Picking Up the People from the Upper Fish River Completed
After leaving the council hall, Yan did not immediately go to the dock or back to his residence, but instead turned and walked towards the training ground of the Youth Team. Recently, the valley of the Fire Tribe headquarters has been like a pot of boiling water, and it has never been so "crowded" and "lively" before.
Every day, boats return from the upper reaches of the Fish River to the Fire Tribe, bringing in boatloads of new tribespeople filled with anticipation and trepidation. The once spacious residential area is now almost crammed with people in every wooden house. As soon as Yan arrived near the training ground, he saw the figures of Gubang, Daya, and Zhuangchai. They seemed to be discussing something on the sidelines. As soon as they saw Yan, their eyes lit up and they ran over.
Gubang charged ahead, his face beaming with undisguised admiration and excitement. "Boss! You guys were really... amazing! How long were you gone? About a month? The docks were never quiet, people were 'falling' in every day! I reckon you've brought back several thousand already!" He gestured exaggeratedly, "Our Fire Tribe has truly become one of the top tribes Fish River!"
Daya chimed in, his voice a mix of composure and curiosity. "Brother Yan, I heard life upstream is especially tough? When those people first got off the ship, many were incredibly thin, their eyes were vacant, it was heartbreaking to see. But our tribe has made really good arrangements, providing food, lodging, and assigning tasks. I've noticed that many people have regained some color in their faces these past few days, and their eyes are more lively."
Zhuangchai squeezed next to Yan and said, "Brother! You didn't see it, but the uncles and aunts in charge of resettlement in our tribe are so busy they're practically running around! But everyone's got a lot of energy! They say there's strength in numbers, and our Fire Tribe will definitely be even stronger in the future! It's just... the living quarters are a bit cramped. I heard Father has already arranged for a lot of people to go to the places with the Bison and White Pig boars?"
Listening to his companions' chatter, Yan didn't show much pride. He patted Gubang on the shoulder, then looked at Daya and Zhuangchai, his tone becoming serious. "Gubang, Daya, Zhuangchai, what you've seen is just the beginning."
The three boys were taken aback and looked at him in confusion.
Yan held up two fingers. "The number of people willing to join our Fire Tribe from the upper reaches of the Fish River this time is not several thousand, but around fifteen thousand."
"One... fifteen thousand?!" The three boys gasped simultaneously, their eyes widening in shock. Gubang even unconsciously started counting on his fingers, stunned for a long time. They knew they were recruiting a lot of people, but they never expected it to be such an astronomical number!
"That's right, fifteen thousand." Yan nodded firmly, and seeing their shocked expressions, continued, "This is only what's confirmed so far. Once these first batch of fifteen thousand people are settled and their lives stabilize, and the news gets back, those tribes upstream that are still observing or haven't received the news will probably also choose to join. At that time, the Youth Team..." He paused deliberately, "... proportionally, this time there will be an additional fifteen hundred teenagers who you will need to receive, train, and manage."
"Fifteen hundred?!" Gubang felt a chill run down his spine. The Youth Team already had over two thousand members, and managing them already required a tremendous amount of effort from the core members. And now, another fifteen hundred new members with different backgrounds, habits, and even accents? The scene... just thinking about it made him dizzy. Daya and Zhuangchai also gaped, speechless for a long time, their excited expressions replaced by immense pressure.
Seeing their expressions, Yan deliberately put on a stern face and raised his voice slightly. "What? Scared? The mission is too heavy? Who was it that patted their chest and guaranteed to me earlier, 'We'll take as many as come, and I guarantee they'll be trained well'?"
These words struck the three boys like a whip. Gubang stiffened his neck, his face flushed, and he forced a loud shout, "Who... who's afraid! I, Gubang, keep my word! Come on then! Fifteen thousand it is! We can definitely handle it!" Although his voice was loud, his confidence was clearly not as strong as before.
