Exterminating the White Sheep and Black Sheep Tribes

After five days of continuous abduction, the Wolf Tribe's force had swelled to over seven hundred people. Of these, three hundred were veterans of the Wolf Tribe, each with fierce eyes and blood on their hands. The other four hundred or so were newly abducted young men, most of whom looked fearful and moved timidly, but some had already been forced to participate in a raid and had their hands stained with blood as well.

Besides people, there were also horses. After sweeping through more than a dozen small tribes, the Wolf Tribe captured a batch of ponies. Although these horses were not tall, they had excellent endurance and were suitable for running in mountainous and hilly areas. Together with the dozen or so ponies that the Wolf Tribe had brought with them, they now had more than sixty ponies, enough to organize a small cavalry unit.

Xueya attached great importance to this cavalry unit. He personally selected skilled and courageous warriors, provided them with horses, and soon organized another cavalry unit for the Wolf Tribe. He himself also got back on horseback—a black ponies stolen from the "Da Yingmu" tribe, which was strong and ran fast and steadily.

Before dawn the next day, Xueya led a force of over seven hundred men on their way north to the White Sheep Tribe and Black Sheep Tribe, two sunsets' journey away. The group moved quickly, and the newly recruited young men dared not slack off. Under the urging of the veteran soldiers of the Wolf Tribe, they gritted their teeth and kept up.

As they approached the target area, Xueya ordered his troops to split up.

"Duyan, Shichui, Yexiao," Xueya said, riding his horse and pointing to the faintly visible hills ahead, "You take half the men to the Black Sheep Tribe. I'll take the other half to attack the White Sheep Tribe."

He glanced at the sky. "It's afternoon now. Let's find a place to hide and rest, and then make our move when it's almost dawn, catching them off guard."

"Understood!" the three replied in unison.

The two teams separated, with the White Sheep Tribe and the Black Sheep Tribe only half a day's journey apart. This division of forces allowed them to act simultaneously, preventing one tribe from being attacked while the other fled to report the attack. Xueya led over three hundred men—more than one hundred veterans from the Wolf Tribe and over two hundred newly recruited young men—to a secluded valley to rest.

"Listen up," Xueya said in a low voice, standing on a Dashi. "You'll rest here tonight. No fires, no loud talking. Eat your food and get some sleep. We're moving out before dawn tomorrow."

The people below nodded silently. Most of the newly recruited young men were pale-faced. They knew that bloodshed would come again tomorrow, but no one dared to resist—they all knew the consequences of resistance. As night fell, the valley was silent, with only the occasional chirping of insects and the snorting of horses. Xueya leaned against a rock, closing his eyes to rest. He couldn't sleep; his mind was full of plans for tomorrow.

The White Sheep Tribe, numbering over 500, primarily herds sheep and also cultivates some rice. Scouts report that the tribe has a little over 100 able-bodied men, whose weapons are mainly Shimao and wooden spears. Few possess proper leather armor. Their camp is built on a gentle slope, surrounded by a simple wooden fence, but its defenses are very weak.

Such a tribe is not a tough nut to crack for the current Wolf Tribe, but Xueya dares not be careless. He knows that the key to this battle is not whether he can win, but whether he can annihilate them all. He cannot let a single person escape to report the news, otherwise the Horse Tribe will soon find out.

As dawn approached, Xueya opened his eyes.

"Get up." His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the silent valley.

More than 300 people woke up one after another. They silently put on their leather armor—the veterans had complete leather armor, while the newly recruited young men only had simple animal hides to protect their chests. The weapons of these recruited young men were also varied, including Shimao, bone knives, and wooden clubs. Only the veterans of the Wolf Tribe had good weapons.

Xueya also put on leather armor, which was a bit old but very sturdy. He tucked his bone knife into his waistband and checked his weapons before speaking.

"Set off."

The group Kaishan silently and made their way towards the White Sheep Tribe's camp. They arrived at their destination just as dawn was breaking.

