39: Chapter 39 Siege by the Horde of Corpse Beasts

A brand-new linen banner was quickly fashioned by the weavers at the Blacksmith Shop and planted atop the city walls, snapping in the wind. A dark, seal-script character was embroidered on the massive banner: "Qin."

From this day forth, this place would be the Qin Tribe.

The newly recruited Daoist priests and monks possessed a hidden ability; in their spare time, they were actually teaching the people how to read.

Whenever the people moving back and forth to work saw the character on the banner, they would silently recite it, their faces brightening with spirit, and the cohesion of the entire tribe increased instantly.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter..." A sturdy warhorse galloped forcefully, its rider burning with anxiety.

"Urgent military intelligence!"

The scout cavalryman, with a red flag stuck to his back, charged rapidly through the city gate and headed inside.

It was noon on the twenty-second day of the second month.

From the perspective of a Cloud-Soaring Sparrow, the Qin Tribe was a large green circle, surrounded entirely by desolate gray-black.

Across this undulating gray-black land, a wave was surging.

Countless ant-like creatures were continuously advancing in one direction; their unwavering target was precisely the Qin Tribe.

An army that had been creeping over quietly retreated silently; over three hundred Wolf Cavalry slunk away, for they were no match for the horde of ten thousand Corpse Beasts.

With the Corpse Beast siege, no one knew if this tribe would still exist.

Ahead of the Corpse Beast horde, some small tribes were migrating; they had left their familiar homes, walking toward unknown lands.

In this precarious, turbulent apocalypse, living in peace was a luxury.

Rumble! Bursts of thunder came from the distant horizon, and streaks of lightning flashed across the sky, emitting a dazzling light.

Thick, dark clouds pressed down heavily, as if the sky were collapsing.

An emergency pre-war meeting was held at the Town Center; the atmosphere inside the hall was equally grave.

The scout cavalryman's resonant, forceful voice echoed in the room.

"Leader, a large number of Corpse Beasts are approaching from the southwest of the tribe. It is estimated that there are over 20,000 Corpse Beasts of various types.

Among these Corpse Beasts, there are over 60 heavy-duty Corpse Beasts standing over 3 meters tall. The rest are of average size, and there are no aerial Corpse Beasts.

The horde is expected to reach the outskirts of the tribe by dawn tomorrow."

Zhao Feng looked at the several high-ranking members of the Qin Tribe present; all wore solemn expressions.

Among them were the interpreter Xiao Luo, the military leader Meng, the civil administration leader Wu, Daoist Master Xuan Kong, Old Monk Wugou, the logistics leader Si from the Blacksmith Shop, the platoon leaders of the Tiger Vanguard Battalion and the Archer Battalion, as well as Lady Luo Ha of the Kelo People, who had the deepest understanding of the Corpse Beasts.

"Lady Luo Ha, tell us what you know about the Corpse Beasts," Zhao Feng said gently, looking at Lady Luo Ha, who was kneeling in a strange posture.

"Yes, Leader."

Lady Luo Ha did not dare to delay and stood up straight to say:

"Corpse Beasts are beasts that have returned from the dead. The region where the Qin Tribe is located is what we call Wolf-Severing Mountain. Over a thousand species of beasts live in this Wolf-Severing Mountain."

"Among these beasts, the Thunder Horse Demon and Horned Sheep are the most numerous; the number of these two will certainly be the highest in the Corpse Beast horde."

Lady Luo Ha paused, then continued:

"Additionally, among the carnivorous predators, Cloud Wolves are the most numerous, though there will be at most only about 200 of them. What we need to pay attention to are the Epic Corpse Beasts; they are giant Corpse Beasts that tower over the city walls. These Corpse Beasts have immense destructive power and need to be prioritized for elimination."

Xiao Luo quickly translated Lady Luo Ha's words from the side. The group looked grave; it seemed this war would not be easy to fight.

"Lady Luo Ha, do you know why the Corpse Beasts are attacking?" Wu possessed the strongest curiosity and scientific spirit among everyone, so he immediately thought of this question.

Lady Luo Ha looked at Wu respectfully and said:

"Respected Wu, based on our experience, once the number of animals or people in a place reaches a certain threshold, Corpse Beasts will gather and launch a siege."

"They are fearless and relentless, knowing only how to advance; they do not feel fear. Our Kelo Tribe was also a large tribe a long time ago, with a much larger population than the Qin Tribe, but it was because of the Corpse Beasts and the Wolf-Man tribes that we became what we are today."

Lady Luo Ha's mood became somewhat low; it seemed she was remembering the decline and decay of her own tribe.

"My condolences, Lady Luo Ha."

