Chapter 52: Dullard Wu, Who Blocks the Path and Grabs the Horse

Campfire smoke and dust drifted through the air as the horses drank from the mountain hollow.

"If I remember correctly, once we cross that ridge ahead, we should reach Zamu Lake," Siyu explained. "Zamu Lake is a non-freezing lake; even in the dead of winter, the water within remains warm. Therefore, every late autumn, some tribes in the southern grasslands come here to camp. Zamu Lake is dotted with numerous small bodies of water and is also an ideal place for recruiting soldiers."

Chen An could clearly sense the sorrow in Siyu's voice as she spoke.

Times had changed and people had departed; if the Yuling Tribe had not met with disaster, she would probably be with her own family right now.

"Are you alright..." Chen An lowered his voice to comfort her.

"Yes, I'm fine," Siyu gave an affirmative reply. "Rest assured, until I have taken complete revenge, I will not break down."

"Xiao Gui, come over here."

"What is it?"

"We cannot afford to stretch the battle lines of our six-hundred-man force too thin. Before departure, I spoke with Zhang Juzhong, and he told me that the snowstorms on the grasslands this year will arrive earlier than usual. Therefore, our focus must still remain on the ordinary logistical supplies of the Jiuli Tribe. Although the Jiuli Tribe comes and goes like the wind, if they wish to march south, they cannot do without logistical supplies and siege ladders. With so much equipment, they cannot carry it all on their persons."

"Don't worry, I have already dispatched six or seven scouts to track them along the route. We should have news returning very soon."

Chen An, Siyu, and Xiao Gui gathered around the map, discussing their next destination.

"According to our current speed, I estimate we should reach the shores of Zamu Lake by sunset tomorrow."

"Reporting! Fifty li ahead, an enemy cavalry force has been spotted, numbering around three hundred."

A scout reined in his horse to deliver the message.

"What is their nature? What banner are they flying?"

"They are elite cavalry, flying a black banner with a white bear!"

"It is the He Dahe Tribe!" Siyu said with a gloomy voice.

"What is the quality of their equipment and training?" Xiao Gui inquired.

"The He Dahe Tribe worships strength. Children who are young or disabled are abandoned in their infancy, so the tribe's population is very small, but their combat capability is formidable."

Siyu said through gritted teeth, "Because the people of He Dahe are single-mindedly devoted to warfare, they rarely herd livestock. The Jiuli Tribe hires them at a high price, providing them with food and supplies so they can fight. To put it bluntly, these people are merely the running dogs of the Jiuli Tribe."

As for Xiao Gui, he did not harbor the deep hatred that Siyu did. Being realistic, he persuaded, "If that's the case, these fellows might be tough nuts to crack. Perhaps we should drop this for now. We are deep in enemy territory alone; let's not end up trapping ourselves."

Unexpectedly, Chen An stood on Siyu's side this time: "Pick the soft persimmons? Only pinch the soft ones? If we want a fight, we go after these little bastards. So what if they are elite? I specialize in beating elites! Order an immediate halt to rest, and flank them from the sides."

......

The He Dahe Tribe.

The commander, Wuliange, sat alone by the campfire, eating a massive roasted sheep leg.

Standing eight feet tall, he was a renowned warrior of the He Dahe Tribe, and for this reason, he had been crowned with the title of the Prairie Eagle.

The task assigned to him by the Jiuli Tribe this time was to patrol the grasslands—wasn't this like forcing Zhang Fei to do embroidery?

"Real men don't go to war, yet they patrol their own territory like dogs? What a waste!" Wuliange muttered to himself, violently tearing off a large chunk of meat before taking a huge gulp of wine. "If only an opponent would show up right now."

Just as his voice fell, a flock of birds suddenly burst out from the distant underbrush.

Even under the cover of night, it was still possible to tell they were startled into flapping and leaping about in panic.

"Someone's there!"

Despite the numbing effects of the alcohol, years of licking blood from the blade of a knife still allowed Wuliange to spring up from the ground. Without a moment's hesitation, he mounted his horse, turned around, and roared angrily, "Which little bastards dare to come to my territory?"

The sudden roar triggered temporary chaos.

The cry announcing the arrival of the enemy prompted the men of He Dahe to mount their horses instantly.

Years of warfare allowed the men of the He Dahe Tribe to stabilize quickly; the wolves of the grasslands always slept with one eye open.

"Rumble..."

Even so, the He Dahe Tribe felt a hint of anxiety merely at the sound of the rumbling rising from the distant ground.

Black dots like a tidal wave leaped out across the grassland, with Chen An charging at the very forefront.

Wuliange waved his command flag and shouted furiously, "The sheep have come! Everyone, time to eat meat!"

The six hundred men of the Tiger Character Camp formed a wedge formation, driving like a sharp awl into the left and right flanks of the He Dahe Tribe.

"Prepare the Zhuge Crossbows!"

Xiao Gui raised his hand halfway, then brought it down fiercely.

The new weapon caught Wuliange completely off guard.

Dense volleys of crossbow bolts soared into the air, falling into the He Dahe ranks like a sickle.

The modified arrowheads clearly pierced through the enemy's vanguard.

"Don't panic, don't panic! Counterattack!"

Having suffered an initial loss, Wuliange quickly adjusted his mindset.

Even Chen An could feel that compared to these fierce steppe warriors, those local ruffians and scoundrels who only knew how to cheat and steal were simply absolute trash.

Arrows whistled continuously through the air, and after two rounds of charges, casualties soon appeared.

Corpses from the Tiger Character Camp also kept falling into the yellow sand, but relying on sheer numbers and the Zhuge Crossbows, they managed to suppress the He Dahe tribesmen for the time being.

Realizing his miscalculation, Wuliange had no choice but to fall back to his next option: "Prepare to charge the formation!"

A displeased Wuliange only now realized that the incoming force far exceeded his imagination.

"Surround the gap! Prepare the javelins!"

The short-spear infantry lowered their bodies, hunched over on horseback, and hurled their weapons with fierce force.

A leading He Dahe warrior, his eyes wide with fury, swung his saber toward a newly recruited soldier of the Tiger Character Camp.

"Crack!"

The very moment he raised his saber, that short javelin came hurtling straight at his face.

It entered through his eye socket and drove straight into his skull, sending blood splashing everywhere.

The new recruit of the Tiger Character Camp looked back, only to hear Chen An shouting harshly, "Don't just stand there, go help!"

Compared to Xiao Gui's long-range attacks and close-quarters kills, Wu Daizi's offensive style appeared rather dull.

Every time the hundred-plus-pound wolf-tooth club in his hands came crashing down, several enemy soldiers would fall.

A fine steed charged fiercely toward him.

An ordinary person would certainly have tried to dodge, but Wu Daizi showed not a shred of fear.

Instead, he suddenly raised his hand, reined in his warhorse, waited for the precise moment, and pulled with all his might.

Man and horse actually crashed down heavily to the ground!

Such a brutal and crude move left even Wuliange, who prided himself on his strength, staring in shock and dismay.

"Get out of my way!!"

Wu Daizi hoisted the wolf-tooth club high and swung it fiercely.

A piercing, miserable whinny echoed across the battlefield.

The iron spikes tore open the horse's belly, and a rain of blood immediately burst forth.

The cavalryman of the He Dahe Tribe who had been sitting in the saddle a second earlier was instantly flung off, crashing face-first into a muddy puddle with half his face missing.

"You brat, come and test your skills against me!"

Wuliange closed the distance in three strides, charging straight toward him!