Strengthening the Northern Defenses

After the Clothing Tribe, the chief of the Zhixia, left, the council hall of the Valley Tribe headquarters fell completely silent. Daiyue did not leave the side hall immediately. He stood there, his mind still replaying Zhixia's words before she left. "Chief Daiyue, the Valley Tribe is now located between the Tiger Tribe and the Fire Tribe. The Tiger Tribe is to the north, and the Fire Tribe is to the south. You have already made enemies with the Tiger Tribe. Have you not considered joining the Fire Tribe?"

The Valley Tribe has had a tough time these past few years. When the old chief passed the leadership to him, the tribe only had a little over 10,000 people and far less land than it has now. After taking over, he led the Valley Tribe to expand their fields, build canals, construct granaries, and establish connections with smaller tribes on the west bank. Now, they have gradually grown to 30,000 and 40,000 people. Under his leadership, the Valley Tribe has grown into a force to be reckoned with in the Fish River. Although it cannot compare to the Tiger Tribe and the Fire Tribe, it is not a force that anyone can attack at will.

But he knew in his heart that 40,000 people was already the limit of the Valley Tribe. One of the reasons he was willing to agree to the independence of the Clothing Tribe was that the Valley Tribe simply did not have the spare capacity to absorb them. If the Valley Tribe had more resources, he would have tried to keep the Clothing Tribe. But the fact was, he could not do it. He did not have the resources to attract them to stay, nor could he offer any more promises. His palm slowly clenched on the table and then relaxed.

The Valley Tribe's location is also awkward. To the north is the Tiger Tribe, and to the south is the Fire Tribe. The Tiger Tribe has already turned against them, and the Fire Tribe is currently an ally. However, being an ally and joining are two completely different concepts. An ally is someone standing outside the door, while joining is someone walking inside. Daiyue doesn't want the Valley Tribe to enter either door yet. He wants the Valley Tribe to stand on his threshold and speak with the Fire Tribe on equal footing. But he himself doesn't know how long this situation can last. The Valley Tribe still has too little industry and technology.

He sat in the council chamber for a while longer, then opened his eyes and looked at the wooden tablets spread out on the table. The writing in the engravings was a little blurry; they were records from the end of last autumn. He had memorized the numbers on them by heart. He reached out and gathered them up, stacked them neatly, placed them on the corner of the table, then stood up, pushed open the door of the council chamber, and walked out.

Standing on the steps outside the gate, he looked at the fields in the distance. The ridges were still damp, with shallow spring water accumulating in some places. A few birds flew up from the ridges and landed again, their wings drawing arcs in the grayish-white light of the sky. He stood there for a while, then said to the tribesman in charge of spring plowing who was passing by, "Let's start arranging the spring plowing tomorrow morning. First, turn over that piece of land on the east side, and clear the entrance to the irrigation ditch; there's a lot of silt from last year blocking it." The man nodded and hurried off to deliver the message.

Spring plowing began in the fields of the Valley Tribe. Daiyue stopped thinking about things in the north and the Fire Tribe. Every morning, he would walk along the ridges of the fields, checking the flow of the irrigation ditches, whether the people turning the soil had broken up the clods of earth, and whether the seeds were sown evenly. His face was expressionless, but the tribespeople felt more at ease when they saw him come every day.

On the afternoon when spring plowing was almost over, news came from the upper reaches of the Fish River — the Fire Tribe's grain transport fleet had arrived. Daiyue stood on the edge of the field and heard the messenger run over to say something. Then he turned and walked towards the camp.

Led by the guide boat from the Little Valley Camp Outpost, the Fire Tribe's fleet slowly docked at the Valley Tribe's main pier. When the sixty giant ships, each with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin, were lined up on the river, they almost filled the entire pier's surface. Behind them followed a dense array of large and small ships, their sails gleaming softly in the afternoon sun.

Quyong and his men were already waiting on the dock. His trousers were rolled up high, revealing a section of his calves that had been soaked and dried by the spring water, with a few traces of dried mud on his skin. He wore straw sandals, the soles of which still retained the original color of the grass stems, making a soft rustling sound as he stepped on the wooden planks of the dock. He stood by the dock, hands on his hips, watching the fleet approach. His gaze swept over the Chuantou of massive ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin (50,000 kg) one by one, his lips moving slightly. When he saw Yan disembark from a ship, he quickly went to greet him, "Young Master Yan, the fleet has arrived! I've already had the dock area cleared out. The large ships can dock directly. Your temporary camp is still in the old place; you can use it as soon as you arrive."

