The aftermath at the Bear Tribe

Around noon, Yan stood at the Chuantou of the largest ship of the Fire Tribe, his hand gripping the gunwale, his gaze fixed on the gradually widening river ahead. His fingers adjusted their grip with the ship's rocking, his fingertips moving slowly across the rough surface of the deck, as if sensing the rhythm of the current. The trees on both banks were receding, their canopies rippled like green waves in the wind, but the outline of the Bear Tribe camp was still not visible on the distant horizon. He occasionally squinted slightly, as if trying to discern any unusual reflections or movements on the distant river surface in the sunlight, then his gaze returned to the water, as if dividing his vision into several layers—one for the water, one for the distance, and one awaiting news.

Just as Yan was staring at the river ahead of the Fish River, a small boat from the Wolf Tribe sped towards the Bear Tribe 'Fish River dock from upstream. The boat was small, but fast; the oarsmen were practically skimming the water's surface, barely splashing when the Shuihua entered the water, leaving only a shallow Shuihen behind the stern. The Langhua from the Chuantou as it broke the surface shimmered in the sunlight, like something tracing a moving trail of light across the water. Meanwhile, on the Bear Tribe's dock, the horns of the Wolf Tribe's warning boat were already sounding.

The sound of bull horns echoed across the river. Yexiao stood at the edge of the Bear Tribe's dock, his boots resting on a slightly higher plank than the surrounding area. He gripped a wooden post, his gaze following the growing shadow of a ship in the distance. After a moment, he looked away, pressing his fingers against the post and releasing them. His voice was soft, but everyone loading the ship on the dock could hear. "Stop moving everything, it's too late."

He turned around, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the soldiers carrying supplies, as if he needed to decide quickly what was worth taking and what had to be left behind. "Raise the sails, untie the mooring lines, take everything you can, leave the rest behind, push any supplies blocking the gangplank opening directly into the water, don't fill the hold anymore, get the ship moving first, and fast!" His voice carried a hurried, urgent feeling, as if he were being pushed along by time, with very short pauses between each sentence, as if he were compressing the rhythm.

The soldiers on board quickened their pace in untying the mooring lines. The thick hemp rope was untied from the wooden stakes, the knots were pulled apart, and fingers darted between the strands, peeling the knots away from the stakes. As the rope hit the water, it created a small ripple, and the boat began to move towards the center of the river. Yexiao stepped onto the gangplank with his last foot. The gangplank was pulled back onto the boat behind him, the plank striking the edge of the gunwale with a short, sharp thud before being pulled into the cabin. The sail caught the wind, billowing at the mast before collapsing, readjusting its arc to follow the wind, and then suddenly tilted forward, the Chuantou pointing downstream towards the Fish River, shooting out like a released arrow skimming the water's surface.

There were still many bolts of cloth and pottery piled up on the dock that hadn't been loaded onto the ships yet. Pottery jars were stacked on top of the cloth, the top one already crooked, the edges of the cloth fluttering in the wind like abandoned little flags. No one turned back to pick them up. Those things quickly became a pile of still objects on the edge of the dock, fixed in a position by the sunlight and wind.

At the Bear Tribe camp, Xueya was packing up the last batch of supplies in his tent when he heard the horn. With his back to the tent entrance, he bent down and picked up a bundle of leather armor from the ground. He ran his fingers over the knot in the leather rope to make sure it wasn't loose, then straightened up, glanced at the item in his hand, and seemed to make a judgment in that brief moment—was this bundle of armor worth wasting a few more breaths? He tossed it to a warrior beside him, his voice low but uttering only a few words: "Take this, mount up."

Then he strode out of the tent, the tent flap kicking up a small cloud of dust as it fell behind him. People were already running through the camp. Someone was carrying the last bundle of short knives from the storeroom, the hilts clanging against each other with a crisp metallic sound. He draped the bundle of knives behind his Ma'an, patted it to make sure it was secure, and then mounted his horse. Someone was untying the reins of a horse tethered to Jiangsheng stake, fingers moving quickly through the knot. The knot loosened, the Jiangsheng fell into his palm, and the horse was pulled away from the stake. Dust billowed at the feet of the runners, then was compacted by more footsteps, forming a thin, gray mist, like a veil rising from the ground in the sunlight.

A young soldier ran from the direction of the dock, stopped in front of Xueya, bent over, and caught his breath before straightening up. A fine layer of sweat glistened on his forehead in the sunlight. His voice was hurried and tense from running. "Chief, something bad has happened! A large fleet has been spotted upstream on the Fish River, and it looks like they'll be at the Bear Tribe dock soon! Chief Yexiao Owl confirmed the news and has already led the fleet downstream along the Fish River! There are still many bolts of cloth and other supplies on the dock, what should we do?"

