The Fish Tribe Returned Satisfied
After Jianshi and his group saw off the eager-to-return-to-go-home Valley Tribe's Fengren, the Fish Tribe's leader Canglan immediately seized the opportunity, putting on a smile and getting close to Jianshi.
"Brother Jianshi," Canglan rubbed his hands together, his tone warm yet tinged with the shrewdness typical of a businessman, "Look, this time when we went to the Valley Tribe, the grain we transported, the food and drink we ate along the way, and the labor fees and brokerage fees our Fish Tribe paid for providing boats and people, guiding us, and facilitating the connection... shouldn't we settle everything together?"
He paused, his eyes glancing at the neatly moored boats at the Fire Tribe's dock, a perfectly measured pleading look on his face. "Here's what I'm thinking: how about we settle this expense with goods? I'd like to buy some large Muzhou with a carrying capacity of two thousand catties from your tribe, and also purchase a batch of pottery. Brother Jianshi, given our relationship, you absolutely must give me the best price!"
Jianshi Shi listened calmly, but his mind was perfectly clear. Canglan's words, on the surface, were about settling accounts, but in reality, he wanted to use the pretext of "helping out" to lower the price of two important export commodities of the Fire Tribe —boats and pottery. In particular, the large Muzhou with a carrying capacity of two thousand catties were something that the Fish Tribe could build themselves, but the quality was poor and the efficiency was low, making them far less durable and suitable for long-distance transportation than the products of the Fire Tribe.
Jianshi was very familiar with the Fire Tribe's boats and pottery. The large Muzhou with a carrying capacity of 2,000 jin that the Fire Tribe had experimented with building in the early days did have many flaws in terms of waterproofing, hull design, structural durability, and sailing stability. Although they were repaired and improved several times later and could still be used, the hulls were aging and the internal structure was nearing the end of its lifespan. It was estimated that they would only last another three to five years, making them far inferior to newly built boats.
Now that Canglan has taken the initiative to buy, it's a perfect opportunity to get rid of some of these old, soon-to-be-obsolete ships. This will not only offset some of the "expenses" and clear out the inventory, but also meet the needs of the Fish Tribe —a win-win situation.
As for pottery, the kilns of the Fire Tribe have been running continuously. During this round trip of more than a month, the tribe has produced a new batch of pottery. By selling a batch to Canglan at the "wholesale price" that is sold to the Valley Tribe, they can not only lock in the "service fee" for the next grain transport to the Valley Tribe in advance, but it is also a worthwhile deal.
Having made up his mind, Jianshi smiled broadly and patted Canglan on the shoulder, "Brother Canglan is right, we owe a great deal to the brothers of the Fish Tribe this time! How about this..."
He pointed to one side of the dock, where about a dozen slightly old but well-maintained Muzhou, each with a carrying capacity of two thousand jin (approximately 600 kg). "Those ten two-thousand-jin boats at the dock will be used to offset all the expenses for our trip to help the Valley Tribe! What do you think, Brother Canglan?"
Canglan looked in the direction he was pointing, and her eyes lit up immediately. Although those ships didn't look as sleek as the Fire Tribe's newly launched vessels, their hulls were intact, and their sails were complete—clearly good, usable ships! And there were a full ten of them! For the Fish Tribe, which had long been hampered by the quality and quantity of its ships, this was undoubtedly a huge asset. With proper maintenance, these ships could easily last another three to five years, greatly enhancing the Fish Tribe's transportation and trade capabilities, and even enabling them to form a more reliable small fleet.
"Brother Jianshi! You're so kind! Thank you so much!" Canglan was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. As if afraid that Jianshi would change his mind, he immediately nodded in agreement, "Let's do it as Brother Jianshi says! These ten ships will cover all the expenses this time, that's more than enough, more than enough!"
Having settled the matter of the boats, Jianshi changed the subject. "As for the pottery... our Fire Tribe has been away for a long time this time, and we've just had a new batch of goods. I'll give you a batch Canglan, at the price we sell to the Valley Tribe, as... an advance payment for the various transportation fees the Fish Tribe will help with when we go to the Valley Tribe to transport grain next time. Does that seem acceptable?"
"Advance payment for all expenses related to transporting grain to the Valley Tribe next time?" Canglan was taken aback at first, then his smile widened, practically blooming with joy. What did this mean? It meant that the Fire Tribe not only acknowledged the Fish Tribe's important role in this transaction but also explicitly stated their intention to continue cooperation! Moreover, with the "advance payment" (pottery) in advance, he could immediately begin searching for buyers in the Fish River, earning profits ahead of time, and perhaps even using this batch of pottery to exchange for other scarce resources! This was simply incredible news!
"Great! Absolutely!" Canglan nodded repeatedly, his voice filled with excitement. "Brother Jianshi, you are truly the most straightforward and generous leader I have ever met! Our two brother tribes must keep in touch and interact more often in the future! If there's anything the Fish Tribe needs to do, just let us know!"
A Yuantu trade involving three parties and a huge sum of money was settled in just a few seemingly casual words. Canglan was very satisfied and couldn't wait to direct his men to begin the handover of the ten large Muzhou and the batch of pottery promised by Jianshi.
The transaction proceeded smoothly and swiftly. As the Fish Tribe's ships, laden with the acquired "treasures," slowly departed from the Fire Tribe's dock, Canglan stood at the Chuantou, waving vigorously to Jianshi, Yan, and the others on the shore, his face radiating undisguised excitement and pride. This trip not only solidified the Fish Tribe's relationship with the Fire Tribe but also secured ten high-quality ships and a batch of sought-after pottery in exchange for "intermediary services," with profits and strategic value far exceeding expectations.
After seeing off the satisfied Canglan, Jianshi's smile gradually faded. He turned to Yan beside him and said, "Go, call all the high-ranking members of the tribe who aren't busy here to the council chamber. We need to tell everyone what we saw on this trip."
Before long, the core figures of the Fire Tribe gathered in the council chamber. Several large torches were lit inside, making it brightly lit. Jianshi sat in the main seat and glanced at the familiar faces around him— Jianya, Dali, Dazhuang, Binmao, Dabang, Qingye, and Flame, etc., almost all of them were present.
"Everyone's here." Jianshi cleared his throat and said directly, "Yan and I went to the Valley Tribe this time, and it was quite an eye-opener. The Valley Tribe is even more powerful than we imagined."