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The melee in the mountains was a mess, with the sounds of battle shaking the heavens. Once the warriors were locked in close combat, it became very difficult to command them. Hearing Uman’s order, only a hundred or so tribal warriors who had not yet engaged obeyed the command. They quickly split into two groups, circling to both sides of the Otomi army at an angle, then crouched low and charged like hunting dogs!
As the flanks charged, the fighting became even more brutal. The samurai formations on both wings shook for a moment, slightly disorganized. Ottopan Warriors and Guajili fighters grappled with each other, like wild beasts tearing into each other, each delivering deadly attacks. In just a moment, dozens lay fallen!
The red-haired Canine Hunters stood up straight, straining to shoot at the Longbow Warriors, while the archers on the other side quickly returned fire. Arrows crisscrossed the mountain paths, many flying into the woods, startling the eagles into flight.
The seasoned red-haired Hunter Tuohe, his face covered with red markings, had an indifferent expression. He squinted his eyes, holding the Hunting Bow at an angle, and released a sharp Bone Arrow! Forty paces away, a Longbow trusted aide was struck in the face and fell to the ground at the sound.
"The third finger!"
Tuohe nodded slightly, mentally noting the count. Then, he shifted his position slightly, aimed at another trusted aide, drew the string to his cheek, and released another swift arrow.
"The fourth finger!"
Tuohe did not need to see the result of the shot, he confidently counted under his breath. He had wielded the bow for over twenty years; even his back was shaped into an arch suitable for shooting. As soon as an arrow left his hand, he knew by instinct whether it had hit its mark.
"Ah!"
As expected, another trusted aide let out a piercing scream, an arrow through the eye bleeding, they writhed in agony on the ground.
A small smile tugged at the corner of Tuohe’s mouth. After this battle, he would be able to draw four quarters into a red stripe on his face, surely surpassing Uman as the first man of the tribe. He moved his Hunting Bow again, aiming for the next enemy, when suddenly a whistling of death reached his ears!
Seven or eight Feathered Arrows came at him simultaneously, targeting the Divine Archer! Tuohe swiftly bent his body and stepped aside, but still, he was pierced by a sharp arrow through his waist and abdomen, bringing him to the ground. Then, another volley of arrows descended, turning him into a bloodied figure in an instant!
The senior Hunter lay on the ground, the earth beneath him rapidly wetting. With his dying strength, he looked up at the autumn woods. Some fall leaves danced in the air before drifting down slowly, stained with blood red.
"Autumn is... the cycle... of death,... returning... to the... earth... mother..."
Tuohe murmured softly, his eyes quickly losing their spark. Surrounding the thick-skinned Jiowar chieftain, warriors from both sides fell like autumn leaves. Of the two thousand elite, a third had already died in the fierce battle, and yet the arriving reinforcements filled the ranks!
Atop a hill, Chieftain Red Fox tightly gripped his weapon, his gaze fixed on the distant battle.
Several hundred elite Red Fox suddenly broke out, hemming in the Otomi chieftain, like the mouth of a snake half-biting its prey. However, the prey had frightfully thick skin and couldn’t be bitten through; the snake hesitated to let go. The cruel struggle went on, as the Otomi opened the gates of their camp and each of the Canine Tribes dispatched more warriors. Reinforcements from both sides kept arriving continuously, joining the battle from two sides, stretching the battle line longer and longer, unwittingly heading towards an unexpected decisive battle!
"Chieftain! Divine Archer Tuohe, is dead!"
A trusted aide hurried up the hill to report to Chieftain Red Dog, who was observing the battle.
"What?!"
Chichika clenched his fists, his face fierce like a wild beast choosing its prey. Tuohe had been one of his top archers and to die like this on a nameless mountain trail! Chieftain Red Fox paced back and forth, undecided. He turned his head again, looking toward the battlefield, which had grown to three or four thousand combatants, then at the still solid line of Ottopan trusted aides.
