“Good! We can find a place to hide and stay hidden for a day or two without any problem. We don’t need to deliberately choose water sources to advance, which is something the wolf clan didn’t expect,” Han Chen agreed.
Indeed, the vast grasslands are not without mountains; if one doesn't take action, one might be lucky enough to avoid being discovered by scouts. The key, as Han Chen said, is not to deliberately advance along the water source. This is something others wouldn't think of, after all, the Qin Mu Heavenly Mystery Tower is a special existence.
“Not only that, we can take a break and then turn around instead of advancing in a straight line, which will keep the enemy guessing about our purpose,” Cheng Huaimo suggested.
"Yes! Find two tribes and wipe them out! If we don't beat them hard, these wolf cubs won't know fear," Yuchi Baolin said viciously.
"Raiding a few tribes will be a good way to replenish our supplies; the wolf-tooth arrows are still usable," Xin Liao'er nodded in agreement.
"Then it's settled. Look! There's a mountain in the distance. We'll hide behind it and wait!" Qin Mu said, pointing into the distance.
“I have a suggestion!” Cheng Huaimo said.
Seeing all eyes on him, Cheng Huaimo licked his lips and continued, "Now that we have more than thirty top experts, why not spread our forces out? The heavy cavalry will lead the way, and the others will each lead a hundred-man squad to charge into the enemy ranks! We'll break through the wolf clan's blood and smoke signals. With Huai Dao's support and the assistance of spiritual cultivators, this should be easy to do, as long as we all charge in at the same time."
"No, it's too dangerous. The wolf clan also has experts. You have no chance of winning if you face them one-on-one. We can't take this risk." Qin Mu quickly shook his head in opposition.
“We’ll pair up and agree on a route. The distance between each pair won’t be too far, so we can support each other,” Cheng Huaimo suggested.
"It's settled then. There's no war without risks," Yuchi Baolin said, raising an eyebrow.
"This~~~"
“Huai Dao, they’re right. War is risky. Since I’ve chosen this mission, I’m prepared to die in battle. I know you want to bring everyone back, so we need to take even more risks,” Bu Fang earnestly advised before Qin Mu could speak.
"Hehe, Brother Bu is right. You don't need to think so much. Just make good arrangements and try your best to keep the pursuers away so they won't dare to chase so closely anymore," Cheng Huaimo said with a smile.
Seeing that most of the others shared the same opinion and no one seemed to care about the danger, Qin Mu took a deep breath and said, "Alright! Huang Sanjian and I will support you. Ruoxi, the two sisters from the Yuchi family, Yanran, General Feng, and Shouyue, the six of you will break through the enemy lines before charging out yourself. We are outnumbered, so we must defeat the enemy in one fell swoop and then pursue them. But remember one thing: don't chase them too far!"
"clear."
"Know."
Hearing the casual reply, Qin Mu didn't mind. They were all soldiers and knew military orders, so he wasn't worried about them not obeying. He shook his head and said, "Rest for a bit, then take advantage of the night to head over there and check out the terrain. If it's not suitable, we'll have to choose another place."
~~~~~~~~
Half an hour after Qin Mu and his men left, a large number of wolves arrived. Several wolves dismounted, observed the area, and then ran to a wolf that appeared to be a general. They knelt on one knee, bowed, and clasped their hands, saying, "Reporting to the commander, the enemy rested here. Judging from the horse manure, it should have been less than an hour ago."
"Hmph, they're definitely trying to escape under the cover of night. They're sending a message to the army behind them to speed up, because it won't be easy to catch them after dark," the general said with a cold snort.
"Yes!" The two wolf cubs clasped their hands in response, immediately turned their horses around, and galloped back the way they came.
The wolves were in such a hurry because tracks on the ground were hard to see at night, which was why they couldn't catch up. Falling behind Qin Mu and his group at night meant they had to chase after them desperately during the day. Another reason was that these wolf tribes wanted to eliminate Qin Mu and his group before the main army arrived and seize the credit.
"Looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death," especially on the vast grasslands. What appears to be a mountain in the distance becomes a nightmare by the time the wolves arrive, with the cavalry leading the way by torches. They hate chasing into such places because where there are mountains, tracks are scarce and easily destroyed, making it easy to lose their way and waste even more time chasing.
In the darkness, the wolf pack followed the tracks on the ground, completely unaware that many other people and horses were lurking on the hillside.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a large number of wolves reappeared at the foot of the hill. The hill wasn't actually very high, just slightly steep, and the surrounding area was quite open, so the wolves would definitely follow the tracks on the ground across the flat ground. This method wouldn't work during the day, because the scouts would certainly climb to the top to survey the distance.
The wolf clan never expected to be ambushed in this place. Although there were hills, it was definitely not a good place for an ambush. It was also rare to march at night on the grasslands, and ambushing a group of swift cavalrymen on the vast plains was no easy task unless a large force surrounded them from all sides.
The sound of air being torn apart rang out, and many wolves below the mountain fell down. In an instant, screams of agony filled the air, warhorses neighed, and the formation was thrown into chaos.
Although the march was slow at night, the sudden collapse of some soldiers caused even more of their comrades to fall.
Before the wolf pack could react, they heard the thunderous roar of ten thousand horses.
"Kill!" A huge shout rang out, causing the wolf clan to panic even more.
This wolf pack numbered a full 50,000. Having failed to intercept the remaining wolves, they formed an even larger force to pursue them. In the darkness, unsure of the enemy's numbers or origins, the wolves were gripped by panic. Furthermore, being a combination of different tribes, the appearance of the enemy caused confusion; some wanted to engage, while others stood frozen in place, further escalating the chaos within the pack.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" Everyone was venting their anger at being hunted down, shouting furiously as they slashed out with their swords, one strike after another.
One side came prepared, while the other was caught off guard. The key issue was that the wolf clan was too hasty. Their blood and wolf smoke were not even a continuous stream. Facing the combined blood and evil energy, it was like a rolling knife falling into tofu, passing through effortlessly.
The battle was one-sided from the start, especially with Triangle Bull in the lead; the others just followed suit and killed.
Five thousand against fifty thousand—it seems like a huge disparity in strength, but in reality, it can't be calculated that way. Especially with armies, the difference between organized and unorganized forces is enormous and cannot be equated. It was almost a massacre. The war progressed more smoothly than expected.
The wolf clan's general tried to stop the enemy, but was blocked by his own men, and even had his ranks scattered. Enraged, they roared repeatedly. Seeing the situation was dire, or perhaps unable to see clearly, the wolf clan general simply led his men and fled into the distance.
This may be in the wolves' nature; when faced with a sudden and fierce attack, some will always choose to protect themselves first. However, this behavior can sometimes bring annihilation upon their companions!
Someone ran! The others naturally chose to follow. This is a kind of blind obedience, whether it is humans or wolves, not to mention that wolves also have the characteristic of obeying the alpha wolf.
The moonlight hid behind the dark clouds, seemingly unable to bear witnessing the carnage on the earth! Torches fell to the ground, illuminating the unseeing, lifeless faces of the dead. The shouts of battle seemed to fade into the distance. Some wolves lay on the ground, howling as they tried to rise, crushing the wild grass and leaving long trails of blood. But without mounts, they could neither escape nor flee.
70
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com