Chapter Thirty: The Black Bear Assaults the Mountain

The spy in black dared not be negligent and reported in a clear voice, “From what the brothers usually chatter about, the cultivation of the Second Chief, Ironwing, is about on par with the Third Chief, White Bear. In terms of martial ranks, perhaps second or third tier, but it’s also possible he has broken through to the third and entered the realm of second-class experts.”

“Very well, I understand,” the Chief responded, his tone as indifferent as ever, as though a second-class expert was of no concern to him. “How are the insiders on the mountain prepared?”

“All is ready. The moment our main force arrives, we brothers will open the gates and let the troops in. Not a single person in Black Bear Fortress will escape.”

Satisfied with this answer, the Chief immediately issued the order to attack. “Commander Ge, take a crack unit and force open the fortress gate. I will personally lead the elite to besiege their martial artists. The rest will follow and close in. Today, we will wipe Black Bear Fortress from the face of the earth.”

“At your command, Chief!”

The spy in black and Commander Ge bowed low together to receive their orders.

As the battle for Black Bear Fortress commenced, not far from the foot of Wolf Fang Mountain, Black Bear himself led a great force from the fortress, poised for an impending clash. Meanwhile, in the rear training ground, Hu San had already summoned his most trusted confidants.

Present were Fatty Snakefang, leader of the Second Division’s Second Group; the young brute Shishi, leader of the Fifteenth Group; Yan Fei, leader of the First Division’s Fourth Group; Liang Chuan, leader of the Nineteenth Group; three warlords from the Ninth Group—Tanyue, Xiangbao, and Leiming—and Hu San’s younger brother Lin Hu.

All of these had proved their loyalty over time and pledged themselves to Hu San; they were the ones he could truly rely on. As for the others, there were a few more, but those were only playing along for appearances and could not be counted on. Thus, Hu San hadn’t even bothered to call them.

“Brothers, the reason I’ve called you here today is of utmost importance, a matter of life and death for us all. If my guess is correct, the enemy is already at the mountain’s foot. I won’t waste words; I want you to know the ones coming for us are a company of elite mountain bandits.”

“The enemy is as strong as the Wolfheart Fortress’s crack troops, numbering in the thousands. There are certainly martial artists leading them, and I suspect they know Wolf Fang Fortress inside and out. If we try to resist head-on, we have no chance of victory.”

“Our only option is to prepare early. Go back and ready your units, arm them well, and meet me at the summit. If we win, so be it; if not, we must retreat through the secret tunnel.”

At this, Hu San ignored the looks of shock on the others’ faces and turned to Lin Hu. “How is the digging of the tunnel progressing? How far does it reach?”

Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Lin Hu licked his lips and answered shakily, “Because the excavation point is close to the main fortress, progress has been slow. Fortunately, the spot you chose was already a crevice in the mountains, saving us much effort. The farthest exit now reaches all the way to the mountain’s foot.”

“Excellent!” Hu San nodded approvingly. “Hu, you need not join the battle. Take Tanyue and a few elite men to guard the exit, and be ready to help us at any time.”

“I estimate the Third Chief will soon discover the enemy. We must not retreat on our own before we are defeated; otherwise, there will be no place for us in this world.”

“Yes, sir!” Lin Hu sprang up and left at once.

Though the others were full of questions, with the crisis at hand, none dared delay. Without a word, they bowed and returned to their posts to prepare their squads.

Within less than a quarter of an hour, a shrill alarm pierced the valley as panicked bandits rushed toward the rear mountain, spreading the news of the enemy’s arrival and issuing orders to assemble.

Instantly, the whole valley was thrown into chaos. Before most had even finished donning their armor, they were driven forward by the bandits.

Thanks to Hu San’s warning, his few trusted squads were thoroughly prepared, but in the confusion, few paid them any mind.

When they reached the summit, the Third Chief summoned all group leaders and bandit captains into the grand hall to assign defensive positions.

Though he seemed anxious, from Hu San’s perspective, those traces of anxiety hinted at something else. The Third Chief did not seem truly worried.

Hu San was sure the Third Chief already understood the enemy’s origin and strength. To have such a demeanor, he must either be fully confident in repelling the attack or have anticipated this day long ago.

All signs considered, Hu San thought the latter was most likely.

Sure enough, the Third Chief first gave urgent orders to two commanders, who then departed in haste. He then raised a hand to silence the hall and spoke:

“Gentlemen, I’ll be blunt. A large army is currently attacking from below; our intelligence says they are bandits from Black Bear Fortress. Though we do not know the reason, Wolf Fang Fortress is not to be trifled with.”

