Discussion

As the small boat of the Valley Tribe's leader, Fengren, gradually disappeared into the distance on the river, the people on the Fire Tribe Fire Tribe's headquarters valley dock slowly dispersed. In the Fire Tribe's headquarters council hall, everyone took their seats again. The firewood in the hearth was burning brightly, the charcoal crackled, and sparks flew. Sunlight slanted in from outside, casting a golden patch of light on the floor of the Fire Tribe's council hall.

Jianshi sat in the main seat, with Qingye on his left and Yan on his right. Below them sat Dali, Jianya Dabang, Jijiao, Jia Li, Feiyu, Bailin, and others.

Those who returned all wore excited smiles; the sight of that massive ship with a carrying capacity of 20,000 jin was truly awe-inspiring.

"I never expected our tribe to build a ship with a carrying capacity of 20,000 jin so quickly," Yan said first, his tone full of emotion. "I originally thought it would take another month or two."

Dali laughed heartily and slapped his thigh.

"Yes! This time I really had a blast!" He was beaming with excitement, his eyes practically sparkling. "It's so different riding in our own big ship! It feels so much more comfortable than the big ship from the Valley Tribe!"

Jianya laughed from the side and said, "Not only are you shocked, but the Fengren chieftain of the Valley Tribe is even more shocked. Didn't you see his expression when he just got off the ship? He was completely dumbfounded."

The crowd burst into laughter, Dabang stood up and walked to the center of the council chamber.

"Everyone," his voice boomed, "Our Fire Tribe can now build ships with a carrying capacity of 20,000 jin. I've asked the shipbuilding workshop, and our annual production target for this year—150 ships with a carrying capacity of 10,000 jin each and 50 ships with a carrying capacity of 20,000 jin each—is absolutely no problem."

He paused, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes.

"Moreover, the shipyard is already researching and building ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin (25,000 kg), and they are very confident that they can build one by the end of the year!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a deafening cheer erupted in the council chamber.

"A ship with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin!"

"It can be manufactured by the end of the year?"

That's great!

Dali was so excited that his face turned red, and he suddenly stood up.

"Every time I went to the Valley Tribe to transport grain, I was so envious of their huge ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin!" He waved his fist. "Every time I thought, how wonderful it would be if our Fire Tribe could build its own big ships! I never imagined it would happen so soon!"

Jia Li couldn't help but speak up as well.

"When we went to the Valley Tribe to transport grain, Daiyan from the Little Valley Camp even came to provoke our Fire Tribe with their 50,000-jin (25,000 kg) carrying boat!" he said, his tone tinged with anger. "He also secretly warned our Fire Tribe not to cross the Fish River warning and blockade line set up by their Valley Tribe!"

Feiyu nodded. "Yes! The Valley Tribe's ship is indeed huge, much bigger than ours, but Daiyan's attitude is really unpleasant."

Bailin chimed in, "Exactly! Just because they have a big ship doesn't mean they can act so arrogantly!"

As Yan listened to their words, a surge of pride welled up in his heart. Once the Fire Tribe also built a ship with a carrying capacity of 50,000 catties, let's see who dares to underestimate them. Jianshi, signaling everyone to be quiet.

"Once we actually build a ship with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin by the end of the year, the Valley Tribe won't be in this situation anymore," he said, his tone calm but full of strength. "When Chief Fengren of the Valley Tribe Valley Tribe, he will also tell them that our Fire Tribe has built a ship with a carrying capacity of 20,000 jin."

He paused, looked at everyone, his gaze gentle yet firm.

"Of course, we are building more large ships mainly to facilitate our own grain transportation, and it's not aimed at anyone in particular."

Yan nodded and took over the conversation.

"Father is right. Our Fire Tribe's water strength is indeed not commensurate with our tribe's population."

He looked at everyone, his tone becoming serious.

"Our goal for the next few years is to emulate the Tiger Tribe. In the future, our Fire Tribe will not only build ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin, but also ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin and even 200,000 jin!"

He slapped his thigh Dali and shouted "Good!"

"Well said!"

The others cheered, and the atmosphere in the Fire Tribe's council hall was lively. After everyone's excitement subsided, Jianshi spoke again, "Yan, how did your grain transport to the Valley Tribe go? Tell everyone about it."

Yan stood up and walked to the center of the council hall.

"Father, esteemed leaders," he cleared his throat and began his report.

"This time we transported 2.5 million catties of grain back from the Valley Tribe. The journey went smoothly without any problems."

