Surrounding and Attacking the Wolf Tribe Together

After defeating the Wolf Tribe's Tujiu outside Wolf Fang Valley, Jianshi and his group learned from the prisoners they captured that the main force of the Xueya Wolf Tribe was heading towards the Marsh Tribe and the Green Grain Tribe!

Jianshi and Yan exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes. The direction the Tujiu had fled was precisely the direction of the Shuize and the Green Grain Tribe, which had now been confirmed by the prisoners.

"Let's go back to the Pottery Salt Tribe." Jianshi turned around, his voice Chenwen and powerful. The atmosphere in the largest wooden house of the Pottery Salt Tribe was solemn.

Jia Li, the leader of the Taoyan tribe, was sitting in the main seat, but his brows were furrowed at the moment. Next to him were the tribal leaders, including the head escort, who was still stained with blood from the battle.

Jianshi and Flame sat opposite each other, while the leaders of the Fire Tribe sat on either side. Yingmu was also allowed to attend the meeting because of his meritorious command of the cavalry in battle.

Jia Li spoke first, his tone full of worry. "The Wolf Tribe's Xueya just looted a large amount of supplies from these two tribes a few months ago, and now they've gone again..." He shook his head, "Given Xueya's cunning and ruthlessness, the Shuize and Qinghe tribes are probably in grave danger."

He looked at Jianshi and asked, "I wonder if the Fish Tribe has sent troops to rescue us?"

Yan picked up the conversation, his voice clear. "Chief Jia Li, if the Wolf Tribe conquers these two relatively wealthy tribes and plunders their resources, their strength will expand further. At that time, all the tribes in this region will be in turmoil."

He paused, then continued, "Many of the new members of our Fire Tribe are refugees who fled here after being ravaged by the Wolf Tribe, and they hate the Wolf Tribe to the core."

Jianshi nodded and continued, "Brother Jia Li, our Fire Tribe has come here to strike a heavy blow against the Wolf Tribe. I wonder if the Pottery Salt Tribe would be willing to join us? We would like to invite the Pottery Salt Tribe, the Beast Taming Tribe, the Hundred Crafts Tribe, and the Fish Tribe to join us in attacking the Wolf Tribe!"

The cabin fell silent at his words. Jia Li didn't answer immediately. He glanced at the leaders around him and saw complex emotions in their eyes—hatred, fear, and hesitation.

The Pottery Salt Tribe was attacked by the Wolf Tribe twice, especially the most recent one, which resulted in heavy losses. Although they repelled the Wolf Tribe, everyone in the tribe still gritted their teeth with hatred whenever the Wolf Tribe was mentioned. But as much as they hated them, they were also genuinely afraid, having personally experienced the ferocity and brutality of the Wolf Tribe.

The Biaotou) suddenly stood up. This man had a scar on his face, a remnant of the battle with the Wolf Tribe. His voice was hoarse as he said, "Chief, the brothers of the Fire Tribe are right! If the Wolf Tribe isn't eliminated, we'll never have peace!"

He pointed to the scar on his face. "This grudge must be avenged!"

The other leaders chimed in, "Yes, Chief!" "The Fire Tribe is willing to take the lead; this is an opportunity!" "We can't let the Wolf Tribe continue to be so arrogant!"

Seeing the fervor of his men, Jia Li's last shred of hesitation vanished instantly. He stood up, his voice trembling with excitement. "Brother Jianshi, our Pottery Salt Tribe has long wanted to teach the Wolf Tribe a lesson! Since the Fire Tribe is willing to take the lead, we will definitely cooperate fully!"

He walked up to the Jianshi and extended his hand. "The Pottery Salt Tribe and the Fire Tribe, let's fight side by side this time!"

Jianshi also stood up, grasped Jia Li's hand happily, and said, "Great! With the help of the Pottery Salt Tribe, we will surely win this battle!"

The atmosphere inside the cabin suddenly became lively, and the leaders of the two tribes began to talk to each other, the previous seriousness replaced by a sense of shared hatred for the enemy.

Jianshi released his grip, returned to his seat, and began outlining the plan. "We plan to first take two hundred cavalrymen to search for the main force of the Wolf Tribe. Once we find them, we'll try to hold them off."

