Picking People Up and a New Discovery

Six days after Yan's fleet departed from the Fish Tribe's dock, at noon, the sun shone brightly. The dock in the Fire Tribe's main valley was packed with people. Jianshi stood at the front, followed by Qingye, Dali, Dabang, Jijiao, and other high-ranking members. Behind them were countless members of the Fire Tribe, a dense, dark mass. All eyes were fixed on the surface of the Fire Creek River, where a massive fleet was slowly sailing towards the Fire Tribe's main dock.

Fifty large boats weighing ten thousand catties each, two hundred large boats weighing five thousand catties each, and two hundred large dugout Muzhou weighing two thousand catties each were lined up in a dense formation, like a giant dragon swimming on the river. On the largest boat at the very front stood two people, one was Yan, and the other was Canglan.

"They're here! They're here!" someone cheered from the crowd.

A smile appeared on Jianshi's face as he strode forward to greet them. The fleet slowly approached the shore, and Yan jumped off the ship and strode over.

"Father!"

Jianshi went up to him and patted him hard on the shoulder.

"Good lad! He brought back over four thousand more!"

Yan smiled and said, "Everything went smoothly when we went to the Fish Tribe to pick them up."

Jianshi looked behind him and saw that Canglan had also disembarked and was walking towards them. Jianshi quickly went to meet him and took Canglan's hand.

"Welcome, leaders of Canglan!"

Canglan quickly returned the greeting, a humble smile on his face.

"Chief Jianshi, you're too kind. It's an honor for us to join the Fire Tribe, and we hope to contribute our strength to the development of the tribe in the future."

Jianshi laughed heartily and pulled him inside.

"Well said! With your addition, the Fire Tribe will definitely get better and better!"

As he walked, he said, "You must be tired from your journey. I've prepared hot food in the council chamber. Please have something to eat first!"

Canglan nodded and followed Jianshi and the others into the Fire Tribe camp. Yan followed behind. Along the way, Canglan looked around. This was his third time visiting the Fire Tribe headquarters.

The first time was when I accompanied Jianshi and Yan on their first trade trip to the Valley Tribe. At that time, the Fire Tribe had already developed quite well, but it wasn't as large as it is now.

The second time was last autumn when the leaders and key members of the Fish Tribe came. By then, the Fire Tribe had changed drastically.

This third visit has left him even more awestruck.

The more than 20,000 mu of paddy fields, although it is not yet the planting season, the neat field ridges and crisscrossing ditches are clearly the result of careful planning. The hundreds of thousands of mu of vegetable fields stretch as far as the eye can see. On the distant hillsides, herds of cattle and sheep graze. Everything in the Fire Tribe is so orderly and so full of life.

Canglan was filled with emotion. He realized that he had made the right choice in leading the Fish Tribe to join the Fire Tribe. Soon, everyone arrived at the council hall, took their seats, and steaming hot food was served.

There was golden-roasted mutton, tender stewed pork, fresh fish soup, steaming rice... The table was full of food. Everyone ate and chatted, and the atmosphere became more and more lively. Canglan was no longer reserved. He ate meat and drank wine with gusto, chatting enthusiastically with Jianshi, Dali and others.

After everyone had eaten their fill, Jianshi had someone take Canglan to rest. The more than four thousand members of the Fish Tribe were naturally taken care of. As everyone gradually dispersed, Jianshi called Yan back.

"Yan, you stay here for a moment."

Yan stopped and walked back. In the council hall, only the father and son remained. Jianshi looked at him with heartache in his eyes. These days, his son hadn't rested well. He had been training new recruits, picking up and dropping off people, and running back and forth almost non-stop. But thinking of all the things that needed to be done in the tribe, he could only suppress his heartache.

"Yan," he said, "You've worked hard these past few days, but there's still a lot to do in the tribe, and you'll need to share the burden."

Yan nodded. "Father, please speak."

Jianshi said, "Now that the Fire Tribe's population is growing, we need to stockpile more food. The pottery for this trip to the Valley Tribe Fire Tribe trade for food is ready. You will lead the Fire Tribe's fleet to the Valley Tribe to transport the food first thing tomorrow morning."

Yan paused for a moment. "Tomorrow?"

Jianshi nodded. "Yes, tomorrow. This is the first time we're going to the Valley Tribe to transport grain this year, so we must take it seriously."

He paused, then continued, "Recently, our Fire Tribe successfully tested thirty boats with a carrying capacity of 10,000 jin each. Take them with you when you go to the Valley Tribe this time."

Yan's eyes lit up. "Great! This will greatly increase the Fire Tribe's transportation capacity."

Jianshi said, "This time I'll have Chief Jia Li accompany you. He's very experienced in trade, and he can assist you in transporting grain to the Valley Tribe."

Yan nodded. "Okay."

Jianshi added, "When you go to the Valley Tribe, if you have the chance, learn more about the situation downstream of the Fish River, and also about the matter between the remnants of Xueya's army who fled to the Little Valley Camp and the Horse Tribe's forces. See if you can get Chief Daiyue to take this seriously, so that Xueya and his ilk don't affect the grain trade between our two tribes."

He paused, then said seriously, "Of course, you shouldn't force it, and you shouldn't interfere in the internal affairs of their Valley Tribe, so as not to cause misunderstandings between our two tribes."

