437: Chapter 437 Harassment 1

"Clatter, clatter, clatter..."

On the Gobi Desert, horse hooves kicked up clouds of dust as a rider galloped from afar like the wind.

"Report!"

After the guards let him through, he charged straight to the withered-faced elder of the Shule Tribe, knelt on one knee, and reported loudly, "Reporting to Great Elder Niao Rong, the Qin merchant caravan did not detour through the Grand Canyon!"

Great Elder Niao Rong's face instantly darkened like the sky before a storm, a flash of annoyance in his eyes.

Their Shule Tribe had exerted immense effort to destroy the path ahead, fully expecting the Great Qin Merchant Caravan to obediently enter the Grand Canyon. That way, their ambush and surprise attack would have been much easier.

But now, the other party was so cautious that they hadn't fallen for the trap.

After a moment of contemplation, Great Elder Niao Rong quickly made a decision.

Since the plan to lure the enemy failed, he would directly arrange for riders to harass them.

The Great Qin Merchant Caravan was carrying a large amount of transport supplies, so their movement was bound to be slow; their mobility was far inferior to the elite riders of the Shule Tribe.

"Pass down the orders..."

With a cold expression, Great Elder Niao Rong turned to the messenger beside him and said in a low voice, "All riders participating in the operation must act with caution!"

"Listen well, everyone stay spread out; you must not bunch up together!"

"Once you get within horse archery range, release your arrows immediately and retreat right after!"

"Remember that bullets have no eyes, the Qin people are barbarians, and there's a crack in my backside!"

"Yes!"

The messenger took the order and turned to convey his commands.

Meanwhile, at the Great Qin Merchant Caravan's campsite.

Some people began to start fires for cooking, some went to pave the road, and the vast majority were on high alert to prevent a sudden attack.

Wei Zheng's expression was solemn, his nerves taut.

He was a veteran of the battlefield, having participated in countless campaigns, and his practical experience was extremely rich.

He guessed that after the enemy's ambush plan failed, they would very likely resort to a direct assault, so he ordered the guards to chamber their rounds.

Wei Zheng had already had a portion of the guards dig trenches three to four hundred meters ahead of the campsite.

Some of the guards were hiding in the trenches to snipe the approaching enemies.

The place where the caravan camped used various cargo wagons as cover, forming a circular defensive fortification.

Inside the tent, Wei Zheng suddenly and keenly sensed a slight vibration coming from the ground.

This subtle movement might have been undetectable to others, but to him, it was like a sounding alarm.

Wei Zheng's face changed abruptly; he immediately leaned down and pressed his ear firmly against the ground.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing Wei Zheng's unusual behavior, Zhao Yong's heart tightened, and his expression instantly became serious.

"It's warhorses!"

Wei Zheng's voice was low and urgent, filled with intense vigilance. "A large number of warhorses are galloping toward us!"

Hearing this, Zhao Yong's body involuntarily tensed, and his muscles immediately entered a state of high alert.

The path ahead had been mysteriously destroyed, clearly a move to force them into the Grand Canyon. Now that they hadn't gone, a large number of warhorses were approaching; their hostile intentions were now plain for all to see.

It wasn't Zhao Yong's first time traveling this trade route, but this was the first time he had encountered such a turn of events.

He was anxious, his mind racing, but for a moment he couldn't think of a better countermeasure. He could only hope that when they clashed, the Great Qin's illustrious prestige might be enough to scare the enemy off.

The sound of galloping horses grew louder and louder; the hoofbeats approaching from afar were like an invisible net, tightly enveloping the entire caravan and making everyone feel tense.