The Fire Tribe's Grand Meeting
Just as the two major factions of the Tiger Tribe were locked in a fierce struggle, the Fire Tribe held a large meeting. The Little Fish River Mouth Outpost became lively, with the docks filled with boats of all sizes. There were giant ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin, large ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin, and many small boats, all densely packed together. The sails were furled, the masts stood tall, and the oars were neatly arranged on the gunwales.
The fleets coming from the Fire Tribe's main valley, the Red Flower River Mouth Outpost, and the Green Leaf River Mouth Outpost, along with the council hall at the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost, were already packed with people. Leaders of all ranks filled the hall to capacity, with Jianshi sitting in the main seat.
Today he wore a blue linen robe, new, without patches or wrinkles, neat and tidy. He wore a bronze-buckled leather belt around his waist, from which hung a bronze dagger with simple patterns engraved on its scabbard. He wore animal-hide boots, soft and warm made of deerskin, and his hair was neatly combed.
He wore a smile, but deep weariness was hidden in his eyes. These days, he had been so busy that he had no time to rest. During the day, he had to handle all kinds of affairs in the tribe, and at night he had to read news reports from all over the country. Sometimes he was so busy that he could not sleep until midnight. But his back was still straight, his eyes were still sharp, and his voice was still loud.
Yan sat to his right, wearing a simple white linen robe without any patterns. A hemp rope was tied around his waist, from which hung a jade pendant—a gift from Qingsui, which he always carried with him.
A faint smile graced his face, but deep thoughts lingered in his eyes. Although he had won a battle against the Valley Tribe, the strength of the Tiger Tribe weighed heavily on his mind. 180,000 people, 30,000 armored warriors, bronze weapons, and giant ships. Although the Fire Tribe had developed rapidly, it was still far behind the Tiger Tribe as a whole.
Jianya sat to the left of Jianshi, wearing a gray linen robe with a hemp rope tied around his waist and straw sandals on his feet. His hair was a bit messy and his eyes were bloodshot, obviously because he hadn't slept well last night. These days, he had been extremely busy in the valley of the Fire Tribe headquarters, settling newly recruited people, building new ships, and cultivating new fields. He was on the go all day long.
Dali sat next to Jianya, wearing a black linen robe, a leather belt with a bronze buckle around his waist, and animal skin boots. He was a burly man with broad shoulders and a thick waist. When he sat there, he looked like a mountain. He had a smile on his face and his eyes were bright.
Dazhuang sat next to Dali, wearing a blue linen robe with a hemp rope tied around his waist and straw sandals on his feet. He was also very strong, with bulging muscles on his arms like Shitou. His face was expressionless, and he sat quietly.
Dabang sat in the back row, wearing a gray linen short robe with a hemp rope tied around his waist and straw sandals on his feet. His hair was a little white and the wrinkles on his face were deep, but his eyes were still sharp, like knives. Over the years, he had made many contributions with Jianshi and was one of the elders of the Fire Tribe.
Jia Li sat beside the Dabang, wearing a white linen robe, a leather belt with a bronze buckle around his waist, and animal skin boots on his feet. His hair was neatly combed and held in place with a jade hairpin, which he had bought from the Valley Tribe last time for a considerable amount of money. He had a smile on his face, and his eyes were narrowed into slits.
Feiyu and Bailin sat further back, Shibang and Yingmu sat in the last row, and the other leaders were also seated. Some were talking in hushed tones, some were drinking tea, and some were resting with their eyes closed. The council hall was buzzing with activity.
Jianshi coughed softly, but the council chamber immediately fell silent.
"I've called everyone here today because there are some things we need to discuss. Yan led a fleet to the Valley Tribe to transport grain and fought a battle with the Tiger Tribe and Bear Tribe, as I'm sure you all know."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.
"Although we defeated the Tiger Tribe, the overlords of the Fish River, this victory was also quite fortunate. The Tiger Tribe sent a detachment, not their main force, and we caught them off guard, which is why we won so decisively."