Daya took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and said thoughtfully, "Brother Yan, the sudden increase in numbers is indeed putting a lot of pressure on us, but it's also a good opportunity to hone our abilities. We need to develop a more detailed acceptance process, grouping methods, and training plan in advance. We might also need to promote a group of Xiaotou from among the existing high-performing teenagers to assist in management..."
Zhuangchai gritted his teeth and echoed, "That's right! Brother, we're not afraid! It's just... we need to think of a way!"
Seeing that although they were shocked by the huge numbers, they did not back down but instead began to think of solutions, Yan felt gratified and a smile appeared on his face. He softened his tone and encouraged them, "That's right! When you encounter difficulties, find ways to solve them. That's how our Fire Tribe Youth Team should be! I'm telling you this not to scare you, but to prepare you mentally in advance and get the work done ahead of time. Think about it, when you train these 1,500 new people, or even more, to be as disciplined, law-abiding, and capable as the current Youth Team, what a great achievement that will be! When you grow up and join the Hunting Team or the Guard Team, with this kind of experience and ability, how much higher will your starting point be compared to your peers?"
These words acted like a shot in the arm, reigniting the passion and ambition in the three boys' hearts. Indeed, the greater the challenge, the greater the opportunity! If they could successfully complete this seemingly impossible task, what kind of recognition would they receive for their status and abilities within the tribe?
"Don't worry, Boss (Brother Yan)! We will do our best to guide the new brothers!" The three men straightened their chests again, their eyes filled with renewed fighting spirit and confidence.
Yan then gave them a few more specific instructions on how to assess the new recruits' basic information, how to initially group them, and how to utilize experienced team members for mentorship, before leaving the training ground.
Leaving the bustling training and living areas, Yan arrived at the relatively quiet stables. Chasing Wind and Treading Clouds seemed to sense his arrival and immediately let out cheerful neighs. Yan smiled and walked over, taking out the tender hay and fine feed he had prepared beforehand, and fed his two beloved steeds. Stroking their smooth, warm coats and watching them affectionately nuzzle his hands, Yan felt much of the fatigue from the past few days' journey dissipate. After feeding the horses, he took them for a slow jog in the nearby pasture, carefully brushed their coats, and then led them back to the clean stables.
Next, he went to the dock and met with the leader in charge of ship scheduling and supplies statistics. He learned about the recent ship round trips, personnel reception, and supplies consumption, and made some handover and arrangements. By the time he finished, it was completely dark. He went back, ate a quick meal, wiped himself with hot water, lay down on his bed, and fell into a deep sleep almost immediately. The mental strain and physical exhaustion of the past month had truly worn him out.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Yan and Dali appeared at Fire Creek Wharf almost simultaneously. The morning mist had not yet completely dissipated, but the wharf was already bustling with activity. The Fire Tribe's large ships had all returned: seventy wooden boats with a carrying capacity of five thousand catties, one hundred and sixty large Muzhou with a carrying capacity of two thousand catties, and more than one hundred small Muzhou with a carrying capacity of five hundred catties, were densely packed on the shore. The sailors were conducting final checks, and the accompanying warriors were boarding the ships in orderly formation.
This time, their mission was clear and focused: to bring back all the remaining new members of the tribe waiting to join from the upper reaches of the Fish River at once! According to feedback and preliminary statistics from various river mouths, there were approximately 6,500 people scattered along the Wood River, Clear River, White River, and various tributary mouths on the west bank.
"Is everyone here?" Dali asked his second-in-command, surveying the massive fleet.
"All present! Leader Dali, Young Master Yan, ready to depart at any time!" the leader in charge of roll call answered loudly.
"Alright! Let's go!" Yan and Dali didn't waste any more words and boarded the lead ship.
The massive fleet slowly departed the dock, once again sailing upstream into the main channel of the Fish River. This time, the voyage was smooth and the destination clear. Upon reaching each pre-arranged river mouth, Yan and Dali would dispatch a corresponding number of boats (mainly large Muzhou and Xiaozhou, flexible and easy to dock) to pick up people, based on the number of people gathered at that mouth. After picking up the people, these boats would not wait for the main fleet, but would directly carry the people downstream back to the Fire Tribe. After unloading the people, they could turn back to transport the miscellaneous items left behind by the new tribespeople in their original settlements that they could not take with them temporarily.
