Trading on the Clothing River and Big Horse River
Yan led Huo Buluo's fleet along the Clothing River for a short while before arriving near the Clothing Tribe's dock in the Clothing River basin. Yan carefully examined the tribe's camp. Most of the Clothing Tribe's camp was located on the Clothing River, built along the river, and was quite large in scale. Densely packed wooden houses and thatched huts stretched along the riverbank, numbering at least a thousand. Smoke rose from the camp, and the sounds of people could be faintly heard, presenting a scene of prosperity.
"This Clothing Tribe's camp is quite large," Yan nodded.
Feiyu walked over and pointed to the camp ahead, saying, "Young Chief, this is the Clothing Tribe Clothing Tribe camp. They grow a lot of cotton, some rice, and raise a lot of livestock. They're quite powerful and live a good life."
He paused, then continued, "The Clothing Tribe and the Valley Tribe are semi-vassal states, but they have a great deal of autonomy. The cotton cloth and quilts they produce are of very high quality, both warm and lightweight. Their linen is also well-woven, and they have a knack for processing animal hides."
Bailin also came over and added, "Most of their supplies were sold to the Valley Tribe. Our Fish Tribe Fish Tribe to come and use our own resources or animal hides obtained from the Horse Tribe to exchange for some things with the Clothing Tribe."
Yan nodded, his gaze sweeping across the camp. Outside the camp, there were indeed large tracts of cotton planted, and further away, thousands of acres of paddy fields with lush, green rice seedlings growing vigorously. There were also some hemp crops planted in patches not far away, and they had quite a few livestock, with herds of cattle and sheep grazing on the hillside.
"This Clothing Tribe is indeed doing quite well," Yan said.
Feiyu nodded. "Yes, they live better than many tribes."
The Fire Tribe's fleet slowly docked. On the pier, a group of people were already standing. Leading them was a middle-aged woman wearing an exquisite linen robe, her hair neatly combed, and a gentle smile on her face. Behind her stood seven or eight people, some young and some old, but all of them were full of energy.
"The young chieftain, that's Zhixia, the chieftain of the Clothing Tribe," Feiyu whispered. "Their tribe is a matriarchal tribe; most of their chieftains and leaders are women."
Yan nodded, jumped off the boat, Zhixia quickly came to greet him with a big smile.
"This must be the young chieftain of the Fire Tribe, right?"
Yan clasped his hands in a respectful greeting. "Chief Zhixia, I have long admired you."
Zhixia looked him up and down, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes.
"Young Master Yan is indeed a promising young leader; meeting him today confirms his reputation."
She stepped aside and pointed to the people behind her, saying, "These are some of the leaders of our Clothing Tribe."
The leaders bowed to Yan, and Yan returned the bows one by one.
Zhixia asked, "Chief Yan rarely comes here. Is he here with his fleet to trade with our Clothing Tribe?"
Feiyu stepped forward and said with a smile.
"Chief Zhixia, our Fish Tribe has now joined the Fire Tribe, and from now on, the Fire Tribe will be the ones trading here."
Zhixia nodded, not surprised, and said, "I heard about this in the Valley Tribe. The Fish Tribe, the Pottery Salt Tribe, the Marsh Tribe, the Beast Taming Tribe, and the Hundred Crafts Tribe have all joined the Fire Tribe, as have the tribes upstream of the Fish River."
She looked at Yan, her eyes full of admiration, and said, "The Fire Tribe is a large tribe, and our Clothing Tribe is very willing to trade with large tribes like yours. Your pottery is excellent; we have also traded quite a bit with the Valley Tribe."
She paused, then smiled and said, "Now that you've come in person, I'm going to buy a lot more. Young Master Yan, you must give me a discount!"
Yan smiled and nodded.
"That's natural. Our Fire Tribe is also very willing to trade with the Clothing Tribe."
Zhixia waved enthusiastically.
"Young Chief Yan, you must be tired from your journey. Please come to our Clothing Tribe's council hall to rest!"
The group followed Zhixia toward the Clothing Tribe's camp. Along the way, Yan looked around. The camp had wide and clean roads, and wooden houses and thatched huts were arranged in neat rows. Some women sat at their doorways weaving cloth, some children played in the open space with their clear laughter, and some young women were drying cloth. The cloth hung on bamboo poles and swayed in the wind, creating a peaceful and harmonious scene.
Upon entering the council hall, Zhixia warmly invited Yan to sit down. This council hall was larger and more exquisite than the one in the Long Leaf Tribe. Thick carpets covered the floor, and exquisite textiles hung on the walls. A bonfire burned in the hearth, providing warmth and brightness. After Yan sat down, he waved his hand, and his attendants immediately presented gifts: more than a dozen exquisite pottery pieces and a bag of snow-white coarse salt. Zhixia's eyes lit up as she accepted the pottery!
"Good stuff! Really good stuff!" She stroked the pottery with great affection; the pottery was exquisitely crafted and better than any pottery she had ever seen before.
She opened the bag of coarse salt again, picked up a little, and tasted it.
"This salt..." She looked up at Yan, "Was it also made by your Fire Tribe?"
Yan nodded. "Yes, these pottery and salt are all made by our Fire Tribe. We brought quite a lot this time, intending to trade them with the Clothing Tribe."
Zhixia gasped.
"Pottery making, salt making... these are both very rare techniques! Your Fire Tribe actually knows them!"
She looked at Yan, her eyes filled with admiration, and said, "With these technologies, it would be difficult for your Fire Tribe not to become powerful!"
Yan smiled modestly and said, "Chief Zhixia, you flatter me."
