On the other side, Dian and his men had been paddling a raft along the river for more than half an hour before quietly going ashore.
They could have landed halfway. There was a landing spot there, but they had blocked it with a sleight of hand. Going up there and then around to the front gate would have cut the journey in half the time.
But the electricity wasn't going to go to the front door.
The snow was so thick that it crunched underfoot, making it impossible to move quietly. If they went to the front gate, they would easily run into the enemy and alert them. He didn't have many people with him, so if the enemy had more people, they would not be able to return.
He brought people out to gather information, not to die.
So he took a longer detour and started investigating from a distance.
Over the past year, they not only built the interior of the village, but also repaired the outside. They removed some trees, vines, and thorns, planted them in walkable areas, and blocked the side roads, leaving only a three or four hundred meter long road that was the only way in and out of the village.
Qiao Yu told them at the time that the advantage of doing this was that once they learned of an attack, they could set up ambushes on both sides of the road in advance, and they could also set traps on this road to directly annihilate the enemy outside the tribe.
Now that they had learned the news too late, they couldn't use these tactics. However, since this was the only way to the tribe's main gate, and there was no snow today, the enemy's footprints would be clearly left on the snow. Just by looking at the footprints in the snow, they could clearly tell how many people had come and where they had gone.
This is Shan Di Dian’s proposal.
When Dian had suggested to Qiao Yu that they use smoke and fire to determine the enemy's strength, he had seen him frown, seemingly unimpressed by his idea. Later, after Qiao Yu left the meeting, Dian, still skeptical, brought his own idea to the table, inviting discussion. Shan immediately offered his suggestion.
Dian suspected that this was Qiao Yu's reminder through Shan.
After getting ashore, everyone went around to the road leading to the tribe and saw a row of clear footprints at a glance.
"Look, this footprint is bigger, it's obviously from a person."
"This man's footprints are always clear on one side and blurry on the other. He must be lame. These footprints are all his."
"Why is this footprint so small? And it's so shallow, which means the person was very light. Could there be women or children among them?"
Tracking and counter-tracking—this was a lesson Qiao Yu had taught the men of the Dragon Tribe. Now, everyone was applying what they had learned, figuring out the total number of the invading enemy, including how many adult men, women, and children they had.
The electrician breathed a sigh of relief: "It seems that there are only about thirty people coming."
After walking along this road for a while, they only saw these thirty or so footprints and nothing else. They could draw a conclusion and determine the specific number of people.
"Let's go, let's go back." Dian said.
Without saying a word, everyone followed Dian back the same way, boarded the raft and returned to the tribe.
It took just over an hour to go back and forth.
After getting ashore, Dian went straight to the office and told Qiao Yu and several elders about the situation.
In order to be able to find someone if there is any news, Qiao Yu and several elders plan to stay in the office today and not run around.
"More than thirty?" Shan and Qiao Yu exchanged a glance. "Looks like they are indeed from the Liuren tribe."
When he heard the words "Liu Ren Tribe", Dian's expression froze.
Obviously, he had heard about the origin and behavior of the Liuren tribe.
Qiao Yu said to the phone, "There's no need to leave any of them alive. If they come to attack, we'll annihilate them all."
If it were any other tribe, Dian might have something to say, but for the Liuren Tribe, he also advocated annihilation.
He nodded and said, "Okay. I'll go adjust the plan."
"What plan are you going to take?" Qiao Yu asked.
"We'll form a circle at the entrance of the tribe, lure them in, and then kill them with arrows." Dian Dao said.
Outside the tribe, it would be easy for them to escape, whether by trap or other means. As long as they escaped, the position of the Dragon Tribe would be exposed.
Previously, Dian's strategy and tactics had been limited by his desire to capture them alive. Now that capturing them alive was no longer a requirement, the natural strategy was to outnumber them, lure them in, and then shoot them down with arrows. As long as there were no mistakes, Dian was confident that this battle would also result in zero casualties.
Qiao Yu informed him of the registration information for the women's and children's teams, saying, "Most of the people in the tribe are women and children. If the men die, they can't survive alone. Therefore, it's their responsibility to protect the tribe. Since they have the courage to sign up and are willing to face war and the enemy, we should give them a chance to perform."
"You set up two points for them in the encirclement, so that the weaker ones can shoot at the enemy while ensuring their safety."
"Yes." Dian agreed, and seeing that Qiao Yu had no other instructions, he hurried to make the arrangements.
If the enemy wants to attack, the best time is in the evening or at night. It's too dark at night, making it difficult to move. The best time to attack is in the evening, when everyone is eating dinner. At this time, the tribe's defenses are less alert, and there's still some light in the sky, allowing for clear visibility.
It was still a little while before evening, and at Dian's command, everyone stopped what they were doing and started eating the dried meat with hot water.
The fire in the fire hall never went out for years. Qiao Yu felt it was a waste to let it burn like that, so he had a few stoves built in the fire hall, placed large clay pots on them, and added water to burn them there.
If people in the tribe need hot water or boiled water, they can just go there and get it.
She stipulated that the people in the tribe should drink boiled water instead of raw water. She had a high prestige and never gave orders without reason. Therefore, once she announced this rule, everyone followed it very well.
After dinner, everyone hid behind some obstacles that had just been set up under the command of Dian.
The children were placed on the first floor of the city wall.
In order to provide a place for the guards to rest, the outer wall was built thickly, but the inner wall was expanded a little to build a few houses. These houses had a few windows facing the inside of the tribe.
In those days, there was no glass or window paper, so windows were just made of wood in a grid pattern. In winter, when the cold wind blew in, people would put a thatched curtain over the window to block the wind.
The children hid here, locked the door, and shot arrows only through the window panes. It had limitations, but it was safer.
The women were stationed behind the piles of wood on either side of the city gate. These logs had just been felled, and Dian had ordered some of them to be moved and piled here. The women could shoot arrows through the gaps between the logs, which was also safe.
Everything was arranged. He was still worried, so he asked Qiao Yu to check it. Seeing Qiao Yu nod, he felt relieved and waited patiently for nightfall.
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