Night Talk

Watching Qingsui's figure disappear into the night leading to the Valley Tribe headquarters, Yan stood there for a moment before turning and walking towards the temporary camp where firelight flickered and voices could be faintly heard. The night wind dispelled the faint ambiguity from before, pulling the sense of responsibility of reality back onto his shoulders.

At the camp entrance, Dali's burly figure was bustling about. Although it was late at night, many preparations had to be completed in advance to ensure the smooth progress of tomorrow's massive handover. The warriors of the Fire Tribe were chanting in unison as they carefully unloaded baskets of pottery, meticulously bound with dry grass, from the boats and sorted and stacked them on the cleared ground in the camp. The firelight illuminated their dark and focused faces, and sweat glistened on their foreheads.

While loudly directing the moving route and stacking locations, Dali kept a close eye on everything. Seeing Yan return, he immediately gave a few instructions to one of the leaders beside him, then grinned broadly, strode over to Yan, and patted his shoulder forcefully with his large, fan-like hand. Lowering his voice, he said with a mischievous smile, "Haha, Yan'er! How was it? Your Uncle Dali is pretty good, isn't he? Seeing that you two finally had a chance to talk, he immediately sent away all those annoying 'idle people'! Didn't interrupt your business conversation? What did you talk about? Did you agree on when you'd meet again?"

Yan was jolted awake by the pat, and upon hearing what he said next, even with his usually Chenwen demeanor, his face flushed slightly. Avoiding Uncle Dali's teasing gaze, he mumbled, "Uncle Dali, please stop teasing me. We... we were just casually chatting about the customs and traditions of the Valley Tribe, and... we agreed that if things go smoothly tomorrow afternoon, we'll take a walk around the area."

"Hehe, it's good to walk around and see things! The more you walk around and see things, the deeper your friendship will be!" Dali grinned from ear to ear, waving his hand heartily. "Don't worry, I'll take care of Dali's business! Although the quantity is a bit larger this time, we're familiar with the area, and the Valley Tribe is cooperating. You can go 'walk around and see things' tomorrow morning without any problem! I'll keep an eye on things here, nothing will go wrong!"

Yan knew that Uncle Dali genuinely wanted to take care of him and create opportunities for him, and he was grateful, but his principles could not be shaken. He shook his head solemnly and said, "Uncle Dali, I appreciate your kindness, but the affairs of the tribe are of paramount importance. The handover of grain cannot be taken lightly. As the young chief, I should set an example. How can I let personal matters interfere with public duties? Let's wait until the main handover matters are basically settled by tomorrow morning, and if we have time in the afternoon, it won't be too late to go."

Seeing the unwavering determination in Yan's eyes, Dali knew the boy was resolute and responsible, so he didn't press the matter further. He simply patted his chest forcefully, making a deep, resounding thud. "Alright! Let's do it your way! Tomorrow morning, we'll tackle the tough issues together! In the afternoon, leave all the remaining miscellaneous tasks like counting, verifying, and arranging the loading order of the ships to me! I'll handle it perfectly, so you can focus on 'observing the people's conditions'!"

"Then thank you very much, Uncle Dali." Yan smiled and cupped his hands in thanks.

"No need to thank me!" Dali waved his hand dismissively, then winked and lowered his voice, "If you really want to thank me, then thank your mother soon so I can become an uncle, that would be truly appreciated!"

Yan Honglian deeply again, too embarrassed to respond. He quickly changed the subject, his expression turning serious. "By the way, Uncle Dali, there's something important I need to tell you."

Seeing the change in Yan's expression, Dali also stopped joking and gestured for Yan to sit down by a relatively quiet campfire. "What's wrong? Tell me."

Yan gathered his thoughts and summarized the key points from his conversation with Qingsui: "I briefly mentioned to Qing Qingsui our Fire Tribe's desire to go beyond trade and establish a closer relationship with the Valley Tribe, even developing into a mutual aid alliance, especially the possibility of jointly addressing the threat posed by the Downstream Tiger Tribe."

Dali's eyes lit up. "Oh? What did she say?"

"She said that her father, Chief Daiyue, would be very interested in external alliances, especially in dealing with the Tiger Tribe, and she promised to find an opportunity to convey this intention to Chief Daiyue," Yan said cautiously. "The Valley Tribe is closer to the Tiger Tribe and faces greater direct pressure and strategic constraints (such as through the Bear Tribe) than we do. Forming an alliance with us would indeed have tangible benefits for them in getting out of their current predicament and increasing their sense of security."

