A Grand Display

After Yan and Qingsui's wedding, they rested for three days. During these three days, Qingye sent someone to deliver meals to their door every day, knocking once and leaving without ever coming in to disturb them. Sometimes it was a pot of stewed meat until tender, with a few tender green wild vegetables floating on the surface; sometimes it was a plate of freshly baked flatbread, neatly stacked, the edges still bearing the golden-brown color from the bottom of the pan; sometimes it was a pot of hot water with a few sweet cakes made with wild jujube paste harvested last autumn, the paste still slightly warm when bitten into. Yan and Qingsui sat facing each other at the low table in the room, occasionally exchanging a few words, sometimes just eating quietly. The sunlight outside the window shifted from morning to noon. They moved from noon to evening, drawing a slowly moving band of light on the table. Sometimes they stared at the light in a daze, sometimes they remembered to add a lamp only when the light moved to the corner of the table. The next evening, the two walked along the path beside the camp to the riverbank and stood there for a while. The river breeze, carrying the scent of water and earth, blew, ruffling the Qingsui that was draped over her shoulders and the hem of her blouse. She stood beside him, her hands resting on the railing in front of her, her gaze fixed on the ripples on the river stirred by the evening breeze. Several water birds flew across the water, their wings flashing in the twilight before folding back and landing in the shallow water in the distance.

Yan stood for a while, then spoke in a low voice, "Our Fire Tribe will relocate its management center to the Valley Tribe's main camp before this winter. Then we can settle down in the Valley Tribe for a long time. The Valley Tribe is where you grew up, so you feel more at home there. Your house there is better than the one at the mouth of the Little Fish River Mouth, and it's not as cold in winter."

Yan turned his head and glanced at her. The sunset glow fell on her profile, tracing her features in a warm arc. Strands of hair by her ear were blown by the wind and then fell back down. He thought for a moment, then spoke in a low voice, but with a certainty that he had already considered it. "After we take over the Tiger Tribe, we will also relocate the Fire Tribe's administrative center to the Tiger Tribe at the Fish River Mouth. I've heard there are large tribes with populations of over a million on the Long River. The development of our Fire Tribe cannot stop. If we stop swimming in the Fish River, others will catch up with us in a few years."

Qingsui nodded without asking further questions. She simply withdrew her hand from the railing, turned to face him, her gaze lingering on his face for a moment before she tilted her head slightly, as if carefully preparing her next words before letting them out. "Okay, it's alright. You go ahead and do your work. Don't worry about me. In my spare time, I'll learn more from my mother, Qingye— weaving, salt production, bookkeeping. I want to learn all of these." A slight smile played on her lips as she spoke, as if the gesture was telling him that she had already found her next task. "She told me that the Fire Tribe's accounts are much more complicated than before, and she can't manage them all by herself; they need help."

Yan smiled, the smile slowly spreading from the corners of his mouth, "Okay, you can learn from your mother for a while. After the management center moves to the Valley Tribe, there will be a lot of things to do there." He didn't say much more, just nodded.

On the afternoon of the third day, Yan arrived at the council hall of the Little Fish River Mouth camp. As he approached the door, the guard nodded to him and opened it for him, the hinges making a familiar low creak. Yan stepped over the threshold and went inside. The room was darker than outside, with afternoon light streaming in through the windows, casting parallel bands of light on the floor. Jianshi Shi and Dabang were discussing matters. Several wooden tablets lay on the table in front of them, covered with dense markings. Some indicated the number of ships, others the distribution of strongholds, and there were several lines that had been repeatedly crossed, as if they had been rearranged several times. Dabang was slowly running his finger along a line on one of the tablets, as if checking if the direction needed to be changed. As soon as Jianshi saw Yan enter, he looked up, a smile spreading across his face, and waved to him, clapping his hand on the empty space on the table. "Yan'er, come and sit down. Have you been resting well these past few days? You look much better than before."

