Qin Yining’s group discussed and decided on their route within the time it takes to burn one stick of incense. By then, all the tribespeople had finished packing and were ready to depart.

Having learned that pursuers were tracking them, all the tribespeople remained very quiet, following the main group in orderly fashion as they braved the wind and snow heading west.

Sure enough, not long after, a force of nearly a thousand men arrived at the place where the Minuo tribe had just been camped.

The cavalry pulled their reins, urging their horses to circle around the campsite.

The commanding general dismounted, crouching down to examine the spots where tents had been pitched and bonfires lit, now covered by a light layer of snow. He then angrily swung his fist.

“What a cunning bunch!”

They were just one step too late. If they had arrived a bit earlier and engaged these people in close combat, couldn’t their thousand elite soldiers have reclaimed the grain? Now the Khan was furious, and their superiors were pressing urgently. If they couldn’t recover the grain, once the Khan flew into a rage, none of them would have good outcomes!

“General, what should we do? This snow isn’t falling at the right time. Now everything around is a vast expanse of white. They’ve been fleeing for a while – tracking their footprints won’t be so easy.”

“Even if it’s not easy, we must pursue! I refuse to believe that carrying baggage, they can move faster than us spurring our horses at full gallop! Everyone must stay alert and give the Khan a perfect account, otherwise the consequences are something none of us want to see!”

These words sent chills down everyone’s spine.

Even if the Khan were an extremely wise and reasonable person, their inability to complete any assigned task would still demonstrate their incompetence, let alone losing grain supplies crucial for warfare.

The group carefully examined the footprints left in the snow, closing in on the Minuo tribe’s direction.

Meanwhile, Qin Yining received a report from a returning scout within their group.

“You’re saying a cavalry force of nearly a thousand men has already caught up?” Lu Heng asked gravely in Tatar.

The scout replied: “Yes, I couldn’t be mistaken. Each of them was mounted – clearly different from the small groups we encountered before. Clan Leader, what should we do now?” In the hearts of the Minuo tribe members, Qin Yining and Lu Heng were their clan leaders. Since Lu Heng had been unconscious in the desert and they had relied entirely on Qin Yining’s command to make it out, the tribespeople trusted and revered Qin Yining even more than Lu Heng.

So when the scout asked this question, he looked expectantly toward Qin Yining.

Unfortunately, Qin Yining couldn’t understand what he was saying.

Lu Heng translated everything that had been said, concluding: “The situation is now so tense – what should we do? Fight them, or continue fleeing?”

Qin Yining’s brows knitted into a tight knot. From anxiety, her lips had been bitten bloody by her snow-white teeth.

“The situation has turned bad,” Qin Yining said heavily. “The enemy has deployed a cavalry force. Although we also have horses, we’re carrying so much baggage, and not everyone can ride. If we just keep fleeing like this, we’ll probably be caught within a few days.”

Lu Heng understood the gravity of the situation all too well. The Minuo tribe members were naturally very united. These clanspeople who had crossed the desert together weren’t just related by blood – many had developed deep emotional bonds with each other. At this point, deciding to abandon anyone would be impossible. So having some people ride ahead on horseback was out of the question.

“Do you think we should… abandon this grain?”

“Abandon the grain?”

“Yes. If we’re not carrying baggage, perhaps the pursuers won’t pursue the tribespeople so relentlessly.” Lu Heng pondered: “I think the pursuers’ mission isn’t necessarily to annihilate us all – they’re probably just trying to recover the grain supplies.”

Hearing this, Qin Yining also fell silent. “I don’t think that’s necessarily true.”

“Oh? How so?” Lu Heng asked.

Qin Yining said slowly: “Losing grain supplies – just recovering the grain won’t exempt one from punishment.”

Lu Heng suddenly had an epiphany, saying in a low voice: “I understand now.”

In their current situation, if they abandoned the grain and fled, the enemy recovering the supplies would at most count as retrieving lost goods. Si Qin would still need to capture them for punishment.

Regardless of whether Si Qin’s goal was the grain or punishment, the soldiers below didn’t know what the Khan was thinking. They would only want to handle things without any loose ends that could be exploited.

So even if they abandoned the grain, they would very likely continue being pursued until captured and delivered for judgment. Once they were caught and fell into Si Qin’s hands, there would be even more reasons to negotiate and declare war with Great Zhou.

This matter was truly terrifying when considered deeply…

Uncle A’er Khan heard every word of Qin Yining and Lu Heng’s conversation. He quietly relayed these words to the Ha’er Bala brothers and several other respected elders in the group. Everyone’s expressions became very grave.

