Grim News Arrives
In the council hall of the Valley Tribe headquarters, the discussion continued. The atmosphere was originally peaceful. Daiyue was drinking tea and chatting with the seven elders, while Qingsui sat in the corner listening. Everything was as calm as usual. However, this peace was soon broken.
The door to the council hall of the Valley Tribe was suddenly pushed open with a loud bang. Quyong rushed in, panting heavily, his face ashen, veins bulging on his forehead, and sweat streaming down his face. Behind him followed a young warrior, his clothes soaked and clinging to his body, his face filled with terror, his eyes wide open, and his legs trembling. The two stumbled into the council hall, one after the other, as if being chased by wolves.
Daiyue and the seven elders were shocked by the scene, nearly dropping their teacups. Quyong, who was in charge of the docks, was usually steady and reliable. He would only rush in to report something like this in the event of a major emergency, and only then would he have the authority to report directly. For him to be so flustered, like an ant on a hot pan, meant that something terrible had happened in the tribe. The elders put down their teacups, sat up straight, and became tense.
Quyong's voice changed as soon as he entered, and he shouted urgently, "Chief, elders, something terrible has happened! Our patrol boats spotted a huge fleet approaching downstream on the Fish River, a dark mass stretching as far as the eye can see! Our patrol boats went to negotiate, but they were rammed and capsized like leaves being turned over. All the brothers on board fell into the water and are struggling, their fate unknown! The other side clearly has hostile intentions; they're most likely here to fight and kill! They're now aggressively heading towards our Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp dock, like hungry wolves pouncing on their prey!"
The council chamber erupted into chaos, like a pot of boiling porridge, bubbling and gurgling, or like a hornet's nest that had been disturbed, buzzing and humming. The seven elders stood up one after another, some slamming their fists on the table, some glaring, some exclaiming in alarm, their voices high-pitched and shrill, some cursing and swearing. It was a complete mess, everyone was like a swarm of headless flies.
After hearing Quyong's words, Daiyue Yue's head was buzzing, his vision went black, and he saw stars. He suddenly stood up, knocking over his chair with a loud crash that was particularly jarring in the quiet council hall. He braced his hands on the table, his fingers turning white from the effort, his knuckles cracking as if they were about to break.
The sudden uproar brought Daiyue back to his senses. He took a deep breath, his chest heaving like a bellows, and slammed his hand on the table with a loud bang, shouting, "Quiet! Stop arguing! What's the use of arguing? Will arguing drive the enemy away?"
The council hall of the Valley Tribe headquarters fell silent instantly; you could hear a pin drop. All eyes were on Daiyue.
Daiyue wiped the sweat from his brow, which streamed down his face and dripped onto the table. He spoke urgently and sternly to Quyong and the warning officer, firing off a barrage of questions. "Which tribe does this fleet belong to? How many ships are there? How big are they? How long until they reach our Little Valley Camp? What preparations have you made? Speak quickly! One by one!"
The warning officer knelt on one knee, trembling, his face deathly pale. His voice was hoarse as he reported, "Chief, the approaching fleet is flying the flags of the Tiger Tribe and Bear Tribe. They must be from those Tiger Tribe! They have three ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 Bear Tribe each! Nearly twenty ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin each, and the rest are ships with carrying capacities of 10,000 jin and 5,000 jin each. We couldn't count them all from this distance; there were too many, our eyes are blurry! They've already reached the dock at Little Valley Camp and are already fighting. We heard the battle cries when we arrived!"
Quyong's voice was urgent, but more Chenwen than the warning officer's. He quickly replied, "Chief, I have already ordered our Valley Tribe's ships to assemble at the headquarters dock and await orders. All the operational ships have been mobilized, including ships with a carrying capacity of 75,000 jin, a dozen or so ships with a carrying capacity of 10,000 jin, and more than thirty ships with a carrying capacity of 5,000 jin. I have also sent word to Chief Fengren; he should be preparing and should be arriving soon!"
When Daiyue heard that it was the fleet of the Tiger Tribe and the Bear Tribe, he was shocked and his face turned pale. Three giant ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 catties each and nearly twenty ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 catties each. The Valley Tribe had no way to compete with this force on the water.
