The Dashi Tribe's Vigilance

The Great Boulder Tribe's camp was built on a range of rolling hills, a terrain that was easy to defend and difficult to attack. The camp was surrounded by a tall wooden fence, and the wooden houses and thatched huts inside were densely packed together, capable of housing at least tens of thousands of people. At this moment, however, the atmosphere in the Great Boulder Tribe's council hall was somewhat solemn.

The chieftain of the Great Boulder Tribe, Dashi, sat in the main seat. He was a burly man with a broad back and a thick waist, his face full of fierce features, and his eyes gleamed with shrewdness and ruthlessness. He wore an exquisite leather armor made of wild boar hide, thick and hard, impervious to blades. A bronze sword hung at his waist, clearly not an ordinary weapon. In front of him was a bowl of cold tea, but he hadn't drunk a drop. His gaze swept over everyone present, his brows furrowed slightly, forming a knot.

Seated at the lower level were several elders and leaders of the Great Boulder Tribe. The First Elder sat to his left, his hair completely white, his face deeply lined like a cracked riverbed, yet his eyes remained sharp, like an eagle's. The Second Elder, Shi Ji, sat to his right, lean and wiry, his eyes gleaming with shrewdness, sporting a goatee, and with long, thin fingers like chicken claws. The Third Elder, Shi Feng, sat below him, burly and imposing, with a full beard, his eyes bulging like copper bells. Below him was the First Warrior, Shishan, in his early forties, his eyes fierce like a hungry wolf. There were also several leaders, including Shi Ya and Shizhua, all veterans of the Great Boulder Tribe, each a seasoned warrior.

Chief Dashi picked up his teacup and took a sip. The tea was cold and a bit bitter. He frowned, put down the teacup, and said, "Gentlemen, according to our scouts, the main force of the Wolf Tribe has recently disappeared. They're ignoring our Great Boulder Tribe's scouts and are now holed up in the Stone Ridge Mountain. Their behavior is very suspicious. They weren't like this before. In the past, when our scouts approached, they would drive them away or even chase them down. Now, they're completely ignoring them, and we can't even see a trace of them."

Shishan stood up and walked to the center of the council hall. He was the chief warrior of the Great Boulder Tribe, in his early forties. A large bronze sword hung at his waist, its blade broad and sharp, which he had seized from an enemy. His voice was rough and booming, like thunder, as he spoke, "Chief, the Wolf Tribe is definitely up to something again. I suspect they are deliberately tightening their defenses to lull us into a false sense of security."

He paused, then continued, "I've already sent scouts to keep an eye out for anything unusual in the other nearby tribes. The autumn harvest is over, and each tribe has some food left for the winter. I strongly suspect the Wolf Tribe is after this food. They don't grow their own grain, so they have to resort to plunder. Winter is approaching, and they're definitely rushing to stockpile food."

He turned around, looked at everyone present, and said, "We must be more vigilant and not let them succeed. All tribes must be on high alert, especially the smaller tribes, which are the easiest targets."

Chief Dashi nodded, his brows furrowing even more deeply, and said, "This Wolf Tribe fled from the south. I heard they used to cause a lot of trouble there, killing and burning, committing all sorts of atrocities. After being defeated by the Fire Tribe in the south, they fled to the Valley Tribe's territory, caused trouble there, were defeated again, and then fled here."

He paused, then continued, "I never imagined that in just a few months, they would grow from a hundred or so to over a thousand. Now they've retreated to the easily defensible Stone Ridge Mountain, where the mountain paths are steep and it's easy to defend but difficult to attack."

Shishan slammed his fist on the table, making the dishes clatter, and said angrily, "If they hadn't hidden themselves, we would have definitely wiped them out! These cowards, seeing that we were going to cause them trouble, are now hiding in Stone Ridge Mountain, too ashamed to show their faces!"

He paused, his voice tinged with resentment, and said, "A few months ago, they wiped out several small tribes with extremely cruel methods, leaving not a single survivor. The people of those small tribes were either dead or fled, and the rest were terrified. Many nearby small tribes are very afraid and have chosen to join our Great Boulder Tribe and our core affiliated tribes. Now our strength has greatly increased, our population has grown, and we have more warriors. If the Wolf Tribe dares to come out again, we'll teach them a lesson they won't forget!"

Dashi picked up his teacup, took a sip, and put it down before saying, "The Wolf Tribe doesn't grow crops or have any other source of income. They've raised so many people, their daily consumption must be considerable. How much food do they need for their people and horses every day? They'll definitely come out to raid again. If they don't rob, they'll starve to death."

He paused, then continued, "Our scouts have discovered something unusual this time. I suspect they're targeting other tribes' food and supplies again, but we don't know their exact movements."

He looked at Shishan, his voice becoming stern, and said, "Shishan, send more men to investigate. Send them in all directions and to all the tribes. We must find out the Wolf Tribe's movements. Our Great Boulder Tribe should also prepare. Gather the warriors, distribute the weapons, and as soon as we find any trace of the Wolf Tribe Wolf Tribe, give them a good beating. We can't let them harm our affiliated tribes anymore."

Shishan nodded, clasped his hands in a salute, and replied, "Yes! Rest assured, Chief, I will personally lead the team to investigate! We will dig three feet into the ground to find them!"

The others readily agreed, each contributing their own thoughts.

"Yes! We can't let the Wolf Tribe harm people anymore!"

"Those nearby small tribes are all friends of our Great Boulder Tribe; we can't just stand by and watch them be robbed!"

"Destroy the Wolf Tribe and avenge the dead!"

"They killed so many people from our affiliated tribes! Our Great Boulder Tribe must avenge this!"

The elder, who had remained silent, leaned back in his chair with his eyes half-closed as if dozing. Hearing this, he opened his eyes and slowly spoke, his voice aged yet Chenwen: "The Wolf Tribe is not to be underestimated. They've fought their way all the way from the south and survived; they're no ordinary people. Their numbers have grown from a hundred to over a thousand in just a few months, which shows their leader is no ordinary individual. Our Great Boulder Tribe must be careful; we cannot be careless!"

Second Elder Shi Ji stroked his goatee and nodded in agreement, saying, "The First Elder is right. Although our Great Boulder Tribe has many people, we cannot underestimate our enemy, or we will suffer losses."

Third Elder Shi Feng slammed his fist on the table, his voice booming like thunder, and declared, "We don't care about the Wolf Tribe or the Dog Tribe! If they dare to come to our Great Boulder Tribe, we'll fight them! We'll kill one if they come, and two if they come! We'll show them the might of our Great Boulder Tribe!"

Dashi raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. Once the murmurs subsided, he spoke, "Alright, that's enough for today. Everyone go back and prepare. Shishan, send out more scouts to investigate thoroughly. The rest of you, prepare your troops for battle and be ready to attack at any time."

Everyone nodded and left one after another.