Feast and Alliance

Before Yan and his group even reached the dock of the Valley Tribe Valley Tribe, they could see from afar that the dock was packed with people. The sunlight shone on the river and on the people, giving them a golden glow. The Valley Tribe Valley Tribe's dock was bustling with people, and the tribespeople, dressed in neat linen clothes, were all eagerly waiting.

To welcome Yan and his group, Daiyue, the leader of the Valley Tribe, prepared a grand welcoming ceremony, even more elaborate than any wedding or New Year celebration in the Valley Tribe Valley Tribe. The more than two thousand warriors remaining at the Valley Tribe headquarters, led by Fengren, stood in neat rows from the Valley Tribe 'Valley Tribe dock all the way to the council hall, resembling two straight dragons. The warriors wore leather armor, carried bronze swords at their Valley Tribe, and held long spears, the tips gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Each warrior was spirited, with piercing eyes, heads held high, chests out, like waiting... The soldiers awaiting inspection were surrounded by enthusiastic cheers from the people of the Valley Tribe, their voices rising and falling like waves, deafening. Children rode on their parents' shoulders, waving their little hands and shouting something in clear, melodious voices; women wore brightly colored dresses, holding bouquets of flowers, their faces beaming with smiles like spring blossoms; the elderly stood shakily, leaning on their canes, their eyes narrowed to slits, their mouths stretched to their ears like autumn chrysanthemums.

Yan and his companions were warmed by the Valley Tribe's hospitality, like drinking a bowl of hot soup or warming themselves by a fire in winter. Yan could tell that the Valley Tribe members genuinely welcomed them; it wasn't just for show. Their faces reflected the relief of surviving a disaster, gratitude towards the Fire Tribe, and anticipation for the future. They were now responding to the Fire Tribe's rescue in their own way, saying "thank you" to the Fire Tribe.

As soon as Yan and his companions disembarked at the dock of the Valley Tribe's headquarters, before their feet had even settled and their boots had made a "thud" on the wooden planks, Fengren of the Valley Tribe rushed to greet them enthusiastically, like a gust of wind, like a wild horse unleashed. He wore a suit of leather armor, the plates made of thick, hard cowhide, and a bronze sword hung at his waist, its scabbard engraved with simple patterns and its hilt wrapped with hemp rope. Fengren's eyes were sharp, like an eagle's, but at this moment they were filled with excitement and gratitude, his eyes reddening like a rabbit's. He grabbed Yan's hand and shook it vigorously, so hard that Yan's arm shook and his bones cracked. Then Fengren spoke excitedly:

"Chief Yan, we are so grateful to the Fire Tribe for their timely rescue of our Valley Tribe Valley Tribe! You saved our lives! If the Fire Tribe hadn't intervened, our Valley Tribe Little Valley Camp would likely have been destroyed, and our Valley Tribe would have been severely affected by this battle, suffering even greater losses! The Fire Tribe was truly amazing this time. From our vantage point, we witnessed your Fire Tribe's charge crush the Tiger Tribe's fleet like an adult beating a child! The Fire Tribe is truly incredible, truly remarkable, and truly admirable!"

Fengren's voice was full of excitement, as if he had been injected with chicken blood and drunk stimulants. He spoke like a machine gun, unable to stop, spittle flying everywhere, splashing Yan's face.

Yan spoke in Chenwen voice, "Our two tribes are military allies, brothers, friends, and in the same boat. Our Fire Tribe will not stand idly by and watch our ally be bullied, nor will we stand by and watch our brothers be attacked. However, this time our Fire Tribe won by sheer luck, as if we had gotten a bargain. Our Fire Tribe had the advantage of having more and larger ships, which is why we won this war so easily."

Fengren Yan with praise and thanks, showering him with compliments and trying to elevate him to the heavens. Then, he stepped aside and gestured for him to enter, saying, "Young Chief Yan, esteemed leaders, our leader has prepared food and wine in the council hall. Let's go and have something to eat, chat, and drink as we go."

Yan nodded in agreement and, leading Jia Li, Shibang, and Yingmu, followed Fengren towards the council hall of the Valley Tribe headquarters. At Fengren's signal, the Valley Tribe warriors lining both sides of the road shouted in unison at intervals, "Thank you for the Fire Tribe's help! Thank you for the Fire Tribe's help! Thank you for the Fire Tribe's help!" The shouts rose in waves, echoing through the air, making ears ring like thunder.

