Letting Loose

Early the next morning, before dawn, the foot of Stone Ridge Mountain was already packed with people. The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and a thin layer of it hung in the valley, like a veil covering the camp hidden in the mountains. Dew dampened the grass, and the horses' hooves rustled as they trod upon it. The air was filled with the pungent smell of pine resin and the stench of warhorses, all mixed together. In the distance, the mountains were still shrouded in the gray twilight, their outlines blurred, like an unfinished ink painting.

A thousand cavalrymen, a thousand ponies, lined up neatly, like a black forest stretching as far as the eye could see. The horses snorted and pawed the ground with their front hooves, making a clattering sound. White breath spewed from their nostrils, condensing into a white mist in the morning fog. Some horses impatiently swung their tails, some lowered their heads to graze on the dry grass, and some rubbed their necks against each other, emitting low neighs.

The warriors of the Wolf Tribe rode on horseback, their ration bags filled with roasted rice and dried meat, enough to last for several days. Some wore leather armor, others leather helmets, their faces filled with excitement and anticipation, their eyes gleaming in the morning light, like a pack of wolves waiting to hunt. Some were talking in hushed tones, some were checking their weapons, and some were stroking their horses' necks to soothe them.

No one spoke loudly; only the occasional neighing of horses and the pawing of hooves were particularly clear in the silent valley, striking the heart like drumbeats. Xueya rode at the head of the procession on a black ponies. He had stolen this horse from the north; it had a large frame, long limbs, and could run at Chidian. Its mane was black and shiny, as smooth as satin.

He wore an exquisite leather armor, and the bronze sword at his waist was a newly captured weapon. The scabbard was engraved with simple patterns, and the hilt was wrapped with hemp rope, making it easy to grip. The bronze blade gleamed in the morning light, and the edge was extremely sharp.

The hideous scar on Xueya's face was particularly striking in the morning light. It ran diagonally down his forehead, past his eye, and down to his chin, like a centipede crawling across his face. His eyes were half-closed, as if he were dozing, but the occasional slits that opened them flashed with a cold, sharp light, like two knives that chilled one to the bone.

Xueshou and Yexiao flanked Xueya, both dressed in military attire. Xueshou was burly and broad-shouldered, riding a tall, short-legged horse with a back as wide as a wall. A Shifu hung at his waist, its handle made of Yingmu and easy to grip. His face was full of fleshy features, his eyes were glaring like copper bells, and his mouth was downturned, giving him a fierce and menacing appearance.

The Yexiao was lean and capable, riding a black horse with long, slender legs that ran like the wind. The Yexiao's eyes were long and narrow, like a fox's, and his pupils darted around, as if he were sizing something up or plotting something.

Duzhu stood at the foot of the mountain, followed by two hundred soldiers who stayed behind. She wore leather armor, with a bone knife hanging at her waist, the hilt of which was wrapped with hemp rope. Her hair was tied in a bun and held in place with a wooden hairpin, with a few strands of hair hanging down beside her ears, fluttering in the morning breeze.

Her face was pale, devoid of any color, like a blank sheet of paper. Her lips were thin, pressed into a line, and her eyes were long and narrow, with upturned corners, like a snake, gleaming eerily in the morning light. She looked at Xueya with a calm gaze, as if she were examining a piece of merchandise, or perhaps assessing something.

"Duzhu," Xueya spoke, his voice hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against wood, deep and powerful, "I've left two hundred warriors for you at Stone Ridge Mountain. You can also gather some able-bodied women from the affiliated tribes, organize them, and help guard the camp. Women are meticulous, capable, good at work, cooking, and caring. Even if a thousand or two thousand attack, they won't be able to breach the defenses. Stone Ridge Mountain is easy to defend and difficult to attack. The narrowest part of the mountain path is so narrow that only one person can pass at a time, with cliffs on both sides. Unless you do something foolish, no one can get up there."

The Duzhu nodded, clasped her hands in a salute, and said crisply, "Rest assured, Chief, with me here, the camp is absolutely safe. I've had plenty of rolling logs and boulders prepared and piled up at the crossroads. Anyone who dares to come will be crushed or scared to death." She paused, her voice shrill, like fingernails scratching a stone slab, "I've also had traps dug at the crossroads, with sharp stakes planted in them; falling in is certain death."

Xueya continued, his gaze becoming distant, as if looking into the far reaches of the earth. "Stone Ridge Mountain camp is the foundation of our Wolf Tribe. You must lead your men to defend it well. In the coming days, you must also lead your men to build more houses on Stone Ridge Mountain —wooden huts, warehouses, and so on. The wooden huts must be sturdy, the warehouses must be moisture-proof, and the stables at the foot of the mountain must be well-ventilated." He paused, his gaze turning cold and sharp, like a winter's wind. "Now the Great Boulder Tribe and the Great Luwei Tribe are on high alert against us. They've recently rapidly increased their population to ten thousand, and their main force alone has about two thousand warriors."

