Returning with a Full Load
The next morning, the massive combined fleet at the Valley Tribe's dock had already assembled, densely packed on the wide river. The boats from the Fire Tribe, the Fish Tribe, and the Valley Tribe's vessels, which were assisting with the transport, were all fully loaded with heavy loads of grain, ready to depart for the Fire Tribe at a moment's notice.
On the open ground of the Valley Tribe's dock, Valley Tribe Chief Daiyue personally led seven elders in a grand send-off procession. This was not only a formality, but also a declaration to the Fire Tribe and everyone within the tribe that grain trade with the Fire Tribe was of paramount importance to the Valley Tribe in the present and for some time to come. Qingsui also stood quietly not far behind her father.
Yan and Dali, representing the Fire Tribe, bid a final farewell to Daiyue and the elders.
Yan stepped forward, bowed to Daiyue and the elders, and spoke in a clear voice that echoed throughout the dock, "Chief Daiyue, elders, we are deeply grateful for the warm hospitality of the Valley Tribe and for the generous assistance of such a large fleet! The Fire Tribe will forever remember this kindness. Upon returning to our tribe, we will immediately organize another fleet to transport grain as soon as possible, striving to bring back the agreed-upon eight million catties of grain this year!"
His words resonated deeply, serving as both a promise and a reassurance to the Valley Tribe — that the Fire Tribe had the ability and determination to continue fulfilling its commitments.
Upon hearing Yan's assurance, Daiyue smiled with satisfaction. The seven elders also nodded in agreement, looking relaxed. The more efficient the Fire Tribe was, the faster they could acquire pottery and resell it for profit.
Daiyue responded loudly, "Very well! Young Chief Yan is a man of his word, and our Valley Tribe trusts him! Rest assured, we have already begun planning to Dashui cultivation and mobilize manpower to ensure next year's grain supply, striving to meet your tribe's demand of 20 million catties of grain!"
"Daiyue, Chief Daiyue!" Yan expressed his gratitude again, then clasped his hands in a respectful bow. "Elders, it's getting late, we'll be setting off now. Thank you again for the Valley Tribe's hospitality and assistance! Until we meet again!"
"Bon Voyage!"
Until we meet again!
Daiyue and the elders returned the greetings with clasped hands, and blessings rose and fell.
The dock was crowded with people, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, Yan couldn't say much to Qingsui. He could only nod slightly in her direction from a distance. In the instant their eyes met, they could both see the unspoken words in each other's eyes. Qingsui gently bit her lip and nodded firmly, her eyes full of reluctance and blessings.
Without further delay, Yan and Dali turned and nimbly boarded the main ship. At Dali's command, the long and deep sound of the Niujiao horn echoed throughout the dock. Flag signals flew between the ships, and the massive combined fleet slowly started moving. Oars cut through the calm river, and sails gradually filled with the morning breeze. Like a giant dragon awakening, it slowly sailed away from the dock, going upstream towards the upper reaches of the Fish River.
Daiyue and the elders watched the fleet until the sails of the last ship disappeared around the bend in the river in the distance. Only then did they turn their gaze away, and the smiles on their faces slowly turned into deep thought. Huge profits were right in front of them, but how to secure them required careful planning.
Daiyue waved his hand. "Back to the council hall!" The group turned and walked towards the power center of the Valley Tribe. Next, they would have a heated discussion on how to ensure the production and delivery of the twenty million catties of grain next year: absorbing the two thousand people, recruiting temporary laborers to cultivate new fields, purchasing bronze farming tools from the Tiger Tribe, and converting vegetable fields into paddy fields. Each task involved the allocation of manpower, materials, and internal interests, requiring them to reach a consensus and carefully coordinate the order and priorities.
Qingsui did not leave with her father immediately. She stood alone on the dock, letting the morning breeze blow through her hair, gazing for a long time in the direction where the fleet had disappeared, as if trying to etch that last image into her heart. Only after her attendant gently reminded her several times did she sigh with a sense of loss and leave the gradually quieting dock, looking back every few steps.
