The Postwar Cleanup

After the combined fleet of the Tiger Tribe and Bear Tribe fled in disarray, the surface of the Fish River gradually calmed down. Sunlight shone on the shimmering Fish River, but it couldn't dispel the pervasive stench of blood and burnt flesh in the air—an odor so strong it was nauseating. Broken planks, snapped oars, tattered canvas, and the corpses of warriors floated scattered across the Fish River, drifting with the current like fallen leaves.

Yan led the Fire Tribe's fleet to begin encircling and attacking the ships that had been capsized, broken, or leaked and unable to escape. Most of these ships belonged to the Tiger Tribe, making up over 90%. Although the Tiger Tribe's ships were fast, some were damaged and unable to move, some fell behind, and some were separated from the group. Some ships had large holes in them, water gurgling in, and the hulls slowly sank like dying beasts; some ships had their sails on fire, flames leaping high like tongues of fire, and billowing black smoke like black dragons; some ships had their oars broken.

Most of the Tiger Tribe warriors on the boat were rescued by their own people and escaped downstream. The few who were not rescued mostly ended up in the Fish River.

Yan stood at the Fire Tribe's largest ship, a 100,000-jin (50,000 kg) carrying capacity Chuantou, hands on his hips, his gaze sweeping across the river. His brows were slightly furrowed, forming a small knot, as he pondered something. He looked down on the other ships of the Tiger Tribe, finding them too old and dilapidated, their technology outdated, and not as sturdy as the ships built by the Fire Tribe themselves—they were like a pile of junk. But the sunken 100,000-jin carrying capacity ship held a special place in Yan's heart.

Although the Tiger Tribe's giant ship had been sunk and was half-submerged in the water like a stranded whale, its hull was still relatively intact and hadn't fallen apart. The Yan organization used five giant ships from the Fire Tribe, each with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin (50,000 kg), to slowly tow the sunken ship to the bank of the Fish River. The five giant ships worked together, their oars paddling rapidly, Shuihua splashing everywhere, the ropes taut and creaking, as the sunken ship was gradually pulled out of the water and then slowly dragged to the bank of the Fish River, where it ran aground on the Qiantan.

Yan jumped onto the sunken ship and walked around it, examining it carefully. The Tiger Tribe's ship, with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin, was somewhat different from the Fire Tribe's ship. This giant ship was wider, like a fat man with a big belly; the bottom was flatter, the way the planks were joined was different, and the wood used was also different. Yan touched the planks, then squatted down to look at the structure of the bottom, his eyes narrowing into slits, as if examining a work of art.

He muttered to himself, "Interesting, very interesting." He secretly noted the differences. With the Tiger Tribe's ship, as long as the Fire Tribe thoroughly studied it, it would greatly help improve the Fire Tribe's shipbuilding technology. They could learn from the Tiger Tribe's strengths in shipbuilding and make up for the Fire Tribe's own weaknesses. If needed, these key parts could be disassembled and towed back to the Fire Tribe's headquarters for further study, allowing the Fire Tribe's craftsmen to carefully consider them and the Fire Tribe's shipbuilders to take a good look.

By the time Yan finished these finishing touches, the sun was already setting and the sunlight had become softer. Quyong and Daiyan had also finished assigning tasks at the Little Valley Camp. Both of them were capable and efficient. Quyong was in charge of the Valley Tribe's dock, Daiyan was in charge of the Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp Outpost. The two arranged for their subordinates to clean up the dock, treat the wounded, inventory supplies, and reinforce defenses. After they finished, they quickly took a boat to find Yan.

The two boarded Yan's Fire Tribe, a vessel with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin, their steps light and their faces smiling, but their eyes concealed deep exhaustion, relief, and a sense of surviving a calamity.

As soon as Quyong boarded the ship, he clasped his hands in a deep bow and said with gratitude in his voice, "Chief Yan, thank you so much for your help this time. Our Fire Tribe Valley Tribe will always remember it! If it weren't for your Fire Tribe, our Valley Tribe would have suffered even greater losses. We're afraid we wouldn't have been able to hold onto our Little Valley Camp Outpost Valley Tribe, and even our headquarters would have been severely affected."

