Chapter 338 Raiding Supplies

Chapter 338: Seizing the Grain

The deputy ran his hand over the wolf-head totem on his leather coat and chimed in with a grin.

"I heard their food stores are just about tapped out—they're probably gnawing on tree bark right about now!"

The surrounding Northern Di soldiers all burst into laughter, and one even pulled out a leather pouch of mare's milk wine and took a swig. A young soldier wiped his curved blade as he spoke.

"I almost hope they do come to raid the grain—it'd be a good chance to stretch our legs. All this marching day in and day out, my bones are getting rusty."

Wuzhu scoffed: "With those Zhou folks who can't even sit a horse properly?

If they dared show up, one of our grassland eagles could take down ten of them single-handedly!"

A more cautious veteran soldier warned: "Better to stay on guard.

I heard that old Han Zhen led a raid on our outpost a few days back..."

"Han Zhen?" Wuzhu laughed heartily in the Di tongue, "That old wolf's probably already reported to the Eternal Heaven by now! Walked right into our trap—if he ain't dead, he's half dead!"

He looked around smugly, raised his voice, and shouted in the Di tongue: "Keep moving, no worries! This Xiangma River Valley is the barrier the Eternal Heaven gave us—those two-legged sheep from Great Zhou can't get through!

Once we get this grain to the front, we'll drink and celebrate to the sound of Zhou wailing!"

The soldiers relaxed even more at that; some even started singing grassland tunes, while others pulled out jerky to chew on.

And up on the cliff walls, pairs of eyes were locked on their every move.

Just as Wuzhu was beating his chest and boasting that the two-legged sheep of Great Zhou might as well sit back and starve—

"Loose arrows!"

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—! A dense rain of arrows suddenly poured down from both cliffs!

The smile on Wuzhu's face froze as a precise arrow punched through his forehead under his fur cap.

Wuzhu toppled off his horse, and only then did the Northern Di soldiers snap out of it, plunging into chaos.

"Ambush! It's an ambush!! Shields up!" someone screamed hoarsely in the Di tongue.

The Northern Di soldiers hastily raised their round shields and drew their curved blades, but the Great Zhou army had clearly come prepared.

The arrows kept pouring down from both cliffs without letup, and Northern Di soldiers kept dropping, hit left and right.

The convoy that had been so relaxed moments ago was now in deep trouble.

The veteran who'd warned Wuzhu to be careful saw things going south, grabbed the messenger next to him, and roared in the Di tongue: "Ride back for help! Go!"

The messenger frantically wheeled his horse around and was about to gallop back the way they'd come—

"Stop him!" Cheng Ge, watching from the cliff, barked the order.

A precise arrow streaked through the air and pierced the messenger's horse in the foreleg.

The horse screamed and collapsed, hurling the messenger to the ground hard.

"Don't let a single one get away!" Cheng Ge's voice echoed through the valley. "Make it quick!"

The Great Zhou soldiers came down the cliffs like tigers descending a mountain.

They were well-trained, working in three-man teams with seamless coordination.

Some held shields up front, others thrust with spears in the middle, and the rest fired crossbows from the back.

Though the Northern Di were fierce fighters one-on-one, caught flat-footed and split into isolated pockets, they couldn't use their cavalry edge at all.

Some tried to rally, only to get run through by a dozen spears the moment they raised their blades.

The veteran Di soldier used the chaos to parry an incoming spear and roll behind a grain cart.

Spotting a gap in the Zhou soldiers' focus as they mopped up the rest, he vaulted onto a riderless horse, dug in his heels, and bolted like hell back the way they'd come.

"Instructor Cheng! One of those old Di dogs is booking it west!" a soldier shouted urgently.

Several Zhou soldiers gave chase but got held up by a desperate rearguard of Di fighters.

They formed a tight wedge, using their bodies and blades to hold the line.

Cheng Ge narrowed his eyes at the fleeing figure vanishing into the distance, then swept his gaze over the battlefield—mostly under control, grain carts full.

Time was short; enemy reinforcements could show up any minute, and every second counted.

"No need to chase!" Cheng Ge decided on the spot, his voice ringing across the battlefield.

"Our target's the grain! Everyone, stick to the plan—load what we can take now, and what we can't... torch it on the spot. Don't leave a single grain for the enemy!"

He paused, then added: "Move it!"

At the order, the disciplined Zhou soldiers sprang into action.

Some stayed on guard, weapons ready, watching for any stragglers.

Others quickly unloaded grain sacks from the Di pack horses and carts, shifting them onto their own light mounts and custom drag frames.

Still others broke out fire oil, dousing the grain bags and carts that couldn't be moved or were already wrecked.

Thick smoke started rising, flames crackling. Cheng Ge stood on a big boulder, calmly watching it all go down.

He glanced at the bend in the valley where the veteran had disappeared, calculating the earliest possible arrival time of enemy reinforcements.

"First and second squads, escort the first batch of grain back up the cliff via the original route—prioritize the rope transfer!"

"Everyone else, speed it up! Burning squad, make sure every leftover grain is torched—no mistakes!"

They knew full well that the success of this raid hinged on speed.

Thick smoke billowed, rising straight into the sky.

Cheng Ge stood on the boulder, taking one last look at the grain carts consumed by fire.

"All units, withdraw! Follow the planned routes, move in batches! Keep your movements hidden!"

The disciplined Zhou soldiers quickly split into several groups, like streams merging back into the forest.

They climbed the steep cliffs using ropes, or led horses laden with grain into pre-scouted hidden trails, their figures soon vanishing into the complex terrain of Wild Fox Gully.

Meanwhile, dozens of miles away, at the Northern Di main camp.

The brazier in the main tent burned bright, and a few Northern Di generals left on guard duty sat around drinking.

They'd scored a few small wins against Cui Ji's main force at the front, but never managed to break through.

A scar-faced general took a swig of kumis and spoke in a gruff voice.

"That bastard Cui Ji—you think he's run out of food and lost his mind? Why's he suddenly clamping down like a rabid dog today?"

A wiry man beside him sneered dismissively: "What else could it be?

Probably flat broke and out of options, so he's throwing one last desperate punch before he starves, hoping to fight to the bitter end."

Another burly, broad-shouldered general wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and boomed in agreement.

"Exactly! Our men are fed, our horses are fat, and our army's strong. No matter how tough Cui Ji is, how much fight can he have on an empty belly? It's just a cornered animal—he's only got death waiting for him!"

He then let out a heavy sigh, his tone tinged with regret: "Damn shame! Damn shame Prince Urkhan died so young, and General Wuliji's still laid up from that stray arrow—otherwise, we could've crushed the Zhou Army's stronghold in one stroke. Why would we be stuck here in a stalemate?"

At that, the wiry man waved his hand dismissively: "Bah! Why dwell on that? The Prince's death and General Wuliji's injury—the Great Khan's got both of those in his book, he won't forget!

Now that the Great Khan personally leads our Northern Di elite at the front, are you still afraid we can't deal with those Zhou dogs starving and backed into a corner? As I see it, they won't last more than a few days!"