The Horse Tribe Joins the Fold

Little Fish River Mouth Outpost, the management center of the Fire Tribe. On the morning of the fourth day, just as dawn broke, the dock was bustling with activity. The Fire Tribe had brought out almost all the boats they could. Forty-five giant ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin were neatly lined up at the dock, followed by more than one hundred large ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin, and then ships with carrying capacities of 20,000 jin, 10,000 jin, and 5,000 jin, each in its own queue, one after another covering the river surface.

Once everything was ready, Yan turned around, walked up the gangplank to his Chuantou, stood at the bow, placed his hands on the gunwale, and scanned the entire fleet from left to right, as if counting the ships again with his own eyes to make sure that no ship had fallen behind or gotten stuck. Then he nodded to the helmsman behind him without saying a word.

The sound of horns rang out, and the fleet slowly left the dock, one ship after another entering the main channel. After several days of sailing, the fleet arrived at the Green Leaf River Mouth Outpost dock. When the fleet docked, Yan saw that Dazhuang was already there with his men and several ships waiting. He stood at the front of the dock, wearing a dark blue linen robe. The robe was new, with neat stitches on the collar and cuffs, without a single frayed edge. He wore a leather belt with a bronze buckle around his waist, with a short knife hanging from it. The scabbard was clean. He wore animal skin boots. Behind him stood dozens of soldiers, the sails half-raised, ready to join the fleet at any time.

As the boat docked, Dazhuang's voice came through. "Yan'er! I heard a few days ago that you were coming, and knowing you were arriving today, I specially waited for you at the dock! We're almost ready here, and we can set off with you to pick up people anytime! Would you like to come down and take a look?"

Yan stood at the Chuantou, still holding onto the gunwale, and nodded to Dazhuang, saying, "Then I won't get off the boat, Uncle Dazhuang. You can come on board. We can talk as we walk. We have enough men at the back of the fleet; we don't need to bring in any more."

Dazhuang responded, turned around and gave a few instructions to his men. He pointed to the boats moored at the dock, said something to a young leader, who nodded and went to make arrangements. Dazhuang then strode onto the gangplank, boarded Yan's boat, and stood beside Yan. He placed his right hand on the gunwale, his gaze sweeping over the fleet. He tapped the gunwale lightly with his finger and said, "This fleet is really large. On the entire Fish River, only the Tiger Tribe and our Fire Tribe can muster this kind of formation. I just counted them at the dock; there are more than forty boats with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin each, right?"

Yan followed Dazhuang's gaze and glanced at the fleet, saying, "Forty-five ships, plus the ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin and those smaller boats. We've brought almost all the usable ships. The Horse Tribe has a large population, so we brought as many as we could this time."

Dazhuang nodded, looked away, turned to face Yan, straightened up, and said, "I've already sent someone to talk to Chief Junfeng of the Horse Tribe. I've told them to send able-bodied men to migrate their cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep overland to the Little Horse River Mouth Outpost and the Fire Tribe's management center, instead of using the boats, so they won't take up space on the ships."

He gestured with his fingers. "Once the cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep arrive, they will be counted and disposed of at the nearest stronghold—those that can be used will be kept, and those that cannot will be slaughtered, cured, and sent to various warehouses in batches. Their elderly, weak, women, and children will wait on the banks of the Fish River within the Horse Tribe's territory; we can go directly to pick them up. As for the large, heavy tools and such, I've instructed them to gather them all at the Horse Tribe's camp. We will send people to oversee and use them afterward; they won't just rot there."

He paused, then added, "In that case, we'll only be taking about 10,000 people this time. The remaining able-bodied men, livestock, and tools can be transported later. There's no need to rush to load everyone onto the boats after the autumn harvest; that would just create chaos, and the boats would be crammed full, with no room for anything else, and the number of people transported would be limited."

Upon hearing this, Yan's expression visibly relaxed, as if Shitou last weight had been lifted from his heart. He turned to face Dazhuang, his voice filled with certainty. "Uncle Dazhuang, you've made excellent arrangements, saving us a lot of trouble. This way, we can bring most of the people back to the Fire Tribe's main valley this time, and the remaining able-bodied men can be taken over quickly. We can finish everything before winter, without dragging it into next year."

