Seizing the Spoils and Withdrawing

Early the next morning, the camp of the Great Black Stone Tribe was bustling with activity. Xueya stood at the camp gate, watching the warriors assembling. Standing before him was a Xiaotou, about thirty years old, with a scar on his face that ran from the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth. It was from last year's battle, and the flesh of the scar was turned inside out, pink and particularly conspicuous in the morning light. He was called Batou, an old man of the Wolf Tribe, who had followed Xueya for several years. He was loyal and reliable. He wore an old leather armor, with dried bloodstains on the plates, the owner of which was unknown. A bone knife was slung at his waist, the handle wrapped with hemp rope, and the scabbard was made of animal hide.

"You take a few dozen men and stay behind to deal with supplies, prisoners, and the wounded," Xueya's voice was hoarse and low. "Take what you can carry, burn what you can't. Grain, animal hides, tools—load what can be loaded onto horses, and pile what can't be carried together and burn it. Burn the houses too. Leave nothing behind. As for the wounded, let those who can walk go, and those who can't..." He paused, his gaze turning cold and sharp, like two knives, "... you know what to do with those who can't walk. Don't let them fall into enemy hands, and don't let them become a burden to us."

Batou nodded, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Rest assured, Chief, I guarantee to complete the mission. I won't leave anything behind for the Great Boulder Tribe, nor will I leave anyone with them. Those who can be taken will be taken, and those who can't will be disposed of."

Xueya nodded, turned his horse around, pulled on the Jiangsheng, and shouted, "Let's go!"

More than 1,800 people left the Daheishi Great Black Stone Tribe and headed towards the Black Wood Tribe. As evening approached, the Black Wood Tribe's camp came into view. The Black Wood Tribe was built in a dark forest, surrounded by tall Black Wood with dark trunks and dense foliage that blocked out the sun, like giant black umbrellas covering the earth. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground, like a broken painting. The Black Wood Tribe's camp was very large, similar in size to the Great Black Stone Tribe, with wooden houses and thatched huts densely packed together, capable of housing at least two thousand people.

Tall wooden fences made of Black Wood stood all around, and a moat was dug outside the fences, with sharpened wooden stakes driven into the moat. Lights flickered in the camp, shadows moved about, and wisps of smoke rose and drifted away in the twilight like a thin veil. This was a large tribe, similar to the Great Black Stone Tribe, a core subordinate tribe of the Great Rock, and not at all on the same level as the previous small tribes of a few hundred people.

Xueya reined in his horse and raised his hand to signal it to stop.

"Hide, don't light a fire, eat something and rest," Xueya ordered in a low voice, his tone as cold as ice, like the biting winter wind, piercing and chilling. "We'll make our move at daybreak tomorrow."

Xueshou and Yexiao Owl nodded and went to make Xueya own arrangements. As dawn approached, Xueya opened his eyes, turned around, and looked at the warriors who were waking up.

"Get up! Get up, all of you!" Xueya whispered. "Get ready to fight! After today's battle, everyone can have a good rest and relax!"

Xueshou and Yexiao immediately understood. They exchanged a glance, nodded, and charged towards the Black Wood Tribe. Although the Black Wood Tribe had four hundred warriors, they were unprepared and still asleep. They were only awakened when Xueshou and Yexiao's cavalry stormed into the camp. Some were cut down before they could even react, their eyes still closed, and they were gone. Only a few dozen managed to organize a resistance, and they were scattered in an instant. Some were cut down, some were pierced, and some were trampled to death by horses' hooves. The sound of bones breaking was particularly clear in the morning air. The rest turned and ran, but were chased by the cavalry and cut down one by one, like harvesting wheat.

The Black Wood Tribe's camp was quickly brought under control. The able-bodied men were cut down, and the elderly, women, and children were herded together. Young women were dragged from the crowd, crying and struggling, their voices echoing in the morning air like a symphony of hell.

Migen, the chieftain of the Black Wood Tribe, was brought before Xueya by Yexiao. He was a man in his forties, lean and wiry, with shrewd eyes, a short beard, and fair skin—clearly not someone who did manual labor. He wore a clean linen robe with a leather belt around his waist, but now he was covered in blood, his clothes torn, his hair disheveled. Two Wolf Tribe warriors forced him to his knees, where he struggled desperately like a bound wild boar. His eyes were bloodshot, like two balls of fire, as if he wanted to devour someone. His lip was cut, and blood dripped down his chin onto his clothes.

