Revisiting the Fish Tribe
This was Wang Yan's first long journey by boat since coming to this world. Sitting in the spacious new boat, feeling the hull gently rise and fall with the current, and the trees and mountains on both banks slowly moving backward, a strange feeling welled up in his heart. In his previous life, he had traveled by car, high-speed train, and airplane, and the feeling of Chidian was completely different from the leisurely feeling of traveling with the water and going with the flow. There was no roar of engines, only the splashing sound of oars cutting through the water, the whistling sound of the wind blowing across the river, and the faint birdsong coming from the distant mountains and forests.
"This feeling... is not bad." Wang Yan muttered to himself. Compared to trudging through the dense forest, constantly on guard against poisonous insects and wild beasts, traveling by boat was undoubtedly much more comfortable and safer, and the speed was worlds apart.
He wasn't completely absorbed in admiring the scenery. His sharp gaze swept across both banks, his mind racing.
"Uncle Dali," Wang Yan said to Dali, who was also on the boat, "Look over there. The riverbank is gentle, and behind it stretches a large, flat grassland. If it could be cleared out, wouldn't it be perfect for turning it into farmland?"
Dali looked in the direction Wang Yan was pointing, scratched his head, and said, "Yan, you mean growing hemp like we do in our valley? The area is big enough, but it's a bit far from our tribe."
"It's always good to make a note of this," Wang Yan said. "And over there, where the river bends, the current seems to slow down and the water is deeper. It might be a good spot for setting up nets for fishing, or we could make a temporary docking point there later."
Jianshi sat at the Chuantou, listening to his son's analysis and nodding slightly. He brought Wang Yan here not only for the transaction, but also because he hoped that Wang Yan would use his eyes, which always found something different, to see and think more.
"Yan is right," Jianshi said. "This time we're traveling by water, and what we see is different from walking. Everyone should pay attention and remember any useful places along the way, such as mudflats where it's easy to reach the shore, coves where prey might drink, and fruit trees that look different. We'll have Yan draw them later."
With the leader's order, the soldiers in the fleet became even more observant. Having spent years in the mountains and forests, they possessed a keen intuition for the terrain, and now, looking at the shore from the water, their different perspective allowed them to discover many details that had previously been overlooked.
As Wang Yan had observed, the river along the way was generally calm, without any rapids or dangerous shoals. This made Wang Yan realize why the Fish Tribe was able to develop a relatively advanced boat culture—they possessed a uniquely advantageous aquatic environment.
Along the way, they also saw traces of other tribes' activities. In several shallow and slow-flowing sections of the river, they saw scattered primitive people dressed in animal skins, navigating simple bamboo rafts. Some were spearing fish with sharpened sticks, while others were casting what looked like very crude nets. Their catch seemed to be very limited, with only a few small fish on their rafts.
When the Fire Tribe's fleet of ten brand-new large boats passed by in a grand procession, the people on the bamboo rafts all showed expressions of shock, awe, and even some fear, and they all rowed their rafts to the shore to watch from a distance.
"It seems that, apart from the Fish Tribe, the other tribes' use of boats is still very rudimentary," Wang Yan said to his father. "Perhaps this is also one of our advantages."
Jianshi's gaze was profound. "Boats are good things. With them, we can go farther and bring more things."
Drifting downstream at a rapid pace, it took only three days for the familiar settlement of the Fish Tribe, built on the high ground along the riverbank, to appear on the horizon. Compared to the last trip, it saved a full six or seven days!
As the fleet approached the territory of the Fish Tribe, two nimble fish-skin Xiaozhou appeared on the river, carrying several skilled Fish Tribe warriors who approached warily, wielding harpoons.
"Stop! Which tribe are you from?" the leading squad leader shouted, his eyes filled with scrutiny. It was no wonder they were nervous; apart from their own Fish Tribe, this was the first time they had ever seen anyone in the vicinity deploy ten large boats at once.