Dazhuang raised his hand and waved, saying, "Of course. The Horse Tribe has a large territory and a considerable population. With their addition, the Fire Tribe's strength will increase even further. Moreover, the cattle and horses they bring will make it much easier to cultivate fields. Dry land can be plowed deeper, and paddy fields can also be used. Transporting supplies over land will be much more efficient than carrying them by hand. One trip will be equivalent to several trips. Our cavalry will also increase significantly."

Yan nodded and said, "The Horse Tribe's initiative to join our Fire Tribe has saved us a lot of trouble."

He paused, then lowered his voice, saying, "The situation in the north has changed drastically recently. The Wolf Tribe has already pledged allegiance to the Tiger Tribe. After suffering a loss at our hands last time, the Tiger Tribe has been secretly training warriors and building ships. Now, the Wolf Tribe has helped the Tiger Tribe annex the Great Luwei Tribe. The power of the Tiger Tribe Tribe's Great Elder, Bronze Tongding, has greatly increased. Once they have absorbed the Great Luwei Tribe's territory and settled the new population and land, they will definitely come looking for trouble. Next year, we will very likely face off against the Tiger Tribe head-on."

After listening, Dazhuang's smile faded slightly, but he didn't show much tension. He remained silent for about two or three breaths before speaking, "As long as the Tiger Tribe doesn't come with all their might, they can't do anything to our Fire Tribe. Their main force is tied down by the Wuyue Tribe in the east and the Shu Tribe in the west. They have to defend both sides, so the forces they can spare to deal with us are limited. Moreover, in terms of fleets, we are now almost as good as them. If they send a detachment, we can definitely hold them off."

Yan nodded and said, "Yes, Father plans to build more large ships next year, increasing the Fire Tribe's ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin to 150. We also plan to stockpile more supplies. Your area is the closest to the conflict zone, so next year will be the focus of the tribe's development."

Hearing this, Dazhuang straightened up, his back even more upright than before. He raised his voice and said loudly, "Don't worry, the Green Leaf River Mouth Outpost, Little Horse River Mouth Outpost, and the Clothing River South Bank Outpost are all expanding their houses and camps. New fields are also being cultivated and prepared. Next year, the Green Leaf River Mouth Outpost will definitely be able to accommodate 30,000 people, and the Little Horse River Mouth Outpost Clothing River South Bank Outpost can each accommodate about 20,000 people."

Yan nodded after listening and said, "30,000 at the mouth of the Green Leaf River Mouth, 20,000 at the Clothing River South Bank of the Little Horse River Mouth, and 20,000 on the south bank of the Yi River. In addition, the Feiyu is also expanding at the mouth of the Big Horse River Mouth. Next year, we can accommodate about 70,000 people on our northern front alone. If a war really breaks out, we can spare tens of thousands of soldiers from this front to deal with it. Even if something happens in the north, we can react in time without waiting for the management center to send people over."

Dazhuang patted the gunwale and said, "Don't worry about this side. I'm keeping a close eye on the defenses. The walls have been raised, there are more watchtowers, and we have enough supplies. There won't be any problems."

The fleet continued downstream along the Fish River. After several days, the river widened ahead, the trees on both banks thinned out, revealing wider riverbanks and grasslands. In the distance, Yan could see a large crowd gathered on the riverbank, stretching along the bank for a considerable distance, from the flat ground on the riverbank all the way to the slope behind, seemingly without end. The afternoon sun shone on their clothes of varying shades, creating a patchwork of colors. Some people were walking, some children were sitting on the ground, some elderly people were resting with their eyes closed, leaning against their luggage, and some were standing, craning their necks to look at the river. When they saw the fleet in the distance, a low murmur arose from the crowd.

The fleet slowly approached the shore. Yan disembarked and walked at the front, his pace neither fast nor slow. The crowd on the riverbank grew louder as they saw the fleet approach. Some children stood up. At the very front stood several people, including Junfeng. Today, Junfeng was wearing a clean blue linen robe, the collar and cuffs neatly trimmed without wrinkles. A hemp rope was tied around his waist, from which hung a short knife. He wore straw sandals, and his hair had been combed and secured with a wooden hairpin, with no stray hairs falling out. He looked more energetic than usual. Beside him stood Chidian, wearing a dark gray linen robe, his hand on the hilt of his knife, his gaze sweeping from the crowd to the river and back again. Xiao Matou stood on the other side.

