Setting Out for the Valley Tribe
Five days passed in the blink of an eye. In the early morning light, the Fire Tribe Wharf was bustling with activity again. Compared to the previous large-scale fleet deployments, the number of ships gathered this time was even more astonishing, almost completely filling the waters near the wharf. The sails had not yet been raised, but the towering masts already exuded an imposing presence.
Jianshi stood at the very front of the dock, looking at the massive grain transport fleet before him. He felt both proud and a hint of barely perceptible worry. Beside him stood Jianya, who was about to lead the fleet, and Fumu, who was exceptionally excited.
"Jianya," Jianshi turned around, looking solemnly at his brother, "This time the grain shipment is even larger than last time, a full 1.15 million catties. It's crucial for our tribe's survival in the coming days. Be extra careful on the road; it's better to be slow and steady."
Jianya, with Chenwen smile, patted his chest. "Brother, don't worry. This time we've brought forty-five large boats with a capacity of five thousand catties each, ninety Muzhou with a capacity of two thousand catties each, plus one hundred and fifty small boats with a capacity of five hundred catties each. Our own fleet can transport about five hundred thousand catties of grain in one trip. Adding the boats the Fish Tribe promised to send, and the Valley Tribe's boats that were supposed to be waiting on the river to help with the transport, with the combined efforts of all three, bringing this entire batch of grain back in one trip won't be a problem."
He paused, then added, "This time we've brought the elders who went last time, so they know the route well. Chief Canglan of the Fish Tribe has received our 'deposit,' so he'll definitely send someone to guide and assist us. The handover with the Valley Tribe has also been arranged long ago. As long as nothing unexpected happens on the road, this mission should be a sure thing."
Jianshi nodded, but his brow remained furrowed. He gazed at the large ships his family was so proud of on the river and sighed, "This time it's fine. But we can't always rely on others to help transport grain. The Valley Tribe is our trading partner, that's true, but downstream they have the ever-watchful Bear Tribe. If tensions escalate further, the Valley Tribe's ships will be primarily tasked with defending against the Bear Tribe; where will they find the resources to spare for us?"
His gaze deepened. "The reason they were able to help us these times was twofold: firstly, our trading volume was indeed large, and we paid high transportation fees, so they could profit; secondly, it just so happened that their ships were available. But we can't rely on 'coincidences.' Our food supply, our lifeline, can't always be in the hands of others."
Jianya's smile faded slightly upon hearing this, and he nodded in agreement. "Brother is right. It's better to rely on ourselves than on others. Ultimately, we need enough ships, big enough ships, to firmly grasp the initiative in transporting grain. We also need to speed up grain production and try to be as self-sufficient as possible."
"That's right!" Jianshi clenched his fist forcefully. "That's exactly the point! So, shipbuilding can't stop; it needs to be accelerated! Next year, ships with a carrying capacity of 10,000 jin must be built! The more the better!"
He turned to Fumu, whose eyes had been shining as he listened, his tone encouraging and purposeful. "Fumu, your shipbuilding workshop bears a heavy responsibility. Next year, we need to increase our two-thousand-jin-capacity Muzhou to two hundred! Our goal is one hundred five-thousand-jin-capacity large ships! As for the ten-thousand-jin-capacity large ships, once you've built your first one, we'll see how many we can build! My goal is that by this time next year, our Fire Tribe's own water transport capacity should reach at least one million jin! Only then can we transport grain, people, and goods without being controlled by others!"
"One million catties of carrying capacity!" Fumu gasped, a surge of excitement rushing to his head. The goal was astonishingly ambitious, yet it also stirred his heart as a shipwright. He straightened his chest, his voice trembling with emotion. "Chief! Rest assured! Everyone in our shipbuilding workshop will work tirelessly, even without food or sleep, towards this goal! We will do our utmost to complete the mission!"
Seeing Fumu's excited expression, Jianshi nodded in satisfaction and patted him on the shoulder. "Good! It's good that you have this spirit! But you also need to take care of your health and take it one step at a time."
Then, remembering something, he instructed Jianya, "By the way, Jianya, when you go to the Valley Tribe this time, besides grain, keep an eye out for other things too. The sesame, mung beans, and those 'cotton' seeds that Yan brought back from them last time—we should try planting them next year, especially the cotton; it looks very useful. If you have the chance, try to exchange some of those seeds for our pottery or other things they like. The more, the better. As for anything else, if you see anything new or useful, you can trade a little bit of that too."
Jianya carefully noted it down. "Okay, big brother. I'll keep an eye out for sesame seeds, mung beans, cotton seeds, and any other interesting and useful things."
The two brothers exchanged a few more whispered words and glanced at the sky. Jianshi gave Jianya Fang a final, tight hug. "Have a safe journey and come back safely!"
"Big brother, the tribe is in your hands now!" Jianya returned the hug, then turned and waved to the captains of the Fumu and fleet, "Board! Let's go!"
"Board! Set sail!" The command was given, and the fleet began to orderly cast off the mooring lines and raise the sails.
Jianshi stepped back a few paces and stood on the dock, waving his arms vigorously. Jianya and Fumu stood at the Chuantou of the lead ship and waved goodbye in return. The oars moved, the sails billowed, and this unprecedented grain transport fleet slowly sailed away from the dock, following the Fire Creek downstream, toward the direction of the Fish Tribe.
