The Pottery Salt Agreement

After the meeting, Yan and Dali began to make intensive preparations for the trip to the Valley Tribe. Two days was neither a long nor a short time. Yan barely slept during these two days. He checked the number of boats, the distribution of supplies, and the arrangement of personnel again and again, for fear of making any mistakes. There were two hundred large Muzhou weighing two thousand catties each, one hundred and eighty large boats weighing five thousand catties each, and forty giant boats weighing ten thousand catties each.

These are all the large ships the Fire Tribe can currently provide. Yan stood by the dock, watching the ships lined up neatly in the morning light, silently calculating their total carrying capacity. Two thousand catties per ship, two hundred ships would be four hundred thousand catties; five thousand catties per ship, one hundred and eighty ships would be nine hundred thousand catties; ten thousand catties per ship, forty ships would be four hundred thousand catties. Adding it all up, it's one million seven hundred thousand catties.

With the assistance of the Fish Tribe's fleet and the Valley Tribe's ships, transporting two million catties of grain at a time was more than enough.

"Brother Yan," Daya ran over, holding the wooden board marked with charcoal, "The pottery is all packed. As you instructed, we've packed enough to exchange for two million catties of grain."

Yan took the wooden board and carefully looked at the numbers on it. The equivalent of two million catties of grain in pottery, piled up like a Little Mountain, was enough for the Fire Tribe's pottery workshops to produce a large quantity, which was only enough for a little over half a month's production.

"Okay." Yan nodded and handed the plank back to Daya. "Have the brothers check it again to make sure the ropes on every boat are secure and the sails are all in good condition."

"Yes!"

Two days later, at dawn, Fire Creek Wharf was bustling again. Jianshi, along with Qingye, Jianya, Dabang, and other high-ranking members of the Fire Tribe, arrived at the wharf early, followed by many tribesmen who had come to see them off. The wharf was packed with people. Yan and Dali were standing in front of the largest ship, weighing ten thousand catties, conducting a final inspection.

"Yan." Jianshi walked over.

Yan turned around. "Father."

Jianshi looked at him and remained silent for a while. This son of his was making him more and more at ease. Now Yan was capable of handling things on his own!

"Be careful on the road." Jianshi's voice wasn't loud, but every word was filled with concern. "Although we have a good relationship with the Valley Tribe now, we can't be careless. Be extra careful in everything you do."

Yan nodded. "Father, don't worry, I've remembered."

Qingye also came over, took Yan's hand, and her eyes were full of reluctance.

"Be careful on the road," she said, her voice choked with emotion. "Come back soon."

Yan held his mother's hand and whispered, "Don't worry, Mother, I'll definitely come back soon."

Qingye nodded, released her hand, and stepped aside.

Jianya walked over and patted Yan on the shoulder.

"Kid, when you go to the Valley Tribe this time, make sure you get a good feel for the situation there." His voice was low, only Yan could hear it, "Especially their relationship with the Tiger Tribe, find out as much as you can."

Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he nodded. "Understood."

Dali's side was also surrounded by Dabang, Dazhuang, and the others.

"Dali," Dabang patted his arm, "This time when you go out, protect Yan well, don't just think about playing by yourself."

Dali grinned Dali: "Don't worry! I guarantee I'll bring Yan'er back safe and sound!"

Dazhuang chimed in, "Think things through before you act rashly."

Dali rolled his eyes. "Okay, okay, you're all my dads now."

The crowd burst into laughter, and amidst the laughter, Yan glanced at the sky.

The sun has risen, the morning mist is dissipating, and the river surface is sparkling.

"Let's go," he said.

Dali nodded Dali, turned around and shouted to the fleet, "Ready to set sail!"

As the orders were passed down, the warriors on the ship took their positions, untied the mooring ropes, and raised the sails. Yan and Dali boarded the largest ship, a 10,000-jin heavy-duty vessel, stood at the Chuantou, and waved goodbye to the people on the shore. Jianshi, Qingye, Jian Ya, Jianya Dabang, Dazhuang... and countless members of the Fire Tribe stood on the shore, waving to them.

The fleet slowly started and sailed downstream along the Fire Creek River. Yan stood at the Chuantou, watching the crowd on the shore grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared into the morning mist. He turned around and looked ahead. Ahead were the Middle Fire Creek Outpost, the mouth of the Fire Creek Mouth, the Fish River, the Valley Tribe, and two million catties of grain.

The fleet sailed on the Fire Creek River for some time. The stronghold in the Middle Fire Creek Outpost could be seen in the distance. Yan stood at the Chuantou, looking at the stronghold under construction in the distance. On the riverbank, rows of brand-new wooden houses were neatly arranged, at least a thousand of them. There were well-planned roads between the wooden houses. Some people were walking on the roads, and some were busy in front of the houses.

