The Accounting After Their Return

After seeing off the people from the two tribes, the Fire Tribe's leaders entered the council chamber. Jianshi sat in the main seat, with Qingye to his left and Flame and Dali, looking travel-worn but still energetic, to his right. Below them sat Jianya, who had just returned from an external stronghold a few days earlier, along with Dabang, who was in charge of the workshop, and other leaders such as Binmao, Jijiao, Wenshi, and Lu Ming. Dazhuang was unable to attend because he was overseeing the construction of the stronghold, but the results of the meeting would soon be communicated to him.

All eyes were on Yan and Dali, who had just returned from a long-distance grain transport mission, waiting for them to bring back the latest news from downstream and the progress of the trade that was crucial to the tribe.

"Yan, Dali," Jianshi's Chenwen voice broke the brief silence, "You've been away for over forty days, you must be tired. Tell everyone in detail about your trip to the Fish Tribe and the Valley Tribe, so that everyone has a general understanding and can make plans for what comes next."

"Yes, Father (Chief)." Yan and Dali responded in unison.

Yan took a deep breath, cleared his slightly dry throat, and slowly swept his gaze over each of his uncles and companions present. He could see expectation, concern, and a solemn sense of shared responsibility for the fate of the tribe in their eyes.

"Uncles and elders," Yan began, his voice clear and articulate, "I will first explain the situation with the Fish Tribe."

"Upon our fleet's arrival at the Fish Tribe, Chief Canglan greeted us with the same warm hospitality. The agreement regarding their assistance in transporting eight million catties of grain from the Valley Tribe this year has been reached. The Fish Tribe is willing to continue providing ships and manpower. As advance payment, we have already delivered twenty large Muzhou, each with a carrying capacity of two thousand catties, that our Fish Tribe has replaced. These boats will be used to offset various expenses incurred by the Fish Tribe in assisting with the transportation this year—including ship wear and tear, labor costs, and food expenses along the way."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jianya clapped his hands and nodded, then analyzed, "Well done! Although our Fire Tribe is building ships quickly now, transporting eight million catties of grain this year would require too many trips by our own fleet, which would be time-consuming, labor-intensive, and risky. With the Fish Tribe's fleet sharing some of the transport capacity, our pressure will be greatly reduced. Moreover, the compensation we offer is generous, and it's even prepayment for the ships—'hard currency'—so there's no reason for the Fish Tribe not to be happy. I bet Canglan and his leaders would love for us to book next year's and the year after's transport in advance!"

Dali laughed heartily and said, "Brother Jianya is right! I saw that the Canglan chief's eyes light up when he heard that we were willing to buy their Fish Tribe's surplus grain at a price 10% higher than the Valley Tribe's purchase price! He couldn't wait to bring out all the grain in his warehouse and sell it to us! Next time we go, he'll definitely bring up the matter of helping to transport those 20 million catties of grain next year!"

Jianshi nodded slightly, satisfied with the strengthened relationship with the Fish Tribe. He looked at Jianya and gave instructions. "Jianya, Yan and Dali have been running back and forth without much rest. But we've only just brought back 1.5 million jin of our 8 million jin trade with the Valley Tribe, so time is of the essence. The Fire Tribe has already prepared enough pottery. You handle the handover and preparations here, and in two days, you'll lead the team to the Valley Tribe to transport the next batch of grain! If the Fish Tribe shows interest in assisting with the transport of next year's 20 million jin of grain, we can consider accepting it. After all, even if we build more and bigger ships, we'll still have a huge transportation gap in the next few years. Having another reliable helper is never a bad thing."

"Understood, brother! Leave it to me!" Jianya readily agreed. He had been in charge of various affairs, including foreign trade, and was equally experienced in long-distance voyages and diplomatic negotiations.

Next, Yan shifted the topic to the most important part of the trip— the Valley Tribe.

"Things went more smoothly than expected in the Valley Tribe, but we also saw something deeper," Yan said, his tone becoming more serious. "We haven't been there for two or three months, and the entire Valley Tribe, from top to bottom, especially the elders, are indeed somewhat worried about our ability to fulfill our contract. They're afraid that something might go wrong with this year's huge deal of eight million catties of pottery, affecting their enormous profits from reselling pottery."

He paused briefly to allow everyone to process the information. "So, when we not only arrived as promised but also brought enough pottery to pay for three million catties of grain (half of which was as an advance payment), they finally felt relieved. It was precisely based on this recognition of our ability to pay and our sincerity that negotiations for an even larger transaction of twenty million catties of grain next year went very smoothly. The Valley Tribe has already begun to find ways to ensure that this unprecedented super order can be completed."

