An Empty Nest and a Trail

The mountain path on High Pointed Mountain was much easier to walk than expected. Yan led five hundred infantrymen uphill, expecting to encounter fierce resistance, but they only encountered sporadic resistance and a few panicked shouts.

The Wolf Tribe's garrison collapsed upon seeing the Fire Tribe warriors surging down the mountain and the bronze arrowheads gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

At the first checkpoint, several Wolf Tribe warriors hid behind Shitou, trembling. Before Yingmu and his vanguard could even get close, they threw down their weapons and scrambled up the mountain.

At the second checkpoint, the defenders attempted to resist, but Yan's powerful archers unleashed a volley of hundreds of bronze arrows, instantly turning several Wolf Tribe warriors who dared to peek out into the air into pincushions. The rest scattered and ran faster than rabbits. The next checkpoint was empty, and Yingmu and Shinian led the vanguard unimpeded, quickly reaching the mountainside— the Wolf Tribe's lair.

When Yan arrived with his reinforcements, he found the place in ruins Wolf Tribe's lair was built on a relatively flat plateau halfway up the mountain, surrounded by a wall made of logs. Inside, two or three hundred wooden houses and thatched huts were crammed together. At that moment, the gate of the village was wide open, and bursts of noise and cries came from inside.

Yan frowned and asked, "What happened?"

Yingmu rode over, his face full of strange expressions.

"Boss, it's a complete mess inside..."

Yan strode into the village gate, and the scene before him stunned him. In the open space, many corpses lay scattered, some still wet with blood. Yan continued to walk in, and the further he went, the more horrifying the sight became. There were signs of a struggle everywhere, and scattered supplies everywhere. Grain was strewn all over the ground, pottery was broken into pieces, some animal hides were torn to shreds, and smoke was rising from several wooden houses, which had obviously just been on fire.

"This is..." Shinian stared in disbelief, "What's going on?"

Yan didn't answer. He walked to the largest wooden house in the center of the camp, pushed open the door, and found the house even more chaotic. The low table was overturned, the animal skin rugs were trampled into pieces, ashes from the hearth were scattered all over the floor, and the weapons hanging on the wall had been taken away, leaving only a few empty shelves. In a corner, several women were squatting, their clothes tattered and their faces covered in tears. When they saw Yan come in, they were so frightened that they curled up into a ball.

Yan walked over, squatted down, and said, "Tell me, what happened here?"

The women looked up at the young stranger. Unlike the fierce women from the Wolf Tribe, one of the older women mustered her courage and spoke.

"It's... it's the Tulang..."

"Tulang?"

"They're the leaders who stayed behind," the woman said. "A few days ago, the Xueya leader and his men came back, saying they had won a battle and that supplies would be delivered in a few days. They told Tulang to lead the preparations, and they even brought up three hundred strong young women from the foot of the mountain to slaughter sheep and pigs and have a festivities..."

She paused, a flicker of fear crossing her eyes.

"But the next day, news came from the foot of the mountain that many cavalry had arrived and captured all the tribes at the foot of the mountain."

As the woman spoke, tears streamed down her face.

"The Tulang said that the Xueya leader tricked them, telling them to wait here to die... and they... they just..."

Yan understood. Xueya had fled, taking his trusted men and elite troops with him, abandoning those left behind.

"And then?" Yan asked.

The woman wiped away her tears and continued speaking.

"The Tulang were both scared and angry, so they started drinking. When they got drunk, they... they started robbing the women of the leaders... those were Xueya, Xueshou, Shichui, and Duyan's women! Normally, who would dare touch them? But they said, 'We're all going to die anyway, why worry about anything...'"

She lowered her head, her voice growing softer and softer.

"Later... then people started fighting, fighting over food, goods, and women... there were several battles, and many people died... then Tulang and his group of several dozen people ran eastward into the forest."

Yan stood up, walked out of the wooden house, and stood in the open space, looking at the messy camp, a complex emotion welling up in his heart.

Xueya, over a decade of hard work, just thrown away like that; hundreds of lives, just abandoned like that; to save his own life, he even lied to his own people, leaving them to die here. Such a person is truly...

He took a deep breath, suppressing those thoughts; now was not the time for sentimentality.

"Yingmu!" he shouted.

Yingmu ran over. "Here!"

"Lead the men to clear the camp, gather all the survivors together, count the number of people, collect all weapons, and inventory the remaining supplies."

"Yes!"

"Shinian!"

"Exist!"

"Take men and search around the camp to see if any escaped."

"Yes!"

The two men accepted the order and left. Yan stood on the open ground, watching the busy warriors, silently calculating in his heart. The Wolf Tribe's lair had been captured, but Xueya had escaped, which was the biggest hidden danger. An hour later, the inventory results came out.

There are more than 130 survivors, all of them young and strong women. They were drawn up from the foot of the mountain by the Tulang a few days ago. Of the warriors who were originally left behind by the Wolf Tribe, some died and some fled, leaving only about ten, all of whom were wounded.

The seized supplies included: grain, cattle and sheep, various tools, animal hides, and some coarse pottery. There were only a few dozen weapons, mostly ordinary Shimao and bone knives.

"Boss," Yingmu ran over, "A few wounded soldiers say they know where Xueya ran off to."

Yan's eyes lit up, and he strode after Yingmu. In a corner of the camp, several wounded soldiers lay on the ground, covered in blood. When they saw Yan coming, fear flashed in their eyes. Yan squatted down and looked at one of them.

