Chapter 1 The Grain for the Chu

"Was the grain for the Chu people delivered?"

"It was, Chieftain."

"Good."

Geli Mu was picking his teeth with a bamboo skewer, a small brazier in front of him heating up some milk tea.

Within the ranks of the Savages, there were also differences between the commanders of ten-thousand, just like the differences in status between the General-in-Chief of the Yan Kingdom's Northern Army and the Southern Pacification Army, and other regional commanders.

Geli Mu had followed the Savage King from the very beginning, making him part of the Savage King's direct lineage. Naturally, he held a higher position than those commanders of ten-thousand from the larger tribes who had joined later.

"Everyone, the Yan people have changed their commander. They've withdrawn that callow Crown Prince and sent out their Southern Marquis. I'm sure you all know this Southern Marquis. Half a year ago, it was he who invaded our snow plains, disrupting the peace of the western snow plains. Many tribes were forced to migrate because of him, and countless cattle and sheep were plundered by the Yan people. The totems of many small tribes disappeared because of him.

In short, he's not someone to be trifled with."

The four commanders of ten-thousand below all nodded silently upon hearing this.

The Southern Pacification Marquis had a renowned reputation. His appointment as commander-in-chief of the Great Yan's eastern expedition army not only greatly boosted morale for his own side, but also put immense pressure on his opponents.

"But in reality, there's nothing to be afraid of. Haven't we already defeated them once, sending tens of thousands of them to feed the turtles in the river? Besides, back then, didn't we also think the Situ family and the Jin people were invincible?

And what happened?

We're eating their grain and sleeping with their women. The Jin people, who were once high and mighty, are now just slaves at our beck and call.

Things we never dared to imagine in the past have now become reality. So, nothing is impossible, as long as we continue to follow the guidance of the stars and the King, the entire land of the Three Jin will once again become the pasture of our Holy Tribe, and even the entire East will be covered by the radiance of the stars!

Come, for the future of the Holy Tribe, drink!"

"Drink!"

"Drink!"

Everyone in the tent raised their cups and drank together.

After a short while, Geli Mu put down his wine cup, clapped his hands, and smiled, saying:

"It's also quite interesting. A few days ago, news came from the Chu people saying that a Yan army had secretly crossed the Wang River under the cover of night, but instead of attacking Yupan City, they continued to advance deeper. Later, news spread that the two lambs of the Situ family had been captured by that Yan army. When our warriors arrived beneath Fengxin City, the two of them were still hanging on the city walls.

The stench on their bodies, tsk tsk... I won't go into details since everyone has just finished eating, haha."

Geli Mu was originally from Jin. His family had been forced to seek refuge in the snow plains because they had offended someone from the Situ family. Therefore, he was happy to see the Situ family suffer.

Moreover, traitors often have a characteristic: they tend to be even crueler than the real enemy when they mistreat their own people.

At this time, a commander of ten-thousand from a large tribe named Wanda smiled and said:

"The Situ family was once a dragon, but now it has become a worm. Anyone can step on it."

"Hahahahaha."

Everyone present laughed together.

The value of the Situ Yi brothers had already been squeezed dry. Currently, the Savages and the Chu people jointly ruled half of the country, north and south. It could be said that there was no longer room for Situ Yi's small court. Their demise was insignificant and did not matter much.

"Brother Wanda is right. No matter how powerful you were in the past, if destiny is not on your side, even if you were originally a dragon, you will have to become a worm. The same goes for the Yan people.

The reason why the Yan people were able to roam freely in the snow plains half a year ago was simply because the main force of our Holy Tribe was tied down on the Xuehai Pass front and had no time to spare. That's why the Yan's Southern Marquis was able to gain an advantage.

Right now, this Yan army has, at most, ten thousand men. They are clearly a surprise force sent by that Yan's Southern Marquis to harass our rear.

It seems that the Yan's Southern Marquis is really out of ideas and is trying to use this method to deal with us.

Then let's not be polite. If sheep are delivered to our door, we'll skin them and roast them over the fire together!

They're eyeing our Ming'an City, eyeing our trade market, then we'll eye their flesh and blood, their warhorses, their armor!

The King has said that one Yan's head can be exchanged for a sheep!"

"Geli Mu, please give the order, we can't wait any longer!"

"That's right, my tribe has already transferred over to encircle them. Even if this Yan army grows wings, they won't be able to escape!"