The White Sheep Tribe's camp was built on a gentle slope, with hundreds of thatched huts and tents scattered across the hillside. A low wooden fence surrounded the perimeter. In the center of the camp were several larger wooden houses, presumably the residences of the chief and elders. To the east of the camp was an open space with a simple stable enclosed by wooden stakes, where dozens of ponies were kept.

Everything was quiet; most people were still asleep. Xueya surveyed the terrain and began to deploy.

"Cavalry," he whispered the order, "Spread out to the outermost edge of the camp. Your mission is to intercept and kill anyone who tries to escape; leave no one alive."

The thirty-odd cavalrymen split into several groups and silently dispersed, forming a loose encirclement.

"The rest, divide into five teams," Xueya continued, "One team to take control of the stables to prevent them from escaping on horseback; the other four teams to surround the camp from four directions."

He paused, then looked at the newly recruited young men. "You will follow the veterans, obey orders, and anyone who dares to retreat will be killed without mercy."

The young men nodded repeatedly in fright. After the deployment was completed, each team began to move. Xueya led a team of men and slowly approached from the front. They moved very slowly and with very light steps.

As dawn broke, early-rising women began to light fires and cook, while elderly people emerged from their thatched huts to stretch their limbs. Several teenagers carried Mucai toward the fire, but no one noticed that death was already creeping in. Once the teams were in position, Xueya pulled a Niujiao from his pocket.

"Waaah--"

The deep, mournful sound of a bugle broke the tranquility of the morning.

"Kill!"

Shouts of battle erupted from all directions in an instant, and the warriors of the Wolf Tribe charged madly toward the camp like demons emerging from the earth.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

Finally, some members of the White Sheep Tribe reacted and cried out in terror, but it was too late. The team controlling the stables was the first to succeed; they cut down several White Sheep Tribe, just awakened from their sleep, were cut down before they even understood what was happening.

"Resist! Resist now!" A middle-aged man—presumably the tribal chief or leader—was brandishing a Shifu, attempting to organize resistance.

But it was no use. The young and strong men of the White Sheep Tribe were caught off guard and were outnumbered, poorly equipped, and unprepared. They were no match for the fierce veterans of the Wolf Tribe, and the battle was almost a one-sided massacre.

Xueya did not personally engage in the battle. He remained mounted on his horse, calmly observing the situation. He watched as his men slaughtered the warriors of the White Sheep Tribe as easily as cutting melons and vegetables, and saw the newly recruited young men following timidly behind, not daring to step forward.

"Let them go," Xueya said to one of his leaders.

The leader nodded, and as he rode his horse, he roared at the burly men, "What are you all standing there for? Charge! Anyone who doesn't move, I'll chop him down first!"

Forced by the blade, the young men finally mustered their courage and charged forward with their makeshift weapons. Many of them were killing for the first time, their movements were clumsy, and their expressions were terrified, but under the guidance of the veteran, they still completed their "mission."

The battle lasted less than half an hour. All of the more than one hundred able-bodied men of the White Sheep Tribe were cut down. The remaining old, weak, women and children huddled in the center of the camp in terror, their cries and pleas filling the air. A few people tried to escape in the chaos, but they were caught up by the cavalry on the outer perimeter and cut down before they could get far from the camp.

Xueya rode slowly through the camp, looking at the corpses scattered on the ground and the trembling survivors, his face expressionless.

"Young women, pick them out," he said casually.

The Wolf Tribe warriors rushed into the crowd and dragged out dozens of young women. They cried and struggled, but to no avail.

"The rest," Xueya paused, "Let the newcomers do the work."

This order stunned the newly recruited young men. Although they had been forced to participate in the looting and had even killed people, that was in the chaos of battle, in forced self-defense. Now, they were being ordered to slaughter these unarmed old people and children...

"What? Can't bring yourself to do it?" Xueya looked at them coldly. "Think of your families and tribes. Whoever doesn't do it will die with these people."

Forced by the blade, the young men finally trembled and raised their weapons.

The first strike is often the hardest; many people close their eyes and chop haphazardly. But with the second, third, and so on, they gradually become numb.

