Prewar Deployment

After Yan and his men arrived at the Bear River Mouth Outpost, they arranged for supplies and personnel to be prepared while simultaneously dispatching several fast boats to sail down the Fish River to Shibang's Great Green River Mouth Outpost. On the morning of the boats' departure, Yan personally wrote the orders on a wooden tablet and handed it to a young soldier named Xiaoshi under Daya's command. Xiaoshi was brought from the Yingmu Bear Tribe by Ying Mu; he was a good swimmer and a fast boatman. When Yan handed the tablet to him, he gave him a few more instructions. "Send this to Shibang Shibang and have him and his men prepare the necessary combat supplies and personnel for three thousand men. Be ready at all times. As soon as our navy arrives, immediately transport them to the east bank of the Fish River to ambush and kill Wolf Tribe Yexiao his men from the Lang tribe on the north bank of the Dapan River. The ferry crossings and checkpoints along the way will recognize your face. Don't stop; keep moving day and night." Xiaoshi tucked the tablet into his pocket, clasped his hands in response, turned and jumped onto the fast boat, rowing into the water with his men, and quickly disappeared into the bend of the river.

Over the next two days, Yan and Yingmu reorganized the supplies and personnel at the Bear River Mouth Outpost. Bundles of bronze spears and short swords were piled up on the dock, covered with burlap, the edges fluttering in the wind. People were packing bundles of arrows into wooden crates, layering dry straw between each layer to prevent damage. At the granary, Daya led his men to load sacks of grain onto the ships, piling them neatly on the deck like a low wall. The horse farm was even busier; Yingmu's men were unloading adult horses one by one from the enclosure. They were led out and arranged in rows according to coat color and size. Some were grooming the horses, some were checking their hooves, and some were fastening the Ma'an to their backs, then tugging on the girth to make sure it was the right tightness. Yan went to the horse farm, walked around, and patted the neck of a black horse. The horse turned its head, its ears twitched back, and it exhaled a puff of white breath from its nostrils. Yingmu, standing beside him, laughed and said that this was the fastest horse in the farm, with great stamina. Yan said that it would be kept as a messenger horse; only by running fast could messages be delivered in time.

By the evening of the next day, all preparations were basically complete. Yan summoned Yingmu and several leaders to a wooden hut by the dock. They sat down around a table, on which lay a wooden tablet with a rough outline of the terrain along the banks of the Great Rock River drawn in charcoal. Yan spoke first, "I brought quite a few ships this time, and about seven thousand elite warriors. I plan to leave some ships and two thousand men to assist in the defense of your Bear River Mouth Outpost, send two thousand men to organize two thousand cavalry here, and draw four thousand cavalry from your Bear River estuary stronghold; the remaining three thousand naval troops and most of the ships will be used for mobile transport on the Fish River, transporting supplies and personnel while assisting in the defense of the Great Green River Mouth Outpost, deterring the Tiger Tribe's navy. In this way, our stronghold will not be empty, and we will have enough manpower for the northern attack."

After listening, Yingmu nodded, pressed his finger on the circle on the wooden tablet representing the Bear River Mouth Outpost, and then said, "Alright, we have six thousand cavalry here, and Shibang has three thousand cavalry over there. Dealing with the Wolf Tribe's four thousand men at the Great Boulder Tribe camp is no problem at all. The men we leave behind can also hold the rear stronghold securely. The two thousand men and those ships left by the boss are enough."

Yan nodded, flipped the wooden tablet over, drew a line on the back to represent the course of the Fish River, and then drew an X at the location of the Great Rock River. He then spoke, his voice steady and clear, his pace unhurried. "If there are no problems, we will set off first thing tomorrow morning. The cavalry will take the small path on the east bank of the Fish River, while the navy will take the river channel. The two routes will run parallel, supporting each other. The cavalry is faster, so stop near the Great Rock River and don't rush upstream."

Yingmu nodded, put away the wooden tablet, tucked it under his arm, stood up and said, "Alright, I'll go arrange the departure for tomorrow. Have the cavalry feed their horses tonight, and have the navy check the oarsmen and supplies again. We'll set off at dawn tomorrow." After he finished speaking, he turned and left the wooden house, his footsteps gradually fading away on the boardwalk.

Early the next morning, before dawn, torches were already lit on the dock. Six thousand cavalrymen marched from south to north along the path on the east bank of the Fish River. The horses' hooves pounded the dirt road with a dull thud, and dust billowed in the morning mist, flickering in the torchlight. The column stretched in a long line from the dock to the edge of the distant woods. The warriors on horseback wore leather armor, short swords at their waists, and bronze spears on their backs. Some also had bows and quivers hanging beside their Ma'an, the fletchings of the arrows gleaming grayish-white in the morning light. Yingmu rode at the head of the column. Today, he was riding a chestnut warhorse, its mane neatly trimmed and its tail tied with hemp rope to prevent it from getting tangled in bushes while galloping. He wore a dark gray leather armor, the bronze plates on his chest gleaming in the morning light, and a bronze short sword with an old cloth wrapped around its hilt.

