Harvest from the Upper Reaches of the Fish River
Two days after the meeting ended, Jianya led his fleet to the Horse Tribe. Two days after Jianya's fleet set off, Yan and Dali completed the final preparations for supplies. Twenty large ships with a capacity of 5,000 catties each, thirty dugout Muzhou with a capacity of 2,000 catties each, and more than a dozen flexible Xiaozhou with a capacity of 500 catties each were neatly arranged at Fire Creek Wharf. The fleet was loaded with pottery, linen, dried fish and meat cured with coarse salt, and other supplies.
At dawn, before the morning mist had dissipated, the fleet was already fully prepared to depart. Jian Jianshi personally came to the dock to see them off. He patted Yan on the shoulder and Dali instructed Dali: "The transaction is secondary. Understanding the situation upstream and establishing contact are fundamental. Remember, safety first. Don't go into the narrow waters at the very top of the Fish River."
"Don't worry, Father." Yan nodded in agreement.
Dali grinned Dali: "Big brother, with me here, I guarantee I'll bring Yan back safely!"
The fleet slowly departed from the dock and sailed downstream along the Fire Creek River. After a brief stop at the Fire Creek Mouth, the fleet regrouped and began sailing upstream against the Fish River.
On the afternoon of the second day of their upstream voyage, the fleet arrived at the first major tributary— the Water River. The trade proceeded smoothly and quickly. Several tribes of about two hundred people from the Water River basin brought out their accumulated animal hides, dried medicinal herbs, and dried wild fruits gathered in the autumn, in exchange for much-needed pottery, linen, and salted dried meat. These inland tribes were most lacking in salt and durable containers, and the Fire Tribe's goods were true hard currency to them.
After Yan finished trading with the people from several tribes, several leaders from even smaller tribes approached, saying they wanted to join the Fire Tribe. They explained that most of them were struggling financially, and the Fire Tribe had recruited a thousand people from the Water River a few months ago, which they had missed. Seeing the Fire Tribe members arrive, they quickly came to express their desire to join; there were about five hundred of them. Yan knew the Fire Tribe's food situation and that the tribe still needed a large number of people, so he immediately agreed. He told them to gather along the Water River with their goods, and sent several boats laden with cargo back to inform Jianshi so that the Fire Tribe could send people to pick up these people.
Yan continued with the remaining fleet to the Forest River and Stone River, where the trade went very smoothly. In addition, about a thousand people in these two river basins who were struggling to make ends meet also wanted to join the Fire Tribe. Yan continued to have them gather on the shore and sent ships loaded with goods back to call for boats to pick them up. After three stops, about 1,500 people were willing to join the Fire Tribe.
The fleet continued upstream and arrived at the Valley River. The riverbank was deserted. The tribes here had joined the Fire Tribe as a whole several months ago. Looking at the familiar river mouth, Yan felt a strange feeling: in just a few months, the small tribe had completely integrated into the life of the Fire Tribe and was now probably learning new skills and cultivating new fields in the valley.
The fleet did not stop and continued sailing upstream. While trading with the next three Wood River, the Green River, and the White River, many small tribes living in hardship requested to join the Fire Tribe. Yan also had them gather on the shore to wait for the Fire Tribe's ships to return fully loaded and call for a boat to pick them up. Yan estimated that there were about 1,500 people from these three tributaries who were ready to join the Fire Tribe.
After trading on these six tributaries, the fleet size had been significantly reduced, but the gains from the trip far exceeded expectations. After the transactions were completed, Yan and Dali led the fleet back. Yan and Dali decided to take the opportunity to explore the situation on the west bank of the Fish River. They turned around at the White River, the uppermost part of the Fish River, and went downstream, discovering five main tributaries in succession: Little Water River, Red Leaf River, Ash River, Grass River, and Peach River. These tributaries could accommodate boats with a carrying capacity of 2,000 jin during the dry season.
Compared to the east bank, the tribes on the west bank are more scattered and the population density is significantly lower. Each tributary usually has only a few small tribes of about one or two hundred people along its banks, and further inland there are many even smaller tribes. Their living conditions are worse than those on the east bank. The Fish Tribe only comes to trade for coarse salt once every two years. Most of these inland tribes are short of salt, and some of the people in these small tribes have mild edema.
The arrival of the Fire Tribe's fleet was like a godsend for these western tribes, especially their salted jerky, which became the most sought-after goods.
In the Little Water River, an old woman from a small tribe held up some salt-cured dried meat that her tribe had traded for, tears streaming down her face. "It's been over a year... finally someone has brought salt..."
At the Red Leaf River, the tribal chief Hongfeng, held Yan's hand and said, "You must come again Red Leaf River year! We may not have much else, but we have plenty of fur!"
Yan Yiyi agreed and made a deal with the tribes to trade again next year.
Unlike the East Coast, no one from the West Coast tribes has yet proposed joining the Fire Tribe —not because they don't want to, but because they dare not, as they have no communication with the Fire Tribe. But Yan can sense that the seeds have been sown; as long as the Fire Tribe continues to come to trade and build trust, it is very likely that some West Coast tribes will be willing to join in the future.
After completing the final transaction on the Peach River, Yan and Dali led the remaining fleet back at full speed. The speed downstream was much faster than upstream, and just over a day later, Fire Creek Wharf came into view.
At the dock, Jianshi had been waiting for a long time. The ships that had returned earlier and the messengers had already given a detailed report on the situation.
"Father." Yan jumped off the boat, a look of relief on his face as if he had accomplished his mission. "There are about three thousand people willing to join us from the six tributaries on the east bank. This exploration of the west bank of the Fish River has established initial contact with five of the tributaries, and we can continue trading next year."
Jianshi nodded and said, "The flotilla of ships to pick us up has already set off in batches. The first batch is heading to the Water River, Forest River, and Stone River; the second batch is heading to the Wood River, Green River, and White River. It won't be long before they've all arrived."