Harvest

The morning mist had not yet dissipated at the Fire Tribe headquarters. The sun had just peeked over the eastern mountains, casting golden rays upon the heavy ears of rice, turning the entire field of the Fire Tribe headquarters into a brilliant golden hue. A gentle breeze rustled through the rice, making waves of rice ripple and whispering the joy of Fengshou.

Yan stood on the high ground not far from the entrance of the Fire Tribe's main camp, looking at all this, and felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction welling up in his heart. The Fire Tribe already had 70,000 mu of paddy fields, and the first season of rice was expected to yield 14 million jin!

A few years ago, no one would have dared to imagine such a number. Back then, the Fire Tribe only had about two hundred people. In good years, they worked themselves to the bone just to barely have enough to eat. Winter was the hardest time, and in some years with poor harvests, people starved or froze to death every day! Now? The Fire Tribe one hundred thousand people, who are well-fed every day and even have surplus grain. He took a deep breath, and the air was filled with the fragrance of rice.

In the distance, people were already working in the fields of the Fire Tribe headquarters. The men wielded sickles, cutting bunches of golden rice ears; the women followed behind, carrying the rice ears to thresh; the children ran around on the ridges, picking up fallen rice ears, their laughter ringing out. The scene was busy yet heartwarming. Further away, several oxcarts were slowly approaching, soon piled high with rice, ready to be transported Fire Tribe camp to dry. The entire valley of the Fire Tribe was a scene of bustling activity.

"Young Chief!"

A voice rang out, and Yan turned his head to see Dabang striding over. He had a smile on his face, but there was a hint of fatigue in his eyes. During this period, the workshop had been rushing to produce farm tools, and he had hardly slept a good night's sleep.

"Uncle Dabang." Yan went to greet him.

Dabang walked over to him and looked at the rice paddies as well.

"Our Fire Tribe has had a good harvest this year," he said, his voice filled with emotion. "We expect to harvest 14 million catties of grain in the first quarter, which is much more than last year."

Yan nodded. "Yes, our Fire Tribe will have even more food next year."

Dabang laughed, "That's right. Our Fire Tribe's outposts outside the area have opened up another 20,000 mu of paddy fields this spring. We can plant 90,000 mu of rice in the second season. Although it's still short of our target of 160,000 mu of paddy fields this year, it's much more than last year."

He looked at Yan, his eyes gleaming. "Next year, our Fire Tribe will definitely be able to cultivate 160,000 mu of rice!"

Yan smiled and said, "That's what I think too."

The two stood on high ground, looking at the golden rice fields of the Fire Tribe headquarters, and remained silent for a long time.

After a while, Dabang finally spoke, "This year, our Fire Tribe, along with the grain we bought from the Valley Tribe, has enough to feed 100,000 people, and we even have a surplus."

He paused, then said in a serious tone, "The chief said that even if we don't buy grain from the Valley Tribe next year, we'll have enough to eat by growing our own."

Yan nodded, but what he was thinking about was something else entirely. Having enough food was only the first step for the Fire Tribe Fire Tribe. To cope with potential future dangers, simply having enough to eat wasn't enough. The Valley Tribe, with only 20,000 people, had stored 10 million jin of grain; how could the Fire Tribe, with 100,000 people, possibly have no grain reserves at all?

Dabang seemed to have thought of this as well. After a moment of silence, he said, "However, of course, the more grain we have, the better. The chief said that we should increase our grain reserves to 20 million catties next year."

Yan nodded and said, "Yes, our Fire Tribe must also be prepared."

The two chatted for a while longer before Dabang left. Yan stood on the high ground, continuing to watch the rice paddy. The Fire Tribe Tribe's harvest was progressing quickly; acres of golden rice ears were cut down, and bundles of rice ears were carried away to thresh. Yan watched for a while, then turned and walked towards the camp.

Over the next few days, everyone in the Fire Tribe was busy with farming. The men harvested rice, the women threshed it, the elderly turned the leaves over to dry, and the children picked up the ears of grain. Even the Fire Tribe's workshops were shut down for a few days, with the craftsmen all going to the fields to help. No one in the entire tribe was idle.

Yan also went down to the field. He took off his hemp clothes, went shirtless, and cut rice with the villagers. The sickle swung, the rice ears fell, sweat flowed down his back and dripped into the soil. The sun made his skin hot, but everyone felt an indescribable sense of peace.

"Young leader, take a rest!" an old man called out from the side.

Yan shook his head, smiled, and said, "I'm not tired, I'll cut for a while longer."

The old man smiled and stopped trying to persuade him. The young men beside him looked at Yan with admiration in their eyes, and they cut even faster, none of them wanting to fall behind.

And so, they worked for ten whole days. Ten days later, the last truckload of rice was transported back to the camp. The drying yard was piled high with golden grains, which looked like small golden Little Mountain in the sunlight.

The chief in charge of statistics ran in to report, "Young chieftain, our estimated grain harvest for the Fire Tribe is at least 14 million catties!"

Yan nodded and let out a long sigh of relief. Just a few days after the Fire Tribe finished harvesting, Dali and Jia Li returned from the Horse Tribe. That afternoon, Yan was inspecting the granary at the camp when he suddenly heard a commotion at the dock. He looked up and saw a fleet of ships slowly approaching the shore.