Screams, cries, and pleas for mercy echoed in the morning air, but Xueya watched it all indifferently, his heart unmoved.

He knew this was necessary. Only by making these newly recruited young men stained with the blood of the innocent would they completely give up any thought of turning back and truly become part of the Wolf Tribe. The massacre lasted for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. When the last scream stopped, the entire camp had become a living hell.

Most of the newly recruited young men slumped to the ground, their eyes glazed over, their bodies trembling. Some held their heads and wept, while many others knelt on the ground, retching. Some stared blankly at their blood-stained hands, as if they didn't recognize them as their own.

Xueya looked at them, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips. Excellent! This "baptism" was a success!

"Eat as much as you like at noon," Xueya ordered. "Bring out all the food from the White Sheep Tribe. Plenty of meat and rice."

He then pointed to the young women who had been dragged aside. "After our brothers have vented, let a few of the better-behaved young men have some fun too!"

These words evoked complex emotions in the eyes of the newly recruited young men. On one hand, they felt disgusted and terrified by the massacre they had just witnessed; on the other hand, the prospect of meat, unlimited meals, and even the possibility of having women to play with stirred a morbid desire within them.

Xueya ignored them and began to take stock of the spoils of war, the results of which greatly pleased him.

The grains—mainly rice, totaling over 40,000 jin; cattle and sheep— the White Sheep Tribe raised over 400 sheep, more than ten cattle, and dozens of pigs; horses—over 40 adult ponies, all of them good horses.

"Great! That's wonderful!" Xueya grinned from ear to ear.

He had an almost fanatical obsession with cavalry. He had escaped from the Fire Tribe's pursuit twice before thanks to his horses. Now, with more than forty more horses, the Wolf Tribe's cavalry could expand to more than a hundred men. More than a hundred cavalrymen was already a force to be reckoned with in this region.

While they were taking inventory, cavalrymen from the Black Sheep Tribe came to deliver a message.

"Chief! The Black Sheep Tribe has been captured too! Completely annihilated, not a single one escaped!"

"Good!" Xueya slapped his horse hard. "Tell them to hurry up and clean up the battlefield and inventory the supplies. The logistics team will arrive this afternoon."

In the afternoon, the three hundred logistics personnel indeed arrived nearby. Xueya divided them into two groups: one group stayed in the White Sheep Tribe to receive supplies, and the other group went to the Black Sheep Tribe.

A few days earlier, he had sent two cavalrymen back to High Pointed Mountain at full speed to deliver a message to the Duzhu: organize another 600 logistics personnel to go north and transport supplies.

The small tribes that the Wolf Tribe had coerced last year, along with their former vassals, had gathered more than 3,000 people at the foot of High Pointed Mountain. Three hundred had been drawn from the previous group, and they could still manage to draw about 600 more. By evening, the spoils of war from both groups had been tallied.

The total amount of grain exceeded 80,000 jin, with over 800 sheep, more than 30 cattle, over 80 horses, and a large quantity of animal hides, coarse pottery, tools, etc.

The Wolf Tribe suddenly went from being in dire straits due to a lack of resources to becoming "nouveau riche".

Xueya stood before the mountain of grain, took a deep breath, and felt the air filled with the aroma of grain and the stench of blood.

This taste, this feeling, captivated him. This sense of getting rich without working, of being able to eat and stay warm by killing and robbing, had become irresistible to him! He knew it was a path of no return, but he couldn't turn back, and he didn't want to!

"Pass down the order," Xueya said to one of the leaders beside him, "Tonight's a wild party. Plenty of meat and food, let the brothers relax!"

"Yes!"

As night fell, bonfires roared in the camps of the two tribes. The warriors of the Wolf Tribe huddled around the fire, eating meat and drinking wine, laughing and talking loudly. The newly recruited young men were initially a little reserved, but stimulated by the food, they gradually relaxed.

Xueya sat by the largest campfire, a large roasted lamb leg in his hand, slowly munching on it. Looking at the scene of revelry before him, a surge of pride welled up within him. The Wolf Tribe was alive again! Although they were still far from their peak, at least they had the means to rise again!