A Promise to Destroy the Bear Tribe

The next day, when Fengren walked through the camp to the entrance of the Fire Tribe's temporary camp, Yan was standing outside the tent, his back to the camp and facing the dock. The morning light shone from his side and front, casting a warm yellow glow on his shoulders and cheeks. Fengren stopped a few steps away, clasped his hands in a salute, and said in a clear, morning voice, without any unnecessary pleasantries, "Young Chief Yan, the chief requests your presence in the council hall. He says he wants to discuss some matters with you in detail."

Yan finished the water in the bowl, lingering the rim of the bowl near his lips for a moment before lowering his hand. He placed the empty bowl on the wooden shelf beside him, the bottom of the bowl making a soft thud as it hit the wooden board. He turned around, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and nodded to Fengren: "Let's go."

In the council chamber, Daiyue was already seated in the main seat. He had changed into a clean, light gray linen robe. The robe was new, with neat creases on the collar and cuffs, as if he had just taken it out of the trunk that morning. The fabric of the robe still bore the creases from the folds, which stood out prominently in the morning light. His hair had been combed again and pinned back with a bone hairpin, much neater than yesterday, with a few strands of white hair carefully gathered into a bun. His gaze fell towards the doorway, and when he saw Yan walk in, he first raised his eyes slightly, then stood up. Although his movements were not fast, they were more vigorous than yesterday, as if his body was slowly regaining some of the strength it had lost overnight.

He walked around the table to Yan, reached out and grasped Yan's hands firmly. His grip wasn't strong, but it was firm, his fingertips pressed against the edges of Yan's palms, which were warm. He didn't let go immediately, but held on for a moment, as if using that gesture to hold back some of what he was about to say, "Young Chief Yan, we owe a great debt to your Fire Tribe this time. If you hadn't arrived in time, our Valley Tribe would probably have been wiped out. To be honest, when I saw your fleet appear, I finally felt a sense of relief. If you had arrived a day later, the camp definitely wouldn't have been able to hold on."

Yan Hui grasped his hand, and when their palms touched, he could feel that Daiyue's palm was warmer than the outside wind. He squeezed back slightly, then released his hand. "Chief Daiyue, our two tribes are allies. We will not stand idly by and watch the Valley Tribe be bullied. We set off with our men as soon as we saw the beacon fire."

Daiyue released his grip, took a step back, and slightly turned to gesture for Yan to sit down beside him. He then returned to the main seat himself. "I still have to thank you. This time, our Little Valley Camp Outpost was breached, my brother Daiyan was killed in battle, and the main camp of the Valley Tribe was almost breached as well, leaving us severely weakened. If you hadn't arrived in time, we wouldn't even be able to survive that night, let alone kill Xiong Lie, the leader of the Bear Tribe."

When he said "Daiyan," his finger paused on the edge of the table, as if those two words required more force to put down than others. His fingertip rested on the edge of the wooden board for a moment before moving away. "Although we defeated the Tiger Tribe this time, they are, after all, an old and powerful tribe with a vast amount of accumulated resources. After returning, they will definitely try every means to use these resources to enhance their military strength. I wonder how the Fire Tribe plans to deal with this?"

Yan sat down next to him, placing his hands on his knees and leaning back slightly in his chair. He looked steadily at Daiyue and said, "After the Tiger Tribe was defeated by us this time, even if they go back and use the resources to improve their military strength, it won't be a short time. Building ships takes time, training soldiers takes time, and converting resources into troops also takes time. Moreover, they are being held back by large tribes on both the east and west sides— the Shu Tribe in the west and the Wuyue Tribe in the east are not idle and will not allow the Tiger Tribe to spare any effort to advance south."

He held up three fingers, as if showing Daiyue a clear number, with each finger evenly spaced. "Within three to five years, the Tiger Tribe won't be able to spare any resources to deal with us. Our Fire Tribe's population has grown to nearly 300,000 over the years, and our strength in all aspects is improving. Shipbuilding, salt production, copper smelting, and land reclamation—none of these have stopped. Even if the Tiger Tribe comes looking for trouble again in a few years, our Fire Tribe will be fully capable of handling it."

He stopped and looked at Daiyue: "I just wonder what the Valley Tribe's plans are for the future?"

