Racing to Stone Ridge Mountain

Julang, leading a thousand cavalrymen from the Fire Tribe, ambushed Xueya on the only route they could take back to the Wolf Tribe's stronghold at Stone Ridge Mountain. The road extended from the dirt road east of the camp on the south bank of the Great Rock River. After crossing the river bend, there was a narrow section of road with forests on both sides, and only one lane wide enough for a cart to pass through. Julang divided his men and horses into two groups. One group hid in the forests on both sides of the road, while the other group hid behind an earthen embankment on the east side of the road. The embankment was covered with a thick layer of withered grass, making them completely invisible from the outside. Giant Wave himself crouched under an old elm tree at the eastern end of the embankment, keeping his body low to the ground, and looked west along the narrow road, waiting for the remnants of Xueya's army to run over from that direction. He waited and waited, but the remnants of the Wolf Tribe did not appear. The narrow road was empty, without a single soul in sight. Occasionally, a few birds would fly out of the forest, flutter their wings, land on the trees by the roadside, chirp a couple of times, and then fly away.

That morning, Yan arrived with his five hundred cavalry. As Yan's men turned from the dirt road to the narrow road, Julang first heard the approaching sound of hooves. He pressed his ear to the ground behind the earthen embankment and listened. He recognized it as a cavalry unit, numerous in number, but their steps were steady, unlike the remnants of the Wolf Tribe. He told his men to hold their ground and peeked out from behind the embankment to look west. Seeing the approaching cavalry Fire Tribe, he breathed a sigh of relief, stood up, and waved towards the road. Yan, on horseback, saw Julang stand up from behind the embankment and pulled on the Jiangsheng, slowing his horse. He dismounted and quickly walked to Julang's side. After standing still, he looked Julang up and down, noticing the ash on his face, the sun-darkened skin on his cheekbones, and his chapped lips. He then asked, "Julang, you didn't encounter any remnants of the Wolf Tribe while you were lying in ambush here, did you?"

Julang slung the dagger he was carrying onto his belt, shook his head, and spoke with a disappointment that came after being left hanging for so long, "Yes, I've waited so long, and I haven't seen a single person. Not even a rabbit has crossed this road. My men's legs are numb from lying down, and we've changed positions three times. Young leader, how's the battle with Xueya going? I know nothing about it from here."

Yan placed his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, tapping it lightly with his fingers, and then said, "We've taken control of the Wolf Tribe's supplies and people on the south bank of the Great Rock River. We intercepted all their grain sacks, cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, carts, and tents; they didn't take a single thing. We also wiped out the Wolf Tribe's three thousand cavalry on the south bank. Shinian led the encirclement, and Daya intercepted them from the east. The Wolf Tribe's leader, Duzhu, was also impaled by Daya with a spear and died; her five hundred cavalrymen are all gone. On the north bank, Shibang is leading three thousand cavalry in an attack. Yexiao's one thousand cavalrymen weren't elite to begin with, and surrounded by Shibang on three sides, the Wolf Tribe Shibang definitely no match for him."

He paused, tapped his fingers lightly on the hilt of his sword, and continued, "But Xueya from the south bank led a few cavalrymen out of the encirclement, and in the end, he only took five riders with him and ran northeast. You didn't wait for Xueya and the others here, so they must have become Jingjue and didn't dare to take this narrow road. They led their men along a secluded path to the Wolf Tribe's lair, Stone Ridge Mountain."

Upon hearing Julang, Julang's expression tightened instantly. The lines at the corners of his mouth tightened, and the wrinkles around his eyes also narrowed. He took the short sword from his belt and gripped it tightly in his hand, the cloth strip on the hilt crumpled under his grip. Then he spoke urgently, "Young Chief, we can't let Xueya and the others go! We haven't settled the score for how many of our men he killed. If he runs back to his stronghold in Stone Ridge Mountain and joins up with Xueshou, he'll have over a thousand men with him. It'll be much harder for us to fight again. The village halfway up the mountain has narrow paths and steep slopes; a direct assault would result in significant losses for us."

Yan Chao nodded, withdrew his hand from the hilt of his sword and let it hang at his side, then spoke, his voice slightly louder than before. "This time, we not only cannot let Xueya and his men go, but we must also eradicate all the Wolf Tribe's strongholds and influence here. We have already occupied the camp on the south bank of the Great Rock River, and Shibang is taking over the camp on the north bank. We have also almost completely wiped out the Wolf Tribe's strongholds and outposts in this area, leaving only their stronghold at Stone Ridge Mountain. Once we take that out, the Wolf Tribe's influence here will be completely gone! Although Xueya and his men avoided your ambush by taking the back road, their speed is definitely not fast. That road is longer and more difficult to travel. Xueya and his men take that road, it will take them at least a few days longer than usual to arrive. We will now join forces and head towards the Wolf Tribe's stronghold at Stone Ridge Mountain, taking the main road and getting ahead of Xueya to the foot of Stone Ridge Mountain. We will ambush them there, and when they come out from the back road, they will run right into our trap."

Upon hearing Julang, the tense lines on Julang's face relaxed slightly. He sheathed his short sword, clapped his hands together at his side, producing a short, muffled thud, and then spoke, his voice slightly louder than before. "Yes, young chieftain! I'll make the arrangements right away! My thousand cavalrymen are unharmed, have rested for several days, their horses are well-fed, and their swords are sharpened. They're just waiting for this battle. You tell us how to proceed, and we'll proceed accordingly; you tell us where to fight, and we'll fight there."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and shouted loudly behind the earthen embankment, "Come out! Mount up! Follow the young leader!" The cavalrymen who had been lying down behind the embankment and in the woods stood up, brushed the dirt and leaves off their bodies, and went to fetch their horses, prepare their saddles, and organize their weapons. A thousand warhorses were led out from the woods and behind the embankment and lined up in several rows on the narrow road. The horses' hooves made a dull thud on the muddy road. The five hundred cavalrymen that Yan had brought also joined them. Fifteen hundred warhorses crowded the narrow road, filling it completely. Some people moved their horses to the side of the road to make room for others.

Yan mounted his horse, wrapped the Jiangsheng halfway around his finger, then turned to Julang and said, "We'll head northeast along this narrow path. At the end, there's a main road. We'll follow that main road towards Stone Ridge Mountain. I've had our guide scout it out; it's wide enough for three horses to walk side-by-side. With 1,500 of us on the main road, we can reach the foot of Stone Ridge Mountain in a few days at full speed. Xueya will take the smaller paths, crossing ridges, streams, and forests. We'll definitely reach the foot of Stone Ridge Mountain before them. We'll find a place to ambush them at the foot of the southern side of Stone Ridge Mountain and wait for Xueya and his remaining troops to emerge."

Julang nodded on horseback, flicked the Jiangsheng, and the horse moved closer to the middle of the road. He then said, "Good, we'll definitely reach the foot of Stone Ridge Mountain before Xueya and the others!" After he finished speaking, he led his cavalry out of the narrow road and headed towards the main road to the northeast. Yan led five hundred cavalrymen behind them. The fifteen hundred warhorses formed a long line on the main road, their hooves kicking up clouds of dust on the dirt road, which shimmered with a grayish-yellow light in the afternoon sun, enveloping the entire column as they galloped towards Stone Ridge Mountain.