He saw the Xueya and cursed incessantly, spittle flying, his voice like thunder echoing in the morning air. "You beasts! What grudge has our Black Wood Tribe ever against you? Why have you committed such a heinous act! We are a core subordinate tribe of the Great Boulder Tribe. Attacking us will not end well! The Great Rock will not let you off! You wait, the people of the Great Rock will come to take revenge! They will kill you all, leaving not a single one alive! You damned bastards, you deserve a terrible death!"

He grew increasingly agitated with each curse, struggling to stand, but two soldiers held him down firmly. His knees chafed raw, bleeding. Suddenly, he spat at Xueya, a mixture of saliva and Xueya landing squarely on his face. The sticky, bloody saliva dripped down his cheek and onto his collar.

The camp fell silent instantly, as if someone had grabbed its throat. Everyone stared at Xueya; the air seemed to freeze, even the wind stopped. The veterans who had been dragging the woman stopped and turned to look. The new recruits didn't dare breathe, their necks hunched over like a flock of frightened chickens.

Xueya reached out and wiped the bloody phlegm from his face. His fingers slowly and carefully traced the surface, as if polishing a precious artifact. Looking at the phlegm on his fingers, a cold smile crept onto his lips. The smile was sinister, as cold as a blade, like a wolf baring its Liaoya. His eyes were half-closed, but the occasional slits they opened revealed a sharp, piercing light, like two knives.

"I was going to give you a quick death, but it seems unnecessary now." His voice was calm, as if he were commenting on the nice weather, but everyone could hear the chill in it, like a biting winter wind, piercing and biting. "Yexiao, drag him away and torture him properly. Don't let him die too quickly. Take it slow, let him taste what it means to wish he were dead."

Migen was still jumping up and down, cursing, his voice hoarse like a broken gong, spittle flying everywhere. "You wait! The Great Rock won't let you get away with this! I just got there a little earlier than you! You'll all soon be buried with our Black Wood Tribe! Just wait! Not one of you will escape! I'll be waiting for you down there!"

"Drag him away!" Xueya roared, his voice like thunder echoing through the camp, making the leaves tremble.

Yexiao waved his hand, and several soldiers dragged Migen away. Migen continued cursing, his voice growing fainter and fainter, like the buzzing of mosquitoes. Soon, a series of shrill screams echoed from afar, one after another, like pigs being slaughtered, particularly piercing in the morning air. The screams rose and fell, intensified and weakened, sometimes sounding like crying, sometimes like laughing, sometimes like calling for one's mother. They continued for a long time before gradually fading, finally turning into groans, and then into silence.

Xueshou walked over happily, a smile on his face, his eyes narrowed into slits, his mouth stretched to his ears, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. He held the bronze greatsword in his hand, which gleamed in the sunlight, the blade still stained with blood, dripping down one drop at a time. His steps were light, as if he were walking on clouds.

"Brother, we've captured over a dozen bronze weapons this time. Adding to what we had before, our Wolf Tribe now has forty or fifty bronze weapons! We've also captured over three hundred ponies. If it weren't for transporting supplies, our Wolf Tribe would almost have two horses per person. With two horses per person, who could catch up with us? The people of Great Rock wouldn't even have time to eat dirt."

Xueya nodded and said, "This operation was very successful. We captured a large amount of supplies. These bronze artifacts can be distributed as rewards to our Xiaotou and soldiers who fought bravely. Merit should be rewarded and mistakes should be punished. Only by clearly distinguishing between rewards and punishments can we gain the respect of the people. I know who killed people, who stole things, and who made contributions."

He raised his head and said, "We've already wiped out two of the six core subordinate tribes of the Great Boulder Tribe. Although we didn't let anyone escape this time, the commotion we've caused has probably caught the attention of the Great Boulder Tribe. Such a big thing can't be kept secret for long; the news will spread like wildfire, reaching every tribe and the ears of the Great Rock Tribe."

He paused, then continued, "Although we can barely wipe out another core vassal tribe of Great Rock, it will be difficult to take our supplies with us. The grain is piled up like a mountain, too heavy to carry, and it will also exhaust our warriors. They've been fighting for so many days and are tired; we need to rest."

He turned around, looked at Xueshou and Yexiao, and said, "Let's relax here today, and tomorrow we'll prepare for our retreat. We'll take what we can, kill what we need to kill, and when it's time to leave, we must leave. We can't be greedy, or we'll suffer losses. Knowing when to quit while we're ahead is the mark of a wise person."

Xueshou nodded in agreement and said, "Brother is right. Know when to stop. Don't be greedy. If you're too greedy, you might end up getting yourself into trouble."

