The Valley Tribe's Great Ships

The meal after the cooperation was agreed upon was a pleasant one for both host and guests. After the banquet, Jianshi and Yan got up to take their leave, and Canglan personally saw them off at the door of the council chamber. His enthusiasm surprised even the elders of the Fish Tribe, who were used to the aloofness of their leaders.

"Brother Jianshi, Yan'er, I've already given the orders at the docks. Just let me know if your men need anything!" Canglan patted his chest, his smile becoming much more genuine. "We'll depart in three days. I'll be waiting for you at the docks then!"

Jianshi bowed and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Brother Canglan."

"Of course, of course!"

After leaving the Fish Tribe and returning to the dock, Yan looked at the Fish Tribe warriors in the distance, observing their fleet with a mixture of awe and curiosity. He whispered to his father, "Father, you see, our strength has changed, and so has their attitude."

Jianshi nodded, his gaze sweeping over his twenty ships, each with a carrying capacity of five thousand catties, which appeared exceptionally large at the Fish Tribe's dock. His tone was calm. "This is a good thing, but not a good thing either. The Fish Tribe is being polite to us now because we have more ships, stronger forces, and are willing to offer benefits. This relationship is like ice in spring; it looks solid, but underneath it has already melted and is not reliable."

He paused, then looked at his son. "But it's better than a complete falling out and both sides fighting. This way, everyone gets what they need, which is good."

Yan Shen agreed. He knew his father saw things clearly. The Fish Tribe's transformation was based on a reassessment of interests and power, not genuine friendship. But in this dog-eat-dog world, such a relatively stable cooperative relationship was already a rare achievement. The Fire Tribe needed the Fish Tribe's downstream intelligence and connections, while the Fish Tribe needed the Fire Tribe's resources and benefits—each got what they wanted.

In the following days, the Fish Tribe became noticeably busier. Canglan mobilized all ten of his main warships, each weighing five thousand catties. He also summoned the tribe's high-ranking officials, giving detailed instructions on matters to be handled after his departure and appointing acting managers, showing exceptional caution. Clearly, this trip to the Valley Tribe was not only to accompany the Fire Tribe; Canglan himself also harbored greater hopes—perhaps to secure more benefits for the Fish Tribe from this unprecedented grain trade.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Before the fog on the Fish River had dissipated in the early morning, the two fleets had already assembled. The Fire Tribe had twenty large ships weighing five thousand catties each and fifty large ships weighing two thousand catties each, plus the Fish Tribe had ten large ships weighing five thousand catties each, as well as several guard and transport boats. The magnificent fleet of nearly a hundred ships almost filled the waters in front of the Fish Tribe's dock.

Canglan changed into a more formal set of leather armor, stood at the Chuantou, full of vigor. He waved to Jianshi and Yan on the Fire Tribe's flagship not far away, and loudly ordered, "Set sail!"

As the horn sounded, the huge sails billowed in the river wind, and the fleet slowly sailed away from the dock, beginning its journey downstream along the Fish River, which flows from south to north.

The atmosphere was quite relaxed at the beginning of the voyage. The downstream speed was faster than expected, and the scenery on both banks kept receding. Canglan was obviously in a good mood and often took a small boat to the Fire Tribe's flagship to chat with Jianshi and Yan.

He pointed to the wide river channel and recounted what he knew about the lower reaches. "This Fish River, the further downstream you go, the stronger the tributaries become. There are so many tribes on both sides, like Shitou on the riverbank. There are always hundreds, and I've heard of dozens with thousands of people."

Yan listened attentively, occasionally asking for details. Canglan answered all his questions, giving a general overview of the regional power structure as he knew it: the Horse Tribe had about three thousand people, skilled in animal husbandry; the Clothing Tribe was on the opposite bank, with about four thousand people, adept at weaving; the Bean Tribe also had about five thousand people, specializing in bean cultivation. Further down from the Valley Tribe was the Bear Tribe, which was currently confronting the Valley Tribe, with over nine thousand people, fierce and warlike; and their destination— the Valley Tribe —was the undisputed overlord of the entire middle reaches of the Fish River, with a population of nearly twenty thousand, and unfathomable strength.

"The Valley Tribe..." Jianshi pondered, "Do they really have such a strong shipbuilding capability?"

Canglan's face showed a complex expression, a mixture of envy and a hint of barely perceptible bitterness. "That man Daiyue, the chief of the Valley Tribe... how should I put it, he likes shipbuilding and buying bronze. He's invested most of the tribe's wealth in shipbuilding and buying bronze. I heard that they now not only have fifty 5,000-jin ships, but also ten giant ships weighing 50,000 jin each, and... they can already build them themselves."