Yan stepped off the gangplank and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Quyong. This fleet is larger than last time, so we may need to occupy more dock space."

Quyong followed Yan's gaze and glanced at the giant ships, saying, "That's enough. There's room. You can go and settle in. If you need anything, just call me. I'm right by the dock. I can't leave, but I can come over if you call."

Yan nodded without much formality and turned to arrange the temporary camp and the docking of the fleet. The dock quickly became lively. By the time the fleet had come to a stop and the camp was set up, it was already dark, and twilight gradually crept up from the river.

Yan stood at the entrance of the temporary camp, bending down to wash his hands. At this moment, Quyong walked over from the dock and said, "Young Chief Yan, the chief has prepared a banquet in the council hall and asked me to come and invite you over. Fengren went to the Clothing Tribe and hasn't returned yet. I'll take you there tonight. Qingsui is also busy there; she and her people prepared all the dishes."

Yan straightened up, wiped his wet hands on the hem of his clothes, leaving two dark wet streaks. "Alright, I'll call Chief Jia Li, we'll leave right away."

He turned and shouted back into the camp, his voice particularly clear in the evening air. "Chief Jia Li! Let's go!"

Jia Li emerged from the tent, now dressed in a clean white linen robe that stood out starkly in the twilight. He stopped half a step behind Yan, his steps steady, and said nothing. The two, along with some attendants, followed Quyong through the gradually quieting camp and headed towards the council hall of the Valley Tribe headquarters. Lights had already been lit at the entrance of the council hall; several oil lamps hung under the eaves, their flames flickering gently in the evening breeze, casting a warm yellow glow on the ground in front of the entrance. Daiyue stood at the entrance, with the seven elders of the Valley Tribe standing behind him.

He didn't rush forward as usual, but a smile still appeared on his face when he saw Yan approaching. He stood by the threshold, his hands hanging at his sides, and waited until Yan reached the steps before speaking, "Young Chief Yan, you must be tired from your journey. Please come in. Was it windy on the way?"

Yan returned the greeting with clasped hands, stepped over the threshold, and went inside, saying, "It's alright, the wind is blowing in my favor, I didn't have to walk against the wind much."

The lights in the council hall were all lit, and the long table was filled with ceramic plates and bowls. Everyone sat down in order, with Daiyue in the main seat and Yan to his right. The seven elders took their seats in order, each with a set of chopsticks and a bowl of wine already poured in front of them. Qingsui led her entourage out from the back of the council hall, carrying a ceramic plate that was still steaming. Today she was wearing a light blue linen dress with a few small white Little Flower embroidered on the hem. Her movements were more steady than in the past two years. Her hand did not tremble when she put down the ceramic plate, and the rim of the plate hit the table without making any extra noise. After putting down the plate, she did not leave in a hurry. She glanced at Yan and nodded slightly. The nod was small, but her gaze lingered on his face for a moment before she turned and retreated to the side hall.

Daiyue picked up his wine bowl, raised it to Yan, and said, "Come on, have a bowl first. Spring plowing is just finished, so it's good to take a break. The field ridges have all been repaired this year, and the irrigation ditches have been cleared. We're just waiting for the rain to come."

Everyone picked up their bowls and drank it all in one gulp. The wine was last year's rice wine, with a faint sweetness on the palate, and a warm sensation spreading as it slid down their throats. After putting down their bowls, the atmosphere gradually warmed up, with the sounds of clinking bowls, clinking dishes, and whispering voices intertwining in the lamplight.

After eating for a while, Daiyue put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and looked at Yan, his voice more serious than before. "Young Chief Yan, your Fire Tribe has brought even more large ships this time. I heard from my men that there are sixty giant ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin each?"

Yan put down his chopsticks, sat up straighter, moved his back away from the chair, and placed his hands flat on the table. He said, "Yes, our Fire Tribe has recently added twenty more giant ships, all of which were launched around the beginning of spring this year. This time, in order to transport more grain back, we brought out almost all the large ships we could use: sixty ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin each, plus more than one hundred ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin each, and some smaller ships."

