The Green Grain Tribe Under Siege
News of the Wolf Tribe's Xueya spreading like a plague, engulfing smaller tribes, had already reached the surrounding area, including the Green Grain Tribe, which had been severely "cut" by the Wolf Tribe last time.
Uncle Sui, the leader of the Green Grain Tribe, was an old man nearing fifty who was skilled in farming. Last time, he was intimidated by Xueya of the Wolf Tribe, who brought "superior" armor that had been seized from the Fish Tribe (he later went to the Fish Tribe to complain, but Canglan denied it, saying that it was not the Fish Tribe's armor) and his fierce aura. He handed over one-third of the tribe's stored grain and supplies in a daze. Every time he thought about it afterward, he felt heartbroken and unable to sleep at night, and felt extremely humiliated and ashamed.
This time, when the Wolf Tribe launched another large-scale operation, Uncle Sui hadn't slept well for several nights in a row. He knew that with Xueya's greedy and cowardly nature, after tasting the "Tiantou" of the Green Grain Tribe, there was a high probability that he would target the Green Grain Tribe again!
Driven by various reasons, Uncle Sui made a different decision than before. He no longer harbored any illusions and, taking advantage of the large number of small tribes fleeing through the area, he opened the tribe's gates and absorbed a large number of fleeing tribes with relatively generous conditions. In a short period of time, the population of the Green Grain Tribe rapidly expanded to 1,500! Although the sudden increase in population strained the tribe's food reserves, the number of able-bodied men also increased to about 300. Looking at the bustling crowd in the camp, Uncle Sui's face, which was always filled with worry, finally regained a bit of confidence and color.
However, this brief period of peace was quickly shattered. The scouts sent out scrambled back to report, "Chief! Something terrible has happened! The Wolf Tribe... the Xueya Wolf Tribe has seized many smaller tribes, and now they probably number over a thousand! They... they seem to be heading this way!"
"What?!" Uncle Sui's vision went black, and he almost collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, the Shinian chief next to him helped him up. It took him a while to catch his breath. His heart was still pounding. He muttered, "Thousands of people... are coming towards us..." Overwhelmed by fear again, he immediately sent people to the Fish Tribe to ask the Canglan chief for help again!
At the same time, he mustered his strength and urgently summoned all the tribe's leaders and high-ranking members.
The atmosphere inside the council tent was tense. The Shinian chieftain was the first to stand up. He was the tribe's foremost warrior, and he was still seething with anger after being forced to hand over supplies last time. "Chief! Even if the Wolf Tribe comes again, we absolutely cannot bow down so easily as last time! If we give in again, what will all these newcomers eat? What will our own people eat?!"
The Gucang chieftain chimed in indignantly, "Exactly! If the Wolf Tribe were truly that powerful, they would have wiped out the Fish Tribe long ago! Last time they lied and claimed they defeated the Fish Tribe, and we were all terrified by their lies! I doubt the able-bodied men from those smaller tribes they've coerced this time will amount to anything if a real fight breaks out! They're just a disorganized mess!"
The chieftain of Wotu was relatively calmer. "Chief, we have already sent people to the Fish Tribe for help. Chief Canglan personally promised last time that if the Wolf Tribe dares to invade again, the Fish Tribe will definitely send troops to help! Our Green Grain Tribe is only two days' journey from the Fish Tribe. As long as we grit our teeth and hold our camp for a few days, reinforcements will surely arrive!"
The Chutou leader firmly stated, "Yes! We now have three hundred warriors, and so many able-bodied women to help defend the wall! If the Wolf Tribe comes, we'll hold the camp to the death! As long as we hold the camp, our food and houses will remain! If we surrender or flee, and the camp is destroyed and we lose our food, how will so many people survive the winter? We'll fight!"
Seeing the resolute attitude of his subordinates, even with a sense of shared hatred for the enemy, Uncle Sui's anxious heart gradually calmed down. Yes, the tribe was different now. There were more people in the tribe, and although food was scarce, there was still some. More importantly, after the humiliating experience of being extorted last time, everyone's will to resist had obviously strengthened. Moreover, there was the promise from the Fish Tribe. As long as they held on, there was nothing to fear!
"Alright!" Uncle Sui took a deep breath, trying to straighten his slightly hunched back. "Then we'll defend! Shinian, you immediately organize all the warriors and intensify their training! Gucang, inventory all the weapons and prepare all usable weapons! Wotu, you lead the men to continue reinforcing the camp! Chutou, you organize the women and teenagers to help assist! Also, send the scouts further afield; they must keep a close eye on the Wolf Tribe's movements!"
