Arrival at Little Fish River Mouth Outpost

Yan led the grain transport fleet upstream along the Fish River. The voyage took about twenty days, neither long nor short. The fleet traveled upstream along the Fish River, stopping and starting along the way, like a tired dragon slowly swimming on the river.

That afternoon, as the sun began to set, its rays softened, shimmering on the river's surface. The Little Fish River Mouth Outpost finally came into Yan's view. In the distance, Yan could see the ever-growing dock; the Little Fish River Mouth dock had expanded, and the camp extended outwards. Rows and rows of wooden houses stood neatly, capable of housing at least ten or twenty thousand people. Further on, vast fields stretched as far as the eye could see, lush and green, thriving. Many places that were wasteland last year had become fertile fields, the rice seedlings swaying gently in the wind.

Yan had already sent ships to the Little Fish River Mouth camp to inform Dazhuang in advance. He couldn't wait until they arrived to tell them, or they would be caught off guard. Dazhuang had also estimated the time and knew that Yan should arrive in the next few days. He deliberately didn't go to other strongholds these past few days. He temporarily put aside matters at Pottery Salt River Mouth, Stone Creek River Mouth, Qinghe, Shuize, Hundred Crafts, Beast Taming. He had been waiting for Yan's grain transport fleet at the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost, even eating near the dock, afraid of missing them. He knew that Yan was bringing back a lot of grain this time, five million catties. The dock needed manpower, arrangements, scheduling, and command. He was afraid that things would get chaotic or something would happen if he wasn't there.

As Yan led the fleet slowly toward the Little Fish River Mouth, the fleet emerged from the bend in the river. Dazhuang had already dispatched boats to guide the grain transport fleet to the expanded wharf. Several small boats sailed out from the wharf to lead the way, flags fluttering as they directed the large ships to dock one by one. The ten giant ships, each with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin, were too large, like ten Little Mountain, to fit in ordinary berths. They had to dock in the newly expanded deep-water berths, which were specially prepared for large ships. These berths were deep, with wide banks and sturdy bollards, capable of withstanding the pulling force of the large ships.

Yan jumped off the largest ship and strode towards the dock. His steps were light, and he had a smile on his face, feeling relaxed. Dazhuang stood on the dock, wearing a leather armor made of thick, hard wild boar hide. He had a bronze sword at his waist, with simple patterns engraved on the scabbard and hemp rope wrapped around the hilt. His skin was tanned dark, like it had been painted with ink. His hands were rough like old tree bark, with large knuckles, yellowed nails, and calluses on his palms, like two pieces of sandpaper. He had a smile on his face, his eyes were squinted into slits, and there were deep crow's feet at the corners of his eyes, as if they had been carved with a knife.

"Uncle Dazhuang, the Little Fish River Mouth has been expanded, making it much easier to dock large ships. It's not as crowded as before."

Dazhuang, his voice booming like thunder, echoing across the dock. "Yes, this dock needs to be expanded. The Fire Tribe's ships will only increase in number and size this year, and the Fire Tribe's management center will be completely relocated here around the autumn harvest. I need to be prepared too. Houses need to be built, roads need to be repaired, docks need to be constructed, and warehouses need to be built. We can't have nowhere to dock when the ships arrive, nowhere to live when the people arrive, and nowhere to store the grain when it arrives."

Yan looked at him and noticed that he had become much thinner and darker, but he was in good spirits and his eyes were bright. He said, "Uncle Dazhuang, you've worked so hard these past few days. You've worked so hard. You've been in charge of so many outposts here— Little Fish River Mouth, Pottery Salt River Mouth Stone Creek River Mouth Estuary, Qinghe, Shuize, Hundred Crafts, Beast Taming, and the High Pointed Mountain —all by yourself. You've been running around day and night, and you've gotten so thin and dark. When we get back, I'll ask my father to send you a few more people to share the burden and prevent you from collapsing from exhaustion."

Dazhuang waved his hand and said, "Although this period has been very tough, with me working until midnight every day and getting up before dawn, seeing the tribe getting stronger and stronger fills me with energy. I feel like I have inexhaustible strength, like I've been injected with chicken blood. Moreover, your father recently assigned me a lot of manpower to help me and share a lot of the workload, making things easier for me. The people here are also becoming more and more familiar with the work, and they can do everything quickly. I don't need to supervise them every day anymore. Now I can barely manage here. I'm not as flustered as before, and I'm not as overwhelmed as before."

He paused, looking at the ships laden with grain, his eyes gleaming, and said, "This time you brought back so much grain from the Valley Tribe. Seeing so much food has put the tribesmen at ease. They no longer worry about going hungry, no longer have to count their food on their fingers, and they can even sleep soundly at night."

Yan nodded and said, "Now the Fire Tribe has more and more ships, and they are getting bigger and bigger. There are ten ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 catties, fifty ships with a carrying capacity of 20,000 catties, and hundreds of small ships. The 20 million catties of grain that we ordered from the Valley Tribe this year can be transported by ourselves in three or four trips. We no longer need their assistance."

He paused, raised his voice slightly, and said, "The Fire Tribe is still building new large ships. In addition to equipping the Red Flower River Mouth with ships capable of carrying 50,000 jin each, we'll also equip the Little Fish River Little Fish River Mouth with ships capable of carrying 50,000 jin each. With one ship to the east and one to the west, one to the left and one to the right, we can blockade the Fish River. Then, anyone who wants to cross the river will have to ask our Fire Tribe Fire Tribe first, they'll have to give us a heads-up."

Dazhuang spoke up, his voice tinged with envy and anticipation. "That massive ship with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin is something not only Dali envies, but I'm envious too. He has a ship to ride on at the Red Flower River Mouth, while I have no ship to ride on at the Little Fish River Mouth. I can only stand on the dock and watch him swagger around on the river. It makes me itch with envy, like bugs are crawling all over me."

