Plans at the Council Hall

After Yan saw that his mother and Qingsui were settled, he headed towards the council hall at the Valley River Mouth. He walked along the dirt road of the camp for a while, passing several newly built houses with thatched roofs of varying shades and straw ropes still hanging on the doorframes. Further ahead was a row of old warehouses, with several bundles of hemp cloth piled up at the entrance, not yet stored away. An old soldier sat beside him mending fishing nets, his fingers weaving through the mesh. When he saw Yan approaching, he raised his hand and gestured to him before lowering his head to continue mending the net. Yan nodded to him and continued walking.

As he approached the council chamber, he heard voices inside, not loud but dense, as if many people were discussing something simultaneously. He pushed open the door and went in, finding the chamber packed with people. All the chairs on either side of the long table were occupied, and people also sat on the low stools against the wall. Several young leaders stood near the door, leaning against the wall with their arms crossed. Jianshi sat in the main seat, several wooden tablets spread out before him, a bone needle in his hand, drawing something on them. Dabang sat to his right, with Canglan, Wu Xiong, Junfeng, and others on either side, along with several stronghold leaders and workshop managers. Oil lamps were lit, their flames flickering gently in the afternoon light, illuminating the carvings on the wooden tablets clearly. The room was filled with a mixed smell of wood, charcoal, and oil lamps—sultry, yet reassuring.

Jianshi looked up when he heard the door open. Seeing Yan, his expression faltered for a moment, then slowly relaxed, as if he had finally waited for the person who was supposed to come. He put down the bone needles he was holding and placed them on the table, then gestured to the empty seat next to him, tapping his finger lightly on the table. "Yan'er, come sit down. Today we're discussing next year's plans; you can listen in."

Yan walked over and sat down next to him, the chair back making a slight scraping sound as he sat down. As soon as he settled in, Jianshi turned to look at him and spoke, his voice low but clear, his pace slower than usual. "Did the resettlement of the Greater Qing Tribe go smoothly this time? Have your mother and Qingsui been brought over and settled as well?"

Yan nodded, placing the empty wooden tablet on the corner of the table. He pressed his finger along the edge of the tablet before releasing it. "I've settled all the people from the Greater Qing Tribe with Uncle Jianya. Over 20,000 people have left without incident. The elderly, weak, and women were sent in the first batch, with the able-bodied bringing up the rear." He paused, tapping his finger lightly on the table. "Now only the Willow Vine Tribe remains with the Greater Qing Tribe. We'll gradually settle them with Uncle Jianya early next year. That will almost complete our population absorption for this period. The Willow Vine Tribe Greater Qing Tribe more than 30,000 people; they'll be sent in two batches, and it'll probably be after spring that we can finally receive them all."

After listening, Jianshi nodded, placed his palm flat on the table, and slightly raised the corner of his mouth, but quickly suppressed it. Then he said, "That's good. How are your mother and Qingsui doing? How are the arrangements for their rooms?"

Yan continued, "Mother Qingye has been settled in a room on the east side of the council hall, arranged by Chief Jia Li. Qingsui is also settled in, right next to Mother's room. The room faces south, gets sunshine during the day, and isn't damp. Jia Li also had firewood and food prepared in the room, so there shouldn't be any problems. The bed is newly made, with two layers of animal hides on top of the straw mat—it's soft enough." He paused, tapping his finger on the table. "Qingsui didn't have any discomfort on the way here by boat; Mother took good care of her, and the boat didn't rock at all."

After listening, Jianshi Shi's expression relaxed a little. He nodded, then turned his head, his gaze falling on Dabang across from him. When he spoke, his voice was more formal than before, and his speech was a beat faster. "Dabang, please report to everyone on the production situation of the Valley River Mouth Management Center for next year."