Once the order was given, everyone went to prepare.
Meanwhile, the Wolf Tribe army, led by Xueya, set off again after resting overnight at the Marsh Tribe camp.
At dawn, Xueya dispatched Yexiao with cavalry as the vanguard to attack the Green Grain Tribe. He himself led the main force to follow. He deliberately left fifty Wolf Tribe warriors and fifty relatively "obedient" vassal soldiers behind to sort through the supplies seized from the Marsh Tribe and to guard the women they had previously abducted, so that they could slowly carry them in.
Yexiao's cavalry moved with incredible speed, arriving at the outskirts of the Green Grain Tribe's camp around noon. He immediately ordered his cavalry to disperse, herding the remaining Green Grain Tribe members back into the camp enclosed by wooden fences, much like sheepdogs driving a flock of the Green Grain Tribe.
However, to Yexiao's surprise, the Green Grain Tribe seemed to be well-prepared. The camp gates were tightly closed and heavily guarded, showing none of the panic and eagerness to negotiate that he had seen on his last visit. He even saw a number of people on the wall carrying spears, and although their movements were clumsy, their numbers were considerable.
"Oh ho? You've grown bolder, haven't you?" Yexiao reined in his horse, squinting as he observed carefully. He quickly discovered that the Green Grain Tribe's defensive strength this time far exceeded that of the last time. Roughly estimating, there were at least three hundred adult men capable of wielding weapons, and even many young and strong women, as well as teenagers and relatively healthy elderly people, had been organized to move stones and pass things. The entire camp's garrison consisted of six hundred soldiers and young and strong women alone!
Yexiao did not act rashly. On the one hand, he directed his cavalry to patrol the perimeter of the camp, constantly making charging gestures to create a tense atmosphere; on the other hand, he immediately sent a cavalryman to report back to the main force.
"Tell the chief that the Green Grain Tribe hasn't fled, but they've outnumbered us considerably, with at least six hundred men guarding the camp. They seem determined to hold out! Request the main force to arrive immediately!"
Xueya was leading a large group of men trekking through the hills when he received Yexiao's report. He was initially stunned, but then laughed instead of getting angry, "Hahaha! Good! You've got guts! I love guts! That's what makes a real raid!" He turned and roared to his men, "Brothers! The Green Grain Tribe hasn't run away; they still want to fight us! Everyone, hurry up! Follow me and smash open their turtle shell! The food and women inside are all ours!"
"Roar!" The elite of the Wolf Tribe let out a bloodthirsty howl, and the vassal troops were also infected by the atmosphere, or driven by the supervisory team, and quickened their pace.
In the afternoon, the main force of the Wolf Tribe appeared in a grand procession on the open ground outside the Green Grain Tribe camp. Together with the Yexiao's cavalry, more than 800 men were arrayed in formation. Although the formation was loose, the dark mass of them brought a huge visual and psychological impact to the Green Grain Tribe camp's defenders.
Yexiao, having already ridden up to Xueya, reported in detail what he had observed, "Chief, the situation has changed somewhat. The Green Grain Tribe has a much larger force this time, with about three hundred able-bodied men alone. They've driven all the able-bodied men and women onto the walls, totaling about six hundred. And judging from their posture, they're truly prepared to defend to the death. If we launch a full-scale attack, even if we manage to take it, the losses will likely be substantial."
He paused, then lowered his voice and added, "More importantly, the Green Grain Tribe isn't far from the Fish Tribe. If we linger here too long, and the Fish Tribe gets wind of it and sends troops to their aid, we'll be at a disadvantage."
Xueya, mounted on his horse, frowned as he gazed at the densely packed figures in the camp ahead. He wasn't afraid of death or injury, but he didn't want to suffer unnecessary heavy losses while the vassal army wasn't fully "tamed" and there was a possibility of external reinforcements. Especially the Fish Tribe; although he wasn't afraid of land battles, the enemy had a considerable number of warriors, and if the Fish Tribe really came to cause trouble, it would be very troublesome.
He originally thought he could easily extort money by intimidating them, just like last time. Unexpectedly, the Green Grain Tribe, which was weak and easily bullied last time, has become tough this time and has gathered so many people to defend it to the death.
"Interesting..." Xueya stroked his chin, a fierce glint in his eyes, but he didn't immediately order an attack...
Surrounded by leaders like Shinian, Uncle Sui of the Green Grain Tribe looked pale-faced at the Wolf Tribe's army opposite him, which resembled a dark cloud looming overhead. His hand holding the wooden staff trembled slightly, but his eyes were much more determined than before.