Hearing this, Daiyue slowly sat back down in his chair. He didn't answer immediately, his gaze seemingly passing over Yan's shoulder to fall on the light streaming through the doorway. In the light, someone was carrying a newly felled log towards the gap in the wall—two people, one in front of the other, carrying the same side of the thick log, their steps steady and firm on the ground, like someone accustomed to farm work. He watched for a moment before withdrawing his gaze, his voice lower than before, as if he were taking out a sentence that had been lingering in his heart for some time and then laying it flat on the table. "Your Fire Tribe is truly formidable. After this great battle, our Valley Tribe, including the warriors from the Bean Tribe, only has about three thousand people left. Counting those who can barely fight, there are only about two thousand left."

He paused, as if to catch his breath before continuing, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly. "Our Valley Tribe's industry is extremely limited—we don't produce salt, we don't smelt copper, and we don't even have the capacity to build large ships. The number of people we've managed to gather over the years, reaching 40,000, is already our limit. Even if we rest and develop for a few years, we can only recover to our previous level at most. If the Tiger Tribe comes again then, we will be completely unable to resist. Yesterday, I discussed this with the tribe's leadership all night, and we finally decided—the entire tribe will join the Fire Tribe."

Yan sat opposite him, his posture noticeably straightening when he heard the words "everyone join," his back lifting as if to confirm he hadn't misheard. His gaze lingered on Daiyue's face for a moment, as if in that brief pause he was reassessing the weight of those words: "Chief Daiyue, are you serious?"

Daiyue looked at him and nodded. The movement was slow, but very certain. His chin dipped down an inch before rising again. "It's true, we're going to join the Fire Tribe entirely. That way, our old and weak can stay away from the conflict and also seek revenge on the Tiger Tribe. My brother Daiyan died in battle, so many warriors have died, we don't want to just let it go like this, we need an explanation."

Yan's voice became steadyer, as if he were taking the words and weighing them in his own hand. "We certainly welcome your Valley Tribe's willingness to join our Fire Tribe. The grudges of your Valley Tribe are also the grudges of our Fire Tribe. We can't do anything about the Tiger Tribe for now, but this time I can lead people to wipe out the Bear Tribe. We can't let them regroup, otherwise they will become another thorn in our side sooner or later."

When Daiyue heard the words "Bear Tribe," his fingers, which had been resting on the table, twitched slightly, tapping lightly on the wooden board before stopping. He raised his head, his gaze returning to Yan's face. "Young Chief Yan, thank you very much. However, regarding joining the Fire Tribe, let me explain to you in detail how the Valley Tribe has arranged things, so you have a better understanding."

He stretched out his hand and gestured on the table, his palm tracing several gentle arcs in the air. "We plan to rush to plant crops first. Although it's late this season, we can still make up for it with some harvest. We'll harvest as much as we can, and the land can't be left barren. After the autumn harvest, we'll settle a group of our people to join the Fire Tribe Fire Tribe, and the rest will join gradually next spring. However, during this time, you need to leave a few thousand warriors to help us strengthen our defenses and assist with farming. In addition, we will also contact the Bean Tribe, the Greater Qing Tribe, and the Willow Vine Tribe. If they are willing to join the Fire Tribe as well, it will be a good thing for you. Those tribes are located in key areas of the lower reaches of the Fish River. Once our people are stationed there, it will be much harder for the Tiger Tribe to sneak up from the lower reaches of the Fish River."

Upon hearing this, Yan smiled, a natural smile spreading across his face in the morning light, as if he had heard news that was expected yet still delightful. He placed his palm flat on the table, leaned forward slightly, and fixed his gaze on Daiyue's face before continuing, "No problem. Tomorrow I will lead men to wipe out the Bear Tribe. Their leader is dead; it's the perfect time to attack. We'll eliminate them all at once before they regroup, lest they grow back. Chief Daiyue, if you can get these tribes to join our Fire Tribe, you will have accomplished a great feat. Rest assured, your people will be well taken care of by our Fire Tribe."

Upon hearing this, Daiyue's expression relaxed somewhat. He leaned back in his chair, as if he had finally released something that had been weighing on him for a long time. His shoulders relaxed slightly, and even the curve of his back straightened a bit. "Then thank you very much, Chief Yan. With your words, I can make the arrangements with more peace of mind. I will compile the list of the first batch of people to be relocated in the next couple of days, and we will take over directly after the autumn harvest when your Fire Tribe's fleet arrives."