Meanwhile, three thousand naval soldiers, leading their fleet, slowly sailed along the Fish River. The oars struck the water in unison, creating white Langhua that coalesced into a continuous, churning lava flow at the stern. Sails rose one by one in the morning light, their white surfaces gleaming softly in the rising sun. The ships were piled high with grain, weapons, and spare supplies, covered with burlap. Some men stood at the Chuantou, using bamboo poles to push aside the Luwei on the bank to prevent the ships from snagging. Daya and Gubang stood at the Chuantou of two large ships, one in charge of supply distribution, the other in charge of fleet rotation. The two men shouted to each other across the river, their voices echoing across the water.

Yan rode a black horse in the middle of the cavalry. Today he wore a dark gray leather armor over a linen robe, a bronze dagger hanging from his leather belt, and animal-hide boots with Yingmu rope tied around the tops. The saddle on his horse was a new one, specially made last night, with a cowhide upper and copper studs, making it stable to sit on. His gaze was fixed on the river ahead, occasionally glancing at the cavalry on the bank and then at the fleet of boats on the river, keeping track of their speed.

The army marched for several days, traveling during the day and camping by the river or in the woods at night. The horses grazed and drank, and the men took turns on guard duty. Before dawn, they broke camp and continued their journey. Along the way, they passed several abandoned tribal camps. These camps were left behind after the Fire Tribe destroyed the outer control points of the Wolf Tribe. The wooden fences stood there crookedly, some already collapsed, others burned, leaving only charred wooden stakes. The grass in the camps was waist-high, rustling in the wind. Yingmu said that these were former camps of affiliated tribes of the Wolf Tribe, and also the Wolf Tribe's outposts, but now they were all abandoned. The Wolf Tribe had retreated to the camp near the Great Rock River.

After several days of marching, Yan led his army to a stop to rest a day's distance from the Wolf Tribe's territory that morning. It was a gentle slope near the river, covered with waist-high weeds. Below the slope was a riverbed covered with small pebbles that rustled underfoot. Several crooked willow trees stood by the riverbank, their branches drooping to the water's surface, swaying gently in the current. Yan ordered the cavalry to dismount and rest, leading the horses to the river to drink. The navy docked their boats, lowered gangplanks, and had some supplies unloaded, preparing to cook.

Yingmu came to Yan's side, squatted down, and used a twig to draw a rough outline of the terrain on both sides of the Great Rock River in the soil. As he drew, he said, "Boss, the Wolf Tribe has recently been forced to shrink back to their original Great Boulder Tribe camp due to repeated attacks and harassment from our Fire Tribe's strongholds at the Bear River Mouth Outpost and the mouth of the Great Green River Mouth Outpost on the west bank of the Fish River. Many of their outer control points have been abandoned and abandoned. Their former outposts and camps are all gone now, leaving only the Great Rock camp. Xueya of the Wolf Tribe has concentrated all their subordinate tribes at the original Great Boulder Tribe camp stronghold. They know that being too scattered makes them difficult to manage and easy to harass and attack, so they simply concentrated all their subordinate tribes here. This makes management easier for them and makes it easier to collect food, but in doing so, they become a bigger target, making it easier for us to fight them."

Yan crouched down, looked at the topographical map on the soil, nodded, and traced the thick line representing the Great Rock River with his finger. He pressed his fingertip against the wet mud and released it, then said, "This is good. If they're scattered too much, they won't be easy to capture. By concentrating them here, we can defeat the Wolf Tribe Wolf Tribe directly incorporate their affiliated tribes on the spot, saving us the trouble of searching for them one by one. Our people won't have to wander all over the forest, saving both effort and time." He paused, then pointed to the circle on the soil representing the north bank camp. "Describe their layout in more detail again, how many people are on the south and north banks respectively."

Yingmu drew two circles on the ground with a twig, one on the south bank and one on the north bank, the south bank circle larger and the north bank circle smaller. Pointing to the south bank circle, he spoke, his voice lower than before: "The Wolf Tribe's main force is stationed at their camp on the south bank of the Great Pan River, with about three thousand warriors. The Wolf Tribe's leader, Xueya, and chieftain Duzhu, are here. They've built the camp to be the most fortified, with two layers of fencing. The outer layer is made of thick wooden stakes, and the inner layer is a fence woven from thin wooden strips, filled with soil and gravel in between. Arrows can't penetrate it. They've also dug two rows of pits, one along the riverbank and one along the other over the forest. People walking by..." "Be careful, or you'll fall. Xueya is very cautious. The camp has many sentry posts at night, with someone guarding it every so often. Torches are lit from dusk till dawn." He paused, moved his finger to the small circle on the north bank, and continued, "The Wolf Tribe's Yexiao has a thousand troops stationed at the camp on the Great Rock River. That camp is much smaller than the one on the south side. The fence is only one layer, the pits are only one row, and the sentry posts are sparse. Yexiao Owl has fewer troops, only about a thousand, but Yexiao is experienced. His camp is backed by the mountain, with the Stone Ridge Mountain forest behind him for retreat. If a fight breaks out and he goes into the mountains, it will be difficult for us to chase him in."

