Chapter 29: The Bamboo Ridge Tribe

Chapter 29: The Bamboo Grove Tribe

Li Zhong stood up, picked up the wooden stick in front of him, and drew a circle on the sand table.

“Chief, that tribe is quite close to us. If you head southeast for about eighty-five kilometers, you’ll find it on a cliff where thick bamboo grows. The tribe is nestled right within the bamboo forest.

We hadn’t discovered them before because, when mapping the surrounding area, we didn’t venture deep into the bamboo grove.

After I tracked them back, I went up alone for a look. I didn’t see any tribal altar or flags—this is a wild tribe.

There are about eighty people inside, with a dozen or so children, just a few elders, over twenty women, and the rest are warriors.

They’ve built simple houses out of bamboo, while some just live on platforms constructed among the bamboo stalks.

There are traps set around the tribe, so we’ll need to be careful when attacking. We could also approach directly from the cliff—I climbed up that way last time.”

Li Hongshen gazed at the circle Li Zhong had drawn on the sand table, falling into deep thought.

This tribe sits atop a cliff, using the natural barrier as protection behind them, with bamboo forest and traps in front—a place easy to defend and hard to attack.

A river runs below the cliff, a tributary from the Great Mountains stretching ten thousand miles. Climbing up from there carries some risk.

In the endless wilds, one must tread carefully through forests and be wary of water. Both are places of danger, the haunts of unknown beasts and river monsters.

“Can you tell how high the cliff behind is? What kind of weapons do they use? Do they have bows, short spears, or the like?” Li Hongshen asked.

Li Zhong paused to recall.

“There’s a drop of over a hundred meters between cliff and river. When I climbed, I found no path; the cliff rises almost vertically from the water.

The tribe has bows, but just simple bamboo bows, similar to the first ones we made. They’re nothing compared to the hunting bows you’ve provided us with or the ones we made later.

They also have some stone axes and spears, but not many. They’ve sharpened bamboo into spears as well, which look pretty dangerous.”

“I say we deal with this weaker tribe first. It’s close, Li Zhong has already scouted it, and it’ll be much easier than the other one. Let’s call this weaker tribe the Bamboo Grove Tribe for now—what do you all think?” Li Hongshen finished, glancing at the elder and Li Li.

“I support the chief,” the elder said. “A tribe of around eighty is no pressure for us now.

The houses on the northern slope haven’t even been dismantled; if these people come, there’s room for them. Our territory’s food supply can handle the cycle, so I have no objections.”

Li Hongshen, assured by Elder Li Baolu’s report that logistics were covered, turned to Li Li.

“I’m fine as well, but we’ll need to leave some warriors behind. We’ve had a few run-ins with the tribe near the beast forest—I worry they might come looking for trouble.”

At this, Li Hongshen rose and slapped the table.

“Good. If there are no more objections, then let’s go for it. Li Li, you’ll stay behind with two warriors and the patrol. I’ll take the rest of the warriors and hunting team. Our goal is to subdue this tribe within three days.”

He had already made up his mind. With over eighty people, subtracting the elders, women, and children, they could gain almost forty usable warriors—quite a large tribe for the outskirts.

Their weapons are crude—stone and bamboo spears—so we’ll need shields and to be wary of bows and traps.

Most importantly, this is a wild tribe with no name or altar, which means no warriors blessed by the wilds.

With more than ten first-rank warriors, Li Hongshen was confident he could sweep through them, not to mention the hunting team and other skilled fighters.

“Prepare a week’s rations, take your shields, and bring your weapons. Our aim is to recruit, not to kill; avoid casualties if you can, since we’ll all be living together after this.

But if anyone resists stubbornly, don’t go soft—do what needs to be done, understood?”

“Understood!”

“Good. Dismissed. We set out at dawn tomorrow.”

The next morning, Li Hongshen set out from camp with Li Zhong and the newly promoted warriors. Li Li, Li Tianhua, and a female warrior stayed behind with the patrol to guard the camp.

A dozen people trekked through the endless wilds, led by Li Zhong, making their way toward the Bamboo Grove Tribe.

Perhaps it was due to Li Hongshen’s own talents, or the settlement’s system-bestowed gift, but the people of the tribe had grown remarkably tall.

Even an ordinary local militia member now stood over 1.8 meters, while the awakened warriors were all 1.9 meters or taller, some even exceeding two meters.

Even the female warrior, with her hair tied in a bun and a broad, muscular chest and arms thicker than the average person’s thighs, drew admiration—“A true amazon!”

Thanks to the feedback from these newly promoted warriors, Li Hongshen himself had grown much stronger—his strength and physique had improved greatly, though his height, at just over 1.8 meters, made him the shortest in the group.

With the warriors’ long strides, even on foot, they made excellent pace. Thanks to Li Zhong’s prior scouting, they reached their destination by noon.

Upon arrival, Li Hongshen did not enter the bamboo forest directly. Instead, he led the group to the cliff behind.

“Li Zhong, I’ll need you to climb up once more. This time, take a rope with you. Once you’re up, secure it to a strong spot and keep watch.”

Li Zhong said nothing, drew a short blade from his waist and clenched it between his teeth, wound the rope twice from shoulder to waist, nodded to Li Hongshen, and began to climb.

Li Hongshen surveyed the scene. Below lay a surging river, over a hundred meters wide. It was impossible to judge its depth, but from the occasional disturbances on the surface, he knew there were river beasts lurking beneath.

To his left was the sheer face of the cliff, rising at a perfect right angle from the river. Only a few cracks and jutting rocks broke the surface, with just a handful of rock trees clinging to it.

Li Zhong, perhaps because he’d climbed it before, didn’t choose the route with the rock trees—probably to avoid snagging the rope. Even so, it still took him two hours to reach the top.

“Our turn. Up. Be careful, and make no noise.”

Once Li Zhong reached the summit and signaled as agreed, Li Hongshen began organizing the others to ascend the rope.

(End of Chapter)