He paused, then said, "If we can equip the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost with a large ship with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin, I'll take my time, just like Dali, to sail around the river, patrol the Fish River, enjoy the scenery, feel the breeze, and bask in the sun!"

Yan laughed and shook his head, saying, "Uncle Dazhuang, you're joking. You have many strongholds and a lot of things to do. How can you have time to travel around by boat every day like Uncle Dali? He only has one Red Flower River Mouth, which he can manage well. You have so many strongholds here, and there are things to do and people to visit you every day. Even if you go up by boat, you can't sit still. You'll be thinking about things here and things there."

Dazhuang smiled and said, "You must be tired from your journey. Twenty days of sailing is no easy feat. Let's go to the council hall and have something to eat first. I've already had hot food prepared, hot soup and hot rice. We can eat and chat, and have a sip of hot soup to warm ourselves up and relieve our fatigue."

Yan nodded and followed Dazhuang toward the council hall. Feiyu, Bailin, Jia Li, Yingmu, and Shibang followed behind, their steps light and their conversation light. Yingmu and Shibang were arguing about whose fish they saw on the road was bigger, Feiyu and Bailin were talking about their experiences in the Valley Tribe, Jia Li was calculating the accounts for this trip.

The council hall at Little Fish River Mouth was newly built, smaller than the main hall, but still quite impressive. It could seat dozens of people at a time. The walls were made of logs, with rows of round logs tied together with vines and plastered with mud. The roof was thatched thickly and firmly, preventing rainwater from seeping in. Two sturdy pillars stood at the entrance. A fire pit burned inside, making it warm and cozy, dispelling the evening chill. After Dazhuang and Yan's group were seated in the council hall, Dazhuang immediately ordered food to be brought out, adding a few more dishes and a jar of wine.

Everyone immediately began to eat and drink heartily, without any politeness or restraint. Da Zhuang ate Dazhuang fast that his cheeks bulged and he could barely speak. Feiyu and Bailin ate and chatted, talking about their experiences on the road and the interesting things that happened in the Valley Tribe. Yingmu and Shibang fought over a piece of meat, grabbing and snatching it from each other like two children, neither willing to give in. Jia Li ate more politely, chewing slowly and carefully, as if he were savoring something.

When everyone had almost finished eating and drinking, the dishes on the table were almost empty, and several jars of wine had been consumed. Everyone's faces were flushed and their bellies were round. Yan put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, took a sip of tea, and asked in a serious tone.

"Uncle Dazhuang, you mentioned at headquarters last time that many small tribes in the Little Horse River basin wanted to join the Fire Tribe. How many of them are there exactly? Are they all ready? I need to arrange for a boat to pick them up when I get back. I need to know their numbers in advance so I can prepare boats and supplies, and arrange accommodations and work."

Dazhuang put down his wine bowl, wiped his mouth, wiped it with his sleeve, cleared his throat, and said, "Most of these tribes have just migrated to the south bank of the Little Horse River basin. They came from further north. They couldn't survive there; many froze and starved to death in the winter. When they heard that things were better here, with food, clothing, and shelter, they came with their families, like a tide. There are about four thousand people in total, divided into more than a dozen small tribes. The largest tribe has four or five hundred people, and the smallest tribe has only a few dozen."

He paused, thought for a moment, and counted on his fingers, "When I came back last time, I had already agreed to let them join the Fire Tribe. Now they are basically ready, they have packed their things, sold their belongings, disposed of their livestock, and are just waiting for our ship."

He paused for a moment and continued, "When you transport the grain back and bring the boat, just come to the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost to pick up the people. They will gather here; I've had temporary thatched huts built for them."

Yan nodded, silently calculating in his mind that more than four thousand people could be transported back in one trip. He said, "Okay, I should be able to come over within twenty days. By then, these tribes will join us, and our territory on the east bank of the Fish River will expand to the Little Horse River. The Little Horse River will all be our Fire Tribe's territory."

He paused for a moment and continued, "We'll be bordering the Horse Tribe then. They raise horses, we farm, we'll each live our own lives, and we'll keep to ourselves. They have their grasslands, and we have our fields."

Dazhuang also spoke up, "I never imagined that our Fire Tribe could expand its territory to this extent in just a few years, from a small valley to an endless expanse. A few years ago, this would have been unthinkable, something we wouldn't have even dared to dream of."

Yan said, "Our Fire Tribe's territory will only grow larger and larger in the future, and our Fire Tribe will become stronger and stronger, with an ever-increasing population. We can see all of this in just a few years."

The two chatted for a while longer, discussing the specific situations of the tribes in the Little Horse River basin, which tribe had a large population and which had a small population, the movements of the Horse Tribe, what they had been doing recently, and whether there were any signs of expansion, and the spring planting at their stronghold this year, whether the seeds had been sown, and how the seedlings were growing. Then, Yan led everyone to rest.

The next morning, before dawn, Yan got up. He stood on the dock, looking at the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost in the morning light. People were already up and moving around in the camp, and wisps of smoke were rising from the chimneys. In the distance, the sound of roosters crowing could be heard. Cock-a-doodle-doo, a new day had begun.

The warriors of the Fire Tribe also got up one after another. Some were checking the boats and pulling ropes; others were packing up tents. Yan boarded the largest boat, stood at the Chuantou, put his hands on his hips, and gave a command. The sound of the bull horn rang out, echoing on the river in the early morning and startling a flock of birds. The fleet slowly started and sailed out of the Little Fish River Mouth, continuing upstream along the Fish River back to the Fire Tribe headquarters.