Investigating the Fire Tribe

While the Fire Tribe was busy, the Bear Tribe's camp downstream of the Fish River was also bustling with activity. The Bear Tribe's camp was built on a high ground on the east bank of the Fish River. The terrain here was open and easy to defend. The camp was surrounded by a tall wooden fence, and deep moats were dug outside the fence. Inside the camp, wooden houses and thatched huts were densely packed, enough to house at least tens of thousands of people. Smoke rose from the chimneys, creating a scene of bustling activity.

But at this moment, the atmosphere in the Bear Tribe's council hall was somewhat heavy. The firewood in the hearth was burning brightly, the charcoal crackled and sparks flew, and the sunlight slanted in from outside, casting golden spots of light on the floor of the council hall. The Bear Tribe's leader Xiong Lie, sat in the main seat, his eyes dark and gloomy as he swept over everyone present.

He was in his forties, burly and strong, with a face full of scars and a pair of eyes that revealed both ferocity and shrewdness. In just over a decade, he had grown the Bear Tribe from a tribe of just over a thousand people to a medium-sized tribe of twelve thousand. His methods were clearly extraordinary.

To his left sat his eldest son, Xiong Pan Xiong Pan, who was in his early twenties and taller than his father. He had a full beard and his eyes gleamed with a fighting spirit. He had followed his father into battle since he was a child and had long since developed a ruthless nature.

To his right sat several of the tribe's core leaders— Xiong Zhua, Xiong Chi, Xiong Zhang, Xiong Jian, Xiong Fu, Gui Jia Shell, Xue Ba, and Ya Fu. Each of these men was a fierce warrior of the Bear Tribe, and their hands were stained with blood.

"Everyone's here!" Xiong Lie said, his voice deep and resonant, like muffled thunder rolling across the sky.

Xiong Pan was the first to speak up, asking, "Father, the Wolf Tribe passed through our Bear Tribe area a while ago. Why didn't we capture them then? They only had about a hundred people, and they were all riding two horses, each carrying a lot of good stuff!"

Xiong Lie glanced at him but didn't speak. Xiong Zhua also spoke. He was the number one warrior of the Bear Tribe, in his early forties, covered in scars, with eyes as fierce as a hungry wolf.

"Chief, that Wolf Tribe only has about a hundred people. If our Bear Tribe makes a move, can they withstand us? I see that the things they're carrying on their horses are all high-quality goods."

Xiong Lie snorted coldly and slowly said, "Do you think I don't want to take down these hundred or so people?"

He looked at Xiong Pan and said sternly, "Although the Wolf Tribe only has about a hundred people, they are all elites. Their leader Xueya, is no ordinary person either. He was able to escape from the recently rising Fire Tribe and run away from the Valley Tribe's pursuit. Do you think such people are easy to deal with?"

Xiong Pan opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word.

Xiong Lie continued, "I originally wanted to recruit these people into our Bear Tribe, but I saw that Xueya had great ambitions, so I didn't force them to stay. After all, you can't force a melon to ripen, and people who can't be kept will only cause trouble if you force them to stay."

Xiong Zhua retorted defiantly, "They're not using bronze weapons. If our Bear Tribe wants to keep them here, what chance do they have of resisting?"

Xiong Lie glanced at him and said in a calm tone, "Our spies in the Valley Tribe have sent word that the Wolf Tribe people were causing trouble further upstream, but they were defeated by the Fire Tribe, which has risen in power in recent years. They fled to the vicinity of the Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp, and now the Wolf Tribe people have been driven out by the people at the Little Valley Camp Outpost."

He paused, a shrewd glint in his eyes, and said, "The Wolf Tribe is now an enemy of the Valley Tribe, and is the target of our Bear Tribe's efforts to win them over. Moreover, the Wolf Tribe members are very vigilant, each riding two horses. If our Bear Tribe makes any move, they will flee without hesitation. In that case, we will not only gain no benefit, but also have another enemy. It's completely unnecessary."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Xiong Lie continued, "Now that the Wolf Tribe has gone further north, it's good to let them cause trouble in the Great Boulder Tribe's territory. If the Wolf Tribe starts causing trouble there, many tribes will run out of food, and then they'll have no choice but to join our Bear Tribe."

Xiong Pan's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands, exclaiming, "Father is brilliant! Let the Wolf Tribe cause trouble over there first, and after they've finished, our Bear Tribe will go and recruit them!"

The other leaders echoed this sentiment.

"The leader is brilliant!"

"That's a great idea! Let them fight amongst themselves, and our Bear Tribe can reap the benefits!"

Xiong Lie waved his hand to stop the discussion and looked at Xiong Zhang, who was in charge of intelligence.

"Xiong Zhang Paw, how are things going with the Valley Tribe lately?"

Xiong Zhang was in his early forties, lean and capable, with his eyes always squinting, as if he were sizing something up. He stood up and walked to the center of the council hall.

"Chief, everyone," his voice was not loud, but very clear, "the Valley Tribe has developed rapidly in the past two years. Although their numbers have only increased by about two thousand, they have all replaced their bronze weapons with a new batch, and they have many more ships with a carrying capacity of five thousand catties. Even the food for the Valley Tribe members is much better than before."

Xiong Lie frowned. "What's going on?"