His voice deepened, "However, the Tiger Tribe certainly won't let this go after suffering such a loss. They are the overlords of the Fish River Basin, the most powerful tribe in the area. Having lost face and suffered such a great loss, they will definitely try to get revenge. They will definitely come back for retaliation. Although they have internal strife and conflicts, they are not fools. They won't just watch a powerful opponent grow stronger under their noses. Next time they come, their forces will definitely be much larger, with more boats, more people, and better weapons. We must be prepared for this and not let our guard down."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded, their smiles fading and replaced by a more serious expression.
Yan said, "Father is right. The Tiger Tribe's fleet this time only has three giant ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin and about twenty large ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin. But they have even stronger fleets to the east and west. If they bring all of these fleets to deal with us, the Fire Tribe will be under tremendous pressure."
He paused, thought for a moment, and then said, "However, we don't need to worry too much. To the east of the Tiger Tribe are the Wuyue Tribe, and to the west are the Shu Tribe. Neither of these tribes is easy to deal with; they each have hundreds of thousands of people, bronze weapons, and giant ships. The Tiger Tribe doesn't dare to send all its fleets upstream. They have to guard against the east and west and keep enough troops stationed there."
Jianshi nodded, his eyes showing more approval, and said, "Yan is right. Although the Tiger Tribe is powerful, they are surrounded by enemies and dare not go all out against our Fire Tribe. This is our opportunity, this is our advantage."
He looked around, his voice becoming more forceful as he said, "Our conflict with the Tiger Tribe has begun. This won't be resolved with just one or two clashes; it will definitely be a long-term confrontation. Everyone needs to be mentally prepared, have patience, and be determined."
He stood up, placed his hands on the table, leaned slightly forward, and scanned everyone present, saying, "Our Fire Tribe's current strength is still somewhat inferior to that of the Tiger Tribe as a whole."
His voice rose a few decibels as he said, "But we are more united than they are! They have internal strife, we don't! Within the Tiger Tribe, the faction of Elder Tongding and the faction of the three Hu Bashan brothers are fighting to the death, neither side can tolerate the other. We all think and act in unison, without internal strife or infighting!"
He clenched his fist, waved it in the air, and shouted, "As long as our entire tribe works together as one, there's no obstacle we can't overcome, no battle we can't win! No matter how powerful the Tiger Tribe is, we're not afraid! If they come, we'll fight! If they want war, we'll fight!"
Hearing this, the crowd was filled with fervor. They stood up, raised their fists, and shouted, "Fight! Fight! Fight!"
The sound was deafening, echoing throughout the council hall for a long time. Jianshi raised his hand and gestured for everyone to sit down. After everyone quieted down, he turned to look at Jianya, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"Jianya, how's it going at the Fire Tribe headquarters? How's the construction of that 100,000-jin (50,000 kg) large ship coming along?"
Jianya stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and said in a loud voice, "Chief, esteemed leaders, things are going quite smoothly at the Fire Tribe headquarters." His voice carried a hint of pride and satisfaction. "The newly recruited men are adapting quickly to their new homes in the valley, and we'll soon be able to allocate another batch to various outposts."
He paused, thought for a moment, then held up five fingers and waved them in the air, saying, "During this time, we've built five more giant ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin each. These have all been brought to the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost dock. Adding to the previous five, our Fire Tribe now has ten giant ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin each!"
The council chamber erupted in commotion, with people whispering and discussing amongst themselves.
Ten ships already? That fast?
"How long has it been? There were only five ships at the last meeting, and now there are ten?"
"At this rate, we'll definitely be able to complete the plan to build twenty ships this year, and we might even exceed it!"
Jianshi nodded in satisfaction, his smile deepening and the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes smoothing out.
"Good! Good! Good!" He exclaimed three times, each time louder and clearer than the last. "At this rate, our Fire Tribe's plan to increase the number of giant ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin to twenty this year will not only be completed, but will be completed ahead of schedule!"
Jianya nodded and sat down, while Jianshi turned his gaze to Dabang.
Dabang stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and said in Chenwen voice, "Chief, esteemed leaders, since the management center moved to the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost, all the Fire Tribe's ships with a carrying capacity of less than 100,000 jin have been manufactured here. During this period, our Little Fish River Mouth Outpost has built fifteen new large ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin each."