Yan nodded. "Understood."

The two chatted for a while longer before Yan got up to leave. As he walked out of the council hall, he took a deep breath; tomorrow, he would be setting off again.

The next morning, before dawn, the dock was already bustling with activity. Eighty boats with a carrying capacity of 10,000 catties, two hundred boats with a carrying capacity of 5,000 catties, and two hundred large Muzhou with a carrying capacity of 2,000 catties—a total of four hundred and eighty boats—were neatly moored on the surface of the Fire Creek River.

The ships were loaded with pottery, linen, and other supplies—all of which were to be exchanged for food. Yan stood at the Chuantou of the largest ship, which had a carrying capacity of 10,000 jin, watching all the activity. Jia Li stood beside him, also full of excitement. This was the first time he, as the leader of the Fire Tribe, was going to the Valley Tribe to make such a large transaction.

"Young Master Yan," he said, "You brought so much pottery this time, you should be able to exchange it for a lot of grain, right?"

Yan smiled and said, "Yes, we have reserved 20 million catties of grain with the Valley Tribe this year."

Jia Li gasped in shock. Twenty million catties of grain! He had worked in the Pottery Salt Tribe his whole life and had never seen so much grain.

"Let's go!" Yan gave the order.

As the horn sounded, 480 boats slowly started and sailed downstream along the Fire Creek River. On the bank, Jianshi, Qingye, Dali, and others stood there, watching the fleet depart. The fleet sailed on the Fire Creek River for a while, passing the Fire Creek River Middle Outpost. Yan stood at the Chuantou, looking at the scenery on both banks. This stronghold was much larger in scale, with more wooden houses, more fields, and more people.

"These outposts are developing really fast," Jia Li remarked.

Yan nodded. "Yes, it will develop even faster in the future."

The fleet sailed for some time longer before arriving at the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost. This outpost was larger, with boats moored at the makeshift dock, where people were loading and unloading cargo and mending fishing nets—a scene of bustling activity.

The fleet passed through the Fire Creek Mouth and merged into the wide Fish River, continuing downstream. After passing the Little Gathering River Mouth Outpost, Yan looked at the tributary leading to the Little Gathering Valley and recalled the scene of cultivating the land here. At that time, the Fire Tribe had far fewer people than it does now. Now, the Fire Tribe has a population of nearly 100,000.

"Young Chief Yan," Feiyu walked over and pointed ahead, "If we walk for another half a day, we'll reach the place our Fish Tribe used to frequent."

Yan nodded, then suddenly remembered something.

"Feiyu, Bailin, are you familiar with the west bank of the Fish River?"

Feiyu and Bailin exchanged a glance.

Bailin said, "It looks familiar; we've been there before."

Yan pointed towards the west bank. "What river is on the west bank of the Fish River? What tribes are there?"

Feiyu thought for a moment and said, "There's a river on the west bank of the Fish River called Orange River. It's not far from here; it'll be half a day's walk from here."

"Orange River?" Yan murmured the name.

Feiyu nodded. "Yes, the Orange River. It's named that because there are many orange trees along its banks. Our Fish Tribe used to occasionally send ships there to trade, but there weren't many tribes there, and we earned very little, so we stopped going as often as before."

Yan asked, "How many people are there over there?"

Feiyu said, "There are about six thousand people, divided into dozens of small tribes, and they live a fairly ordinary life."

Bailin's eyes lit up, and he continued, "Young Master Yan, you mean to..."

Yan nodded without saying a word.

Bailin immediately became excited. "The tribes along the Orange River will definitely want to join the Fire Tribe! They've had a hard time and have been hoping for a powerful tribe to take them in!"

Yan's heart stirred. Six thousand people—if the Fire Tribe could be absorbed, the Fire Tribe's population would increase to another level.

"What's the situation a little downstream on the west bank of the Fish River?" Yan asked.

Bailin thought for a moment and said, "Two days downstream from the west bank of the Fish River Fish River, there is another river on the west bank called the Red Flower River. The population on both sides of this Fish River is slightly larger, around nine thousand people. I know many of the tribal leaders; I've dealt with them before."

He paused, then added, "Life over there is so-so. If the Fire Tribe is willing to take them in, they'll definitely be willing to join."

Yan's eyes lit up. Six thousand people plus nine thousand people equals fifteen thousand people. Adding that to the existing eighty thousand or so people, that's about one hundred thousand.

"Okay!" he said. "After we return from the Valley Tribe, we'll first make a trip to these two river basins, do some business with those tribes, get to know them, and then gradually absorb their influence."

Feiyu and Bailin nodded repeatedly, their faces full of excitement.

"Young Chief Yan, if we succeed in this, we'll have rendered a great service to the Fire Tribe!"

Yan laughed, "Don't worry, I'll recommend you to the leader for credit."

The two were so excited that their faces turned red, and they thanked him repeatedly. Jia Li was listening from the side, couldn't help but sigh. The development speed of the Fire Tribe was really too fast. In just a few years, it was about to break 100,000. The fleet continued to sail downstream. The scenery on both sides of the river kept changing. Sometimes it was dense forest, sometimes it was open grassland, and sometimes it was steep cliff.