He took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "This time, I plan to increase the Wolf Tribe's manpower to around two thousand. My plan is to first shake their foundations of rule, eliminate their peripheral tribes, seize their food, and kill their people. Next year, we will have a formal decisive battle with them. At that time, it will be either you die or I live."

The Duzhu nodded, a sinister smile spreading across her face. Her lips curled slightly upwards, but her eyes were as cold as ice. "Don't worry, Chief. When you return, I'll make sure all the brothers have big houses to live in." She paused, a hint of smugness in her voice. "I've already organized eight hundred strong young women to accompany you. They're all drawn from affiliated tribes; they're capable of work, and they can carry oxen and horses. Although they can't fight, they're perfectly capable of moving things, cooking, and caring for the wounded. When you have a harvest, you can have them bring it back first—grain, supplies, prisoners—they can all be transported."

Xueya nodded, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. A slight smile played on his lips as he said, "Good, that's enough. You've made very thorough arrangements. I'm at ease leaving Stone Ridge Mountain in your care."

He turned around to face the thousand cavalrymen, his gaze sweeping over each face like a general inspecting an army. The soldiers stood tall, their eyes gleaming, waiting for him to speak, like a group of soldiers awaiting orders.

"Let's go!" Xueya shouted, his voice echoing through the valley and startling a flock of birds. The birds flapped their wings, screeching as they flew into the sky, becoming tiny black dots in the morning light.

A thousand Wolf Tribe cavalrymen marched southwest in a mighty procession, their hooves thundering so loudly they shook the earth. Dust filled the sky, and they resembled a yellow dragon swimming through the valley. The morning breeze blew, and the banners fluttered in the wind, the embroidered wolf heads on them baring their fangs and claws, lifelike and as if about to pounce and bite. The column stretched as far as the eye could see, like a giant black python moving through the mountains.

As the army set off, Xueshou and Yexiao rode their horses one on each side of Xueya. Xueshou, riding a chestnut horse, moved with the horse's gait, his face full of excitement, his eyes shining like two lamps. Yexiao Owl, riding a black horse, stood ramrod straight, his gaze calm, like a deep pool of water, without a ripple.

"Big Brother," Xueshou spoke first, his voice rough and booming with barely suppressed excitement, like thunder, "What's our plan for this trip? Are we going straight to attack the Great Rock's lair, or are we going to attack their subordinate tribes first? The brothers are all guessing; some say attack the lair directly, others say attack the subordinate tribes first."

Xueya didn't answer immediately. He sat on his horse, looking at the winding mountain road ahead with a deep gaze, as if looking into the distance. The mountain road twisted and turned like a snake crawling through the mountains. The mountains on both sides became steeper and the trees became denser. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

After a while, he spoke, his voice low and slow, as if squeezed from his chest. "Although our Wolf Tribe currently has a thousand cavalrymen, the Great Boulder Tribe has recently expanded its strength on a large scale, and its population has reached about ten thousand, with about two thousand warriors. This does not include their core subordinate tribes." He paused, his fingers tapping lightly on the Jiangsheng, making a rhythmic sound, like drumming.

"With the addition of warriors from several core subordinate tribes around him, the Great Boulder Tribe can quickly expand its forces to about four thousand men. Four thousand against one thousand, although we have the advantage of cavalry, we will not gain the upper hand in a head-on confrontation. They have more people, we have fewer people, they defend, we attack, they wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, and we launch a long-distance raid. No matter how you look at it, we are at a disadvantage."

Xueshou frowned, his brow furrowing into a knot, and said, "Four thousand? That many? Weren't they only six thousand? How did it suddenly become ten thousand?"

Xueya nodded, his gaze turning serious. "They're expanding rapidly. We caused trouble around here a while ago, which scared them. They're afraid of us, so they're expanding like crazy. They've absorbed quite a few of the smaller tribes in the vicinity recently."

He paused, his gaze turning cold and sharp, and said, "Furthermore, they have trade with the Tiger Tribe at the very bottom of the Fish River, so they definitely have some bronze weapons. You've all witnessed the power of bronze weapons, haven't you? With these bronze weapons, our warriors are no match for the warriors of the Fire Tribe and the Valley Tribe."

Xueshou and Yexiao both fell silent; they had, of course, witnessed it before.

Xueya continued, his gaze becoming more distant, as if looking into the far distance, or perhaps recalling something, and said, "So, our purpose in going out this time is not to confront the Great Rock head-on; we have four objectives."

Xueshou and Yexiao pricked up their ears, leaning forward slightly like two wolves waiting for their prey.