Then, upon hearing that the Tiger Tribe and Bear Tribe's boats had both headed towards the Little Valley Camp, Daiyue repeatedly cried out, "Oh no! Oh no! The Little Valley Camp Outpost only has three boats with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin each. How can we possibly compete with these two tribes on the water? Those three boats are the culmination of our Valley Tribe's hard work, our decades of the Valley Tribe, and our lifeline on the water!"
When he heard Quyong say that the ships at the headquarters dock had assembled and were ready to go, Daiyue's heart eased a little, as if a Shitou had been lifted from his shoulders. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down, his mind racing like a spinning top.
He then loudly ordered Fengren, who was rushing over, "Chief Fengren, quickly gather all the warriors from our main camp! Gather as many as you can, the more the better, and the faster the better! The Tiger Tribe and Bear Tribe are coming with great force, but they are all naval forces. We must first secure our land camp, reinforce the fences, deepen the trenches, and set up the Lujiao. We cannot allow them to spread the war to our Valley Tribe's main camp. As long as we hold our camp, they will not have enough manpower and will not be able to do anything to our Valley Tribe for the time being. Our Valley Tribe will then have a chance to catch its breath!"
After bowing respectfully, Fengren turned and ran off to prepare and make arrangements. Daiyue then urgently instructed Quyong, "Go to the dock and wait. Don't let the fleet act rashly. Just keep an eye on them from a distance. Don't get close or act impulsively. I'll be there soon! Also, immediately send boats upstream along the Fish River to warn and request reinforcements from the Fire Tribe! Send the fastest boats, send several, and take several routes. Don't let them all get blocked! I estimate that the Fire Tribe's grain transport fleet is already on its way. They'll be transporting Fire Tribe in the spring. If we send boats there, we might encounter them. The Fire Tribe is now a military ally of our Valley Tribe Valley Tribe. They know about our situation and will definitely help us. They won't stand by and watch us die. As long as we hold out until the Fire Tribe's fleet arrives and they come to our rescue, there might still be a chance for things to turn around, there might still be hope!"
Quyong nodded and turned to run off to prepare. Daiyue turned to the seven elders, his gaze sweeping over each one, lingering on their faces for a moment. His voice Chenwen and powerful, carrying an unquestionable tone. "Elder, take men to reassure the tribespeople. Don't let them panic, don't let them run around, don't let them get into chaos. Tell them that with our warriors guarding the camp, everything will be alright. Let them rest assured. Second Elder, take men to prepare the supplies and move them to the edge of the camp so we can use them anytime." Third Elder, take your men and open the armory. Bring out all the weapons, use what you can, and distribute them to every warrior. Fourth Elder, take your men and evacuate the elderly and weak to a safe place. Don't let them get in the way of the camp, and don't let them die needlessly. Fifth Elder, Sixth Elder, Seventh Elder, you assist us in our actions and are ready to be deployed at any time. Do whatever we tell you to do. This is a time of crisis for the tribe. We hope everyone will work together to overcome this difficulty, avoid infighting, and not hold each other back!
The seven elders responded in unison, their voices loud and clear. They all left the council hall to attend to their respective tasks, their steps hurried.
Daiyue strode out of the council hall and headed towards the dock of the Valley Tribe headquarters to meet up with Quyong. Along the way, he saw that the camp had become chaotic, like a hornet's nest that had been disturbed. Daiyue quickened his pace, his face gloomy, his brows furrowed, and deep lines etched on his forehead. He pushed through the crowd and pushed aside those blocking his way, arriving at the dock.
On the dock, Quyong was directing the ships. Several large ships were ready to set sail, their sails raised and oars prepared. Soldiers stood on the ships, weapons in hand, their expressions tense. Some were checking the mooring lines, some were inspecting the sails, some were wiping their weapons, some were talking in hushed tones, and some were lost in thought.