“This time, Black Bear Fortress dares attack our mountain so rashly, but all we need do is hold out for six or seven days, and reinforcements from Wolfheart Fortress will arrive. Not one of them will survive then.”

“You all took part in building Wolf Fang Fortress and know its secrets. I trust that with the mountain’s defenses, our traps and mechanisms, and the elite from the training camp, victory will be ours.”

“Now, I will assign defensive orders.”

While the Third Chief was issuing his commands, down below, Black Bear and White Bear had sensed the commotion atop the fortress.

Realizing they’d been detected, Black Bear, robed in grey, pursed his lips and sneered, “Seems someone reported us last night. But what of it? Does little Wolf Fang Fortress think it can stop my army?”

“Pass my orders: let the brothers eat well. We attack in a quarter of an hour.”

“Yes, sir!” White Bear bared his teeth, eager for the carnage to come.

Black Bear’s suspicion fell on Hu San, though it was misplaced. As Hu San had surmised, the Chief had orchestrated everything, with the Third Chief as his chief executor—how could he not understand the game?

Naturally, he had long since set trusted men to watch the mountain’s foot and awaited Black Bear’s arrival. None of this was Hu San’s doing.

A quarter hour later, Black Bear’s troops had eaten, and under White Bear’s command, began their assault on the fortress.

But all was as anticipated; Wolf Fang Fortress was ready. Stones and logs rained down, traps and mechanisms littered the ground. In less than an hour, Black Bear’s army had lost several hundred elite.

Even White Bear, a martial artist, was struck in the left arm by a first-class arrow. If not for his deep internal strength, he might never have made it back down.

This defense, marshaling all the resources of Wolfheart Fortress, was not something Black Bear’s army could overcome in a single charge. Moreover, defending the mountainside, there was little need for close combat—so the trainees could play their full role, fighting nearly on par with regular bandits. The losses to Black Bear’s army were thus considerable.

“What formidable defenses, what impressive youth. But do you really think you can withstand my army? Dream on!”

Rather than being discouraged, Black Bear’s resolve only hardened at the sight.

He saw the fortress’s tight defenses as proof of some hidden scheme. From his intelligence, the only scheme could be the training camp’s new recruits.

What others value, I must have too—this logic applied to Black Bear as well. He didn’t believe Wolfheart Fortress had built such defenses just for show.

If they valued the recruits so much, then capturing them would surely shatter Wolfheart Fortress’s strength.

Then, whether to kill or spare them would be his choice.

At this moment, Black Bear did not suspect a trap, in part because of Hu San’s actions.

Originally, the plan was for Black Bear Fortress’s agents inside Wolf Fang Fortress to leak the news. But thanks to Hu San, all those agents were dead, and no messages got out.

As a result, Black Bear’s information came solely from White Bear’s own investigations, which had cost many elite lives. How could he not trust such intelligence?

Thus, though Hu San’s actions had nearly ruined the Chief’s plan, once things were patched up, the original flaws were erased.

“Give my order: send in the Bear Guard.”

Black Bear smiled coldly as White Bear, clutching his wounded arm, broke into a delighted grin.

Soon, the bandits formed ranks, and hundreds of burly men stepped forward, all clad in black bear pelts from head to foot, leaving only heads and arms exposed.

Each held a wooden shield as tall as a man, thickly bound with beast hide and weighing dozens of pounds, yet borne lightly.

In their other hands, they wielded gleaming steel sabers of unmistakable quality.

Though heavily equipped, these men moved with astonishing speed, each seeming born with prodigious strength.

When boulders or logs came rolling down, the larger ones simply sidestepped, while the smaller ones used their shields to deflect them. As for the arrows raining down, all were stopped by the shields or failed to penetrate the thick bear pelts.

With the elite Bear Guard, Black Bear’s army surged up the mountainside, reaching halfway up in a single push; if not for the pitfalls there, they might have reached the summit that very day.

In the fighting, the Bear Guard lost only a dozen or two, but Wolf Fang Fortress suffered greatly. Against such foes, if the defenders let them get close, death was inevitable.

In just one morning’s assault, Wolf Fang Fortress lost three or four hundred men—an astonishing toll for the defenders.

If Black Bear’s troops broke through and reached the heart of the fortress, it would be a massacre.

The recruits’ once-excited faces turned ashen; most of the dead were among the new trainees. Yet under the Third Chief’s harsh discipline, though they were terrified, none dared disobey, lest they be executed by their own before the enemy could reach them.

At such a crucial moment, the Third Chief’s hand showed no mercy.