Spring Plowing and Setting Sail

Spring plowing has begun, and the Fire Tribe headquarters and its outposts outside quickly get busy. Before dawn, the men lead oxen and hold plows, moving back and forth in the fields. The plowshares turn over the black, oily soil, while the children run around on the ridges, bringing water and food.

The paddy fields were filled with water, shimmering silver in the sunlight like mirrors reflecting the blue sky and white clouds. Rows of rice seedlings were lush and green, swaying gently in the breeze. People were everywhere on the ridges, their backs bent, sweat streaming down their faces and dripping into the soil. But no one complained of being tired, no one slacked off. They knew that today's hard work would be tomorrow's harvest, and today's sweat would be tomorrow's food.

The nine large ships of the Fire Tribe, each with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin, have also been successfully launched and tested during this period. The nine giant ships are lined up in a row and moored at the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost, resembling nine Little Mountain or nine giant beasts, lying quietly on the water, waiting for the order to set sail. The Chuantou are wide and long, with high-raised bows and flat and wide sterns, capable of standing dozens of people. When the sunlight shines on the ships, the tung oil reflects a luster, as if coated with a layer of honey or plated with a layer of gold.

The entire ship resembled a sleeping behemoth, or a roc ready to spread its wings and take flight at any moment. The dock was crowded with people, pointing and discussing, their exclamations of admiration filling the air. Children climbed to the top, standing on tiptoe, craning their necks, completely mesmerized. Elderly people, leaning on their canes, stood shakily on the dock, tears welling in their eyes, murmuring, "What a huge ship! I've never seen such a big ship in my life. Even dying here would be worthwhile."

Yan has finished preparations these past few days. The supplies have been inventoried, and the coarse salt and bronzeware have been categorized and loaded onto the ships. The personnel have been assigned, with clear instructions on who is responsible for which ship, who is responsible for loading and unloading, and who is responsible for bookkeeping. The ships have been inspected, with the planks, sails, ropes, and rudder all carefully checked to ensure that nothing goes wrong and that there will be no problems on the way.

Early that morning, before dawn, the dock at the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost was already bustling with activity. The morning mist had not yet dissipated and was still thinly floating on the river. Yan stood at the bow of the largest ship, a 50,000-jin (25,000 kg) heavy-duty Chuantou, with his hands on his hips, looking at the massive fleet before him. A surge of pride welled up in his heart, a pride that surged up like waves.

Ten boats with a carrying capacity of 50,000 catties, fifty boats with a carrying capacity of 20,000 catties, two hundred boats with a carrying capacity of 10,000 catties, two hundred boats with a carrying capacity of 5,000 catties, and two hundred large Muzhou with a carrying capacity of 2,000 catties were densely moored on the surface of the Fish River. The boats were loaded with coarse salt and bronzeware, all of which were to be exchanged for grain.

Jianshi led Qingye, Dabang, Canglan, Jijiao, Wu Xiong, and others from the Fire Tribe headquarters to the Fire Creek River Mouth dock. Standing on the dock, looking at the massive fleet, their faces were filled with pride—a pride that came from the heart and could not be hidden.

Yan had already disembarked and arrived at the dock. Qingye walked up to Yan, straightened his collar, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Be careful on the road."

Yan nodded, took his mother's hand, and said, "Mother, don't worry, I'll be careful. Nothing will happen on the way."

Jianshi stepped forward, his eyes filled with a hint of entrustment, and said, "Yan, this is your first time trading bronze weapons with the Valley Tribe. It's the first time, so you must be discreet and not make a fuss. Don't let anyone else find out. Bronze weapons are sensitive items and a taboo for the Tiger Tribe. It wouldn't be good if others found out; it would cause trouble."

He paused, then lowered his voice and said, "As long as we finish manufacturing ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin by the end of this year, we won't have to worry about others knowing that we possess the ability to manufacture bronze weapons. At that time, even if the Tiger Tribe comes, we won't be afraid. They have ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin, and so do we."

Yan nodded and said, "Okay, Father. This time, I brought almost all of the Fire Tribe's ships with a carrying capacity of over 2,000 jin, more than 600 ships. Each ship can transport 5 million jin of grain at a time, so 20 million jin of grain can be transported in just three or four trips. Fewer trips mean a lower probability of being discovered and less chance of being targeted."

