Fire Oxen Set the Granaries Ablaze

"What's that?"

The Tuwu People who had charged out of the camp were dumbstruck at the sight of the herd charging toward them.

They had raised cattle all their lives, but had never seen anything so terrifying.

"Quick, loose arrows!"

The Tuwu commander hurriedly gave the order.

At that moment, the threat posed by the wolf pack had become insignificant.

If so many fire oxen charged into the camp, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

A rain of arrows flew out, but unfortunately, the damage they inflicted was not enough to kill the frenzied cattle immediately.

The pain instead drove the herd to charge even faster.

After withstanding a round of attacks, the herd charged straight into the crowd.

Countless Tuwu soldiers were tossed aside by horns, and the shield formation they had placed such high hopes in failed to have the expected effect.

The Tuwu commander at the head of the troops wielded his broadsword and killed three fire oxen in succession. Then a fourth tossed him aside, and he was trampled to death.

Seeing this, the Tuwu reinforcements arriving from the rear turned and fled.

They were willing to fight the enemy to the death, but dying beneath a herd of cattle was too ignominious.

As the herd rampaged through the camp, chaos spread, and many tents were set alight in the confusion.

"What are you standing around for?"

"Hurry and organize the troops to kill these fire oxen!"

"Knightley, take three thousand-man units and guard the cave entrance. Be on your guard against an enemy sneak attack!"

Amid the panic, Ten-Thousand Commander Jeremiah hurriedly issued his orders.

Unfortunately, the plan sounded good, but reality was cruel.

The fire continued to spread in every direction with the herd, and soon swept across the entire valley.

The cattle, sheep, and horses that had been penned up were also frightened into running wild through the valley.

They couldn't be stopped. There was simply no stopping them.

The relentless chaos had long since scattered the army's formations.

Soldiers couldn't find their commanders, and commanders couldn't find their soldiers.

Everyone was busy dodging the fire and avoiding the charging cattle, sheep, and horses. They had no mind to heed orders from above.

A small number of elite troops were still carrying out their duties.

But there were too few of them, and as soon as they began to assemble, they would be swept up in the chaos.

Countless Tuwu soldiers lost their lives in the turmoil.

Outside the canyon, the officers of the Third Supplementary Army watched the towering flames with their mouths agape.

Although they couldn't see what was happening inside the valley, the unceasing screams were enough to tell them that the enemy was in a dire situation.

"Commander, let me take the cavalry and block the exit. I won't let a single one escape!"

Seeing Tuwu soldiers continually fleeing the valley, Maddox couldn't help making the suggestion.

The time had come to beat a drowning dog. He couldn't miss out on military merit that had come right to his door.

"There's no hurry. Let them run.

"The fire oxen can't last long. If the chaos in the valley hasn't died down, it's most likely because the enemy's cattle, sheep, and horses are running wild.

"Figuring three horses per man, there are at least thirty thousand horses and hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep in the valley.

"Once that many animals run wild, it's not so easy to calm them down.

"Besides, this fire hasn't been burning for nothing.

"Even if the enemy's fodder and grain haven't been completely destroyed, most of them have burned.

"Even without considering casualties, the loss of supplies alone has stripped the enemy of its fighting strength."

Victor shook his head as he spoke.

He had never expected to wipe out the entire enemy army in a single battle.

No matter how chaotic the valley was, the enemy still had more than thirty thousand men. They certainly wouldn't all die in a short time.

If they sealed off the valley entrance and the enemy fought desperately, there was no telling how high a price they would have to pay.

Rather than do that, they might as well let them flee for their lives.

The Tuwu People who escaped the chaos had effectively been reduced to infantry.

Without enough supplies on them and unable to resupply on the grasslands, they couldn't get very far.

If they belonged to nearby tribes, they would surely return home bearing news of the defeat.

Driven by panic, they would most likely trigger a wave of mass tribal migrations for the sake of their tribes' survival.

The grasslands were vast, but every pasture had an owner.

Such sudden migrations could easily spark internal strife among the Tuwu People.

Once the grasslands fell into chaos, it would inevitably affect the Tuwu People's offensive on the front lines, giving the empire a chance to catch its breath.

The Third Supplementary Army, situated behind enemy lines, could also use this period of chaos to carry out a major strategic relocation.

Time passed second by second. The darkness gradually faded, and the first rays of dawn fell upon the earth.

The chaos in the valley gradually subsided, though scattered fires continued to burn.

"Have the losses been tallied yet?"

Ten-Thousand Commander Jeremiah asked, his face weary.

The main force had only just reached the canyon, yet it had suffered a crushing blow on its first night.

After a day and a night of turmoil, even a body of iron would feel exhausted.

He could bear the physical exhaustion, but the blow to his spirit was enough to break him.

If not for his position, he would have burst into tears.

It had been a disaster. Even his command tent had burned down in the fire.

The captain of his personal guard, who had followed him for years, had also lost his life in the chaos.

"Not so quickly. Every unit is busy gathering its men, so it'll be some time before we have accurate figures.

"But judging by the state of the camp, we can be fairly certain that every unit has suffered heavy losses. Casualties exceed thirty percent, and less than a tenth of our supplies remain.

"The granaries were set on fire in the chaos. By the time the turmoil had subsided and we had men to spare for firefighting, most of the grain had already burned.

"The losses among the cattle, sheep, and horses were even greater. They either died in the chaos or fled the canyon.

"Every unit is searching for them. With luck, we should be able to make up for some of the losses.

"..."

Knightley answered gravely.

The chaos had subsided not because of anything they had done, but because the cattle, sheep, and horses had fled the canyon.

Their supplies had suffered incalculable losses, and a cavalry force that had been perfectly intact had been reduced to infantry in the chaos.

"Are you suggesting we withdraw?"

Ten-Thousand Commander Jeremiah asked with a frown.

Whether in terms of morale or food and supplies, they were in no condition to continue fighting.

From a purely military standpoint, withdrawing immediately to cut their losses was the best option at present.

"No. If we withdraw at a time like this, we won't be able to answer to the khanate!"

"Besides, the enemy isn't stupid. Since they used Heavenly Wolf Canyon as bait to set a trap for us, they must have prepared something else.

"If we withdraw now, we could easily be attacked by the enemy on the way."

Knightley shook his head as he spoke.

What was right militarily was not necessarily right politically.

Someone had to take responsibility for the defeat. The commanding general was naturally the first to be held accountable, but as his deputy, Knightley could hardly escape blame either.

If he couldn't produce an impressive victory, he would have no way to answer for it afterward.

"Mm."

"The men are in a panic. If we withdraw now, we really would give the enemy an opportunity to strike.

"But the army's supplies have all burned. If we didn't have the dead livestock for rations, the army would go hungry immediately.

"The dead livestock can't be kept for long. They'll rot in three to five days at most. We don't have much time left."

Jeremiah nodded as he spoke.

The mountainous terrain was unfavorable for cavalry, so the horsemen would have had to become infantry anyway. They had merely taken that step ahead of time.

With luck, if they found and destroyed the enemy's main force within the next few days, they could turn the situation around.