He looked at Yan, who nodded and added, "As long as we hold off the Wolf Tribe, we'll launch a full-scale attack on them once our Fire Tribe 'Wolf Tribe three hundred elite infantry arrive."

Jianshi continued, "In addition, our Fire Tribe has two hundred infantrymen who will arrive at the Pottery Salt Tribe in the next day or two. They can assist the Pottery Salt Tribe in defending their camp and ensure that their rear is secure."

Hearing this, Jia Li's last lingering concerns vanished. He immediately whispered a few words to the leaders around him, then looked up and said, "Brother Jianshi has made excellent arrangements. Our Pottery Salt Tribe is prepared to send one hundred infantrymen and twenty cavalrymen to join the Fire Tribe in attacking the Wolf Tribe!"

The escort leader immediately stood up. "Chief, I will lead the cavalry!"

Jia Li nodded in agreement and continued, "Also, regarding the matter of inviting the Beast Taming Tribe and the Hundred Crafts Tribe to send troops, I will send two cavalrymen to accompany the Fire Tribe's cavalry."

Jianshi was very satisfied with this arrangement. He immediately selected two cavalrymen from the Fire Tribe and ordered them to prepare to set off with the cavalrymen from the Pottery Salt Tribe to invite the Beast Taming Tribe and the Hundred Crafts Tribe to send troops!

Yan then offered another suggestion. "We can take the waterway to the Fish Tribe. We can send a Muzhou down the Fish River; it's faster than riding a horse."

"Great idea!" Jia Li immediately ordered someone to prepare Muzhou.

The plan was quickly finalized, and the people in the cabin began to prepare separately. Jianshi and Jia Li discussed in detail the contact methods, meeting points, and other details.

Early the next morning, before it was fully light, the Taoyan Tribe camp was busy. About two hundred cavalrymen were already ready to go. These cavalrymen were the most elite force of the Fire Tribe, and their horses were also carefully selected. A dozen cavalrymen from the Taoyan Tribe also arrived, led by escort leaders. Although there were not many in number, they were all veterans and very familiar with the terrain.

Jianshi and Yan mounted their horses. Jianshi glanced around the group and shouted, "Let's go!"

More than two hundred cavalrymen surged out of the Pottery Salt Tribe camp like a torrent, galloping towards the Green Grain Tribe camp, with Yingmu leading a small squad of cavalry to scout ahead.

As evening fell, they arrived outside the Green Grain Tribe's camp, and the sight before them made everyone gasp in shock.

The camp's wooden fence was charred black, and the camp was empty. What was even more alarming was the Huangye outside the camp—where many people lay scattered about. Judging from their equipment, most of them were warriors from the Fish Tribe, along with some young men dressed in simple clothes.

"We're late..." the Biaotou) said in a low voice.

Yan dismounted, crouched down, and carefully examined the wounds and surrounding marks. He then returned to Jianshi's side and said, "Judging from the marks, the battle must have happened two days ago. It seems the Fish Tribe."

Jianshi's face was gloomy. He hadn't expected the Wolf Tribe to act so quickly, not only breaking through the Green Grain Tribe but also defeating the Fish Tribe's reinforcements.

"Where is the Wolf Tribe now?" he asked.

Yingmu had already led his men to search the surrounding area and returned to report, "Chief, we've discovered two trails. One is heading towards the Wolf Tribe's lair at High Pointed Mountain; the other is heading towards the Fish Tribe."

Yan pondered for a moment and analyzed, "The tracks leading to High Pointed Mountain are rather messy and contain some bloodstains, indicating it was likely a team transporting supplies and the wounded. The tracks leading to the Fish Tribe indicate a large group of people marching."

He looked at Jianshi: "Xueya should have taken the main force to the Fish Tribe. He just defeated the Fish Tribe and is likely looking to press his advantage or sweep through the smaller tribes surrounding the Fish Tribe."

Jianshi nodded in agreement. He glanced at the sky and said, "We've been traveling all day, and everyone's tired. Let's rest at the Green Grain Tribe tonight and continue our pursuit towards the Fish Tribe early tomorrow morning."