Where did Xueya go?

The wounded soldier stammered, "They went... north. They disappeared at the foot of the mountain; they must have gone north."

How many people?

"No... I don't know, but there shouldn't be many, at most a hundred people."

Yan stood up, quickly calculating in his mind. Heading north, about a hundred people, that was the direction of the Horse Tribe. Although the Horse Tribe and the Wolf Tribe were enemies, if Xueya avoided the main road and took a secluded path, it was indeed possible to escape the Horse Tribe's sight.

They had to give chase. After leaving two hundred men behind, Yan turned around and led his men down the mountain. When they returned to the foot of the mountain, Dali and Dazhuang were already waiting with their men. Seeing Yan come down the mountain so quickly, the two hurriedly came to greet him.

"Yan!" shouted Dali, "What's it like up there?"

Yan strode over and explained the situation on the mountain. Dali and Dazhuang were stunned after listening.

"Xueya got away?" Dali's eyes widened. "That bastard, he actually ran away?"

Dazhuang frowned as well. "About a hundred people, heading north... that's the direction of the Horse Tribe."

Yan nodded. "Yes, although the Horse Tribe has a grudge against them, if Xueya avoids the main road and takes a secluded path, he might not be discovered."

He paused, then said, "I suggest sending two hundred cavalrymen north to pursue them. The Horse Tribe should also be on their way to High Pointed Mountain. If we encounter them, we can find out the Wolf Tribe's whereabouts with a simple question. After all, it's impossible for Xueya to have led a hundred men north without making a sound."

Dali nodded Dali: "That makes sense. Shall I personally lead the team to pursue them?"

Yan shook his head. "Uncle Dali, you and Uncle Dazhuang still have things to deal with here, let Yingmu go."

Dazhuang agreed, "That kid Yingmu clever, has decent fighting skills, and can get things done."

Dali thought for a moment and nodded, "Alright, then let Yingmu take two hundred cavalrymen."

Yan looked at Yingmu standing to the side.

"Yingmu, take two hundred cavalry and head north to pursue Xueya. Remember, don't chase too far. Chase for a few days, and if you don't find him, come back. Safety first."

Yingmu straightened his chest. "Yes! Don't worry, Brother Yan, I'll be careful!"

Yan patted him on the shoulder. "Go."

Yingmu turned around and strode off to muster his troops. Soon, two hundred cavalrymen were fully equipped and ready to go, galloping northwards with thunderous hoofbeats. As they gradually disappeared into the distance, Yan withdrew his gaze and looked at Dali and Dazhuang.

"I've ordered Shinian take two hundred infantrymen and some food supplies to garrison the Wolf Tribe's stronghold. I've also left one hundred cavalrymen at the foot of the mountain for him to await our further arrangements."

He nodded Dali: "Okay, what about these prisoners here? There are over eight thousand of them."

Yan thought for a moment and said, "Let's take them back to the Stone Creek River Mouth Outpost first. After we've settled things with the Pottery and Salt and Fish Tribe, we can deal with these prisoners later."

Dazhuang asked, "What about the people from the Pottery Salt Tribe and Fish Tribe?"

Yan said, "I plan to take them back first. The Fish Tribe, the Pottery Salt Tribe, the Marsh Tribe, the Beast Taming Tribe, and the Hundred Crafts Tribe —these five tribes together number nearly ten thousand. We need to arrange for them to join the Fire Tribe as soon as possible."

He paused, then continued, "My idea is that the chiefs of these tribes should first lead their important leaders to the Fire Tribe headquarters to formally accept their allegiance. As for the ordinary tribesmen, they should be migrated in batches and resettled in two or three phases. This way, it won't put too much pressure on the headquarters."

Dali and Dazhuang exchanged a glance and nodded.

"That's a good idea," Dazhuang said. "Let's take it slow and steady."

Dali also said, "Then let's split up. Dazhuang and I will take the prisoners and supplies back to Stone Creek River Mouth to await further instructions. You take the cavalry and infantry of those tribes back first and talk to their leaders about joining them."

Yan nodded. "Okay, after I've taken care of these matters, I'll Fire Tribe headquarters first."

After the three finished their discussion, they split up to carry out their respective tasks. Yan summoned the cavalry leaders of the Fish Tribe, the Pottery Salt Tribe Beast Taming Tribe, the Marsh Tribe, and the Hundred Crafts Tribe, and told them about the arrangements. When they heard that they had to the Fire Tribe headquarters to accept their allegiance, they were all very excited.

"The day has finally come!" Kaishan grinned broadly.

The Biaotou nodded repeatedly, "I've been looking forward to this for ages!"

Julang's eyes reddened with excitement. "Young Chief Yan, our Fish Tribe will rely on the Fire Tribe from now on!"

Yan smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, once you join the Fire Tribe, you'll be family."

The troops quickly assembled, several hundred cavalrymen, along with the leaders of various tribes, and marched westward in a grand procession. Behind them, Dali and Dazhuang were organizing the prisoners, preparing to return to the Stone Creek River Mouth.

As the sun set, it painted the sky a golden-red hue. Yan, mounted on his horse, glanced back at High Pointed Mountain, once the lair of the Wolf Tribe, now the stronghold of the Fire Tribe. He took a deep breath and spurred his horse forward. Ahead lay the Pottery Salt Tribe and the Fish Tribe.