Jianshi nodded, his gaze sweeping over the ships ready to depart, and said, "Alright, you can arrange these yourself. I trust you to handle things. It's getting late, so go and come back early. Be careful on the road, think things through, and don't act impulsively or recklessly."

Yan nodded, then turned to Jia Li, Feiyu, Bailin, Shibang, and Yingmu behind him and said, "Get on the boat!"

The group boarded the boat, and the sound of the ox horn rang out, deep and long. The fleet sailed downstream along the Fish River, the sails billowing in the morning wind. The entire fleet looked like a giant dragon, slowly moving in the morning mist, or like a huge army, sailing majestically into the distance.

On the shore, Jianshi, Qingye, Dabang, and others stood there, watching the fleet sail away until the last ship disappeared into the morning mist. Only then did they turn and leave. The fleet sailed downstream at a fast speed. Yan stood at the Chuantou, facing the morning wind, watching the scenery on both banks slowly recede. The strongholds of the Fire Tribe passed by one by one, and the scale of those strongholds had grown even larger.

Standing beside Yan, Feiyu gazed at the massive fleet and remarked, "Young Chief, our Fire Tribe's maritime strength has now far surpassed that of the Valley Tribe. The Valley Tribe's own transport capacity is only around one million catties, which is like an ant compared to an elephant compared to us. Before, they only relied on having ten ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 catties each to swagger around the Fish River, looking down on everyone and not even glancing at others. Now, our Fire Tribe's maritime strength has greatly increased. We have more large ships than them, and far more small ships. Our transport capacity is now several times greater. If our Fire Tribe truly wants to trade downstream on the Fish River, the Valley Tribe will not stop us, nor can they, and dare not stop us."

Yan shook his head and said, "Right now, we are developing a military mutual aid alliance with the Valley Tribe. We are allies and partners, not enemies. Besides, now is not the time to take our fleet to the lower reaches of the Fish River for trade. The timing is not right. Let's wait until we have built ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin by the end of the year."

Bailin said, "This time we're taking such a large fleet to the Valley Tribe —ten ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin, fifty ships with a carrying capacity of 20,000 jin, and two hundred ships with a carrying capacity of 10,000 jin. They should be very surprised, right? I bet they'll be shocked when they see our fleet. I really want to see Daiyan's expression at the Little Valley Camp Outpost, to see if he can still be as arrogant and domineering as before. He used to always flaunt his 50,000-jin-capacity ship in front of us."

Feiyu laughed, his eyes narrowing into slits. "Every time we go there, Daiyan comes to show off in a ship with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin, swaying back and forth in front of us like a proud rooster. Last time, our Fire Tribe brought a ship with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin, and Daiyan was stunned. His mouth was agape, and he couldn't close it for a long time. His eyes almost popped out, like he had seen a ghost. This time, we brought ten ships. Daiyan will definitely be even more shocked than last time."

Jia Li also spoke up, his voice tinged with pride and smugness. "In the future, we will have more and more ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin. By the end of the year, we will have ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin. Those are things that only the Tiger Tribe has. They are as big as mountains. When the people of the Valley Tribe see these big ships in person, they will definitely be even more shocked than when they see ten 50,000-jin ships. At that time, the way they look at us will be completely different."

Yan nodded and said seriously, "Our main focus right now is transporting grain, ensuring we have enough to eat, guarding against the Tiger Tribe, protecting ourselves, and avoiding being annexed. We need to keep a low profile, avoid being ostentatious or making enemies. After all, the Valley Tribe is now our ally and partner. We should respect, help, trust, and support each other."

Everyone nodded and said no more, returning to their own boats as the fleet continued downstream along the Fish River.

A few days later, in the afternoon, as the sun was setting, the Red Flower River Mouth Outpost came into Yan's view. A man stood on the dock, burly and broad-shouldered, craning his neck to look in this direction. Who else could it be but Dali? He wore an old linen shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his thick forearms, his muscles firm, veins bulging, his hands rough and powerful, his knuckles large, with dirt still embedded in his fingernails, but his eyes shone like two lamps, like two stars.