Daiyan nodded repeatedly, his voice a little hoarse, "Yes, Chief Yan, we owe a great debt to your Fire Tribe this time. The warriors at our Little Valley Camp were almost at their breaking point, like a fully drawn bow. I thought we were doomed. But your Fire Tribe's fleet arrived so timely, like a timely rain. If it weren't for your Fire Tribe's help, our Valley Tribe Little Valley Camp would probably have been lost, and even our main Valley Tribe would have been severely affected. The consequences would have been unimaginable."

Yan waved his hand modestly and said, "You don't need to thank me. Our two tribes are already in a military mutual aid alliance. We are brothers, allies, and in the same boat. Helping your Valley Tribe Fire Tribe our duty, just like the left hand helping the right. There's no need to be polite or stand on ceremony. Moreover, their attack on your Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp Outpost will definitely have a significant impact on our two tribes' grain trade this year. If 20 million catties of grain can't be transported back, what will our hundreds of thousands of people in the Fire Tribe eat? This is extremely detrimental to both of our tribes, and our Fire Tribe certainly won't allow such a thing to happen. We won't watch our brothers be attacked."

Quyong spoke with a mixture of admiration, emotion, and relief. "Even so, we are still very grateful to the Fire Tribe for their help. Your Fire Tribe is truly formidable. Even a powerful tribe like the Tiger Tribe was routed by you, fleeing in disarray. I had only heard of the Fire Tribe's strength before, but I never imagined they were this powerful."

Yan shook his head modestly and said, "Our victory this time was also very lucky. We were just fortunate. The Tiger Tribe didn't send many ships this time. If the Tiger Tribe had sent all their forces, our Fire Tribe wouldn't have won so easily, and we might have even suffered losses."

Daiyan said, "The Tiger Tribe is currently being held back by two large tribes, like two hands are choking them. The Wuyue Tribe in the east and the Shu Tribe in the west are both tough nuts to crack. These three tribes have been fighting for many years, like a tug-of-war. The Tiger Tribe certainly won't attack us with all their might. Besides, they are very far from us. Even if they travel by water, a round trip would take at least two months, and that's assuming favorable winds. Moreover, they have time to prepare, mobilize troops, and gather supplies. It's not something that can be done in a day or two. If things go smoothly this year, they might come over once more at most, no more."

Yan nodded and said, "That's good. With this buffer time, our Fire Tribe has a chance to catch our breath. This year, our Fire Tribe will increase its large ships quite a bit. There will be many more giant ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin and large ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. As long as the Tiger Tribe doesn't launch a full-scale attack, doesn't come out in full force, and doesn't use its full strength, our Fire Tribe will be able to handle it."

Quyong and Daiyan expressed their gratitude and praise to Yan, showering him with compliments and extolling the Fire Tribe to the skies. Then, they spoke with Yan about the Valley Tribe's losses, their voices lowering in somber mood.

Quyong's voice trembled slightly as he spoke with heartache, "This time, our Valley Tribe lost about half of its ships. It's like we've been slashed in half. Five large ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin sank, and dozens of smaller ones too. It's a devastating blow. These are the assets our Valley Tribe has accumulated over decades, the wealth of several generations. They're the result of the hard work of generations of our Valley Tribe, built one ship by one. I don't know how long it will take to recover to our original scale. A year? Two years? Just thinking about it hurts, like having a piece of my flesh cut off."

Daiyan sighed and said, "Our Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp suffered considerable losses this time, like being punched in the face. Although the fields were mostly undamaged and the crops are still there, the dock is basically ruined and has to be rebuilt from scratch. Only a Little Valley Camp Outpost Valley Tribe, not too many, but seventy percent of them were wounded to varying degrees. Some had broken arms and legs, like broken tree branches; some had arrows piercing their shoulders, like needle pricks; some had Shitou smashing their heads, like being hit by a hammer. Once these warriors recover, many will be unable to work or fight, practically crippled, only able to do light work like sweeping. These warriors were the elite of our Valley Tribe Valley Tribe, trained from childhood. What a pity, such a great pity!"

