The Fire Tribe's Winter Council
Just as Yan was preparing for winter in the Great Luwei Tribe, in the Fire Tribe's administrative center council hall, Jianshi was discussing the Fire Tribe's plans for the coming year with Da Dabang and the others. The council hall was more lively than usual. Several wooden tablets were spread out on the long table, with shipbuilding diagrams and workshop layouts drawn on them. A large map of the Fish River Basin hung on the wall, with the locations of various strongholds and troop distributions marked with charcoal sticks. Jianshi sat in the main seat, with a wooden tablet in front of him, densely engraved with the amounts each workshop needed to pay next year. He held a bone needle in his hand, occasionally tapping the tablet. Dabang sat to his right, wearing a gray-brown linen short robe with a few streaks of sawdust on the front. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing his strong forearms. His face had the Chenwen unique to someone who dealt with wood and stoves year-round. Beside him were a wooden ruler and several sharpened charcoal sticks. Several workshop leaders sat nearby.
Jianshi spoke first. He placed the bone needle on the table, pressed his palm on the wooden tablet, and then swept his gaze across the people present. His voice was not loud but very clear. "Everyone, Yan'er has done a good job recently in the lower reaches of the Fish River. All eight strongholds outside the Tiger Tribe's main camp have been wiped out by Yan'er's men. They have also absorbed more than 20,000 people and seized a large amount of supplies. After this battle, the Tiger Tribe basically has no ability to counterattack. The two territories that Yan'er and his men have taken over, the Willow Vine Tribe and the Great Luwei Tribe, are basically secure. Now the Tiger Tribe's strength is getting weaker and weaker with each battle, while our Fire Tribe is getting stronger and stronger. I believe that as early as next year, we will be able to defeat the Tiger Tribe. At that time, the entire Fish River Basin will be our Fire Tribe's territory."
Dabang picked up the wooden ruler from the table, twirled it in his hand, and then spoke, his voice carrying a sense of reassurance after confirmation. His speech was slow and deliberate. "The young chief always wins. With him leading the defenses in front, nothing unexpected will happen to those two territories. When I heard the news from the rear, everyone in the workshop said that the young chief is a master strategist, his methods for capturing strongholds are steady and ruthless, one after another, Tiger Tribe doesn't even have the strength to fight back."
After listening, Jianshi nodded, withdrew his hand from the wooden tablet, placed it on his knee, and then spoke, his voice lower than before. "Yes, I trust Yan'er to handle things. Dabang, what are our Fire Tribe's production plans for next year? Tell me how much the output of each workshop can be increased."
Dabang turned the wooden tablet in front of him to the front. Several horizontal lines were drawn on it with charcoal sticks, and a number was marked after each line. He pointed to the numbers with his finger and then said, "Next year, we plan to continue to increase production in various workshops. Most workshops can increase their output by 30% to 40%. We are confident that we can even build ships with a carrying capacity of 200,000 catties next year."
After listening, Jianshi nodded, pressed his palm on the table, and then spoke, his voice slightly louder than before. "Not bad. How many more ships does our tribe plan to build next year? Tell me the specific number."
Dabang turned the wooden tablet to the back, where ship designs of varying sizes were drawn with charcoal sticks and numbered next to them. He pointed to the ship designs with his finger and then said, "We plan to build another one hundred ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 catties each, and strive to build ten ships with a carrying capacity of 200,000 catties each."
After listening, Jianshi nodded, took his hands off the table, placed them on his knees, and said, "Our current territory is mainly expanding downstream, so we do need more large ships. Transporting troops and supplies downstream along the Fish River, and deploying troops towards the Long River, all require large ships. Large ships can carry more, are more stable, and are not afraid of wind and waves. However, we shouldn't be too hasty. We can't neglect quality. If we build a lot of ships, but they fall apart halfway through the journey, it's better not to build them at all. The wood used for shipbuilding must be of good quality. Wood that needs to be air-dried should be air-dried, and wood that needs to be coated with tung oil should be coated with tung oil. Copper nails and tenons must be firmly secured, and the gaps between the planks must be filled tightly. We can't be careless."
After listening, Dabang pressed his palm on the table and said, "Chief, rest assured, I will personally oversee everything. I will inspect every boat before it is launched, checking if the hull is straight, the planks are flat, the seams are properly sealed, and the nails are secure. I will personally inspect everything before letting it go. No boat that does not meet the standards will be allowed to launch. In addition, next spring, we will send another fleet to transport a batch of supplies to the young chief, and also take some people with us to settle down. We will bring all 50,000 people from those two tribes to the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost for resettlement. The houses and land at Jianya's place are ready, and the people can settle down as soon as they arrive."
After listening, Jianshi nodded, picked up the wooden tablet from the table, glanced at it, and then put it in his pocket. He spoke, his voice lower than before. "Okay, I've noted it down. I'll find someone to do it. Make sure you have enough supplies—grain, cloth, salt, medicine, tools—bring everything you need. Also, make sure the people are properly arranged. Don't let anything go wrong on the way. Have Jianya meet you at the Fire Creek River Mouth."
Jianshi then placed the bone needle back on the table, glanced around at everyone present, and spoke in a slightly lower voice, "Everyone, don't let your guard down. Next year is crucial. Shipbuilding, weapon manufacturing, farming, grain harvesting, and troop training—we can't afford to neglect any of it. As long as we prepare everything we need, we can launch a decisive battle against the Tiger Tribe next year, wipe them out in one fell swoop, and the entire Fish River Basin will be ours."
After listening, everyone nodded. Dabang put the wooden tablet into his pocket, stood up, and the chair behind him made a short, sharp rustling sound. Then he spoke, his voice filled with a triumphant satisfaction. "Don't worry, Chief. I'll oversee things at the workshop. I'll make sure that next year, every ship that needs to be built is completed, and every weapon that needs to be produced is ready."
Everyone stood up, put away their wooden tablets, and headed towards the door. Their footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor. Jianshi remained seated in the main seat, took the wooden tablet out of his pocket, glanced at it again, then put it away. He leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the large map of the Fish River Basin on the wall. The various strongholds on the map were marked with charcoal sticks, stretching from the Fire Creek River Mouth in the upper reaches of the Fish River all the way to the Fish River Tiger Tribe's main camp in the lower reaches. He looked at it for a while, then closed his eyes and let out a long breath.