Cavalry Clash
Although the Wolf Tribe's retreat from the Great Rock River was slowed down by the disturbance caused by the affiliated tribes, Xueya had his guards scatter those people and then had Duzhu speed up the retreat. The dead and wounded lying on the ground were ignored, and those who had run away were not pursued. The caravan started moving again, with oxcarts driving out of the south gate of the camp one after another, turning onto the dirt road to the east. After all the Wolf Tribe members had left the south gate of the camp and traveled a short distance east, Yan also arrived near the Wolf Tribe's camp on the Great Rock River with four thousand main cavalry.
Yan, mounted on his horse, his leather armor gleaming in the sunlight, gripped the Jiangsheng in one hand and rested the other on his knee. His gaze swept from the south gate of the camp to the dirt road to the east. Seeing that the Wolf Tribe's retreating force had all left the camp, he gently pulled on the Jiangsheng, slowing his horse. He then turned to a young leader beside him and said, "Take five hundred warriors to take control of the camp on the south bank of the Great Rock. Close their gates, keep an eye on the remaining people inside, and don't let them escape. Don't touch the supplies in the camp yet; we'll deal with them after we've finished fighting."
The young leader nodded, clasped his hands in a fist salute, then spurred his horse and led five hundred cavalrymen toward the south gate of the camp. Yan turned back to look at Shinian. Shinian was riding another chestnut horse, clutching the bronze sword in his hand. The cloth strip on the hilt was crumpled from his grip. His face held an eagerness that had been suppressed for a long time and was finally about to be released. His eyes were bright and sparkling, as if two flames were burning inside. His breathing was heavy, and his chest heaved.
Yan looked at him and said, "Shinian, you take two thousand men to attack the Wolf Tribe's supply convoy. If the Wolf Tribe warriors dare to block you, I will sound the bull horn and have Daya attack from the flank. I will lead the rest of the men to charge from the front!"
After listening, Shinian sheathed his knife to his side, the blade making a soft sound as it touched his trouser leg. He said, "Young Chief, rest assured, I'll go right now. Today I'll let the Wolf Tribe know that blood debts must be repaid!" With that, he flicked the Jiangsheng, spurred his horse, and led two thousand cavalrymen towards the dirt road to the east. The horses' hooves pounded the dirt road with a dull thud, raising dust that enveloped the shadows of the riders and horses, making them appear from afar like a gray-yellow torrent of iron sweeping towards the Wolf Tribe's transport caravan.
Yan led the remaining 1,500 cavalrymen behind Shinian, keeping a distance. His gaze was fixed on the gray-yellow torrent ahead. His fingers rested on the Jiangsheng, his fingertips pressing against the rough leather rope before releasing them, waiting for Shinian and the Wolf Tribe's transport caravan to rendezvous.
Not long after, the Duzhu of the Wolf Tribe's transport team saw a cavalry force charging menacingly towards them. She rode a chestnut horse in the middle of the column; the horse's mane was neatly trimmed, and its tail was tied with hemp rope. She wore a dark purple linen robe, the cuffs and collar trimmed with leather strips, two hemp ropes tied around her waist, and straw sandals on her feet. Her hair was held back with a bone hairpin, a few stray strands fluttering in the wind beside her ears. Her gaze fell on the grayish-yellow torrent at the end of the dirt road to the east. She first squinted, as if trying to estimate the distance and number of people in the torrent in her own way, then... Her expression shifted from composure to a Chenwen one; the lines of her mouth tightened, and the wrinkles around her eyes narrowed. While trying to control the panicked ranks, she prepared to organize a resistance. She shouted to the leaders beside her, her voice sharper than usual, her words quicker. "Don't panic! Turn the carts sideways, drive the livestock to the roadside, cavalry, follow me! Let's stabilize the situation!" The leaders then led their men to move the convoy to the roadside, driving the cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep to the wasteland beside the road. Several soldiers turned the carts sideways, front facing outwards, the flats forming a makeshift barrier.
Xueya of the Wolf Tribe also noticed the commotion. Riding a chestnut horse at the head of the column, the grotesque scar across his face, running from his brow to the corner of his mouth, appeared even deeper in the morning light, like a centipede crawling across his face. His gaze fell on the gray-yellow torrent approaching from the east. Seeing that there were only about two thousand cavalrymen, his brow furrowed at first, then slowly relaxed, and the lines at the corners of his mouth softened. He turned to the leaders of his personal guards and said, "About two thousand men. It seems they want to intercept our supplies. Not many, we can hold them off. We can't lose these supplies. If we do, what will we eat and drink when we get to Stone Ridge Mountain?"
He led his men to Duzhu's side and said, "Duzhu, you take five hundred cavalry and the escort convoy and slowly retreat eastward. I'll lead the men to block them. You go first, I'll follow later!"
After listening, the Duzhu nodded, put the wooden tablet in her hand into her bosom, and then said, "Okay, I'll take the men and leave first. Be careful and don't linger in the battle!" After she finished speaking, she flicked the Jiangsheng and ordered five hundred cavalry to escort the transport team to slowly retreat eastward.