The fleet's first stop was the Fish Tribe. The Fish Tribe had contributed significantly to the last trip to the Valley Tribe, and Canglan had also profited considerably. On the return trip, Jianshi had already prepaid the "transportation fee" and various miscellaneous expenses for the next cooperation with a batch of fine pottery, and a rough timeframe had been agreed upon. Now that the Fire Tribe's strength and reputation were growing daily, Canglan was naturally happy to continue the cooperation, a sure-fire way to make a profit.
A few days later, when the massive fleet led by Jianya appeared on the river downstream from the Fish Tribe, the people at the Fish Tribe's dock were still speechless with shock at the sight before them, despite having received advance notice from the Fire Tribe's fast boats.
The massive fleet of ships almost obscured a section of the river. The forty-five 5,000-jin (2,500 kg) heavy ships resembled mobile water fortresses, even more than the last one! The Fish Tribe's own fleet was significantly smaller in comparison.
Julang, responsible for the defense and reception of the dock, was the number one warrior of the Fish Tribe and a man of considerable experience. He suppressed the shock in his heart and quickly led his men to guide the ships to their mooring and maintain order. The fleet slowly approached the shore, and Jianya and Fumu were the first to jump off the dock.
"Jianya, you must be tired from your journey!" Julang Wave clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, his tone polite yet respectful. When his gaze swept over the smiling, Chenwen man beside Jianya, he paused for a moment, finding the man very familiar, but unable to recall where he had seen him before.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the fleet began to dock in an orderly fashion. Taking advantage of this lull, Julang couldn't help but glance at the Fumu a few more times. The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed—those eyebrows, those features... Suddenly, a name and figure long forgotten flashed into his mind!
"Fumu?!" Julang exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Fumu stepped forward with a smile, clasped his hands in return, and said, "Leader of the Julang, it's been a long time. How have you been?"
"It really is you! Fumu! You're not... you're not..." Julang Wave stammered, pointing at Fumu, then glancing at the towering Fire Tribe ships behind him, his mind a jumbled mess. He remembered clearly that several years ago, the Fish Tribe had traded some grain and miscellaneous goods for a few craftsmen from a tiny, impoverished tribe downstream, including this shipbuilder named Fumu. At the time, Fumu's skills were decent, but he could only build Xiaozhou weighing a few hundred pounds. Later, due to inter-tribal trade, he was again traded as "goods" to the Fire Tribe, which was just beginning to prosper. In Julang's mind, this was just a normal population movement, and Fumu should have long been lost among the Fire Tribe's ever-growing population, becoming just an ordinary craftsman.
But how did he end up here? Judging from his position and demeanor, he clearly holds a high position in the Fire Tribe! Moreover, Jianya seems to value him highly.
Jianya the Julang's shocked expression, Fang Fang burst into laughter, patted Fumu's shoulder forcefully, and said in a loud voice with undisguised pride, "Chief Julang Wave, speaking of which, our Fire Tribe should really thank your Fish Tribe! If you hadn't sent us such a great talent as Fumu back then, how could we have built such a fine 5,000-jin carrying capacity ship so quickly?"
He pointed to the massive ships weighing five thousand catties each on the river behind him, his tone filled with pride. "See those big ships? Fumu played a huge role in building them! He's now one of the pillars of our Fire Tribe's shipbuilding workshop; he's now Fumu's leader!"
"What?!" Julang felt a buzzing in his head, as if he had been struck by a heavy hammer. Fumu... could build a 5,000-pound ship? And it was the mainstay, now the leader of the Fire Tribe? That unremarkable craftsman who toiled away in the Fish Tribe's shipyard back then actually possessed such skill?
His expression was incredibly complex, a mixture of shock, regret, disbelief, and a hint of bitterness. He could almost imagine the look of utter despair on the face of the Canglan chief if he knew that the craftsman he had sent away as a mere "add-on" had now become a key figure in the Fire Tribe's shipbuilding technology! It was like trading pearls for fish eyes!
Seeing the extremely complex expression on Julang's face, Jianya felt even more pleased. He said no more, and instructed a few trusted men to bring the prepared gifts (some new pottery from the Fire Tribe and some specialty fruits), and said to Julang Wave, "Chief Julang Wave, please lead the way. We are going to pay our respects to Chief Canglan to discuss the matter of transporting grain to the Valley Tribe. The fleet at the dock will be temporarily entrusted to Chief Fumu for management and coordination."
Julang took several deep breaths to barely suppress the turmoil in his heart, managing a somewhat stiff smile, "... Alright, alright, Jianya Leader, please follow me."
He turned and led the way, his steps unsteady, his mind churning. The rise of the Fire Tribe seemed to be more than just luck and that miraculous young man, Yan. They were so adept at discovering and utilizing talent! They could even unearth a "hidden gem" like Fumu, entrusting him with important responsibilities and unleashing such astonishing energy... What exactly did the Fish Tribe miss back then? How many secrets did the Fire Tribe still hold that they didn't know about?
Filled with awe and contemplation, the Julang, carrying Jianya, headed towards the center of the Fish Tribe, where Chief Canglan resided. On the dock, Fumu stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the familiar yet now worn-out boats and facilities of the Fish Tribe, and then back at the orderly and magnificent fleet of his own Fire Tribe. He was filled with mixed emotions, but even more so, he felt a sense of pride in finding belonging and realizing his value.