The Great Boulder Tribe's Response

During the Wolf Tribe's revelry, Shishan dismissed the troops of his subordinate tribes and, with about a thousand men from the Great Boulder Tribe, slunk back to the Great Boulder Tribe. The procession moved slowly along the mountain road, like a snake with its spine broken, dragging its feet, listless. The warriors lowered their heads, their steps heavy as if filled with lead. Shishan rode at the head of the procession on horseback.

His face was gloomy, his eyes were fixed ahead but empty, as if he had lost his soul, like a walking corpse. His bronze broadsword hung at his waist, the scabbard still covered in dirt, and there were several new nicks on the blade, left during the battle at Great Cliff Ridge. Behind him, about a thousand people followed him back to the Great Boulder Tribe.

They arrived at the camp of the Great Boulder Tribe. The remaining warriors stood behind the fence, looking at the defeated army with shock and disbelief on their faces. They couldn't believe that the Great Boulder Tribe 'Great Boulder Tribe army had been defeated, and they couldn't believe that so many of their warriors had died.

Shishan dismounted, tossed the Jiangsheng to the person beside him, and strode towards the council hall. His steps were heavy. Inside the hall, the firewood in the hearth burned brightly, crackling and sputtering. Dashi sat in the main seat, a bowl of wine in front of him, but he hadn't drunk a drop. His brows were furrowed, forming a knot, and deep lines, like knife cuts, were etched on his forehead. Shishan entered the council hall, came to Dashi, and knelt down with a thud, his knees hitting the Qingshi floor with a dull thud.

"Chief, we lost nearly five hundred men and consumed a lot of food. We failed to effectively attack the Wolf Tribe, failed to capture Xueya, and failed to eliminate the Wolf Tribe. Please punish us, Chief." His voice was hoarse, as if he had sand in his mouth. He lowered his head, not daring to look Dashi in the eye.

Dashi abruptly stood up, knocking over his chair. His face was ashen, and his eyes bulged like saucers. "Before we set out, I instructed you to simply hold off the Wolf Tribe until reinforcements arrived, then we would surround and kill them all! Why were you in such a hurry to pursue them? Why did you disobey my orders? Why were you so reckless? Why were you so greedy for glory? Our Great Boulder Tribe only has about two thousand warriors, and you've already lost so many! Nearly five hundred lives!"

He was panting heavily, his chest heaving like a bellows, as he continued, "This time, not only did our subordinate tribes suffer heavy losses, but the two core subordinate tribes, Great Heishi and Black Wood, with several thousand people, were wiped out in an instant. Our Great Boulder Tribe itself was also severely weakened, losing a quarter of its warriors. If the Wolf Tribe comes to cause trouble like this again next year, what will we do? What will we use to resist? What will we use to fight?"

Shishan knelt on the ground, his head bowed even lower, his forehead almost touching the ground. His voice was filled with frustration, resentment, and grievance as he said, "Chief, the Wolf Tribe only won this time by launching a sneak attack. If it were a head-on confrontation, they would definitely not be a match for our Great Boulder Tribe. They only benefited from the terrain and the sneak attack. If the Wolf Tribe causes trouble again next year, please give me a chance, Chief. I will definitely kill those cunning bastards of the Wolf Tribe one by one, leaving no one alive!" His fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Dashi said angrily, his voice filled with disappointment, anger, and helplessness, "I haven't even punished you yet! You still want another chance? You still have the nerve to ask for another chance? Five hundred lives, how are you going to compensate for that?"

Shizhua stepped forward and knelt beside Shishan, saying, "Chief, the Wolf Tribe is indeed very cunning. Not only did they ambush us, catching us completely off guard, but even knowing our reinforcements were coming, they pretended to be ready to fight us to the death, putting on a show of fighting to the last man. By the time we had gathered more than three thousand men at Great Cliff Ridge to prepare for a bloody battle, they had already arranged for most of their troops, supplies, and prisoners to leave. The few hundred men left behind put up a slight resistance, each riding two horses and running incredibly fast; we couldn't catch up with them. When we besieged Stone Ridge Mountain, they knew we didn't have much food, so they hid on the mountain to avoid battle, refusing to come out no matter how much we cursed them. Our Great Boulder Tribe can't afford to waste any more time; once our food is gone, we have no choice but to retreat."

Dashi nodded, slowly sat back down, and said, "The Wolf Tribe has indeed shown some skill in rapidly growing from a hundred or so people to one or two thousand. Their leader, Xueya, is no ordinary person. Our Great Boulder Tribe suffered a great loss this time because we underestimated them. We underestimated their courage, their cunning, and their ruthlessness."