Xueya led the remaining two thousand cavalrymen to stay where they were. He arranged the troops into several ranks. The cavalrymen in the front ranks raised their bronze spears horizontally, the tips pointing eastward. The cavalrymen in the back ranks took their bows and arrows from their backs, nocked them, and pointed the arrows at the ground, awaiting the command. Xueya rode at the very front of the ranks, clutching his bronze dagger, the blade close to his trousers. His gaze was fixed on the gray-yellow torrent to the east, watching it grow closer and closer, from a blurry gray line to a clear silhouette of riders, and then to a group of people whose features he could make out. His fingers tightened their grip on the hilt of his dagger.
By the time Xueya and his men finished their tasks, Shinian had already led two thousand soldiers to a Xueya not far from them. Shinian, mounted on his horse, sheathed his bronze dagger to his side and shouted behind him in a loud, stern voice, brimming with a fierce intensity honed over a long period. "Vanguard archers, step forward! Draw your bows and fire!" Several hundred vanguard archers from the Fire Tribe charged out from their ranks, drawing their bows on horseback. These bows were Yingmu bows improved by the Flame Tribe, made of fine wood and cow sinew. The bowstrings were made of twisted ox sinew, giving them a much greater draw strength and range than the bamboo bows of the Wolf Tribe. The archers drew their bows to their Manyue from horseback and released them, sending arrows flying like a swarm of locusts towards the Wolf Tribe Tribe's front ranks. The arrowheads were made of bronze with barbs, creating a bloody hole as soon as they pierced a person's body. The Wolf Tribe's front ranks were instantly struck by arrows. Some fell from their horses, some clutched their chests and lay prone on their backs, and some slid off their horses, clutching their necks, their feet still caught in the stirrups, being dragged several steps by their horses. The losses were considerable.
Seeing his front rank fall in droves, Xueya gritted his teeth, his scar on his face tightening. He shouted to the cavalry behind him, "Archers, exchange fire! Push them back!" The Wolf Tribe archers nocked their arrows and released them, but the range of the Wolf Tribe's arrows was no match for that of the Fire Tribe's. The arrows fell halfway through their flight, some embedding themselves in the dirt road in front of the Fire Tribe cavalry, others in the ground beside the horses' legs. Only a few flew into the Fire Tribe's ranks, where they were blocked by the shields of the front-line cavalry. The Fire Tribe's bows were all improved versions of those used by the Flame Tribe. After firing a volley, the Fire Tribe archers did not charge directly but instead circled around the Wolf Tribe, firing in bursts. The archers rode their horses around the Wolf Tribe tribe's ranks from the sides, firing a volley and then changing positions, firing another volley and then changing positions again. The Wolf Tribe's ranks were being torn apart by the arrows.
Xueya gritted his teeth and said hatefully, "These must be warriors from the Fire Tribe. Besides the Tiger Tribe, no other tribe around here has so many good bows. Their range is more than half again as far as ours, and their arrows are excellent too. That's why we're at a disadvantage!" He paused, his fingers tightening their grip on his sword hilt. His gaze swept from the roaming Fire Tribe archers back to his own troops. Seeing his cavalrymen unable to lift their heads from the arrows, a hungry wolf seemed to rage within him. He wanted to fight to the death, to lead his men in a charge and clash head-on with the Fire Tribe cavalry, but he worried that the Fire Tribe might have other forces. He wanted to retreat immediately, but the supply caravan behind him hadn't gone far. The cattle and horses were slow; if the Fire Tribe cavalry caught up, all the supplies would be lost. He couldn't bear to abandon those supplies; what would they eat when they reached Stone Ridge Mountain?
Just as Xueya was struggling with whether to fight to the death or retreat, watching his increasingly weakened force, Shinian led the remaining thousand-plus cavalry in a direct charge. Shinian, mounted on his horse, drew his bronze sword from his side; the blade gleamed darkly in the sunlight. He shouted behind him, his voice booming, "Brothers, charge with me! Today we avenge our fallen kin!" The cavalry behind him also drew their bronze swords, the blades forming a single, continuous line that gleamed coldly in the sunlight. Their hooves kicked up clouds of dust on the dirt road, obscuring the shadows of the riders and their horses, creating the illusion of a gray-yellow torrent sweeping towards Xueya's army.
Shinian led his men forward, and Xueya could only grit his teeth and order the Wolf Tribe cavalry to confront them head-on. He pointed his bronze dagger forward and shouted to the cavalry behind him, "Charge with me! Fight them! We can't retreat; the convoy is right behind us, and if we retreat, we'll lose all our supplies!"
The cavalrymen behind him also drew their bronze swords. The two torrents collided head-on on the dirt road to the east. Bronze struck bronze, sparks flying. Blades struck leather armor with dull thuds. Some fell from their horses, some were trampled underfoot, some had their arms severed, and some had their chests pierced by spears. Dust was kicked up by countless hooves, enveloping the entire battlefield. From a distance, it looked like a grayish-yellow fog. Within the fog, swords gleamed, horses neighed, and shouts of battle mingled with the clash of weapons, shattering the silence completely.