Discussion Around the Brazier

While the Tiger Tribe was active elsewhere, Yan was also leading his men to take over the territory, population, and resources of the Willow Vine Tribe and the Great Luwei Tribe. In the council hall of the Great Luwei Tribe, the brazier was burning brightly, and the charcoal fire warmed the room. Outside, the north wind howled, making the roof rustle. When someone entered, they brought in a gust of cold air, which was then pushed back by the heat of the brazier. Yan, Shibang, Yingmu, Daya, and others sat around the brazier, some on low stools, others cross-legged on the straw mats on the ground. The charcoal fire in the brazier crackled from time to time, sending out a spark or two that briefly lit up the dim room before going out again.

Yan placed the wooden tablet on his lap, warmed his hands over the fire, and then spoke, his voice low but clear. "We did a good job in this operation. We not only eliminated eight outposts of the Tiger Tribe, but also absorbed more than 20,000 people and a lot of supplies. Now the Tiger Tribe's strength is declining, while our Fire Tribe's strength is steadily increasing. As long as we proceed cautiously, we can launch a decisive battle against the Tiger Tribe as early as next year, drive them out of the Fish River, and the entire Fish River Basin will be ours."

Daya put down the fire poker he was holding, wiped the charcoal ash from his hands on his trouser leg, and then said, "Yes, boss, all 20,000-plus people we recruited this time have been sent to the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost for training. Uncle Jianya has arranged houses and land for them. They'll learn our rules and our skills first, and then be assigned to various strongholds. We've also absorbed all the population from the Great Boulder Tribe and the Greater Qing Tribe. Once we've settled the 50,000-plus people from the Willow Vine Tribe and the Great Luwei Tribe by early next year, we'll be able to free up our resources to deal with the Tiger Tribe."

After listening, Yan nodded, took the wooden tablet off his lap, flipped it over, and made a mark on it with a bone needle. Then he turned to look at Yingmu and asked, "Yes, Yingmu, you've been asking people to investigate the Tiger Tribe's situation recently. How's it going?"

Yingmu placed the half-burnt charcoal he was holding on the ground, wiped his hands on his trouser leg, and then said, "The Tiger Tribe has suffered heavy losses this year due to repeated attacks from our Fire Tribe. Now their population is only around 200,000, and their core tribes combined have only about 70,000 people, with less than 30,000 warriors. Among them, only about 10,000 are elite troops. Next time we Tiger Tribe, we can concentrate on eliminating their core elite troops. As long as we wipe out these 10,000 or so people, the Tiger Tribe will probably have no ability to resist. The rest of them are either coerced or forced into this situation, or they are exploited subordinate tribes. They won't fight to the death for the Tiger Tribe."

After listening, Yan nodded, retrieved the bone needle from the wooden tablet, and then spoke, his voice steady and clear. "What's the specific situation with the Tiger Tribe? Tell me in detail. Some of the brothers here aren't very clear about the Tiger Tribe's background; could you explain it to them?"

Yingmu leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees, and then spoke, his voice lower than before, but with a calculated certainty. "The core tribes of the Tiger Tribe are those six. Over a hundred years ago, the Great Tiger Tribe was a medium-sized tribe with a population of only a few thousand. Later, a large tribe in the north that possessed bronze technology disintegrated due to internal strife. One branch— the Great Copper Tribe —fled south and sought refuge with the Tiger Tribe. The leader of the Great Tiger Tribe took them in, acquiring bronze-making technology, and their strength rapidly expanded. Over the next century, the Tiger Tribe successively annexed the White Salt Tribe, the Rice Tribe, the Great Pottery Tribe, and the Cloth Tribe, expanding step by step, and eventually becoming the overlord of the Fish River Basin."

He paused, tapped his fingers lightly on his knee, and continued, "The Tiger Tribe currently has only about 70,000 people in its six core subordinate tribes, with around 10,000 core warriors. The Great Tiger Tribe and the Great Copper Tribe have the most people, accounting for half of the total, and the warriors also make up half. In fact, if we defeat these two tribes, the rest of the Tiger Tribe will most likely submit to our Fire Tribe. From what I understand, the other core subordinate tribes of the Tiger Tribe are doing much worse. The other tribes that were forced to join are treated even worse. Some don't even have enough to eat, and some are treated like slaves, working all day without even a sip of hot water."

After listening, Yan withdrew his hand from the wooden tablet, patted his knee, and then said, "If that's the case, things will be much easier for our Tiger Tribe. As long as we wipe out the Great Tiger Tribe and the Great Copper Tribe, we can control the entire Fish River Basin. As for the other core tribes, as long as we defeat the Great Tiger and the Great Copper, they will most likely submit to us. They were already being suppressed by the Great Tiger and the Great Copper. If we defeat those who are suppressing them, they will be grateful to us and won't be willing to risk their lives for the Great Tiger and the Great Copper."

He paused, shifting his gaze from Yingmu's face to the people present, before continuing, his voice lower than before. "Yingmu, send more people to continue monitoring the Tiger Tribe's situation. Although they suffered several major losses at the hands of our Fire Tribe this year, they probably won't wait for us to attack them. They'll definitely try to find ways to deal with our Fire Tribe. They might be mobilizing troops, repairing their fortified walls, or looking for reinforcements. We need to find out all of this so we're not caught off guard when the fighting starts."

Yingmu nodded, picked up the half-burnt charcoal from the ground, squeezed it in his hand for a moment, then put it back down. He then said, "Alright, I'll send someone to investigate their situation again tomorrow. Report back once you've found out."

Shibang lowered his hand from above the brazier and rested it on his knees, then said, "Boss, since we wiped out the Wolf Tribe, Xueya and the others haven't shown up again. They've probably gone somewhere else. I had my men search the area where the Wolf Tribe used to operate several times, but we haven't seen a single trace of them."

After listening, Yan nodded, took the wooden tablet from his lap and put it in his pocket, then spoke, his voice steady and clear. "This area is basically all ours now. The north is Tiger Tribe territory again. The Wolf Tribe's methods have no place here. They used to rely on raiding small tribes, but now that the small tribes have all submitted to us, they have no one to rob and nowhere to hide. I estimate they've gone to the Long River. The north bank has been ravaged by the Tiger Tribe, and now it's sparsely populated with scattered tribes. They can still manage there. We'll send people to check the Long River after we've dealt with the Tiger Tribe."

Then they chatted about the guard posts of the Willow Vine Tribe and the Great Luwei Tribe. Shibang said that the sentry post at the mouth of the Willow Vine Tribe River Mouth was pushed northward for more than ten miles, and scouts patrolled the riverbank every day. If anyone from the Tiger Tribe tried to sneak over, they would be detected in advance. Yingmu said that the fleet of boats at the mouth of the Great Luwei River Mouth was divided into three shifts, one during the day and two at night, patrolling back and forth on the river. If any boats from the Tiger Tribe dared to go upstream, they would be stopped immediately. They talked for a while about winter preparations. Daya said that there was enough food in the granary, enough firewood, and winter clothes had been distributed. After chatting for a bit more, they dispersed and went about their own business.