Inspection and Bringing the People Back

Yan stayed at the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost for three days. During those three days, he was not idle, but he was not particularly busy either. On the first morning, he checked the accounts of the grain transported back from the Valley Tribe with Jia Li. On the second morning, he went to the dock and took a look at some of the newly launched ships. On the third morning, he went through the entire plan to receive the Horse Tribe again. That afternoon, he began packing his bags, preparing to set off for an inspection the next morning.

On the morning of the fourth day, before dawn was fully broken, Yan set off with Jia Li and Bailin. A pale golden line of morning light had just peeked over the eastern horizon, tinging the lingering mist on the river with a soft, warm hue. The air carried the unique coolness of dawn, invigorating the senses. The ship was already prepared at the dock—a large vessel with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin (approximately 25,000 kg), of moderate size, fast, and easy to moor, able to dock at any of the riverbank outposts. Several smaller boats followed behind, carrying supplies and spare parts for changing shifts, their mooring lines neatly tied.

As Yan stepped onto the gangplank, his footsteps thumped on the planks, the morning dew forming a fine layer of droplets that rustled softly under his boots. He boarded the boat, walked to Chuantou bow, and stood gazing at the river ahead. The sail rose, slowly unfurling in the morning breeze, first billowing slightly at the edges, then catching the wind with a gentle puffing sound. The boat shuddered slightly before slowly departing the dock, heading towards the Red Flower River Mouth Outpost Red Flower River Mouth Outpost —its first stop.

The wharf at the mouth of the Red Flower River Mouth has expanded considerably since my last visit. It extends further into the river, the newly added wooden stakes a lighter shade than the old ones, the bark still fresh and pale yellow. The planks are also new, and you can smell the distinctive bitter aroma of fresh wood. Several boats, large and small, are moored on the wharf, their mooring lines neatly tied, sails furled, and quietly resting on the shore. Many more rows of wooden cabins have been added to the camp, their newly laid thatched roofs a golden yellow, gleaming with the sheen of dry grass in the sunlight. The walls have also been reinforced; several newly replaced wooden stakes are thicker than the old ones, their tips sharpened, casting long, thin shadows in the sunlight.

Dali was already waiting on the dock. Today he wore a black linen robe, a leather belt with a bronze buckle around his waist, from which hung a short knife with a spotless scabbard. He wore animal skin boots, the shafts polished to a gleaming shine in the sunlight. His face was still ruddy, and he was full of energy. Standing there with his hands on his hips, he strode forward as soon as the ship docked. His steps were long and quick, his boots thumping on the wooden planks of the dock, the planks bending slightly under his feet and then springing back up.

Yan jumped off the boat, his boots landing on the dock with a thud. He grabbed Yan's arm Dali, as if to confirm that he had really arrived, or perhaps to use this gesture to say, "It's good that you're here." He looked Yan up and down, his gaze lingering on his face for a moment. "Yan'er, you finally have time to come see me! You've been quite busy lately, haven't you?"

Yan, with his arm being pulled, nodded with a smile and patted Dali's hand with his other hand, saying, "Yes, we just transported back all 40 million catties of grain that we ordered from the Valley Tribe this year. Father asked me to come out and inspect the situation at each stronghold. After we go back, it will be time to pick up the new tribesmen from the Horse Tribe. I want to know how things are progressing on your end."

Dali released his arm, patted his shoulder, and said, "I've also heard about the Horse Tribe's plan to join our Fire Tribe after autumn. The Horse Tribe has a large territory and a lot of people. If they all join after autumn, our Fire Tribe's population and territory will increase significantly. Then we can be much more relaxed in our plans in the north."

As he spoke, he turned to the side and gestured towards the camp. "Come on, let's go inside and take a look. I'll show you around and show you the recent changes at our Red Flower River Mouth Outpost."

