Blood Stains the Northern Lands

Before dawn the next day, the Wolf Tribe set off in three groups: the Xueya, Duyan Shichui alliance, and Yexiao, each leading a hundred Wolf Tribe warriors. They split into three teams and rushed in three different directions. Their actions were very methodical. They did not initially target tribes with three or four hundred people, but instead specifically chose the weakest targets—small tribes with only about a hundred people.

Xueya led his men and, before dawn, reached a tribe called "Xiaocao." This tribe, hidden in a dense forest beside a stream, numbered only about 120 people, with fewer than 30 able-bodied men. When the Wolf Tribe warriors emerged from the morning mist like ghosts, the people of the Little Grass Seed Tribe were not yet fully awake. Their resistance was weak; the few able-bodied men who tried to resist were quickly defeated, and the remaining elderly, women, and children trembled with fear, not daring to even cry out loud.

Xueya didn't massacre them. He stood in the center of the camp, looking at the terrified faces, and slowly said, "Those who want to live, come with us. Those who don't want to live, step forward now."

No one dared to step forward.

"Very good." Xueya nodded. "All able-bodied men will be incorporated into the ranks. The elderly, children, and women will stay near the camp. Anyone who tries to run away will be killed immediately."

He pointed to several young men lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

The young and strong men of the Grass Seed Tribe —twenty-five men in total—were swept away by the Wolf Tribe warriors and followed Xueya. The entire process took less than an hour. By the time the sun had fully risen, the group had already left the Grass Seed Tribe's camp and continued on to their next destination.

Similar scenes were playing out on the other two routes as well.

Duyan and Shichui's group swept through two small tribes in a single day. They were more brutal, killing anyone who resisted, but they were very efficient. By evening, they had more than fifty able-bodied men under their command.

Yexiao Owl's route was the most successful. The tribes he chose were all small, the largest being no more than 150 people. He was skilled in night raids and psychological warfare, often surrounding them at night and calling out to them to surrender at dawn. He encountered almost no decent resistance, and in two days, he had captured more than 80 able-bodied men.

After the three groups of people had taken hostage several tribes of a hundred men each, their numbers increased rapidly, and they became bolder. They then began to target tribes of two or three hundred men.

These tribes offered significantly stronger resistance. Some tribes built rudimentary fences, some had better-equipped warriors, and some tribal leaders were even more courageous, attempting to organize resistance.

But it was no use. The veterans of the Wolf Tribe were too fierce. Many of them had experienced major battles such as the defeat at Wild Boar Gully and the disastrous defeat at White Pig Camp. They had crawled out of piles of corpses. Their ferocity and combat experience were far beyond what these small tribes, who had been farming and herding for many years, could compare to.

Battles often ended within half an hour; the rebels were suppressed, the surrendered were coerced, and the Wolf Tribe's ranks grew larger and larger like a snowball.

Only Duyan and Shichui encountered a slight mishap. They came across a tribe called "Da Yingmu," consisting of about two hundred people. The tribe's leader was a middle-aged man nearing forty, with a fierce and resolute character. When the Wolf Tribe surrounded the camp, he did not surrender but instead led more than forty young men to defend several large wooden huts, resisting with javelins.

"Damn it, you dare to resist!" Shichui roared in fury, grabbing his Shifu and preparing to charge forward for a direct attack.

Duyan grabbed him. "Don't rush, a direct attack will kill a lot of our people."

He surveyed the terrain, his eyes darting around, and a plan came to him. He ordered his men to gather dry grass and firewood, pile them around the wooden hut, and then set them on fire. The people inside quickly succumbed to their heat.

They charged out and fought desperately against the Wolf Tribe, but the battle ended quickly. All forty-odd able-bodied men of the Da Yingmu Tribe were dead. The old and children were not spared either— Duyan and Shichui ordered the newly recruited able-bodied men to slaughter them all. Even the young women were played with and vented on before being killed without exception.

"Those who dare to resist, this is their fate!" Shichui roared viciously as he stood beside the pile of corpses.

The battle delayed them by half a day. By the time they finished cleaning up the battlefield and continued their journey, they were already a little later than planned. Five days later, the three groups of people met at the old site of the Niujiao Tribe. The Niujiao Tribe was a tribe that had been hunted down and slaughtered by the Wolf Tribe last year. Now, only ruins remained, with the dilapidated wooden frames creaking in the wind.

Xueya and Yexiao's forces arrived first. They each cleared a space, set up temporary camps, and waited for the other group. It wasn't until evening that Duyan and Shichui arrived with their men. Their group clearly carried a bloody smell, and many of their warriors' leather armor was stained with blood.

"Why so late?" Xueya asked, frowning.

Shichui grinned. "I ran into a tough nut to crack; it took some effort."

The Duyan added, "That tribe rebelled, so we slaughtered them all, which delayed us by half a day."

Xueya glanced at them but didn't ask any more questions. He didn't care about the process, only the result. Anyway, the overall goal was achieved—three teams, totaling more than 420 able-bodied men. Adding the original 300 warriors from the Wolf Tribe, the team had now swelled to more than 700 men.

The camp was bustling with noise. The newly recruited young men were gathered together, many of them looking fearful, huddled together, and dared not speak. Meanwhile, the veterans of the Wolf Tribe huddled in small groups, laughing and talking loudly, boasting about their "achievements" over the past few days.

Xueya stood on a high slope, overlooking the entire camp. More than seven hundred people—this number stirred a long-lost sense of pride within him. Although only the three hundred veteran soldiers of the Wolf Tribe were truly capable fighters among them, these four hundred newly recruited young men, once "baptized," would soon become qualified cannon fodder—no, warriors.

"Boss, everyone's here," Yexiao reported as he approached.