Wu comforted her softly.

Lady Luo Ha nodded and continued, "Leader, I believe the most urgent task is to quickly fell and collect the trees outside. The aura of the Corpse Beasts will contaminate the trees, turning them into Corpse Trees."

Zhao Feng nodded and asked, "What does everyone think?"

Meng stood up and said, "Leader, I believe this is actually an opportunity.

Our warriors need to gain combat experience, and eliminating Corpse Beasts will also yield a large amount of resources. As long as we handle it properly, we can take down these Corpse Beasts without losing a single soldier."

"Oh? Tell me more in detail." Zhao Feng became interested.

"Everyone, please look," Meng said, pointing to the animal hide map hanging on the wall:

"The eastern bank of the tribe is a small river; the water is very deep, so no Corpse Beasts will come from this direction.

The Corpse Beast horde coming from the southwest will pass through this location. I have been to this place; it is a very narrow, strip-like valley.

If the horde wants to come over, they must pass through the valley.

This valley is full of massive boulders; as long as we block the front and back, then push down the boulders, burying a large number of Corpse Beasts will be effortless."

"Good!" Zhao Feng stood up and said excitedly. His eyes rolled, recalling a story he had once read, and he said loudly:

"I think if we block the valley and set it on fire, the effect should be even better."

A platoon leader stood up and said, "Leader, that valley only has sparse, withered grass; it won't burn. Besides, it's about to rain."

"Er!" Zhao Feng's face burned; this was what came of giving blind commands without understanding the actual situation.

Fortunately, Si stood up to resolve the awkwardness, "Leader, there is still a large surplus of straw harvested from the farmland; perhaps that could help."

"We can dispel the dark clouds and temporarily keep it from raining," Daoist Master Xuan Kong also quickly added.

"Good, then that's what we'll do." Zhao Feng quickly took the opportunity to back down and said, "Next, let's discuss what to do about the Corpse Beasts that slip through the net."

...

The group expressed their opinions, and before long, they reached a consensus. Judging by their expressions, it seemed they already had a plan and were no longer worried.

On the military parade ground, the Qin Tribe army was assembling.

"Tiger Vanguard Battalion, First Platoon, all 41 members present."

"Tiger Vanguard Battalion, Second Platoon, all 41 members present."

"Archer Battalion, First Platoon, all 41 members present."

The Qin Tribe currently had only three organized platoons of warriors. The Qin Tribe's military system was purely something Zhao Feng had improvised, letting his imagination run wild by connecting it to past games and some knowledge he possessed.

Six men formed a squad, led by a squad leader. Two squads formed a platoon, led by a platoon leader, totaling 13 men. Three platoons formed a company, led by a primary and deputy company commander, totaling 41 men.

Infantry were called the Tiger Vanguard Battalion, and archers were called the Archer Battalion. In the future, there would be other branches like a Sorcerer Battalion, but at this moment, there were only three sorcerers and three monks each, which included Daoist Master Xuan Kong and Old Monk Wugou.

Banners snapped in the wind, and the warriors stood in neat rows on the parade ground. Regardless of the peals of thunder in the sky, they stood unmoving, listening to the leader's impassioned speech on the platform.

The pre-war mobilization lasted only five minutes, and the various units received their orders and departed.

In the southwest, not too far from the Qin Tribe, there was a long, narrow valley.

The terrain here was treacherous; there was only one long, thin valley connecting from south to north, and it was difficult for birds to fly across the sides. Only at the extreme north did the terrain level out enough to barely be climbable.

This was a natural pass, which would later be called Beast Control Pass by the people of the Qin Tribe. The entire pass was covered on both sides with countless large and small stones, so it was also called Boulder Pass.

At this moment, on the north side of Boulder Pass, dense crowds of people were carrying bundles of straw and piling them up on both sides of the pass. The entire Qin Tribe had been mobilized, preparing to welcome the attack of the Corpse Beasts.

"Platoon Leader, the Corpse Beast vanguard has already approached within twenty li."

"Platoon Leader, the vanguard is already less than ten li away."

Scouts continuously reported reconnaissance information to Platoon Leader Xu Feng of the Tiger Vanguard Battalion.

"Order the scout team to lure the enemy. Prepare the boulders, prepare the straw, prepare the sorcerers." Platoon Leader Xu Feng was a very calm young man; he frowned and ordered the messenger in a low voice.

"Yes!" Several messengers carrying flags received the order and departed.

A bright yellow banner waved toward the opposite side, and the warriors on the other side quickly prepared themselves, crouching down and hiding beside the boulders. On both banks of Boulder Pass, which was gradually growing dark, an air of killing intent prevailed.