The Situation on the Lower Fish River

Just as Langya and his Wolf Tribe were causing a ruckus in the north, more and more people gathered at the dock in the valley of the Fire Tribe's headquarters. Sunlight shone on the surface of the Fire Creek River, making it sparkle. In the distance, a fleet of ships was slowly approaching, their sails billowing and their Jianshi in perfect order. Jian Shi stood at the very front of the Fire Tribe headquarters, followed by Qingye, Yan, Dabang, Canglan, Jia Li, and others. All eyes were fixed on the distance.

"The Jianya leader and his men have returned with their ships," someone whispered.

The Fire Tribe's fleet was getting closer and closer. At the Chuantou of the foremost ship, which had a carrying capacity of 20,000 catties, stood Jianya. He was covered in dust, but his spirits were still high. At this moment, he was waving excitedly to the crowd on the shore.

The fleet slowly approached the shore. Jianya jumped off the ship and strode towards the crowd on the dock. His gaze swept over the new ships moored at the dock in the valley of the Fire Tribe's headquarters— the Fire Tribe had gained several more ships with a carrying capacity of 20,000 catties, and several more with a carrying capacity of 10,000 catties. A look of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he did not stop walking.

"Brother!" He walked up to Jianshi, his voice booming, "Our trip to the Valley Tribe went very smoothly! The 3.5 million catties of grain we brought back from the Valley Tribe were all unloaded at our Fire Tribe at the mouths of the Fish River tributaries— Little Fish River Mouth, Red Flower River Mouth, Pottery Salt River Mouth, Stone Creek River Mouth, and Little Gathering River Mouth. We distributed grain to every single one of these outposts."

Jianshi patted him on the shoulder, a smile spreading across his face, and said, "Okay, it'll be fine to unload it over there. That way we'll save ourselves the trouble of transferring it again."

Jianya nodded, wiping the sweat from his face, and said, "Yes, this way our Fire Tribe can free up a lot of manpower to do other things."

Then Jianya spoke up, "By the way, we also got some information about the tribes downstream of the Fish River from Qingsui during our trip to the Valley Tribe."

Jianshi, leading Jianya and the others, turned and headed towards the Fire Tribe's headquarters council hall. As they walked, he said, "You've all had a long journey. Let's go back to the Fire Tribe's council hall and have something to eat. You mentioned you found out about some tribes downstream of the Fish River? Let's go to the council hall and talk while we eat."

Jianya's eyes lit up when he heard Jianshi's words. He hadn't had a proper meal from the Fire Tribe in a long time. These days, although there was wine and meat outside, nothing tasted as good as what the tribe made. Especially the dishes that Yan made, just thinking about them made his mouth water.

The group quickly entered the council hall and sat down. At Jianshi's instruction, steaming hot food was soon served: roasted mutton, stewed pork, fresh fish soup, rice, and several dishes of Jianya vegetables, filling the table. Jian Ya started eating as soon as the food was served. He wolfed down his food, his cheeks bulging out. He picked up a piece of braised pork, stuffed it into his mouth, squinted his eyes, and looked completely satisfied.

"It's been so long since I've tasted the delicious food of our Fire Tribe," he mumbled, his chopsticks still moving. "The food made by our Fire Tribe is still the best."

Yan sat opposite him, smiling, and said, "Of course, our tribe now has sophisticated cooking methods and our own unique seasonings. The food we make is definitely much better than what those tribes outside have."

Jianya swallowed the meat in his mouth, looked up at Jianshi, and said earnestly, "Big brother, next time I go on a long trip, could you send me a skilled cook from the Fire Tribe headquarters? We've had meat and wine these past few days, but it always feels like something's missing."

Jianshi smiled and nodded, "Alright, now the tribe has two more culinary experts. I'll arrange one for you next time."

Jianya was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. He picked up another piece of meat, stuffed it into his mouth, and chewed it until his mouth was full of oil.

Jianshi picked up the soup bowl, took a sip, slowly put it down, and asked, "You said at the dock that you found out about the distribution of tribes downstream of the Fish River from the Valley Tribe?"

Jianya put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and his expression turned serious. He said, "Yes, this time when we went to the Valley Tribe, it was Qingsui who told me a lot about the lower reaches of the Fish River."

The Fire Tribe's council hall fell silent. Everyone pricked up their ears. Jianya cleared his throat and began to speak, "The population of the lower reaches of the Fish River is more concentrated than that of the middle and upper reaches. However, the large tribes in the lower reaches of the Fish River Fish River have not expanded recklessly. Instead, they have stored up their surplus food and supplies, or used them to improve the lives of their own tribesmen. It seems they are worried about something."

Dabang couldn't help but ask, "How densely populated is the lower reaches of the Fish River? Just how large are those major tribes in the lower reaches of the Fish River?"

Jianya thought for a moment, then counted on his fingers, "Qingsui herself isn't quite sure how densely populated the lower reaches of the Fish River are, but they're definitely much more numerous than ours. The Valley Tribe's estimate is based on their demand for goods, but even the larger tribes don't have as many people as the Valley Tribe right now."

He paused, then continued, "On the east bank of the Fish River, north of the Little Valley Camp, the major tribes are, in order, the Bear Tribe, the Great Boulder Tribe, the Great Luwei Tribe, and further north is the Tiger Tribe."