After listening, Yan nodded, tapping his finger lightly on the small circle on the north bank of the mud, leaving a shallow indentation in the wet mud. He then said, "The Yexiao of the Wolf Tribe will be handled by Shibang. The ship I sent should have already delivered the message to Shibang at the Great Green River Mouth Outpost. He's just waiting for our navy to come and pick them up so he can lead three thousand cavalry across the Fish River." He paused, shifting his gaze from the topographical map on the mud to Yingmu Face. "You and Shibang, don't act yet. I'll have Daya take Shinian and Julang to scout out the small path east of the Wolf Tribe's camp on the south bank of the Great Rock River. Once we've confirmed that the path is still passable, we'll make our move. If the path is still there, we'll go around to the east and catch them off guard from the flank; if the path is blocked, we'll have to think of another way."

Yingmu nodded, pulled the branch back from the mud, wiped it off on his trousers, and then spoke, his voice lower than before. "Alright, I'll send someone familiar with the route to guide them. That person used to be a hunter for the Bear Tribe. He's been exploring the forest on the Great Rock River for over a decade. He knows which paths are passable, which are impassable, where there's water, and where people can hide. Big Tooth and the Daya won't get lost with him, nor will they fall into the Wolf Tribe's traps. That person knows where the Wolf Tribe has dug their pits; he himself almost fell in once, but he's memorized them."

Yan stood up, brushed the dirt off his hands, and glanced at the gentle slope where the cavalry were resting. He saw Daya standing under a willow tree, checking supplies with a wooden tablet in his hand. Shinian and Julang were squatting by the river, talking quietly. Shi Shinian was holding a whetstone, sharpening his bronze dagger, the blade moving back and forth on the whetstone, making a rustling sound. Julang sat beside him, drawing something on the ground with a twig, occasionally looking up to say something to Shinian, Shinian and then lower his head to continue sharpening his dagger. Yan called out in their direction, "Daya, come here for a second!"

Hearing the shout, Daya tucked the wooden tablet into his robes and strode over, stopping in front of Yan. Yan spoke, his voice low but clear. "Take Shinian and Julang, along with a guide from Yingmu who is familiar with the terrain, and head towards the forest east of the camp on the south bank of the Great Rock River. Explore that path, see if it's still passable, and check for any new sentry posts or traps set up by the Wolf Tribe. Once you've found out, return as soon as possible to report back. Don't alert the Wolf Tribe; observe from a distance, don't get too close."

Daya nodded, took the wooden tablet out of his pocket, glanced at it again, then put it away. He turned and walked towards Shinian and Julang, his steps quick and steady. Reaching the willow tree, he called to the two men. The three huddled together and exchanged a few words. Shinian put the whetstone into his waist pouch, Julang stuck the branch he was holding into the ground, stood up, and dusted off his knees. The three walked towards Yingmu. Yingmu pointed to a middle-aged man standing not far away, a man wearing... He wore a grayish-brown linen robe, tied with a hemp rope around his waist, and straw sandals on his feet. His face was tanned dark and shiny by the sun, the skin on his cheekbones rough and firm. His eyes were small but bright. He stood there like a wooden stake that had been blown by the wind for many years but had never bent. Yingmu spoke, his voice low but clear. "This is an old hunter from the Bear Tribe, named Linyan. He knows the forest on the Great Rock River very well. He knows which roads are passable, where people can hide, and where the Wolf Tribe has dug pits. Let him lead you there."

Linyan nodded to Daya, Shinian, and Julang without saying much. He simply moved the short knife at his waist behind him, then turned and gestured with his chin towards the northeast, indicating that they should follow him. Daya nodded to Yan, Shinian took the knife from his belt and gripped it in his hand, and Julang tightened his belt. The three of them, along with some others, followed Linyan into the woods to the northeast. Their figures grew smaller and smaller in the weeds on the gentle slope, first their upper bodies peeking out from the grass, then only a few swaying heads remained, and finally they were completely swallowed up by the bushes at the edge of the woods.

Yan stood on the gentle slope, watching their figures disappear into the woods. He clenched his fingers at his side and then released them. He turned around and walked towards the edge of the temporary dock, where several naval leaders were waiting for him to discuss the afternoon's supply allocation. Yingmu followed behind, took a few steps, stopped, glanced back at the woods, and then turned and quickly followed Yan.