The Journey Home and Reunion

After leaving the Fish Tribe, Yan rode at full speed towards the Fire Tribe's stronghold at the Stone Creek River Mouth Outpost. As he rode, Yan silently pondered that the deal with the Fish Tribe had finally been reached. Canglan was a sensible man who knew when to make a decision. The conservatives in the Fish Tribe had suffered heavy losses this time, and having witnessed the true strength of the Fire Tribe, they no longer dared to oppose the Fish Tribe joining the Fire Tribe.

Everything is going smoothly now. Next, we need to settle these four tribes. The four tribes have nearly 6,000 people, plus the more than 8,000 laborers captured earlier, making a total of more than 14,000 people. So many people... there are countless things to do, but everything must be arranged properly.

Fortunately, Dazhuang and Dali were at the Fire Tribe at the Stone Creek River Mouth Outpost. As he thought about it, he could already see the Stone Creek River Mouth Outpost ahead. In the distance, he could see the bustling scene. There were many more wooden houses at the stronghold than when he last passed by, and they were arranged neatly. The dock was full of boats, and many Fire Tribe people were loading and unloading goods. Further away, there was a cultivated field. Although nothing had been planted yet, it had already been leveled.

What was most striking was the dense crowd outside the stronghold, at least tens of thousands of people, packed together in a dense mass. Some of them were prisoners—more than eight thousand laborers from the Wolf Tribe's affiliated tribes, squatting on the ground dejectedly, surrounded by the Fire Tribe warriors with knives on guard.

The other group consisted of migrants—the people of the four tribes of Pottery and Salt, Beast Taming, Shuize, and Hundred Crafts. They brought their families, herded cattle and sheep, and pushed wooden carts. They were resting outside the stronghold. The noise of people and the bleating of cattle and sheep created a chaotic yet orderly scene. Yan reined in his horse and slowed down. At the entrance of the stronghold camp, Dali and Dazhuang, who had already received the news, were standing there. When they saw Yan coming, the two of them quickly went to greet him.

"Yan!" Dali strode over. "How's it going with the Fish Tribe?"

Yan dismounted and said with a smile, "It went very smoothly. Chief Canglan of the Fish Tribe readily agreed to join the Fire Tribe, but I didn't make them migrate now. I told them to wait until next spring."

Dali nodded. "We just took over four tribes, and there are too many people coming in at once; we can't accommodate them all."

Dazhuang also came over and asked, "Is there any trouble at the Fish Tribe?"

Yan shook his head. "No, their conservatives were severely weakened this time, and seeing how powerful our Fire Tribe was, easily wiping out the Wolf Tribe, they've all become obedient."

He paused, then looked at the crowd outside the stronghold.

"What about over here? How's the situation?"

Dazhuang said, "It's alright, but there are too many people, so it's a bit chaotic. However, things have been arranged. We'll let the people from the four tribes rest here for a while before heading back to headquarters."

Dali added, "Our elder brother sent Binmao with a fleet of ships to transport food and supplies, and told us to leave some troops here, as well as the laborers, to cultivate and build up the stronghold at the Stone Creek River Mouth Outpost."

Yan's eyes lit up.

"Father and the others have thought this through very well. The Stone Creek River Mouth Outpost is the midpoint between the Fish Tribe and the main tribe, and it definitely needs to be developed Dali. Keeping these laborers here allows them to build the outpost without getting in touch with the main tribe's secrets, killing two birds with one stone."

Dazhuang nodded. "Yes, that's what I think too."

The three talked as they walked into the stronghold, which was bustling with activity. The warriors of the Fire Tribe were distributing food and arranging lodging, and several Xiaotou were running around, their voices hoarse from shouting. Yan watched all this and thought to himself, "More than eight thousand laborers gathered here like this. What would have become of these people if it weren't for the Fire Tribe?"

Now they have a way to survive. Although they have to do three years of hard labor, at least they can live. After three years, those who perform well will be pardoned and become true members of the Fire Tribe. It's worth it.

"Oh, right," Yan suddenly remembered something, "Did Father say anything about how to settle these people?"

Dazhuang said, "Big Brother's idea is to settle them at the Stone Creek River Mouth first, and then disperse them to various strongholds as needed once this area is sufficiently developed."

Yan nodded. "That's good. Dispersing them will reduce the chances of trouble."

The three entered the largest wooden house in the stronghold, where food had already been laid out—roasted meat, stewed fish, wild vegetable soup, and rice, all steaming hot.

"Come on, have something to eat first!" Dali urged, "You must be hungry after running all this way."

Yan was indeed hungry, so he didn't stand on ceremony and sat down to eat. The three of them ate and chatted, finalizing the arrangements for the next step.

Dazhuang led a thousand infantrymen and two hundred cavalrymen to stay at the Stone Creek River Mouth to guard the laborers and develop the stronghold. Dali led the Dali- bodied men from the four tribes to walk back to their homeland first. Since there were many of them, they walked slowly and it would take several days. Yan led the fleet of boats to transport the elderly, women, children, and supplies from the four tribes upstream along the Fish River back to their homeland. Yan's journey by water was faster.

With the matter settled, the three of them split up and set off early the next morning. The fleet was full of the elderly, women, children, and supplies, and sailed upstream along the Fish River. Inside the cabins, children played and the elderly chatted. Although it was crowded, everyone had a smile on their face.

