"Take a few Priests and appease my warriors!"
"Cough cough! As you command, Great Chief."
Zuma crawled up from the ground and hastily fled as if in escape.
Chichika’s eyes were red as he continued to stand his ground. He glared fiercely at the enemy camp, like an angry bison from the north.
"Uh... Chieftain, I’ve counted the Tribal Warriors. There are about two thousand left, with more than eight hundred scattered. Among the remaining warriors, six hundred elite redheads are mostly accounted for."
Uman reported to the Chieftain on bended knee, war club in one hand. The Red Dog Tribe was the most powerful in the wilderness, and they always had a high proportion of redhead Hunters. During the onslaught of the sky fire, these elite had barely maintained order within the tribe, allowing the warriors to retreat without scattering and now regathering.
"All six hundred redheads are present!"
Upon hearing this, Chichika breathed a sigh of relief. The redhead elite were the backbone of the major Tribes, equivalent to the reserve of seasoned soldiers. The Tribal Warriors could be summoned or conscripted from various parts if lost, but if too many redheads were lost, the tribe would truly be devastated.
"Uman, dispatch people, and do your best to gather the scattered troops from all parts!"
"Uh... As you command, Chieftain."
Uman nodded but didn’t move his feet. He glanced at the Chieftain, hesitated for a mont, and then spoke woodenly.
"Chieftain, I think, our current situation, is not good... very bad!"
"Nonsense, I’m not blind!"
At this, Chichika, eyes still red, almost laughed from anger. He pointed at the fires of the camps and berated.
"What are you trying to say?"
"Uh... Chieftain, I think, we can’t hold this place. All the parts have collapsed, and we of the Red Dog Tribe should leave quickly too!"
"Hmm?!"
Chichika stepped forward and grabbed Uman by the collar fiercely.
"What did you say?"
"Uh... I said, we can’t hold this, it’s ti to go."
"Say that again?"
Fire seed to blaze from Chichika’s eyes, a dangerous intent to kill rising within them.
Uman looked at the Chieftain, his eyes sowhat blank and dazed, yet his expression extraordinarily resolute.
"Chieftain, the warriors’ morale is gone, we can’t fight this battle. We have to abandon this place, retreat a hundred and eighty li, and properly reassemble our forces... Actually, actually, I think we shouldn’t stay in one place for too long, fighting these kinds of head-on, stupid battles..."
"Smack! Smack! Smack!..."
In a fury, Chichika pulled out his whip and lashed out six or seven tis, knocking Uman to the ground, then whipped him another seven or eight tis.
"I’ll whip you to death! You’re rebellious!"
"Ah!..."
Uman cried out in pain, rolling back and forth on the ground. After a while, he climbed up, covered in dirt, and continued speaking to the Chieftain.
"Chieftain, I still think, we should leave."
"You!"
Chichika once again raised his whip, burning with anger. Then, eting Uman’s blank but resolute gaze and seeing the bloodstains on his face, sothing softened in his heart. After a while, the Red Dog leader slowly lowered his whip and asked in a deep voice.
"... If we abandon this strategically crucial stronghold, we won’t have much room left behind. The walls of the small city of Pamus are low and the area narrow. The terrain in the Valley is open, tens of thousands from the Tribes scattered everywhere, how can we defend it?"
"Uh, Chieftain, there’s the mouth of the Valley behind us, we could hold it for so ti."
"The mouth of the Valley is rather open, and the terrain isn’t high or dangerous enough. The Cactus Tribe’s attacks are fierce, and it won’t hold for long."
"Then take the Tribes and leave the Valley. We can escape into the wilderness from the northwest, or flee through the mountain paths to the northeast or the East..."
Hearing this, Chichika lowered his gaze and didn’t speak for a long ti.
"Chieftain!"
Uman knelt on the ground, burying his head at the feet of the Chieftain like a subdued wolf.
"Say no more!"
Chichika shouted angrily.
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"Summon the Scouts to ! Everything is in chaos now, and the Tribes have no idea how many they have lost."
Afterward, the Red Dog Chieftain stood on high ground, once again surveying all directions. Before long, Scouts from various directions returned, reporting back to the Chieftain.
Chichika personally arranged the camps for the Tribes. The current situation fell into view one by one, which, combined with the Scout’s intelligence and his mory, turned into a helpless sigh.
"Ah! The rear camp has collapsed, Red Deer has fled, and Red Salamander and Red Cranes are slaughtering each other in their camps… Red Monkey, they should still be there."
Seeing this, Chichika’s emotions were complicated. That the Red Monkey Tribe had managed to hold out until the end in the night assault was unexpected. He pondered for a long ti and finally took a deep breath, forced to confront the cruel reality.
"Uman, you’re right, the camp can be forsaken. But retreating now is too dangerous, the Tribes could easily disperse on the night roads!"
Chichika suppressed the emotions in his heart, pacing back and forth. Then, he looked toward the distant sky, the long night was about to pass, the noise of people was gradually receding, and the Morning Star had already risen from the East. He turned to look at the camp, where the Priests had just cald the people’s hearts. Two thousand Tribal Warriors, once again, gripped their Hunting Bows and Long Spears tightly.
"Dawn is approaching! When daylight cos, we will first lead the Tribes back. Then we will gather the scattered warriors from each Tribe and fight the Cactus Tribe once more!"
"Uh... Chieftain, the Cactus Tribe has long been plotting this, they won’t let us leave easily!"
"I know!"
The Red Dog Chieftain beca sowhat irritable. He swung the whip in his hand, sending out a sharp whistle.
"I will leave so people behind to rely on the remaining encampnt to block the Cactus Tribe’s army!"
"Uh... Chieftain, the Tribes need to maintain distance during the retreat, and it will take ti to collect warriors from each Tribe. The Cactus Tribe’s offensive is fierce; ordinary n can’t hold them back."
"Damn it! Uman, can’t you shut up?!"
Chichika couldn’t help but roar out loud.
"Don’t caw like a jackdaw in front of , voicing ominous sounds!"
"Uh... Chieftain!"
Uman knelt again, once more pressing his head to the feet of the Chieftain.
"What exactly do you want to say?"
Chichika impatiently grasped the other’s hair.
"I will stay behind and resist the advance of the Cactus Tribe!"
Uman lifted his head. This ti, his eyes were clear, devoid of any dullness.
"Chieftain, now only I can buy you ti!"
Upon hearing this, Chichika suddenly stood still, motionless. He slowly lowered his head, looking into the eyes of his trusted aide at his feet, silent for a long ti.
"Chieftain, I am a wolf, willing to die for the Wolf King."
A fierce smile appeared on Uman’s face, the bloody whip marks quivering.
"Our Red Dog Tribe will surely endure in the Wilderness!"
"Uman..."
Chichika lowered his gaze, once again grasping his beloved general’s hair. This ti, he did not let go for a long ti.
"I give you six hundred warriors, fifty red-haired ones! Hold for two days for !"
After a while, the Red Dog leader turned his back, looking toward the dawn in the East. He silently bit through his lips, and with the pain of the blood and the acrid sll of gunpowder, he made a hate-filled oath.
"May the ancestors witness! If you die for in battle, I will slaughter the three thousand Otomi agricultural slaves in the Valley, then gather warriors from each Tribe to avenge us against the Cactus Tribe!"
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