The Marsh Tribe's Hasty Retreat

The day after Cangbo, the leader of the Marsh Tribe, made the decision to order the Xuanwo leader to lead the tribe's elderly, women, children, and light supplies to evacuate towards the Fish Tribe, news arrived that made everyone in the Marsh Tribe's hearts stop.

The scout sent out to investigate, like a rabbit with its tail on fire, scrambled back to the tribal camp, his face drained of color and his eyes filled with utter terror. As soon as he burst into the camp, he screamed at the top of his lungs, "Chief! It's terrible! The Wolf... Wolf Tribe's cavalry! They're coming! Quick! Run!"

The piercing scream instantly stirred up a huge Julang in the Marsh Tribe camp. The young men and women who were still packing up the remaining supplies were thrown into chaos, and the scene almost spiraled out of control in an instant.

Cangbo, who was anxiously waiting for news in the council tent, heard the commotion outside and the mournful cry of "Wolf Tribe." His mind went blank, his vision went black, and he staggered back several steps before grabbing a wooden pillar to keep from falling.

"It's over... They came so fast?!" A chilling despair gripped his heart instantly.

But he was, after all, the leader, and knew he couldn't afford to collapse at this moment. He forced himself to steady himself, took a few deep breaths of the cold air, and burst out of the council chamber. He grabbed the scout who was slumped on the ground, panting heavily, and demanded sharply, "Did you see clearly? How many people are here? How long until they arrive?!"

The scout, captured by the leader, trembled with fear and stammered, "Leader... leader! Look closely! Cavalry! All cavalry! At least... at least forty riders! Running incredibly fast! I... I ran back for my life, they should... they should be not far behind!"

"At least forty riders?" Cangbo's heart sank. This must be the vanguard of the Wolf Tribe. The Wolf Tribe's cavalry was too fast; they arrived even earlier than expected! The people from his tribe who had retreated earlier probably hadn't gone very far!

At this moment, the camp was in complete chaos. Fear spread like a plague, and many people began to blindly follow the crowd, with some even trying to throw down their weapons and flee for their lives.

"Stop right there!" Cangbo's voice boomed like thunder, drowning out all the chaos. "Running away means death! Anyone who wants to live, listen to me!"

His voice temporarily quelled the commotion. He strode to the open space in the center of the camp and roared at the panicked men around him, "Warriors of the Marsh Tribe! The Wolf Tribe's cavalry are at the gates! Do you think we can outrun horses if we just run around like this?!"

He pointed towards the camp gate. "Grab your weapons and follow me to the camp gate! We'll hold them off for now! Let's buy some time for our tribe to retreat!"

He then turned to the equally terrified women. "Women! Don't panic! Grab your lightest and most valuable possessions and head out the back gate of the camp immediately! Run as fast as you can towards the Fish Tribe! Don't look back! Once we've held off the Wolf Tribe, we'll come back for you!"

He finally roared through gritted teeth, his heart breaking, "Forget all the food, bulky supplies, tools... we can't take them! Survival is the priority! Do you understand?!"

"Understood!" In the face of life and death, the instinct for survival overcame panic. The men grabbed their weapons and, led by Cangbo and several leaders, rushed toward the camp gate, where they took up defensive positions against the simple wooden fence.

The tribal women, supporting each other, surged toward the back gate of the camp, quickly disappearing into the swamp and bushes behind.

Just as the Marsh Tribe had barely managed to organize a defensive line, Yexiao of the Wolf Tribe, leading the Wolf Tribe's cavalry, galloped across the distant horizon and appeared not far from the gate of the Marsh Tribe's camp in the blink of an eye.

Yexiao reined in his horse, squinting as he surveyed the camp ahead. The camp gates were tightly shut, and behind the wooden fence stood numerous figures armed with weapons—more than two hundred in total! Although their formation was scattered and their weapons rudimentary, their numbers were overwhelming.

"Damn, quick reaction." Yexiao spat. He only had a few dozen cavalrymen. A direct assault on such a well-prepared camp, even if the enemy was a rabble, would result in significant casualties for him. It wasn't worth it.

He immediately dispatched a cavalryman to rush back to the rear and report to Xueya, "Tell the chief that the Marsh Tribe is prepared, having gathered at least two hundred warriors to defend the camp. The women may have already escaped through the back gate! Request the main force to arrive immediately!"

The cavalryman received the order, turned his horse around, and galloped towards the main force of the Wolf Tribe.

Yexiao himself led his cavalry, slowly patrolling outside the camp, constantly making gestures as if about to charge, putting immense psychological pressure on the Marsh Tribe's defenders.