Xueya glanced towards the docks, then looked back at the rising dust above the camp. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a compressed decisiveness, as if a decision already ordered in his mind was being pushed out of his throat, "The Fire Tribe's pursuers have probably arrived. Their fleet is here, and the army will definitely be here soon. Forget about the supplies at the docks, and don't take the supplies from the Bear Tribe camp either."

He turned and took two steps toward the camp, then stopped, glancing sideways at the young soldier. His gaze lingered on his face for a moment, as if to make sure he had heard every word of the sentence: "Have the soldiers assemble the men, take the cattle and horses, and pick out some easily portable and lightweight supplies. Don't worry about the rest. Be quick, and don't let the Fire Tribe catch up with us, or all these supplies will be for nothing."

The soldier nodded, turned, and ran towards the center of the camp. As he ran, he cupped his hands to his mouth, relaying Xueya's words to others he encountered along the way. The command was passed around the camp like a domino effect, one after another conveying the final order to gather supplies. The soldiers who were moving supplies in the camp quickened their pace. Some unloaded half-sacks of grain from their shoulders and threw them by the roadside, the sacks making a dull thud as they hit the muddy ground. Others pushed earthenware jars that hadn't been loaded onto the carts onto the ground, the jars shattering into pieces on the soil, the edges gleaming a fresh, bright white in the sunlight, the cut surfaces still bearing the dark, damp soil. Some unloaded several pieces of old bronzeware from the carts and left them there, then began piling lighter items onto the carts once space was available.

The cattle and horses were led out of their enclosures. Someone wrapped a rope around a horse's neck, casually draped a bundle of short knives over its back, looped the rope around the Ma'an, tied a knot, and pulled it to make sure it wouldn't come loose before mounting. When someone was tying a wooden box to a cow's back, the knot came undone, and the box slipped and hit the ground. The person bent down to tighten the knot again, trying twice before standing up. The column quickly assembled at the south gate of the camp, with the cavalry forming ranks first, followed by the infantry, and the cattle, horses, and supply wagons sandwiched in between. The horses paced restlessly in the ranks, their Jiangsheng tightened and loosened by the riders. Some riders glanced to the north of the camp before turning back.

Xueya mounted his horse, which stomped twice before regaining its balance. He pulled on the Jiangsheng, glanced back at the remaining supplies in the camp, and then spurred his horse toward the north gate. He didn't look back. As his horse's hooves passed the camp gate, a small cloud of dust rose, which was quickly covered by more dust kicked up by other hooves.

After Yan led his two thousand naval troops ashore, they advanced along the dirt road between the dock and the camp towards the Bear Tribe camp. Their boots pounded the compacted mud, their steps were uniform, each step roughly spaced, as if an invisible thread was guiding their advance. Spears were held diagonally above their shields, their tips gleaming in the sunlight, swaying slightly up and down with the rhythm of their steps. Along the way, they could see traces left by the Wolf Tribe's retreat—several abandoned old clothes lay scattered by the roadside, the fabric still bearing the marks of mud; a half-open rope lay with its ends undone on the ground, as if hastily untied but left behind; some flattened pottery bowls lay scattered by the roadside, one of them with a noticeable crack on the rim, the edge of the break showing a light-colored freshness in the light.

The north gate of the camp was wide open, the door panels spread out to the sides, the hinges still retaining their arc from being pushed open, as if someone had just rushed out from here. There was a pile of ashes at the entrance that hadn't been extinguished yet, the edges still warm, dark red embers flickering in the ashes, occasionally a few sparks briefly bursting open when blown by the wind. Yan paused at the camp gate, his gaze first sweeping over the outline of the camp's interior, then settling on the receding dust on the north side of the camp—that dust was fading, like a thin veil being blown away by the wind, slowly moving northward.

Xueya led the last of his cavalrymen away from the north side of the camp. His column stretched northward in a long line along the dirt road, the dust kicked up by their hooves resembling a thin veil spreading in the afternoon light. Xueya, at the rear of the column, glanced back in the direction of Flame before rounding a dirt slope. His gaze lingered for a moment in Flame's direction through the dust and distance, then he spurred his horse and quickened his pace northward.

