Rout and Pursuit

Chaos reigned in the Marsh Tribe's camp. The campfire blazed brightly, its light reflecting on the tired and terrified faces. Wolf Tribe warriors sat in twos and threes around the fire, no one speaking, only the occasional muffled coughs and the distant neighing of horses could be heard.

Duyan sat by the largest campfire, holding a piece of charred meat in his hand, but he couldn't eat a bite. His gaze fell on the wooden house in the center of the camp, where Cangbo, the chief of the Marsh Tribe, lived, but now it had become Xueya's temporary command post.

Tonight, Xueya led less than a hundred cavalrymen, fleeing here in a sorry state. Duyan still remembers the scene when he saw them—the cavalrymen were covered in blood, many horses were foaming at the mouth, and some men had arrows stuck in their bodies, lying on their horses, barely alive. On Xueya's face, the hideous scar looked particularly pale, and his eyes no longer held the ferocity and arrogance of the past, only fear and exhaustion remained.

"The Fire Tribe pursuers may be here soon..." These were the first words Xueya said to him when he saw him.

Duyan was stunned. The Fire Tribe had arrived? How could that be? Weren't they still with the Fish Tribe? But Xueya's next words made his heart sink to the bottom.

Xueya later told Duyan that the Fire Tribe had mobilized over 700 cavalry and nearly 2,000 infantry to attack the Wolf Tribe. Over 600 Wolf Tribe warriors were killed, 1,000 support personnel were captured, and Shichui also died.

Duyan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Shichui, though reckless, was indeed one of the most capable leaders of the Wolf Tribe. Over the years, he had followed Xueya in battles across the land and made countless contributions. And now he was dead.

"Duyan Leader."

A voice rang out, Duyan opened his eyes to see a soldier standing before him.

"The chief requests your presence."

Duyan nodded, stood up, and walked towards the wooden house in the center of the camp. Inside the house, Xueya was sitting by the fire pit, his face pale. His arm was wrapped in thick burlap, the result of the cut he had received from the Shinian during the day. The bleeding had stopped, but the wound was still throbbing. Yexiao sat beside him, head down, saying nothing. Duyan walked in and sat down opposite Xueya.

"Chief," he spoke, his voice hoarse, "What exactly happened?"

Xueya raised his head and looked at him, his eyes filled with exhaustion and despair.

"Fire Tribe..." he began slowly, recounting the events of the day.

From the Dazhuang arrived with 700 cavalry, to the crushing defeat in three duels, and then to the massive attack by the Fire Tribe of 2,000 the next morning, he led over 300 cavalry in a breakout attempt, only to fall into an ambush, with less than 100 men escaping.

Duyan listened, his face grew paler and paler. When Xueya finished speaking, he was completely stunned. More than nine hundred soldiers and fifteen hundred support personnel were now reduced to only two hundred soldiers and five hundred support personnel.

"Fire Tribe... how can there be so many people?" Duyan muttered.

Xueya gave a bitter laugh.

"I want to know too, but they do have them, and..." He paused, a flicker of fear in his eyes, "Their warriors, almost every one of them, carries a bronze weapon."

"Bronze weapons?" Duyan exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes." Xueya nodded. "Spears, sabers, daggers, and a powerful bow—I saw them with my own eyes."

Duyan gasped. Bronze weapons—those were legendary items possessed only by the large tribes of the lower reaches of the Fish River, each one priceless. The Fire Tribe actually had one for every member? How could that be?

"The Fire Tribe has risen too quickly," Xueya sighed. "We have no room to expand in this region anymore. When we go back this time, we may have to be prepared to migrate at any time."

Duyan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself speechless. Migrate? Where to? The Wolf Tribe had been operating in these High Pointed Mountain for over a decade; this was their root. If they lost their root, where could they go? But if they didn't migrate, would the Fire Tribe let them go?

No, absolutely not!

"Chief..." Duyan began with difficulty, "Will the Fire Tribe's pursuers catch up?"

Xueya remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

Yes, and very soon.

He looked towards the doorway, where it was pitch black in the night.

"We have to leave first thing tomorrow morning. Take as much as you can; anything we can't take, we'll just have to throw away."

Duyan nodded and said nothing more. Silence fell over the wooden hut, except for the crackling of the firewood in the hearth. The next morning, before dawn, the Wolf Tribe members got up. Two hundred warriors and five hundred support staff hurriedly packed their things in the morning mist.

The tents were dismantled, rolled up, and tied to the backs of oxen. Grain was packed into baskets or piled on carts. Weapons, tools, animal hides, pottery... everything that could be taken was taken. What couldn't be taken was left behind. Xueya, riding his horse, watched all this, and a great sense of desolation welled up in his heart.

Just a few days ago, they had nine hundred soldiers and fifteen hundred support personnel, a mighty and invincible force. Now, only a handful of people remain. Seven hundred soldiers are gone just like that. He took a deep breath and suppressed these thoughts. Now is not the time to be sad; survival is the priority.

"Let's go!" he shouted.

The group slowly started moving, leaving the camp of the Marsh Tribe and heading east. After a short while, they came to a fork in the road. One road led northeast and the other southeast. Both roads could lead back to High Pointed Mountain. Xueya reined in his horse, looked at the two roads, and Xueya. Behind him, the group slowly came to a stop.

The Duyan man rode forward and asked, "Chief, what's wrong?"

Xueya pointed to two paths and said, "The Fire Tribe's pursuers are likely right behind us. If we travel together and get caught, we're all doomed."

Duyan understood what he meant.

"You want to divide your forces?"