Seeing Daiyue approach, Quyong quickly went to greet him, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Chief, the combined fleet of the Tiger Tribe and the Bear Tribe has stormed into our Little Valley Camp dock, rampaging through it like it's uninhabited. Our three ships, each with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin, were sunk before they even left the dock. The brothers on board... all fell into the water, and their fate is unknown. They've also lost more than a dozen ships with a carrying capacity of 5,000 jin. What do we do now? Should we charge in? Should we avenge our brothers?"
Quyong's voice was low, his eyes filled with anger and resentment, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
Upon hearing this devastating news, Daiyue was heartbroken, feeling as if he were being cut by knives and pricked by needles. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, his chest heaving violently, and his nose stung with tears. These 50,000-jin-capacity boats were the Valley Tribe Valley Tribe's greatest asset on the water, the culmination of years of hard work and dedication from generations of the Valley Tribe, and the result of countless hours of painstaking effort from the Valley Tribe's artisans. The Valley Tribe only had ten such boats, and now the Tiger Tribe and Bear Tribe had sunk three of them, resulting in a loss of nearly a third of their fleet. A third! Daiyue couldn't remain calm; his hands trembled, his lips quivered, and he couldn't speak for a long time, as if something was blocking his throat.
After a long while, Daiyue finally opened his eyes, which were red. He shook his head and said in a hoarse voice, "We can't go. We can't act rashly now. They are powerful on the water now, with three giant ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin and nearly twenty large ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin. If we go with our small fleet, we'll just be throwing our lives away. We'll be wasting our lives. They are no match for our Valley Tribe on the water. We can't defeat them on the water right now."
He paused, then said to Quyong, "You now lead our Valley Tribe's fleet and monitor their fleet from a distance. Don't approach or act rashly. If they land, risk transporting warriors to the other side to provide support. If they don't land, continue to monitor them from a distance, watching their every move. If they come after you, go upstream along the Fish River to find the Fire Tribe. Do you understand? Remember?"
Upon hearing this, Quyong understood Chief Daiyue's thoughts and knew that a direct confrontation was not a good idea at this time. The Valley Tribe could only endure it for now and preserve its strength. He nodded heavily, clasped his hands in salute, his eyes red, and turned to board the boat to carry out Daiyue's orders.
Daiyue stood on the dock, watching Quyong's fleet slowly sail away, oars cutting through the water. He felt a mix of emotions. He took a deep breath, turned and walked heavily towards the camp. After Daiyue had made these arrangements, Fengren had also gathered many warriors from the Valley Tribe headquarters to await orders. Thousands of warriors stood in the center of the Valley Tribe headquarters camp, weapons in hand, solemn, their eyes filled with anger.
Fengren strode forward to greet Daiyue, clasped his hands in a salute, and said in a loud voice, "Chief, I have assembled four thousand warriors from headquarters, ready to attack at any time! Weapons have been distributed, and food supplies are prepared—enough for three days!"
Daiyue nodded, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers. Feeling slightly relieved, he spoke in Chenwen voice, "Our Valley Tribe isn't in a rush to attack. We shouldn't act rashly or fall into the enemy's trap. You take your men and guard the key strongholds of our Valley Tribe's main camp: the docks, warehouses, granaries, council hall, and wells. Wait for my orders from now on; don't act on your own!"
Fengren nodded in agreement and turned to make arrangements. He led his soldiers to various strongholds, and as they ran, dust billowed and shouts filled the air.
The atmosphere at the Valley Tribe headquarters suddenly became tense, like a fully drawn bow or a taut string. People hurried to and fro, their faces solemn, their brows furrowed, as if a Shitou were pressing down on them. Children were taken to caves behind the camp and hidden in the woods. The elderly were packing up their belongings, packing up everything valuable and portable, tying it up tightly. The women were busy preparing water and food, their feet barely touching the ground. The warriors of the Valley Tribe headquarters stood guard behind the fence, weapons in hand, their eyes fixed on the direction of the Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp.
Daiyue stood at the entrance of the council hall, looking towards the direction of the Little Valley Camp of the Valley Tribe. There, his younger brother Daiyan, his tribesmen, three sunken large ships, and a burning dock were all there. He didn't know what was happening there now, but he knew that a tough battle had just begun, and the real test was yet to come.