Secret Council in the Wolf's Den

Just as Yan led his army toward the Great Rock Camp, which was occupied by the Wolf Tribe, in the camp's council hall on the Great Rock River, Xueya, Yexiao, and Duzhu of the Wolf Tribe sat together discussing matters concerning the Wolf Tribe. The council hall was a house built of rough wood, with a thick thatched roof and walls made of rough wood, the gaps stuffed with dry grass and scraps of cloth to block the wind. Two ceramic lamps were lit inside, their wicks burning quite long, the flames flickering and casting the shadows of the three men onto the wooden wall, sometimes long, sometimes short. Occasionally, the sound of sentries walking by and the crackling of torches being blown by the wind could be heard outside.

Yexiao spoke first. He wore a dark gray linen robe with several indelible old stains on the front, frayed cuffs, a hemp rope around his waist, and straw sandals. His hair was tied back with an old leather rope, with a few stray strands hanging down behind his ears. His face was deeply lined. When he spoke, his voice was not loud but clear, and his speech was slower than usual, as if he were releasing words that had been held back for a long time. "Chief, for the past few months, the Fire Tribe has been harassing and attacking us continuously. Our warriors have suffered heavy losses. We used to have nearly ten thousand warriors, but now only a little over five thousand remain. We still need to leave some people to guard our stronghold. Now, there are only about four thousand warriors left in the camps on both sides of the Great Rock River. Our Wolf Tribe's outposts and outposts outside have also been harassed and attacked by the Fire Tribe, resulting in the loss of more than half. All our outer camps and outposts have been lost, leaving only the Great Rock camp. Now we can only concentrate all our forces in the camps on both sides of the Great Rock River. What should we do if this continues?"

The Duzhu sat beside the Yexiao, wearing a deep purple linen robe with a low neckline that revealed a thin, old scar on her collarbone. Her hair was held back with a bone hairpin, a few strands falling beside her ears. A thin layer of herbal juice was applied to her face, making her skin appear darker than usual. Her eyes were small but sharp, as if they could see through people's thoughts. Hearing the Yexiao's words, she placed the bone needle in her hand on her knee and spoke, her voice low but shrill, like pricking fabric with a needle, each punctuation carrying a urgency that had been suppressed for a long time. "Yes, Chief, today..." The Fire Tribe not only frequently harassed and attacked us, but also had a large fleet operating twice near the mouth of the Great Green River Mouth on the opposite bank of the Fish River. Our scouts received information that the Fire Tribe had taken away all the people of the Willow Vine Tribe and replaced them with 20,000 of the Fire Tribe's old members. The wharf at the mouth of the Green River Great Green River Mouth was also being expanded, the pier was lengthened, and several more warehouses were added. It seemed that the Fire Tribe intended to keep the mouth of the Daqing Fire Tribe firmly under their control for a long time. It was their thorn in the side of the river, and our every move was under their watchful eyes. It would be even more difficult for us to move westward or southward.

Xueya sat in the main seat, leaning against the wooden wall, his hands resting on his knees. The grotesque scar on his face, running from his brow bone to the corner of his mouth, appeared even deeper under the light, like a centipede crawling across his face. He was thinner than when they last met, the skin on his cheekbones taut, but his eyes remained fierce, like a hungry wolf cornered. After listening to Yexiao and Duzhu's words, he pressed his palms against his knees, his knuckles turning a faint white, and then spoke, his voice hoarse with a deep, suppressed emotion: "Yes, recently our Wolf Tribe has been under continuous attacks and harassment from the Fire Tribe..." "Our soldiers suffered heavy losses, and many strongholds also suffered devastating damage. Although we concentrated all our personnel in camps on both sides of the Great Rock River, our supplies were severely depleted. We occupied a lot of supplies to meet the needs of our soldiers, which greatly displeased our subordinate tribes. If it weren't for our military deterrence, they would have rioted or fled long ago." He paused, tapping his fingers lightly on his knee. "Last month, some people from the subordinate tribes on the south bank were caught stealing grain. Duzhu interrogated them for two days and killed several people to suppress that undercurrent, but it can only be suppressed temporarily, not permanently."