Zhixia carefully put away the gifts and then had tea and snacks served.
"Young Master Yan, these items are exactly what we need. May I ask how much they cost?"
Yan had already asked Feiyu and the others. He had traded with the Valley Tribe a few times and knew the market price. The price he offered was even lower than that of the Valley Tribe. Zhixia's eyes lit up even more when she heard this.
"This price is excellent! And it was delivered directly to our door by your Fire Tribe, which is much more cost-effective than buying from the Valley Tribe!"
She immediately decided to go on a shopping spree: coarse salt, pottery, cured meat, straw sandals...
Yan didn't stand on ceremony and exchanged a large amount of cotton cloth, cotton quilts, and cotton seeds at the Clothing Tribe. Both sides had a very pleasant trade. In the evening, Zhixia hosted a banquet for Yan and his party. The banquet table was filled with all kinds of delicacies, including roasted mutton, stewed chicken, fresh fish soup, wild vegetables, and the Clothing Tribe's special fruit wine, which was sweet and delicious.
Zhixia frequently toasted Yan and chatted enthusiastically. She asked about the Fire Tribe, and Yan didn't hide anything, giving a brief account of the Fire Tribe's development. Zhixia listened with repeated amazement.
"More than 80,000 people! More than a dozen strongholds! And their own pottery, salt, cloth, large ships..."
She shook her head and exclaimed, "The Fire Tribe is truly remarkable!"
The banquet lasted until late at night. The Fire Tribe's fleet rested overnight on the open ground on the bank of the Clothing River. Early the next morning, Yan led the fleet away from the Clothing River and continued sailing downstream towards the Fish River. Their next destination was the Big Horse River. The Big Horse River was located on the east bank of the Fish River, between the Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp Outpost and the Horse Tribe. It would take half a day to sail downstream from the Clothing River to reach the Big Horse River Mouth. The Fire Tribe's fleet crossed the Fish River and stopped at the Big Horse River Mouth.
Feiyu pointed ahead and said, "Young Chief, this is the Big Horse River. There are some tribes in the Big Horse River Basin. The two largest are the Maple Leaf Tribe and the Toon Tribe, each with more than a thousand members. They were also important trading partners for our Fish Tribe in the past."
Yan asked, "How are these tribes doing?"
Feiyu thought for a moment and said, "These two slightly larger tribes can barely make ends meet. They're better off than the large tribes along the Orange River and Red Flower River, but not as good as the Clothing Tribe. As for the other smaller tribes, their lives are just so-so."
Bailin added, "They mainly grow rice and vegetables, and also raise livestock. When we came before, we mainly traded coarse salt and pottery for their furs and mountain products."
Yan nodded and directed the fleet to enter the Big Horse River. The Big Horse River had a smaller volume of water than the Clothing River, but about the same as the Red Flower River. The river was fairly wide, and occasionally a few cultivated fields could be seen. After sailing for a while, a camp appeared ahead, which was the Maple Leaf Tribe.
The Maple Leaf Tribe's camp was built on a gentle slope by the river. It wasn't very large, but it had several hundred wooden houses and thatched huts. Several small boats were moored at the dock, waiting for the Fire Tribe's fleet to arrive. The Maple Leaf Tribe's chief had already received the news and was waiting at the dock with several leaders. When he saw the Feiyu and the Bailin, he greeted them with a big smile.
"Feiyu Leader! Bailin Leader! You've finally arrived!"
Feiyu introduced Yan with a smile.
"Chief Maple, our Fish Tribe has joined the Fire Tribe. This is our Fire Tribe's young chief, Yan."
Chief Feng was taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered and bowed warmly to Yan.
"Young Master Yan! Welcome, welcome!"
The goods Yan brought were cheap and affordable, so the Maple Leaf Tribe naturally welcomed them. The trade went smoothly, and the Maple Leaf Tribe exchanged furs and mountain products for a considerable amount of coarse salt and pottery. After the trade, the Maple Leaf chief warmly invited Yan to stay for dinner, but Yan politely declined and led the Fire Tribe's fleet to continue sailing upstream.
After sailing for a while, they arrived at the Toon Tribe. The situation in the Toon Tribe was similar to that of the Maple Leaf Tribe. The chief was also a middle-aged man named Chunmu. When he saw the Feiyu and the Bailin, he greeted them with the same enthusiasm. The trade went smoothly as well. Chunmu praised the things that Yan brought and exchanged quite a few. That night, Yan and his people rested in the Toon Tribe for one night.
Early the next morning, the Fire Tribe's fleet left the Big Horse River and returned to the Fish River. Next, they were to set sail again, but on their way back, they would stop by a place Horse Tribe!
The Horse Tribe is located on the grassland between the Big Horse River and the Little Horse River. Through Feiyu's introduction, Yan learned that the area has a large population of nearly 30,000 people. 30,000 people! If stable trade relations can be established with these tribes, or even some of their population can be absorbed, it will greatly benefit the Fire Tribe's development.
The Fire Tribe's fleet sailed upstream along the Fish River for five days. On the evening of the fifth day, they arrived at the territory of the Horse Tribe, and Yan ordered the fleet to dock on the east bank of the Fish River.
"Bailin, take some men to guard the ship," Yan said. "I'll take Feiyu and the others to the Horse Tribe."
Bailin nodded. "Young Chief, rest assured, leave the fleet to me."
Yan, along with Feiyu and dozens of warriors from the Fire Tribe, carrying some coarse salt and pottery, walked up to the east bank of the Fish River. The Horse Tribe was not far from the east bank of the Fish River; it would only take a day or two to reach them. The group walked towards the depths of the grassland as the sun set.