Yan walked along the road, flanked by warriors and people from the Valley Tribe. He nodded and smiled in response, feeling a warmth in his heart, as if a fire was burning within him.

When Yan and his group arrived near the entrance of the Valley Tribe's headquarters council hall, the Valley Tribe's leader Daiyue, had already heard the commotion and was waiting at the entrance with the Valley Tribe's seven elders. The seven stood in a row, dressed in neat linen robes, the robes being blue and shimmering softly in the sunlight. Their hair was combed perfectly and held in place with wooden hairpins, their expressions solemn, like seven pine trees. Daiyue stood at the very front, a smile on his face, his eyes narrowed into slits, his mouth stretching to his ears, revealing a set of fairly even teeth, and the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes smoothing out.

Upon seeing Yan and his group arrive, Daiyue immediately stepped forward happily, as if seeing a long-lost relative. He grabbed Yan's hand tightly, his voice filled with excitement and gratitude as he spoke:

"Chief Yan, thanks to the timely intervention of your Fire Tribe, our Valley Tribe's losses were significantly reduced, and much less blood was shed. You easily defeated the Tiger Tribe's fleet on the Fish River, like an adult beating a child. We saw it all clearly from our vantage point. Your Fire Tribe is truly amazing, truly remarkable, and truly admirable! I have prepared fine wine and food in the council hall. Let's have something to eat and celebrate, and have a few drinks!"

Yan smiled and nodded, following Daiyue into the council hall. As they sat down in the Valley Tribe's council hall, Qingsui and her entourage brought out the last few main dishes. She wore a light-colored linen dress, embroidered with Little Flower, lifelike pink flowers on the hem. Her hair was tied in a simple bun, secured with a wooden hairpin, with a few stray strands falling beside her ears, gleaming in the firelight like golden threads. A faint smile graced her face, her eyes sparkling like two stars. She carried the dishes, placing them gently on the table, as if arranging works of art. When she placed a dish in front of Yan, she glanced at him and nodded slightly. Yan nodded back, their eyes meeting in the air.

After a few words of conversation, the atmosphere became relaxed and pleasant, and then everyone began to eat and drink heartily. No one was polite or reserved. Yan ate meat in large mouthfuls and drank wine from large bowls, his mouth greasy and his face and neck red from drinking. Jia Li, Shibang, and Yingmu also wolfed down their food, their cheeks bulging as if they hadn't eaten for days. Daiyue and the seven elders frequently offered toasts, one bowl after another, and the atmosphere became increasingly lively. In the council hall of the Valley Tribe, everyone's laughter grew louder and louder.

When everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, 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. Daiyue put down his wine bowl, wiped his mouth, wiped it with his sleeve, stood up, picked up a bowl of wine, walked to Yan, and solemnly began to speak, as if making a vow:

"Chief Yan, your Fire Tribe has come to our Valley Tribe's aid this time. Our Valley Tribe is willing to send the Fire Tribe Fire Tribe million catties of grain free of charge as a token of our gratitude. Please accept it without hesitation."

Yan also stood up, shook his head, waved his hand, and said firmly, "Chief Daiyue, no need, no need. This is what the Fire Tribe Fire Tribe do, it's our duty, and it's only right that we lend a hand. If the Valley Tribe wants to express its gratitude, we can strengthen our military cooperation alliance with the Fire Tribe in the future."

Upon hearing this, Daiyue immediately expressed his agreement, nodding vigorously and saying, "Good! Good! Chief Yan is right! After this great battle, our Valley Tribe and the Tiger Tribe have completely fallen out, we've completely torn off all pretense of civility. Our Valley Tribe is willing to openly develop a military mutual aid alliance with the Fire Tribe, forming a public alliance. Now the Tiger Tribe has completely sided with the Bear Tribe, and the two tribes are now like two peas in a pod, working together in cahoots. There is no room for maneuver between our Valley Tribe and the Tiger Tribe. Moreover, the Fire Tribe is very powerful, and our Valley Tribe is now very willing to unite with the Fire Tribe to stick together and resist the Tiger Tribe."