The return journey was a bit slower than the outward journey. Fortunately, the sailors from the Fire Tribe, Fish Tribe, and Valley Tribe were all quite familiar with this waterway. Although the speed was not fast, the journey was relatively smooth and without any major incidents.
During the long voyage, food became one of the few comforts. At mealtimes, Feiyu, the leader of the Fish Tribe, Bailin, and Fengren, the leader of the Valley Tribe in charge of escorting the shipment, would always coincidentally "happen" to be on patrol or "have something to discuss" on Yan's ship.
Yan was well aware of this and was happy to use it to deepen his relationship with these important partners. He always treated them warmly, using the ingredients he had stored to cook carefully. Thus, during this monotonous upstream voyage, the cabin of Yan's main ship became a small "diplomatic banquet hall." The aroma of food and the sounds of harmonious conversation often drifted across the river. This also allowed Yan to learn more about the movements of the various tribes downstream of the Fish River and some subtle rumors within the Valley Tribe from the Feiyu, Bailin, and especially the Fengren.
As the sun rose and set, and the stars revolved, after a full twenty-six days, a familiar sight finally appeared in the distance—the iconic beacon tower at Fire Creek Mouth, and wisps of smoke rising further away.
"We're home!" The lookout's cheers instantly echoed throughout the fleet, and everyone's spirits lifted, their tired faces breaking into genuine smiles.
The combined fleet sailed into Fire Creek. Because the Valley Tribe's large ships, each with a carrying capacity of 50,000 catties, were too deep to enter the Fire Creek River channel, Fengren ordered them to anchor at the Fish River bank outside the mouth of Fire Creek Mouth and wait for the Fire Tribe's small boats to transport and unload the grain. The remaining ships sailed into Fire Creek in turn and slowly approached the Fire Tribe's main dock.
The dock was already packed with people. Having learned of the grain convoy's return today, Jian Jianshi, along with almost all the high-ranking members of the Fire Tribe, including Qingye, Jianya, and Dabang, as well as the able-bodied men unloading the cargo and many tribesmen who had come to greet them, had already crowded the dock. Cheers and shouts echoed through the valley. Every face in the Fire Tribe radiated anticipation and joy. 1.5 million catties of grain! This was enough to give the Fire Tribe members a greater sense of security!
The boat docked, the gangplank was set up, and Yan and Dali were the first to disembark, giving Jianshi a big hug as he came to greet them.
"Father! We're back!" Yan's voice was a little hoarse, but full of strength.
"Good! Good! It's good that you're back!" Jianshi patted his son's back vigorously, his gaze sweeping over the grain transport ships with their drafts deep behind them, his eyes filled with relief and excitement. "You must have had a long journey! Did the grain arrive safely?"
"Everything went smoothly! 1.5 million catties, not a single grain missing!" Dali replied loudly from the side, his face full of pride.
Jianshi nodded repeatedly, and then saw Fengren and the two leaders of the Fish Tribe disembarking. He quickly stepped forward to greet them warmly, "Leader Fengren! Leader Feiyu! Leader Bailin! You must be tired from your journey! Please come in, the tribe has prepared a small feast to welcome you back!"
The group exchanged pleasantries and left the bustling dock, heading towards the council hall in the center of the valley. As he walked, Fengren discreetly observed the scenery along the way. His gaze swept over the vast expanse of newly cultivated paddy fields and vegetable gardens crisscrossed by ditches (the scale of which was much larger than when he last came), and over the densely packed, neatly arranged wooden houses in the valley. Listening to the energetic laughter and conversation of the tribesmen around him, he felt a chill run down his spine.
'The pace of reclamation is astonishing... The residential areas are so dense; the population of this valley must really be close to 20,000...' Fengren recalled the astonishing information that Chief Daiyue had privately revealed to him before leaving the Valley Tribe, about the Fire Tribe's population possibly approaching 40,000. At the time, he had been somewhat skeptical, but now, witnessing the Fire Tribe's main valley becoming increasingly prosperous and crowded, and recalling the casual conversation during their journey in the Flame Fire Tribe, each with several thousand people," his doubts completely vanished. 'This Fire Tribe... has truly become a force to be reckoned with! Its strength on land is probably even greater than that of my Valley Tribe! Who would have thought that just a few years ago, the Fire Tribe was a small tribe struggling to survive?' Admiration and wariness intertwined in Fengren's heart, and his evaluation of the Fire Tribe rose once again.
