Chapter 2000: Chapter 1462: Which Lord of Commander Leads This Fleet?

"Ow Ow!..."

"Whoosh!..."

"Awoooo!!!..."

The mournful cries of dogs, accompanied by their dying wails, echoed across the southern river bay. The sounds of the battle in the wind grew closer, even carrying the scent of fresh blood. For the samurai and warriors on the longship, they were all too familiar with such a smell. They could even judge the approximate scale of the battlefield by the intensity of the scent.

"Chief Divine bear witness! The scale of the battle in the south must be significant! Surely there are hundreds, even thousands, involved!..."

Soon, the entire fleet was on high alert. Warriors were readying their bows, donning their armor, and even the hunting dogs on both ends of the ship were growling lowly, seemingly sensing the nearness of the battlefield.

"Keep heading south! Let’s get a closer look!..."

No matter what, the "excitement" had to be seen. In this perilous, battle-ridden northern forest, if there were only three to ten people, one must be careful in everything, avoiding any larger commotion, not even a hint of excitement could be encountered. But if there were dozens of able warriors, they could venture a bit further, merely keeping alert to the riverbank swamps, where large groups might pass, and the small fleets owned only by the great tribes, then nothing major would likely happen.

As for now, with two chieftains bringing a full contingent of two hundred armor-clad warriors, plus three large ships moving on the river, they could actively join in the "excitement", to see if there were any opportunities to claim a share of the prey!

What? You say only one person, who crossed to the late 15th century’s Outer Northeast? Then, please pray to the immortals or demons that brought you here, pray that the first tribe you encounter has enough food, and is also willing to accept strong men...

"Whiz ha! Whiz ha! Whiz ha!..."

As the fleet drew closer, the piercing whistle of the sentry arrows became more urgent. Maha Agudah listened for a moment, then furrowed his brow.

"Is this a hunting signal arrow? There are at least three different whistle arrows, so more than three tribes are involved? Does this signal mean they intend to capture all the ’prey’ in one net?..."

The Tungusic tribes of Outer Northeast, especially the Shengshu Jurchen Tribes in the Heilongjiang River Basin, lived by hunting, making hunting their most important daily life. Hence various types of sentry arrows were invented, capable of conveying complex messages over long distances.

Among the two main types of sentry arrows, one is the "whistle arrow" used for hunting large prey, equipped with a spherical sound-producing "Qiao Shao" between the arrowhead and shaft. When these Qiao Shao cut through the sky, their sounds were often shrill and terrifying, able to intimidate "prey," and even rival tribes. As for the other type, the "baolian arrow," the entire arrowhead is a sound-producing "baolian whistle," non-lethal, with a unique sound used for warning, command, and coordination, as well as for communication during large movements and ceremonies.

And now, the attacking party’s unabashed use of "whistle arrows" proved one thing...

"The attacking tribes come from different sources and possess overwhelming strength... while the defending side is isolated and without aid?..."

Zuwaro blinked his eyes, voicing his guess. Maha Agudah nodded, then reconsidered, shaking his head.

"No, that’s not right! There’s another possibility... that the attacking tribes are very poor, with few war arrows for fighting, but plenty of hunting whistle arrows... Hmm, just like we were in the Maha tribe before!"

"..."

Zuwaro was speechless. But soon, neither needed to think further. As the fleet rounded the river bay’s dense forest, the chaotic battlefield unfolded before everyone’s eyes.

Just a mile or two from the river stood an open hilly area. The woods surrounding the hill had been obviously cut down and looked sparse. On top of the hill stood a large camp. Wooden and stone barricades rudely formed a square, and there seemed to be a section built with solid brick walls.

"Hey! There are millet fields around this camp! They have food, surely a lot of food!"

"Strange! This camp’s style looks familiar... And a brick-built lookout tower? Could this be a camp that local tribes are capable of building?..."

Seeing the camp, both Maha Agudah and Zuwaro showed surprise, though each focused on different aspects.

Maha Agudah’s first glance fell on the vast millet fields around the camp. Those fields were lush, like weeds. The sun-facing southern section was only half harvested, having been reaped once. Whereas the northern section, shaded, seemed not completely harvested, now smoking, with the source of the fire unknown.

Zuwaro’s gaze, however, lingered on the camp’s fortified walls and the brick-and-stone lookout tower within. The style of these constructions felt familiar to him, reminiscent of what he had seen at the Nurgan ruins...

"This is a camp of the Southern Great Ming! No, wrong! It’s a camp they built, then left to the local tribes! Hmm, and they even left some iron armor and weapons!"

Zuwaro picked up the Divine Eye Glasses, observing the fierce battlefield, and quickly reached a conclusion.

"Oh Chief Divine! Given the intensity of this battle... the defending tribe, even with such a solid camp, might still not be able to hold on!"

The attacking side is large in number, roughly estimated, there might be eight or nine hundred warriors. They are divided into three different teams, with three graffiti-like leather battle flags, seemingly representing a tree, a wild boar, and a bird, which likely symbolize three Great Tribes. They have no identifying war clothes or hats, but the long, warm braids, the crude, massive war bow bone arrows, and the layers of tattered fur covering their bodies... all unmistakably indicate their identity as the "Wild Man Jurchen" advancing south from the North!

