In the following two days, the battles around Tongqiu continued relentlessly, showing no signs of stopping.
The atmosphere in the town was heavy, with wounded soldiers being sent back occasionally.
Xiao Lingqiu appeared quite busy, sotis riding out alone to survey the terrain, visiting so high-ranking clan mbers occasionally, and spending most of her ti sketching and marking a large map of the surrounding area.
Jiang Shouzhong had no idea what this woman was busy with, but he was certain that she was plotting sothing else.
This realization brought a faint sense of disappointnt to the man’s heart.
He couldn’t quite understand why he felt this disappointnt—perhaps it was the growing awareness that he and this woman, who had braved hardships together, were ultimately people from two different worlds.
By the afternoon of the third day, the frantic sound of approaching hoofbeats suddenly pierced the air. Jiang Shouzhong saw Liao Feihu leading a group of soldiers back.
Among them was Yun Zhu.
Liao Feihu’s arm was wrapped in bandages, his body clearly injured.
From Liao Feihu’s account, Jiang Shouzhong gained a more detailed understanding of the ongoing battles.
The old clan leader Arhun fell into an ambush and, though rescued, was barely clinging to life when he nad his son Lie Feng as the new clan leader before passing away.
The third commander of the Scorpion Camp, Wuyan Hu, originally intended to rescue his eldest brother, but instead found himself under attack by Scorpion forces.
Angry and aggrieved, he, spurred by his subordinates, impulsively allied with the Heshan Tribe and turned against his forr big brother.
"You call a traitor? Then I will be a traitor."
Ultimately, Scorpion was surrounded by multiple factions and cut down with a flurry of blades.
Thus ended the life of a desert warlord in a humiliating fashion.
Having eliminated his competitor, Lei Tian planned to profit from the chaos. However, Liao Feihu infiltrated his base with a small team.
Yun Zhu then joined forces with her brother Lie Feng, leading over four hundred Heshan Tribe soldiers to coordinate with Liao Feihu and capture Lei Tian’s camp.
Enraged by the news, Lei Tian sought to reclaim his camp.
Yet, due to the heavy losses he had suffered in the previous conflict with Scorpion, many of his n were killed, and substantial spoils of war were also stolen, leaving him without enough rations to sustain his forces. Furthermore, he was ambushed by another Heshan Tribe unit lying in wait.
Adding to his woes, Liao Feihu, a seasoned military commander, had set traps and dug trenches outside the camp.
After several unsuccessful attacks, their morale plumted.
In such dire circumstances, many of Lei Tian’s desert bandits, hungry, exhausted, and freezing, chose to surrender. Unable to do anything else, Lei Tian fled with his remaining forces to West Wind Valley to seek shelter under the Fourth Prince...
All in all, Tongqiu had been completely upended in just a few short days.
Two major desert bandit factions were wiped out.
The Heshan Tribe had a new leader.
After explaining the situation to Jiang Shouzhong, Liao Feihu patted him on the shoulder, remarking with an air of admiration, "Brother Jiang, your wife is no ordinary woman. Her intelligence and insight—her depth of strategic thinking—are beyond what most can fathom."
Liao Feihu’s gaze carried a cryptic undertone.
Jiang Shouzhong bowed his head, sinking into contemplation.
...
In the council hall, everyone was imrsed in a sense of joy.
Although the death of the old clan leader cast a shadow of sadness over everyone’s hearts, the resolution of the two major crises in Tongqiu had finally freed the Heshan Tribe from its longstanding peril.
The relief and joy from this achievent gradually dispelled the gloom lingering in the hearts of the people.
No one was more elated than the new clan leader, Lie Feng.
Not rely because of his outstanding performance in the recent battles or his ascension to the position of clan leader, but because he earned the admiration of his goddess, Xiao Lingqiu.
Especially when she accepted his invitation to attend the council, even rare forgoing the company of her husband.
This was undoubtedly a favorable sign.
In Nanjin Country, stealing a married woman was not considered immoral.
Lie Feng believed he still had a chance.
"This ti, our Heshan Tribe has gained imnsely—not only did we absorb many of Scorpion’s and Lei Tian’s forr followers and abundant spoils of war, but even Wuyan Hu has chosen to follow us..."
Lie Feng, brimming with confidence, declared to several high-ranking mbers of the Heshan Tribe,
"Uncles, my father entrusted with the heavy responsibility of leading the clan, with the hope that I can guide the Heshan Tribe to greater horizons. Here, I humbly ask for your full support so we can work together toward grand ambitions."
The elders voiced their agreents one after another.
Seeing Xiao Lingqiu smiling at him filled Lie Feng with pride.
Throughout history, beauty has always gravitated toward the strong.
He believed that as long as he displayed enough strength, he could win Xiao Lingqiu’s favor.
Jiang Shouzhong was no competition at all.
One of the senior mbers couldn’t help but splash cold water on the optimism:
"Clan leader, while the imdiate crisis of the Heshan Tribe has been temporarily resolved, Wuyan Hu’s willingness to surrender doesn’t necessarily an loyalty. Furthermore, many of the desert bandits and our clansn share deep animosities; this presents a significant internal challenge."
"And the Fourth Prince Wanyan Tianyou has long set his sights on this region of ours. It’s said that his war with the Fifth Prince is nearing its end, aning he’ll soon be able to deploy his full force to attack us."
Lie Feng’s face darkened.
The elder’s words were undeniable.
If the Fourth Prince launches a full-scale assault, their current state would make it hard to resist.
Unless they relocated to the desert’s heartlands.
Yet, for the Heshan Tribe, whose people had lived here for generations, the notion of migration was unimaginably difficult.
Lie Feng instinctively glanced at Xiao Lingqiu, seeing her calm deanor and steadfast expression, which invigorated him. He smiled, saying, "With Jingjing here, I believe even if Wanyan Tianyou cos, he won’t be able to touch us."
"Rest assured, I have a solution," Xiao Lingqiu said with a smile.
The crowd, having already witnessed Xiao Lingqiu’s capabilities, felt significantly reassured by her words.
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