A low murmur rippled through the council chamber, and everyone's faces lit up with excitement. Twenty million jin! This meant that in the coming year, the Fire Tribe's food security would be guaranteed like never before, giving them a stronger foundation for development!

Yan changed the subject, lowering his voice slightly. "Furthermore, through Qingsui, I subtly conveyed another intention of our Fire Tribe to Chief Daiyue: we hope to go beyond trade and have the opportunity to establish a closer alliance with the Valley Tribe in the future, including military cooperation."

These words were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples, and everyone listened intently.

"The leader of Daiyue personally showed great interest in this," Yan enunciated each word clearly.

Many people's eyes lit up, and their Jianya even leaned forward slightly.

"However," Yan's next word tightened the atmosphere again, "He also admitted that this was by no means easy. The Valley Tribe was not his alone; the tribe's leaders each had their own agendas. More importantly, he confessed that his understanding of the Fire Tribe's true strength, especially its military and organizational capabilities, was not deep enough. And..."

Yan's gaze swept over everyone, and he revealed the most crucial information. "The Valley Tribe harbors deep suspicion towards the ' Tiger Tribe ' at the very bottom of the Fish River. According to Chief Daiyue, the Tiger Tribe's strength far exceeds our previous expectations."

He took a deep breath and slowly recited those chilling figures. "Population: over 150,000. They possess giant warships capable of carrying 100,000 jin (50,000 kg), and dozens of large ships weighing 50,000 jin (25,000 kg). Their standing, well-equipped armored warriors number over 30,000! They have mastered bronze smelting, coarse salt production, pottery making... Their combined strength is enough to crush any single tribe in the middle and upper reaches of the Fish River!"

"150,000?!"

Thirty thousand armored warriors?!

"And there are large ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin? And dozens of ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin?!"

Although everyone present was mentally prepared for the Tiger Tribe's power, when such specific and terrifying data came out of Yan's mouth, a collective gasp still rippled through the council hall. Even the Chenwen Jianshi frowned deeply, and Dabang clenched his fists.

This is no longer a vague legend or a distant threat, but a concrete, quantifiable, and suffocating gap in strength! The Fire Tribe now has nearly 40,000 people and 8,000 warriors, which sounds like a lot, but compared to the Tiger Tribe, it's like a child facing a giant. The Valley Tribe's fear and hesitation seem perfectly reasonable given such a disparity in power.

Seeing the shocked expressions on everyone's faces, Yan continued, "Chief Daiyue said that if the Tiger Tribe hadn't been constantly embroiled in internal power struggles and clashed with two powerful tribes on the other two tributaries of the Great River, leaving them no time to attend to other matters, these tribes in the upper and middle reaches of the Fish River would probably have been annexed or wiped out long ago. But precisely because of this, the Valley Tribe dares not easily break this fragile balance. Forming a military alliance with a newly emerging tribe upstream could be seen as a challenge to the Tiger Tribe's authority, thus bringing unpredictable disasters. This is Chief Daiyue's and even the entire Valley Tribe's leadership's biggest concern."

A heavy silence enveloped the council chamber, broken only by the crackling of burning charcoal.

After a long silence, Jianshi slowly spoke, his voice carrying a calm acceptance of reality. "The information Yan brought back is crucial. It has shown us just how powerful our true enemy is, and it has also helped us understand the Valley Tribe's caution. Establishing a military alliance with the Valley Tribe is a long-term strategy, not something that can be achieved overnight. It cannot be rushed, nor can it be forced."

He paused, his gaze sharpening. "Right now, the fact that we can maintain this mutually beneficial and trusting, large-scale grain trade relationship with the Valley Tribe is a huge victory! With sufficient grain, we can feed a larger population, train more warriors, and manufacture more tools and ships!"

"The chief is right!" Jianya was the first to respond, breaking the tense atmosphere. "It's normal for the Valley Tribe to have concerns. If we were in their position, we would also think twice before acting. We don't need to force an alliance. As long as we ensure the smooth flow of our lifeline, the food trade, we can solidify the tribe's strength little by little with our own hands! Being strong is the key to dealing with all threats!"

"That's right!" Dali echoed in a gruff voice, slamming his hand on the table. "Relying on ourselves is better than relying on anyone else! When we went out this time and saw the Valley Tribe's massive ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin, we felt uncertain! Our ships are still too few and too small! We must work like crazy to build more ships with a carrying capacity of 5,000 jin, and get those 10,000-jin ships out as soon as possible! Only in this way can we stand tall, whether it's transporting grain or in case anything happens in the future!"

"Yes! Shipbuilding! Shipbuilding at full speed!"

"Food security is essential, but shipbuilding is even more important!"

"The workshop needs to keep up with the demand for raw materials and manpower!"