Dabang stood up, the chair making a short, screeching sound behind him as its legs scraped against the brick surface before settling back down. He wore a grayish-brown linen robe, the front stained with sawdust, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his muscular forearms, on which lay a shallow scratch from a splinter. His hair was held back with a wooden hairpin, a few stray strands falling behind his ears, shimmering in the afternoon light. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse and earnest, characteristic of someone who had spent years working with wood and stoves, and he spoke slowly: Many workshops in our management center are undergoing expansion. The shipbuilding workshop will reach the output of the other two deputy management centers next year, and the textile, pottery, salt-making, and bronze-making workshops are about the same. The newly expanded dock is nearing completion and will be fully operational next spring. The textile workshop has added dozens of new looms and has been fully staffed. The pottery workshop has built two new kilns, and the bronze workshop has received two more batches of copper ingots from the Deer Tribe. The workshop area has been expanded by two rows, and the newly built sheds have already been completed and will be ready for use next month.

After listening, Jianshi nodded, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, the knuckles making a soft click on the wood. He spoke in a low but clear voice, his gaze lingering on Dabang's face for a moment. "That's good. How many ships can we build next year? What are our plans?"

Dabang pulled a wooden tablet from his pocket, covered with dense markings. He glanced at it, traced a short distance along the markings with his finger, then looked up, his voice slightly louder than before. "We've discussed it, and next year we plan to build one hundred ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin each, and two hundred ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin each. Once these ships are built, we'll station thirty ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin each and fifty ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin each at the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost and Little Fish River Mouth Outpost, for mobility and transportation. At the Valley River Mouth Outpost, we'll station forty ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin each and one hundred ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin each. This will greatly increase the naval strength and mobile transportation capabilities of our management center and two deputy management centers. Our other spare ships can then be used specifically to fight against the Tiger Tribe and to exterminate the Wolf Tribe."

Upon hearing Jianshi, Jian Shi's face lit up with satisfaction, a smile spreading from the corners of his mouth to the corners of his eyes, though not fully blooming. His voice held a sense of relief, as if confirming something. "With so many new boats next year, our naval strength will be greatly enhanced. If everything goes smoothly, the Tiger Tribe will be no match for us on the water. One hundred boats weighing 100,000 jin each, plus what we already had, will give us over two hundred boats weighing 100,000 jin each next year. No one else on the entire Fish River can muster that many. When the Tiger Tribe wants to fight us on the water, they'll have to consider whether their few boats are enough to fill the river."

Dabang spoke again, his voice lower than before. He pressed his finger on the edge of the wooden tablet, tracing a short distance along the wood grain. "However, the Fire Tribe's research into developing a ship with a carrying capacity of 200,000 jin is still facing many difficulties. It's estimated that it won't be ready by next year. The strength of the structure and materials still needs further testing. The current timber can't support such a large hull. Several splicing methods have been tried, but none have been ideal. The ship we tested last time sank a bit after loading some bags of grain; the Chuantou almost plunged into the water, and the ship was nearly falling apart. So my idea is to first increase the number of ships in the Fire Tribe, using quantity to compensate for the quality gap. Two 100,000-jin ships combined can be equivalent to one 200,000-jin ship, and they're more flexible."

After listening, Jianshi waved his hand, pressing his palm down in front of him. When he spoke, his voice carried a gentle tone, as if he had received confirmation, and he slowed his pace. "It's alright. The Tiger Tribe hasn't been able to develop ships with a carrying capacity of 200,000 jin for many years, so we're not in a hurry. These ships are more than enough to deal with the Tiger Tribe. They have fewer ships and fewer people than us, so we'll still have the upper hand in a fight. We can build the 200,000-jin ships slowly; there's no rush. Let's build enough ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin first to improve the mobility of our various strongholds. We can build even larger ships later."

Dabang nodded and put the wooden tablet into his robes. Then he spoke again, his voice steadyer than before. "Right now, our Fire Tribe has enough weapons and leather armor to arm an army of 100,000. Next year, with increased production, that number will be even greater. The bronze workshop is producing a new batch of short swords and spears every month, and the leather armor workshop is working overtime. This year's harvest has also been good; the granaries are full. Even if there is a food shortage, it can last until the end of next year."

