribe, along with some heavy supplies that were not needed for the time being, to follow slowly behind. He himself, with his now-expanded "army," continued towards the next target— the White Horn Tribe, half a day's journey away.
The Wolf Tribe's procession, banners waving and horses roaring, billowed dust as they marched, their imposing presence terrifying White Horn Tribe scouts, seeing this from afar, were terrified and scrambled back to their tribe to report. When Xueya led his troops to the White Horn Tribe's makeshift camp, there was no need for the Tujiu cavalry to drive them away or surround them—the entire tribe was already huddled inside, trembling with fear, too cowardly to even attempt to escape.
The leader of the White Horn Tribe approached the front of the formation with trepidation. Looking at the huge army that was a mix of the Wolf Tribe thugs and several familiar tribe "warriors," especially when he saw the familiar faces at the front of the army (White Creek, White Tree, White Fur, and other tribal leaders) with deathly pale faces and shifty eyes, his last bit of hope vanished.
Xueya didn't even bother to dismount; he simply looked down at his mount and repeated the same tired-of-the-day "invitation to get rich" nonsense, then pointed to the "role models" around him.
The White Horn Tribe chief nodded in agreement almost without hesitation, his face pale, and quickly handed over more than thirty able-bodied men from the tribe. The whole process went so smoothly that even Xueya found it somewhat boring, but it further confirmed the power of Yexiao's treacherous plan—fear is contagious, especially when there are bloody examples before one's eyes.
From the day Xueya raised his butcher's knife in the White Stone Tribe, in just over ten days, this "snowball" force, driven by fear and violence, swept across a large area between the Wolf Tribe and the Pottery Salt Tribe with astonishing efficiency. One small tribe after another, with a few hundred people, was forced to bow their heads in the face of absolute military force. Their able-bodied men were forcibly conscripted into vassal armies; their elderly, weak, women, and children were effectively imprisoned near their own tribal camps.
The number of vassal troops under Xueya's command swelled like an inflating balloon, quickly reaching nearly five hundred! Adding the Wolf Tribe's own elite troops, the total force approached a thousand! This large force, with its diverse composition and varying morale, moved through the hills and forests, becoming a formidable dark force that inspired awe.
Of course, not all tribes obediently submitted. They encountered two or three smaller tribes that were a bit stubborn or slow to react, failing to "express their stance" in time. Xueya showed no mercy to these "blind" tribes, nor did he personally intervene. He would order his newly recruited vassal troops to "deal with" these targets. Initially, these forced-in warriors hesitated and resisted, but under the threat of the Wolf Tribe tribe's cold blades, they had no choice but to raise their weapons and charge towards those tribes as innocent as they had been not long before.
When blood-stained weapons were pulled from the bodies of former neighbors, or even distant relatives; when cries and screams echoed in their ears; when looted, blood-stained supplies were shoved into their hands, a subtle yet terrifying change quietly occurred in the eyes of many vassal soldiers. The initial fear and numbness gradually mixed with a twisted excitement and a distorted acceptance that "following the Wolf Tribe might mean survival or even some benefits." While they were far from possessing the pure ferocity of the Wolf Tribe, something in their eyes had indeed changed.
Xueya and the Wolf Tribe leaders, including Duyan, Shichui, Yexiao, Tujiu, watched all these changes with immense satisfaction. Every day, they watched this ever-growing army, listening to the increasingly ferocious shouts of their vassal warriors, and they were almost howling with excitement. Power! This was rapidly expanding power! This feeling intoxicated them.
However, their "success" brought about widespread panic and unrest.
In the area between the Wolf Tribe and the Pottery Salt Tribe, when news of the destruction of the White Stone Tribe and the forced abduction of tribes such as White Creek and White Tree spread like wildfire, the news became increasingly terrifying. Those tribes that had not yet been "visited" by Xueya immediately fell into unprecedented panic.
"The Wolf Tribe has gone mad! They rob any tribe they see, and kill anyone who dares to defy them!"
"Even the chieftain of the White Creek Tribe Daxi been forced to become a bandit!"
"Run! If you stay here, you'll either be killed or used as a scapegoat!"
