A Conversation on the River

A thin mist floated on the river in the early morning. The joint fleet of the Fire Tribe and the Fish Tribe had been sailing away from the Fish Tribe's dock for three days. Yan stood at the Chuantou, watching the scenery on both banks recede into the distance. The weather had been good for the past three days, with favorable winds and currents, and the fleet had been moving very fast.

"Yan," Dali walked over, holding several grilled fish in his hand, "Have something to eat, Feiyu and the others brought over more fish."

Yan took the grilled fish, took a bite, and found the fish to be tender and perfectly grilled, clearly freshly caught from the river.

"Where are they?" Yan asked.

Dali gestured with his chin towards the back. "They're on the boat behind, they'll be here in a bit."

Sure enough, not long after, two small boats approached, and Feiyu and Bailin climbed aboard, carrying several lively fish in their hands.

"Young Master Yan!" Feiyu walked over with a big smile. "We caught a few more big ones. We'll roast them for lunch!"

Yan smiled and gestured for them to sit down, "Come, come, I happen to have some food here, let's eat and chat."

Several people sat down around the bow of the Chuantou. Daya took out some grilled fish and fruit, and poured a few bowls of water. Feiyu handed the fish he brought to the Fire Tribe people to clean up, then sat down and picked up a grilled fish to eat.

"Feiyu Leader," Yan asked between bites, "Your Fish Tribe has been roaming this river for many years, hasn't it?"

Feiyu nodded. "I grew up on the river. My father was a boatman in the Fish Tribe, and I started working for him when I was twelve."

Bailin chimed in, "I started a few years later than him, but I've been running this river for over a decade. We know this river inside and out, from upstream to downstream, exactly where the water is deep, where it's shallow, where there are hidden reefs, and where we can reach the shore."

Yan's heart stirred; this was exactly the kind of talent the Fire Tribe needed.

"Where have you traveled the farthest?" he asked.

Feiyu thought for a moment, "The furthest we can go is the Valley Tribe; we dare not go any further than that."

"Why?"

Feiyu lowered his voice. "The Valley Tribe has set up a blockade between their Valley Tribe and the Little Valley Camp on the opposite bank. They have stipulated that tribes in the upper and middle reaches of the Fish River are not allowed to cross this blockade."

Yan frowned. "A blockade? Why would they set this up?"

Feiyu shook his head. "The specific reason is unclear, but I heard that there are more powerful tribes downstream, and the Valley Tribe doesn't want those tribes to have contact with us."

Yan nodded thoughtfully. He remembered that Daiyue had mentioned the Tiger Tribe. Could the blockade of the Valley Tribe be related to the Tiger Tribe? No wonder he had to report to the Little Valley Camp Valley Tribe the river from the Valley Tribe headquarters every time he went to the Valley Tribe headquarters!

Bailin continued, "Our Fish Tribe's activity area is basically in the middle and upper reaches of the Fish River above the Valley Tribe's blockade line. The section of the river between the Valley Tribe and the Fish Tribe is wide and has a slow current, with many tribes on both banks, enough for us to run around in."

Yan asked, "So, which tribes do you trade with?"

Feiyu perked up and started counting on his fingers. "Mainly two— the Horse Tribe on the east bank of the Fish River, and the Clothing Tribe on the west Fish River."

"You know the Horse Tribe," he said. "They raise horses and have many fine pelts. We trade pottery and coarse salt for their horses and pelts, then transport them to the west bank to exchange for clothing with the Clothing Tribe."

"The Clothing Tribe?" Yan heard this name for the first time.

"Yes, the Clothing Tribe," said Feiyu. "They live on the west bank of the Fish River. They have a large population and are skilled at weaving and making clothes. They trade their clothing for our furs, and then use the finished fur garments to trade for other things with the Valley Tribe further west."

Yan silently noted down this information; the Fish Tribe's trade network was far more extensive than he had imagined.

"What about the upper reaches of the Fish River?" he asked. "Aren't you going to visit the tribes along its tributaries?"

Feiyu waved his hand. "I don't go often, only once every year or two, to sell some coarse salt. Those tribes are small and poor, they don't have anything good to offer, just some furs and medicinal herbs. It takes a lot of time to go there, it's not worth it."

Bailin added, "We don't go anymore. Ever since the Fire Tribe started expanding upstream, those tributary tribes have either joined you or stopped buying anything from you. There's no business for us to do there."

Yan nodded, quickly calculating in his mind. The Fish Tribe was very familiar with this section of the Fish River. They knew the location of every tribe, the depth of every section of the river, and every place where they could get ashore. More importantly, they had connections with all the tribes in this area and had decades of friendships. This network of relationships was invaluable.

