Chapter 75: Running Away or Luring?

Huiye, who had been rescued by Lu, instantly entered a combat state, shielding the relatively weaker Lu behind a shield as they retreated; the other tribesmen also discovered that someone was launching a sneak attack and likewise raised their shields to prepare to defend against the enemy.

Xiong was the commander-in-chief of the operation, directing the overall battle. He had Chi lead the shield-bearing Soldiers to stand in a Platoon to block the front, while the other Soldiers stood behind with bows, ready to attack.

Stones flew over continuously like rain, clattering loudly against the Bamboo Shields; some of the bamboo on the shields was smashed, but fortunately, they did not fall apart.

After several rounds of stone rain, no more stones flew over. Xiong and his men stood in battle formation behind the shields, waiting for a decisive battle, but they did not see the enemy attacking through the gaps in the shields.

Xiong pulled his bow to full draw and fired an Arrow in the direction from which the stones had flown; a scream rang out immediately. Xiong knew he had hit someone and waited to see if the enemy would come out.

After several rounds of throwing stones, Heichang discovered that he still hadn't hit anyone, mainly because they were all blocked by the bamboo they had raised. Seeing that his most effective Weapon had yielded no results, and that all the stones he could find nearby had been thrown—while the stones in the bag at his waist were for use during pursuit, not for this kind of situation—

Heichang ordered a pause in the attack, waiting for the other side to put down the bamboo. Whether they attacked or fled, as long as they weren't blocked by the bamboo, he would have a chance.

Suddenly, an Arrow whistled through the air and shot into a tribesman's abdomen, nearly piercing through. The tribesman screamed incessantly. Seeing that he was beyond saving, and to avoid exposing more people, Heichang chopped off his head with a Knife, and the sound ceased instantly.

After hearing a few screams, Xiong heard nothing more. Having detected nothing, he fired another Arrow in the same direction, but this time it seemed he hadn't hit anyone, as no sound came back.

Xiong dared not be careless, so he had everyone gradually retreat, intending to run back to the tribe first. These people were almost the strongest fighting force of the entire tribe; if they were lost here, the tribe would be in even greater danger.

Moreover, it was unclear how many people the other side had, and his hundred-odd men were not enough. Therefore, the people holding shields in front became the rearguard, retreating while holding their Shields. The other tribesmen put away their bows and switched to Changdao; they took the prey they could carry and abandoned what they couldn't. Once the distance was greater and the power of the stones vanished, they would put away their Shields and run at full speed.

Just after Heichang killed a tribesman, the others smelled the scent of blood and began to feel manic and restless; regardless of whether it was their own tribesman, they all wanted to crowd around and lick the blood spurting from the neck.

Fortunately, the dripping Changdao had a strong deterrent effect; after one swing, the restless tribesmen retreated, leaving an empty space.

Just as Heichang turned to observe the enemy's movements, another Arrow flew toward his previous position, missed, and stuck into the distance.

Everyone in the Zhique Tribe gasped; it was fortunate that it hadn't hit just now, or another person might have died.

However, Heichang had not expected the bow to have such great power. The bows he had seen before were like children's toys—not only were they strenuous to pull, but they couldn't shoot far, were slow to load, and the Arrows were hard to make; if you shot one and couldn't find it, it was a waste.

Therefore, Heichang had always looked down on the bow as a Weapon. How could it be as useful as a Sling? Stones were everywhere; you just had to wrap one in a rope, swing it around a few times, and throw it out.

Although he had long been lying in ambush and clearly saw that they only had a hundred or so people, and his own men were more than twice their number—what was there to fear? —these two powerful Arrows made him want to retreat. After all, his own life was more important.

Thus, Heichang retreated slightly and divided his men into three parts. The left and right groups would secretly circle around through the forest to flank them, while the middle group would attract attention and also serve as the frontal assault force. However, Heichang himself was there to supervise and command; charging into the fray first was out of the question.

If they didn't manage to surround them and they ran away, it didn't matter; chasing fleeing people was more fun. Whether throwing a Spear or a stone, it was easier to hit people, and they could also follow them to find the location of their tribe.

Xiong and his men were still retreating slowly, but sharp-eyed Soldiers noticed slight movements in the bushes on both sides in the distance. Xiong knew things were bad; the enemy was coming to flank them, and daring to use this tactic meant their numbers must far exceed his own.

He immediately ordered everyone to stop retreating quietly and instead withdraw rapidly, and not to scatter. The people in the back holding Shields should carry them on their backs—do not throw them away; they were for saving their lives.

After giving clear instructions, everyone began to run with all their might. Fortunately, they were familiar with this area, and the withdrawal was orderly, with no one getting lost.

Now they had to hurry to the tribe. The tribe had city walls that could protect them. In the words of the Tribal Chief, the only ones who could break through their tribe now were those large tribes of tens of thousands; small tribes didn't have the ability, nor could they afford to lose that many people.

The Fishing Team also had nearly a hundred people, equally well-armed, but the two groups were in different locations. They could only have the fastest tribesmen run to Dahu immediately to notify them to drop all work and hurry back to the tribe.

The men of the Heichang Tribe who were flanking from both sides discovered that the prey had started to run urgently and were about to flee, so they all paused, wanting to wait for the Tribal Chief to give the order. But the Tribal Chief was not by their side, and they didn't know what to do.

Heichang heard the sound of fleeing and had the nearby Soldiers stand up to take a look. Discovering that the prey had indeed started to run frantically, he stood up himself, let out a loud shout, and charged down to begin the pursuit.

Hearing the Tribal Chief start to charge, the other tribesmen also let out strange cries and shouts as they charged down, no longer hiding their movements as before. When pursuing, one must be loud and imposing to have a deterrent effect; this could boost their own morale and also frighten the prey, making their footsteps chaotic and their ranks scattered. This was a trick they used with great success.

The people of the Baifeng Tribe heard the sounds of pursuit coming from behind, but they didn't dare look back. One by one, they truly panicked; their footsteps were no longer steady, and their ranks began to fall into disorder.

Most of them were people who had never experienced war, so it was normal to be afraid. At this time, Xiong began to soothe everyone, taking the initiative to slow down and stay at the back to cover the retreat and command the group.

Xiong also turned his head quickly to observe behind him. There were indeed far more of them than his own group, but he also saw many women in their ranks. It seemed this was a tribe where both men and women were soldiers, unlike their own tribe, which was composed almost entirely of men.

This put Xiong at ease. This was likely all of them. The people of the Baifeng Tribe were far more numerous than them; as long as they lured them to the tribe, not only would they be safe, but they would also have a chance to kill all these savages and avenge the dead tribesmen.