Yan walked over and sat down on a chair nearby, the back of the chair making a slight scraping sound as he sat down. He nodded, resting his hands on his knees. "Yes, I did get a good rest these past few days, but there must be a lot of things to do in the tribe. Qingsui advised me to come and check on things first, saying I shouldn't stay at home any longer."

Jianshi nodded, his gaze lingering on Yan's face for a moment, as if confirming in his own way that he had indeed recovered. "You married a good girl. With Qingsui by your side, we're all at ease, and you can relax a lot more." He paused, lightly tapping his fingers on the table, the knuckles making a soft click on the wooden board. "The tribe has indeed been quite busy lately. The relocation of the management center isn't completely settled yet, and we also need to follow up on the Willow Vine Tribe joining our Fire Tribe. You're the best candidate, and we're discussing having you make another trip."

Dabang, sitting opposite, chimed in. His voice was lower than Jianshi's, but carried the decisiveness of someone who had been working, as if he had already sorted out every detail of the matter before speaking, "Yan'er, the exact number of people from the Willow Vine Tribe who can come, and when they will arrive, hasn't been completely decided yet. Your trip there will be a good opportunity to finalize this."

Yan sat up straighter, his gaze shifting between his father and the Dabang, then he nodded. "Alright, these matters are important to our Fire Tribe. Let me go."

Jianshi nodded, placing his palm flat on the table. "Then prepare to set off with the fleet in two days. If the people of the Willow Vine Tribe are willing to join our Fire Tribe, you can take some of them and settle them in the Greater Qing Tribe camp and the Green Leaf River Mouth Estuary camp. It's more stable to settle them in separate strongholds than to crammed into one place. Dazhuang has already vacated a new house at the Green Leaf River Mouth Estuary, and the food has been replenished."

Dabang chimed in, tapping his finger on the table as if searching for a safe landing point for the numbers he was about to mention. "The Fire Tribe's shipbuilding has been quite good lately. They've deployed Fire Tribe to their outposts along the Fish River tributaries. This time, you can take two hundred ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin, two hundred ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin, two hundred ships with a carrying capacity of 20,000 jin, and many smaller boats. Try to have a bit more money on hand, so you can handle any changes that might occur over there."

Upon hearing the number, Yan's brow twitched slightly, a hint of surprise playing on his lips. He spoke with a smile, "If the Wolf Tribe and Tiger Tribe knew we were making such a big fuss, they'd probably think we were going to attack them. Two hundred boats weighing 100,000 jin each lined up together—the river's going to be blocked."

Jianshi chuckled, the smile spreading slowly from the lines at the corners of his eyes, appearing particularly relaxed in the afternoon light. "With such a large force, they not only won't dare attack us, but they're also afraid we'll provoke them. Having many ships gives us confidence; it lets them know we're not to be trifled with. However, our 200,000-jin carrying capacity ship isn't finished yet, otherwise they'd be even more worried."

Dabang picked up the conversation, his voice carrying a calculated certainty. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, as if adding a more solid foundation to his words: "Yes, ships with a carrying capacity of 200,000 jin definitely can't be developed this year. We'll see if there's a chance next year. The craftsmen are already trying several new assembly methods, but haven't found a suitable one yet. This year, let's focus on building enough ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin for each river mouth outpost to supplement the outposts' mobility."

Yan listened, nodded, and spoke calmly. His fingers paused on his knee, as if he were incorporating those words into his next task. "Don't worry, everyone. As long as we work towards this goal, we can definitely develop a ship with a carrying capacity of 200,000 jin. Back then, we couldn't even build a ship weighing a few thousand jin, but now ships weighing 100,000 jin are already filling the river. Take it slow, there's always a way. If all else fails, we can divide the keel into sections, test one section first to see if it can withstand the load, and then decide how to build the whole thing."

Jianshi nodded, not saying anything more on the topic. He picked up the wooden tablet from the table, handed it to Dabang, and then said to Yan, "Prepare to leave in two days. This time, if the people from the Willow Vine Tribe Greater Qing Tribe ready, you can take in and settle a group first. If they're not ready yet, stay in the Greater Qing Tribe for a few days and wait for news. Don't rush back. Getting things done is more important than rushing. You're taking Qingsui with you this time; she can stay in the Greater Qing Tribe a few more days if she wants."

