Chapter 261

Outside the city of Fuling, over ten thousand people marched rapidly through the night. At the head of the formation was a small unit of a little over a hundred men, dressed in the traditional attire of the Tujia, Miao, and other ethnic groups. They carried long bows on their backs, with various weapons hung at their waists. Aside from a few who wore homemade rattan armor and helmets, the vast majority wore no armor at all. The rattan armor was crafted in the shape of vests, without shoulder or leg guards, and coated with tung oil on the surface to make it lightweight, waterproof, and capable of deflecting blades.