Upon hearing the report, the expressions on the faces of the Fire Tribe's high-ranking members in the council hall relaxed somewhat. Some leaned back in their chairs, tapping their fingers lightly on the armrests, the knuckles making a soft thud on the wood; others turned their heads to whisper something to the person next to them, their voices low but tinged with amusement; someone picked up the bowl of water in front of them, which had already cooled down, took a sip, and then put it down, the bottom of the bowl making a soft tap on the table. A young leader sitting against the wall slightly grinned, but was gently nudged by the elbow next to him and then stopped. Canglan sat at the other end of the long table, his hands crossed in front of his abdomen, and nodded slightly, as if mentally recalculating the numbers. Wu Xiong leaned back in his chair, his fingers pausing and releasing on his knees, a look of reassurance on his face after being confirmed.

Jianshi waited until everyone's voices quieted down before speaking, his voice more formal than before. "Next year, after we've brought all the people from the Willow Vine Tribe to Jianya's side and settled them in, I plan to have Yan lead men to eliminate the Wolf Tribe. If anyone wants to contribute, you can come find me after the meeting. The Wolf Tribe is blocking our way; without eliminating them, we won't feel secure enough to advance our troops northward. Once we eliminate the Wolf Tribe and take over the territories of the Willow Vine Tribe and Great Luwei Tribe, our defensive line can be pushed all the way to the Tiger Tribe's border. At that point, the Tiger Tribe will only have the Fish River Mouth left; if they try to expand outwards again, they won't even be able to leave their own territory."

After he finished speaking, his gaze swept across the council chamber, as if to make sure everyone had heard him. Some nodded, the nods subtle but firm; some sat up straight, shifting their backs forward from the chair; some lowered their hands, which had been crossed in front of their abdomens, and placed them flat on the table. Yan sat beside him, silent, but his fingers tapped on his knee, his fingertips pressing against the fabric of his trousers before releasing, as if he were also absorbing that arrangement into his memory.

Then they discussed some specific arrangements for next year's production and details of resource allocation. Someone suggested increasing the copper ingot production in the Deer Tribe Mining Area, saying that copper had always been a bottleneck, and that bringing in more batches would mean making more weapons. Someone suggested building a few more granaries at the Valley River Mouth, saying that excess grain couldn't be stored outdoors and needed a shelter from the wind and rain. Someone proposed establishing a faster communication system between the major river mouth outposts, saying that news traveled too slowly now, sometimes taking several days to find out what happened upstream. Jianshi listened to everything, occasionally nodding and occasionally adding a comment. When he talked about copper, he tapped his finger on the table; when he talked about granaries, he gestured with his palm to indicate the height; and when he talked about communication, he drew a line on the table with his finger.

After he had said everything he needed to say, he stood up, tapped his palm on the table, looked around at everyone present, and spoke in a low but clear voice, "Everyone, don't let your guard down. Strive to become a super tribe with a population of over a million as soon as possible. Only then can the Fire Tribe protect itself. We currently have less than 400,000 people, while they have over a million—we're still far behind. But we're catching up. As long as we increase our annual grain harvest by 10-20%, add tens of thousands more people, and build more ships, the gap will narrow in a few years. Only when we catch up with those super tribes will the Fire Tribe truly have a firm foothold on this land."

Everyone nodded, some stood up, the chairs scraping against the floor with a jagged sound. Jianshi gestured to everyone, indicating they could disperse. People walked towards the door in twos and threes, some still talking quietly, others already hurrying out the door, their footsteps fading into the corridor. Yan didn't rush to get up. He remained seated, his fingers lightly tapping on the table, as if reviewing the day's meeting minutes in his mind. Then he stood up, nodded to his father, and turned to leave the meeting room.