I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 853 – The Main Green Sparrow Tribe Receives the News
“#￥RT！”
The Black Stone Tribe coalition, who had just taken pride in using wooden boards and tree bark to cover their bodies, were all dumbfounded the moment they saw the Green Sparrow tribesmen atop the Copper Mountain settlement at work.
They looked at the Green Sparrow people, whose large contraptions covered them so thoroughly that they were almost invisible, then lowered their heads to glance at the clumsy wooden planks and bits of bark in their own hands—things that couldn’t even cover their bodies entirely. A deep sense of defeat suddenly welled up in their hearts.
This feeling of defeat was even stronger than the embarrassment they felt when Han Cheng and Mao had bathed with those primitive donkey-tribe people in the open at the riverbank.
Where did this tribe get such gigantic things? Truly shameless!
How were they supposed to shoot arrows like this? No matter how many arrows they fired, they wouldn’t be able to hit them!
“%@3@E…！”
The Black Stone chief shouted again, meaning that since those shameless people had hidden themselves completely behind such things, they surely couldn’t shoot arrows back either.
This was the perfect chance for his people to charge at the strange cave and seize it.
“Whizz, whizz, whizz…”
Before he even finished his thought, arrows shot out through the narrow gaps between the vine shields, slicing the air and raining down on the Black Stone coalition.
Shrieks of pain erupted. Among the injured, two had bark shields in front of them.
But bark couldn’t compare to even crude wooden planks.
From a distance, bark could still block Green Sparrow’s arrows, but at close range it was useless.
The closer the distance, the more power the arrows carried. And Green Sparrow’s arrows were tipped with bronze arrowheads—far stronger than the fire-hardened ones used by Black Stone.
The Black Stone chief, who had just been calling for his people to charge, found the rest of his words stuck in his throat.
“￥&**！”
He swallowed his unfinished command and instead yelled for his warriors to fire through the gaps between those upright shields—surely they could hit some of those damned people!
The rest followed, loosing arrows at the Copper Mountain wall.
“Archers, crouch!”
Through the gaps, Shang saw what was happening. He barked the order, then quickly crouched down, his figure completely hidden behind the low wall.
The others followed his command, squatting down in time.
The arrows thudded into vine shields and stone walls—some overshot, sailing into the courtyard behind.
When the Black Stone warriors noticed no arrows had been fired back since they began shooting, they grew elated.
Perhaps they had suppressed their enemies—or even killed some of them!
The shooting gradually slowed. The chief himself lowered his bow and nearly shouted for the charge.
But just then, Shang and his people suddenly rose again, firing through the shield gaps.
Screams erupted below. A particularly unlucky man toppled over, unmoving.
“@#44！”
The Black Stone chief shouted again, ordering renewed fire. His people hurried to release their arrows.
But Shang had achieved what he wanted. After another volley, he ordered everyone down again.
This trick was repeated three or four times. The Black Stone archers grew tired, their hands aching, yet it seemed they had hit no one. Despair spread. Some even shuffled about, ready to leave.
Sensing this, Shang devised a new ploy. He told a shield-bearer beside him:
“When I scream, crouch down with your shield.”
The man didn’t quite understand, but Shang suddenly let out a loud, pitiful scream and dragged the bewildered man down with his shield.
The terrible cry startled everyone on the wall. People rushed over in concern, disrupting the otherwise solid shield line.
Below, the Grass Tribe chief blinked in confusion. She had fired an arrow earlier, and she was sure it had been blocked. Yet Shang’s scream, the fallen shield, and the sudden commotion above made her doubt her own eyes.
Could it be that her arrow had indeed pierced through?
“#$56！”
Excited, she raised her bow high and shouted, claiming credit.
Her people cheered wildly, while even the Black Stone chief looked at her with admiration. He secretly thought that after conquering Green Sparrow, he must spend more time with her—perhaps even have a strong, clever child together.
The coalition, which had been close to giving up, was suddenly reinvigorated.
They rained arrows again, convinced they could break through.
On the wall, the Green Sparrow defenders stifled laughter. Shang’s devious ploy had fooled them perfectly.
“War was this fun? Who would’ve thought?”
The exchange continued. Every time the attackers weakened, Shang had men scream and “fall,” stirring up the enemy’s hopes again.
By sunset, the coalition was out of arrows. Many archers’ arms trembled, their fingers raw from bowstrings.
The Black Stone chief finally called the retreat. But unlike the panicked withdrawal of yesterday, today his warriors marched back in high spirits, convinced they had inflicted significant damage.
The Green Sparrow people, watching from above, struggled not to laugh.
Never had they thought that war could be so entertaining.
They looked at Shang, hunched and sneaky by the parapet, and gave him a thumbs-up. His tricks had truly won their respect.
Shang himself was delighted. He knew now that the enemy would return tomorrow, giving him at least two days’ delay.
When the women began cooking and older children carried stones to the wall, Shang felt pleased. This was how the next generation learned what war meant—how to defend their home with courage.
As the sun finally slipped below the horizon, smoke rose in Copper Mountain. Women brought food up the walls, while Shang ate and gazed east.
The smooth bronze road stretched away through fields into the forest, leading to the Green Sparrow main tribe—the heart and birthplace of their people.
Two riders, Liutou and Sparrow, were even now racing along that road, past the Tongfu Inn, hurrying to bring news home.
The setting sun cast its glow across the road like a bronze serpent winding through hills and grasslands.
Two men on four donkeys appeared, their silhouettes dark against the fiery sky.
Their steeds pounded the road, sweat flying. The riders’ breaths came heavy, their thighs rubbed raw, but they pressed on without rest.
They had passed the Tongfu Inn without stopping, driven by urgency.
The night deepened, stars appearing, then a crescent moon.
Liutou’s throat was parched, his body aching, but still he shouted “Hyah!” to keep the donkey running.
They dared not stop. If they dismounted, neither men nor beasts would rise again.
Fear of wild beasts in the forest pressed on them, but stronger still was their determination:
The enemy had attacked their settlement. The main tribe had to know. The shaman and the chief had to capture every last invader.
“Almost home!”
At last, the packed dirt gave way to a stone-paved road, the trees thinning, the land opening into plowed fields.
Sparrow cried out in joy. Liutou’s spirits surged.
“Hyah!”
The donkeys galloped faster.
And then, in the moonlight, the outlines of the Green Sparrow main tribe appeared.
Dogs barked. Guards shouted from the wall:
“Who goes there?!”
Liutou nearly laughed from relief.
“It’s me!” he shouted hoarsely.
“Who’s ‘me’?”
Stunned, he barked back: “How should I know who you are?!”
The guard almost choked on his anger—but the reply was fluent, quick-witted, unmistakably one of their own.
Then Sparrow shouted:
“I’m Sparrow! That one’s Liutou! We came from Copper Mountain settlement—there’s an enemy attack! We’ve returned to report!”
The wall guards froze. Then they scrambled:
“Wait there! We’ll open the gate! Whoever dares attack our tribe—we’ll catch them all and make them slaves!”
As one man ran to inform the shaman and the chief, others rushed to open the great gate, while curses and vows of vengeance rang out in the night.