If the Fish Tribe joins the Fire Tribe, it will be much easier for the Fire Tribe to develop its influence, absorb population, and conduct trade in this area. Yan's gaze toward Feiyu and Bailin became even more enthusiastic.

"Come on, have some more." He pushed the food in front of him towards them. "Feiyu Leader, Bailin Leader, don't be shy, eat more."

Feiyu and Bailin didn't stand on ceremony either, picking up the grilled fish and starting to gnaw on it.

Dali watched from the side, secretly amused. He knew Yan was trying to win people over, but Feiyu and Bailin were clearly falling for it. The group ate and chatted, and the atmosphere became increasingly lively. Suddenly, Feiyu remembered something.

"By the way, Young Master Yan," he lowered his voice, "I heard that the Horse Tribe wants to join forces with you and the Fish Tribe to attack the Wolf Tribe before this winter?"

Yan's heart skipped a beat. "Who told you that?"

"The Horse Tribe sent a messenger to our Fish Tribe with a message," said Feiyu. "Our chief mentioned this to us."

Yan nodded. "That's true. The Horse Tribe suffered a loss at the hands of the Wolf Tribe last time, losing more than a hundred people, and they've been looking for an opportunity to retaliate."

Bailin continued, "The Horse Tribe said that the Wolf Tribe has taken many elderly, weak, women, and children hostage and settled them near the foot of High Pointed Mountain. These people help the Wolf Tribe transport food, guard prisoners, produce food, and make tools. They are the Wolf Tribe's henchmen. To fight the Wolf Tribe, we must first take down these people."

Yan asked, "What does your Fish Tribe think?"

Feiyu and Bailin exchanged a glance.

Feiyu said, "Our leader is in favor, but the leaders like Xieqian and Langhua, as well as a few elders, disagree. They say that the Wolf Tribe is quite strong now, and if we go to fight them and fail, we might invite retaliation."

Bailin added, "Furthermore, the tribes haven't agreed on what to do with the elderly, women, and children. The Horse Tribe wants them all as slaves, our Fish Tribe wants to sell them directly, and your Fire Tribe says they'll be forced into hard labor for three years..."

Yan laughed, "I know that. Our Fire Tribe's idea is to make them do hard labor for three years first. Those who perform well can be pardoned, and those who are stubborn will be dealt with according to the situation. This way, we punish them and give them a chance to reform, which is more reasonable than making them all slaves or selling them all."

Feiyu nodded. "Our leader also thinks this plan is good, but the elders..."

He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was clear. Yan understood that there were significant disagreements within the Fish Tribe. The fleet continued sailing, and two more days passed. The scenery on both sides of the river gradually opened up. In the distance, one could see rolling hills and grasslands, and occasionally, herds of cattle and sheep could be seen grazing on the banks.

"We're almost there." Feiyu pointed ahead. "If we go another half a day, we'll reach the territory of the Horse Tribe. You landed here the last few times you came to trade horses, right?"

Yan nodded. "Yes, if we go ashore here, it'll be a day or two's walk to the Horse Tribe camp."

He stood at the Chuantou, looking at the scenery on both banks. The grasslands here were vast, with herds of cattle and sheep grazing leisurely on the grass, and occasionally a few herdsmen on horseback would fly by in the distance.

"How is the Horse Tribe doing lately?" Yan asked.

Feiyu said, "I heard they've strengthened their defenses. After being ambushed by the Wolf Tribe last time, they suffered a great loss and are much more vigilant now. They've set up checkpoints along the edge of their territory, and will immediately sound the alarm if they spot the Wolf Tribe heading north."

Bailin added, "They've also strengthened their joint defense with the affiliated tribes. Those core tribes now have dedicated liaisons who will relay messages at the slightest sign of trouble."

Yan nodded. After suffering a loss, the Horse Tribe finally took the Wolf Tribe seriously. That was good. With them keeping an eye on things in the north, it wouldn't be so easy for the Wolf Tribe to raid northward again. The fleet sailed for half a day in the section of the river within the Horse Tribe's territory without docking, and continued to sail downstream. Yan stood at the Chuantou, watching the grassland gradually recede into the distance, thinking silently to himself.

The Horse Tribe, Fish Tribe, and Fire Tribe, united, should be enough to deal with the Wolf Tribe. However, the problem is that the Fish Tribe is still debating internally, and although the Horse Tribe has strengthened its defenses, it is still far away. The one that will truly confront the Wolf Tribe head-on is the Fire Tribe itself.

"We need to speed things up," Yan thought to himself. "We need to get the grain back as soon as possible so we can go back and prepare. Even if we have to fight, it will be after the autumn harvest, when we'll have more manpower."

He turned to Dali and said, "Pass down the order: speed up and try to get to the Valley Tribe as soon as possible."

"Yes!"

The fleet's speed noticeably increased.