The defeat was swift and devastating! When the golden wolf banner fell and the Tang banner rose, the blow to the wolf clan was immense. Many wolves began fleeing out of the tribe.

Wolves are cunning, ferocious, and vengeful! They like to attack prey in packs, but when faced with an opponent more ferocious and powerful than themselves, wolves often run faster than anyone else, never caring about the life or death of their companions. Because when hungry, their companions are also prey!

The rout begins, and what awaits is a relentless pursuit! The pursuit must continue, and as many survivors as possible must be killed; otherwise, if they escape and regroup, they will cause considerable trouble.

Seeing that the situation was settled, Qin Mu led the Cheng sisters, who were exhausted but still excited, into the Wolf Clan Elder Hall.

"These wolves! They're so luxurious!" Cheng Lin exclaimed, looking around.

"Wow!" Xiangli Yanran, who usually only likes to eat, couldn't help but run over and touch this and that.

The grand hall, gleaming with gold, was furnished with twelve gleaming golden couches, each covered with white tiger skins and black bear skins.

It's decorated like that of a wealthy oil tycoon; although it's tacky, it's undeniably enviable.

"Tear it down! Tear it all down!" Qin Mu said with a big wave of his hand and a grin.

"Ha ha!"

"Haha!" Many people laughed excitedly and then rushed to various corners of the main hall. Many of them were from the Six Doors and were experts at confiscating property, and they also knew that Qin Mu would not mistreat them.

With a loud thud, a head fell to the center of the hall, rolled a few times on the ground, and came to a stop, revealing a face with its eyes wide open in death.

Qin Mu looked at Fang Yi'ai and saw that the guy had found a long, double-edged axe from somewhere and was smiling smugly. His face was covered in messy marks, which were probably splattered blood that he had wiped off.

That must be the wolf clan's ceremonial weapon. As their strength increased, some of them preferred to switch to heavier weapons. Qin Mu, of course, didn't care about that. He walked over, smiled, and patted Fang Yi'ai on the shoulder as a reward. Fang Yi'ai smiled even more broadly.

"That guy is this elder's bodyguard! Luckily, Yi'ai helped, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to take him down." Bu Mang walked out carrying his half-broken scimitar, leaving an elderly wolf clansman behind, and said.

Bu Mang's set of Earth-grade leather armor was cleaved in two from chest to abdomen by a sharp weapon, with faint traces of blood on his chest. Qin Mu rushed forward, gently pulled open the clothes, and took a look before letting out a sigh of relief. He found that Bu Mang only had his skin cut open, and although it looked bloody and mangled, the problem wasn't serious.

Qin Mu took out the wound medicine made by Han Chen and applied it to him before looking at the old wolf clan member curled up on the ground.

"Two men, take them away and interrogate them! Yanran, take your men and dig out the entire secret chamber! Yi'ai, come with me up the mountain, we're going to dismantle the wolf god on the mountain!" Qin Mu shouted the order.

"Great!" Xiangli Yanran exclaimed excitedly, then led the two members of the Xiangli family towards the back hall.

With time running out and the mission heavy, Qin Mu, along with Fang Yi'ai and twenty constables, rushed towards the summit of Golden Wolf Mountain.

Golden Wolf Mountain is actually a small mountain range. Although it cannot be called a mountain range, there are continuous large mountains behind it. It is named Golden Wolf Mountain because the mountain peaks resemble the head of a wolf howling to the sky, and it is regarded as a sacred mountain and ancestral home by the wolf clan.

The Wolf God Temple is actually not very large, including the outer sacrificial square, which is full of primitive style, with many wolf stone sculptures standing along the way.

A golden wolf, three meters tall and five meters long, was howling at the sky. Qin Mu glanced at it, then waved his hand and put it away. Seeing that there were no other good things, he threw out a few blacksmith's hammers and told Fang Yi'ai and the others to smash it.

Amidst the resounding thuds, Qin Mu wielded his bronze sword and carved the words "Qin Huaidao of the Great Tang Dynasty was here" on a pillar at the entrance of the sacrificial hall. He then carved "In the second year of Zhenguan, 6,103 men of the Great Tang Dynasty captured the Golden Wolf Guard" on another pillar as a memento.

After looking at it, Qin Mu nodded in satisfaction, and then led Fang Yi'ai and the others down the mountain. Along the way, they smashed the wolf stone carvings, leaving behind some statues missing heads and legs.

Once they came down the mountain, the killing had basically stopped; everyone was either healing their companions or looting the spoils of war.

The three hundred spiritual cultivator constables had been digging for medicinal herbs with Han Chen for a while. Qin Mu had asked Han Chen to teach them how to treat wounds, so they were all currently treating their companions.

The battle hadn't lasted long, only about two hours so far, and the casualties mainly came from Cheng Huaimo's attack on the Golden Wolf Guard camp. The Golden Wolf Guard, as expected of an elite force, even when caught off guard, still managed to kill over a hundred soldiers and wound more than three hundred.