Dali nodded repeatedly. "This is great! If we can really form an alliance with the Valley Tribe, then our Fire Tribe will have a powerful ally and a strong shield on this side of the Fish River! We'll have much more confidence when dealing with the downstream areas in the future!"

"However," Yan changed the subject, his brow furrowing slightly, "Things aren't that simple. The Valley Tribe isn't ruled by Chief Daiyue alone. As you've seen, those seven elders each have their own agendas, and their interests aren't entirely aligned. Forming an alliance, a major event involving the tribe's fundamental strategy and future resource allocation, will inevitably spark fierce debate within the Valley Tribe. Moreover, our two sides have only recently begun to interact, and large-scale trade has just started. The foundation of trust isn't strong enough yet. Rashly pushing forward with a military alliance will face significant resistance."

Dali's initial excitement subsided. He stroked his stubble and pondered, "Hmm... you're right. Those old guys are all cunning. They're all smiles when they see the tangible profits from pottery; but if it comes to the very foundation of the tribe and its future power structure, it won't be so easy." He paused, then waved his hand dismissively, "But it's alright! Even if we can't form a formal alliance for now, as long as the grain trade continues stably, our relationship will remain strong! As long as there's money to be made, that's the strongest bond between the two tribes!"

Yan nodded in agreement. "Uncle Dali is right. A stable trade relationship is itself a kind of alliance. The reason I conveyed this intention through Qingsui was to test the waters and see the reaction of the Daiyue chief and the core members of the Valley Tribe. If the reaction is positive, we can gradually make contact, deepen our understanding, and formally propose it when the time is more ripe. If the resistance is too great, at least we have shown goodwill and left room for the future."

The two then discussed in hushed tones for a while the possibility of an alliance, potential obstacles, and strategies.

The topic then returned to the transaction at hand. Yan recalled the excited expressions of the Valley Tribe's leaders at the banquet when they heard about the "20 million catties" order, and remarked, "This time, when we proposed to continue large-scale grain purchases next year, the Valley Tribe responded very enthusiastically. Judging from their expressions, they couldn't wait to grow those 20 million catties of grain and sell them to us immediately. It seems that our strategy of bringing enough pottery in advance was completely correct, thoroughly dispelling their doubts about our Fire Tribe's payment capabilities."

Dali grinned, a hint of insight in his eyes. "Of course! Our pottery, once it gets into their hands, is resold downstream, and the profits skyrocket! How could they not be interested? I bet even if their own fields don't produce enough, they'll find ways to buy grain from other tribes, big and small, downstream of the Fish River to make up the shortfall! This business is incredibly profitable for them..."

Yan Shen agreed, "Therefore, we must seize this opportunity and take advantage of their eagerness to complete their orders to ensure that our eight million catties this year, as well as next year's trade, can proceed smoothly. At the same time," his voice lowered, tinged with worry, "Uncle Dali, as you have seen, the Valley Tribe's maritime strength, especially those several 50,000-catty giant ships, is a real threat to us. They are currently willing to trade with us on an equal footing, even treating us warmly, firstly because we have the pottery they desperately need, and secondly because we cannot yet threaten their hegemony in the middle and lower reaches of the Fish River. But if our own strength does not improve significantly in the long term, how long can this 'equality' and 'warmth' last?"

Dali's smile faded, and his eyes sharpened. "I understand your concerns. Relying on others is unreliable; in the end, we have to rely on our own strength! They can block the river, preventing our pottery from being sold downstream, so we need to find our own way to deal with it! Building large ships is the first step! We need to build transport ships weighing five thousand or ten thousand jin, and in the future, we also need our own warships! Only when our Fish River power is strong will our words carry weight, allowing us to truly stand on equal footing with them, and even occupy a more advantageous position in any potential future alliance!"

"Yes!" Yan nodded vigorously, firelight dancing in his young eyes. "Therefore, whether it's to ensure the safety of food transportation for the next two years and even longer, or for the long-term independence and strength of the Fire Tribe, we must spare no expense to improve our shipbuilding capabilities as quickly as possible! The development of the 10,000-jin (5,000 kg) large ship must be accelerated! Only when our own maritime capabilities are strong can we calmly cope with any variables, whether in trade or... the storms of the future."

As night deepened, the commotion of carrying pottery in the camp gradually subsided, and most of the soldiers had taken turns resting. By the campfire, an old man and a young man were still talking in hushed tones, their expressions sometimes solemn, sometimes resolute.