Reinforcements Set Out
After waiting for Shentan to conscript three hundred able-bodied men from nearby affiliated tribes, Julang and Powang of the Fish Tribe did not delay any longer. They immediately led four hundred elite soldiers from the Fish Tribe's main force to join the three hundred conscripted soldiers, forming a force of seven hundred men, and marched in a mighty procession towards the Marsh Tribe. The news brought by Shentan was that Xueya of the Wolf Tribe was very likely to attack the Marsh Tribe first, which made Julang, eager for revenge, even more anxious.
Shentan led a small number of cavalry as scouts, speeding along to investigate. Soon, he encountered a situation that was both expected and disheartening—a group of refugees, their families in disarray, who were the elderly, women, and children of the Marsh Tribe who had evacuated ahead of time.
Shentan learned from the still-shaken refugees that Cangbo, the leader of the Marsh Tribe, fearing he would be unable to withstand the Wolf Tribe, had ordered them to evacuate first.
Shentan immediately turned his horse back to the central army and reported to Julang and Powang.
"What?! The Marsh Tribe ran away on their own?!" Julang Wave's eyes widened in disbelief, his face filled with anger at being looked down upon and his teammates' incompetence. "These cowards! Our Fish Tribe reinforcements are on their way! What are they afraid of?! Would they die if they held out for a day or two longer?!"
He was already resentful about being ambushed by Xueya in Wolf Fang Valley and was eager to get revenge on the battlefield. Hearing that the Marsh Tribe had backed down before the battle even started, he was even more furious.
"Pass down the order! Speed up! Target: Marsh Tribe!" Julang roared angrily, wishing he could fly to the Marsh Tribe immediately and teach the Wolf Tribe and the "good-for-nothing" Marsh Tribe a lesson.
"Shentan!" He then looked at the Shentan leader, who was in charge of scouting, "Send more capable men ahead to thoroughly scout the Marsh Tribe's camp! I need to know if the Wolf Tribe is there, and how many of them there are!"
"Yes!" Shentan accepted the order and spurred his horse forward again, feeling rather helpless. The escape of the Marsh Tribe had disrupted the Fish Tribe's original plan of "cooperation from within and without".
The column continued its advance, but its speed was ultimately slowed down by the infantry. As night approached, Julang, though reluctant, had no choice but to order the troops to set up camp in a sheltered, elevated area, make a fire, cook a meal, and allow the soldiers to rest and recover their strength. Marching through unfamiliar wilderness at night was far too risky.
The campfire was lit and the food was still bubbling in the pot when Shentan, who had gone out to explore, returned. This time, he was followed by someone else— Cangbo, the leader of the Marsh Tribe!
Cangbo's face was ashen, and he was in a sorry state, completely lacking the demeanor of a tribal chief. The moment he saw the Julang in the center of the camp, his eyes immediately reddened, and he staggered off his horse, almost falling to the Julang.
"Leader of the Julang! Leader of the Julang!" Cangbo's voice was hoarse, choked with sobs, tears streaming down his face before he could even finish speaking. "It's all over... Our Marsh Tribe's camp... was taken over by those damned Wolf Tribe bastards! Food... furs... so much stuff we didn't bring with us!"
He gripped Julang's arm, his fingers trembling with emotion, his body shaking slightly. "We... our tribe's warriors escaped by risking their lives, relying on their familiarity with the swamp's terrain! Our Marsh Tribe suffered heavy losses! Julang Chief, your Fish Tribe... your Fish Tribe must avenge us! That beast Xueya!"
Cangbo, he became increasingly agitated, and began to incoherently denounce the Wolf Tribe's cruelty and cunning, recounting his pain and resentment at being forced to abandon his homeland.
Julang frowned and listened patiently for a while before piecing together the general course of events from Cangbo's fragmented and indignant narration: the vanguard of the Wolf Tribe's cavalry suddenly appeared, Cangbo, knowing he was no match for them, decisively, or rather cowardly, decided to preserve his strength, leading his warriors and young women to retreat. They escaped the pursuit by relying on the swampy terrain, but the camp and a large amount of supplies fell into the hands of the Wolf Tribe.
Julang sneered inwardly: What a bunch of cowardly Niqiu! If they had been tougher and held their ground, they could have easily crushed the Wolf Tribe by attacking from both sides when we arrived! Now look what happened, they lost their camp, gave away their supplies, and are left with only these remnants crying and wailing.
Although he felt contempt in his heart, Julang maintained the decorum expected of a tribe. He patted Cangbo's hand and comforted him in a gruff voice, "Chief Cangbo, don't be sad. We all know how fierce and brutal the Wolf Tribe is. It's good that everyone is alright."
