Chapter 1694

Xiong Tianba was unusually excited about this deep incursion behind enemy lines; he and Hu Xiaotian both changed into the clothing of the Dangyi tribe, following the guide toward the Han'erjin tribe. When they were twenty li from the Han'erjin tribe's camp, they saw the Han'erjin army had already set out; upon receiving the news, they indeed gathered their forces and advanced toward Yingjian Valley, intending to demand people from the Tali tribe and hold them accountable for harboring them. On the Ankang grasslands, the Han'erjin tribe is undoubtedly the hegemon; after Guo Guangbi withdrew to defend Jicheng, their strength has been growing day by day.

Hu Xiaotian and his two companions hid behind a grassy hill, watching the distant army marching swiftly; at their current marching speed, they would reach Yingjian Valley at the latest in three double-hours.

Xiong Tianba swallowed saliva and said, "Damn, there are so many people; it looks like more than ten thousand!"

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but worry about the situation at Yingjian Valley; although he knew Zong Tang had the ability to lead others to safety, seeing the Han'erjin army's surging, tide-like formation made his heart sink, suggesting that Hualiang's earlier estimate was overly conservative; these Dangyi tribe members excel at individual combat, and there's really no talk of any overall strategy or tactics.

The guide also understood Chinese, his family all being in the tribe, he said in a trembling voice, "Even with all of us together we number no more than ten thousand; how are we to fight this battle?" In his view, it was undoubtedly a looming disaster.

Hu Xiaotian calmly said, "They'll reach Yingjian Valley in three double-hours; we only need to disturb their nest and send a signal within one double-hour. The people you sent to the Enke tribe should already have arrived; upon receiving our signal, how long would it take the Enke tribe's two thousand warriors to storm the Han'erjin tribe's nest?"

The guide replied, "Within half a double-hour!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "All together that's no more than one and a half double-hours; the Han'erjin army probably won't even have reached Yingjian Valley before they get word that their nest is under attack, and then they will most likely turn back to protect it, naturally lifting the crisis at Yingjian Valley." This is nothing but the strategy of "besiege Wei to rescue Zhao"—taking advantage of their rear being empty to strike when they are unprepared. Such a tactic would be nothing remarkable to the schemers of the Central Plains, but for the tribes of the Ankang grasslands that prefer to solve problems with force, it is utterly unfathomable, like something ghosts and gods could not predict.

Xiong Tianba said, "We'll make it in time; even if we can't get the signal out, we'll just set their tents on fire with one blaze!" This guy has a bandit's nature deep down; there's nothing he dares not do, and he rarely considers the consequences of his actions.

By the time night fell, they had already arrived at the Han'erjin tribe's camp; the grassland tribe's camp had no boundaries, and looking out, they saw roughly over a thousand tents, a massive scale that seemed to stretch to the distant horizon. Because the Han'erjin tribe had mobilized en masse, the camp was now at its most empty; the guide, familiar with the route, led the two of them under cover of darkness into the encampment, pointing out the location of the central large tent. He then quietly left, not accompanying them inside. This was Hu Xiaotian's own suggestion, since having arrived at the site there was no need to keep the guide along—otherwise the target would be too large. Not only would it be unhelpful, it would become a burden.

After entering the camp, there was no need to worry about exposure, for they were dressed in Dangyi tribe attire; such a tribal encampment simply cannot be compared to a well-trained military camp. Not to mention strict defenses, even basic precautions were lacking.

Xiong Tianba whispered to Hu Xiaotian, "I only need to bring five hundred cavalry to level their camp."

Hu Xiaotian sent a mental transmission to him, asking, "Don't you think there are too many cows on the Ankang grasslands?"

Xiong Tianba didn't understand his meaning, looking at him with a bewildered expression.

"Will you die if you don't brag?"

Xiong Tianba's face turned purple from holding back, and after a while he muttered, "Third Uncle, could you give me some face…?"

Hu Xiaotian instead made a gesture, signaling Xiong Tianba not to speak. A patrol of night guards came toward them; the two lowered their heads and pulled down their fur caps, it seemed the Han'erjin tribe still had some vigilance. That patrol did not linger, nor did they suspect the two intruders, passing by with a gust of wind and a strong muttony odor.

Xiong Tianba felt his nose was somewhat sensitive, almost sneezing; he barely managed to hold it in, and only after the patrol had walked away did he cover his nose and let out a heavily suppressed sneeze.

Hu Xiaotian pointed to the central large tent and said to him, "You go to the livestock pen; I'll go over there to have a look."

Xiong Tianba stared for a moment, then laughed and cried, saying, "I don't want to brag anymore."

Hu Xiaotian found this guy truly hopeless, shaking his head and saying, "I'm not telling you to go brag; go over there and create chaos, drive out the livestock they've penned, to draw their attention."

Xiong Tianba then understood Hu Xiaotian's intention in sending him there, grinning and nodding, thinking to himself, "As long as I'm not being told to go brag, I'm fine." With so many cattle, if he had to blow them one by one, he'd practically work himself to death; this guy's train of thought is completely different from ordinary people's—if Hu Xiaotian could guess what he's thinking right now, he'd probably laugh till his sides split.

