The Bear Tribe's Plans
After the Wolf Tribe wreaked havoc within the Great Boulder Tribe's territory, other tribes gradually received the news. In the Bear Tribe 'Bear Tribe council hall, their leader, Xiong Lie, sat in the main seat. He was a burly man, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, like a Little Mountain. His face was full of fierce flesh, and his eyes shone with a fierce and shrewd light, like a lurking bear, seemingly dozing but actually ready to pounce at any moment. He wore an exquisite leather armor, the plates of which were made of thick and hard bear skin. A bronze broadsword hung at his waist, the scabbard engraved with a lifelike Hutou pattern, as if it were about to pounce and bite. A ruby was inlaid on the hilt, gleaming with a blood-red light in the firelight. He was in good spirits, his back ramrod straight, his eyes piercing like two lamps.
His eldest son, Xiong Pan, sat to his right. He was even taller and bigger than his father, with broad shoulders and a powerful build, like a wall. His eyes gleamed with a fighting spirit, like a young bull ready to charge and butt someone at any moment. A bronze axe hung at his waist, its blade gleaming in the firelight. He couldn't sit still, constantly shifting his body as if something was biting him, as if thorns had grown under his buttocks.
Several core leaders were also present. Xiong Zhua sat at the lower end, Xiong Chi sat next to him, Xiong Zhang, Xiong Jian, Xiong Fu, Tortoise Gui Jia, and Ya Fu were all battle veterans, exuding a murderous aura. They sat there like five statues.
A scout stood in the center of the council hall, kneeling on one knee, reporting, "Chief, the Wolf Tribe has caused a great disturbance in the north."
He paused, then continued, "They now have two thousand warriors, all cavalry. This time, they wiped out two core subordinate tribes of the Great Rock, the Great Heishi and the Black Wood Tribe, each with over two thousand men, totaling more than four thousand. The Wolf Tribe was extremely ruthless, leaving no survivors. They also ambushed the Great Rock headquarters' pursuing troops, eliminating nearly five hundred. The Shishan chief of the Great Rock led his troops in pursuit but fell into an ambush, suffering heavy losses; even the Shi Ya chief was killed in battle."
The council chamber fell silent, save for the crackling of the firewood in the hearth and the rustling of leaves in the wind outside the window. Xiong Lie remained silent, his brow furrowed slightly, as if deep in thought.
Xiong Pan was the first to speak, his voice rough and bold. "Father is truly wise!"
His voice was full of admiration as he said, "We spared those hundred or so members of the Wolf Tribe before, neither leaving them alive nor exterminating them, giving them a way out. I never expected that in just a few months they would cause such a huge commotion in the north, growing from a hundred to two thousand people, their strength has greatly increased. The Wolf Tribe is now almost as strong as an average tribe with ten thousand people. Even an old and established tribe like the Great Rock suffered a great loss at the hands of the Wolf Tribe this time."
Xiong Zhua spoke up, his voice tinged with schadenfreude and urgency. "Chief, the Great Boulder Tribe has suffered a great loss, its strength severely depleted. They will definitely try to expand their power. Now, after the Wolf Tribe's disturbance, many tribes there are in a state of panic, and many small tribes probably dare not stay there, fearing being plundered or even slaughtered by the Wolf Tribe. Our Bear Tribe can also take this opportunity to absorb some of their resources and strengthen our own."
Xiong Lie nodded, a slight sneer playing on his lips. The smile was sinister, as cold as a blade, like a bear baring its Liaoya, or a wolf howling on a full moon night.
"The Great Boulder Tribe isn't exactly well-behaved. Although they're closer to our Bear Tribe, they used to secretly buy goods from the Valley Tribe and didn't take our Bear Tribe seriously. It's good that the Wolf Tribe taught them a lesson this time."
He paused, then continued, "Right now, the Valley Tribe is also secretly recruiting people to strengthen their forces. They think they can get away with it unnoticed, like rats digging holes. They think they're being discreet, and that our Bear Tribe won't know!"
His voice rose slightly as he said, "The Tiger Tribe has now imposed sanctions on the Valley Tribe, preventing them from selling pottery, buying bronze artifacts, and purchasing coarse salt. We are now gradually taking over the market vacated by the Valley Tribe. As long as our Bear Tribe Bear Tribe continue like this, our strength will only grow stronger. During this period, our Bear Tribe has also accumulated some resources. Although we have used some, we still have a lot left over."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "We can take this opportunity to recruit more people. I plan to increase the Bear Tribe's population to around 18,000 by this winter. If we have sufficient resources next year, we can continue to recruit and expand our strength, aiming to increase the population to 20,000 or 30,000. The Wolf Tribe doesn't grow crops and has no stable source of income. Next year, when their resources are depleted, they will definitely come out to plunder again. At that time, the north will only become more chaotic, which will also be an opportunity for our Bear Tribe."