Yan spoke gently, offering words of comfort, "Don't be too sad, everyone. At least the Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp Outpost was saved this time. The Bear Tribe thought they could capture the Valley Tribe Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp Outpost Little Valley Camp Outpost, believing that once they did, all the crops outside the camp Bear Tribe. So they didn't trample on the crops outside your Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp Outpost stronghold, and the crops in the fields outside the camp suffered little damage. Now that your Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp Outpost hasn't been breached, and your supplies and food are still there, there's still hope. As long as the Valley Tribe develops steadily, things will get better and better, and the future of the Valley Tribe will be increasingly promising. This time, the Tiger Tribe and the Bear Tribe also suffered considerable losses. The Tiger Tribe lost one ship with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin, and five ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin. The Tiger Tribe also lost about 30% of its other small boats. Although the Bear Tribe didn't suffer much damage to its ships, they left more than 300 cavalrymen's corpses outside the Valley Tribe's Little Valley Camp Outpost. This time, they didn't gain anything either; it was like trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead."

Quyong and Daiyan felt much better after hearing Yan's words. The Shitou on their chests lifted, like the sun breaking through the clouds. They nodded, and smiles appeared on their faces, like a rainbow after the rain.

Then they chatted for a while longer, talking about where the Tiger Tribe's fleet had fled to; where the Bear Tribe's cavalry had retreated to and hidden themselves; and when the Fire Tribe's fleet would return home. Then, Quyong, his voice full of enthusiasm, like a ball of fire, spoke passionately:

"Chief Yan, news has come from headquarters that our Chief Daiyue has prepared a banquet at the Valley Tribe headquarters, slaughtering several sheep and pigs, and bringing out the Valley Tribe's finest wine. We invite you to the banquet. Chief Daiyue said he wants to properly thank your Fire Tribe. Please come with us. You must do us the honor of attending this time and give our Valley Tribe face!"

Yan nodded and said with a smile, "Okay, okay. Wait for me a moment, I'll go arrange the fleet matters and give a few instructions."

After speaking, Yan instructed Bailin and Feiyu to take over the remaining affairs of the Fire Tribe fleet. They were to lead the people to clean up the battlefield, salvage supplies, and treat the wounded. Once they were done, they were to dock the ships at the Valley Tribe 'Valley Tribe headquarters pier and set up the Fire Tribe's temporary camp at their usual spot near the Valley Tribe's headquarters pier. After arranging these things, Yan, along with Jia Li, Shibang, and Yingmu, followed Quyong and Daiyan towards the Valley Tribe's headquarters pier.

Shibang played a crucial role in the Fire Tribe's attack on the Tiger Tribe's fleet. It was Shibang who rammed and sank the Tiger Tribe's 100,000-jin (50,000 kg) heavy ship. He led several of the Fire Tribe's 50,000-jin (25,000 kg) heavy ships, like several bulls, ramming the giant ship from the side, smashing it like an egg with a hammer, creating a huge hole. The Tiger Tribe's 100,000-jin ship instantly burst open like a window, water gushing in like a waterfall. Previously, Yingmu had played a significant role in the battles against and annihilation of the Wolf Tribe. His reputation was widespread, and his influence within the Fire Tribe army surpassed that of Shibang, pressing down on Shibang like a mountain. This time, Shibang had made a great contribution, catching up with Yingmu's pace. Even if he couldn't match Yingmu's achievements, he wouldn't be far behind. This made Shibang extremely happy and excited, as if he had been injected with chicken blood or drunk stimulants. His face was always smiling, and his eyes were sparkling like stars. Shibang now couldn't wait to fight the Tiger Tribe Tiger Tribe again, to sink another of their giant ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin, and to make another contribution.

Yingmu walked beside him, watching his excited expression, patted him on the shoulder lightly, and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, stop showing off. You're practically strutting around like a mile a minute. Sinking one of the Tiger Tribe 'Tiger Tribe -capacity ships is enough. How many more do you want to sink? The Tiger Tribe isn't pushovers either. Next time they come, they won't be so polite."

Shibang grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and said, "Next time the Tiger Tribe comes, I'll still be at the forefront, fighting them again. I'll still be the vanguard, still a suicide squad!"

Yan walked ahead, heard their words, shook his head, and smiled—a smile that was helpless, amused, and gratified.