The Fire Tribe's welcoming banquet was held in the council hall. Large chunks of roasted meat, whole stewed fish, fresh vegetables, plenty of rice, and warm goat milk greatly demonstrated the Fire Tribe's unique hospitality. During the banquet, Jianshi, Yan Yu Fengren, Feiyu, Bailin, and others chatted happily, creating a lively atmosphere.
As the banquet was drawing to a close, the leader in charge of the inventory came in and reported to Jianshi, "Chief, all 1.5 million catties of grain have been unloaded from the ship, and the count is accurate!"
The efficiency was so high that even Fengren nodded in approval.
Upon hearing this, Jianshi Shi raised his glass to thank Fengren and the others again. Fengren, knowing that the mission was complete, got up to take his leave—he needed to report to Chief Daiyue as soon as possible what he had seen and heard along the way, especially his more direct impression of the Fire Tribe's strength.
Jianshi personally escorted Fengren to the dock, solemnly saying before parting, "Chief Fengren, please convey to Chief Daiyue that our Fire Tribe attaches great importance to this year's grain trade. At the latest, I will send Jianya with a team to the Valley Tribe to transport the next batch of grain in two days! There will be no delay!"
With this clear promise, Fengren's last worry was relieved. He cupped his hands and said, "Jianshi Jian Shi, rest assured, I will definitely convey this message! I wish the Fire Tribe continued prosperity! Farewell!"
After seeing Fengren off, Feiyu and Bailin from the Fish Tribe also came to take their leave. During the previous banquet, Yan had already reported in detail to his father Jianshi the plan for the Fire Tribe and the Fish Tribe to continue their cooperation in transportation, as well as the plan to use the twenty large Muzhou with a carrying capacity of two thousand catties each that the Fire Tribe had replaced to prepay and offset related expenses, and had received his approval.
At this moment, Jianshi smiled at Feiyu and Bailin and said, "Leaders, you've worked hard again this time. Yan has already explained the follow-up cooperation and the matter of the ships to me. Our Fire Tribe always keeps its word. Those twenty large Muzhou with a carrying capacity of 2,000 jin are ready for you. They are docked at the pier and can be sailed away at any time."
Upon hearing this, Feiyu and Bailin were overjoyed! Even the "outdated" boats of the Fire Tribe were far more sturdy and useful than those they had built themselves! These twenty large Muzhou, each with a carrying capacity of 2,000 jin, would truly enhance the Fish Tribe's water power! The two thanked him repeatedly, unable to stop smiling.
Soon, with the assistance of the Fire Tribe warriors, twenty relatively well-maintained Muzhou with a carrying capacity of two thousand catties were handed over to the Fish Tribe. Feiyu and Bailin treated them like treasures, carefully directing their tribe's sailors to form a fleet. Then, they bid farewell to Jianshi, Flame, and the others with satisfaction, and led the Fish Tribe's fleet, joyfully sailing downstream back to their own tribe.
The docks finally quieted down a bit. 1.5 million catties of grain were safely stored, trade relations with the Valley Tribe were consolidated and deepened, a new understanding was reached with the Fish Tribe, and the possibility of an alliance with the Valley Tribe was tentatively explored... This voyage, which lasted for more than a month, was fruitful.
But both Jianshi and Yan knew that this was only a partial victory. The trade of eight million catties of grain was not yet completed, and the transportation of twenty million catties of grain next year weighed heavily on their minds. The development of the Fire Tribe itself, the integration of the population, the training of the army, the expansion of workshops, and especially the shipbuilding industry... there were countless things to do, and none of them could be neglected.
"Back in the council chamber, let's tell everyone the details of this trip." Jianshi patted his son on the shoulder and continued, "We still have a lot of things to do."