"Yes, daring to stare at our trade market, the Stars will not forgive them!"

The four commanders of ten-thousand were all eager to fight.

Geli Mu nodded in satisfaction.

The King's direct army was currently confronting the Yan people on the Wang River front. The scale of his own command was only ten thousand cavalry, so in order to completely devour that Yan army, he had to rely on the four commanders of ten-thousand contributed by these four large tribes.

"Wanda, your tribe will continue to garrison Ming'an City. Be careful not to let the Yan's scouts discover that you are already on guard. If that happens, the fish might not take the bait."

"Yes, I understand."

"A Langtai, I think the Yan people will send out small groups of cavalry to harass the vicinity of Ming'an City, what the Jin people call drawing the tiger away from the mountain.

You will pretend to fall for the trick and move your tribe out of Ming'an City accordingly."

"Yes, I understand."

"Li Mu'er, your tribe will be transferred out of Xuehai Pass to block Ming'an City's east side, preventing the Yan people from escaping to the east."

"Yes!"

"Age, your tribe will approach Ming'an City from the western military camp, blocking Ming'an City's west side, preventing the Yan people from escaping to the west!"

"Yes, I understand!"

"As for my tribe, my tribe will continue to follow the traces of that Yan army, circling around them from Fengxin City until the time is ripe..."

*Bang!*

Geli Mu slammed his palm on the table, covering the wine cup.

"Devour them!"

......

Jin Shuke silently bent over, prostrating himself beneath a large tree, blending himself with the surrounding withered grass. Beside him, the Eldest Prince was maintaining the same posture.

In reality, this place was already within the patrol range of the Savages guarding Ming'an City. Savage scouts would pass by them not far away from time to time.

Jin Shuke silently took out a handful of fried flour from his bosom, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed slowly, but even while eating, his gaze remained fixed on the city wall in front of him like that of a hawk.

After swallowing a mouthful of fried flour, Jin Shuke took out some water and washed it down, then whispered:

"Your Grace, take a look, the number of Savages patrolling outside the city's camp and around here hasn't increased, but the liveliness inside the camp has clearly decreased a lot."

Inside the Savage camp, it had always been a nightly revelry. These guys, who had been driven crazy by the bitter cold of the snow plains, acted like a pack of Teddy dogs let out of their cages, according to General Zheng's description last time, once they entered Jin territory.

Jin Shuke didn't know what kind of ferocious beast a "Teddy" was,

But he figured, based on General Zheng's tone at the time, it must be some kind of extremely energetic species.

The current quietness indicated that the Savages inside were indeed on guard.

Of course, it wasn't that the Savages were acting poorly, but that Jin Shuke and the Eldest Prince had infiltrated too close. At this distance, unless the Savages were all acting like seasoned veterans, it would be impossible not to reveal any clues.

The Eldest Prince nodded. "Do we have to wait until night?"

"Yes, wait until night. Your Grace, what do you think, should we attack the outer camp, or charge the gate?"

"Attacking the outer camp would allow us to advance and retreat more freely."

"That's true, it's safer."

Jin Shuke agreed,

And the two of them maintained this position until night fell.

At this time, a barbarian soldier came up from behind.

Jin Shuke turned his head and quietly called out to him:

"Are all of our men here?"

"Sir, they're all here, just waiting for your orders."

Two hundred meters behind them, everyone's horses' hooves were wrapped in cloth, and the horses' mouths were gagged to minimize any noise.

Jin Shuke got up, stretched his stiff body, and said:

"Alright, tell the brothers to get rid of any unnecessary baggage, follow me, and charge in for a single round! But remember, don't charge recklessly. This time, I'm not asking you to risk your lives!"

"Yes, Sir."

Jin Shuke reached out with some concern and grabbed the Eldest Prince's shoulder, who was about to turn around.

"Your Grace, perhaps you should switch your mount."

The Eldest Prince shook his head and said, "I won't."

Among a group of warhorses, having a *pixiu* (mythical wild beast) was quite conspicuous, and the advantage of a night raid for the attacking side was that they could advance or retreat with much greater ease. However, that didn't mean that the defenders were fools. When they chased after them, they would definitely prioritize targeting the most valuable target in their estimation.

But since the Eldest Prince was so adamant, Jin Shuke didn't say anything more. After all, he was well aware of the other man's identity and didn't truly see himself as the other man's superior.