"Roar! Hoo! Roar!..."

"Shoot! Kill! Take down the village, eat till full!..."

"Whoever climbs the village wall first! Whoever eats first, sleeps with the women first!..."

"Roar!..."

The attacking Shengshu Jurchen Tribes let out beasts-like hungry roars, besieging from three sides, continuously climbing and assaulting the camp. They don’t seem to fear death, even if hit or stabbed dead by the tribes from the village wall, there are no signs of retreat!

More terrifyingly, they are not attacking randomly like beasts. Their attack methods carry strong hunting characteristics, with beast-like acuity and instinct. Large numbers of Wild Man archers spread out, approaching the village walls, raising their greatbows high and shooting heavy arrows like javelins! Their archery is extraordinarily accurate and fierce, often piercing down the archers shooting on the village walls! Arrows that hit do not require treating the wounded, for unquestionably fatal!

As for the defending side, their numbers are significantly fewer. Even including the women and the elderly on the village walls, there are only around four hundred, half that of the attacking side. Among them, tribal warriors who can fight number about a hundred, holding a considerable amount of iron blades and iron spears, a few also armored. They lean out from the village walls, desperately shooting arrow after arrow, even expelling the most precious iron arrows all at once. And those tribal warriors’ most distinctive physical feature is...

"Agudah! Who are these tribes? Why have they shaved the front half of their head, leaving only a strange slender braid at the back, looking like a rat’s tail?... Such a weird hairstyle! Are they of the same clan as you?"

"Haha, it’s them! They are primarily farmers, with less hunting, Southern tribes, not really fighters!... Hmm, they speak the same language as us, look about the same, probably the same clan!"

Maha Agudah squinted for a while, the corner of his mouth showing a disdainful smile, his eyes glinting with greedy desire.

"Iron armor, iron spear, iron arrow... Clearly, they’re truly wealthy! Damn! How have other tribes discovered such a fat deer first!"

The tribes within this village are self-evident, they’re indeed wealthier, Southern Shushu Jurchen who are less capable in battle! Regarding the iron spears and armor these people hold, even this solid village, undoubtedly left as a legacy by the retreated Ming Dynasty!

"The besieging tribes have climbed the village wall; these people can’t hold it! Damn! Such a wealthy village undoubtedly contains lots of food, many ironwares and fabrics, might even have many horses, possibly pigs and chickens fattened for eating!"

"Zuwaro! Let’s land and disembark! When tribes see prey, they must distribute the observed yield according to strength! Since we’ve run into the hunt by other tribes, regardless of amount, we should reveal our bow spears and take a share of the meat!"

"..."

Faced with Maha Agudah’s persuasion, Zuwaro’s eyes flickered for a moment, then he still shook his head. To him, whether it’s food, fabrics, or iron armor, iron weapons, they could all be exchanged in large quantities for "worthless gold" from the Japanese. In such a chaotic battle, a scale of fighting involving over a thousand warriors, moreover capable Shengshu Jurchen barbarian children, he is unwilling to risk the loss of his samurai rashly participating.

"Agudah, wait longer! Let’s not get involved yet... after these tribes are finished fighting, when they send someone to contact... then see if we can trade ship’s supplies for captive strong men population..."

"...Zuwaro! This kind of cautious approach, truly lacks the courage of a tiger, not like the Chieftain of the Northern Land!"

"Cough! Agudah, I wasn’t a Chieftain, I am a Shaman Priest after all..."

"..."

After exchanging a few words, new developments emerged on the battlefield amidst the slaughter. The boat team by the river saw the battlefield, while the tribes on the battlefield noticed the large ship by the river.

"Whoosh whoosh! Whoosh whoosh!..."

Quickly, two warning "Baolian Arrows" were shot into the sky, the besieging tribal warriors noticeably paused. Shortly after, more than a hundred reservist tribal soldiers split off, moving cautiously toward the riverbank.

"Ha! The meaning of the whistle arrow... is a warning for us not to intervene!"

Maha Agudah grinned maliciously, his face revealing a fierce and sinister form like a tiger. Then, the struggling village in the siege, already climbed by attackers, suddenly shifted too!

Only to see a village gate at the back suddenly open, nine mounted Shushu Jurchen cavalry rushed towards the besieging tribal soldiers. After losing three men, six cavalrymen finally broke through the encirclement, desperately charging toward the riverbank boat team before the enemy dispatched cavalry to chase!

"Da-da! Da-da-da!..."

Leading Shushu Jurchen Chief charged alone ahead, filled with hope for survival from hopelessness, struck the horse’s rump hard, vigorously racing to the riverside. With wide eyes, he drew out a copper seal from his chest, raised it high in hand, pleading towards the three large ships by the river, and the armor-clad warriors onboard. Initially shouting in Man Language with a Liaodong accent, then changing to awkward strange Liaodong official language, anxiously called!

"Under the Holy Emperor! Which Lord of Commander is with this fleet?! I am the Harman Guard Deputy Commander Ali! Please, Lord on the ship, swiftly send troops to save my Harman Tribe!"