Not only were the soldiers complaining, but many commanders also were filled with resentment. Some secretly approached Zhao Changhe multiple times to lodge their complaints. Zhao Changhe simply responded with a question that left them speechless: "What can be done? Can we conjure food out of thin air? This is Tie Muer's mutual destruction strategy. We can only compete to see who can endure more."

That being said, Tie Muer's side was also suffering, but at least they still had food for now, while we are on the brink of starvation, isn't it?

"Don't worry, according to the pace we're marching, we're almost at their Divine Mountain..."

"But they might not protect the Divine Mountain. If the people have left and the mountain becomes empty, we'll starve to death there. Are we supposed to hunt tigers like Your Majesty did back in Beimang?"

"That was Your Majesty's task, not mine, thank you."

"..."

Zhao Changhe could only reassure them: "Don't worry, the Divine Hall is very important for their faith... The enemy won't easily abandon the Divine Hall and leave us with nothing."

"The belief in Longevity Heaven isn't like that. They won't leave us such a clear target to strike, the Divine Hall isn't that important to them!"

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

The commanders looked at each other, feeling helpless, should we retreat?

Indeed, it felt like we were rushing north foolishly, this battle perhaps shouldn't have been undertaken at all.

Wait, didn't we say there are Storage Boxes? Could it be a deception, that they don't exist at all?

"Commander, Commander!" A scout rode swiftly from the front, reporting with great joy from afar: "Commander, we've discovered another small cluster of tribes!"

The surrounding soldiers all perked up at the news, and Huangfu Qing immediately waved her hand without thinking: "Go!"

Xue Canghai led the charge with a rallying cry, brandishing his saber as he rushed forward. The distant tribe seemed to notice and began fleeing frantically, with the Han army in pursuit.

This was a rare opportunity for everyone to improve their lives, some might even say many were here specifically to find these small tribes; no one wanted to think too deeply.

But the herdsmen sent by the Ba Tu Tribe as guides were worried: "Commander, constantly chasing scattered tribes like this, we've unknowingly led the entire army away from the planned route, starting to head a bit westward. Originally, it shouldn't be like this..."

Huangfu Qing nodded: "It's alright, I'm aware. We don't necessarily need to head straight for the Divine Hall. It might not mean much, but if heading west leads us to discover a large tribe cluster, it could be a good thing..."

Before she could finish speaking, Sisi's Hawk Taming Master hurried over: "Commander, our hawks have spotted a large number of people, cattle, and sheep in the distance, suspected to be a Great Tribe gathering place!"

At this, Huangfu Qing and Zhao Changhe exchange a glance, and even the experienced and prudent among the surrounding generals showed signs of delight.

A large number of cattle and sheep suggest it's not an army but indeed a tribe, a Great Tribe.

Tie Muer would never throw all groups into one place; no location could support such a large population to gather in one, it must be sectioned into several ultra-large tribes.

Is this just a case of blind luck, stumbling upon a super large congregation while chasing scattered tribes?

This is the first truly significant target.

If we can break this Great Tribe, the fundamental strategy of this campaign "preventing Northern Hu from advancing south" is essentially accomplished, and the achievements could be considered a clean sweep.

Huangfu Qing said sternly: "Scout again, see if there's any trace of the Northern Hu main force."

The Hawk Taming Master replied: "Within several hundred miles surrounding, there's no sign of army movements... though there are troops guarding the tribe, that's standard."

The Vermilion Bird remained unmoved: "Wait for Xue Canghai's unit to return."

Before long, Xue Canghai returned joyfully from hunting the small tribe earlier: "Commander, over there we indeed see the silhouette of a Great Tribe. The smaller ones conducted some scouting, aside from the tribe's direction, there's no sign of any military presence in the surroundings."

"The number of troops in the tribe?"

"We didn't dare get close, it's unclear."

The Vermilion Bird asked the Hawk Taming Master: "What did you see?"

The hawks can't differentiate between ordinary herdsmen and troops, so the Hawk Taming Master could only shake his head.

Xue Canghai said: "Commander, no matter how many troops the enemy has, we cannot bypass the Great Tribe indifferently, this battle is inevitable, or else military morale will collapse."

The Vermilion Bird remained silent.

Xue Canghai was wiping his beloved Blood God Saber with a cloth, glancing at Huangfu Qing, then Zhao Changhe, hesitating to speak.

Forget it, after being beaten up so badly by this woman for public and private revenge in the Capital those days, it's better to stay silent.

But no matter how tight-lipped he remained, the derision in his eyes was clearly visible to everyone. It was evident that encountering the Great Tribe while chasing other tribes seemed to be pure luck. Northern Hu main force? The main force is in the Holy Mountain direction, we've already deviated from the path, not even remotely related, yet still hesitating nervously, how could you hold the title of Vermilion Bird?

Huangfu Qing remained silent for a moment and asked the scouts in a low voice: "What other geographical features are around?"

The scouts replied: "To the north is a barren mountain, fairly large but lacks places for hiding."

Huangfu Qing nodded: "Don't charge straight through this path to the enemy's tribe, beware of traps. The whole army is to circle around, proceed through the northern barren mountain, and follow the mountainside."

Xue Canghai's eyes lit up: "Commander means..."

Huangfu Qing took a deep breath: "Of course, it's for the entire army to engage, tonight we will feast here!"

"Boom!" The sound of galloping hooves echoed amidst the joyous cheers of the three armies, even the earth seemed to have a slight tremor.

Atop the barren mountain, Bo'e coldly watched the Han army joyously charging toward his position, a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.