Xueya nodded. "Yes, you take half the men and go southeast, and I'll take the other half and go northeast. No matter which side gets caught, at least the other side can escape."

Duyan was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

Xueya looked at him and said solemnly, "Duyan, if you can return alive this time, you will be the second leader of the Wolf Tribe."

The one -Duyan's eyes reddened, and he nodded heavily.

"Rest assured, Chief! I will definitely bring the person back!"

The two quickly split up. Duyan led fifty cavalry, fifty infantry, and more than two hundred support personnel, escorting a large amount of food and supplies, and headed along the southeast road. Xueya led the rest of the men and sped northeast.

After the group split up, their speed increased significantly, but Xueya knew this was only temporary; the Fire Tribe's pursuers could appear at any moment.

An hour later, at the crossroads, dust billowed as Yan arrived with three hundred elite cavalry at Chidian. He reined in his horse, looked at the messy footprints and ruts on the ground, and frowned.

"There are footprints on both roads," Yingmu said, riding up and pointing to the ground. "They've split up."

Yingmu asked, "Boss, what do we do?"

Yan stood up, looked at the two paths, and quickly made a decision.

"Yingmu, Shinian, you take 150 cavalrymen and pursue them along this road to the northeast."

Yingmu paused for a moment. "Boss, what about you?"

Yan shook his head. "I led my men to the southeast, Xueya divided his forces so that we would also divide our forces. Let's do as he wishes."

He looked at the Yingmu and said seriously, "Remember, kill as many people as possible and capture as much food and supplies as possible. We don't have much food with us, so don't pursue too far. After we're done, gather at the Marsh Tribe camp and wait for reinforcements."

Yingmu nodded. "Understood!"

The two men each led their troops and went their separate ways in pursuit. Yan led 150 cavalrymen, galloping southeast, their hooves thundering across the open fields. After less than half an hour, a dark mass of people appeared ahead.

That was the Wolf Tribe's force—fifty cavalry, fifty infantry, over two hundred support personnel, and wagons loaded with food and supplies. The Duyan man, riding his horse, turned deathly pale when he saw the cavalry force behind him in the distance.

"The Fire Tribe is coming!" he shouted hoarsely.

The ranks instantly descended into chaos. The infantrymen panicked, the logistics personnel abandoned their carts and tried to flee, and the coachmen frantically whipped their horses to speed them up, but it was too late. Yan's cavalry swept in like a gust of wind.

"Surrender and you will not be killed! Those who resist will die!" Yan shouted, and was the first to charge into the enemy ranks.

Behind him, 150 cavalrymen surged forward like a tide. The Wolf Tribe's infantry hadn't even had time to form ranks before they were scattered and broken. Screams, pleas for mercy, and the clash of weapons filled the air. One- Duyan gritted his teeth and led 50 cavalrymen in a desperate escape. He dared not look back, dared not stop, and could only whip his horses frantically. After speaking, he led the best-riding warriors and continued the pursuit.

Yan chased for a short while before spotting the Duyan fifty cavalrymen. They were running very fast, but the Fire Tribe's cavalry were even faster. Yan and his men took powerful bows from their horses, nocked arrows, and drew them.

Whoosh! An arrow shot out, and the last Wolf Tribe cavalryman fell from his horse. Whoosh! More arrows were fired, and Wolf Tribe cavalrymen fell from their horses one after another.

Duyan looked back, his eyes filled with terror. There were only twenty-odd men left around him; there was no escape. He gritted his teeth and turned his horse around.

"Let's give it our all!"

More than twenty cavalrymen followed him, charging towards the cavalry of the Fire Tribe. Yan sneered, put away his powerful bow, and drew his bronze sword.

"Kill!"

The two groups of cavalry clashed violently, their blades flashing and screams echoing. Duyan's swordsmanship was quite good; he cut down two Fire Tribe cavalrymen in succession. But before he could even rejoice, he saw Flame charging towards him on horseback, his bronze greatsword whistling through the air as it came down on his head. Duyan raised his sword to parry.

"Clang!"

The Duyan's sword snapped in two, but the bronze greatsword, still brimming with power, cleaved down from his shoulder.

"Ah--!"

The screams abruptly stopped, Duyan fell from his horse into a pool of blood. The battle was over quickly; all twenty-odd Wolf Tribe cavalrymen had been killed. Yan sheathed his sword and looked around.

"Clean up the battlefield. Take the horses and anything usable with you."

The warriors immediately sprang into action, and an hour later, Yan led his team back to the Marsh Tribe camp. Yingmu and Shinian had already returned to the camp, and upon seeing Yan's return, the two hurriedly went to greet him.

"Boss!" Yingmu lowered his head, his face full of shame, "We... let Xueya get away."

Yan was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "What happened?"

Shinian sighed and recounted what had happened. After they caught up, Xueya immediately ordered the infantry to cover the rear while he fled with fifty cavalry. The infantry knew they were going to die, but thinking of their families still in the hands of the Wolf Tribe, they could only fight desperately. Although Yingmu and Shinian killed the infantry, Xueya had already run far away. After listening, Yan patted Yingmu on the shoulder.

"It's not your fault," he said. "Xueya is cunning and ruthless. Your cavalry wasn't as elite as mine, so his escape wasn't your fault."

Yingmu looked up, his eyes filled with gratitude.

"Boss, once the main force arrives, let's go to High Pointed Mountain together and wipe out the Wolf Tribe's lair! I'll definitely be the vanguard!"

Shinian nodded repeatedly. "Yes! I want to be the vanguard too! To avenge my fallen clansmen and brothers!"

Yan smiled.

"Alright, I'll definitely let you be the vanguard then."