"The first thing is to expand our strength. We need to increase the number of warriors in our Wolf Tribe to about two thousand. We already have one thousand, and if we take in another one thousand, we'll have two thousand. Two thousand against four thousand, although that's still a small number, with the advantage of cavalry, we won't be afraid. We're fast, they can't catch up, we can fight when we want, and we can leave when we want. They can't do anything to us."

Xueshou nodded, his eyes gleaming like two flames. "And the second one?"

"The second task is to gather supplies to ensure we have a comfortable winter and next spring. We need food, salt, cloth, and animal hides."

He paused, his gaze turning fierce, and said, "We'll plunder them, plunder them everything, take their grain, take their salt, take their women. We'll let the tribes near the Great Rock know who's the boss of this place."

Xueshou grinned, revealing a set of yellow teeth with bits of meat stuck between them, and said, "This is good. The brothers have been itching to get back to work. We've been training every day, and if we kept holding back, we'd all get sick."

"The third thing is to establish the prestige of our Wolf Tribe, so that the vassal tribes of the Great Rock will not dare to resist upon hearing the name of our Wolf Tribe. If they are afraid, they will not dare to fight us. If they do not fight us, we will suffer fewer casualties. If they surrender, we will not have to fight anymore. If they submit, we will not have to kill them."

The Yexiao nodded, seemingly lost in thought, its eyes narrowing into slits. "And the fourth one?"

Xueya's gaze turned cold as he said, "The fourth is to test the strength of the Great Boulder Tribe. If the Great Boulder Tribe isn't as powerful as we imagine, we'll take over this region next year. If they can be the boss, why can't our Wolf Tribe? Whoever is more ruthless and stronger in this area will be the boss."

Xueshou and Yexiao were both thrilled. Xueshou's face flushed crimson, like a red-hot iron, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his knuckles turning white. Yexiao's eyes shone brightly, like two lamps gleaming in the morning light. They sensed that the Wolf Tribe's strength was about to reach a new level. Before, the Wolf Tribe only roamed the High Pointed Mountain area, bullying smaller tribes, robbing them of food, and killing them. But now?

To dominate the Fish River Basin, to challenge large tribes like the Great Rock and the Great Luwei —what are the Great Rock? What are the Great Luwei? One day, the Wolf Tribe will become the largest tribe in this area.

Yexiao Owl asked, his voice tinged with urgency and anticipation, "Chief, how should we proceed? Should we attack the big ones first, or the small ones? There has to be an order, right?"

Xueya thought for a moment and said, "Although we've been resting and training during this time, our scouts haven't been idle. They've been gathering information day and night, and they know the situation of the tribes in this area very clearly. They know exactly how many people each tribe has, how much food each tribe has, how many women each tribe has, and how many warriors each tribe has."

He paused, his gaze turning fierce, like a hungry wolf spotting its prey. "Our first step now is to let loose. The brothers have been holding back for a while, training every day. It's time to relax and let off some steam."

A cruel smile crept across his lips, as cold as a blade. "Let's start with the Green Bamboo Tribe. They have about five hundred people, but only about a hundred are able-bodied. They're not very strong, and they're far from the Great Rock's lair. Let's go relax there first."

As soon as Xueya finished speaking, Xueshou and Yexiao immediately exchanged knowing smiles. The smiles were sinister, like wolves seeing their prey, like snakes seeing frogs, cold and cruel.

Xueshou immediately reined in his horse excitedly. The horse neighed, its front hooves rearing up. He turned and shouted loudly to the few Xiaotou behind him, his voice echoing like thunder through the valley, making the leaves tremble. "Brothers! The leader said you've all trained hard these past few days and need a break! Everyone, keep up! Keep up!"

The Xiaotou immediately understood; their eyes lit up like lamps. They turned to their men and shouted, "Quick! Keep up! Don't fall behind! Anyone who falls behind, I'll make sure they regret it!"

A low cheer rose from the ranks, surging like a tide. The soldiers exchanged glances, their faces beaming with excitement, like a pack of wolves waiting to devour their prey. Some licked their lips, their lips chapped and their tongues glistening; others gripped their sword hilts tightly, their knuckles turning white; still others spurred their horses forward, the steeds neighing as they charged. The entire column moved like a venomous snake awakened, head raised, forked, and swiftly slithered southwest.

The sound of horses' hooves grew louder, like thunder, shaking the earth and raising dust higher, like a yellow curtain that covered half the sky.

The group marched in a grand procession toward the Green Bamboo Tribe. The sun had fully risen from behind the mountains in the east, and golden rays shone into the valley and onto the menacing army. But the sunlight could not warm their cold hearts, nor illuminate their dark path. Their hearts were cold, and their blood was cold.