The two chatted for a while longer. Daiyue mentioned the first wave of migrants after the autumn harvest—about 20,000 people, with the rest to leave gradually in the spring. Yan asked how many warriors the Valley Tribe needed to assist with farming and defense. Daiyue estimated the number and gave Yan an answer, which Yan agreed to. Morning light streamed in through the window, casting a warm yellow band across the table between them. Tiny dust particles floated slowly within the band, as if unspoken words from their conversation were mixed in, slowly settling into the wood grain of the table, and onto the edges of the pottery bowls and wooden tablets.

Yan stood up, the chair making a short scraping sound on the muddy ground. He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Daiyue: "Then I'll go back and prepare. I'll take some men to the Bear Tribe first thing tomorrow morning. Wait for my good news here."

Daiyue also stood up, clasped his hands in return, and his gaze lingered on Yan's face for a moment. "Alright, I'll wait."

As Yan turned and walked out of the council hall, the morning breeze rushed towards him. He paused on the steps for a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the light outside, blinked hard, and then strode towards the dock. In the Fire Tribe's temporary camp, Jia Li, Bailin, Feiyu, Shibang, and Yingmu were all gathered in an open space in the center of the camp. Jia Li saw Yan and was the first to ask, "Young Chief, what did the Valley Tribe say? Chief Daiyue has been talking to you for so long, is something important?"

Yan walked to the middle of them, not rushing to speak. He first stood on the open ground beside them, his gaze sweeping over each of their faces, as if to confirm they were all there and that everyone had heard what he was about to say. Then he spoke, his voice not loud, but loud enough for everyone in the circle to hear clearly. "The Valley Tribe is preparing to join our Fire Tribe."

After he finished speaking, there was a moment of silence, then as if someone had simultaneously lifted a lid, several people spoke almost at the same time. Jia Li laughed first, slapping his knee with a short, crisp sound, "That's great! Although the Valley Tribe suffered considerable losses, its location is too crucial, with a significant amount of territory and population."

Bailin continued, his voice slightly lower Jia Li's, but his tone more certain. "After the Valley Tribe joins us, our strength will increase considerably."

Feiyu paused, his hand gripping the branch, as if counting something in his mind. His voice was neither loud nor soft. "Including the Valley Tribe and the smaller tribes they've connected with, our Fire Tribe's population is probably going to exceed 300,000. A tribe of 300,000 people—there's no other tribe like that along the entire Fish River, both upstream and downstream."

After Yan and the others had finished speaking, he raised his hand and pressed his palm down, signaling everyone to quiet down. Once the noise subsided, he spoke, "There are still many things to deal with in the Valley Tribe. We can't move them all over to our Fire Tribe at once. They need to focus on planting crops first. After the autumn harvest, we'll send a group of people over, and the rest will come next spring. In the meantime, we'll leave several thousand warriors here in the Valley Tribe to assist with defense and farming."

He turned his gaze to Feiyu and Yingmu, lowering his voice as if to make sure they heard him. "Feiyu, Yingmu, prepare fifty giant ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin each, one hundred large ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin each, plus some smaller ships, and take five thousand men with you. Set off for the Bear Tribe Bear Tribe early tomorrow morning and wipe them out completely. Their leader is dead, and the rest are no threat, but we can't let them recover. We can't leave a single one alive. We'll wipe them out completely before we come back."

Feiyu had already stood up. He casually placed the branch he was holding on a nearby wooden stake, glanced at the direction of the dock, as if mentally estimating the formation and distance of the ships, and then steadily gave the order, "The fleet will be assembled by tomorrow morning. Fifty ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 catties each will be enough, plus some ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 catties each and smaller boats."

Yingmu also stood up, his hands hanging at his sides. He glanced slightly at the direction of the dock, as if he had already estimated the time needed to board the ship. "Manpower is not a problem. Five thousand people can be assembled tonight, and they can all be on board before dawn tomorrow, without delaying the departure time."

Yan nodded, withdrawing his hand from mid-air and letting it hang at his side. He then turned to Jia Li and Bailin: "Jia Li, Bailin and Shibang, you take the remaining warriors and stay to help the Valley Tribe seize the opportunity to plant crops."

After saying this, Yan glanced at the faces of the group to make sure no one had any further questions. "Then let's split up and prepare."