"No, this battle can’t be fought like this!"
Chichika bit through his lip, setting his resolve. He had been keen to have a full-scale battle with the Otomi mongrels, but not on this kind of flat terrain with no cover. Chieftain Red Fox shouted to his trusted aide beside him.
"Sound the horn for retreat!"
"Chieftain, a retreat?"
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"Retreat!"
Chichika roared fiercely.
"Let Uman retreat! Dispatch the remaining two thousand warriors to ambush in the woods! Also, send an envoy to inform the other tribes: if the Otomi people chase into the forest, ensure they never return!"
The trusted aide nodded and left. In just a moment, the deep sound of the horn echoed through the mountains. The Guajili people had hunted massive beasts in the north and were now using real bull horns.
"Woo! Woo!..."
Uman’s eyes were bloodshot as he was drawing his bow angrily. The sound of the horn reached him from afar. He turned his head toward the hill where the chieftain stood, but all he saw was the retreat flag. The chieftain’s figure had already disappeared.
"What?"
"Woo! Woo!..."
Even in the midst of fierce combat, the elite red-haired warriors still managed to keep their cool. They looked back, hesitated for a few moments, then decisively turned around and retreated.
"Awoo! We’re leaving!"
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Uman, with an unwilling expression, had no choice but to obey. Before leaving, he took one last look at the Otomi leader, who was close at hand. The enemy was covered in arrows, his shield peppered like a hairy brush, and was now also turning his head toward the hill where the horn was sounding.
"There? The leader of the Guajili?"
Upon hearing this entirely different horn sound, Jiowar’s expression changed. He looked toward the nearby hill, squinted his eyes in thought, and then shouted loudly to his trusted aide.
"Wave the command flag, have the nearest camp send out troops! Attack that hill!..."
As he was speaking, the Guajili people suddenly erupted into a wave of chaotic shouts. Then, they turned their heads together, their formation completely scattered, and fled into the woods behind them. The Canine Warriors, mostly light and without armor, accustomed to running, were still swift as they moved through the hills, rapidly escaping. The samurai, with their eyes bloodshot from killing, continued to chase the fleeing enemy, nearly entering the forest!
After watching for a moment and seeing birds take flight above the forest, and faint shadows moving, Jiowar decisively took out his conch horn and blew on it personally.
"Diddy! Diddy! The entire army retreat!"
"Woo woo! Woo woo!"`
The leaders of both armies, one after the other, issued orders to retreat. The deep bull horn and the piercing conch horn echoed simultaneously through the mountains like an abruptly ending symphony. The warriors of both sides quickly disengaged and then, collecting their calm, turned back toward their main forces.
A fierce battle had erupted suddenly, with moments of intense fighting, and then just as suddenly, it subsided. Under the admiring gazes of the samurai, Jiowar pulled out the bone arrows from his body, snapped them one by one, and threw them on the ground. Then he lifted his head and gazed into the vast sky.
The sun was setting in the west, staining the mountain peaks with its reddish glow. At both ends of the long mountain path, the two armies were each returning to their camps, reestablishing a standoff across the miles. In this battle, both sides had lost over a thousand lives, nearly all elites! The losses of the two armies were roughly equal, and although the Guajili had achieved the element of surprise, they didn’t gain the upper hand in the fight.
Black eagles descended from the sky, swooping down on the fresh food. Between the undulating mountains, it was as if nothing had happened, except that the color of the autumn leaves on the mountain path had turned from yellow to the red of maple leaves.
"Praise the Chief Divine’s protection!... Thank you for Your Highness’s graciousness!..."
Jiowar grasped the Sun Amulet at his chest, pressed against his sturdy gold armor, and prayed devoutly to the sunset. Soon after, he gritted his teeth and cursed fiercely.
"Despicable Guajili people! When His Highness’s grand army arrives, we’ll sacrifice you all to the Chief Divine, one by one to the heavens!"