After listening, Yexiao Owl leaned forward slightly, placed his hands on his knees, tapped his fingers on them for a moment, and then spoke. His voice was lower than before, but every word carried the caution of someone pushed to the edge of a cliff. "Chief, what should we do next? The Fire Tribe's attacks on our Wolf Tribe are getting more and more intense, and the Tiger Tribe has repeatedly refused to help defend us. Last month, we went to the Tiger Tribe for help, but their elders said they didn't have enough boats or men, and told us to hold on until they could spare some resources. Isn't that obvious? If this continues, our supplies will become increasingly scarce, and our forces will dwindle. The Fire Tribe won't even need to attack us; just surrounding us and wearing us down will be unbearable."

Xueya listened, then fell silent for a moment. His fingers slowly clenched and unclenched on his knees, the knuckles turning a faint white as he did so, as if he were gripping something tightly and then forced to let go. He then raised his head, his gaze shifting from Yexiao's face to Duzhu's, then back to the flame of the ceramic lamp in front of him. The flame flickered in the wind squeezing through the crack in the door, then slowly steadied. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse, carrying a fierce edge that only came when cornered. "I've received information from the scouts. They're already east of the Fish River..." We've discovered a route to the Long River, and we've also gathered some information about the tribes there. The area along the Long River now sparsely populated due to the Tiger Tribe's continuous raids; the tribes are scattered, and no single tribe is dominant. Moving to the Long River would allow us to quickly establish a foothold, which is better than being sandwiched between the Tiger Tribe and Fire Tribe Tribes. I plan to lead the warriors to migrate to the Long River. The Great Rock River is sandwiched between the Tiger Tribe and Fire Tribe; if our Wolf Tribe stays here, we'll only be slowly worn down!

After listening, the Duzhu paused for a moment, then frowned, her expression as if something had pinched her in the middle. Her voice was lower than before, but carried a hint of reluctance, as if a piece of flesh had been cut away. Her speech was faster than usual. "Chief, what should we do with all those subordinate tribes? Although they're disobedient, they can at least farm and work. We'll take the lion's share of their grain, and we'll also get a large portion of their livestock. And then there's the land and fields of the North and South Great Rock River Camps—all hard-won. There are still many supplies here: grain, cloth, animal hides, and bronze and leather armor in the warehouses. If we leave gradually after the autumn harvest, the losses will be much smaller. If we leave now, the second crop in the fields isn't ripe yet, and we can't take anything from the fields. Will we leave it all to the subordinate tribes or the Fire Tribe?"

After listening, Xueya pulled himself back from the wooden wall, sat up straight, and stared at Duzhu's face for a moment before speaking. His voice was low but clear, and his pace was a beat slower than before. "The Fire Tribe has now taken all the Willow Vine Tribe people from the Great Green River Mouth and settled more than 20,000 of them there. The Fire Tribe's attacks on our Wolf Tribe have also become increasingly intense recently. Our scouts have seen a large number of 100,000-jin (50,000 kg) capacity ships in their fleet. Before, they only had small boats and 50,000-jin (25,000 kg) capacity ships, but now even 100,000-jin (50,000 kg) capacity ships have sailed to the Great Green River Mouth in large numbers and have been active several times. This indicates that the main force of the Fire Tribe is pressing in this direction, and they might soon..." A major operation like this is risky. The longer we stay here, the greater the losses and the more dangerous it becomes. As for those affiliated tribes, many of them are already very dissatisfied with us. We can't take them with us; they have little value, and taking them would only be a burden. We can't even handle our own soldiers and their families, let alone these others. We've already done them a favor by not wiping them out. I plan to only take a portion of the able-bodied men or their families to escort supplies back to our stronghold in Stone Ridge Mountain before making further plans. As for the disobedient, the old, weak, and disabled, let them stay here and fend for themselves. If the Fire Tribe comes, let them live with the Fire Tribe. I don't believe the Fire Tribe will treat them better than we do."