A short while later, Yexiao and his men finished dealing with Migen and came over to report. He wiped the blood off his hands and then wiped them on his clothes.

"Chief, it's all been taken care of. Migen was quite tough just now, gritting his teeth and refusing to beg for mercy, cursing nonstop. But then he couldn't hold on any longer, crying and begging for mercy, saying he was willing to submit, willing to be a dog, willing to be our ox and horse."

He paused, a slight smirk playing on his lips, and said, "I ignored him and handed him over to the brothers he'd injured. They tormented him for a while before finally killing him; they slashed him dozens of times before he died."

Xueya sneered, "He asked for it. He's asking for it, so don't blame us for being impolite. He won't listen to reason, so he'll have to suffer the consequences."

He paused, then continued, "Let the soldiers relax. Come find me at the biggest cabin around noon. Have fun, eat and drink to your heart's content. We won't leave until we're drunk."

Xueshou and Yexiao Owl nodded and went to make their own arrangements. The camp became lively. Campfires were lit, meat was roasted, and the grease dripped onto the fire, sizzling and filling the air with a fragrant aroma. Wine was poured out—fruit wine, rice wine, all sorts—in rough earthenware jars. People shared bowls, one after another. The soldiers sat around the fire, eating meat and drinking wine heartily, laughing and talking loudly. Some boasted about how many people they had killed that day, some showed off what they had looted, and some groped the women they had taken.

The young women were dragged into the thatched hut and became the targets of the Wolf Tribe warriors' venting. Cries, screams, and savage laughter came from the hut, piercing and shrill. Xueya, Xueshou, Yexiao, and some leaders took turns picking them, and the rest were given to the warriors who performed well. The new recruits who came later lined up, waiting expectantly.

Around noon, the screams from the Black Wood Tribe camp gradually subsided. Xueya, Xueshou, and Yexiao were in the largest house in the Black Wood Tribe, eating and discussing their next move.

"We have achieved many of our objectives this time. Our manpower has increased to two thousand, we have looted almost all the supplies, and we have dealt a heavy blow to the strength of the Great Boulder Tribe, establishing the reputation of our Wolf Tribe."

He paused, then continued, "But that's not enough. We've caused such a commotion these past few days, the Great Boulder Tribe must know by now. They're not blind or deaf; they can't keep something this big a secret for long. They'll likely react soon. We must be prepared for a counterattack from the Great Boulder Tribe! We can't be careless, or we'll suffer the consequences."

Yexiao put down his wine bowl, wiped his mouth, and said, "The Great Boulder Tribe currently has about two thousand warriors, but they will definitely leave five hundred to guard their home. At most, they can only bring out about fifteen hundred warriors to fight us. Their home cannot be left unattended, and their stronghold cannot be lost. If their stronghold is lost, they will lose everything."

He counted on his fingers, "The Great Boulder Tribe has four core subordinate tribes, each with about two thousand people and about four hundred warriors. However, each tribe can only mobilize a maximum of about two hundred warriors; any more than that would make their own tribe unsafe. Therefore, their total mobilization force is about two thousand three hundred people. We've made such a big fuss, so the Great Boulder Tribe will probably be the first to attack. They're the local bullies and won't tolerate others running rampant on their territory. As long as we can give the Great Boulder Tribe a good beating before they can combine their forces, they won't dare to pursue us anymore. Instead, they'll be afraid we'll come knocking on their door."

Xueya nodded and said, "Although our operations have gone smoothly these past few days, we've also lost about a hundred men. No war is without casualties; it's already quite good that we've only lost so many. Our current strength is only about 1,900 men, but they are all seasoned veterans. While the Great Boulder Tribe has quite a few bronze weapons, they will only send a maximum of 1,500 men to pursue us this time. They outnumber us, but they aren't as ruthless as we are. With proper planning, dealing with them shouldn't be a problem."

He stood up, walked to the window, and pushed open the wooden pane. Sunlight streamed in, so bright it made him squint. He stood by the window, looking out at the camp. The sunlight shone on his face, making the grotesque scar even more prominent, like a centipede crawling across his face. Inside the camp, the campfire was still burning, and the soldiers were still eating, drinking, laughing, and joking. They didn't know what awaited them tomorrow; they only knew that today they had meat to eat, wine to drink, and women to play with.

"Let everyone get a good rest today. We'll prepare to leave early tomorrow morning. Take what you can take, and burn what you can't. We can't let those people from the Great Boulder Tribe get away with it. We won't leave them a single grain of food or a single house."

Xueshou and Yexiao Owl nodded, chatted for a while longer, and then went to make their own arrangements.