Yan didn't order a pursuit. He stood at the entrance of the Bear Tribe camp, his gaze following the cloud of dust for a moment until it faded completely and disappeared into the distant horizon. Then he looked away and swept his gaze over the things he hadn't had time to take with him—supplies were scattered on the open ground, a lot of grain was still piled up at the tent entrances, and many old clothes were scattered on the ground beside them. Some overturned flatbed carts were stranded in the muddy ditches by the roadside, one corner of the cart's flatbed sticking up to reveal the dry grass underneath. The warehouse door was still open, the door ajar, and inside were some grain sacks that hadn't been moved yet and several copper pots. The copper pots were upside down on the ground, and there was still a trail of oil on the rim that hadn't been completely wiped away.

He observed for a moment, then waved to the men behind him. "Take control of the camp first, and count the number of people and supplies." His voice wasn't loud, but it was enough for the leader behind him to hear. The leader nodded, turned around and shouted a few words towards the direction of the troops, and the soldiers began to disperse, advancing in different directions along the various passages of the camp.

After nightfall, the torches in the Bear Tribe camp were relit, and the Fire Tribe warriors moved into the tents and cabins that had been empty all day. Some were tightening the tent ropes, while others were checking supplies under the makeshift shelters.

The Bear Tribe members, left behind by the Wolf Tribe, were gathered from various corners of the camp in the central open space. They squatted in a row along the inner side of the fence; some hugged their knees, some rested their arms on their knees with their heads bowed, and some turned their heads to watch the Fire Tribe warriors who were counting supplies not far away. Most of their clothes were worn and tattered, some cuffs frayed, and some hems stained with dried mud. No one spoke; occasionally, someone would whisper a word or two to the person next to them, their voices very low, as if afraid of being overheard. Someone next to them nudged him lightly with their elbow, and he fell silent.

When Feiyu and Yingmu walked side by side into the tent in the center of the camp, Yan was sitting behind a low table. Firelight shone through the tent fabric, casting a warm orange glow on the wooden tablets and ceramic bowls on the table, illuminating their edges with a soft halo. Several wooden tablets lay on the table, bearing preliminary inventory records—the quantity of supplies, the approximate number of people, and the condition of the remaining buildings and boats in the camp. The edges of the tablets still bore fresh marks, the handwriting somewhat hurried, as if numbers had been hastily scribbled down in a rush.

Feiyu sat down at the table, wiping the mud from the edges of his boots on the ground beside the table leg before pulling his legs back. He pressed his fingers against the edge of the wooden tablet, his fingertips tracing the grain of the wood, as if confirming the order of his words: "Young Chief, I've had a headcount. The day before we arrived at the Bear Tribe, the Wolf Tribe had already captured the Bear Tribe's camp. The remaining warriors here were basically wiped out by the Wolf Tribe, even the core families of the Wolf Tribe Bear Tribe were taken away or killed. A small number escaped, but there are about 20,000 who didn't escape. These people mostly joined the Bear Tribe in the last few years, and their status in the Bear Tribe is extremely low, almost like slaves. The Bear Tribe has a very strict hierarchy; only some leaders or chiefs have certain privileges. Everyone else can only do heavy labor, and their lives are very ordinary. Those warriors have only had a slightly better life in the last few years because of the fighting; the rest of them even have trouble getting enough to eat."

After listening, Yan's gaze lingered on the record on the wooden tablet for a moment. When he looked up, the curve of his brow furrowed slightly. "So, does that mean our Fire Tribe has a chance to absorb these 20,000-plus people from the Bear Tribe?"

Feiyu nodded, flattening his palm on his knee before withdrawing it, as if taking the weight of those words into his hand. "That's what I think too. These people are hardworking and strong. They don't have much attachment to the Bear Tribe. As long as they can change their place and their way of life, they should be willing to go. Right now, our outposts north of the management center have a significant population shortage. If these people join, the population of those outposts in the north will be much more abundant. We can relocate these people there first and settle them separately, letting them do some rough and heavy work first, observing them carefully. Those who are qualified can be selected slowly, taken to the valley at headquarters for proper training, and then settled."

Yan's fingers slowly traced the edge of the table, as if using that gentle stroke to confirm the order of the arrangement, "This is an excellent idea. With the addition of these 20,000 people, the Fire Tribe will have a population of 300,000. Adding the more than 30,000 people from the Valley Tribe, the number will be even greater. If the Bean Tribe, the Greater Qing Tribe, and the Willow Vine Tribe join our Fire Tribe later, our Fire Tribe's strength will reach a new level."

