Sending Out the Troops

The day after the fleet returned to the Valley River Mouth, just as dawn was breaking, the docks were already packed with people. A thin layer of morning mist floated on the river, softening the outlines of the boats moored along the shore. The torchlight scattered in the mist, casting long and short shadows of those waiting to board the boats onto the wooden planks along the dock. The seven thousand elite soldiers were already lined up on the dock, all clad in identical leather armor, pieced together from cowhide and pigskin, reinforced with copper nails and chains at the seams. Two polished copper plates were nailed to their chests and backs, gleaming in the torchlight. The torchlight gleamed. Each man carried a bronze dagger at his waist, its scabbard made of Yingmu covered with cowhide, the handle wrapped with strips of hemp cloth for absorption and slip resistance. Others carried bronze spears, their tips polished to a shine, the shafts made of fine wood felled from the mountains, whittled smooth and straight, gleaming a pale yellow in the torchlight. Bundles of spare weapons and rations were piled on the dock, covered with hemp cloth, the edges fluttering in the morning breeze before settling back down. People were carrying these supplies onto the ship, two men carrying each bundle, their steps synchronized, the boxes landing on the deck with a dull thud.

Yan stood at the very front of the dock, wearing a dark gray linen robe over a cowhide breastplate. Two round copper plates were secured to the breastplate with copper nails and chains. A bronze dagger hung from his belt. He wore animal-hide boots with hemp rope tied around the tops and thick cowhide soles, making his gait steady. In his hand, he held a wooden tablet, the supply list he and Daya had checked the previous night. He flipped the tablet over and looked at it again before putting it in his pocket. His gaze fell on the direction of the fleet, scanning each ship one by one. The sails were all furled, and the masts stood tall, casting crisscrossing shadows in the morning light. One hundred giant ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin were lined up at the front, their hulls forming a continuous wall on the water. The bronze battering rams on the Chuantou gleamed with a dark luster in the morning light. Behind them were one hundred ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin and 20,000 jin, densely packed together, filling the entire stretch of the river.

Jianshi stood beside Yan. Today, he wore a white linen robe, his old leather belt tied around his waist, and straw sandals. A few strands of white hair fell behind his ears, shimmering in the morning light. His gaze fell on Yan's face. He paused for a moment, then spoke, his voice low but clear, his pace slower than usual. "Yan'er, this time we're going to completely crush and annihilate the Wolf Tribe, and absorb their affiliated tribes. Pick out the qualified ones, those whose hands are clean, for future use. We must also control our losses appropriately. We can't deplete our resources too much just to fight the Wolf Tribe. We still have to deal with the Tiger Tribe later, so we need to conserve our manpower."

After listening, Yan nodded, withdrew his hand from his side, and let it hang at his waist. His fingers tapped on the buckle, his fingertips pressed against the edge of the brass buckle, then released it. He spoke, his voice low but clear. "Father, rest assured, this time I will definitely eradicate the Wolf Tribe, this scourge, from the Fish River. To strike a snake at its vital point, I will first remove their sentry posts, cut off their eyes, then block their retreat, surround them from all sides, and cripple them in one fell swoop. The Wolf Tribe only has about six thousand warriors now. If we send fifteen thousand men over, the losses won't be great. I will have Julang and Shinian lead the charge. Their people have a grudge against the Wolf Tribe and will fight recklessly. They are the most suitable to be the spearhead. As for the subordinate tribes, I will have Chief Jia Li cooperate with me. He has spies over there. He knows who has clean hands and who doesn't. First, pick out the clean ones and send them to Uncle Jianya for resettlement. The unclean ones will be used for hard labor. We will proceed in two steps."