Further away, there were vast tracts of wasteland being reclaimed, where hundreds of tribesmen were busy, some cutting down trees, some weeding, and some turning the soil with bronze tools.

"It's developing so fast," Dali exclaimed.

Yan nodded. "Yes, not long ago, this was just a wasteland, but now so much of it has been reclaimed."

The fleet sailed past the stronghold, and the people on the shore, seeing the massive fleet, stopped what they were doing and waved and cheered. Yan waved back. After passing the Middle Fire Creek Outpost and sailing for some time, they arrived at the Fire Creek Mouth.

The scale here is much larger, with at least 1,500 wooden houses densely packed on both sides of the river. The dock is full of boats of all sizes, with people loading and unloading cargo and mending fishing nets, creating a bustling scene. Not far away are large tracts of cultivated land.

"Fire Creek Mouth will definitely grow bigger and bigger in the future," Yan said. "Once it's fully developed, it can easily accommodate tens of thousands of people."

Dali gasped, "Tens of thousands of people? That's a huge number!"

Yan smiled and said, "You'll find out later."

The fleet passed through Fire Creek Mouth and merged into the wide Fish River, continuing downstream. After sailing for some time, the fleet passed the mouth of Little Gathering Valley. Yan ordered the fleet to slow down and look towards the tributary. The Small Gathering Valley Outpost was not far inside this tributary. Although the full view of the stronghold could not be seen from here, the five thousand acres of paddy fields could be seen, and the rice was growing very well.

"This autumn will definitely be a bumper Fengshou," Dali said.

Yan nodded. "There are 5,000 mu of land in Little Gathering Valley, tens of thousands of mu of vegetable fields here, and the Bison, White Pig, Green Sheep, and Deer Tribe are also expanding their reclamation. This year's grain yield will definitely exceed ten million jin."

He paused, then added, "After the autumn harvest, we might have to relocate another group of people there; there's still a lot of land that can be reclaimed."

The fleet continued its journey, and after a day's sailing, Stone Creek Mouth. This outpost was about the same size as Middle Fire Creek, but it felt completely different. There were only six or seven hundred wooden houses, fewer than in Middle Fire Creek, but they were arranged more neatly. Earthen walls and moats had been built around it. The most eye-catching feature was the beacon tower on the high ground of the outpost, which was made of stone and was two or three zhang high. Standing on it, one could see very far.

"This was built specifically to monitor the Wolf Tribe," Yan said, pointing to the beacon tower. "Once any movement from the Wolf Tribe is detected, the beacon can be lit immediately to send a notification to the rear."

Dali nodded Dali: "It's good to have a beacon tower. If the Wolf Tribe dares to come, we'll know in advance."

Yan said, "There are also three hundred cavalrymen stationed here, all of them the best riders in our Fire Tribe, ready to attack at any time."

He paused, his voice lowering slightly. "The Wolf Tribe now has six hundred cavalrymen, a formidable force, but we also have three hundred cavalrymen here keeping watch. Their attempt at a sneak attack won't be so easy."

The fleet sailed past Stone Creek Mouth. On the shore, several patrolling cavalrymen saw them, spurred their horses to the riverbank, and waved to them. Yan waved back. After passing Stone Creek Mouth, they sailed for another day and arrived at the Pottery Salt Tribe Pottery Salt River Mouth, a small estuary on a tributary of the Pottery Salt River Mouth Fish River. A small river flowed into the Fish River from here. The middle reaches of the small river were the Pottery Salt Tribe's camp. Yan ordered the fleet to anchor at Pottery Salt River Mouth and, with Dali, Shinian, and seven or eight trusted men carrying several baskets of coarse salt, boarded several large Muzhou and headed towards the Pottery Salt Tribe's dock.

Shinian was the top warrior of the original Green Grain Tribe. After the Green Grain Tribe was attacked by the Wolf Tribe last year, he led several hundred survivors to join the Fire Tribe. In the past year, he has been well-fed and trained hard in the Fire Tribe, and his body is stronger than before. He wears the linen clothes of the Fire Tribe, his hair is neatly cut, and his beard is clean-shaven. He looks extremely energetic.

"Uncle Shinian," Yan asked as they walked, "When you meet the leaders later, tell them all the good things about our Fire Tribe, so they'll feel comfortable joining."

Shinian grinned. "Don't worry, young chief, I know what to say."

The group disembarked at the dock and arrived at the camp of the Pottery Salt Tribe not far away. At the entrance of the camp, a group of people were waiting there. Leading them was Jia Li, the chief of the Pottery Salt Tribe, whose eyes were shrewd. Standing next to him were three people: Cangbo, the chief of the Marsh Tribe; Mu Ye, the chief of the Beast Taming Tribe; and Wu Muye, the Wu Xiong of the Hundred Crafts Tribe.

Behind them were several leaders and elders of the Pottery Salt Tribe.