A soft gasp filled the council hall. Daiyue paused slightly, not immediately responding, but instead slowly taking a sip of his wine, as if to give the number time to settle in his mind. The Fire Tribe's shipbuilding speed had accelerated again; in such a short time, they had added twenty more ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin each. The Fire Tribe Tribe's number of ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin had probably already surpassed that of the Tiger Tribe. He put down his bowl, the bottom making a soft sound as it hit the table, a smile on his face, though it was not clearly visible in the lamplight. "Your Fire Tribe's shipbuilding speed is getting faster every year."

Yan waved his hand modestly and said, "It's also for convenience. With more boats, grain can be transported faster, saving us from making so many trips back and forth and reducing a lot of trouble."

Daiyue nodded, then, as if remembering something, changed the subject, saying, "By the way, before you came, Zhixia, the leader of the Clothing Tribe, had already come to see me. They want to break away from the Valley Tribe and become independent, and our Valley Tribe has already agreed. Is your Fire Tribe going to accept them?"

Yan answered without hesitation, "If the Clothing Tribe becomes an independent tribe and they are willing to join our Fire Tribe, our Fire Tribe will certainly welcome them."

Daiyue's gaze lingered on Yan's face for a moment before he said, "If the Clothing Tribe joins the Fire Tribe, our Valley Tribe tribe will neither obstruct nor oppose it. However, I would like to ask a question—if the Clothing Tribe joins your Fire Tribe, can you strengthen your military preparedness in the north? In case the Tiger Tribe really attacks, if you strengthen your military preparedness in the north, then if our Valley Tribe needs assistance, your Fire Tribe can more quickly mobilize troops to rescue our Valley Tribe."

After listening, Yan said, "That's no problem. After the Clothing Tribe joins our Fire Tribe, we will take the Clothing Tribe people to the rear for resettlement. However, we will also build a stronghold at the mouth of the Clothing River. The military strength of the northern stronghold will be gradually strengthened. Once your Valley Tribe is in trouble, as long as the news comes, our Fire Tribe's reinforcements will arrive as soon as possible."

Daiyue's expression relaxed noticeably after hearing this, and he said, "That's good."

Seeing that Daiyue's expression had relaxed, Yan asked in that direction, "Chief Daiyue, has there been any new developments in the north lately? Your information network is better than ours; I'd like to hear your assessment."

Upon hearing this question, Daiyue's expression, which had just relaxed, became serious again. He put down his bowl, placed his right hand on the table, and slowly ran his fingertips along the rough rim of the earthenware bowl. "The situation in the north is indeed a bit strange right now. The Bear Tribe and the Wolf Tribe are both training warriors and preparing supplies, making quite a commotion. The Tiger Tribe is also making preparations. Although they haven't mobilized a large number of troops south, the warehouse entry and exit records are much more frequent than usual."

He paused, his gaze lingering on Yan's face for a moment before saying, "I estimate they will definitely make their move this year, but we don't know the exact timing yet. It seems their internal opinions aren't completely unified, so it might drag on for a while. However, we've already strengthened our defenses. The watchtowers at Little Valley Camp have had their shifts changed, and we've also increased patrol boats on the river. We won't let them sneak in easily."

Yan nodded and said, "That's good. Our Fire Tribe will also speed up the construction of our northern stronghold."

He picked up his wine bowl again, took a sip, and continued, "Chief Daiyue, we've come here this time hoping to transport 20 million catties of grain back. Is that a suitable amount?"

Daiyue agreed almost without hesitation, saying, "No problem. There's enough grain in the warehouse right now. I'll have Quyong lead some men to help you load the grain first thing tomorrow morning. The sooner you get the grain back, the sooner we can settle our debts. It'll save both of us trouble."

Yan clasped his hands in a fist salute to Ooku: "Daiyue, Chief Daiyue."

The conversation returned to its usual rhythm. The flame of the oil lamp flickered slightly in the night breeze, casting long and short shadows on the wall. As the night deepened, several rounds of wine were emptied, and the dishes were nearly finished. Yan stood up and said, "Chief Daiyue, it's getting late. We should head back now. We need to pack grain early tomorrow morning, so we must get up early."

Daiyue also stood up, nodded to him, and said, "Okay, Quyong will make the arrangements. Just tell him if you need anything."

He turned to look at the door, raising his voice slightly. "Qingsui, see Young Master Yan out."

Qingsui walked out from the door at the back of the hall, walked to Yan's side, turned her head to look at him, and said, "Young Master Yan, please."

The two walked out of the council chamber one after the other.