The Aftermath and the Hearts of the People

As night fell completely, the battle at the Little Leaf Tribe's camp was finally over. The area outside the camp was littered with corpses, mostly infantrymen from the Wolf Tribe —who had escaped the fire only to be wiped out by the allied forces.

Under the command of several leaders, everyone was cleaning up the battlefield in an orderly manner. They were divided into several teams: one team dragged the corpses to the designated location for centralized burial; another team collected the scattered weapons and leather armor.

The original Little Leaf Tribe camp is now charred black. Most of the thatched huts have been burned down, leaving only a few smoking pillars. The wooden walls have also collapsed in large part, but the fire has been brought under control.

Jianshi and Yan stood in the center of the camp, talking with several people about the distribution of food and livestock.

"... Half of the grain was burned, but several dozen cattle and sheep were saved," reported a leader of the Fire Tribe in charge of the inventory. "There is also enough grain that wasn't burned to feed about five hundred people for five days."

After a moment of contemplation, Jianshi Shi said, "Cook the grain, slaughter a few sheep, and roast the ponies that died in the pursuit. Let everyone have a good meal tonight, and distribute the rest according to the number of soldiers each tribe contributed."

He paused, then added, "As for those captured miniature horses..."

Yan walked to his father's side and whispered about the pursuit and the number of horses captured. After listening, Jianshi exchanged a glance with his son.

"The Fire Tribe will keep a dozen or so good horses, and the remaining fifty-odd will be distributed to other tribes," Jianshi decided. "The same goes for weapons and leather armor; the Fire Tribe doesn't need them, so give them all away."

The decision spread quickly, and when the tribal leaders learned that the Fire Tribe was willing to give up most of the spoils, cheers erupted inside and outside the camp.

"Fire Tribe, great spirit!"

"The leader of the Jianshi is benevolent and righteous!"

"If the Fire Tribe needs anything in the future, just let us know!"

Their gratitude was palpable. These tribes— the Pottery and Salt, the Hundred Crafts, the Beast Taming Fish Tribe, the Remnants of the Qinghe Tribe, the Remnants of the Shuize Tribe, and a dozen or so smaller tribes that had followed them—had sent troops to besiege the Wolf Tribe, not only for revenge and self-preservation, but also, deep down, with the hope of acquiring spoils of war.

But now, the Fire Tribe, who had contributed the most, voluntarily gave up most of the spoils, which surprised and moved them.

The campfire was quickly relit outside the camp. The Fire Tribe set up their large cauldron, poured in grain, and roasted whole sheep and horse meat over the fire. The aroma of meat and rice mingled with the scent of scorched earth, filling the night.

The warriors from each tribe sat around the campfire, eating hot food and talking about the day's battles, and the atmosphere gradually became lively.

Yan carried a bowl of meat soup and patrolled outside the camp. He saw Shinian of the Green Grain Tribe sitting by a campfire, talking quietly with several Qinghe warriors. The warriors were all wounded, and their faces showed both the relief of avenging their great enemy and the confusion of their homeland being destroyed.

Upon seeing Yan, Shinian immediately stood up. "Young Master Yan!"

Yan waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down. "What are the Green Grain Tribe's plans next?"

Shinian sighed, a look of pain in his eyes. "Our tribe... our camp was burned down. Of the more than a thousand people, only forty-odd warriors and four hundred tribesmen remain. Although the Wolf Tribe was defeated, Xueya escaped..."

He paused, his voice low. "We're worried that Xueya might return with his men to retaliate one day, and the Green Grain Tribe's current numbers are simply not enough to stop him."

Yan remained silent, listening quietly. Shinian glanced at his tribesmen beside him, then at Yan, and finally mustered his courage. "Young Chief Yan, we... we heard from the warriors of the Fire Tribe that the Fire Tribe welcomes those who voluntarily join. We wonder... we wonder if our Green Grain Tribe can join the Fire Tribe?"

His voice was filled with probing and expectation, and several Qinghe warriors around him also raised their heads, looking at Yan nervously. Although the Green Grain Tribe had suffered heavy losses, they were skilled in farming, which would be of great help to the Fire Tribe's planting and development.

"I'll talk to my father about it, it shouldn't be a problem," Yan said. "But personally, I'd love to hear about it; the Fire Tribe really needs more people to cultivate farmland and build up the tribe."

A glimmer of hope flashed in Shinian's eyes. "Thank you! Thank you, Young Master Yan! We Qinghe people may not be good at much else, but we're experts at farming!"

Just then, Huangye, the leader of the Little Leaf Tribe, also came over. He seemed a little uneasy when he saw Yan and Shinian together.

"Chief Yan... Chief Shinian..." Huangye rubbed his hands together. "I... I have something I need to discuss with Chief Jianshi..."

Yan roughly guessed his purpose. "Chief Huangye, my father is over there, I'll take you there."

