Beacon Smoke Drifts West

The autumn sun lazily shone on the earth, and the rice in the fields had begun to turn yellow. In about ten days, it would be ready for harvest. At the camp of the Marsh Tribe, there was a busy scene. The men were checking their farm tools, preparing for the upcoming autumn harvest. The women were busy drying fish and mending fishing nets. The children were chasing and playing in the open space, and their laughter carried far.

Chief Cangbo stood in the center of the camp, looking at everything with a satisfied smile on his face. This year's harvest should be good. Eight hundred acres of paddy fields could yield more than 200,000 catties of rice a year. Add to that the fish in the river, and the lotus roots and wild water chestnuts in the swamp, and this year's harvest should be good.

"Leader!" a voice suddenly rang out.

Cangbo turned his head and saw a young man running quickly toward him. It was one of the scouts he had sent out on patrol, Little Water Grass.

"What is it?" Cangbo asked.

The Little Water Grass was panting heavily, its face pale.

"Chief, news has come from the Pottery Salt Tribe..."

Cangbo's heart skipped a beat.

"What news?"

Little Water Grass took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but her voice still trembled.

"The Wolf Tribe... the Wolf Tribe is coming!"

Cangbo's mind went blank.

"What?"

Little Water Grass said quickly, "The scouts from the Pottery Salt Tribe just arrived. They said they spotted the Wolf Tribe's army, about nine hundred strong, four days' journey to the east, including at least six hundred cavalry! They're heading this way!"

Cangbo felt his legs go weak. Nine hundred men! Six hundred cavalry! The Wolf Tribe had indeed recovered its strength after raiding the north a few months ago! Now they had actually sent so many people at once!

He recalled the battle at Yellow Leaf Camp last year... The Wolf Tribe suffered heavy losses, but unexpectedly, their strength has recovered so quickly in just about a year, even surpassing last year's! Now the Marsh Tribe only has 1,200 people, and only about 200 of them are able-bodied men. How can they possibly fight?

"Leader! Leader!" Little Water Grass cried anxiously when she saw him standing there in a daze.

Cangbo snapped out of his daze and grabbed the Little Water Grass's arm.

Where are the scouts from the Pottery Salt Tribe?

"Over there in the council chamber!"

Cangbo released him and strode towards the council hall. At the entrance of the council hall, two unfamiliar young men were standing there. They were wearing the clothes of the Pottery Salt Tribe, their bodies covered in dust from their long journey, their faces full of fatigue, but their eyes were very bright. When they saw Cangbo, the two immediately came to greet him.

"Chief of Cangbo!" one of them clasped his hands in a salute. "I am Tao Qi, a scout from the Pottery Salt Tribe. I was the one who discovered the news of the Wolf Tribe's westward invasion!"

Cangbo nodded and asked eagerly, "Tell me quickly, what exactly happened?"

Tao Qi took a deep breath and began to tell her story.

"Two days ago, we discovered a Wolf Tribe's group about four days' journey to the east. They were numerous, at least nine hundred people, including about six hundred cavalry, and a logistics team of over a thousand people following behind with carts and horses. They were clearly there to plunder our food."

Cangbo's heart sank; a logistics team of over a thousand people...

They're going to rob them of all their food!

"Which way are they coming from?" he asked.

Tao Qi said, "Judging from the direction they're heading, they're probably heading towards the Fish Tribe. After all, the Fish Tribe has the most food and the largest population in this area, but..."

He paused, then glanced at Cangbo.

"But the Marsh Tribe is on this route. If the Wolf Tribe wants to go to the Fish Tribe, they will definitely pass through the Marsh Tribe first."

Cangbo felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that he couldn't even make a sound.

Tao Qi continued, "The Wolf Tribe is coming with great force this time. One tribe alone certainly can't stop them. When our leader Jia Li came out to scout, he said that if he discovered anything unusual about the Wolf Tribe, he should ask the Marsh Tribe to immediately retreat to the Pottery Salt Tribe. We will resist the Wolf Tribe together and wait for the Fire Tribe's reinforcements."

Cangbo was taken aback. "The Fire Tribe? Will they make it in time?"

Tao Qi nodded. "We have already sent someone on horseback to the Fire Tribe at the Stone Creek River Mouth Outpost to deliver the message. The news should arrive tomorrow. The Fire Tribe has deployed six hundred cavalry and four hundred infantry there. Once they receive the news, they will definitely send cavalry to support them immediately."

Cangbo's eyes lit up. Six hundred cavalry! Four hundred infantry! That's a thousand men in total! With these thousand men, plus their troops, they should be able to hold off the Wolf Tribe!

Tao Qi continued, "Moreover, there's a beacon tower at the Stone Creek River Mouth Outpost. Once the message arrives, they'll light the beacon to send the message Fire Tribe headquarters. Then, reinforcements from the Fire Tribe will arrive in a steady stream."

Cangbo became increasingly excited as he listened, but quickly calmed down.