On Yuchi Baolin's side, the casualties were even greater, mainly due to the larger number of wounded, as there were more people from the guardian tribe there.

Nearly a thousand people were injured and were receiving treatment, while the prisoners were being forced to move things. After all, for such a large tribe, it would be too slow to move things with just a few thousand people.

Qin Mu was the busiest of all, running from the Elders' Hall to the granary, barracks, and storehouses! The guard tribe also had storehouses, and the homes of those who looked like nobles were also being ransacked by the soldiers.

Having spent some time with Qin Mu and his group, I had already learned from others that they were very generous, and their subordinates received a substantial reward for anything they captured. So no one wanted to miss out, since there were very few places like this where gemstones were inlaid on the gate.

Based on the itinerary, Qin Mu estimated they could stay here for two days, so he didn't dampen the soldiers' enthusiasm, as long as the wounded were properly cared for. As for the fallen soldiers, he could only take their ashes back. After all, Qin Mu felt somewhat uneasy about putting the bodies into the Heavenly Mystery Tower, mainly because there was too much stuff, and the Heavenly Mystery Tower was almost full.

This represents the accumulated wealth of a large tribe over countless years, and the elders' hall was also renovated with great effort by the wolf clan. The most crucial element, however, is the warehouses, where jewels are piled up like mountains.

Don't underestimate the wolf clan just because they are poor. They don't have much food, but they have plenty of minerals and herbs. Herbs are as numerous as stars on the grasslands. Although most of them are short-lived, there are still many precious ones.

For Han Chen, it was like a mouse falling into a rice jar, surrounded by an endless supply of food. The herbs were not only enough to treat the wounded, but he had also specially selected some to prepare a formula to nourish everyone. As for his mounts, after a period of unconscious nurturing, he discovered that the herbs were equally effective for them.

The mount that had taken the diluted pills had incredible stamina. After observing it, he discovered that not only its stamina, but also its physical strength and other aspects had improved.

"It's said that many of these medicinal herbs were gathered from behind Golden Wolf Mountain. It would be great if we had time to go in and take a look. The wolf clan doesn't know their value, and a lot of them are wasted," Han Chen sighed with a hint of regret.

"No way! We don't have time! We'll loot everything tomorrow morning and leave this afternoon!" Qin Mu said, gnawing on a lamb leg. After the fight, he had been constantly on the move, even with a mount, he was incredibly busy and, like everyone else, had only eaten breakfast in the morning.

"Haha!" Han Chen knew that what he said was impossible, so he laughed out loud, shook his head, and raised the water bag.

Everywhere was filled with laughter and joy, and the campfires illuminated excited faces; the only discordant element was the former Golden Wolf Guard camp, where many prisoners were held.

"Hey Huai Dao, why keep those prisoners around? We'll have to keep watch over them tonight!" Cheng Huai Mo walked over, plopped down, and said with some dissatisfaction.

"Let them demolish the house tomorrow!" Qin Mu said with a smile.

"Hehe! That's a good idea, let's wipe them out completely!" Xi Junmai chuckled from the side. This guy, his twin swords broke, so he followed Fang Yiai's example and found a double-edged axe, which he was now holding dearly on his lap.

Through interrogation, it was confirmed that the double-edged axe was indeed a ritual implement used in the Elders' Hall for sacrifices, forged entirely from meteorite, and there were only four of them. Not only was it heavy, but it was also extremely sharp; the remaining two, Xin Liao'er and Bu Mang's weapons, were broken, so they took them to use.

"We need to get those prisoners to milk some more goat milk so they can drink it on the road!" Yuchi Baolin said, taking a jar from the fire and pouring the white liquid from the jar into a bowl.

“You’re such a grown man, still drinking milk, aren’t you ashamed! I’ll find you two wet nurses when we get back to Chang’an,” Cheng Huaimo said with disdain to Yuchi Baolin.

“This goat milk is indeed a good thing. It’s beneficial to drink it long-term, especially for children. It’s a pity that it can’t be stored for a long time,” Qin Mu said.

"See that!" Upon hearing Qin Mu's words, Yuchi Baolin smiled smugly at Cheng Huaimo, picked up the bowl, and drank.

"When I get back, I'll try making milk powder," Qin Mu said with a smile, feeling a little smug that he had found another business opportunity. Unfortunately, no one echoed his words, because everyone knew that Qin Mu wouldn't forget them when there were benefits, so they were too lazy to ask.

"I never imagined that I would spend the night on Golden Wolf Mountain in my lifetime! I have no regrets even if I die now!" Feng Duan said as he lay down and looked at the starry sky.

"Hehe! We're still young. Let's save this idea for when we're old!" Yuchi Baolin said with a smile.