"On the west bank of the Fish River, north of the Valley Tribe's headquarters, the major tribes are, in order, the Bean Tribe, the Greater Qing Tribe Willow Vine Tribe. Further north is the Tiger Tribe. The Tiger Tribe is located at the mouth of the Fish River at its lowest point. They have camps on both the east and west banks of the Fish River, and they have now completely sealed off the mouth of the Fish River. The Valley Tribe's decision to establish strongholds on both banks of the Fish River is something they learned from the Tiger Tribe."

Dabang nodded thoughtfully and said, "Now that you've told me, I finally have a general understanding of the power dynamics downstream of the Fish River."

Yan also asked, "How many people are there in these large tribes downstream of the Fish River? How large is their sphere of influence?"

Jianya said, "The Bear Tribe has developed the fastest in recent years, with its population growing from over 8,000 to around 12,000. They dare to expand so recklessly because they have the Tiger Tribe's secret support. The other major tribes are probably afraid of being targeted by the Tiger Tribe, so they haven't dared to use their surplus food and resources for expansion."

He counted them off one by one, saying, "The Great Boulder Tribe now has more than 6,000 people, Great Luwei Tribe Bean Tribe has more than 7,000 people; on the west bank of the Fish River, the Greater Qing Tribe has more than 7,000 people, and the Willow Vine Tribe has more than 8,000 people. Except for the Bean Tribe, which is a semi-subordinate tribe of the Valley Tribe, the other four major tribes all have many subordinate tribes. If they really want to expand, their population can quickly reach 20,000 to 30,000 people."

Jianshi Shi nodded and said slowly, "It seems the Tiger Tribe keeps a very strict eye on these tribes."

Jianya nodded and said, "The other four major tribes each have their own core subordinate tribes, but the smaller tribes on the periphery of these major tribes' power are generally living a mediocre life."

There was a moment of silence in the room as everyone processed what Jianya had said.

Yan asked, "Where did these twelve thousand people of the Bear Tribe come from?"

Jianya said, "In recent years, they have absorbed a lot of people from the surrounding small tribes. They also have the Tiger Tribe backing them up, so those small tribes dare not resist the Bear Tribe. I heard that the Bear Tribe's leader Xiong Lie, is quite ambitious. He not only has frequent conflicts with the Valley Tribe, but he also wants to expand northward."

Dabang frowned and said, "The Bear Tribe wants to expand northward? Doesn't that mean they'll clash with the Great Boulder Tribe?"

Jianya nodded and said, "Yes, that's why the relationship between the Bear Tribe and the Great Boulder Tribe has been quite tense lately. But the Bear Tribe has the Tiger Tribe backing them up, so they don't really take the Great Boulder Tribe seriously."

Yan then asked, "What do the Valley Tribe think?"

Jianya thought for a moment and said, "The Valley Tribe and the Bear Tribe already have a feud. If the Bear Tribe really starts fighting the Great Boulder Tribe, the Valley Tribe will definitely be happy to see it happen. However, Chief Daiyue is very cautious and doesn't want to get involved."

Jianshi Shi nodded and said, "The Valley Tribe did the right thing. Our Fire Tribe shouldn't get involved either. Let's take care of our own affairs first."

He looked at Jianya with approval in his eyes and said, "You've gathered a lot of useful information this time, which is very beneficial for our Fire Tribe's decision-making. You've all worked hard lately, go back and rest for a bit. You still have to make a trip to the Valley Tribe in a couple of days."

Jianya stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and turned to leave. He walked out of the Fire Tribe headquarters' council hall, took a deep breath, stretched, and strode towards his wooden hut.

In the council hall of the Fire Tribe headquarters, Jianshi looked at everyone and said, "We, the Fire Tribe, will listen to what's happening downstream of the Fish River. Our most important task right now is to harvest all of this year's grain. Now that the Fire Tribe's population has increased, our food supply must keep up. As long as we have enough food, we have nothing to fear."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Yan stood up and said, "Father, the new recruits in the Youth Team have all been settled in, and they're keeping up with the training. Daya and Zhuangchai are doing a great job leading the team."

Jianshi nodded in satisfaction and said, "Okay, the Youth Team is the future of our Fire Tribe. You should keep an eye on them as much as possible when you have time."

Yan nodded and sat down. Dabang also stood up and said, "Chief, everything is normal at our workshops. The shipbuilding workshop has built ten more ships with a carrying capacity of 20,000 jin each and they have all been successfully tested. Our plan to build fifty ships with a carrying capacity of 20,000 jin each by the end of the year will be completed soon. Our bronze workshop is currently rushing to make farm tools. The workshop will be able to prepare all the tools needed for next spring next month."

Jianshi nodded and asked about the situation at the outpost outside. Everything was fine. He stood up and walked to the door. Looking at the busy camp outside, he felt a sense of relief. The Fire Tribe now had 100,000 people, enough food, the workshops were operating normally, the outpost was developing smoothly, and the tribes downstream of the Fish River could not affect the Fire Tribe for the time being.

He turned around and looked at the people in the room—his brothers, his sons, his clansmen—all with smiles on their faces and their eyes shining.

"Alright, you can all go back to your work now." He waved his hand.

As everyone left one after another, Yan walked last. When he reached the door, he glanced back and saw Jianshi still standing there, looking at the map on the wall. Yan knew that his father was thinking about the tribes downstream of the Fish River, about the Tiger Tribe, and about the future of the Fire Tribe. He didn't disturb him, gently closed the door, and strode towards the Youth Team's camp.