Planning the Attack on the Bear River Mouth Outpost

Yan addressed the Yingmu at the Bear River estuary dock, saying, "The more than 30,000 people of the Willow Vine Tribe have all been settled at the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost. They were brought over in two batches: 20,000 in the first batch and more than 10,000 in the second. They're all settled in, and there are enough houses and granaries. Your sister-in-law has also given birth to a son, named Yi, with four 'fire' characters, meaning even stronger than fire. She gave birth the night I rushed back, and both mother and child are safe. Father sent me here specifically to deal with the Wolf Tribe. This time, I brought 100 ships each with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin and 50,000 jin; 200 ships each with a carrying capacity of 20,000 jin, 10,000 jin, and 5,000 jin; 7,000 elite warriors; and even many leaders like Julang and Shinian, who have a blood feud with the Wolf Tribe. We're going to annihilate the Wolf Tribe in one fell swoop and not give them a chance to recover. How's the situation here lately?"

After listening, Yingmu nodded and said, "My sister-in-law gave birth to a boy. Good, Yi is a good name. Four fires stacked together are even brighter than fire. I'll have to go see the boy later and bring him a gift. The Tiger Tribe in the north hasn't made any new moves lately. They're still the same as always. Their boats still patrol the area near the Great Luwei Tribe twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. The route is basically fixed. They set off from the Great Luwei Tribe's dock, go upstream for a while, and then turn back. They don't dare to go any further. We've set up sentries at the ferry crossing north of the Greater Qing Tribe. If they dare to get close, we'll spot them immediately. Last month, their boat came once, stopped in the middle of the river for a while, saw our sentries on the shore, and then turned back."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "The Wolf Tribe has lost several hundred more warriors due to our continued harassment and attacks. Now they only have a little over five thousand warriors left. Their navy has also been completely wiped out by us. These five thousand are mainly concentrated in the former Great Boulder Tribe camp. The Great Rock camp was their largest supply point, with fields, grain, and houses. If they lose it, they can only retreat to their mountain lair and starve. There are about four thousand of them here. The remaining thousand or so are mainly led by Xueshou of the Wolf Tribe and are holed up on the mountainside of the Wolf Tribe's lair, Stone Ridge Stone Ridge Mountain. Stone Ridge Mountain has a treacherous terrain, with a stockade built on the mountainside. The roads are full of tripwires and pitfalls, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. If we launch a direct attack, our losses will be considerable."

After listening, Yan nodded. He shifted his gaze from the Yingmu face to the north of the dock, as if scanning the course of the river with his eyes, then looked back at the Yingmu face and asked, "How many warhorses do you have here?"

Yingmu withdrew his hand from his side, patted it on his belt with a short, muffled thud, and then said, "We have plenty of warhorses here; equipping them with six thousand cavalry is no problem at all. Many of our men have trained with me in mounted archery over the years, and they're ready to fight. The warhorses at Shibang's Shibang Great Green River Mouth Outpost can also support three thousand cavalry. Their pastures are good, and the horses are strong. I sent someone to check on them last month; the horses are plump and healthy, and very spirited."

After listening, Yan nodded and said, "Okay, how are the Wolf Tribe's troops allocated at the Great Boulder Tribe's camp?"

Yingmu straightened up, his body no longer leaning slightly forward. He shifted his gaze from Yan's face to the north of the dock, then spoke, his voice low but clear. "The Wolf Tribe's Xueya has deployed their main force of three thousand men on the Great Rock River to defend against us. To the north, Yexiao is stationed there with a thousand warriors. The defenses on the north are a bit weaker than on the south. Yexiao is experienced, but he only has a thousand men. They think we won't attack from the north."

After listening, Yan nodded, put the empty wooden tablet in his hand into his pocket, and then said, "Alright, I plan to leave two thousand men here to assist you in defending your Bear River Mouth Outpost. I plan to transfer your four thousand warriors and warhorses to deal with the three thousand main force of the Wolf Tribe left on the south bank of the Dapan River; as for the Wolf Tribe's forces on the Great Rock River, I plan to have Yingmu lead three thousand men to encircle and annihilate Yexiao. With your four thousand men plus the men I brought, that's a total of eleven thousand. That should be enough to deal with the three thousand Wolf Tribe members on the south bank of the Great Rock camp, and Shibang and his men can handle Yexiao on the Great Rock River."

After listening, Yingmu nodded and said, "Okay, let's take out the four thousand Wolf Tribe left at the Great Rock Camp first. The three thousand on the south bank are the main force, so take them out first. Without their support on the south bank, the Yexiao on the north bank are no match for us. But boss, those three thousand Xueya members on the south bank are no pushovers either. Xueya is very cunning, so we need to think of a way to minimize our losses."