This highly efficient "relay transport" model greatly improved efficiency. Yan and Dali's main fleet continued to advance upstream along the Fish River, ensuring that each river mouth was properly received. Throughout the process, the organization was orderly, and no major chaos occurred. Although the new tribespeople were inevitably saddened to leave their homeland, their strong anticipation for a new life overwhelmed everything. They cooperated with the Fire Tribe warriors' commands, helping the old and carrying the young, boarding the boats. Most of them looked downstream, where the legendary "Fire Tribe" was located, the place where their hope for the future lay.
After a month-long round trip, when Yan and Dali led the last batch of boats, carrying the last group of new tribesmen back to the Fire Tribe dock, the entire relocation plan was successfully completed. A total of about 15,000 new tribesmen from both banks of the upper reaches of the Fish River had all safely arrived at the Fire Tribe's controlled area.
The dock was still bustling, but compared to before, there seemed to be a sense of fulfillment, as if everything had settled down. Jianshi was already waiting at the dock, and when he saw his son and brother return safely, a relieved smile appeared on his face.
"You've worked hard!" Jianshi greeted them, his gaze sweeping over the new people who were disembarking in an orderly fashion, their eyes filled with curiosity and hope despite their exhaustion.
"Father, I have not failed you." Yan replied succinctly, his face showing the relief of having accomplished a great task.
Dali, however, was more concerned about the aftermath. "Brother, how's the resettlement going? When I left, they were already preparing to relocate the population?"
"Let's talk as we walk." Jianshi beckoned the two away from the noisy dock and began to describe the changes that had taken place in the tribe over the past month.
"While you were away with your men for the past month, things haven't been quiet back home either," Jianshi said with Chenwen yet proud voice. "First, there was the population relocation. The nine thousand people planned to move to the three old sites of the Bison, White Pig, and Green Sheep have already arrived in batches. The original camps there are still largely intact; the main work is repairing and expanding the wooden houses. Progress is rapid, and they're already barely habitable. As for those who went there, while settling them in, we've already started clearing the wasteland."
Yan and Dali nodded in agreement. Dispersing and resettling the population would not only alleviate the pressure on the main force but also accelerate the digestion and development of the original territory. This was the most reasonable strategy at present.
"Secondly, there's land reclamation," Jianshi continued. "In our headquarters valley, the newly planned 5,000 mu of high-quality paddy fields this year have all been planted. Now, the total area of high-quality paddy fields owned by the headquarters has reached 20,000 mu!" This figure invigorated Yan and Dali. 20,000 mu of stable-yield paddy fields are the core guarantee of the headquarters' food security.
"Regarding the vegetable gardens," Jianshi's smile deepened, "Taking advantage of the ample manpower, we quickly reclaimed another 50,000 mu, and planted all sorts of vegetables and beans in time. Now, the total area of vegetable gardens at headquarters has reached 150,000 mu! The remaining tens of thousands of mu of planned wasteland, with the efforts of so many people, oxen, and bronze tools, will also be fully reclaimed in no time, just in time to plant short-season crops."
Yan quickly calculated that, given this pace of reclamation and production capacity, as long as the weather was favorable and the grain was purchased from the Valley Tribe, absorbing more people wouldn't be too much of a problem.
"Furthermore," Jianshi added, "Reports from the Small Gathering Valley Outpost indicate that they have reclaimed 5,000 mu of paddy fields, and their vegetable gardens are also expanding. In the Deer Tribe's living area, they have also reclaimed 2,000 mu of paddy fields, which will be ready for planting soon. Everything is progressing according to plan."
Listening to his father clearly recount the tribe's solid progress over the past month, Yan was filled with confidence. As they walked and talked, they soon arrived at the largest wooden house in the center of the valley.