Yan followed Dali into the camp, with Jia Li and Bailin keeping a few steps behind. The camp at the Red Flower River Mouth Outpost was indeed much tidier than when they last visited. A new layer of sand had been laid on the road, compacted by footsteps, so it didn't sink in, and you could feel the smooth hardness under your feet. The newly built wooden houses on both sides were neatly arranged, with roughly the same distance between each one, as if someone had measured the distance with their steps. Some of the eaves had strings of dried chili peppers and garlic hanging down, their red and white colors swaying gently in the breeze. Several children squatted in the open space in front of the houses, playing with pebbles, drawing grids on the ground with twigs, jumping around. When they saw someone passing by, they would look up, glance at them, and then lower their heads to continue playing.

Yan walked slowly, his gaze sweeping over every row of wooden houses, every section of wall, and every drying ground. He nodded slightly as he walked, keeping track of everything in his mind. Dali walked beside him, occasionally pointing to a certain area and saying that it was newly built, newly opened, or just completed last month.

After walking for a while, Yan spoke up, "When I went to the Valley Tribe to transport grain this time, a major change occurred in the north."

Dali, who had been pointing to a newly cultivated field in the distance and saying something, paused slightly upon hearing this, his arm hanging in mid-air. He turned to look at Yan, his gaze shifting from eagerness to seriousness. "What change?"

Yan recounted the story of the Wolf Tribe's defection to the Tiger Tribe, their attack on the Great Luwei Tribe, and the Tiger Tribe's subsequent takeover of their territory. His tone was as calm as before, without embellishment, simply recounting the events in chronological order. When he mentioned that the Wolf Tribe had given the Tiger Tribe two thousand dwarf horses, Dali's brow twitched slightly; when he mentioned that the Great Luwei Tribe had been breached, Dali slowed his pace by half a step; when he mentioned that the Tiger Tribe had been secretly building ships and training warriors, Dali's brow furrowed completely, and the corners of his mouth turned down slightly.

Dali listening, Dali didn't speak immediately. He walked in silence for a while, his toes occasionally kicking Xiaoshi on the road, making a soft crunching sound. After a while, he spoke, his voice lower than before. "The Tiger Tribe is, after all, an old and powerful tribe. They must have accumulated a lot of resources over the years. You can't tell normally, but when they really start moving, they probably have more to offer than we imagine. If they bring all of these resources out and convert them into force, it will indeed be a bit troublesome for us to deal with. Fortunately, they are not completely unified internally and haven't truly felt the crisis, otherwise they would act much faster than they have now."

Yan nodded and said, "Yes, Father plans to build more ships and accumulate more resources next year to solidify our foundation before considering other matters."

Dali nodded and said, "That's definitely how it should be."

He led Yan on a walk around the camp. There were many more houses at the Red Flower River Mouth Outpost than when he last came, and the dock had been lengthened. The boardwalk extended further than before, allowing larger ships to dock. In the fields behind the camp, the crops had begun to turn yellow, their ears of grain hanging heavily, shimmering in the sunlight, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Dali stood on the edge of the field, raised his hand and gestured, saying, "These fields are newly cultivated, this is the first year of planting, and the harvest is quite good. Next year, the yield will increase even more. Even if this area grows to 30,000 people next year, it will be enough to house them, and there will still be a surplus of grain. We won't need to transfer grain from headquarters anymore."

Yan walked along the ridge for a while, squatted down, picked up an ear of rice, and examined the plumpness of the grains in his palm. Each grain was full and heavy in his hand. He put the ear of rice back, stood up, patted the crumbs off his hands, and said with a satisfied expression, "I'll tell my father about this when I get back. He'll definitely be happy to hear it."

He turned to Dali and said, "If the tribe has more boats next year, I will suggest to my father that we allocate another boat with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin to this area, and we will also allocate more other boats as needed."

Dali hearing this, Dali's expression brightened noticeably. He smiled broadly, unable to contain his joy, and clapped his hands, saying, "Then I can take turns riding on ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin to patrol the area. When one is docked, I can ride on another." He spoke casually, but his voice betrayed his undisguised delight.

The two chatted for a while longer, Dali Dali invited Yan and his men to stay for a meal. After finishing their meal, Yan and his men didn't linger, bidding farewell to Dali and continuing their patrols of other strongholds. Over the next few days, Yan led his men to the Stone Creek River Mouth Outpost, the Pottery Salt River Mouth Outpost, and then to the strongholds of Hundred Crafts, Beast Taming, Shuize, Qinghe, and High Pointed Mountain. He toured each stronghold, observing and talking with the person in charge. Yan observed and memorized the situation of each stronghold. He didn't ask many questions, but each one hit the key points, and the person in charge answered them all without ambiguity. When answering, some even pointed to actual objects to show him.