Yan smiled, picked up his wine bowl, clinked it against Daiyue's, making a crisp sound, and downed it in one gulp. The wine burned as it went down his throat. Then he said, "Alright! It's settled then! It's a deal!"

Next, Daiyue talked about the losses suffered by the Valley Tribe this time. He sighed and said in a low voice, "Our Valley Tribe's fleet suffered the most this time, losing nearly half of its ships. Five large ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 catties sank, and dozens of small ships also sank. We were severely weakened, as if our strength had been drained."

Yan said sincerely, "We are willing to sell some ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin and 20,000 jin to the Valley Tribe at half price to help your Valley Tribe restore its strength."

Daiyue's eyes lit up, but then dimmed again. He shook his head and said, "The Valley Tribe has suffered considerable losses, like it has recovered from a serious illness. Even if they wanted to replenish their ships, they don't have the capacity."

Yan thought for a moment and then said, "How about this, we can lend three ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin each and some small boats to the Valley Tribe. If our two tribes have grain transactions next year, we can use them to offset the payment."

Upon hearing this, Daiyue was overjoyed, his face beaming with a smile like a chrysanthemum. He grabbed Yan's hand and shook it vigorously, his voice trembling slightly as he said, "Young Chief Yan, this... this is too much! Your Fire Tribe has already helped us so much, how can our Valley Tribe possibly owe us money on credit?"

Yan waved his hand and said with a smile, "It's alright. Our two tribes are allies now, brothers, and friends. Helping each other is only right."

Daiyue nodded repeatedly, his eyes reddening, and said with a sob in his voice, "Alright! Thank you very much, Chief Yan! Our Valley Tribe will remember your Fire Tribe's kindness and will never forget it!"

Yan asked, "Why did the Tiger Tribe suddenly send their navy to attack your Valley Tribe? Aren't they tied down by the two tribes to the east and west? How could they spare troops to cause trouble here?"

Daiyue thought for a moment and said, "We received news that the Tiger Tribe's leader is now eighteen years old. Previously, the power in the Tiger Tribe was basically held by their Grand Elder. The three brothers of the previous leader also held military power and were quite powerful. They were dissatisfied with the Tiger Tribe Grand Elder's monopoly of power and united to rebel. They have been fighting fiercely for the past few years. As the current leader of the Tiger Tribe has grown up, he has tried to ease the relationship between them and also to ease the relationship between the Tiger Tribe and the Shu Tribe in the west. The sanctions against our Valley Tribe were also the work of the current leader of the Tiger Tribe. I estimate that the Tiger Tribe was able to send troops here this time because of the easing of the relationship between the Tiger Tribe and the Shu Tribe in the west. They may not only be here to attack our Valley Tribe. If things go smoothly, they may also cause trouble for your Fire Tribe. Fortunately, your Fire Tribe built so many large ships in such a short time, otherwise we would be in trouble this time."

Yan nodded and said, "It seems that our Fire Tribe brought a ship with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin to the Valley Tribe to transport grain last year, and they discovered it. They also know that our Fire Tribe and the Valley Tribe have a large amount of grain trade, so they brought their troops here directly."

Daiyue nodded and said, "Yes, it's probably the Bear Tribe's doing. They're the closest to us, so their scouts can easily find out about these things. Plus, they have a grudge against our Valley Tribe, so they must have exaggerated a lot of things about us to the Tiger Tribe, which is why the Tiger Tribe reacted so strongly."

Yan said, "Now that it's happened, we can only try to quickly increase our strength to protect ourselves. The Tiger Tribe and the Bear Tribe will definitely not be satisfied after being defeated by us this time. They will definitely come back after making some preparations. We also need to make more preparations."

Daiyue nodded and said, "Yes, our Valley Tribe plans to increase our population to 40,000. We will also strengthen the training of our warriors when we are not busy."

Next, the two finalized the quantity of grain that the Fire Tribe would transport this time: six million catties. They also discussed other matters, including the details of the Tiger Tribe, the recent actions of the Bear Tribe, and the future plans of the two tribes. Then, Yan and his men got up to take their leave.

With Daiyue's consent, Qingsui offered to see them off. She walked beside Yan, and the two walked out side by side without saying a word. The moonlight shone on them, casting long shadows that sometimes overlapped and sometimes separated. Jia Li, Shibang, and Yingmu had already led their men ahead to the Fire Tribe's temporary camp.