Xueya nodded. "Summon the leaders and discuss the next steps."

Soon, Duyan, Shichui, and Yexiao arrived. The four of them sat around a campfire, the firelight illuminating their faces—some ferocious, some cold, some excited. Xueya looked at the joy on their faces and felt very satisfied. He knew that the Wolf Tribe's confidence was being restored, and the murderous aura that had been scattered by the Fire Tribe was regrouping.

"Our team now has over seven hundred people," Xueya began, "But there are quite a few problems."

He counted on his fingers. "First, many of these four hundred-plus new recruits have never seen blood or experienced real combat; they can't be relied upon in a real fight. Second, they are severely lacking in leather armor and weapons; many don't even have decent Shimao. Third, there isn't enough food. With so many of us, the daily food consumption is astronomical."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three of them. "What do you suggest we do?"

Shichui was the first to jump up. "Is that even a question? Grab it! If you don't have it, just grab it!"

The Duyan grinned maliciously. "Yes, keep going north. There are many tribes and lots of easy targets there."

Yexiao remained calm. "But Chief, we've already reached the edge of the Horse Tribe's territory. The further north we go, the greater the risks become."

"I know," Xueya nodded. "So we need to be quick and ruthless, and make a killing before the Horse Tribe can react!"

He stood up, walked to the fire, and drew a simple map on the ground with a twig.

"Look," he said, pointing to the markings on the ground, "We are here now, at the old site of the Niujiao Tribe. Two sunsets' journey to the northwest, there are two tribes— the White Sheep Tribe and the Black Sheep Tribe."

He pointed to two locations with a twig. "These two tribes are very close to each other, each with a population of over five hundred, totaling more than a thousand. They mainly herd sheep, but also raise ponies and grow rice. They also have a considerable number of cattle and sheep. The harvest has just been completed, so their food reserves should be plentiful."

The Duyan's eyes lit up. "Two tribes with over a thousand people? That must mean a lot of cattle and sheep!"

"I'm not sure of the exact numbers, but it's definitely a lot," Xueya said. "Moreover, the able-bodied men from these two tribes combined number over two hundred. If we can take them down, we can replenish a significant amount of food, cattle, sheep, leather armor, and weapons."

Shichui's breathing quickened as he exclaimed, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's do it!"

"Don't rush," Xueya waved his hand. "These two tribes are close by. If one is attacked, the other will find out very quickly. So we must act simultaneously and not give them a chance to go to the Horse Tribe to report and ask for help."

He looked at the three men. "My plan is that we will all set off early tomorrow morning. Our group of over 700 people will split into two groups. I will personally lead one group to attack the White Sheep Tribe, and the three of you will lead the other group to the Black Sheep Tribe. We will surround them before dawn the day after tomorrow and attack simultaneously just before daybreak."

Yexiao frowned. "Attack simultaneously? Do we have enough manpower?"

"That's enough." Xueya was certain. "Although the White Sheep Tribe and the Black Sheep Tribe each have more than five hundred people, their able-bodied members only number around two hundred. We have more than seven hundred, and with this surprise attack, our chances of quickly ending the battle are very high."

He paused, then added, "And this time, we'll let those newly recruited young men go too, and let them see some blood."

The three of them were taken aback.

"Let them go too?" Shichui asked, puzzled. "They've never fought a war before, can they handle it?"

"It has to be done, no matter what," Xueya said coldly. "Without bloodshed, you'll never become a true warrior. This time, let the veterans of the Wolf Tribe oversee the battle from the rear, and let the newcomers charge ahead. Anyone who dares to retreat will be cut down."

The Duyan chuckled sinisterly, "This is a ruthless move. Once they see blood and kill someone, there's no turning back."

"Yes." Xueya nodded. "Once we take down these two tribes, we'll have a lot more food and supplies. And if we can train these able-bodied men, even if the Horse Tribe finds out, they'll have to think twice before trying to harm us."

He stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "Besides, taking down these two tribes is just the beginning. There are several more tribes like this to the north. We can launch a few more attacks before the Horse Tribe can react, seize enough food, cattle, sheep, and weapons, and then retreat back to High Pointed Mountain with our people."

Yexiao thought for a moment and asked, "What about the rest of the tribes? Should we take them all back?"

"Take everything you can," Xueya said. "The elderly, children, and women are all laborers. If we take them back to cultivate the land, farm, and raise livestock, our Wolf Tribe can develop in the long term."

He looked at the three men, his tone serious. "Brothers, this operation is crucial. If we succeed, our Wolf Tribe can rise again; if we fail..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but all three understood—if they messed up, the Wolf Tribe would soon be finished.

"Understood!" the three replied in unison.

"Go prepare," Xueya waved. "Make sure the brothers are well-fed and rested. We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning."

The three men got up and left to make their own arrangements, and the camp quickly became busy—distributing food, checking weapons, assigning sentries...

Xueya stood alone by the campfire, watching the flickering flames. He recalled the glory of the Wolf Tribe with its thousands of members last autumn, the defeat at Wild Boar Gully, the devastating loss near the White Pig Camp, and the scene of Yellow Leaf Camp being surrounded and pursued by the Fire Tribe, fleeing in a sorry state.

I thought of my dead brothers— Tujiu, Chaigou...

I thought of the Fire Tribe's disciplined and well-equipped army.

"Fire Tribe..." Xueya muttered to himself, clenching his fists. He knew now wasn't the time for revenge against the Fire Tribe. What he needed to do now was to establish a foothold in the north, strengthen his forces, and wait for the Wolf Tribe to regain its power, until he had enough leverage...

By then, some scores can be settled slowly. He raised his head and looked at the southern night sky, which led to the Fire Tribe.

"Just you wait," Xueya said in a low voice, a cold killing intent flashing in his eyes.