The Fire Tribe's Foundation for Ten Thousand People
Jianya and Wang Yan led their fleet upstream once again to meet the second group of tribesmen waiting to migrate along the Valley River. The hustle and bustle at Fire Creek Mouth Wharf had barely subsided when the familiar, enormous sails of the Fish Tribe reappeared on the river downstream.
The last batch of 50,000 catties of rice from the Fish Tribe arrived on schedule. The escort was once again an old acquaintance, the Fish Tribe's number one warrior, Julang.
Upon hearing the news, Jianshi personally came to Fire Creek Mouth to receive them. After the handover and inventory were completed, watching the Fish Tribe sailors load batches of the Fire Tribe pottery, hemp clothing, and other goods onto their giant ships, Jianshi casually said to Julang, "Chief Julang Wave, thank you for your hard work on this transaction. When you return, please tell Chief Canglan that our Fire Tribe is still short of food."
Julang, in high spirits after successfully completing this lucrative deal, suddenly brightened up upon hearing this. "What does Chief Jianshi mean...?"
Jianshi sighed, his tone sincere yet tinged with just the right amount of embarrassment. "To be honest, we've taken in a lot of people, and they've got a lot to talk about. With the summer harvest still pending, we're really worried. If Chief Canglan has any spare capacity, our Fire Tribe is willing to buy another 200,000 jin of rice. The price... we can refer to this time. Or, if the grain price changes on the Valley Tribe's side, we can discuss it further."
Buy another 200,000 jin?!
Julang's heart skipped a beat, followed by a surge of immense joy! The profit from the last 200,000 jin transaction had already made the chieftain and elders grin from ear to ear, enough for the Fish Tribe to purchase another 5,000 jin large ship. If another 200,000 jin came... wouldn't that be enough to buy another ship? This was practically a windfall!
He knew that the 1,500 mu of paddy fields that the Fish Tribe had cultivated would be ready for harvest next month, with an estimated yield of around 200,000 jin. They could keep enough for their own use and have more than enough to trade for 100,000 jin. The remaining 100,000 jin could be covered by a couple more trips to the Valley Tribe. This business was practically tailor-made for the Fish Tribe!
"Don't worry, Chief Jianshi!" Jianshi Julang immediately patted his chest, his voice booming, "I will definitely report your words to Chief Canglan as they are! Our Fish Tribe and Fire Tribe are good friends, and good friends in trouble will definitely help! We'll take care of these 200,000 catties of grain!"
Jianshi smiled "thankfully" and immediately had his men bring over a portion of the deposit and several exquisite gifts, handing them to Julang: "A small token of our appreciation, for Chief Canglan and the other leaders to soothe their throats. We'll await Chief Canglan's reply regarding the specifics."
Julang happily accepted the goods. After the transaction was completed, he didn't waste a moment and immediately directed the fleet to set sail and return. He wanted to bring the good news back as quickly as possible.
Half a month later, Jianya and Wang Yan led the fleet and successfully brought back the second batch of about a thousand tribesmen from the Valley River basin. Jianshi had already made all the arrangements, and the new round of resettlement work proceeded smoothly. After the initial shock and adaptation period, the newcomers gradually began to integrate into the Fire Tribe's vast and orderly system.
Another half month passed, and the last group of more than a thousand people, along with the three original leaders Gufeng, Guyu, and Gudeng and their core clansmen, also arrived safely at Fire Creek Mouth. At this point, the large-scale population migration of the entire Valley River basin was basically completed. What remained were mainly some heavy tools that were inconvenient to carry, a small amount of reserve food, animal hide bundles, and other miscellaneous items.
"Dali, the transportation of these scattered supplies is now in your hands," Jianshi instructed Dazhuang. "Take enough boats and men, make two or three trips, and spend a month or so to bring them all back. Be careful, and also maintain good relations with the other tribes upstream."
"Yes, sir! Don't worry, leader!" Dali accepted the order and left.
Just as Dali were organizing the subsequent transportation, the Fish Tribe's fleet returned. This time, they brought 50,000 catties of rice. Clearly, after receiving the report from the Julang, the Canglan chief agreed to this new and equally huge deal without hesitation, and quickly transferred the first batch of grain from the Valley Tribe.
The handover was completed quickly at Fire Creek Mouth. The Fish Tribe's fleet didn't even linger; after unloading the grain and loading the cargo, they hurriedly sailed downstream, clearly in a rush to transport the next batch.
With the last batch of the Valley River people settled and Dali gradually transporting supplies back from upstream, the Fire Tribe conducted a comprehensive population census and statistics.
The result left all the high-ranking Fire Tribe feeling both dizzyingly ecstatic and somewhat fearful.
The three newly added tribes in the Valley River Basin and their affiliated small settlements have a total population of just over three thousand.
Including the Fire Tribe's original population of over six thousand (including Bison, White Pig, and others who joined later), as well as the population born naturally within the tribe over the past year...
The total population of the Fire Tribe is approaching 10,000! This is a milestone figure. In this vast but scattered land, settlements with tens of thousands of people are almost legendary. Apart from the mysterious Valley Tribe downstream, there are probably few tribes in the vicinity that can match the population of the Fire Tribe.
Correspondingly, the Fire Tribe's military strength has also increased. After initial screening and reorganization, the number of combat-ready Hunting Team (Defense Team) has reached two thousand! Although more than half of them are still new recruits or reserves who need rigorous training and combat experience, this number is already astonishing. The size of the Youth Team has also expanded to nearly a thousand people; they are the future hope of the tribe.
Standing before the redrawn, now incredibly crowded, layout of the tribe, Jianshi took a deep breath. "Ten thousand mouths..." His voice was filled with emotion.
"Fortunately," Wang Yan interjected, still shaken, "Fortunately, Father, you overruled everyone's objections and agreed to start cultivating new fields as quickly as possible this spring. Fortunately, we have bronze tools, which makes farming implements several times faster. Fortunately, we had consciously stockpiled grain, tools, and supplies beforehand. And fortunately... these new tribespeople brought some food with them."
Yes, it was the combination of many factors that allowed the Fire Tribe to barely maintain its balance during this perilous leap of explosive population growth, preventing it from collapsing due to food shortages.
"Now, we're just waiting for the crops in the fields." Jianshi's gaze fell on the vast, rolling green fields outside the window. Thousands of acres of newly cultivated rice were about to be harvested for the first time. Combined with the existing fields, if the weather was favorable, this year's total harvest would be astronomical.
"As long as the summer and autumn harvests are successfully stored," Jianshi's voice regained its firmness and strength, "Our 10,000 people will not only have enough to eat, but also have surplus grain! At that time, our Fire Tribe will truly have established an unshakeable foundation on this land!"