Feiyu continued, his voice carrying a certainty that seemed to have been calculated, as if he himself had already mentally prepared for this. "The Valley Tribe has decided to join our Fire Tribe. The Bean Tribe is a subordinate tribe of the Valley Tribe, and the relationship has always been close. They will definitely follow the Valley Tribe; there will be no surprises. This time, the Tiger Tribe suffered a great loss of strength and will definitely try to replenish it—they lost their ships and men, and to recover, they must find replacements from their surroundings. The Willow Vine Tribe is next to the Tiger Tribe and will definitely be on the Tiger Tribe's radar. If Chief Daiyue sends someone to persuade them, the Willow Vine Tribe should be swayed. The Greater Qing Tribe is not far from the Tiger Tribe either. This time, the Tiger Tribe, and they can see that the winds have shifted."

Yan nodded slightly, then turned to Yingmu, his gaze lingering on his face. "How are the supplies for the Bear Tribe? How much can they take with them?"

Yingmu stood at the tent entrance, hands hanging at his sides, as if waiting for a chance to speak. Hearing the question, he took two steps forward and squatted down on the other side of the low table, one hand on his knee, the other flat on the table. His voice carried a crisp, precise quality, as if the numbers had been mentally tallied countless times. "The Wolf Tribe fled in haste, taking only easily portable items like bronze weapons, cattle, horses, and leather armor. Most of the Bear Tribe's grain is still in the warehouse. Although some was taken, a considerable amount remains. Larger items—pottery, copper pots, farm tools, and cloth—were mostly left behind. Furthermore, the Bear Tribe's fields have already been cultivated; with proper care, another harvest can be obtained after the autumn harvest."

He paused slightly at this point, tapping his fingertip lightly on the table, as if mentally rehearsing the sentence before continuing, "It's just that the Wolf Tribe escaped; we couldn't stop them. They retreated quickly indeed. If we had stayed another half day, our cavalry could have circled around to their flank and intercepted them."

Yan placed the wooden tablet back on the table and steadied his voice. "Everyone knows how cunning the Wolf Tribe is. They're far away, and we don't have enough troops for the time being. Let's deal with the Bear Tribe first, and then go after them when we have more time. The Valley Tribe is waiting for us to return, and we can't delay dealing with the Bear Tribe for too long."

He thought for a moment, then gestured on the table, as if drawing the first outline of a map yet to be unfolded. "I've decided to leave four thousand men at the Bear Tribe camp to hold out until the autumn harvest. After the harvest, we'll gradually withdraw our forces to the Valley Tribe. As for the twenty thousand or so men at the Bear Tribe camp, I plan to send boats to slowly transport them back to our stronghold north of the management center and resettle them separately for a period of time. Feiyu will return to the stronghold at the Big Horse River Mouth Outpost, and I'll leave the Bear Tribe area to you, Yingmu."

Yingmu squatted by the table, his hands supporting his knees. Upon hearing this, his fingers tightened slightly, as if he lingered on his kneecaps for a moment longer. Then he stood up, his voice low but firm, his gaze fixed on Yan's face. "Four thousand men here are enough. I surveyed the terrain around the camp during the day; it won't be difficult to defend. I'll rearrange the garrison positions, and the daytime patrol and nighttime sentry duty rosters will be submitted before dawn."

Yan looked at him, paused, then looked away, glanced at Feiyu again, and finally focused his gaze on the firelight filtering through the tent fabric. "Tomorrow morning, I'll lead the fleet to transport 10,000 people upstream along the Fish River to settle them. The rest will be transported in batches after I return. Feiyu, go back to the Big Horse River Mouth Outpost first to sort things out there, and then we'll work together with Yingmu to finish things up."

Feiyu nodded, stood up, took two steps back from the table, and prepared to leave the tent. Yingmu also stood there for a moment, as if mentally reviewing Yan's instructions to make sure he hadn't missed anything, before turning and walking towards the tent entrance. His boots trod on the muddy ground at the tent entrance, and the curtain behind him fell and then lifted slightly, letting in a bit of firelight and night wind.

Yan picked up the wooden tablet from the table, placed it on the corner, and stood up to leave the tent. The torches outside were still burning, their orange-red light flickering slightly in the night wind, stretching and contracting the shadows of the moving warriors. The sounds of talking and footsteps mingled in the camp; some were carrying supplies, some were eating by the fire, and some were sitting against the wall, resting with their eyes closed. The night wind carried the coolness of the river and the scent of embers from distant burning vegetation, as if the day's toil and struggle had finally found a temporary resting place as night fell. There were still some things to be explained before the fleet departed tomorrow, but at least tonight, the Wolf Tribe's fires would no longer be lit in this camp—the fires had gone out, leaving behind a pile of crushed and reassembled charcoal and ashes, piled in the corner of the warehouse, as if all traces of what had happened before tonight had been swept away from the ground and piled in one place, waiting to be carried away by the last batch after dawn.