I Became The Chief Of A Primitive Village

Chapter 1216, A Fool’s Wish

Translator: Silavin

“Everyone keep moving, we’ll reach the Flame Dragon Tribe soon enough.” Li Ya bellowed at the top of his lungs.

He no longer needed to go out collecting intelligence, now that they were so close. His people could handle that. His job these past few days was simply to keep the Tribe moving. This was a full migration, of every last one of them. If he let his attention drift even for a moment, stragglers would fall behind or accidents would happen.

Thud thud thud…

The villagers of the Dark Scorpion Tribe looked as though they had already died on their feet. Every face was grey with exhaustion. More than a few bore wounds, missing limbs among them, and their numbers had been cut by more than half since the march began.

They had set out at roughly six thousand strong. Half a month later, barely two thousand remained. The road had been merciless. Those not taken by Ferocious Beasts had died of infections from their wounds, or simply vanished from the column and were not spoken of again.

The whole Tribe walked in a state of low, grinding dread. Some had already stopped wanting to go anywhere at all.

Li Ya’s job was to push them on regardless. They were useful as a living shield, and that was reason enough to keep them moving.

“Deadweight. But we can’t do without them.” Shaman Chen Shao glanced back at the shuffling mass.

He had thought more than once about abandoning them and picking up fresher bodies somewhere along the way, from a strong Tribe. But the forest was too dangerous for that kind of movement.

“Shaman, we’re almost there. Two more days and we reach the Flame Dragon Tribe.” Du Ya turned and looked over the Tribe’s Warriors. Their condition was still solid. “Honestly, if we hadn’t brought the ordinary people along, our Warriors would have been worn down keeping pace with those Ferocious Beasts. They’ve taken the losses so we didn’t have to.”

The Ferocious Beasts had come in waves during the early stretch of the march. Every time they appeared, the Totem Warriors had simply run to the front and let the crowd behind them absorb whatever came next.

The ordinary people had been furious. But what could they do? They were herded forward like livestock. They understood that falling behind meant dying alone, and so they stayed, clinging to the slim hope that sheer numbers might keep any one of them from being chosen.

“Have people gone ahead to scout? I don’t want the Flame Dragon Tribe catching us with our backs open.” Shaman Chen Shao asked.

“There’s been a forward unit out there all along. They’re about half a day ahead of us. If anything happens to them, we’ll have plenty of time to respond.” Du Ya answered without hesitation.

He was no fool either. He had deployed a capable unit well ahead specifically for this reason, knowing they might walk into an ambush. If those scouts were hit, the survivors would report back before anything reached the main column.

Between the Tribe’s numbers and what their Warriors could do, the Dark Scorpion Tribe could adjust to almost anything.

“After everything it took to get here, we are taking that Tribe. No question.” Shaman Chen Shao was already thinking about drinking. “I’ve heard they’ve got stores of goods piled up in there. Once we’re in, we celebrate for a week.”

His laughter rolled through the forest. It was completely at odds with the hollow, resentful faces trailing behind him.

The ordinary people had been told to keep their distance, a gap of roughly one kilometre between them and the core group. It was purely for the Shaman’s own protection, of course. Scouts ahead, ordinary people behind, and in the middle, the people who actually mattered.

“The snow season only just ended. They’ll be celebrating the new year right now. This is the perfect time to hit them.” Du Ya was barely containing himself.

He had a weakness for drink and had not had nearly enough the last time around. Shaman Chen Shao had monopolised most of it. Du Ya had swallowed his complaints, telling himself he would drink his fill once the Flame Dragon Tribe was theirs.

“You’re certain they don’t know we’re coming?” Shaman Chen Shao looked back again at the vast column trailing through the trees.

This many people moving through a forest was not a subtle thing.

“Completely certain, Shaman. Our intelligence network is the fastest on this land. No other Tribe can match us for speed of information. Everything we’ve gathered says they’re in the dark.” Du Ya spoke with total confidence. “And even if they somehow found out, they are no match for us. Be it their numbers, their strength, we are the one with the edge.”

His manner was almost insufferably proud. But it was Li Ya who had given him that confidence. Li Ya ran the Dark Scorpion Tribe’s intelligence team, and that team had never once been wrong.

That perfect record was exactly why Du Ya believed it so completely.

…

“Look at you, all eager. I bet you will claim a few pretty girls.” Shaman Chen Shao said it lightly, with the ease of someone who already knew the answer.

Du Ya had no shortage of Wives back in the Dark Scorpion Tribe. More than twenty. He had a habit of taking a liking to women and simply deciding the matter from there, provided the age was right.

His reputation in the Tribe needed no introduction.

“I’ve heard the women of the Flame Dragon Tribe are something to look at. It would be a waste not to.” Du Ya smiled in an ugly manner.

“Do as you like. Just take the Tribe first.” Shaman Chen Shao had no strong feelings on that particular subject. What he wanted was the drink and the preserved meat.

“Shaman, we do need to keep some of them alive when this is done. Specifically, whoever knows how to brew that wine.” Du Ya had not forgotten that detail.

The scouts he had sent to find out how the brewing was done had come back with nothing. Word was that only a handful of people within the Flame Dragon Tribe knew. Du Ya had been sitting on that piece of information for some time.

“Naturally.” Shaman Chen Shao had already factored that in.