This news shocked both Jianshi and Yan. The Fire Tribe could build a 5,000-jin boat, but 50,000 jin... that was a completely new level. This meant that the Valley Tribe not only possessed enormous water power, but its timber processing, structural design, and artisan organization capabilities had also reached an astonishing level.

On the fifth day of their voyage, the fleet passed through the territory of the Horse Tribe. Yan deliberately walked to the side of the ship and looked towards the east bank. Just as Canglan had said, the terrain was flat, the Water Grass were abundant, and large grasslands were faintly visible, with herds of livestock moving in the distance. It was a natural and excellent pasture. The fleet did not stop, but simply passed by at a distance and continued downstream.

Five days later, the scenery on both banks began to change. The river channel became wider and the current more stable and powerful. The fields on the distant banks became noticeably more orderly and dense, with crisscrossing ridges and shimmering water.

"We're almost at the Valley Tribe's territory." Canglan pointed ahead. "See those vast fields? Those are just the fields of the Valley Tribe's eastern outpost— Little Valley Camp. Their real stronghold is on the opposite bank, the western bank, where there are even more fertile fields."

Yan Yuantiao, secretly estimating. On the east bank alone, he could see no less than ten thousand acres of high-quality paddy fields being cultivated, along with nearly equal areas of land clearly under fallow, overgrown with weeds, awaiting crop rotation next year. Besides the paddy fields, there were also vast vegetable gardens planted with various crops. The scale and organization of agriculture in the Valley Tribe indeed surpassed that of the Fire Tribe at present.

Just then, Yan's gaze was drawn to the view further along the river, closer to the dock on the opposite bank. The boats moored there made both him and his father, Jianshi, hold their breath involuntarily.

It was not surprising to see more than a dozen ships of similar size to the Fire Tribe's 5,000-jin ships. What was truly awe-inspiring were the two "behemoths" moored among them. Those ships were several times larger than the Fire Tribe's largest 5,000-jin ship! They had long hulls, tall masts, and sleek, powerful lines.

"That's... a ship weighing 50,000 jin?" Yan's voice was filled with undisguised amazement.

Jianshi remained silent for a long time, staring intently at the giant ships with a slightly furrowed brow, clearly deeply shocked. The Fire Tribe's rise had been rapid, but seeing the Valley Tribe's "treasures that guard the river," he truly realized the immense power that existed on this broader and more prosperous stage in the lower reaches of the Fish River. The Valley Tribe's current strength was probably far superior to that of the Fire Tribe.

Canglan observed the father and son's reactions, and the sense of imbalance he felt due to the Fire Tribe's large fleet dissipated considerably. He explained with a complex sense of superiority, "That's right, those are the Valley Tribe's 50,000-jin ships. They have ten. I heard they initially bought the first few from the Tiger Tribe, but over the years, they've figured out how to build them themselves. It's just time-consuming, labor-intensive, and has high maintenance costs, so they haven't built many more."

He paused, his tone carrying a hint of caution. "This Valley Tribe, especially their leader Daiyue, is cunning and powerful. We're here to buy grain, so let's try to avoid trouble and just get the deal done."

Jianshi nodded slowly and said in a deep voice, "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Canglan. We know our limits."

As is customary, any foreign fleet wishing to trade with the Valley Tribe headquarters on the opposite bank must first register at the Little Valley Camp on the east bank and obtain permission. Canglan was very familiar with this process; a day earlier, he had dispatched a fast boat carrying gifts to the Little Valley Camp to report the matter. The gifts were carefully selected and of considerable value, but Canglan didn't feel too bad about giving them away, since he had promised to accept these Jianshi as part of the Fire Tribe's deal.

The current commander of Little Valley Camp is Daiyan, the younger brother of Daiyue, the chief of the Valley Tribe. He was originally planning to patrol the nearby waters by boat as usual. Just as he arrived at the dock, he encountered a fast boat sent by the Fish Tribe to deliver a message. His men presented him with gifts, Daiyan was very satisfied after a quick glance, a smile appearing on his face.

"Canglan from the Fish Tribe? And he even brought along a tribe from upstream called the Fire Tribe to buy grain?" Daiyan stroked his chin. "Alright."