Seeing Yan approach, Junfeng stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Young Master Yan, you've arrived. Everyone is here, over ten thousand in total. This number matches the one I reported to you before. The livestock have already taken another route, and the able-bodied men are driving behind them. It won't take too long."

Yan stopped and returned the greeting with a fist and palm salute, saying, "Chief Junfeng, you've worked hard. You've made excellent arrangements here. We'll be able to take the people away today. As for the able-bodied men and livestock, our people will handle that. You don't need to worry about them anymore."

Junfeng nodded, and Yan turned around and said to the soldiers behind him, "Let's begin bringing people onto the ship."

The dock quickly became busy. Warriors from the Fire Tribe stood on both sides of the gangplank, guiding the crowd to board the ship in batches. They lined up in two rows, leaving a passage in the middle, letting a group of people through every now and then to ensure the ship wouldn't be too crowded. Junfeng and his men stood on the shore, helping to maintain order. Yan stood on the shore, watching the crowd board the ship one group at a time. He neither urged them on nor left, just stood there watching until the last group of people entered the cabin before turning and walking towards his own ship.

The fleet traveled upstream along the Fish River for more than ten days before arriving at the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost dock. Jianya was already waiting on the dock. He wore a long, greyish-blue linen robe, tied at the waist with a hemp rope, and straw sandals with dried mud clinging to their edges. His hands were behind his back, and his gaze calmly swept over the approaching fleet. A row of small boats, not large in size but numerous, filled the water on one side of the dock, their Chuantou facing outwards, oars resting on the gunwales, as if ready to set sail at any moment. Warriors from the Fire Tribe were already waiting on the dock, standing in rows on both sides like two silent ranks, no one speaking or moving.

As the boat docked, Jianya approached, walking at a leisurely pace. He stopped in front of Yan, his gaze lingering on Yan's face for a moment before he spoke, his voice steady and crisp. "It's good that you've arrived. Everything is ready here. The small boat can depart at any time and take you directly to the main valley. There's no need to stay here; you can settle in as soon as you arrive."

Yan stood on the dock, glanced at the small boats, and nodded, saying, "Okay."

Jianya responded and turned to direct the small boats to begin picking up people. He raised his hand and waved towards the row of small boats by the dock, and the warriors on the boats began to move. The new tribesmen disembarked from the large ships, walked along the gangplank to the dock, and then, guided by the warriors, transferred to small boats. The small boats then traveled upstream along the Fire Creek towards the direction of their home valley.

Yan stood on the dock, watching one small boat after another disappear around the bend in the river, before turning around. He walked to Jianya's side and briefly recounted the changes in the situation to the north— the Wolf Tribe had allied with the Tiger Tribe, the Great Luwei Tribe had been annexed, the Tiger Tribe was secretly building and training ships, and his father planned to increase the number of ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin to 150 next year. As he spoke, he didn't look at Jianya, but rather at the direction in which the small boats disappeared on the river in the distance.

Jianya listened attentively without interrupting, only glancing slightly when Fang mentioned the Tiger Tribe's shipbuilding. After listening, he remained silent for a moment, as if processing the information in his mind, before speaking, "Next year, our Fire Tribe will increase the number of ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin to 150. At that point, our Fire Tribe's naval strength will no longer be a matter of matching the Tiger Tribe, but of overwhelming them. Our stronghold here is also developing well, and next year we will be able to accumulate a large amount of supplies. Please tell my elder brother that I won't hold them back; the ships and supplies will arrive on time."

Yan nodded and said, "Okay, I will pass on the message. Father will be very happy to hear it."

After the large ships were cleared, Yan ordered Bailin to take some of the ships back along the original route to pick up the able-bodied men who had stayed behind to herd the livestock. He himself stayed at the Fire Creek River Mouth to wait for news that all the new clansmen had been transferred. Bailin accepted the order and led the large ships back along the river.

The next day, Jianya came to find Yan: "The resettlement in the valley at headquarters has been completed. More than 10,000 people have all moved into new houses, and food has been distributed. There has been no chaos, so you can go back without worry."

After listening, Yan nodded without saying anything more. He then led the remaining small boats downstream along the Fish River and returned to the Little Fish River Mouth Management Center.