Xiong Zhang said, "I've heard that they have a lot of trade with the Fire Tribe upstream of the Fish River. The Valley Tribe is now planting rice on a large scale on both sides of the Fish River, exchanging the grain for pottery from the Fire Tribe, and then taking the pottery to sell to the tribes downstream of the Fish River. They've made quite a bit of money in the past two years."

Xiong Lie frowned even more deeply and muttered, "It's that Fire Tribe again."

He looked at the Xiong Zhang and said sternly, "Do you have any detailed information about the Fire Tribe? Recently, even the Tiger Tribe, located at the very bottom of the Fish River, has been asking me about the Fire Tribe."

Xiong Zhang shook his head, somewhat helplessly saying, "Chief, all we know right now is that the Fire Tribe is a tribe that has risen rapidly in recent years. They can make pottery and may also be able to produce coarse salt. Their population is now larger than that of the Valley Tribe, and they have sent many ships to the Valley Tribe to transport grain in the past two years."

Xiong Lie snorted in dissatisfaction, "Is that all?"

Xiong Zhang lowered his head and said, "That's all for now. The Fire Tribe is far away from us, and our Bear Tribe's scouts can't reach them yet."

Xiong Lie was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Our Bear Tribe needs to inquire more about the Fire Tribe's situation, and we need to inquire more carefully. A tribe larger than the Valley Tribe has suddenly appeared in the Fish River; our Bear Tribe needs to be extra vigilant."

He paused, then his tone became more stern. "The Tiger Tribe is already asking me about the Fire Tribe. If our Bear Tribe doesn't even understand the basics, how can we explain ourselves to the Tiger Tribe?"

Xiong Zhang nodded hurriedly, "Don't worry, Chief, I'll send more people to investigate!"

Xiong Pan couldn't help but say from the side, "Father, I think the Fire Tribe just got lucky. They learned how to make pottery and salt, which is why they rose to prominence so quickly. If our Bear Tribe also knew these technologies, we would have become a large tribe long ago!"

Xiong Lie's face darkened, and he slammed his hand on the table, shouting, "Bullshit!"

The council chamber fell silent instantly. Xiong Lie stared at Xiong Pan, his eyes filled with rage.

"A tribe that can rise so rapidly in just a few years, is it just luck? Is a tribe that can rapidly increase the strength of a large tribe like the Valley Tribe an ordinary tribe? Is a tribe that the Tiger Tribe personally inquires about is an ordinary tribe? Is a tribe that can drive the Wolf Tribe to flee in all directions an ordinary tribe?"

He became increasingly angry as he spoke, and his voice grew louder and louder.

"What's going on in your head? All you know is fighting and killing! You're always trying to steal! Don't you know that some tribes can't be dealt with by force alone!"

Xiong Pan was so scolded that he couldn't lift his head, shrinking his neck and remaining silent. Xiong Lie scolded him several more times before he finally stopped, panting heavily. He looked at Xiong Jian, who was in charge of overseeing the defense of the Valley Tribe.

"Chief Xiong Jian, how's the situation with the Valley Tribe?"

Xiong Jian, in his early forties, was stocky and always had a smile on his round face. He stood up and said unhurriedly, "Chief, the large ships from the Valley Tribe haven't been out much lately; they've been maintaining a defensive posture. They're only farming now, especially this year, with large areas of paddy fields planted. They're not worried about the soil fertility declining."

He paused, then added, "Nothing else is unusual."

Xiong Lie nodded and pondered for a moment.

"It seems that the Valley Tribe and the Fire Tribe have a large amount of grain to trade again."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he said, "Once they've finished their trade, they'll definitely take the Fire Tribe's pottery downstream and sell it for a fortune. The Tiger Tribe is already watching; they won't be able to cause trouble for long."

He looked at Xiong Jian and instructed, "Keep a close eye on the Valley Tribe's movements. If there's an opportunity, we should borrow some grain from the Little Valley Camp during the autumn harvest. We can't let them expand unchecked."

Xiong Jian grinned and said, "Understood!"

Xiong Lie then looked at the others and said, "You all need to be on your guard! Keep an eye on the Valley Tribe and the Fire Tribe, especially the Fire Tribe. The Tiger Tribe is already asking questions, so our Bear Tribe needs to find out more."

The crowd responded in unison, "Yes!"

Xiong Lie waved his hand and said, "You all go ahead and get busy."

Everyone stood up and left one after another, leaving only Xiong Lie in the council hall. He sat in the main seat, looking at the flickering flames, and remained motionless for a long time. The name "Fire Tribe" had been constantly on his mind lately. They knew how to make pottery and might also make salt. Their population was even larger than that of the Valley Tribe, and they had risen rapidly in just a few years.

This tribe is no ordinary tribe. He recalled the people sent by the Tiger Tribe, who had subtly inquired about the Fire Tribe. Now that the Tiger Tribe was paying attention to the Fire Tribe, it meant that the Fire Tribe Tiger Tribe had already caught their attention.

Xiong Lie stood up, walked to the door, and looked at the sky outside. Dark clouds were piling up on the horizon, a harbinger of a storm. He took a deep breath, turned around, and walked back into the council hall. What kind of tribe was the Fire Tribe, really?