Great Wilderness Demon Lord

Wugu could no longer sit still.

The supply lines were the lifeblood of his detachment, and also crucial to the main force's southward advance.

Having been attacked twice in succession, and with the enemy's movements being so erratic, it was clear that they were not just a small group of bandits.

He suspected that it was an elite force sent by the garrison of Bingcheng, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was impossible—Bingcheng was completely surrounded, so how could they send out so many cavalry?

Could it be a surprise force sent by Zhenhuang Pass in the south? Or perhaps... other wasteland tribes dissatisfied with the Black Claw Tribe?

In any case, he had to handle it personally.

Leaving his deputy to continue the siege of Ice City, Wugu mustered his 150 most elite cavalry and personally headed northeast, determined to wipe out this increasingly "unstable" supply line.

However, when he led his troops to the site of the most recent attack, all he found was a vast snowfield and howling winds, with only charred remains and the corpses of the Langrong soldiers.

He expanded his search area, even venturing closer to the edge of the centaur's traditional activity zone, but still found nothing.

The attackers acted as if they had never existed.

The day after Wugu returned to the camp empty-handed, full of doubts and anger, another transport convoy on a backup supply route to the northwest was attacked in almost the exact same way—a rocket attack that burned supplies and then fled.

Wugu felt like a bull being harassed by flies that he couldn't swat away, burning with anger but having nowhere to vent it.

He had to lead his team out again, but this time he learned his lesson and did not rush directly to the point of attack. Instead, he tried to set up ambushes along possible routes.

But the centaurs always seem to appear from unexpected directions, and after completing their raids, they always manage to slip away before the wolf barbarians can encircle them, thanks to the complex terrain and their superior mobility.

After several such incidents, Wugu and his elite cavalry were exhausted from running around.

Despite the ice city being so close, they had to devote a great deal of energy to guarding the winding, vulnerable grain route.

The originally calm atmosphere of siege in the camp was gradually replaced by a sense of anxiety and unease.

And this was exactly the effect Xiao Yunlan wanted.

"Captain, the scouts report that Wugu has led over a hundred cavalrymen northeast again, heading towards 'Luanshi Gorge.' It seems they've received a new alarm about an attack." Zhao Meng climbed onto the fortress and reported to Xiao Yunlan, who was observing the enemy camp.

Xiao Yunlan nodded, his gaze still fixed on the Wolf Rong camp on the north bank.

Without Wugu and his hundred-plus elite cavalry, the camp's defenses were noticeably weaker, and the patrolling cavalry was much less numerous.

"The time is almost right." Xiao Yunlan withdrew his gaze. "Notify Tieshan to prepare according to the second plan. Make our move at midnight."

"yes!"

The second plan was one that Xiao Yunlan had already devised, a plan to harass the Wolf Rong camp after Wugu left.

The goal was not to breach the camp, but to create chaos and apply pressure, preventing Wugu from focusing on the supply route issue and forcing him to shuttle between two places.

Around midnight, the wind and snow subsided slightly.

Tieshan personally led fifty carefully selected veterans and guards skilled in night fighting and raids, like cheetahs pouncing in the dark, rappelling down ropes from the city wall, silently gliding across the ice, and heading straight for the Wolf Rong camp on the north bank.

Their goal was clear—to create maximum chaos.

Rockets were fired at densely packed tents, setting fire to several corners where miscellaneous items were piled up; the few oil canisters they carried were thrown onto watchtowers and barricades at the edge of the camp; and the archers focused on sniping at the panicked wolf-barbarian leaders who were trying to organize resistance.

The whole process was lightning fast, a single, decisive strike, with no lingering.

As the sirens blared at the Wolf Rong camp and the deputy commander, furious, gathered his men to launch a counterattack, Tieshan had already led his troops in a coordinated retreat, quickly withdrawing back to Bingcheng.

The entire process took only a quarter of an hour. Only a few people from the Ice City suffered minor injuries, while the Wolf Rong camp was set ablaze with seven or eight fires, resulting in the deaths of more than a dozen people. More seriously, their morale was severely damaged, and they had no peace all night.

When the news reached Wugu, the centurion of the Wolf Rong, who was searching for traces of the centaurs near Luanshi Gorge, he was furious.

He immediately realized that the Ice City garrison had exploited the weakness of his dispersed forces.

The supply lines must be secured, but the main base must not be lost either; otherwise, the siege will fail and there is a risk of being attacked from both inside and outside.

He could only leave a portion of his troops to continue guarding the supply route while he led the main force back to reinforce the area.

By the time he returned to camp, extinguished the remaining fires, and rallied his disorganized troops, it was already broad daylight. The men and horses were exhausted, and morale was low.

That very afternoon, after he returned to camp, an urgent report came from the northeastern grain route that it had been attacked again…

And so on and on.

The centaur's harassment was like a persistent, malignant infection, while the Ice City's surprise attack was like a blunt object hitting the back of the head.

Wugu and his troops were caught between two points, running back and forth in a desperate situation.

Every deployment is a forced march, and every return to support is a nerve-wracking experience, leaving no time for rest.

Although the wolf warriors were fierce and brave, they were not made of iron. After several days of continuous fighting, both the men and the wolves showed obvious signs of fatigue.

The atmosphere in the camp grew increasingly oppressive; complaints, though dared not be made public, circulated quietly in private.

Xiao Yunlan clearly grasped the changes in the Wugu tribe's status through observations from the fortress and intelligence transmitted by the sentries.

He knew that the time was almost right.

Prolonged exhaustion of the enemy not only depletes their physical strength and morale, but more importantly, it makes the enemy commander more prone to making wrong judgments and exposing fatal flaws when they are anxious and angry.

He needed to give Wugu a "chance," a "chance" that seemed to solve the problem once and for all and save face.

Then, in this "opportunity," prepare a real grave for him.

It's time to contact the centaurs and prepare for the final showdown.

-----------------

The continuous days of running around left the Wugu tribe's camp shrouded in a persistent gloom and restlessness.

The usual ferocity in the eyes of the wolf warriors was replaced by exhaustion and a hint of irritability. Even the giant wolves they rode seemed listless as they pawed at the ground.

The addition of barricades and traps around the camp is less a sign of strengthened defense and more a reflection of inner unease.

Wugu himself was like a wounded beast trapped in a cage, and his temper became increasingly violent.

He couldn't understand why the situation had deteriorated to this point.

Where did those elusive centaur cavalrymen come from?

Did they really collude with the defenders of Harbin, or was it just a coincidence?

How could the defenders of Bingcheng dare to, or how could they, so precisely seize the opportunity when he was away to launch an attack?

A host of questions and a series of frustrations gnawed at his reason.

As a renowned and fierce warrior of the Black Claw tribe, how could he have ever suffered such humiliation?

To be outmaneuvered by a remnant of a besieged city and a group of cavalry of unknown origin is an utter disgrace!

Hechi, the commander of a thousand men, entrusted him with the important task of guarding the grain route and besieging Shuofengyuan. If anything went wrong here and affected the supply of the southward army, he would be willing to die a hundred times to atone for it.