Dali insisted on having the fleet rest at the Red Flower River Mouth Outpost for one night, saying that since it was a rare trip, it wouldn't be right not to let them stay for a meal and a rest. Yan had already made preparations and knew that he was reluctant to leave those big ships and wanted to see them, touch them, sit on them, and enjoy them as much as possible. He smiled and agreed, letting the fleet dock.

Dali arranged for people to settle Yan and the others in, providing them with the best rooms and the finest food. Then, he couldn't wait to board a boat with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin. He sailed on the Fish River for quite a while, turning and circling back and forth. Only when it was completely dark, the stars had come out, and the moon had risen, did he reluctantly return. His face was full of a satisfied smile, his eyes were squinted into slits, and his mouth stretched to his ears, as sweet as if he had eaten honey.

Dali found Yan and immediately praised, "Yan, our own big ship is so comfortable! It's even better than the one in the Valley Tribe. It's stable, doesn't rock or sway, and doesn't make you seasick. It's like sitting at home. You never get tired of sitting on it, and you don't want to get up. You wish you could sleep on the ship every day."

Yan smiled, feeling happy to see his excited expression. He said, "Uncle Dali, don't worry or be envious. The tribe is building a large ship right now, working day and night. The workshops never stop even when people are resting. After we return from transporting grain from the Valley Tribe, Father will assign you a ship with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin to your Red Flower River Mouth Outpost. Then you can ride it every day, ride it to your heart's content, until you don't want to ride it anymore."

Dali said with satisfaction, "That's good. I also can't take my eyes off big ships, like I've seen a treasure, like I've seen a long-lost relative."

Yan's tone turned serious, his smile vanished, and he continued, "Uncle Dali, you mentioned last time you went back to headquarters that many small tribes in the Green Leaf River Basin wanted to join our Fire Tribe. What exactly is the situation? Could you tell me more details so I'm fully informed?"

Dali's smile faded, and he said seriously, "They are mainly tribes from the south bank of the Green Leaf River and a few from the north bank, scattered along both sides of the river. They are not affiliated tribes of the Long Leaf Tribe and Short Leaf Tribe, and are independent of them. These tribes are not doing very well. They heard that the people from the Red Flower River, Orange River, and the Green Leaf River basin who joined us last year are doing so well, so they are tempted to join our Fire Tribe and want to live a better life too."

He paused, then continued, "I promised them when I came back last time. They're currently preparing and packing their things. There are about five thousand of them. They're just waiting for you to bring back the grain from the Valley Tribe so they can come and pick them up."

He paused, then continued, "Many people in the Green Leaf River Basin have joined our Fire Tribe. The population here is dwindling, the land is becoming increasingly barren, and the lives of the Long Leaf Tribe Short Leaf Tribe are also being affected. They used to be semi-middlemen, making a good profit by reselling the goods we sold to them, and they lived a decent life. Now, with fewer and fewer people in the Green Leaf River Basin, fewer people are buying things, making their business harder, and their lives aren't as good as before. They're now inquiring about joining our Fire Tribe, but they're still observing, hesitant, and undecided."

Yan nodded and said, "There's no rush. Let them take their time and think it over. Once the Long Leaf Tribe Short Leaf Tribe and their affiliated tribes join us, our Fire Tribe's influence will extend to the Green Leaf River Mouth estuary. At that time, we will directly border the Clothing Tribe, and our Fire Tribe's territory will expand considerably."

Dali nodded Dali and said, "Yes, our population will increase significantly by then, and we won't be far from 150,000 people. A tribe of 150,000 people, that's a huge tribe!"

Then, Yan chatted with Dali for a while, discussing the specific situation of the Green Leaf River Basin, the list and number of tribes that wanted to join, and the attitude and movements of the Long Leaf Tribe Short Leaf Tribe. After that, he went to rest, lay down on the animal skin rug, and quickly fell asleep.

The next morning, before dawn, the fleet set off. Dali stood on the dock, watching the ten giant ships, each weighing 50,000 jin, gradually disappear into the distance, and remained motionless for a long time.