Deployment

After Yan led his fleet to the Great Luwei Tribe, the ships docked, the gangplanks were set up, and he was the first to step off. He stepped onto the wooden planks of the dock without pausing and headed straight for the council hall. People on the dock were unloading cargo; sacks of grain were being carried from the ships and stacked along the edge of the walkway, and boxes of arrows were piled up at the warehouse entrance. Some people were counting the goods with wooden tablets, while others were directing the movement. Yan walked past them, nodded, and without stopping to say anything more, his steps quick and steady, his boots clattering on the dirt road of the camp.

When they arrived at the council hall, Daya, Shibang, and Yingmu were already waiting there, having received word of their arrival. The hall was spotless; a new linen cloth covered the long table, upon which sat several earthenware bowls and a jug of water. The pile of clutter in the corner had been cleared away, and a map of the lower reaches of the Fish River, drawn on animal hide with charcoal, hung on the wall, marking the locations and approximate numbers of several Tiger Tribe outposts along the riverbank. Daya sat to the left of the table, wearing a dark gray linen robe and a leather belt with a bronze buckle around his waist. His face was darker than when they last met, the skin on his cheekbones rough and firm, but he was still full of energy. He was quite shrewd. Seeing Yan enter, he raised his hand from the table and gestured towards him. Shibang sat beside him, wearing a dark blue leather armor over a linen robe. His face was tanned dark by the river wind, but his eyes were bright. He nodded slightly when he saw Yan enter. Yingmu sat on the right side of the table, wearing a grayish-brown linen robe with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his strong forearms. His face was also quite tanned, but his eyes were bright. When he saw Yan enter, he placed the ceramic bowl he was holding on the table, the bottom of the bowl making a soft tapping sound, and then stood up and took two steps to greet Yan.

Yan walked to one end of the table and sat down, taking the wooden tablet out of his robes and placing it in front of him. He then glanced around at the people present and spoke in a low but clear voice, "After I returned to the management center this time, the chief said that we should take advantage of the opportunity to eliminate the Tiger Tribe's strongholds along their route to their base, weakening their strength and preventing them from properly producing and cultivating the land. This way, the Tiger Tribe won't be able to recover their strength immediately. During this period, we should absorb the territory and population we've recently acquired. This way, our strength will continue to increase, while the Tiger Tribe's strength will continue to decrease. With this ebb and flow, they won't be able to hold on for long."

After listening, Shibang slammed his palm on the table, making a short, muffled thud, and then said, "Boss, this strategy is excellent. Every time we take down a Tiger Tribe stronghold, it's one less; every time we destroy their boats, it's one less; every time we raid their outposts, it's one less. If this continues, it won't be long before we defeat the Tiger Tribe. They're already weaker than us, and if we keep wearing them down like this, they won't even be able to farm or fish in peace. Their morale will crumble, and once morale is low, the troops will be difficult to lead. By then, we won't even need to fight; they'll fall into disarray on their own."

After listening, Yan nodded, turned the wooden tablet to the front, tapped it with a bone needle, and then spoke, his voice steady and clear, his pace not fast. "Yes, we will continue to build more ships next year. The shipbuilding workshop has been testing new ships this year, and even ships with a carrying capacity of 200,000 jin may be developed next year. The chief said that if everything goes smoothly, we can launch a general offensive against the Tiger Tribe next year. Once we take over the Tiger Tribe, the entire Fish River will be our Fire Tribe's territory. From the upper reaches of the Fish River to its Fish River Mouth, it will all belong to our Fire Tribe. At that time, our population will reach 500,000, we will have thousands of ships, and we will be able to muster more than 100,000 soldiers. Then, it will be much easier to move north, east, and west."

Yingmu was filled with fervor. He slammed his hand heavily on the table, making the ceramic bowl on it bounce. Then he shouted, his voice booming with a triumphant fervor, his words faster than usual, so loud they shook some dust off the roof. "Boss, you tell us what to do! We'll do whatever you say! If you say east, we'll go east; if you say west, we'll go west. Wherever you point, we'll go! No hesitation, no questions asked!"

Daya also took his hand off the table, patted it on his knee, and then spoke, his voice lower than Yingmu's, but with a sense of reassurance after being given a task. "Yes, boss, you tell us how to fight, and we'll fight that way. I'll take care of the logistics here—food, arrows, ships, horses—we'll prepare enough of what we need and send what we need to send. You fight in the front, and I'll supply you from behind. You won't lack anything."

Yan glanced at everyone, took his hands off the table, placed them on his knees, and nodded. His voice was low but clear, his speech slow and deliberate, each word seemingly carefully crafted before being uttered. "This time, Daya is responsible for settling the population and territory we've controlled, ensuring our supplies, and organizing them into groups: those who should farm, farm; those who should raise livestock, raise livestock; those who should fish, fish; those who should repair boats, repair boats. Shibang is responsible for training the army, getting our tens of thousands of people up to speed. Among the newly recruited, the young and strong will be selected for the ranks, the old and weak will be assigned to production teams. Don't be careless during training; those who need to train will train, and those who need to be punished will be punished. Yingmu and I will take turns eliminating the Tiger Tribe's downstream strongholds. We'll set off for the lower reaches of the Fish River in two days, first taking out their outer outposts one by one, and then, depending on the situation, pushing inwards."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Shibang straightened his back, patted his knees, and said, "Alright, leave the training to me."

Yingmu nodded, took his hands off the table, rubbed them together in front of him, and then spoke, his voice a little louder than before. "Alright, we'll set off in two days. My men are all ready, the boats are ready, the knives are sharpened, we're just waiting to take down the stronghold."

Daya nodded, put the wooden tablet into his pocket, and then spoke, his voice steady and clear. "I'll take care of logistics."

Then everyone chatted for a while about the specific arrangements for the dismantling of the stronghold and the details of the allocation of supplies. Yan would nod occasionally and interject with a word of supplement. After everything that needed to be said was said, everyone got up and left the council hall to make preparations.