He paused, then continued, "I also reached a deal with the Daiyue chieftain for 20 million catties of grain next year. They said the soil fertility of the Valley Tribe will decline next year, and they can only produce 15 million catties of grain. There will still be a shortfall of 5 million catties of grain, which will need to be purchased from some tribes downstream of the Fish River."

He looked at Jianshi: "They said the costs would increase by then, and the price they would charge our Fire Tribe would be 20% higher. I agreed on the spot. To put their minds at ease, I also promised to prepay them a deposit of eight million catties of grain by the end of this year."

Jianshi nodded after listening.

"As long as we can buy a large quantity of grain from the Valley Tribe, a higher price is fine," he said. "Paying a larger deposit in advance is something we discussed beforehand; you did a good job this time."

He looked at the crowd, his eyes shining.

"If we can consistently purchase 20 million catties of grain from the Valley Tribe every year for the next two years, our Fire Tribe will be able to absorb more people more easily. That in itself is a great victory!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. The most important thing for the Fire Tribe right now is to ensure that the tribe has enough food. As long as there is enough food, the people can be fed. If the people are fed, the tribe's strength will increase. Giving up a little profit is completely worthwhile.

Yan added, "During my trip to the Valley Tribe, I also reminded Chief Daiyue about the remnants of the Wolf Tribe. However, Chief Daiyue said that they couldn't spare a large number of people to search for and wipe out those Wolf Tribe for the time being. But Chief Daiyue assured us that our two tribes' grain trade would not be affected this year."

Jianshi thought for a moment and said, "This is, after all, an internal matter for their Valley Tribe, and we shouldn't interfere too much. We should just keep an eye on the situation there and deal with other things later."

Yan nodded and continued, "During my trip to the Valley Tribe, I also learned that the Valley Tribe can still barely suppress the Bear Tribe. Our Fire Tribe's grain trade and transportation will not be greatly affected for the time being."

Jianshi Stone nodded. "That's a good thing."

Yan concluded, "Father, on the way to the Valley Tribe, Feiyu and Bailin told me about the Orange River and Red Flower River on the west bank of the Fish River. I'm thinking of taking some boats there in a couple of days to make some contact and trade. If the people there are willing to join our Fire Tribe, we can consider recruiting them."

Jianshi's eyes lit up.

"The west bank of the Fish River?" he asked. "How many people are there over there?"

Feiyu stood up and took over the conversation.

"Chief, there are about six thousand people on the Orange River side and more on the Red Flower River side, about nine thousand, making a total of about fifteen thousand. Our Fish Tribe has dealt with them before. Those tribes are living a mediocre life. If the Fire Tribe is willing to take them in, they will definitely be willing to join the Fire Tribe."

After listening, Jianshi spoke.

"Our Fire Tribe now has about 85,000 people," he said, "But compared to the Tiger Tribe at the very bottom of the Fish River, it's still far from enough. It's a good thing to be able to absorb more people."

He looked at Yan: "Yan, in a few days, you, Feiyu, Bailin, take the original Fish Tribe's ships and go over there to see what's going on."

Yan happily agreed, "Okay!"

Jianshi added, "Although we transported 2.5 million catties of grain back from the Valley Tribe this time, we still have a lot of the 20 million catties of grain we ordered from the Valley Tribe this year that haven't been transported back yet. The Fire Tribe is growing larger and larger, so the grain transportation cannot stop."

He looked at the Jianya and Binmao.

"Jianya and Binmao, you two get ready. In a couple of days, you'll lead the team to transport grain to the Valley Tribe again. This time, we've not only built a large ship with a carrying capacity of 20,000 jin, but also thirty smaller ships with a carrying capacity of 10,000 jin each. Take them with you when you go to the Valley Tribe to transport grain!"

Jianya and Binmao immediately stood up and replied in unison, "Yes!"

Jianya said, "Don't worry, brother, I will definitely bring the grain back safely!"

Binmao nodded. "Yes, we'll definitely be careful."

Jianshi nodded in satisfaction. The group chatted for a while longer before gradually leaving. Yan was the last to leave. He walked to the entrance of the council hall and glanced back. Inside, Jianshi was still sitting in the main seat, staring at the map on the wall, motionless for a long time. Yan knew that his father was also thinking about the Tiger Tribe. He took a deep breath, turned around, and walked out of the council hall. Outside, the sun was shining brightly, and in the distance, the brand-new 20,000-jin (10,000 kg) heavy-duty ship was quietly moored at the dock in the valley of the Fire Tribe's headquarters.

Looking at it, Yan felt a surge of pride. One day, the Fire Tribe would have ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin, and ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin. One day, the Fire Tribe would become a large tribe like the Tiger Tribe. He strode towards his wooden house.