Yan stood up, the chair scraping against the floor with a short, sharp sound. He clasped his hands in a fist salute to his father and Dabang, then turned and walked out of the council hall. The sunlight outside was perfect; the early spring sun wasn't as cold as winter's, nor as scorching as summer's, but rather carried a gentle warmth, as if something unseen was slowly seeping into his skin. He paused on the steps, his gaze sweeping over the red ribbons still fluttering in the camp—these ribbons had been hanging for several days, their edges slightly curled, their color faded by the wind, but they were still there, swaying gently in the afternoon breeze. He took a deep breath, then strode towards the dock, his boots crunching on the compacted mud, his steps slow, as if he were mentally listing the tasks ahead. Passing the threshing ground, he saw several tribesmen turning over newly stored grains, the wooden rakes rustling across the surface. He paused for a moment on the golden grain, then looked away and continued on his way.

Two days later, before dawn, the docks were already ablaze with lights. A thin layer of morning mist floated on the river, softening the silhouettes of the boats moored along the shore, as if someone had draped the entire fleet in a semi-transparent veil. Torches were planted on the wooden posts of the dock, their light filtering through the mist and casting a warm, orange glow on the planks. Yan stood at the Chuantou, wearing a dark gray linen robe, a leather belt with a bronze buckle around his waist, and animal-hide boots, the boot tops glistening with dew from the dock. Behind him was the enormous fleet—two hundred colossal ships, each capable of carrying a hundred thousand catties of cargo. At the very front, the boats stretched out in a continuous line, like a moving city wall floating on the river. The bronze battering Chuantou at the bows gleamed darkly in the firelight. Each boat's sails were not yet fully raised, with only a corner of cloth hanging from the mast, gently fluttering in the morning breeze. Behind them followed two hundred boats with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin each and two hundred boats with a carrying capacity of 20,000 jin each. After that, countless small boats followed. The entire fleet stretched along the river, seemingly endless. The sails formed a white cloud in the morning light, obscuring the entire stretch of water. The oars were neatly arranged on the gunwales, and the oarsmen were already in position, awaiting only the command.

Dabang stood on the dock, hands on his hips, watching the fleet with a wide grin. He turned to Jianshi beside him and said something, part of his voice carried away by the morning breeze, only the last few words audible. "... Quite a spectacle." Jianshi didn't reply; his gaze fell on the figure at the bow of the Chuantou, his face showing a calm acceptance. He stood there, hands at his sides, neither waving nor shouting, simply watching quietly. Behind him stood several leaders, also silent, as if confirming in their own way whether the fleet's size matched their expectations.

Yan stood at the bow and waved towards the Chuantou. He saw his father standing on the edge of the dock, who also raised his hand, his palm briefly gleaming in the morning light before lowering it. Then he turned and shouted into the cabin, "Let's go!" The sound of the ox horn rang out, deep and long, carrying far through the morning mist like a stretched thread, passing through the fog, across the river, through the newly sprouting treetops on both banks, all the way to the depths of the camp. The fleet slowly left the dock, oars striking the water simultaneously, stirring up white Langhua that coalesced into a continuous, churning wave at the stern. The sails rose one by one in the morning light, their white surfaces gleaming in the rising sun. The boats gleamed with a soft sheen, as if someone were unfolding new patches of color on the river's surface, one by one. The fleet sailed downstream along the Fish River, heading towards the Greater Qing Tribe. Yan stood at the Chuantou, the wind blowing across the river, carrying the coolness of early spring and the damp scent of budding Water Grass, ruffling his clothes and the stray hairs on his forehead. His gaze was fixed on the widening river ahead, his fingers resting on the gunwale, occasionally adjusting his grip with the boat's rocking. Behind him, the fleet stretched out in a long line, sails unfurling into a continuous white ribbon across the river, moving slowly forward like a weighty river being unfurled.