Postwar Plans

On the battlefield, the corpses, lying haphazardly, had been cleared to one side and piled into several small Little Mountain. Blood soaked the ground, making it sticky to the touch and emitting a strong, pungent stench. Dozens of warriors from the Fire Tribe were cleaning up the battlefield, some collecting weapons, others examining the corpses.

Further away, hundreds of ponies were gathered together and looked after by special horsemen. These horses were captured from the Wolf Tribe, and they were plump and strong. They were one of the biggest spoils of this battle. Yan stood on a slightly flat high ground, looked at the scene in front of him, and let out a long breath.

This battle was incredibly satisfying. Nearly eight hundred cavalry and infantrymen of the Wolf Tribe were caught in a pincer attack and almost completely wiped out. The Wolf Tribe also captured mountains of grain and supplies.

Unfortunately, Xueya escaped. Yan frowned and looked in the direction of the Marsh Tribe. He couldn't see anything in that direction, but he knew that Xueya was leading nearly a hundred cavalrymen, desperately fleeing in that direction. There, more than a hundred warriors and five hundred support personnel from the Wolf Tribe were harvesting grain from the Marsh Tribe or the Beast Taming Tribe.

If they could reunite, they might be able to gather another force. They had to pursue them. Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar. Yan looked up and saw a group of people rushing towards them. The leader, riding a chestnut horse, was none other than Jianya. Behind him were at least five hundred infantrymen, lined up in neat rows, striding towards them.

"Yan!" Jianya rode over, dismounted, and asked, "How's the situation?"

Yan quickly went to meet him and gave a brief report.

"Uncle Jianya, we intercepted most of the Wolf Tribe's fleeing forces, but Xueya led nearly a hundred cavalrymen and ran towards the Marsh Tribe."

Jianya frowned. "They got away?"

"Yes." Yan nodded. "I suspect that the remaining hundred or so warriors and five hundred support personnel of the Wolf Tribe are harvesting food in the Marsh Tribe and the Beast Taming Tribe. Xueya is definitely heading that way, trying to join them."

Jianya hesitated for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"That makes sense. The Wolf Tribe brought 900 warriors and 1,500 support personnel this time. We only saw about 800 infantry and 1,000 support personnel on the Fish Tribe's side. The rest must be elsewhere."

He looked up toward the direction of the Marsh Tribe, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"We can't let Xueya get away. If he runs back to High Pointed Mountain, it'll be a real struggle to catch him again."

Yan nodded. "That's what I was thinking too, Uncle Jianya. I want to take three hundred elite cavalry to continue the pursuit."

Jianya looked at him and remained silent for a moment.

"Three hundred cavalrymen, is that enough?"

Yan smiled and said, "That's enough. Xueya only has less than a hundred cavalrymen now, and they are all remnants of their former troops with low morale. We have three hundred men; we can catch up and win."

Jianya nodded, then asked, "What about logistics? What will you do about food and water if you catch up?"

Yan said, "We can bring a few days' worth of rations first. Once we catch up with Xueya and seize their supplies, we won't have to worry about food."

Jianya thought for a moment and said, "Here's what we'll do. You take three hundred cavalrymen to pursue them first. I'll have Dali collect food and supplies from the Fish Tribe, the Pottery Salt Tribe, and the Hundred Crafts Tribe, and then bring the follow-up cavalry to support them. Dazhuang will be in charge of organizing the infantry and escorting a large amount of supplies, and then follow up."

He paused, then his tone became firm. "This time, we must completely wipe out the Wolf Tribe and eradicate this cancer!"

Yan nodded heavily. "Okay!"

The two chatted for a few more minutes, then Jianya suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Yan, the overall situation of the war has been decided. I plan to first lead the grain transport fleet back to the main valley, and then go directly to the Valley Tribe to transport back the remaining 1.5 million catties of grain for this year."

Yan nodded. "Of course, the trade with the Valley Tribe cannot be interrupted."

Jianya said, "Daya has already led the Valley Tribe's transport fleet and departed from the Fish Tribe's dock this morning to return to headquarters. I'm preparing to take the remaining boats and leave immediately."

He paused, then said, "We've also sent Xiaozhou to the Horse Tribe to deliver a message. Now that we've won this battle, I'll send another Xiaozhou to inform them of the situation here and let them prepare to send men to help wipe out the Wolf Tribe."

Upon hearing this, Yan added, "Uncle Jianya, also send some men to the Hundred Crafts Tribe and the Pottery Salt Tribe, and have them bring out all their cavalry to join Uncle Dali in the battle at High Pointed Mountain. Also, have them prepare some infantry to come to the foot of High Pointed Mountain and help capture the Wolf Tribe's affiliated tribes."

Jianya's eyes lit up. "Great idea! Getting more tribes involved will benefit the later tribal integration."

After exchanging a few more words, Yan took his leave. He strode to the cavalry, mounted his horse, and saw three hundred elite cavalrymen already fully prepared. They rode on their horses, holding bronze spears, with bronze sabers at their waists, and some carrying bows and arrows on their backs. They were all spirited and exuded a murderous aura.

Yan looked around and shouted, "Brothers, Xueya has escaped! He's taking less than a hundred survivors and heading towards the Marsh Tribe! We must give chase and not let him escape back to High Pointed Mountain!"

The cavalrymen shouted in unison, "Chase! Chase! Chase!"

Yan brandished his spear. "Let's go!"