He paused, thought for a moment, and then said, "The bronze workshop is also doing well. Copper ore is being transported over continuously from the Deer Tribe, and the amount of bronze being smelted is increasing, with better and better quality. Now, in addition to equipping all the warriors with bronze weapons, there are still many left over, and we can also trade the surplus with other tribes."
"Salt production is also going well; output has doubled. Now, our Fire Tribe not only has enough salt for our own consumption, but we can also trade some with the Valley Tribe, Horse Tribe, and Clothing Tribe."
Jianshi nodded repeatedly, his smile deepening.
"Good! Good! Well done!"
Dabang sat down, Jianshi looked at Dali again, Dali stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and said in a voice like thunder:
"Chief, esteemed leaders, the Red Flower River Mouth Outpost is developing quite well!"
Jianshi nodded, his eyes full of approval.
"Good Dali, Dali!"
Dali grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, and sat down. Jianshi then looked at Dazhuang.
Dazhuang stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and said in Chenwen voice:
"Chief, esteemed leaders, the Green Leaf River Mouth Outpost and Little Horse River Mouth Outpost are continuously expanding. The outpost on the Clothing River South Bank is also under construction; the camp and docks are complete, and we will continue to expand and increase manpower."
Jianshi nodded repeatedly, his smile deepening.
"Good! Good! Good!" He said "good" three times in a row, his voice full of satisfaction and pride. "The Fire Tribe's rapid rise is all thanks to everyone's hard work! Without your tireless efforts and dedication, the Fire Tribe wouldn't be where it is today! But we must continue, we must keep going! We can't be arrogant, we can't slack off, we can't stop! Although our Fire Tribe is developing rapidly, there's still a considerable gap compared to those larger tribes!"
His voice deepened, becoming more serious as he said, "I heard from Yan that further north of the Tiger Tribe, there's an even larger tribe! They have hundreds of thousands, even millions! They possess bronze artifacts, large ships, cavalry—everything! Our Fire Tribe's development cannot be neglected!"
Upon hearing this, the smiles on everyone's faces faded, replaced by a sense of solemnity. A tribe of hundreds of thousands of people—what did that even mean? The Tiger Tribe, with only 180,000 people, was already the overlord of the Fish River Basin. How powerful would a tribe of hundreds of thousands have to be? How many ships? How many warriors? How many bronze weapons?
The council chamber fell silent. Yan spoke up, "Father is right. This world is vast, and there are many tribes. Although we are developing rapidly now, we cannot be arrogant or complacent. We must continue to work hard and grow stronger so that we can survive in this dog-eat-dog world, protect our people, and protect our homeland."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Jianshi remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Alright, enough of that, let's get down to business."
He looked at Dazhuang, his gaze now more serious.
"Dazhuang, in a few days, you will lead the Fire Tribe's grain transport fleet to the Valley Tribe to deliver grain. This mission is very important, so be careful."
Dazhuang stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and said in Chenwen voice:
"Rest assured, Chief, I will definitely bring the grain back safely!"
Jianshi nodded, then looked at Yan and said, "Yan, you'll be in charge of taking over some of Dazhuang at the Green Leaf River Mouth Outpost, Little Horse River Mouth Outpost, Clothing River South Bank Outpost. Dazhuang has gone to transport grain, so these places can't be left unattended. You need to keep a close eye on them."
Yan stood up, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Yes, Father."
Jianshi paused, thought for a moment, and then said, "In addition, you should take a portion of the fleet to the Clothing Tribe, the Horse Tribe, and the Big Horse River Basin to do some business and exchange ideas with them."
Yan nodded and said, "Yes, Father, I will prepare as soon as I get back."
Jianshi gave a few more instructions and mentioned some things to pay attention to. Then he dismissed everyone. The crowd stood up, clasped their hands in greeting, and filed out. The council hall gradually emptied, leaving only Jianshi, Yan, Jian Jianya, Dali, and Dazhuang.
Jianshi looked at Yan and said, "Yan, you need to be extra careful this time when you go to the Clothing Tribe, the Horse Tribe, and the Big Horse River Basin."
Yan nodded and said, "Father, don't worry, I will be careful."
Jianshi patted him on the shoulder and said, "Go on, go do your thing."
Yan clasped his hands in a salute, then turned and walked out of the council hall.