Everyone mounted their horses,

And with Jin Shuke's long whistle, they began their charge.

Generally speaking, before a city defense battle, the trees around the city would be cut down in advance to prevent the attacking side from taking advantage of them, but the Savages stationed at Ming'an City hadn't done so.

As a result, Jin Shuke's small force of fewer than two hundred men was able to sneak in so deep under the cover of the forest and then launch a "surprise" attack.

However, this charge seemed somewhat superficial. After making a few throws at the periphery of the enemy's camp, tossing a few torches, and seeing that the other side was starting to react, Jin Shuke immediately ordered a retreat.

Several units of troops immediately emerged from the military camp, totaling thousands of Savage cavalry, who chased after them.

Both sides were acting, and they were all cooperating with each other. Therefore, everything proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

Everyone seemed to be stepping onto the stage in turn, with the lighting, background, and props, all perfectly synchronized.

Inside Ming'an City, Wanda walked onto the city wall, gazing in the direction of the pursuit.

"A Langtai has already chased after them, right?"

"Yes, Chieftain."

"Hehe, pass down the order, everyone be on guard. The Yan's main force might be coming to attack the city later."

"Yes, Chieftain, by the way, Chieftain, I saw someone riding a *pixiu* in the enemy formation during the earlier attack."

"*Pixiu*?" Wanda smiled. "It seems that everything is unfolding as Geli Mu predicted. That Geli Mu, even though he's of Jin descent, his mind is indeed sharp.

Since there's someone important in that Yan army, then the Yan army's main force will probably attack fiercely. Tell the warriors to give it their all. This time, we must devour this Yan army completely beneath our Ming'an City.

That *pixiu*, and the owner of that *pixiu*, will be my gift to the King, to make up for my tribe's regret of not joining the King's ranks sooner due to hesitation.

Alas, if only I had known it would be like this, I really should have joined the King's banner sooner. My tribe would probably have had even better development. Thinking about it now, I really regret it.

Therefore, we absolutely cannot miss this opportunity!"

"Yes, Chieftain!"

………

The commotion beneath Ming'an City was like a rehearsal, or rather, a signal.

When A Langtai's tribe began their pursuit, the other three commanders of ten-thousand, who quickly received the news, immediately began to advance their troops towards the Ming'an City area, which meant compressing the Yan army's main area of activity.

Now that the fish had taken the bait, it was time to tighten the net.

Geli Mu rode his warhorse, leading his troops in a constant charge. As the encirclement continued to compress, it also meant that the probability of encountering the Yan army's main force was increasing. Therefore, from the commander of ten-thousand down to the ordinary Savage warrior, no one dared to relax even slightly, and they became even more nervous.

And this oppressive atmosphere continued until dawn. Geli Mu's heart began to sink lower and lower.

An entire night had passed, and why hadn't they encountered the Yan army's main force yet?

He didn't believe that the Yan people would have escaped. The Yan people had nearly ten thousand troops, and they were all cavalry. It would be almost impossible to escape the encirclement silently.

It wasn't until Geli Mu heard his men report that they had made contact with the outer cavalry of the other tribes that

Geli Mu took a deep breath in a somewhat panicked manner,

Because it meant that

The Yan people's main force

Was not here at all.

A surge of anger began to rise from Geli Mu's heart.

In the Savage tribe, as a "Jin person," he had always prided himself on being far more intelligent than these Savages. Only that Savage King could make him submit.

But this time, he had clearly been played!

Whether it was the traces of the Yan's main force that his own troops had been following, or the Yan's scouting vanguard's attacks on the small Savage units, or the harassment of Ming'an City, they were all laying down a smokescreen, and he had walked into the trap set by the Yan people step by step!

Immediately afterward,

A sense of fear washed over him,

Because Geli Mu had thought of something,

And that was,

The Yan people who had painstakingly set up this trap for him to walk into,

Where were they now?

……

"Ayoyo, I'm exhausted, no, I have to get down and stretch for a bit to loosen up."

General Zheng dismounted and did a few warm-up exercises.

Behind him was a vast expanse of Sheng Le knights dismounting to rest as well.

Liang Cheng stood beside Zheng Fan, his gaze sternly observing the surrounding situation.

Zheng Fan smiled and said:

"I must say, this Xuehai Pass looks quite majestic."