After listening, Yan thought for a moment, then spoke, his voice low but clear. "That's easy. We have the numbers. We can send a group to launch a feint attack from the front, drawing their archers' attention to the front. Then we can send our elite troops to flank from the side and attack their palisades. The palisades are made of wood; we can burn them or chop them with axes. As long as we tear a hole, the rest of the troops can rush in. Julang and Shinian's men fight like madmen; they're perfect for leading the charge. They'll charge ahead, and our men will follow behind. Once they tear a hole, we'll pour in. Do you have anyone familiar with the terrain on the Great Rock River? Are there any shortcuts to get around to their flank?"

Yingmu thought for a moment, then said, "Yes, there's a forest on the east bank of the Great Rock River. There's a path in the forest that leads around to the east side of their fence. That path is usually deserted, covered in bushes and weeds; you have to cut through them to get across. Since few people use it, Xueya definitely hasn't set up sentries on that path. If they had, our people would have spotted them long ago. Our scouts patrol that forest every few days and have never encountered anyone from the Wolf Tribe."

After listening, Yan nodded and said, "Alright, send someone familiar with that road to lead the way. I'll lead the elite troops to go around through that road, while you lead the main force to press from the front. When we reach the flank, we'll set fire as a signal. Once you see the fire, you'll launch a fierce attack from the front. With attacks from multiple sides, they won't be able to hold out."

Yingmu nodded, put the wooden tablet into his pocket, and chatted with Yan for a few more minutes about the allocation of supplies and personnel arrangements for the next few days. He said that the warehouses at the dock were all empty and could hold the supplies Yan brought. Horses could be picked up at the horse farm at any time. He had people gather the horses in advance in the enclosure near the dock so that Yan's men could ride them away as soon as they arrived. Yan said that some of the supplies should be moved down first, not all of them. Some should be left on the ships for easier transport by water. The fleet would travel back and forth between the mouth of the Great Green River Mouth and the Great Rock River, making it fast for transporting troops and supplies. Yingmu agreed to everything, nodding at each point.

The two chatted for a while longer. When they got to the topic of Shibang, Yingmu said that Shibang was also ready at the Great Green River Mouth. He had sent someone to contact him last month, and Shibang said that he was ready to move out at any time. The three thousand cavalrymen there had already prepared their horses and were just waiting for orders. Yan said that once the deployment here was completed, he would send someone with a boat to the Great Green River Mouth to inform Shibang so that he could launch an attack simultaneously on the north bank, fighting from both the north and south. Yingmu agreed and said that he would send someone with a boat to deliver the order first thing tomorrow morning.

The sun was high overhead, casting shorter shadows on the dock. People moved back and forth between the ships and warehouses, unloading supplies. The wheels of wooden carts creaked on the gravel road. Some were counting goods, others moving boxes, and still others directing traffic. The dock was bustling with activity. Yan and Yingmu stood on the edge of the dock, watching the supplies being unloaded for a while. Then Yan turned and glanced towards the fleet, beckoning to Daya and Gubang. Daya and Gubang quickly walked over from the gangplank and stood before Yan. Yan spoke, his voice low but clear. "Daya, check the supply list with Yingmu and have the men here check it against the list. Unload what needs to be unloaded, keep what needs to be kept. Don't unload everything; leave some on the ships for easier transport by water. Gubang, arrange the shifts for the men on the ships. They'll stay here tonight, and tomorrow they'll disembark in batches. Some will go to the horse farm to collect their horses, and others will stay here to guard the dock and the fleet."

Daya and Gubang responded simultaneously, turning and heading in their respective directions. Daya went towards the warehouse, while Gubang went towards the gangplank. Yan turned back, looking at Yingmu, his voice lower than before. "Today, let's settle the supplies and personnel. Tomorrow, we'll go to the horse farm to check on the horses. The day after tomorrow, I'll have Daya take some men to scout the Great Rock River area, reconnoiter the terrain and sentry posts on the south bank, and confirm that the path on the east side is still passable before we make our move."

Yingmu nodded, patting his belt. "Alright, I'll make the arrangements." He turned and gave a few instructions to the leaders behind him. The leaders dispersed; some went to the warehouse to meet Daya, some went to maintain order at the dock, and some ran towards the horse farm to deliver a message. Yingmu turned back to Yan, his tense expression relaxing slightly, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Boss, you brought so many people and boats this time; the Wolf Tribe definitely won't be able to stop us."

Yan nodded to him, saying nothing more, only patting his shoulder lightly but steadily, his palm lingering on the fabric of his shoulder before withdrawing. People came and went on the dock, supplies were still being unloaded from the ships, some shouting work chants, others counting the cargo. Sunlight fell on the wooden planks of the dock, casting long and short shadows of the passing ships. Yan stood on the dock, his gaze shifting from the fleet to the warehouse, from the warehouse to the direction of the horse farm, then back to the distant dirt road leading to the Great Rock River.