Arrival at the Valley Tribe

Ten days after Yan led his fleet carrying his people away from the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost, they finally arrived at the Valley Tribe's main dock that morning. From afar, Yan could see that the dock had expanded considerably; the boardwalk had now more than doubled in size. The newly laid planks gleamed a pale yellow in the afternoon sun, their edges still bearing the marks of fresh planing. Several newly replaced planks were a lighter shade than the ones next to them. The wooden stakes used to secure the mooring lines along the dock were also thicker than before, replaced with sturdier, whole logs. The bark had been peeled off, revealing the smooth surface of the wood, still bearing the marks of repeated friction from the mooring lines. The faint traces left behind. Many newly built wooden houses line the shore, their thatched roofs varying in color, some already darkened by the sun, others still a fresh golden hue, looking from afar like rows of different shades of color pieced together. People are walking in the open space in front of the houses; some are tidying up drying fishing nets, unfolding and rolling them up, their fingers weaving through the mesh; others are squatting in the corners, sharpening knives with Shitou, the whetstone making a broken, intermittent sound as it cuts the blade. The entire dock is more bustling than when I last visited, every part expanding outwards, every place sprouting new things.

Jia Li, who was in charge here, had already received the news and was waiting at the dock with some leaders and soldiers. He stood at the front, wearing a dark gray linen robe with dark-colored stitching on the collar and cuffs, a hemp rope tied around his waist, and straw sandals on his feet. His face was darker than when we last met, and the skin on his cheekbones was rough from the river wind, but he was full of energy, his eyes bright and sparkling. His gaze swept over the sails of the boats that were approaching the shore, one by one, nodding slightly after each one. Behind him stood several leaders, all dressed in clean clothes, craning their necks to look at the river. Some were standing on tiptoe, while others shielded their eyes from the light with their hands.

The ship docked, the gangplank was set up, and Yan stepped off. Jia Li stepped forward, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Young Chief, you've finally arrived. You must have brought quite a few tribesmen this time? I see the fleet's draft is much deeper than usual."

Yan also returned the greeting with a fist and palm salute. "Yes, this time I brought 20,000 people to settle down. The Valley Tribe is now our management center. My father and the others plan to increase the population here. This year, we plan to settle about 50,000 people here. In the next few years, we will settle about 80,000 people in the Valley Tribe headquarters and the Little Valley Camp opposite."

After listening, Jia Li nodded, spreading his palms in front of him. His voice carried a hard-working quality, each word spoken with firm conviction. "I've recently built many new houses, and the dock has been expanded. It can now accommodate twice as many large ships as before. With the Fire Tribe's management center located here, we'll definitely need to increase the population. The terrain here is relatively flat and open, the land is very fertile, and water resources are plentiful. It can easily accommodate over 100,000 people, let alone 80,000. If you go to that hillside to the north, you'll see it's so flat you could run a horse there, and the soil is so fertile you could practically squeeze oil out of it. Two irrigation canals have already been built over there, and a third can be built. With water, everything can grow there."

Yan followed his finger, his gaze lingering on the field being cultivated. The land on the slope had already been turned over, the freshly turned soil gleaming a deep brown in the afternoon sun. Several irrigation ditches meandered down from the top of the slope, their bottoms still filled with shallow water that shimmered in the sunlight. He looked for a moment, then looked away, focusing on Jia Li's face. "Yes, besides settling my tribesmen here, I also need to bring 10,000 people from the Greater Qing Tribe Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost. Shibang has already gathered the people at the Greater Qing Tribe, and the houses and food at Fire Creek River Mouth are ready. They can settle in as soon as they arrive."

Jia Li nodded and said, "No problem. I started gathering people after receiving your message. They're waiting on the open space on the east side of the dock. Once all your people have disembarked, I'll have someone send the 10,000 people of the Greater Qing Tribe onto the ship. I've already counted them and grouped them by family, so there won't be any chaos on board."

After listening, Yan nodded and changed the subject to the movements in the north. His voice was lower than before. "Has there been any activity in the north lately? Has the Tiger Tribe made any new moves?"

Jia Li straightened up, his body no longer leaning slightly forward. He shifted his gaze from Yan's face to the direction downstream from the dock. He tapped his fingers briefly at his side before speaking, his voice low but clear: "Recently, the Tiger Tribe hasn't made any major moves against our Fire Tribe. After you brought all the Willow Vine Tribe members to the Greater Qing Tribe last time, the Tiger Tribe seized the opportunity to occupy Willow Vine Tribe's territory. They sent people in to occupy all the empty houses and granaries, and also sent some to turn over all the arable land in the Willow Vine Tribe and plant crops. Our spies there have sent back messages saying that the Tiger Tribe now considers Willow Vine Tribe their own." "We left some people to garrison the forward outpost." He paused, tapping his finger lightly on his side. "After you left with your fleet, the Tiger Tribe lowered their guard. Their workshops resumed operation, and people started farming and production again. The fires in several of their workshops were lit again, and smoke began to rise from the chimneys. They continued to send people to recruit people north of the Long River, but now the tribes to the north are on guard, and their recruitment rate has slowed down. Those small tribes to the north fled as soon as they heard the Tiger Tribe was coming; some entire tribes began to migrate further north, abandoning their houses and fields."