Inside the camp, Cangbo watched the Wolf Tribe cavalry galloping back and forth outside, their menacing aura palpable. His palms were sweating profusely. He knew that these were just the vanguard, and the main force would arrive soon!

He led the warriors of the Marsh Tribe to hold out for a while longer, until he felt the women had likely fled far away. Then he decisively gave the order, "Everyone, listen to my command! Slowly retreat towards the back gate! Don't panic! Once you're in the swamp, disperse and evacuate along our usual route!"

With the order given, the warriors of the Marsh Tribe began to slowly retreat. Although tense, their will to survive and the command of their leader prevented them from completely collapsing.

Seeing the enemy begin to retreat, Yexiao immediately realized his chance had come! "Trying to escape? Not so easy!" He immediately ordered his cavalry to charge the Marsh Tribe's camp, preparing for pursuit.

However, after the warriors of the Marsh Tribe withdrew from the camp through the back gate, they quickly disappeared into the swampy area they knew so well. This area was crisscrossed with waterways and shrouded in silt, making it a place where cavalry could not roam freely. The Yexiao's cavalry had only caught up with them for a short distance when two horses stepped into the swamp, neighing and sinking in. The riders screamed and fell off, looking utterly disheveled.

"Stop! Stop!" Yexiao was shocked to see this and quickly shouted to stop the troops. He didn't want his precious cavalry and warhorses to perish in this mud.

Watching helplessly as the more than two hundred members of the Marsh Tribe vanished into the depths of the swamp like mercury spilling out, Yexiao was furious, his face turning ashen. But there was nothing he could do but order his men to rescue the two unfortunate cavalrymen and their horses (if they could be pulled out).

Although they hadn't caught anyone, the sight of the almost abandoned camp, piled high with food, furs, and tools that hadn't been taken away, made Yexiao's expression improve. This was still a considerable haul.

In the afternoon, Xueya led the main force of the Wolf Tribe and several hundred chaotic vassal soldiers to the Marsh Tribe camp in a grand procession.

After hearing Yexiao's report, Xueya cursed darkly, "Damn it! A bunch of Niqiu! They run fast!" He grumbled, extremely annoyed. Failing to capture enough young, strong women and completely defeat his opponents greatly diminished his plundering thrill.

But his anger subsided somewhat when he saw the supplies piled up in the camp.

"Well, at least it wasn't a wasted trip."

He ordered his men to quickly inventory the supplies, gathering all valuables such as grain and furs for the Wolf Tribe to control.

As for the cumbersome farm tools, fishing nets, and some less important miscellaneous items, Xueya's eyes lit up with an idea. He distributed these "spoils of war" to the vassal army members who were eagerly watching.

"Brothers! Follow our Wolf Tribe, and you'll get meat to eat! This is a reward for you!"

Xueya stood atop a pile of junk and shouted.

Those vassal troops who had been forced to come along were overjoyed to see that they actually received some spoils. They rushed forward to grab them, letting out excited howls. Xueya's move not only disposed of the useless burdens but also slightly appeased and won over these cannon fodder, achieving two goals at once.

That night, the Wolf Tribe occupied the Marsh Tribe's camp, lit a fire, cooked, and celebrated wildly. Xueya and several leaders sat around the food they had stolen, discussing their next move.

"Chief, the Marsh Tribe has fled, but they will surely return," Yexiao said.

Xueya sneered, "Back? Good. These wooden houses, these fields, they can stay."

A cunning and cruel glint flashed in his eyes. "Let them come back, let them continue farming, continue fishing. Next year, when the harvest is plentiful and the fish are plump... we'll come back to 'collect our debts'! Wouldn't that be more profitable than burning them down now? They're not like those herding tribes to the north; they won't go far!"

Yexiao, Duyan, Shichui, and the others were taken aback at first, then revealed knowing, sinister smiles, and all gave a thumbs-up, praising, "Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! The leader is wise!"

The idea of treating this place as a "granary" that could be repeatedly harvested allowed Xueya's plundering desires to be satisfied in the long term.

"Alright, rest for the night!" Xueya waved his hand. "We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning! Target— Green Grain Tribe! Yexiao!"

"Exist!"

"You'll lead the cavalry first again tomorrow! This time, be quick! Make sure you trap the Green Grain Tribe people in their camp! Don't let them slip away like those Niqiu from the Marsh Tribe!"

"Yes, sir!" Yexiao Owl obeyed, his eyes gleaming with ferocity. This time, he was determined not to let his prey escape again.