Xiong Pan's voice was tinged with worry and doubt, his brows furrowed as he spoke, "Father, this Wolf Tribe seems to have some tricks up their sleeve; they're not an ordinary tribe. If their strength increases significantly and they wipe out the Great Rock Great Boulder Tribe and seize its territory, then the Wolf Tribe's power will border our Bear Tribe. How will we deal with that? We can't just watch them swagger around on our doorstep, can we? We can't just watch them defecate and urinate on our doorstep, can we?"
Xiong Lie shook his head and said, "The Wolf Tribe can only fight tribes like the Great Rock. Although the Great Rock Tribe is an old tribe, their weapons are poor, and their warriors haven't seen much blood, fought many tough battles, or killed many people. Our Bear Tribe has the support of the Tiger Tribe, the Tiger Tribe backs us up, and the Tiger Tribe provides us with supplies. Even if the Wolf Tribe were stronger, they wouldn't be a match for our Bear Tribe. They wouldn't dare to expand into our Bear Tribe. The Valley Tribe can drive the Wolf Tribe to flee like sheep, and so can our Bear Tribe! What the Valley Tribe can do, our Bear Tribe can do too! What the Valley Tribe can't do, we can do!"
Xiong Zhua chimed in, "If we hadn't let those people from the Wolf Tribe go last time, hadn't spared them, hadn't killed them, how would they have had the chance to thrive like this? The Wolf Tribe is grateful to us, they wouldn't dare cause trouble for our Bear Tribe. If the Wolf Tribe dares to expand into our Bear Tribe's territory, I'll beat them until they can't find their way back! I'll beat them until they cry for their parents! I'll beat them until they're crawling on the ground! I'll beat them until they're running away with their tails between their legs!"
The crowd began to chatter, each person speaking at once, their voices growing louder and louder, like a flock of sparrows chirping and a pot of porridge bubbling away.
"That's right! The Wolf Tribe won't dare come! If they do, we'll fight them! We'll beat the hell out of them!"
"We have the Tiger Tribe backing us up, what are we afraid of? Who's afraid of who?"
"If the Valley Tribe could drive them away, so can we! We are stronger than the Valley Tribe!"
After a while, the noise gradually subsided, like the tide receding. Xiong Lie raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. Once the council hall was completely silent, and even breathing could be heard, he spoke. His voice Chenwen and powerful, like a hammer striking iron or an axe chopping wood.
"Alright, the Wolf Tribe is causing trouble in the north, which is very beneficial to the development of our Bear Tribe. All we need to do now is keep an eye on them, send people to keep an eye on them, and report any news. We must prevent them from causing trouble on our side and prevent the Wolf Tribe from crossing the line."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "Our target is the Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp Outpost. Once we eliminate this stronghold, the strength of our Bear Tribe will leap to a new level, reaching a new height. At that time, we will have more food, more territory, more people, and more warriors."
Xiong Zhang stood up and walked to the center of the council hall. As the head of intelligence, his voice carried a hint of guilt, unease, and anxiety as he spoke, "Chief, some time ago we went to investigate the Fire Tribe. We sent out many scouts and spent a lot of time and effort, but the information we brought back was still rather vague, like looking through a layer of fog or a veil. We couldn't see clearly or understand it. We only knew that the Fire Tribe's pottery was well-made, of high quality, and produced in good quantities. Moreover, they have recently been using pottery to barter for grain in the Valley Tribe. The Fire Tribe must be quite powerful. To be able to produce so much pottery, they must be extraordinary, definitely not a small fry."
Xiong Lie frowned and said, "Didn't find out enough? Keep investigating! Send more people and spend more time to get a clear picture of the Fire Tribe's situation! The Tiger Tribe has been pressing me for information several times already, they're very eager. They urgently need intelligence on the Fire Tribe, they urgently need to understand the Fire Tribe's strength. The information you've gathered isn't enough for the Tiger Tribe's appetite, they want detailed intelligence, they want the Fire Tribe's population, troop strength, weapons, provisions, leaders, terrain, defenses, everything, the more detailed the better, the more the better. Send more people to the Fire Tribe Fire Tribe to find out their specific situation, quickly! We can't delay any longer! If we delay any longer, it will be difficult to explain to the Tiger Tribe!"
Xiong Zhang nodded and said, "Yes! Don't worry, Chief, I will personally lead the team this time and make sure we find out the situation of the Fire Tribe! I won't come back until I have a clear understanding!" His voice was filled with determination and ruthlessness.
Xiong Lie waved his hand, as if shooing away flies or fanning the wind, and said, "Go, be careful, don't get discovered. The Fire Tribe people aren't stupid."
Xiong Zhang turned around and strode out of the council hall. Then everyone chatted for a while, talking about the movements of the Valley Tribe, the defense of the Little Valley Camp, the winter supplies, and the plans for next spring. Then they slowly left, their footsteps and voices gradually fading away, like the receding tide.