A Night Council to Join Forces

The night was as dark as ink, the starlight dim. In the Wolf Tribe's temporary camp, campfires burned in clusters, their flames flickering in the night wind, casting an illuminating glow on and off. Xueya, mounted on his horse, watched the dozen or so shadowy figures in the distance—the scouts of the Fire Tribe, wandering around the camp like ghosts, keeping a close watch on their every move.

He gritted his teeth, a surge of frustration rising in his heart. Today's battle was a humiliating defeat. Three duels, three losses. Shichui almost died at the hands of that brat, Yexiao Mangu beaten into a sorry state by that axe-wielding Barbarian, and even he himself was defeated by Shinian, a defeated opponent!

How shameful! So shameful! He dismounted and sat down next to a Dashi. A guard handed him a piece of roasted meat. He took it, took a big bite, and chewed it as if he were chewing the flesh of the Fire Tribe people.

"Leader." A voice rang out.

Xueya looked up and saw Yexiao Owl. Yexiao walked over, sat down beside him, picked up a piece of meat, and slowly ate it. The two remained silent for a while.

"Yexiao," Xueya suddenly spoke, "Tell me, why didn't those Fire Tribe people give chase?"

Yexiao paused for a moment, thought for a moment, and said, "Maybe... they don't want to fight head-on. We have a lot of people; if we really fight, they'll lose a lot of men too."

Xueya shook his head. "No, they have the morale of three consecutive wins. If they take advantage of this momentum and charge in, we might not be able to stop them."

He paused, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. "They... are waiting for someone."

Yexiao's heart tightened. "Waiting for someone? Waiting for whom?"

Xueya looked south, towards the direction of the Fire Tribe.

"Wait for reinforcements," he said. "The Fire Tribe's headquarters will definitely send more men."

Yexiao Owl gasped.

"Then... what do we do?"

Xueya was silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Tomorrow morning, we'll retreat towards the Marsh Tribe. Duyan and his men have already taken the grain outside the Marsh Tribe camp. After we join them, we'll return to High Pointed Mountain."

He paused, then added, "We don't need the food from the Beast Taming Tribe anymore. The Fire Tribe has already intervened; if we don't leave now, it might be too late."

Yexiao Owl nodded and stood up.

"I'll arrange the security. Don't worry, Chief, nothing will happen tonight."

Xueya nodded and watched him leave. He sat on the Shitou, looking at the Fire Tribe scouts in the distance. A complex emotion welled up in his heart: anger, resentment, and a faint fear. The Fire Tribe was getting stronger and stronger, so strong that it frightened him!

Inside the Fish Tribe camp, a scene of jubilation unfolded. The campfire burned brighter than ever before, illuminating the entire camp. Warriors sat around the fire, their faces beaming with long-lost smiles. Some were laughing and talking loudly, some were clapping and singing, and others were embracing each other.

Starting yesterday, the Fish Tribe was trapped in their camp by the Wolf Tribe, afraid to go out or retaliate. They could only endure the foul language and swallow their anger. Now, the Fire Tribe's reinforcements have arrived, and the Wolf Tribe has retreated. They can finally breathe a sigh of relief. At the camp gate, Canglan, along with leaders such as Julang, Shentan, and Langhua, personally greeted Dazhuang and his group.

"Brother Dazhuang!" Canglan strode forward, grasped Dazhuang's hands, and shook them vigorously, his eyes reddening. "Thank goodness you came! If you hadn't arrived in time, the Fish Tribe would have been wiped out by the Wolf Tribe!"

Dazhuang dismounted, grasped his hand, and said sincerely, "Chief Canglan, the Fish Tribe is a friendly tribe to the Fire Tribe. It is only right that we come to provide support."

He paused, then said, "The Wolf Tribe is our common enemy. Now that they've come, we won't let them escape so easily."

Canglan's eyes lit up. "Brother Dazhuang means..."

Dazhuang said, "Our Fire Tribe Tribe's reinforcements should be arriving soon. When they arrive, let's join forces and completely wipe out this Wolf Tribe, eliminating any future threat!"

Canglan listened with great enthusiasm and nodded repeatedly.

"Great! That's wonderful!"

He took Dazhuang's hand and led him into the camp. "Brother Dazhuang, please come in! Let's go inside and talk!"