"Yan'er!" Jia Li saw Yan from afar and immediately greeted him with a big smile, "Brother Dali! You must be tired from your journey!"

Yan quickly stepped forward and grasped Jia Li's hand. "Uncle Jia Li, you're so kind, thank you so much!"

Jia Li is Jianshi's brother-in-law. In recent years, he has maintained a close relationship with the Fire Tribe. The Pottery Salt Tribe has been helping the Fire Tribe sell pottery and meat cured with coarse salt, and the two families have been visiting each other frequently.

"Please come in, please come in!" Jia Li pulled Yan's hand and led him into the camp. "I've already had hot food prepared. Let's eat something first!"

The group entered the council hall of the Pottery Salt Tribe, a sturdy wooden house that wasn't very big. Several low tables were already set up inside, with steaming food on them—grilled fish, stewed meat, wild vegetable soup, rice, and fresh goat milk.

"Come on, come on, let's eat something first!" Jia Li called out, "Let's eat and chat!"

Everyone sat down and began to eat. Yan was indeed quite hungry, and he ate the grilled fish and drank the hot soup with gusto. Dali was even more ravenous, as if he wanted to stuff the whole fish into his mouth. After eating and drinking for a while, the atmosphere gradually became lively. Cangbo, the chief of the Marsh Tribe, sat next to the Shinian. He glanced at the burly man from time to time, feeling that he looked somewhat familiar. After looking at him for a while, he finally recognized him.

"The leader of the Shinian?" Cangbo asked in surprise, "Is that you?"

Shinian raised his head, looked at him, and grinned. "Chief Cangbo, it's been a long time."

Cangbo's eyes widened. "It really is you! You... how did you become like this?"

Shinian stroked his smooth chin and smiled, "Over there in the Fire Tribe, everyone does it like this. Hair has to be neatly cut, beards clean-shaven, so you look sharp and work efficiently."

Cangbo clicked his tongue in amazement. "The changes are too great, I almost didn't recognize you."

The other leaders also looked over. They all knew the Green Grain Tribe and knew that Shinian was the Green Grain Tribe's number one warrior. After the Green Grain Tribe was attacked by the Wolf Tribe last year, Shinian led the few hundred survivors of the Green Grain Tribe to join the Fire Tribe. They didn't expect to see him here.

"Chief Shinian," Cangbo couldn't help but ask, "How is your Green Grain Tribe doing now?"

Shinian put down the food he was holding and answered seriously.

"Last year, the Wolf Tribe attacked with fire, burning down our camp. Only a few hundred of us escaped." His voice was calm, but a hint of pain flashed in his eyes. "Later, the Fire Tribe led us to encircle and annihilate the main force of the Wolf Tribe at the Yellow Leaf Camp. In that battle, we killed those beasts with our own hands, which can be considered revenge."

He paused, then smiled. "Later, the remaining few hundred of us joined the Fire Tribe. For the past year, we've been doing very well Fire Tribe. We're well-fed, warmly clothed, and live in large, sturdy wooden houses. The children are even learning new skills."

He pointed to himself. "You can tell how good the Fire Tribe is by looking at me now."

The leaders exchanged glances, their eyes filled with envy.

Cangbo couldn't help but ask, "Chief Shinian, in the Fire Tribe... are you really able to eat your fill?"

Shinian laughed, "Chief Cangbo, to tell you the truth, in the Fire Tribe, as long as you are willing to work and follow the rules, you won't go hungry. In the past year, I've gained more than ten pounds compared to when I was in the Green Grain Tribe."

He patted his muscular arms. "Look at these muscles, do you think I'm starving?"

The leaders all laughed, and amidst the laughter, Cangbo looked at Yan.

"Young Chieftain," his tone turned serious, "We've come here to discuss joining the Fire Tribe after the autumn harvest."

Yan put down the food in her hand and looked at him intently.

Cangbo continued, "Our Marsh Tribe has a population of over a thousand, which isn't a large number, but our people are excellent swimmers. If we join the Fire Tribe, we hope we can utilize this strength."

Yan nodded. "Chief Cangbo, rest assured, the Fire Tribe always employs people based on their strengths. You are skilled in water-related tasks, so you can join the water transport team or learn the craft at the shipbuilding workshop."

Cangbo's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Of course," Yan said. "What our Fire Tribe needs most right now is all kinds of talent. We'd be more than happy to have you come."

The leader of the Beast Taming Tribe Muye, also spoke up.

"Young chieftain, our Beast Taming Tribe has over a thousand people. We are skilled in raising horses and Beast Taming. If you join the Fire Tribe..."

Yan interrupted him with a smile, "Chief Muye, our Fire Tribe is currently in dire need of people who know how to raise horses. Your arrival will be perfect in assisting us with horse management."