Once Cangbo calmed down, he tentatively invited Julang to immediately lead the Fish Tribe army back to the Marsh Tribe and retake the camp while the Wolf Tribe was still establishing itself. However, Julang shook his head.
"Chief Cangbo, I understand your feelings," Julang's tone became serious. "But the Marsh Tribe's camp is lost, Wolf Tribe, having looted their supplies, will not linger there. Their next target is very likely the Green Grain Tribe, which is also rich in resources and may have even weaker defenses!"
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he stated his assessment. "If we head to the Marsh Tribe now, we'll likely find nothing; the Wolf Tribe will have already fled. The best strategy is to go directly to the Green Grain Tribe! We can wait there in comfort, or ambush them halfway, giving the Wolf Tribe a crushing defeat! Only in this way can we truly avenge the Marsh Tribe, and all the tribes harmed by the Wolf Tribe!"
Julang's logic was clear and pragmatic: rather than trying to recapture a camp that might already be empty or in ruins, it was better to seize the opportunity and find the main force of the Wolf Tribe for a decisive battle.
Cangbo listened, and although he was unwilling, looking at the hundreds of spirited and well-equipped Fish Tribe warriors behind Julang, and then thinking about his own terrified and battered soldiers, he knew that Julang was more reasonable. The Fish Tribe's willingness to send troops was already a great favor, and he could not ask for more.
In the end, Cangbo agreed that Changgāo, the leader of the Marsh Tribe, would lead one hundred warriors in relatively good condition to join the Fish Tribe's forces and go to the Green Grain Tribe to "take revenge." Cangbo himself would lead the remaining warriors to catch up with and gather the elderly and weak tribesmen who had retreated earlier, and go to the Fish Tribe to seek temporary shelter.
The next day, just as dawn broke, Julang and Powang mustered their troops and joined forces with the hundred Shuize warriors led by Changgāo, totaling more than eight hundred men. They then turned and sped off towards the Green Grain Tribe. Shentan, still with about ten alert cavalrymen, scouted ahead at a distance.
The journey from the Fish Tribe's current camp to the Green Grain Tribe normally takes more than a day. The team hurried along and found a good place to camp and rest again in the evening. Just as Julang had finished arranging the sentry posts and was about to eat something and go to bed, Shentan returned once again with an urgent message.
This time, Shentan's expression was even more unpleasant than before, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible shock and anger.
"Julang Leader! Powang Leader! Bad news!" Shentan Pool spoke rapidly, "The Green Grain Tribe... the Green Grain Tribe's camp has been breached by the Wolf Tribe! This afternoon!"
"What?!" Julang jumped up, dropping the half-eaten jerky in his hand to the ground, his face twitching. "The Green Grain Tribe is finished too? Those useless farmers! How could they lose their camp so quickly?!"
Shentan took a deep breath and gave a detailed report of the intelligence he had obtained from several Green Grain Tribe soldiers who had managed to escape and were hiding in the woods, "The Wolf Tribe's Xueya didn't launch a direct attack, but instead used fire! They gathered dry straw and firewood, and set fire to the camp walls and outer houses of the Green Grain Tribe from three sides. The Green Grain Tribe thrown into chaos, morale plummeted, and they were forced to break out through the back gate, only to fall into an ambush by the Wolf Tribe's cavalry, suffering heavy casualties and losing almost all their food and supplies..."
"Fire attack again!" Julang gritted his teeth. He remembered the last time at the Pottery Salt Tribe, the Wolf Tribe had used the same tactic to force the Pottery Salt Tribe's warriors out of their camp for a Xueya, all he knows is these underhanded tricks!"
Amidst his anger, a strong sense of urgency and killing intent rose within Julang. The Wolf Tribe had achieved successive victories, their morale was high, and they had seized a large amount of supplies. They had to be dealt with as soon as possible, otherwise their momentum would be even more difficult to contain.
He forced himself to calm down and ordered Shentan, "Shentan, take your men and, under cover of night, try to gather as many of the remaining Green Grain Tribe soldiers who have fled as possible. Ask them about the exact location and number of the Wolf Tribe, and whether they are still at the Green Grain Tribe's camp!"
His eyes flashed with a fierce light as he clenched his fists. "Pass down the order, let the brothers get some rest, we'll set off at dawn tomorrow! Target— Green Grain Tribe camp! This time, we absolutely cannot let that Xueya escape again! I will use his head to proclaim the might of our Fish Tribe and to atone for the sins of all the tribes that have been harmed!"