After discussion, they all disagreed: “We absolutely will not surrender the grain. We obtained this grain for our people’s future – there are still many elderly and children waiting for us to bring food back! Even if we die, we absolutely will not give up the grain!”

Uncle A’er Khan strongly agreed with these words.

“Right, I also disagree with surrendering the grain. Utekin Khan is A’na Ri Khan’s husband – they’re both the same type of tyrants. Even if we gain temporary peace now, living under his rule in the future, our Minuo tribe will be completely destroyed sooner or later. Rather than living like ghosts then, we might as well fight desperately now.”

Hearing this, Lu Heng couldn’t help but smile when he looked at Qin Yining. “It seems you understand everyone better.”

Qin Yining smiled bitterly and waved her hand. “These are all choices made from desperation. If possible, who would want to place themselves in danger?”

Lu Heng sighed. “Indeed.”

Uncle A’er Khan said: “Since we’ve decided, which direction should we continue toward?”

Lu Heng pulled out a map from his chest. This was a rough map drawn over the past few days based on descriptions from Minuo tribe members familiar with the local terrain. The general topography and directions were marked quite accurately.

“We are here now.”

Lu Heng pointed to a location in the western part of Tatar territory near the Great Zhou border.

“The pursuers are all cavalry – they’re very fast. They’re not just after grain supplies; they’ll definitely pursue us with full force. If we continue using our original method of avoiding them using weather and terrain advantages, we’ll definitely be caught quickly.”

Uncle A’er Khan said: “Who would have thought that even choosing such a desolate place in the west, they still caught up with us.”

“If we engage in close combat, we definitely won’t gain any advantage – many tribespeople will sacrifice their lives. So we need to choose a direction they can’t pursue.”

“But which direction can they not pursue? They’re cavalry after all.”

Qin Yining looked at the map, murmuring: “Now escape has become impossible. Either stay put and wait for death, or be caught and killed, or choose a direction they won’t dare pursue.”

“You mean…” Lu Heng looked fearfully at the uninhabited zone not far from their location on the map. “You can’t possibly mean this area?”

Qin Yining’s pale finger tapped the location Lu Heng mentioned, then nodded: “Yes, exactly here.”

That was a wasteland.

Unlike the desert they had previously crossed, which, though dangerous, they knew was a shortcut to both Great Zhou and the Tatar capital if traveled in the right direction. With sufficient preparation, crossing that desert took much less time than traveling the official roads.

But the desert Qin Yining now spoke of was different.

This was a true no-man’s land. Because this desert was too vast, no one had ever emerged from it. No one knew what lay on the other side of the desert, or what might be there, and no one knew if there were any oases within the desert.

If they ventured into this death zone, they might truly have no way out.

Uncle A’er Khan relayed Qin Yining and Lu Heng’s conversation to the tribespeople, who also fell into silence.

Everyone was shrouded in fearful emotions.

“I cannot make decisions for everyone, so this is merely a suggestion. Whether we actually take this route depends on everyone’s opinion. However, based on my understanding of Utekin Khan, while recovering the grain, he also wants to capture people to vent his anger. If we’re caught, the tribespeople probably won’t have good outcomes.

“We’re easily caught out here, and the consequences would be unimaginable. Since we’d die anyway outside, we might as well take a chance and fight for it. Once we enter this desert, the pursuers definitely won’t dare follow us in. They’re carrying out orders for glory and wealth – why would they risk their lives charging directly into the desert? Perhaps we can wait for them to leave before coming out. Or maybe we can cross that desert.”

Lu Heng countered: “But more likely, we won’t be able to cross that desert and will all die there.”

Qin Yining nodded: “Yes, that’s the most likely outcome. But staying behind to be captured is also certain death.”

Their words left everyone around them silent.

Uncle A’er Khan thought for a long time, then said in a low voice: “You should leave.”

Both Qin Yining and Lu Heng looked up at Uncle A’er Khan.

Uncle A’er Khan continued: “You don’t need to follow us into this trap. Our tribe’s decision not to surrender the grain and fight Utekin Khan to the end is because of our genocidal hatred, but you two aren’t originally Tatar people. That you’ve been willing to travel with us this far – our tribespeople are already very grateful. Now we’re at the Great Zhou border, and you two have skilled protectors. Presumably slipping past the pursuers unnoticed and entering Great Zhou directly wouldn’t be difficult. Return to your country – don’t follow us anymore.”

Hearing this, both Si Qin and Qin Yining couldn’t help but sigh.

Uncle A’er Khan relayed these words to the nearby tribespeople, who all showed reluctant expressions. But despite their reluctance, they nodded understandingly and urged them on in words Qin Yining couldn’t understand, clearly wanting them to leave.