Shizhua spoke up, "Yes, Chief, the Wolf Tribe doesn't cultivate the land. Although they've plundered a lot of grain this time, it will eventually run out. Once the grain is gone, they'll come out and harass other tribes, attack us, and steal our things. We need to prepare in advance! We can't wait until they're at our doorstep before we start preparing."

Dashi looked at Shizhua with a hint of approval in his eyes. Shizhua had been Chenwen and collected during the operation, repeatedly dissuading Shishan from acting rashly. Although he hadn't completely stopped them, he had at least minimized the losses. Da Shi softened his tone and said, "Shizhua, the fact that we didn't suffer greater losses this time is thanks to you. You dissuaded Shishan several times, and although he didn't listen to everything, I've remembered your contribution. Tell me your thoughts, what should we do next?"

Shizhua nodded, stood up, and walked to the center of the council hall. His gaze swept over everyone present, and he said in Chenwen and powerful voice, "Chief, elders, and leaders, we have lost several hundred warriors and our strength is greatly diminished. Our most important task now is to improve our strength and recover our vitality. The Wolf Tribe's disturbance has caused widespread panic, but if we take this opportunity to recruit more people and expand our ranks, with the prestige of our Great Boulder Tribe over the years and the foundation we Great Rock in this area for decades, we will surely be able to quickly recruit a considerable number of people and make up for our losses."

He paused, raised his voice slightly, and continued, "But simply restoring our previous strength isn't enough. This time, the Wolf Tribe mobilized two thousand people, and we were already struggling to cope. What if they mobilize three thousand next time? Four thousand? So we can't just restore our previous strength; we need to be stronger than before. I suggest increasing our tribe's population to fifteen thousand. That way, our Great Boulder Tribe will have nearly three thousand warriors of our own, and with the addition of affiliated tribes, we can mobilize over five thousand men. This way, we can deal with the Wolf Tribe more easily next year."

Faced with the threat from the Wolf Tribe, everyone agreed with Shizhua's plan. The First Elder nodded, the Second Elder stroked his beard, the Third Elder slammed his hand on the table, and the other leaders echoed his sentiments.

"Yes! Expand the army! Expand the army!"

"Recruit soldiers! Recruit soldiers!"

"We can't let the Wolf Tribe bully us again next year!"

Shizhua continued, "That's not enough. We also need to unite with the Great Luwei Tribe to fight the Wolf Tribe. The Wolf Tribe is our common enemy, and they've caused trouble in the Great Luwei Tribe before. The Great Luwei Tribe has also suffered losses at the hands of the Wolf Tribe. It's always better for our two tribes to join forces than for one to go alone. We also need to continue purchasing more bronze weapons from the Tiger Tribe at the very bottom of the Fish River. Buy as many as possible. With good weapons, our warriors can take on two at once."

He continued, "We also need to strengthen the ties among our affiliated tribes of the Great Rock, uniting them as one and preventing them from fighting independently. If the Wolf Tribe attacks again next year, we will be able to receive the news quickly, unlike this time when our response was slow and it was too late by the time we found out."

His voice rose slightly as he said, "We must continue to harass those tribes that have submitted to the Wolf Tribe. They are the Wolf Tribe Wolf Tribe's accomplices, their lackeys. We can constantly send scouts to harass them, raiding today, burning tomorrow, killing the day after. We will prevent them from farming, hunting, and gathering. When they have no food, they will have no choice but to seek help from the Wolf Tribe. This will surely deplete the Wolf Tribe's food supply even faster. Once the Wolf Tribe comes out to plunder again, it will be time for our Great Boulder Tribe to take revenge. At that time, we will settle both old and new scores and make them pay for their blood debts!"

Dashi nodded, stood up, walked to the center of the council hall, and looked at everyone present, saying, "Shizhua, your ideas are excellent. I will discuss them with the elders, and if we deem them feasible, we will implement them immediately."

He paused, then continued, "Our Great Boulder Tribe has been rooted here for decades, weathering countless storms and defeating countless enemies. We won't be defeated by a single blow. Next year, I'll make the Wolf Tribe pay! I'll make Xueya pay!"

The crowd responded in unison, "Yes!"

Shishan knelt on the ground, head bowed, not daring to speak. Dashi glanced at him, sighed, and said, "Shishan, get up. Although you made a mistake this time, you can't be entirely blamed. The Wolf Tribe is indeed cunning, but you can't go unpunished for losing the battle. Next year when the Wolf Tribe causes trouble, you will be Shi Ya's deputy and atone for your crime through meritorious service."

Although Shishan found it hard to accept, he still nodded in agreement.