Driven by immense fear, these tribes made their most instinctive choice—to flee!
They stopped waiting and watching, stopped hoping for the best. Almost overnight, countless small tribes, with their families and their meager possessions and stored food, fled their ancestral homeland like frightened birds and beasts, rushing towards what they thought might be safe.
The nearest Pottery Salt Tribe, Beast Taming Tribe, Marsh Tribe, Green Grain Tribe, and Hundred Crafts Tribe —beared the brunt of the influx. Within days, the camps of these normally medium-sized tribes swelled to a number far exceeding their own. They pleaded and cried out, hoping for shelter and protection. The tribal leaders were overwhelmed by this sudden influx of refugees, sympathizing with their plight but also worried about the food and security risks posed by the sudden increase in population, and even fearing the arrival of the Wolf Tribe.
Some tribes went even further, migrating directly to the territory of the more powerful Fish Tribe to the west, hoping to find a glimmer of hope under the Fish Tribe's protection.
Another small group, about five or six hundred people, were from four or five tribes with good relations. They also had greater hopes for the Fire Tribe, which was rumored to be more powerful and relatively more friendly to those who sought refuge there. They avoided the main area of the Wolf Tribe and carefully trudged southward along the edge of the forest towards the Fire Tribe.
A few days later, this group of refugees fleeing south finally came into the sights of the Fire Tribe's northern defenses.
On a high beacon tower at the northernmost part of the Small Gathering Valley Outpost, the lookout soldier suddenly opened his eyes wide. He noticed unusual activity at the boundary between the distant hills and woodlands. Soon, he saw shadowy figures, their numbers increasing, with the elderly and children leading small groups of livestock, forming a stream of people moving towards the outpost.
"Something's up! A large number of people are approaching!" The lookout immediately blew the Niujiao.
The urgent sound of bugles echoed over the stronghold. Yan and Dazhuang were inspecting the irrigation ditches around the newly reclaimed fields when they heard the sound. They immediately put down their work, mounted their horses, and returned to the stronghold camp to call for everyone to be on alert.
Soon, a cavalry patrol that had been on the outskirts returned swiftly to the stronghold, bringing more accurate information. The cavalry squad leader dismounted and, panting, reported to Yan and Dazhuang:
"Chief Yan! Dazhuang! Several hundred people have arrived from the north. They seem to be from several small tribes, with the old and young, like they're fleeing! We approached and asked, and they said... they said the Wolf Tribe to the north has gone mad and is capturing and exterminating people everywhere. They heard the news and ran away, hoping to join our Fire Tribe!"
"Wolf Tribe? They've coerced smaller tribes? They've wiped out entire clans?" Yan and Dazhuang exchanged a glance, both seeing shock and the gravity of the situation in each other's eyes. That madman, Xueya, was actually using such ruthless methods to expand his power!
"Immediately light the beacon fires! Light all the beacon towers along the way to the south, one by one! Send an alarm to headquarters!" Yan made a decisive decision and issued the order.
"Yes!" The soldiers beside him immediately accepted the order. Soon, thick black smoke billowed into the sky from the beacon tower of the Small Gathering Outpost. Immediately afterwards, on the hills further south in sight, a second and third beacon tower also began to emit columns of smoke. This alarm line composed of beacon fires transmitted the urgent military situation in the north to the Fire Tribe Valley headquarters at the fastest speed.
"Dazhuang, immediately organize the stronghold to strengthen its defenses! All soldiers, take your positions! Without orders, no one is allowed to approach or attack those refugees, but also be wary of any traps!" Yan instructed quickly. "I'll personally lead a cavalry squad over to check the situation and find out exactly what happened!"
"Okay! Yan, be careful!" Dazhuang nodded emphatically, knowing that Yan was more meticulous in handling these kinds of matters.
Yan didn't delay any longer. He selected twenty elite cavalrymen, mounted their horses, and headed north to meet the fleeing crowd. At the same time, he ordered a soldier to take a brief intelligence report, ride to the dock in Little Gathering Valley, board a fast boat that had been prepared, and return to the Fire Tribe Valley as quickly as possible to report this sudden and serious situation to his father, Jianshi.