Chapter 1602: Seizing Xingtian's Grain

Running in the direction pointed out by that person, they saw a row of tents set up quite carefully; pulling them open to look, inside was food stored in pottery jars and ramie cloth bags, and judging by the quantity, it was quite substantial—this was undoubtedly the stored grain of the Xingtian tribe.

The people around were fighting the fire, because they were afraid the fire would ignite the grain storehouse, which would leave them with no food to eat and they would surely starve to death; as a result, the moment they turned their heads, they saw Shaoyin and his men, fully armed.

In an instant, they understood that these Huaxia people had come to seize their food and must not be allowed to succeed, so they shouted loudly, calling over the few soldiers remaining in the camp.

Shaoyin understood how critical time was and dared not delay, as Xingtian might return at any moment, so he gave the order: "Kill anyone holding a weapon!"

Immediately, they began to attack indiscriminately; not only those holding weapons, but even those without them, as long as they were close by, would receive a slash of the knife. They had gone completely berserk, but this was all because time was short.

Until they had killed until no one nearby dared to approach, and at most a few scrawny men held wooden sticks in the distance as a deterrent, no one dared to make any move.

Shaoyin felt the knife in his hand was so slippery he could barely hold it; taking advantage of the moment, he had his men move quickly, carrying away as much of the food here as they could.

They did not take the wild vegetables, focusing only on the meat and grass seeds; the wild vegetables just took up space and didn't amount to much anyway.

The soldiers, holding knives in one hand and food in the other, soon snatched away a small half of the food in the Xingtian tribe's camp. The women of the Xingtian tribe sat on the ground crying, watching helplessly as their food was taken away, yet they dared not step forward; anyone who dared to get close would absolutely be killed.

Just as Shaoyin and his men were preparing to make another trip, they heard the sounds of battle cries coming from afar, getting closer and closer; they knew this was the soldiers of the Xingtian tribe rushing back.

Taking one last look at the location of the Xingtian tribe's grain storehouse, Shaoyin made an immediate decision: "Don't go back for more; their main force is back. Be careful not to get surrounded and be unable to escape!"

Shaoyin's guess was correct. When there were no soldiers, the women were powerless; they were afraid and dared not resist. But with the Tribal Chief bringing all the soldiers back, these women and slaves grew bolder and began to think of counterattacking. If they returned this time, they might really get surrounded, and if they couldn't get away in time, once Xingtian returned, this group of theirs would likely be in danger.

Under Shaoyin's signal, the rafts loaded with grain slowly left the shore. This time, the Phylum returned fully loaded; there was almost no loss, only gains, and they had dealt a considerable blow to the Xingtian tribe, forcing Xingtian to return to provide support, which provided great help to the attacks by Xuanyuan and his men.

Just at this moment, a person looking like a slave of the Xingtian tribe actually disregarded everything and began to rush toward the water. Everyone immediately picked up their spears, preparing to stab him to death.

But after hearing the sound of that person calling out, Yinglong immediately raised his hand to stop them and said with great disbelief: "Zhou?!!"

"Tribal Chief! It's me! Tribal Chief!"

"Quick, quick, quick! Let him up, let him up!"

"Tribal Chief! Wuwuwuwuwu! It really is you, Tribal Chief!"

Shaoyin was completely bewildered; he truly had not expected to see such a scene of reunion here. It turned out that this Zhou was a former tribesman of Yinglong, an important soldier under his command, but after their tribe was conquered by Xingtian, they had lost contact, and the result was nothing more than two possibilities: either they became slaves or they died.

But becoming a slave was actually still a good outcome, like Zhou, who could actually encounter his former Tribal Chief under these circumstances and defect back to him.

Yinglong also comforted him: "I have now joined the Xuanyuan Tribe and am a Leader under Tribal Chief Xuanyuan. You were my soldier before, and you are still my soldier now. After we return, I will speak with Tribal Chief Xuanyuan to make you a Free Person and have you serve as a soldier under me again!"

"Good, Tribal Chief! I will listen to everything you say!"

Yinglong glanced at Shaoyin, and Shaoyin hurriedly waved his hand: "Decide that yourself; he is your subordinate, your former tribesman. I think our King won't concern himself with such matters."

"Good!"

Having dealt with this small interlude, Shaoyin had his men prepare again. From their current position, they could still continue to attack; if Xingtian could run back, then they could still continue to throw bombs.

And as for Xingtian, he had been fighting well, but then he heard explosions in his own camp; how could he not be terrified? Although he didn't know how the Huaxia had managed to get behind him right under his nose, as soon as he heard the sound of bombs, he began to worry.

The bombs themselves had great power, and the attack didn't require many people. Moreover, the Xingtian tribe's camp was now almost empty, with few soldiers; facing the well-equipped soldiers of the Huaxia Xuanyuan Tribe, they had absolutely no advantage, and it was easy to have their home completely wiped out.

So this was the reason Xingtian was rushing back in such a hurry. If a major problem occurred at the camp, then they might as well stop camping here and fighting, and just hurry back to Changyang Mountain.

They were retreating rapidly, and Xingtian, who was behind them, was biting at their heels, not letting go at all. After such a long pursuit, Xingtian was a bit tired from running, but Xuanyuan had no intention of stopping, determined to force Xingtian into a desperate situation.

Xingtian saw the fire rising in his camp, and his heart already began to feel uneasy. He had made a wrong decision this time; he hoped he wouldn't bury his own tribe just because of this one move. If he lost, it basically meant the Shennong Clan would lose.

Xingtian appeared to pretend he knew nothing, but he was actually clearer than anyone about the current situation of the Shennong Clan. All the combat power was almost concentrated in the hands of his Xingtian tribe. Although other tribes had not yet said they were defecting from the Shennong Clan, if they encountered a situation like this where they were being exterminated and the Shennong Clan was being replaced, they might really stand by and watch. Why was he so loyal to the Shennong Clan? It was because everything was favorable to him, Xingtian. If Xingtian's situation were the same as the other tribes, would Xingtian be so enthusiastically acting as a hired thug for Shennong?

Looking at his camp, Shennong imagined the miserable future of the Shennong Clan in an instant. If the Huaxia and the Xuanyuan Tribe hadn't even used their full strength yet and could continue to send troops, even if they retreated to defend Changyang Mountain, they would likely be unable to escape the outcome of destruction.

Xingtian's current hope was that his camp could still be saved, that the food could still be preserved, and that they could beat back the enemy tonight; if that were the case, there would still be a slight possibility of continuing.