The two split up, Xiong Tianba heading to the horse pen to deal with the livestock, while Hu Xiaotian quietly approached the central large tent; according to the guide's earlier instructions, the central tent should be occupied by the Han'erjin tribe's chieftain Tie'er Tuo. Hu Xiaotian wasn't sure whether Tie'er Tuo had personally gone out to campaign at Yingjian Valley tonight, but if he was inside the tent, capturing him would amount to controlling the overall situation.

Just as Hu Xiaotian was about to approach the large tent, he suddenly heard a woman's harsh reprimand; he hurriedly hid, only to see a man and a woman walking over in the distance, both wearing Dangyi tribe clothing; the woman looked furious, and the other person seemed somewhat familiar—upon closer look, it was Guo Guangbi's son, Guo Shaoxiong.

Hu Xiaotian was overjoyed; it was truly a case of "wearing out one's iron shoes to find nothing, yet here it comes without effort." He had been searching everywhere for Guo Shaoxiong, never expecting to run into him here; the earlier attack on Tang Tiehan had gradually become clear—it was Guo Shaoxiong collaborating with the Han'erjin tribe—but he didn't know what this guy's purpose was.

Guo Shaoxiong stepped forward and grabbed the woman's arm, but she shook him off violently, then raised her hand and gave him a hard slap, shouting angrily, "Beast! You actually tried to seduce my maid while I was away!"

From their conversation, Hu Xiaotian had already inferred the woman's identity; she was likely the daughter of chieftain Tie'er Tuo, Chajin Kecha, and she and Guo Shaoxiong had already entered into a Marriage Pact, which in a sense was also a marriage alliance, through which the two had become more closely united.

Hu Xiaotian secretly amused, it seemed Guo Shaoxiong had certainly been caught red-handed cheating by Chajin Kecha, spilling the vinegar jar, and was now looking for an excuse to vent his frustration.

Guo Shaoxiong, no mild-tempered either, after taking a slap, grabbed Chajin Kecha's arm with one hand and raised his right hand.

Chajin Kecha snapped, "What do you want?" As the chieftain's daughter, her nature was also extremely arrogant and domineering.

Guo Shaoxiong forcibly suppressed his anger, gritted his teeth and lowered his hand, saying through clenched teeth, "I won't stoop to your level."

Chajin Kecha coldly said, "If it weren't for my father forcing me, I would never have agreed to marry you; just wait—when my father returns victorious, I'll tell him about your disgraceful deeds and I will dissolve our Marriage Pact!" Having said that, she turned and flung her sleeve as she left.

Guo Shaoxiong watched Chajin Kecha's retreating back, his eyes blazing with anger; he turned and went to a nearby tent, looked around to make sure no one was following, then lifted the flap and entered.

Hu Xiaotian secretly wondered, could this guy be hiding a woman in that tent? If so, he'd really have to admire his boldness. Hu Xiaotian quietly approached the tent; a full moon rose in the night sky, its bright moonlight like liquid mercury pouring onto the ground, illuminating the entire camp exceptionally brightly. Hu Xiaotian found a suitable spot to avoid exposing his presence, yet he heard Guo Shaoxiong's voice from inside the tent, speaking resentfully: "That lowly woman, I wish I could kill her with a single slash!"

From inside came an old voice saying, "Unable to endure minor hardship leads to ruin of great plans."

Hu Xiaotian's heart jolted; this voice was clearly that of the evil monk Bu Wu. He hadn't expected that after he had gouged out Bu Wu's eyes, the monk would have fled here—or perhaps Bu Wu had been hiding in the Han'erjin tribe all along; in fact, Hu Xiaotian should have realized this earlier, since when the Han'erjin tribe had tried to block and kill them, Bu Wu had appeared there.

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought, you escaped from me in the ancient fortress before, but today I will absolutely not let you get away from my grasp again.

Guo Shaoxiong said, "Senior, I've done everything you asked me to do, and I've brought Hu Xiaotian to you; when will you give me the antidote?"

Bu Wu let out a grating laugh and said, "Why be in a hurry? For the time being your life is not in danger; just be patient and wait until my wounds heal, then we'll talk."

From their conversation, Hu Xiaotian understood that Guo Shaoxiong had originally been threatened by Bu Wu, who must have given him poison to take, thereby forcing him to act against Tang Tiehan; Hu Xiaotian silently cursed, realizing that Bu Wu was indeed the mastermind behind all this.

At that moment, a fire lit up in the distance, accompanied by the frightened cries of livestock; Hu Xiaotian looked over and saw flames shooting up from the horse pen, with countless cattle and horses bursting out of the enclosure—clearly Xiong Tianba had succeeded.

Inside the tent, Guo Shaoxiong and Bu Wu also heard the commotion outside; Guo Shaoxiong said, "Senior, please wait a moment, I'll go check it out."

As he lifted the tent flap and was about to step out, a punch suddenly struck his face out of nowhere, knocking Guo Shaoxiong flat on his back; then, with the speed of thunder before one can cover one's ears, he rushed inside, aimed at Bu Wu's position, and delivered a sword strike that split him.

After losing his eyes, Bu Wu had no choice but to rely on his hearing, which had been honed over more than thirty years of imprisonment and was even sharper than the eyes he had transplanted. (To be continued~^~)