"Uncle Dali and the others are back!" someone shouted.

Yan put down his work and strode towards the dock. At the dock of the Fire Tribe headquarters, Dali was jumping off the ship. He was covered in dust, but in good spirits. When he saw Yan, he grinned.

"Inflammation!"

Yan greeted him, "Uncle Dali, you've all worked so hard these past few days!"

He waved his hand Dali: "It wasn't tiring at all! Our trip to the Horse Tribe went very smoothly!"

Jia Li also disembarked from the ship, beaming, and said, "Chief Yan, Chief Junfeng is very proactive in this transaction! Our Fire Tribe members haven't even arrived yet, and he's already prepared the five hundred oxen we ordered. Now that our transaction price is double the usual amount, of course he wants to finish exchanging the goods as soon as possible."

Yan smiled and said, "Of course."

Dali patted Yan on the shoulder and said, "Come on, let's go find your father first. We also found out about the Wolf Tribe while we were at the Horse Tribe."

Yan's heart skipped a beat. He nodded, and the three of them quickly walked towards the council hall of the Fire Tribe headquarters. Inside the council hall, Jianshi was handling Fire Tribe affairs. When he saw Dali and Jia Li enter, he put down the wooden plank in his hand, stood up, and said, "You're back. Did the trade with the Horse Tribe go smoothly this time?"

Dali nodded Dali and said, "We went very smoothly. We've exchanged all five hundred oxen and they've all been settled in the Fish Tribe and its nearby Fish Tribe."

Jianshi nodded in satisfaction and then asked, "What about the Wolf Tribe? What news did you get from the Horse Tribe this time?"

Dali's expression turned serious, and he said, "Brother, that Xueya is causing trouble again Big Horse River."

Jianshi frowned. "They're causing trouble again?"

Dali nodded Dali: "Yes, Xueya led the hundred or so remnants of the Wolf Tribe, slaughtered two small tribes of about three hundred people each, robbed their food, and killed their people as well."

The room fell silent.

Yan asked, "What was the reaction from the Valley Tribe?"

Dali said, "Daiyan sent three hundred cavalrymen, who easily defeated Xueya and his men. Xueya led his men further north, to the territory of the Bear Tribe."

Jianshi remained silent for a moment, then looked at Yan.

Yan thought for a moment and said, "The Bear Tribe is inherently difficult to deal with. They have cavalry, bronze weapons, and a large army. Xueya and his small force probably won't survive there."

He paused, then continued, "If Xueya wants to expand, they have to go a little further north."

Jianya also spoke up, "The Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp Outpost is about sixty days' land distance from the Tiger Tribe. The Wolf Tribe's Xueya are not familiar with the roads, so it's unlikely they'll go directly to the Tiger Tribe to join them. Even if Xueya were to lead his people to join the Tiger Tribe, the Tiger Tribe would have to wait until at least next year to send troops to deal with our Fire Tribe."

He paused, his tone becoming more relaxed, and said, "Moreover, the Tiger Tribe is currently plagued by internal strife and frequent external wars. They can't possibly dedicate all their forces to dealing with us all at once. Our Fire Tribe currently has 100,000 people. As long as we train them well, even if the Tiger Tribe comes in person, our Fire Tribe won't be afraid!"

Yan nodded in agreement, but he was still a little uneasy. He knew Xueya too well; he was insidious, cunning, ruthless, and extremely resilient. He had been defeated by the Fire Tribe several times, but he had always managed to get back up. This kind of person would not be easily defeated, and he would seek revenge at the first opportunity.

"Xueya isn't the kind of person who wants to be subservient to others," Yan said slowly. "It's unlikely they'll directly seek refuge with the Tiger Tribe. The most probable scenario is that they'll develop and grow stronger in the slightly northerly region, and then find an opportunity to return and take revenge."

Jianshi Shi nodded, looked at everyone, and his tone became serious as he said, "We need to keep an eye on Xueya, but right now, the most important thing is for our Fire Tribe itself. If we just wait another year or two, our Fire Tribe won't have to fear anyone in the Fish River Basin!"

He looked at Dali and Jia Li and said, "You two must have had a hard time on this trip. Go and rest for a bit."

The two nodded and left the council hall, leaving only Jianshi and Yan inside.

Jianshi looked at Yan and asked, "Do you think Xueya will come back to cause trouble?"

Yan was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes, someone like Xueya will never accept defeat. Given the chance, he will definitely come back for revenge."

Jianshi nodded without saying a word.

After a long silence, he finally spoke, "Then let's wait for him to come. If he dares to come, we'll make sure he doesn't leave alive!"

Yan looked at his father, a surge of pride welling up in his heart. Yes, the Fire Tribe was no longer the Fire Tribe it used to be. The Fire Tribe now had 100,000 people, nearly 20,000 warriors, bronze weapons, and a large ship with a carrying capacity of 20,000 jin. Even if the Tiger Tribe attacked, he would not be afraid.

He took a deep breath, stood up, and said, "Father, I'm going to training."

Jianshi nodded and said, "Go."

Yan also walked out of the council hall and strode towards the training ground.