Preparing to Explore the Upper Reaches of the Fish River

Just as the Wolf Tribe was licking its wounds and turning north to search for new prey, the first grain trade between the Fire Tribe and the Fish Tribe was successfully completed.

At the Fish Tribe's dock, fifty large Muzhou, each with a carrying capacity of two thousand catties, were filled to the brim with rice provided by the Fish Tribe, their waterlines deeply submerged in the water. Jianya and Wang Yan carefully checked the quantity and exchanged pottery and specialties from the Fire Tribe for their corresponding value. Watching the mountains of grain being loaded onto their boats, the frustration they felt due to the high price of the transaction was finally replaced by a sense of relief.

The fleet did not linger at the Fish Tribe. After the handover was completed, they immediately set sail and headed back upstream. Jianya had already dispatched a fast boat ahead to return to the Fire Tribe to report the news and arrange for their arrival.

A few days later, the massive grain transport fleet arrived at the large, dedicated dock that the Fire Tribe had built downstream of the Valley Tribe's stream. The dock was already bustling with people; the logistics personnel and temporarily assigned able-bodied men who had received the news were all ready. As soon as the ships docked, people immediately climbed onto the gangplank and began unloading the cargo in a tense but orderly manner.

Baskets of heavy rice were carried onto the dock, loaded onto prepared oxcarts, horse-drawn carts (the number was still small, mainly oxcarts), and human-powered wheelbarrows, and transported along the paved roads to the tall and sturdy granaries in the valley.

One hundred thousand catties of grain! This figure was like a timely rain for the Fire Tribe, which had just experienced a population boom and was in the crucial period of spring planting and summer cultivation, with huge grain consumption. The news spread like wildfire throughout the tribe, especially among the newly joined members such as the Bison and White Pig tribesmen who had personally experienced famine and the fear of losing their homes. Seeing cartloads of golden rice being transported into the granary, their hearts finally settled down, and a genuine smile of relief, unseen for a long time, appeared on their faces.

"We have grain! We really have grain!"

"Now I don't have to worry about going hungry..."

"The Fire Tribe is truly amazing; they managed to get so much food from the Fish Tribe!"

"Following the Fire Tribe is the right choice!"

The arrival of the grain greatly stabilized the morale of the newly surrendered tribesmen and also relieved the pressure on the tribal leadership.

Jianya and Wang Yan entrusted the specific tasks of unloading, warehousing, inventorying, and arranging security to their capable subordinates, Dali and Dazhuang, while they themselves immediately rushed to the chief's mansion to report the details of this trade to Jianshi.

Jianshi already knew from the messenger who had returned earlier that the transaction had generally gone smoothly, but the specific details and costs were still unclear. Seeing Jianya and Wang Yan enter, he immediately put down the map he was holding and asked, "How was it? Did everything go smoothly?"

Jianya bowed and began to report in detail, "Brother, the deal is done. We negotiated a total of 200,000 catties of rice with Canglan of the Fish Tribe. The first batch of 100,000 catties has already been transported back and is being stored."

"Good! Two hundred thousand catties! The Fire Tribe's grain reserves are no longer a concern!" Jianshi's brows relaxed, but he immediately asked, "What's the price?"

Jianya's face showed pain and resentment. "The price... the price is too high! The Fish Tribe raised the price arbitrarily; this transaction cost twice as much as the grain we bought from them last time!"

"Twice as much?!" Jianshi's brows furrowed immediately, and his fists clenched instinctively. This was blatant robbery! But quickly, he forced himself to relax his fists, took a deep breath, and said, "Forget it, I'll swallow this for now. Getting the food and stabilizing the tribe is the most important thing right now. Whether they're greedy or have big appetites, this will only make them think we can't do without them and lower their guard against us."

Wang Yan nodded in agreement, adding, "Father is right. Now is when we need food the most, and paying an extra price is necessary. Moreover, this also lets us see the Fish Tribe's attitude—they don't want us to become too powerful, and they'll seize any opportunity to strangle us."

"Hmm," Jianshi sneered, "Let them be smug for now. By this autumn, when our newly reclaimed thousands of acres of paddy fields yield a harvest, combined with our existing land, we'll be self-sufficient in grain with a surplus. Then we won't have to put up with their attitude anymore!"

He walked to the animal hide map hanging on the wall and traced the thick line representing the Fish River with his finger. "The Fish Tribe dares to ask for exorbitant prices now simply because they have large boats and control the downstream area. For the time being, we can't bypass them and go directly to the Valley Tribe, which is further away, to trade."

His finger stopped at the location representing the Fire Tribe Valley, then slowly moved upstream. "However, this situation won't last long. Yan, how's the construction of our five-thousand-pound heavy ship coming along?"

Wang Yan replied, "The manufacturing foreman said that the main body of the first prototype ship is basically completed, and they are currently installing the final components and carrying out waterproofing. It is expected to be launched for sea trials in about half a month. If successful, the subsequent mass production will be much faster."

"Good!" A sharp glint flashed in Jianshi's eyes. "Once we build our own large ships that can navigate freely on the Fish River, and outnumber the Fish Tribe's ships, it won't be so easy for the Fish Tribe to blockade or control us! At that time, we can organize our own fleet and go directly downstream to trade with the Valley Tribe or other grain-producing areas!"

He paused, then pointed to a blank area on the map representing the upper reaches of the Fish River: "However, that's for later. Right now, the food crisis has eased temporarily, and we can restart our exploration of the upper reaches of the Fish River, which we had previously suspended to focus on ensuring food transportation."

He looked at Wang Yan and Jianya: "You've come back just in time. Didn't the exploration teams we sent out earlier already make initial contact with a few small tribes upstream? Although large-scale exploration has stopped due to the threat from the Wolf Tribe and food issues, small-scale contact and trade cannot be interrupted."

Wang Yan immediately understood Jianshi's intention. "Father means that, while we have some free time between spring planting and summer harvesting, and while we've just brought back a large amount of grain and are feeling more confident, we should continue to strengthen our ties with those small tribes upstream? We can use our pottery and salted goods to exchange for their furs, medicinal herbs, specialties, information, and even... friendship?"

"Yes!" Jian Shi nodded. "Jianshi favors and frequent visits build trust. Let them see the wealth and integrity of our Fire Tribe. This will be beneficial in the future, whether it's trade, obtaining more detailed intelligence upstream, or... in case we need to establish a base upstream or have other plans. We can't just focus on the Fish Tribe downstream and the Wolf Cubs to the north; that unknown waterway and land upstream is equally important!"

Jianya understood. "Brother, you've thought things through. I'll make arrangements immediately, selecting a capable trading and exploration team, carrying goods, and continuing upstream along the marks and contact points left by the previous exploration team. On one hand, we'll solidify our relationships; on the other hand, we'll see if we can discover more valuable tribes or resources."

"Yes, go ahead," Jianshi instructed. "Don't make it too large, but be vigilant. The Wolf Tribe has just been defeated, and the Fish Tribe should be too busy transporting grain to worry about upstream for the time being, but we also need to be wary of other unknown dangers. The key is to establish contact, gather information, and avoid unnecessary conflict."

"Clear!"