"But... but our Marsh Tribe hasn't harvested our grain yet!" He wrung his hands anxiously. "We can harvest it in ten more days! If we leave now, all eight hundred acres of rice will go to the Wolf Tribe!"

Tao Qi looked at him and said earnestly, "Chief Cangbo, I know you're worried about the food, but we can't worry about that now. Getting the people and everything we can take with us is the most important thing."

He paused, then said, "Even if the Wolf Tribe steals all the food, the Fire Tribe has enough to eat. Once we join the Fire Tribe, they won't let us go hungry."

Cangbo was silent for a while. He knew Tao Qi was right. Grain could be planted again, but if people were gone, everything would be gone. But... but that was eight hundred acres of rice paddies! It was the hard work of the Marsh Tribe for a whole year! He gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind.

"Okay!" He looked up. "Let's retreat!"

Tao Qi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Chief Cangbo is wise! We'll head back to report now. You need to hurry; the Wolf Tribe is only two days' journey from here!"

Cangbo nodded, then turned to the Little Water Grass and said, "Go quickly and call the leaders of Changgāo, Qiantan, Luwei, Xuanwo, Chaoxi! Now!"

"Yes!"

The Little Water Grass dashed away, and soon, the five leaders hurriedly arrived.

"Chief, what happened?" Changgāo asked.

Cangbo took a deep breath and explained the situation. After listening, the five leaders' expressions changed.

"The Wolf Tribe is here? Nine hundred men? Six hundred cavalry?" Qiantan's eyes widened. "This... how are we supposed to fight them?"

The old man with the Luwei sighed, "What was bound to happen has finally happened..."

Xuanwo asked urgently, "Leader, what do we do?"

Cangbo gritted his teeth and said, "Retreat! Retreat to the Pottery Salt Tribe!"

"Withdraw?" Chaoxi was stunned. "But the harvest hasn't been collected yet!"

Cangbo looked at him and said, word by word, "Food can be replanted, but once people are gone, everything is lost. The Fire Tribe's reinforcements will arrive at the Pottery Salt Tribe soon. Let's go to the Pottery Salt Tribe first, and then fight our way back together when the Fire Tribe arrives!"

The five leaders exchanged glances, knowing that their leader had made his decision.

"Okay!" Changgāo was the first to respond, "I'll go arrange for people to move everything that can be taken away first!"

"I'll organize the elderly and weak to go first!" said Luwei.

"I'll bring the able-bodied men to cover the rear!" said Qiantan.

"I'll go pack my weapons!" Xuanwo said.

"I'll go prepare some provisions!" said Chaoxi.

Cangbo nodded. "Alright, everyone get ready. Be quick, we must all depart before dark!"

"Yes!"

The five leaders rushed off, and the entire Marsh Tribe instantly became busy. Cangbo stood there, looking at the chaotic camp in front of him, feeling a mix of emotions. He remembered the year he became the leader, when the tribe only had about four hundred people. Over the years, he had worked hard and finally grown to twelve hundred people, reclaimed eight hundred acres of paddy fields, and built this decent camp.

Now, he had to give up everything. He looked up at the sky; the sun was still shining brightly, but his heart felt like it was being crushed by a Dashi, making it hard to breathe.

"The Wolf Tribe..." he murmured, "How much do you want to rob?"

No one answered him, only the sound of the wind and the distant noise. The old and weak went first, which was Cangbo's order. The first to set off were the elderly and children. They were arranged to be at the front, led by Luwei, and slowly moved forward along the road leading to the Pottery Salt Tribe. The elderly leaned on canes, and the children were held in their arms or carried on their backs. Everyone's face was filled with fear and unease.

Then came the women, carrying bundles, herding cattle and sheep, and pushing the wooden carts that the Fire Tribe had previously placed here. The carts were piled high with their belongings—grain, tools, animal hides, and rough pottery. Some of them walked and looked back, watching the camp gradually disappear into the distance, their eyes filled with reluctance.

Finally, the able-bodied men, led by Changgāo, loaded everything that could be put on the boat and transported it by water to the Pottery Salt Tribe. Qiantan led the remaining men to cover the rear and keep watch. They held spears and other weapons and vigilantly observed their surroundings. Cangbo rode his horse, running back and forth in front of and behind the group, coordinating the pace of the retreat.

"Faster! Faster!" he shouted. "We must get out of this open area before dark!"

The procession moved slowly across the fields, like a weary serpent. The sun gradually set, turning the horizon a blood-red hue. Cangbo glanced back at the Marsh Tribe's camp, at the familiar wooden houses, the fields he had cultivated with his own hands, and the rice still unharvested in the fields...

They all stood quietly in the setting sun.

"Let's go." He gritted his teeth, turned his horse around, and caught up with the group.

In the distance lies the direction of the Pottery Salt Tribe, where their hope lies. To the east, the Wolf Tribe is closing in, and time is running out for them!