"I wonder how the war is going?" Princess Changning nestled beside Qin Mu, gazing at the distant darkness.

"I don't know! They must be locked in a fierce battle right now." Qin Mu guessed, calculating the time.

"It's a pity I can't participate in this great battle involving millions of people!" Yuchi Baolin said regretfully.

"Come on, with so few of us, what good would it do to stay? Why not just agree to this now!" Cheng Huaimo retorted.

"Let's hurry, maybe we can finish in time!" Feng Duan said with a smile.

"Hehe! When we go back this time, the old man will definitely be very envious. He's never had such a glorious moment in his life!" Yuchi Baolin said with a smile.

……………

The topic Qin Mu and the others were discussing was correct; the war was indeed raging. Fighting was taking place in places like Yuyang and Juyong Pass, with the fiercest battle occurring in Shengzhou. This was thanks to the intelligence they had sent back, which had established the wolf clan's main attack direction early on.

This was the first time the wolf army had mobilized its entire force and failed to capture a single pass. In the past, when the wolf army attacked, many places would often be breached, and they would eventually have to rely on the defense of cities to slowly wear down the enemy and find an opportunity to defeat them.

"Governor Zhang, we really owe you all this time. Not only was the information timely, but the preparations were also so thorough." On the hillside, under the last rays of the sun, looking at the wolf clan retreating in disarray, the refined Li Jing smiled and said.

Shuozhou had prepared a large amount of grain, arrows, and javelins, which was the reason it was able to hold out easily in the first few days of the war. They also had ballistae—a hundred of them—transported from Shuofang, which caused the Wolf Clan considerable trouble. Although Shuozhou's preparations were nothing compared to those of Shengzhou and Fengzhou, this was still extra preparation for war.

Logistics can never keep up with the advance. Upon learning the direction of the wolf tribe's main attack, the imperial army immediately mobilized, including troops from Shuozhou, and went directly to the front lines. Ample supplies halted the wolf tribe's initial frenzied attack. Now that all the supplies had arrived, Li Jing could be said to be full of confidence.

"This is all thanks to Huai Dao. He has Mo family members under his command who always organize the people to do things in their spare time. To be honest, before the war started, I didn't expect him to have made so many preparations. I wonder how they are doing now!" Zhang Gongjin frowned and shook his head slightly.

He was, of course, unaware that Qin Mu's concerns about the wolf tribe invading the pass meant that those supplies were preparations for defending Shuofang. Shuofang Prefecture now had nearly 300,000 people, mostly elderly, weak, women, and children, but they were capable enough to help make arrows and shafts. Therefore, a million arrow shafts were transported from Shuofang, along with 50,000 crossbow bolts. Although made of wood, the power of the crossbows still killed many wolves.

"Don't worry! Qin Huaidao is clever and resourceful. Since he dared to do that, he must be confident," Li Jing reassured him. As the commander-in-chief, although he was also worried, reason prevented him from thinking about taking a few thousand men.

“But they are just a group of children,” Zhang Gongjin said with a distressed expression.

“I’d forgotten that little guy is half a year younger than my eldest son.” Li Jing paused for a moment, then stroked his short beard and sighed.

"Alas! Yes! Nothing the little fellow has done is like a child's act. I am not as good as him in governing a region, nor am I as daring as him in warfare. I truly hope they return safely," Zhang Gongjin said with a sigh.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Gongjin gave Qin Mu such high praise. Li Jing glanced at him and said, "Don't worry, if my calculations are correct, those little guys will definitely advance along the Yinshan Mountains, and at the crucial moment they will be able to enter the mountains. Based on this timeline, they should be in the mountains outside Juyong Pass, and they will be able to return after the war ends."

"I hope so! I don't know what the wolf clan is thinking. They've suffered a great loss, yet they still keep attacking relentlessly," Zhang Gongjin said, suppressing his anxiety.

"Hehe! Ashina Duobi thought we lacked supplies, so he wanted to take us all at once. He lost tens of thousands of elite troops in two consecutive days. That's a lesson he should learn. He won't be so reckless tomorrow," Li Jing said with a smile.

Zhang Gongjin immediately understood. After more than ten days of attacking, the wolf tribe discovered that the human tribe's arrows, which had been decreasing, had suddenly increased. They assumed it was their last remaining supply and launched a fierce attack. However, for two consecutive days, the number of arrows fired from the Great Wall did not decrease at all, which made him realize that the Tang Dynasty was still well-prepared.

"Ashina Duobi is being somewhat irrational! Why isn't he withdrawing his troops in this situation?" Zhang Gongjin said with a puzzled look.

“No! He will drag this out. Ashina Duobi is far inferior to his father and brother, and at the same time, he is eager to surpass them. So he will definitely find a way to continue the attack. This is also our opportunity!” Li Jing shook his head slightly and said with certainty, his eyes gleaming. He had obviously already calculated the wolf clan’s actions.