After listening, Jianshi nodded, the tense lines on his face relaxing slightly. He reached out and patted Yan's shoulder with considerable force, making Yan sway slightly. Then he spoke, his voice lower than before: "Alright, it's getting late. You should set off with your men. We'll take good care of Qingsui and Yi'er, don't worry. Don't you trust your mother? She's had four children; she'll take better care of Qingsui and Yi'er than anyone else. Send someone back to let us know you're there whenever you have time." "Don't fight alone in this situation. Send back any important information." He paused, patted Yan's shoulder again, then withdrew his hand and let it hang at his side. "When you get to the Bear Tribe, meet with Yingmu first to get the latest information on the Wolf Tribe and Tiger Tribe before making more detailed arrangements. Shibang is waiting for you at the Greater Qing Tribe, and Yingmu is waiting for you at the Bear Tribe. Combine the troops from both sides, and add my seven thousand men, for a total of fifteen thousand. You know how to fight, so I won't say more."

Yan Chao nodded to him, then switched the empty wooden tablet in his hand to his other hand. He then nodded to several high-ranking officials standing behind the Jianshi. Some returned the gesture with clasped hands, others raised their hands in a gesture, and someone shouted, "Have a safe journey, Young Chief!" Yan Chao raised his hand in response, then turned around and strode towards the gangplank. His boots clattered on the gangplank, which bent slightly under his feet and bounced back. He stood at the bow, waved to the Chuantou, and then shouted into the cabin, "Let's go!"

The sound of horns rang out, deep and resonant, carrying far through the morning mist like a stretched thread, piercing the fog, crossing the river, and passing through the newly sprouting treetops on both banks, reaching deep into the camp. The fleet slowly departed from the dock at the mouth of the Valley River Mouth, oars striking the water simultaneously, stirring up white Langhua that coalesced into a continuous, churning lava flow at the stern. Sails rose one by one in the morning light, their white surfaces gleaming softly in the rising sun. Jianshi stood on the dock, watching the fleet gradually disappear into the distance, until the last boat was cut off by a bend in the river, before turning and walking back towards the camp.

The fleet sailed downstream, the river wind blowing directly in, billowing the sails. The sails, stretched taut by the wind, made a continuous flapping sound, which was gradually drowned out by the sound of the water. Yan stood at Chuantou bow, his fingers resting 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 came out of the cabin and stood beside Yan, holding a wooden tablet in his hand. On it was a list of supplies compiled the night before. He opened and closed the tablet repeatedly, as if using that action to re-examine the numbers. He went over it in his mind, then spoke, his voice low but clear, his pace a beat faster than usual. "Boss, this time we brought one hundred giant ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin, one hundred large ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin, two hundred ships with a carrying capacity of 20,000 jin, two hundred ships with a carrying capacity of 10,000 jin, and two hundred ships with a carrying capacity of 5,000 jin. That's more than enough. The people and supplies on these ships alone can fill the docks at the mouth of the Great Green River Mouth. If we need to transport troops and supplies from the mouth of the Great Green River Mouth to the Bear River later, these ships can be deployed flexibly without having to assemble them at the last minute."

Yan nodded after listening, but his expression didn't completely relax. He tapped his fingers lightly on the gunwale, his knuckles making a soft click on the wooden planks, then spoke, his voice low but clear, his pace slowing slightly. "Although it's enough, we still need to be cautious. The Wolf Tribe is cunning and treacherous; we can't let our guard down. We need to attack the Wolf Tribe quickly this time. If we drag it out and the Tiger Tribe intervenes, although we're not afraid, it will cause much more trouble and our losses will be much greater. Although the Tiger Tribe has fewer Wolf Tribe than us, they have more bronze weapons and are stronger in combat. Fighting the Tiger Tribe Wolf Tribe be a tough battle." He paused, tapping his fingers lightly on the gunwale again. "So my idea is to resolve the main battle as quickly as possible, giving the Tiger Tribe no time to react. By the time they realize what's happening, the Wolf Tribe will be gone."