Yan stood at the Chuantou, looking at the scenery on both banks. A few days later, the Fire Tribe's main valley was in sight. In the distance, he saw a dark mass of people on the dock, at least several hundred, waiting there. The one at the very front was burly and had a Chenwen demeanor. It was Jianshi. A warm feeling welled up in Yan's heart. He quickly stepped off the ship and strode forward to meet him.

"Father!"

Jianshi looked at him, a relieved smile on his face.

"Yan'er, you're back?"

Yan nodded, walked up to him, and Jianshi looked him up and down, his eyes full of affection.

"You've lost a bit of weight, but you're in great spirits." He patted Yan on the shoulder. "You did a great job this time! Not only did you wipe out the Wolf Tribe, but you also got the Fish Tribe to join our Fire Tribe. A great achievement!"

Yan quickly said, "Father, you flatter me. This is all thanks to everyone, and..." He paused, then said somewhat apologetically, "Xueya ran away with about a hundred men, and I was just about to apologize to you, Father."

Jianshi shook his head and comforted him, "That bastard Xueya is ruthless and cunning. We didn't expect him to be willing to sacrifice more than ten years of hard work. It's already quite good that we were able to destroy his lair. Let him go. He can't cause any more trouble."

Dabang, standing behind Jianshi, nodded repeatedly. "That's right! Even if Xueya escapes, he can't cause any trouble. What can his hundred or so men do?"

Jijiao chimed in, "Exactly! Our Fire Tribe has over 60,000 people now, why would we be afraid of his hundred cripples?"

Yan felt a warmth in his heart as he listened to these comforting words.

"Thank you, Father. Thank you, Uncles and Elders."

Jianshi smiled and looked at the crowd disembarking.

"These are all elderly, weak, women, and children from four tribes?"

Yan nodded. "Yes, Qingzhuang is walking back with Dali, they'll be a little late."

Jianshi nodded and said to the people around him, "Go and make arrangements so that these people can find accommodations for now."

"Yes!"

The Fire Tribe members immediately sprang into action, guiding the elderly, women, and children towards the camp. The children looked around with curiosity, while the elderly were filled with gratitude. This unfamiliar land would be their new home.

Jianshi Shi chatted with Yan for a few more minutes before saying, "You must be tired these past few days. Go back and get something to eat and rest. Once Dali returns with his men, we'll have a meeting to discuss the next steps."

Yan nodded. "Okay."

He bid farewell to his father and headed towards his dwelling. Along the way, the familiar scenery brought him a sense of peace: the neat wooden houses, the busy villagers, the playing children...

This was home. He took a deep breath, quickened his pace, and returned to his lodgings. After a quick wash and a change of clothes, he headed towards the Youth Team's camp. He hadn't seen Gubang and the others in a long time and wondered how those kids were doing.

The Youth Team camp was the same as always. On the spacious training ground, the boys were training. Some were running, and some were practicing martial arts. The shouts and commands mingled together. Yan stood not far from the camp, watching all this with a smile on his face.

"Boss!"

A surprised voice rang out. Yan turned around and saw Gubang running out of the camp, followed by Daya and Zhuangchai. All three of them had grown taller and stronger, especially Gubang, whose face had lost its boyish innocence and gained some of the heroic spirit of a young man.

"Boss!" Gubang ran up to him, his face beaming with excitement. "You're back! I heard you wiped out the Wolf Tribe?"

Yan smiled and nodded, "Yes, destroyed."

"Great!" Daya slapped his thigh. "That damn Wolf Tribe is finally finished!"

Zhuangchai was so excited his face turned red. "Brothers, you guys are amazing!"

Yan looked at them, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

"Come on, let's go inside and talk."

The four men entered the camp and sat down on wooden stumps by the training ground.

Gubang asked impatiently, "Boss, tell me quickly, how did you guys fight?"

Yan didn't hide anything and recounted his experiences over the past few days, from the Fish Tribe's plea for help, to Da Zhuang's arrival with the Dazhuang, to the three consecutive victories in the dueling battle, to the large-scale attack on the Wolf Tribe's temporary camp, the pursuit of Xueya and his men, and finally the destruction of the Wolf Tribe's stronghold...

The three men with Gubang were dumbfounded.

"Xueya ran away?" Daya's eyes widened.

Yan nodded. "Yes, they took about a hundred men and ran north."

"Then why don't we chase after them?" Zhuangchai asked anxiously.

Yan said, "I've already sent Yingmu with two hundred cavalry to pursue them to the north."

Gubang sighed, "What a pity. If we could catch Xueya, it would be perfect."

Yan smiled and said, "It's alright. Xueya and his gang can't cause any trouble. The north is the territory of the Horse Tribe, and Xueya won't have an easy time there either!"

The three nodded in agreement, and after chatting for a while, Yan asked about the Youth Team.

Gubang immediately perked up and began to give a long, detailed report.

"Boss, our Youth Team now has over five thousand members..."

Yan listened and nodded repeatedly, his eyes full of admiration.

"Okay, do a good job."

Gubang scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.

"Boss, when can we go to the battlefield?"

Yan smiled.

"What's the rush? Hone your skills first, then you'll have plenty of options later."

The three exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Yes!"

As the sun set, it bathed the training ground in a golden-red hue. Yan stood up and dusted himself off.

"Alright, I'm leaving. You guys train hard."

The three men with the Gubang stood up and watched him leave.