Jianshi stood up, his booming voice carrying through the air. "We are from the Fire Tribe! I am Chief Jianshi, here to pay a visit to Chief Canglan and to conduct a trade!"
"The Fire Tribe?" The squad leader clearly remembered the pottery trade with the Fire Tribe last time, and his wariness eased slightly, especially when he saw the neatly stacked pottery wrapped in hay on the boat, he showed a look of realization. "So it's you! Wait here, I'll go report!" He ordered another Xiaozhou to stay and watch, while he quickly steered back to the tribe to report.
Guided by the instructions, the Fire Tribe's fleet slowly approached the designated boat mooring area on the shore. Looking at the Fish Tribe's densely packed boats of various sizes along the shore, and further away at the settlement that was clearly much larger and more bustling than the Fire Tribe's, Wang Yan once again directly felt the difference in scale.
After mooring the boat and arranging for most of the warriors to stay behind to guard the cargo and the ship, Jianshi, along with Wang Yan, Dali, Yingmu, and five other core tribesmen, carrying several carefully selected pottery pieces as samples, headed back to the core area of the Fish Tribe to visit Canglan, the "brother-in-law" who was the leader of the Fish Tribe.
Along the way, they attracted the attention of many members of the Fish Tribe. People curiously observed this group from the upstream tribe, especially their rugged and untamed spirit, which was different from that of the Fish Tribe's riverside residents, and the beautifully shaped and evenly fired pottery on their shoulders.
"Look, it's the Fire Tribe!"
"They're here again! This time they brought a lot of pottery!"
"Their boats are huge! Bigger than some of our old boats!"
Whispers arose. Wang Yan could sense that this time, the Fish Tribe members looked at them with less of the condescending curiosity they had shown before, and more of a respectful gaze, even a hint of... envy?
Upon arriving at the larger house in Canglan, after announcing their arrival, they were quickly invited inside.
Canglan remained seated in his chief's chair, covered with a complete bearskin. He was a burly man with piercing eyes. When he saw Jianshi, a hearty smile spread across his face, "Jianshi, my brother-in-law! I didn't expect to see you again so soon! It seems your Fire Tribe is doing better and better!" His gaze swept over the Chenwen Wang Yan behind Jianshi, as well as the pottery samples they had brought, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.
The atmosphere at this meeting was even more lively than the last. This was because the Fire Tribe's demonstrated strength—whether it was their ability to build large ships or their production capacity of a large quantity of exquisite pottery—won them greater respect from Canglan.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries and presenting the dried meat they had brought as a gift, Jianshi got straight to the point. "Chief Canglan, we've come mainly to exchange these pottery pieces for some urgently needed supplies."
Wang Yan added at the opportune moment, "Uncle Canglan, we hope to exchange some rice, the more the better. We also really need fish oil, fish glue, seeds of wild vegetables unique to your area, and easy-to-grow fruit tree seedlings."
Canglan looked at the novelly shaped pottery cauldron with handles, weighed it in his hand, then glanced at the narrow-necked pottery bottle, and nodded with satisfaction. "Your pottery is getting better and better. Our Fish Tribe certainly needs these things. As for what you want..."
He hesitated for a moment, quickly calculating in his mind. The rice and Fish Tribe had been cultivating them for many years and had ample reserves; exchanging some of them would be no problem at all. Fish oil, seeds, and saplings were also part of their abundant resources. Exchanging these things, which were not too scarce for them, for these pottery pieces that could greatly improve their quality of life would be a very worthwhile deal.
"Alright!" Canglan waved his hand. "We'll exchange it as you requested! I'll have someone take you to the warehouse to see what you want. As for the specifics of the exchange, your people can discuss it with our elders! I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
The general direction of the transaction was settled in this friendly atmosphere. Wang Yan knew that the key was next—how to use the pottery he brought to obtain the maximum benefit for the Fire Tribe. He took a deep breath and prepared to dive into a primitive "commercial negotiation".