Gubang poked his head out of the cabin. He had just finished checking the weapons, and a few beads of sweat still clung to his forehead. He took the short sword from his belt, then hung it back up. He spoke, his voice slightly higher than Daya's, and his pace quickening. "So, how should we arrange our forces this time? Although the Wolf Tribe is smaller, they're holed up on both banks of the Great Rock River. Our 15,000 men can't just rush up in a swarm; we need a strategy."

Yan thought for a moment, tapped his finger on the gunwale, pressed his fingertip against the wooden plank, and then released it. He spoke, his voice steady and clear. "The Wolf Tribe has quite a few cavalry. I plan to requisition more warhorses and cavalry from the Bear Tribe. Yingmu has a lot of horses, and I've told him to bring out all the cavalry he can. We'll advance from the south. Cavalry is fast, so we can cut off the Wolf Tribe's southern outposts and northern main camp, preventing them from supporting each other. At the same time, I'll arrange for the navy to guard the Great Green River Mouth Outpost to prevent the Tiger Tribe from interfering. If the Tiger Tribe dares to come, the navy will intercept them on the river and prevent them from landing. The Bear Tribe is on the east bank of the Fish River, south of the Wolf Tribe, while the Greater Qing Tribe is on the west bank of the Fish River, opposite the Wolf Tribe. Let's go to the Bear Tribe and meet with Yingmu first to get the latest information on the Wolf Tribe and Tiger Tribe before making more detailed arrangements. Terrain is different on maps than on land; we need to hear from Yingmu and Shibang, who have been there for a long time."

Daya and Gubang nodded simultaneously. Daya put the wooden tablet into his pocket, and Gubang hung up his short knife. Neither of them asked any more questions and turned to walk towards the cabin to arrange the next leg of the voyage and the distribution of supplies. Yan stood at the Chuantou, his gaze fixed on the river ahead. The trees on both banks had turned a deeper green, their branches swaying gently in the wind, filtering the sunlight into tiny, fragmented spots that were broken and pieced back together by the ripples on the water's surface. Occasionally, a few water birds would skim across the water, their wings flashing in the sunlight before folding back up and disappearing into the Luwei in the distance.

The fleet traveled downstream along the Fish River for several days, finally arriving at the Bear Tribe's dock that morning. From a distance, the Bear Tribe's dock appeared significantly larger than the Greater Qing Tribe's. A boardwalk extended from the shore into the water, flanked by thick wooden stakes topped with bronze rings for mooring ropes. Dozens of boats of varying sizes were moored at the dock. Further inland, on the bank, stood rows of wooden houses with thatched roofs and walls constructed of rough timber, the gaps stuffed with dry grass and scraps of cloth to block the wind. In front of the houses was a leveled open space piled with wooden crates and burlap sacks covered with straw mats, the edges fluttering in the wind. Several tribesmen sat on the open space mending fishing nets, their fingers weaving the net lines with a slow but rhythmic motion.

Yingmu had already received the news and was waiting at the dock with his men. He stood at the front, wearing a dark gray linen robe, a leather belt with a bronze buckle around his waist, and animal skin boots. His face was darker than when they last met, and the skin on his cheekbones was rough and firm, like the surface of Shitou repeatedly polished by the river wind. But he was full of energy, and his eyes were bright. When he saw the fleet dock, he strode forward to greet them. Behind him stood several leaders, all dressed in clean clothes, craning their necks to look at the river. Some were standing on tiptoe, and some were shielding their eyes from the light with their hands.

The boat docked, the gangplank was set up, and Yan stepped off. Yingmu took two steps forward and stopped in front of him, first looking him up and down, his gaze lingering on his face for a moment, then clasping his hands in a salute. "Boss, you've finally arrived. I've been keeping an eye on the Wolf Tribe's movements every day from the Bear Tribe, just waiting for you to come. Now that you're here, I feel much more at ease." As he spoke, a smile spread across his face, and his expression relaxed, as if a heavy Shitou that had been pressing down on him for a long time had finally been lifted.