A smile appeared on Muye's face, and Wu Xiong, the leader of the Hundred Crafts Tribe, also spoke up.

"Young chieftain, our Hundred Crafts Tribe has a population of nearly two thousand, and our people possess some skills..."

Yan said, "Chief Wu Xiong, our Fire Tribe now has pottery workshops, textile workshops, and shipbuilding workshops. Your people can learn these skills when they come. Those who wish to continue in their old trades are also welcome to do so. The Fire Tribe does not force anyone to change their habits."

Wu Xiong nodded repeatedly, and finally, Jia Li spoke.

"Yan'er," his voice held a touch of emotion, "Our Pottery Salt Tribe has a population of over 1,500, and our greatest skill is trade."

He looked at Yan, his eyes filled with expectation. "We joined the Fire Tribe, hoping that some of us could continue to engage in trade-related activities."

Yan nodded earnestly. "Uncle Jia Li, don't worry, we'll take care of it."

A relieved smile appeared on Jia Li's face. Yan looked at the four leaders and slowly spoke.

"Chiefs, since you are all willing to join the Fire Tribe, I will explain the current situation of the Fire Tribe to you."

He stood up and walked to the center of the council chamber.

"Our Fire Tribe currently has a population of about 54,000. We are skilled in pottery making, shipbuilding, and salt production."

He waved his hand, and several trusted men immediately brought in several baskets of coarse salt. When they lifted the burlap covering them, the coarse salt glittered in the sunlight, and the leaders all stared wide-eyed.

Although they had suspected it, they were still shocked to see the coarse salt with their own eyes. Coarse salt! This was something even more precious than pottery! The Fire Tribe could actually make their own salt!

Cangbo murmured, "No wonder... no wonder the Pottery Salt Tribe has been able to produce so much salt-cured meat these past few years..."

Muye understood. "So it was provided by the Fire Tribe..."

Wu Xiong stared at the coarse salt, his eyes burning with fervor. "With this, it'll be hard for the Fire Tribe not to become powerful..."

After Yan and the others had processed the information, they continued.

"Our Fire Tribe will transport 8 million catties of grain back from the Valley Tribe this year, and next year that number will increase to 20 million catties. Our own grain production this year will exceed 10 million catties, and next year's production is expected to surpass 20 million catties."

He looked around at everyone and said, word by word, "Therefore, if you join the Fire Tribe, as long as you are willing to work and follow the rules, you will not go hungry. The Fire Tribe has enormous development potential and will only become stronger in the future."

The four leaders were thrilled. Eight million catties! Ten million catties! Twenty million catties! These were numbers they had never dared to dream of before.

"As for the resettlement issue," Yan continued, "After you join the Fire Tribe in the autumn, you will first go to our main valley, where you will be organized into mixed family units. Then you will learn the rules and techniques of the Fire Tribe for a period of time. Once you are familiar with them, you will be dispersed to various strongholds and workshops."

He looked at everyone and said, "This arrangement is to help you integrate into the Fire Tribe more quickly. Does everyone agree?"

The four leaders exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

"Yes, yes!"

"Of course, of course!"

"This arrangement is excellent!"

Yan smiled and said, "Alright, it's settled then. We'll send a fleet to pick you up when we return from the Valley Tribe."

He added, "In the meantime, you can pack your things—food, tools, belongings—bring everything you can. You'll need these things when you get to the Fire Tribe."

"Alright!" the four leaders responded in unison.

After the discussion, Yan and Dali chatted with several leaders for a while, learning in detail about the situation of each tribe. As dusk approached, Yan got up to take his leave.

"Chiefs, we still have a long way to go. We'll come back to fetch you after we return from the Valley Tribe."

The next morning, Jia Li, along with several leaders, saw them off at Pottery Salt Mouth.

Watching the massive fleet gradually disappear into the distance, Cangbo sighed, "The Fire Tribe is truly too powerful."

Muye nodded. "Yes, more than 50,000 people, and they can make pottery, build ships, and produce salt... If we join them, life will definitely be better in the future."

Wu Xiong said, "The key is that they are also benevolent and righteous. Look at that Young Master Yan, how honest he is in his words and deeds."

Jia Li watched the departing fleet, his eyes gleaming.

"So," he said, "Our choice this time was right."

The four leaders stood at Pottery Salt Mouth for a long time without leaving. In the distance, Yan and Dali stood at the Chuantou, also looking back.

"Yan," Dali said, "This negotiation went quite smoothly."

Yan nodded. "Yes, these leaders are all sensible people. They are very disappointed with the Fish Tribe and know that only by following our Fire Tribe can they live a good life."

He paused, gazing at the gradually blurring Pottery Salt Tribe, and said softly, "Once they join, our Fire Tribe will have 60,000 people."

Dali grinned Dali: "Sixty thousand people! Just thinking about it is exciting!"