Three hundred cavalrymen sped off like arrows toward the Marsh Tribe, their hooves thundering and raising clouds of dust. Jianya stood on the high ground, watching their departing figures, motionless for a long time. After a while, he turned around and began to arrange the follow-up matters.

"Men!" he shouted, "Take a headcount of the prisoners and register them! Gather the logistics personnel and keep them under guard. Tell them they must serve three years of hard labor obediently; those who behave well may be pardoned! Anyone who dares to escape will be killed without mercy!"

"Yes!"

"Send someone to the Fish Tribe and have Dali immediately begin collecting food and supplies! Tell him that Yan has already led three hundred elite cavalry to pursue Xueya, and instruct him to lead reinforcements to provide support as soon as possible!"

"Yes!"

"Send men to the Hundred Crafts Tribe and the Pottery Salt Tribe! Have them bring all their cavalry out to go to High Pointed Mountain with Dali! Also, have them prepare some infantry to help at the foot of High Pointed Mountain!"

"Yes!"

As orders were passed down, the entire battlefield sprang into action. Jianya led his men to the group of prisoners. Nearly a thousand prisoners were squatting on the ground, trembling. Most of them were women and teenagers, with a few elderly people. When they saw Jianya approaching, they lowered their heads even further. Jianya stopped and slowly swept his gaze over them.

"Listen up!" His voice boomed, echoing across the wilderness, "You followed the Wolf Tribe in committing evil deeds, and you deserve to die! But we, the Fire Tribe, are benevolent and will give you a chance!"

The prisoners raised their heads, their eyes filled with fear and hope.

Jianya continued, "From today onwards, you will serve three years of hard labor! Work, farm, build roads, construct houses! After three years, those who behave well may be pardoned and become members of the Fire Tribe! Those who behave poorly will continue to serve hard labor! Anyone who dares to escape or resist will be killed!"

The prisoners looked at each other, none of them daring to speak.

Jianya waved his hand. "Take him away!"

The warriors stepped forward and led the prisoners away. Jianya turned and walked towards the Fish Tribe's dock. On the dock, the fleet was ready and neatly moored on the shore. The warriors were loading supplies onto the ships, chatting and laughing, a busy scene.

Jianya boarded the largest ship, stood at the Chuantou, and looked into the distance, towards the Fire Tribe's headquarters.

He took a deep breath and shouted, "Let's go!"

The fleet slowly started, heading upstream along the Fish River. The setting sun dyed the river surface a golden red. In the Fish Tribe camp, Dali was busy. He had received a message from the Jianya that they were already in action.

"Someone!" he shouted, "Go to the Pottery Salt Tribe again! Tell Chief Jia Li to bring all his cavalry out to High Pointed Mountain! Also, have him prepare two hundred infantrymen to follow!"

"Yes!"

"Go to the Hundred Crafts Tribe again! Tell Chief Wu Xiong to bring all his cavalry with him to High Pointed Mountain! Also, prepare some infantry!"

"Yes!"

The two messengers mounted their horses and galloped away.

Dali turned around and said to the men around him, "Go and take stock of our cavalry! After deducting the losses, how many are left?"

A leader stepped forward and reported, "Dali, our Fire Tribe still has over a thousand cavalrymen in this region. Adding the hundred cavalrymen from the Hundred Crafts Tribe and the hundred cavalrymen from the Pottery Salt Tribe, the total is over two thousand two hundred!"

Dali's eyes lit up. "Great! 1,200 cavalrymen, that's enough!"

He thought for a moment, then said, "Tomorrow morning, I will take five hundred cavalrymen ahead, and the rest will catch up with the cavalry from the Pottery and Salt, and Hundred Crafts Tribe."

The leader nodded. "Understood!"

Dali stepped out of the tent, looking at the bustling camp, a surge of pride welling up inside him. 1,200 cavalrymen, plus the infantry that followed...

This time, we must uproot the Wolf Tribe! Xueya, you can't escape! As night fell, Xueya led less than a hundred remaining soldiers in the direction of the Marsh Tribe, galloping wildly through the darkness. Their horses were exhausted, covered in sweat, and foaming at the mouth, but no one dared to stop, because there were pursuers behind them.

Xueya glanced back; he couldn't see anything in the darkness, but he knew the Fire Tribe was definitely chasing him.

"Hurry!" he shouted hoarsely, "Faster! The Marsh Tribe is just ahead!"

The cavalrymen gritted their teeth and urged their horses on. After running for about an hour, they finally saw some lights ahead. It was the camp of the Marsh Tribe. Xueya's spirits lifted, and he sped up and rushed over.

Back at the camp, the Wolf Tribe warriors who remained behind saw them and said, "Chief? What brings you here...?"

Xueya tumbled off his horse, his legs buckled, and he nearly fell. He gripped the Ma'an, panting heavily.

"Quickly... quickly assemble the troops!" he hoarsely said, "The Fire Tribe's forces are very likely on their way! We need to prepare to evacuate immediately!"

The Duyan man left behind paled and rushed to gather his men. The camp erupted into chaos. Xueya leaned against a tree, looking at the disarray, a deep despair washing over him. Of the more than a thousand men who had come out, less than a hundred remained. Shichui was dead...

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, but soon opened them, a cold glint in his eyes. He couldn't give up; as long as he had a breath left, he had to live. As long as he lived, he would have a chance to take revenge.

He stood up and shouted, "Quick! Pack your things! Load up the food and other supplies! We must leave before dawn!"