The three walked to the center of the camp, Jianshi Shi was summarizing the gains and losses of the day's battle with several Fire Tribe leaders. When Yan arrived with his men, they ended their conversation.

"Chief of the Jianshi," Huangye said nervously, "Our Little Leaf Tribe... our camp is burned to the ground like this, rebuilding will take a long time, and... and Xueya of the Wolf Tribe has escaped, we're afraid he'll come back for revenge..."

He took a deep breath, as if he had made a great decision. "Our Little Leaf Tribe has more than four hundred people, and we are willing... willing to join the Fire Tribe. I wonder if Chief Jianshi can accept us?"

Jianshi looked at Huangye, and in his eyes were fear, expectation, and confusion about the future.

"Chief Huangye," Jianshi slowly began, "Joining the Fire Tribe means abiding by the Fire Tribe rules and accepting Fire Tribe management. Some of your Little Leaf Tribe's customs and traditions may need to be changed. Have you thought this through?"

Huangye nodded emphatically. "I've thought it through! Today we've witnessed the Fire Tribe Fire Tribe's strength and their benevolence. We feel safe following such a tribe!"

Shinian quickly added, "Our Green Grain Tribe also sincerely wants to join!"

Jianshi and Yan exchanged a glance, both seeing joy in each other's eyes. The two tribes together numbered nearly nine hundred people, and the Green Grain Tribe was skilled in farming, Little Leaf Tribe was familiar with the terrain and resources of this area, making them valuable additions to the Fire Tribe.

"Alright!" Jianshi stretched out both hands, one grasping Huangye and the other the Shinian. "On behalf of the Fire Tribe, I welcome the Green Grain Tribe and the Little Leaf Tribe! From today onwards, we are one family!"

The news spread quickly, and many warriors from the Qinghe and Little Leaf Tribe were moved to tears upon hearing it. After experiencing the calamity of their homes being destroyed and their people being killed, they had finally found a powerful tribe they could rely on.

Although the Pottery Salt Tribe, the Hundred Crafts Tribe, and the Beast Taming Tribe did not explicitly state their intention to join, they all clearly expressed their willingness to attach themselves to and cooperate with them. Jianshi responded to each of them, promising to strengthen exchanges and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results.

The most subtle thing was the attitude of the Fish Tribe. Julang and Shentan found Jianshi and Flame. Julang first expressed deep gratitude to the Fire Tribe for helping to avenge them, and then said, "Chief Jianshi, our Fish Tribe's chief, Canglan, instructed us before he set off that after the battle, he would like to invite the Fire Tribe to our camp to discuss how to deal with the aftermath of the Wolf Tribe's destruction."

Jianshi and Yan also heard from the Shinian of the Green Grain Tribe that two or three thousand refugees from various ethnic groups had gathered near the Fish Tribe. Their original homes had been destroyed by the Wolf Tribe, and they dared not go back, nor dared to go far, so they stayed on the outskirts of our camp. Jianshi and Yan also prepared to go and take a look.

Jianshi glanced at Yan, who nodded slightly.

"Okay," Jianshi agreed, "We'll set off for the Fish Tribe tomorrow. Perfect timing, the people from the Green Grain Tribe and the Little Leaf Tribe are there too; we can pick them up and take them Fire Tribe."

The next morning, the allied forces began to withdraw one after another. The three tribes of Pottery and Salt, Hundred Crafts, and Beast Taming were the first to bid farewell. Their warriors, carrying the horses and weapons they had received, embarked on their journey home with satisfaction. Before leaving, the tribal leaders once again expressed their gratitude and willingness to cooperate with Jianshi, and warmly invited Jianshi and Yan to visit their tribes when they had time.

"We'll definitely go!" Jianshi and Yan agreed with smiles.

After seeing off the three tribes, the Fire Tribe and the Fish Tribe also began to prepare to set off for the Fish Tribe. The team was quite large, with more than 600 people. Such a large team traveling in the Huangye attracted the attention of the small tribes along the way.

When they learned that this team had just annihilated the main force of the ferocious Wolf Tribe, and that the Fire Tribe had generously shared most of the spoils, their eyes were filled with admiration as they looked at the Fire Tribe's team.

Yan rode at the head of the procession on horseback.

"Father," he said to Jianshi beside him, "This time we not only defeated the Wolf Tribe, but also won the hearts of these tribes."

Jianshi nodded, his gaze deep and thoughtful. "Fighting is important, but what we do after the war is even more important. Giving up those horses and weapons may seem like a loss, but in return, we gain the trust and respect of the various tribes."

He paused, then continued, "Moreover, with the addition of the Qinghe and Little Leaf Tribe, the Fire Tribe's population will increase again, in addition to the refugees that the Fish Tribe might take in..."

The group continued forward, and ahead, the camp of the Fish Tribe could be vaguely seen.