The order was given, and the cavalrymen began to clear a place to rest, feed their horses, and cook. Although the conditions were simple, no one complained—everyone knew that there was still a tough battle ahead.

The next morning, the group set off again. Jianshi sent two cavalrymen back to deliver a message to the approaching Fire Tribe infantry, informing them of the direction the cavalry was pursuing.

The cavalry advanced swiftly along the tracks left by the Wolf Tribe. In the afternoon, a scout sent back by Yingmu reported, "Chief, we've spotted Wolf Tribe cavalry scouts ahead! About seven or eight of them, running that way!"

Jianshi immediately ordered, "Chase!"

The Fire Tribe cavalry immediately accelerated, and soon they saw the Wolf Tribe scouts running for their lives.

"It's Tujiu!" Biaotou bodyguard/escort) spotted one of them. "It's the Wolf Tribe leader who escaped from Wolf Fang Valley the day before yesterday!"

The Tujiu spotted the pursuers and was immediately terrified. It whipped its horse wildly and galloped towards the main force of the Wolf Tribe.

Jianshi didn't order his men to give chase. He knew that Tujiu had run off to deliver a message, and sure enough, after a short pursuit, a dark mass of people appeared ahead.

The main force of the Wolf Tribe is retreating, numbering about four hundred men, of whom about two hundred are warriors of the Wolf Tribe itself, and the rest are vassal troops. They have clearly been alerted, and the ranks are tightly packed, with infantry holding wooden shields on the perimeter and cavalry guarding the flanks.

"Stop!" Jianshi raised his hand.

The Fire Tribe cavalry stopped about three hundred paces from the Wolf Tribe, a distance from which they could clearly see the enemy's situation.

Yan rode up to Jianshi and whispered, "They're trying to retreat to the nearby Little Leaf Tribe's camp."

Jianshi nodded; he too had discerned the Wolf Tribe's intention—to fight and retreat, preparing to withdraw to their camp and hold their ground.

"We can't let them retreat smoothly," Jianshi said.

He turned to Yingmu and ordered, "Divide the cavalry into five groups of forty men each, and have them take turns flanking charges, harassing the enemy with slingshots and Shimao."

"Yes!" Yingmu immediately went to make the arrangements.

Soon, the Fire Tribe cavalry split into five squads, like five sharp knives, taking turns launching harassing attacks on the Wolf Tribe's forces.

Instead of engaging in close combat, they used the speed of their horses to throw Shimao or rope stones.

Xueya stood in the center of the column, his face turning pale with anger, but he was helpless—his cavalry was too few to dare leave the infantry formation to pursue.

"Shields up! Shields up!" he roared. "Ignore them, keep retreating to camp!"

The Wolf Tribe warriors raised their wooden shields high to protect their vitals, enduring the harassment and attacks from the Fire Tribe as they slowly moved towards the Little Leaf Tribe's camp.

But along the way, they continued to fall. By the time Xueya of the Wolf Tribe finally retreated to the Little Leaf Tribe's camp, he had lost more than thirty men. Xueya ordered the camp gates to be closed tightly and the makeshift camp to be reinforced. All the warriors were on guard and defended. He looked at the Fire Tribe cavalry galloping back and forth outside, his eyes almost spitting fire.

"Jianshi... it's you again..." he gritted his teeth.

Outside the camp, Jianshi and Yan watched as the Wolf Tribe retreated into the camp, without ordering a full-scale attack.

Yan said, "Father, they are holding their position in the camp. A direct assault would result in too many losses. Let's wait for the infantry to arrive."

Jianshi nodded. "Send cavalry to surround the camp and prevent them from escaping. Also send two more men, one towards the direction of the Fish Tribe to urge them to hurry up; and the other towards the direction our infantry came from to speed them up."

Jianshi glanced at the Little Leaf Tribe camp, his eyes sharp, and said, "This time, we absolutely cannot let Xueya escape again."

As the sun set, the Fire Tribe cavalry began establishing a blockade around the Little Leaf Tribe camp. They lit campfires, deployed sentries, and formed a large net, firmly trapping the Wolf Tribe within the camp. Inside the camp, Xueya was also urgently setting up defenses.