Yan planned to visit the strongholds at the Dazhuang Green Leaf River Mouth when he met up with the Horse Tribe. After inspecting the strongholds, he led his men back to the Little Fish River Mouth Management Center. It was already evening when they returned. The setting sun had dyed the sky orange-red, and the edges of the clouds were gleaming in the light. The river reflected the afterglow, like a painting slowly solidifying. The wind was less intense than in the afternoon, and the ripples on the water were finer and softer.

Yan didn't return to his residence but went straight to the council hall. As he entered, he paused at the threshold, letting his footsteps adjust to the slightly dimmer light inside before continuing. Several oil lamps were lit in the council hall, their flames shining brightly in the evening light. The orange glow spread across the table, illuminating the wood grain clearly. Jianshi was sitting in the main seat, holding a wooden tablet in his hand, the tip of a bone needle pressed against the wood as he added something. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, put down the bone needle, moved his fingers away from the edge of the tablet, and fixed his gaze on Yan's face with a questioning expression.

Yan sat down opposite him and, without pausing, recounted the entire inspection from beginning to end. When he mentioned the good development of the river mouth strongholds on both sides of the Fish River, his tone was calm; when he mentioned that the expansion of other inland strongholds was relatively slow, he did not hide anything, but simply stated the facts, as if placing the pieces of a puzzle on a table in order.

After listening, Jianshi Shi put down the bone needle in his hand, pushed the wooden tablet aside, and placed his hands flat on the table, saying, "The river mouth strongholds on both sides of the Fish River are our current focus, so it's understandable that they are developing rapidly. Other inland strongholds were originally weaker, so it's understandable that their expansion is slower. As long as they remain stable and don't cause any problems, there's no need to rush."

He paused, his gaze lingering on Yan's face for a moment before saying, "Regarding your Jianya, although you didn't go this time, I've been keeping an eye on things there. The shipbuilding progress hasn't fallen behind. The goal of increasing the number of ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin to 50 this year has already been achieved. After you brought back those ten ships last time, Jianya handed over a few more. As for the management center, the goal of increasing the number of ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin to 200 this year is also almost complete. We'll be able to finish it all in a while."

He spread his palm on the table for a moment, then closed it again, saying, "Next year, we plan to build more ships. We want to increase the number of ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin to 150. Only in this way will we have more confidence in dealing with the conflict with the Tiger Tribe next year."

After listening, Yan's gaze turned serious. He leaned forward slightly, placed his hands on his knees, and said, "One hundred and fifty ships? That would greatly enhance our naval strength. If there really is a conflict next year, this number can at least ensure that we won't suffer losses on the water."

Jianshi nodded and said, "Therefore, the development of the tribe cannot stop. Shipbuilding must be accelerated, and training must keep up. You inspected the area, and the situation you saw was similar to what I expected. Next, we need to stabilize everything and take it one step at a time. You've been running around non-stop lately. Now that you've inspected all the outposts and the autumn harvest is over, you should take a good rest."

Yan didn't answer immediately. He was quiet for a moment, weighed the time, and then said, "Father, I'm fine. The autumn harvest is over. I plan to go with Uncle Dazhuang and the fleet to bring all the new tribesmen of the Horse Tribe back. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can be at ease and won't have to worry about it anymore."

Jianshi looked at Yan, his gaze lingering on his face for a moment, then he sighed softly and said, "Alright then, since you've decided, go and prepare. Take extra boats with you to the Horse Tribe."

Yan nodded, stood up, and said, "Yes, Father, I will send someone tomorrow to inform Uncle Dazhuang about heading to the Horse Tribe to pick up the people."

Yan chatted with his father for a while longer before turning and leaving the council hall. The door closed slightly behind him. He stood at the doorway, took a deep breath, and felt the night breeze blowing in his face, which invigorated him.