After listening, Yexiao straightened his back, placed his hands on his knees, tapped his fingers lightly on them, and then spoke, his voice slightly higher than before, carrying a sense of satisfaction at being persuaded, and his speech quickened. "Chief, you're right. I've had a bad feeling lately too. The longer I stay here, the stronger this feeling becomes. When I sleep at night, I always feel like there's movement outside, but when I get up to check, there's nothing there. During the day, when I walk around the camp, I see that the way those affiliated tribes look at us is different from before. They used to lower their heads when they saw us, but now when they lower their heads, their eyes are still glancing at the ground, as if they're looking for something. I suspect they're waiting, waiting for the Fire Tribe to come so they can escape. These affiliated tribes aren't worth taking away; they're just a burden. Leaving them here can at least provide cover for our evacuation."

Xueya nodded after listening, then leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees. His gaze shifted from Yexiao's face to Duzhu's, then back again. His voice held a ruthless intensity, a hint of confirmation in his tone, and his speech was a beat faster than before. "Don't begrudge these things, everyone. We can take more territory if we lose it, we can recruit more people if we lose them. As long as our warriors are here, as long as our people are still here, we'll definitely develop much better north of the Long River. The Long River is sparsely populated and the tribes are scattered. We'll go there and swallow up a few small tribes first. Once we have territory, we'll farm; once we have food, we'll raise an army. What won't we have then? Once we've developed on the Long River, we'll come back for revenge against the Fire Tribe! The Fire Tribe is currently suppressing us; we'll remember this grudge, and one day they'll pay for it."

After listening, Yexiao slapped his knee, making a short, muffled thud, and then spoke, his voice tinged with a fierce intensity, his words a beat faster than before. "Yes, every time our Wolf Tribe gets a little progress, the Fire Tribe interrupts it. We must avenge this! For every person the Fire Tribe has killed, we'll make them pay back!"

After listening, the Duzhu took the bone needle from his knee, poked it in the cloth, pulled it out, and then spoke. His voice was a little steadyer than before, but his tone still carried the pain of having his flesh cut off. "Chief, you're right. The north bank of the Long River is the best place for our Wolf Tribe to develop. There are no Fire Tribe or Tiger Tribe there, only some small tribes. We'll be the leaders there, and our Wolf Tribe will become a large tribe. Then we'll have everything—fields, grain, and people."

Yexiao also spoke up, "I'll go back to the Great Rock River to prepare, gather all the supplies I can take, and have someone keep an eye on the people in those affiliated tribes. Anyone who dares to make a move will be dealt with."

Duzhu also stood up from the stool and said, "I'll go to the affiliated tribes to make arrangements. Pick out the families of those warriors and gather them on the south bank. Make sure everyone who can be taken is taken; those who can't be taken will be left here to fend for themselves."

Xueya stood up, took his hands off his knees and let them hang at his sides, then said, "It's good that you think this way. Then hurry up and prepare. The fields have already harvested a season's worth of food and other supplies. We should take as much as we can back to our lair as possible. We don't need to leave too many supplies here. Take what you can. Yexiao Owl, go back to the Great Rock River to prepare. Duzhu and I will prepare on the south bank. We'll begin our evacuation in three days."

Yexiao and Duzhu nodded simultaneously. Yexiao shifted the dagger at his waist behind him, turned, and walked towards the door. His strides were long and quick, and as he pushed open the door, a gust of night wind blew in, causing the lamplight on the table to flicker. The door closed behind him, and his footsteps faded into the distance on the gravel path outside. Duzhu also turned and walked towards the door. He paused at the doorway, glanced back at Xueya, and his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't speak. He simply pushed the door open a crack and squeezed out.

Xueya stood in the council hall, watching the two men disappear outside. He walked to the door, pushed it open a crack, and looked out at the camp. Rows of torches burned in the camp, their flames flickering in the night, casting long, short shadows of wooden houses and fences on the ground. In the distance came the footsteps of sentries and the occasional whispers carried by the wind. Further away, the sound of the Great Rock River gurgling could be heard. He stood at the doorway, his fingers resting on the doorframe, his fingertips pressing against the rough wood grain before releasing them. His gaze swept from one end of the camp to the other, then returned to the empty council hall behind him. Two stools remained where the three men had sat, and the ceramic lamp on the table still flickered. He stood there for a while before closing the door, turning to walk towards his own room. His steps were slow, but each one heavy, the soles of his boots rustling on the gravel, quickly swallowed by the night wind.