The group entered the camp and arrived at the council hall. Everyone took their seats, and Canglan ordered someone to bring hot soup and food. Dazhuang didn't stand on ceremony and took a sip of the hot soup. The warmth spread from his stomach to his whole body. Canglan sat in the main seat and began to recount his experiences over the past few days. His voice was low and filled with suppressed anger.

"That Xueya from the Wolf Tribe is ruthless. As soon as their reinforcements arrived, they started raiding our rice fields. When we went out to harass them, we fell into their trap. Laoduo and Xieqian were both seriously injured, and we lost more than three hundred warriors..."

As he spoke, his eyes reddened again.

"They harvested our rice, destroyed our vegetable gardens, and yesterday Xueya and his men cursed our Fish Tribe outside the camp for two whole days. We could only endure it and dared not go out... If it weren't for waiting for reinforcements, I would have fought them long ago!"

Dazhuang listened, his face grew increasingly grim.

"That Xueya is a beast," he said through gritted teeth. "Don't worry, Chief Canglan, once our reinforcements arrive, we will definitely get justice for you."

Canglan nodded, took a deep breath, and calmed himself down.

Then, he looked at Dazhuang and said solemnly, "Brother Dazhuang, I have something I want to say to you."

Dazhuang looked at him. "Chief Canglan, please speak."

Canglan said, "Once the Wolf Tribe is wiped out, our Fish Tribe is willing to join the Fire Tribe in its entirety."

Upon hearing this, the room fell silent instantly. Both the Julang and the leader of the Shentan were stunned, then their faces lit up with surprise.

Dazhuang was also stunned for a moment, then overjoyed.

"Chief Canglan, is this true?"

Canglan nodded and said earnestly, "Indeed, over the years, I've seen it clearly: the Fire Tribe treats people with kindness and justice, acts fairly, and is also very strong. Only by following you can the Fish Tribe live a good life and not be afraid of being bullied!"

He paused, then sighed, "Before, I hesitated, but now... after going through this ordeal, I've realized that nothing is more important than the lives of my people! Nothing is more important than their well-being!"

Dazhuang stood up, walked to Canglan, and solemnly clasped his hands in a salute.

"Canglan is a man of great wisdom and righteousness! On behalf of the Fire Tribe, I welcome the Fish Tribe to join us!"

Canglan quickly stood up to return the greeting, tears welling in her eyes.

"Thank you Dazhuang!"

Julang, Shentan, and the others also stood up and bowed to Dazhuang. Just as the atmosphere was getting lively, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside. A warrior from the Fish Tribe rushed in, his face full of excitement.

"Chief! People are coming from the docks! The Fire Tribe's fleet has arrived!"

Everyone's spirits lifted.

"Let's go!" Canglan his hand. "Let's go take a look!"

The group walked quickly toward the dock, which was brightly lit. Ten large ships weighing 10,000 jin each, twenty ships with a carrying capacity of 5,000 jin each, and 200 small Muzhou with a carrying capacity of 500 jin each were slowly approaching the shore. The ships were filled with warriors wearing leather armor. The leader, a man with a resolute face, was none other than Jianya. Jianya jumped off the ship and strode over.

"Dazhuang!" he called from afar, "How's the situation?"

Dazhuang quickly went to meet him and briefly explained the situation. Jianya listened, his expression gradually became serious.

"More than three hundred warriors..." He sighed, "The Fish Tribe has suffered a great loss this time."

Canglan walked over and bowed to him.

"Jianya brothers, thank you for coming to our aid!"

Jianya quickly helped him up. "Brother Canglan, don't be so polite. We're neighbors, it's only right."

As they were talking, another group of boats appeared on the river in the distance. More boats were heading this way, and the one at the head was a huge ship weighing tens of thousands of kilograms. Standing at the Chuantou was a tall and upright man, none other than Yan.

"Yan'er!" Dazhuang exclaimed in surprise.

The fleet slowly approached the shore. Yan jumped off the ship, followed Dali by Dali. Yan walked quickly over, his gaze sweeping over everyone. When he saw that Jianya and Dazhuang were there, his brows furrowed slightly.

"Uncle Jianya, Uncle Dazhuang," he asked, "What happened?"

