Celebrating the Victory and Laying Plans

While the Tiger Tribe was arguing after the war, Yan, leading his fleet, finally returned to the Fire Tribe's administrative center, the stronghold at the Valley River Mouth Outpost, after several days of sailing. When the fleet docked, the Jianshi was already crowded with people. Jian Shi stood at the front, wearing a white linen robe with dark stitching on the collar and cuffs, an old leather belt around his waist, and straw sandals. His hands were behind his back, his back ramrod straight, his gaze sweeping over the sails of the docking ships, one by one. Seeing that the fleet now included many Tiger Tribe -style boats, and several ships piled with spoils, a smile slowly spread across his lips, extending from his mouth to the corners of his eyes, widening the lines around them. Qingye stood beside him, wearing a dark brown linen robe, clutching a cloth in her hand, occasionally glancing at the river. Seeing Yan standing at the Chuantou, she raised the cloth and waved it twice.

The boat docked, the Jianshi was set up, and Yan stepped off. Jian Shi took two steps forward and stopped in front of him, first looking him up and down. He noticed that although Yan had lost some weight and the skin on his cheekbones was tanned dark by the river wind, he was full of energy and his eyes were bright. Then he said, "You're back? Did you have a good journey? I see you brought back quite a few Tiger Tribe boats. Looks like you had a good fight this time."

Yan returned the salute with clasped hands, then said, "We brought back over a dozen Tiger Tribe ships, all captured. Father, I'll go to the council hall first to explain the situation to you. The people at the dock will arrange for unloading." Jianshi nodded and gestured to the leaders behind him, who then led their men towards the dock to begin unloading. Yan, Jianshi, and several other leaders headed towards the council hall.

Everyone went straight to the council hall. As soon as they sat down, Qingye and his men brought out hot food, and everyone quickly began to eat and drink heartily. When everyone had almost finished eating and drinking, Jianshi placed the ceramic bowl he was holding on the table, the bottom of the bowl making a soft tapping sound on the wooden board. Then he said, "Yan'er, you led the troops to a good victory this time. I heard that you even reached the Tiger Tribe's headquarters. Tell everyone in detail about this great victory over the Tiger Tribe. Some of the brothers here didn't go to the front lines; they only know that you won, but they don't know how you won."

Yan put down the bowl in his hand, stood up, and the chair behind him made a short, sharp rustling sound. He first turned the wooden tablet in front of him to the front, tapped a few spots on it with a bone needle, and then said, "Good. This time, according to the original plan, we quickly occupied the territories of the Willow Vine Tribe and the Great Luwei Tribe, controlled more than 50,000 people, wiped out more than 7,000 warriors of the Tiger Tribe, and harvested a large amount of grain, supplies, and farmland. That grain was what the Tiger Tribe hadn't had time to transport after the autumn harvest; the piles at the docks alone are enough to feed us for a while. The crops in the fields will be ready for harvest soon, and that'll be another batch. When the Tiger Tribe's 20,000 reinforcements arrive again, we will lead a large number of elite troops to pursue them all the way to the Tiger Tribe's main camp, and harvest more along the way." After capturing them, the Tiger Tribe's Grand Elder suffered another several thousand casualties. This time, the Tiger Tribe lost over ten thousand warriors and suffered heavy losses in warships; I rammed and sank thirty or forty ships, and captured a considerable number as well. However, the Hu Bashan faction had been conserving its strength, keeping their fleet at the rear. When we pressed forward, they retreated; when we retreated, they stopped. They were half-hearted in their fighting. By the time we reached the Tiger Tribe's main camp, the Tiger Tribe had already recalled many troops from other places, restoring their forces to nearly twenty thousand. When we attacked again, their resistance was much fiercer. Both sides fought several times, suffering losses on both sides. To avoid further heavy losses, we slowly withdrew with our navy to rest and regroup.

He retrieved the bone needle from the wooden tablet, changed his grip, and continued, "Once we digest the territory, people, and resources we've seized, absorb the more than 50,000 people, cultivate the Willow Vine Tribe and Great Luwei, harvest the grain, repair the boats, and train our soldiers, the strength of our Fire Tribe will rise to another level. Then, when we go to fight the Tiger Tribe, what will they use to resist? Their population will only decrease under our constant attacks, their territory will shrink with each bite, and their soldiers will dwindle with each battle. Meanwhile, our population will grow, our territory will expand, and our soldiers will become stronger. With this ebb and flow, they won't be able to hold out for long."

After listening, Jianshi nodded, pressed his palm on the table, and then spoke, his voice carrying a certainty of confirmation. "Yes, with the population we absorbed this time and the natural population growth of the tribe, our Fire Tribe's population has now exceeded 400,000, and the number of warriors will exceed 80,000. More than 80,000 of them will be ready for battle. Meanwhile, the Tiger Tribe's population will only decrease under our continued attacks. They have to defend against Wuyue in the east and Western Shu in the west, so they can only send a little over 20,000 to the south. If we win against the Tiger Tribe one or two more times and completely crush their navy, we can launch a final, fierce attack on the Tiger Tribe."

Everyone was overjoyed to hear this and cheered, making the council chamber as lively as if it had been boiled over.

Then Jianshi withdrew his hand from the table, raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and spoke, his voice not loud but clear. "Yan'er, you did a good job this time. We will verify and reward your contributions one by one. Those who deserve rewards will be rewarded. We can't let our brothers work hard and then feel disheartened. After you and your men rest at the management center for a few days, continue to lead your men to hold the front line to prevent the Tiger Tribe from launching a sneak attack. They suffered a great loss this time, and they might try to take advantage of us before we have a firm foothold. If you lead your men to guard the front line, they won't dare to move."

After listening, Yan nodded, put the wooden tablet into his robes, and then spoke in a steady and clear voice, at a measured pace. "Alright, I'll rest for a few days and then lead my men over there. We'll guard the mouths of the Willow Vine Tribe River Mouth and the Great Luwei River Mouth, and deploy our fleet on the waterways. If they dare to come, I'll make sure they don't return." They then chatted for a while about the details of the frontline defenses and resource allocation. After everything was said, they all rose and left the council hall.