He changed his plans and boarded a massive 50,000-jin (25,000 kg) warship docked at the pier. Standing on the tall, wide Chuantou, overlooking the river, he did feel a sense of superiority. He ordered the warship to set sail, heading towards the approaching fleet upstream, both to "welcome" them and as a display of strength.

The Fire Tribe fleet was slowly approaching the river bend where the Little Valley Camp was located. Jianshi and Yan stood at the Chuantou, and could already clearly see the outline of the camp—wooden fences, watchtowers, neat houses, and the scene near the dock. Just then, they saw a giant ship, as big as Little Mountain, slowly sailing out from the direction of the Chuantou, heading towards them. A figure stood at the bow; although they couldn't see the face clearly, the posture clearly indicated that it was coming for them.

"That's Daiyan," Canglan whispered from the side, "The younger brother of the Valley Tribe chief, responsible for guarding this outpost on the east bank. This man... is greedy and loves to show off... but once the gifts were delivered, he got things done quickly. It seems he came in person, both to give us face and to show off his big ship."

As Yan watched the colossal object draw ever closer, feeling its overwhelming "welcome," he gained a clearer understanding of Canglan's assessment of Daiyan's "fondness for pomp and circumstance." At the same time, he became even more curious: what kind of person was Daiyue, the leader of the Valley Tribe, capable of building and piloting such a massive vessel?

Before long, the massive 50,000-jin ship had approached, casting a huge shadow like a mobile fortress in front of the combined fleet of the Fire Tribe and the Fish Tribe. The ship slowed down and kept parallel to the Fire Tribe's flagship.

Daiyan, standing on the Chuantou, laughed heartily and said in a loud voice, "Chief Canglan! Long time no see, welcome, welcome! What, you've brought a fleet to buy rice again? Let me tell you, this year our Valley Tribe has had favorable weather and a very good harvest! With last year's surplus, we have plenty of grain!"

His gaze swept over Jianshi and Yan beside Canglan, lingering for a moment on the unfamiliar but equally enormous 5,000-jin ships of the Fire Tribe. A hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by greater interest—so many large ships meant that this might be an unprecedentedly large transaction.

Canglan smiled and cupped his hands in response, "Chief Daiyan! Thanks to you, we really are here to buy grain this time. Not only our Fish Tribe, but also our brothers from the Fire Tribe upstream. Their harvest this year was so-so, and in the past two years, some tribes in the north have been quite restless, plundering everywhere. Everyone wants to stock up on more grain so they can feel more at ease, right?"

He cleverly linked the Fire Tribe's needs with the region's "instability" (alluding to the Wolf Tribe), explaining why the Fire Tribe had come from afar and hinting at their shared "anxiety."

Upon hearing this, Daiyan's smile widened. He wasn't particularly concerned about what had happened upstream, as long as the people who came were sincere in their trade and brought enough supplies to exchange for his grain, that was enough. As for when another boat-building Fire Tribe had appeared upstream on the Fish River... He glanced at the 5,000-jin boats, somewhat surprised but not overly concerned. Compared to the 50,000-jin behemoth beneath his feet, those boats truly looked like "toys." As long as these boats didn't head further downstream on the Fish River and were there to deliver money to buy grain, he didn't bother to investigate further.

"Of course, of course!" Daiyan waved his hand generously, appearing very forthright. "Since we're all here to buy grain, there's no need to linger here. Chief Canglan, you're a regular customer, you know the rules. Just take your fleet to the headquarters dock on the other side! I'll send someone to inform my elder brother to prepare for our reception."

He paused, then added, "By the way, your fleet is large, so when you dock, please follow the instructions of our dock staff and don't push and shove." His tone carried an unquestionable air of command.

Canglan nodded repeatedly. "Of course, I'll follow Chief Daiyan's arrangements!"

Daiyan nodded in satisfaction, then glanced at the Chenwen Jianshi and Yan, his gaze lingering on the young man Yan for a moment as if trying to discern something. Ultimately, however, he didn't ask further, simply nodding to them as a greeting. He then ordered the giant ship to turn, clearing the main channel for the combined fleet. He himself stood at the Chuantou, watching the massive fleet slowly sail towards the Valley Tribe Tribe's headquarters dock on the opposite bank.

Jianshi and Yan also nodded slightly in the direction of Daiyan. Watching the agility and power displayed by the giant ship as it turned around, Yan's evaluation of the Valley Tribe's shipbuilding and navigation skills rose another level. The fleet continued to move forward, heading towards the Valley Tribe tribe's headquarters on the opposite bank of the river.