Jianya sighed and briefly recounted what had happened in the past few days. As Yan listened, his expression grew increasingly grim. When he heard that the Fish Tribe had lost more than three hundred warriors, his fists clenched. When he heard that the Wolf Tribe had harvested sixty percent of the rice, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. Only when he heard that Dazhuang had led his men to three victories in three battles, forcing the Wolf Tribe to retreat, did his expression soften slightly.

"That Xueya," he said through gritted teeth, "Is like a persistent ghost."

Canglan stepped forward and bowed to him.

"Yan'er, thankfully your Fire Tribe's reinforcements arrived in time, otherwise, our Fish Tribe would truly be finished this time."

Yan quickly helped him up. "Uncle Canglan, please don't say that. We are neighboring tribes, and it's only right that we help each other."

He paused, then said, "I heard from Uncle Jianya that you'd like to join the Fire Tribe?"

Canglan nodded, his eyes full of anticipation.

"Yes, once the Wolf Tribe is wiped out, our Fish Tribe will officially join."

A smile appeared on Yan's face.

"Great! That's wonderful! Uncle Canglan, don't worry, many of the brothers from the Fish Tribe will be given important positions after they come to the Fire Tribe!"

Canglan nodded repeatedly, her eyes reddening again.

Jianya walked over and said to Yan, "Yan, let's go to the council hall and discuss how to the Wolf Tribe."

Yan nodded. "Okay."

The group turned and walked towards the council chamber.

At the dock, the warriors of the Fire Tribe began to disembark and set up camp. The people of the Fish Tribe rushed forward to help, some bringing water and others food, creating a lively scene. In the council hall, everyone took their seats. The fire in the hearth burned brightly, making everyone's faces glow red. Jianya sat next to the main seat, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"The current situation is as follows," he began, his voice Chenwen, "The Wolf Tribe is currently encamped about seven or eight miles outside the Fish Tribe's camp, with over seven hundred warriors, including more than five hundred cavalry. They also have about a thousand support personnel who are here to help the Wolf Tribe transport supplies and food."

He paused, then continued, "On our side, Dazhuang has brought seven hundred cavalry, I have brought a thousand infantry, Yan and Dali's fleet has many warriors, plus about five hundred warriors from the Fish Tribe, so we can mobilize more than two thousand troops in total."

With over two thousand against seven hundred, the advantage was enormous, but no one looked relaxed. The Wolf Tribe had cavalry that moved like the wind, and if they pushed the Wolf Tribe too far, it would be difficult to stop them all if Xueya of the Wolf Tribe Wolf Tribe really wanted to run away!

Yan thought for a moment and said, "The Wolf Tribe must have guessed that we're here by now. Knowing Xueya's personality, he won't fight us head-on if he sees a large force. We'll charge straight at them first thing tomorrow morning, and he'll definitely run away."

Jianya nodded. "That's what I think too, so we need to figure out a way to stop them."

Dazhuang said, "I'll lead the cavalry around to their rear and cut off their retreat."

Yan shook his head. "It's too late. It's dark now, and the road is difficult to travel. By the time we get around, they might have already escaped."

Everyone fell silent.

Canglan suddenly spoke up, "Our Fish Tribe is familiar with the terrain here. There's a small path that can take us around to the back of the Wolf Tribe."

He walked to the wall and pointed to a simple map hanging there.

"There's a mountain path here that leads to the hills behind the Wolf Tribe. If you set off at night, you can get there before dawn."

The crowd gathered around, looking at the map. Yan stared at the path, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Chief of Canglan, is this road suitable for cavalry?"

Canglan thought for a moment, "It's possible during the day, but at night... it's a bit dangerous, but if we're careful, we can still make it."

Yan raised his head and looked at Jianya.

"Uncle Jianya, I'll lead the cavalry this way, around to the back of the Wolf Tribe. Tomorrow morning, you attack from the front, and we'll attack from both sides, making it impossible for them to escape."

Jianya looked at him and remained silent for a moment.

Are you sure?

Yan nodded, his eyes shining with determination.

"Sure."

Jianya took a deep breath and patted him on the shoulder.

"Okay, go ahead, be careful."

Yan nodded, turned around and strode out of the council hall, with everyone watching him leave.