After listening, Yan nodded, lightly tapped the hilt of his sword at his waist, his fingertip tracing the edge of the hilt before withdrawing it. He paused for a moment, then continued, "How is the situation with the Wolf Tribe now? Have they sent any messages from Shibang and Yingmu?"

Jia Li took over, lowering his voice slightly. "Currently, under the continuous harassment and attacks from Shibang of our Greater Qing Tribe and Yingmu of the Bear Tribe, the Wolf Tribe's patrol and activity range is being continuously compressed. Before, after you left, they still dared to patrol the riverbank occasionally, but now their patrol routes have been retreated to more than a mile away from the riverbank. Their patrol routes have also been shortened; they used to patrol twice a day, but now they only patrol once every two days. However, the Wolf Tribe recently purchased some boats with a carrying capacity of 20,000 jin and 10,000 jin from the Tiger Tribe. They are very careful and dare not show themselves on the Fish River, hiding these boats in the Great Rock River. They only sneak out when they need to transport supplies to the Tiger Tribe. Sometimes it's at night, sometimes it's at dawn, sneaking over before our people change shifts. Shibang is watching over there and has seen them twice already, but he hasn't been able to catch them. Their boats are small and quick."

After listening, Yan tapped his fingers on the hilt of his sword again, the knuckles making a soft sound. He spoke in a low voice, "The Tiger Tribe doesn't dare to provoke our Fire Tribe Fire Tribe now, which is a good time for us to develop Dali. The Wolf Tribe should also continue to harass and attack us, so we can't let them catch their breath. After our Fire Tribe's management center officially moves to the Valley Tribe, I will personally deal with the Wolf Tribe. At that time, it will be much faster to transfer troops from the Valley Tribe than from the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost. The transfer of grain and supplies will also be more convenient. Shibang and Yingmu have already done a lot of work over there. After I get there, I will add some more manpower for them and tighten the encirclement. I will have my men guard their few small boats hidden in the tributaries at the river mouth, intercepting them one by one when they come out."

After listening, Jia Li nodded and said, "Okay, I'll keep an eye on things here. Don't worry, I'll have everything ready before the management center moves here..."

As the two were talking, all the people Yan had brought had disembarked. On the open ground west of the dock, 20,000 tribesmen had already been grouped by family. Some carried bundles, some held children, and some helped the elderly. They were being guided towards the camp. The procession stretched along the boardwalk to the camp entrance, then branched off along several different dirt roads. The sound of footsteps crunched on the dirt roads without any crowding. At the same time, on the open ground east of the Valley Tribe, 10,000 people from the Greater Qing Tribe had also lined up and were moving along the boardwalk towards the fleet. Some people in the procession carried bundles, while others glanced back at the camp, their gaze lingering briefly on the wooden houses and open ground where they had stayed for several days, before turning back and continuing forward. Jia Li's men stood on both sides of the gangplank, guiding them onto the boat. One confirmed the number of people, another directed the boarding pace, and one squatted on the edge of the gangplank to check if the knots were tied tightly. Then, one stood up and nodded in Jia Li's direction.

Yan, seeing that things were about right, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Jia Li: "I'll be leaving with my men now. My father and the others will be coming next time. You should make good preparations here. Reinforce and add more of the newly built sheds on the west side of the dock, and make sure the irrigation ditches for the newly cultivated fields to the north are dug in advance, otherwise the water supply won't be enough after spring. You can arrange the manpower as you see fit."

Jia Li nodded in agreement, patted his chest, and said, "No problem, leave this to me."

Yan nodded to him, turned and walked onto the gangplank. He stood at Chuantou bow, waved to the dock, and then shouted into the cabin, "Let's go!" The sound of the ox horn rang out, deep and long, carrying far across the river. The fleet slowly left the Valley Tribe's main dock, heading upstream along the Fish River towards the mouth of the Big Horse River Mouth. The sails billowed again in the afternoon sun, the white sails making a series of short, sharp slapping sounds as they unfurled in the wind, gradually being drowned out by the sound of the water. Yan stood at the Chuantou, his gaze fixed on the river ahead. Gubang stood beside him, watching the retreating camps and fields on both banks. His fingers rested on the edge of the gunwale, his fingertips against the surface of the wooden planks, gently adjusting his grip with the rocking of the boat. Daya and Zhuangchai leaned against the stern, whispering something, occasionally glancing at the dock that was being hauled in.