Recaps

Yan strengthened the Fire Tribe’s alliance with the Valley Tribe, expanded trade and territory, and brought fifteen thousand people from the Big Horse River Basin into the Fire Tribe. The arc ended with Yan returning home with another ten million jin of grain as the Valley Tribe prepared for threats from the north.

• Yan returned from the Valley Tribe after defeating the Tiger Tribe’s fleet, and he and Jianshi agreed to prepare the Fire Tribe for retaliation.
• The Tiger Tribe’s leaders blamed one another for the defeat while Hu Zheng urged unity, and Tong Dachui and Tongding worked to strengthen their faction’s alliances.
• Jianshi ordered more ships, weapons, training, and grain reserves as Yan led trade missions to the Clothing Tribe, Horse Tribe, and Big Horse River Basin.
• Yan secured agreements for the Maple Leaf Tribe and Toon Tribe to join the Fire Tribe after the autumn harvest and arranged trade with neighboring tribes.
• Yan and Daiyue renewed their alliance, exchanged grain for goods, and discussed the dangers posed by the Tiger, Bear, and Wolf Tribes.
• Yan organized the migration of fifteen thousand people from the Big Horse River Basin, bringing the Fire Tribe’s population to around 180,000, and Feiyu began establishing an outpost at the Big Horse River Mouth.
• Yan promised Daiyue that the Fire Tribe would help defend the Valley Tribe and agreed to provide bronze tools and weapons in exchange for ten million jin of grain.
• Yan and Qingsui shared a final meal and parted as the Fire Tribe sailed home, while Daiyue and the elders planned to gather intelligence from the north.

Xueya secured the Tiger Tribe’s support by submitting the Wolf Tribe and conquering the Great Luwei Tribe, while the Bear and Wolf Tribes prepared to attack the Valley Tribe. Yan oversaw the Fire Tribe’s growing fleet, grain trade, outposts, and migration, and the Horse Tribe agreed to join after the autumn harvest as Jianshi anticipated a clash with the Tiger Tribe next spring.

• Xueya’s staged night assaults exhausted the Great Boulder Tribe’s defenders, and his forces killed Dashi, Shishan, and Shizhua before taking their camp.
• Xueya agreed to help the Bear Tribe attack Little Valley Camp Outpost in exchange for plunder and a path to the Tiger Tribe’s recognition, while planning to submit to the Tiger Tribe.
• Yan brought thousands of newcomers to the Fire Tribe, inspected its river outposts, and reported on the growing fleet and northern threats to Jianshi.
• Xueya presented two thousand ponies to the Tiger Tribe, gained boats and approval to attack the Great Luwei Tribe, and agreed to join the Bear Tribe’s attack on Little Valley Camp.
• Xueya evaded Lusheng’s blockade, defeated the Great Luwei Tribe, and enabled the Tiger Tribe to take control of its territory and people.
• Yan transported grain from the Valley Tribe and strengthened the Big Horse River Mouth Outpost as Feiyu prepared to welcome more settlers.
• Junfeng agreed that the Horse Tribe and its affiliated tribes would join the Fire Tribe after the autumn harvest, bringing more than ten thousand people.
• Jianshi forecast a clash with the Tiger Tribe next spring, ordered Yan to inspect the outposts, and approved his plan to bring the Horse Tribe’s people to the main settlement.

The Fire Tribe welcomed the Clothing Tribe and prepared for war as the Tiger, Wolf, and Bear Tribes attacked the Valley Tribe. Yan’s relief force broke the siege, after which the Valley Tribe chose to join the Fire Tribe and Xueya seized the weakened Bear Tribe’s camp before fleeing north.

• Yan helped move the Horse Tribe’s people and livestock, then learned that Zhixia planned for the Clothing Tribe to become independent and join the Fire Tribe.
• Jianshi prepared the Fire Tribe for a possible conflict by training troops, building ships, and storing grain, while Yan sailed to the Valley Tribe to collect supplies and assess the north.
• Zhixia secured the Valley Tribe’s agreement to become independent, then changed course and asked Yan to bring the Clothing Tribe into the Fire Tribe immediately, and Yan arranged their relocation.
• The Wolf and Bear Tribes captured Little Valley Camp Outpost and besieged the Valley Tribe’s main camp, while Daiyue and Qingsui organized its defenses.
• Yan led a relief force to the Valley Tribe, where the Fire Tribe fleet crippled the Tiger Tribe’s navy and Fire Tribe and Valley Tribe forces defeated the Bear Tribe attackers.
• After heavy losses, Daiyue and the Valley Tribe’s elders agreed to join the Fire Tribe, and Yan promised to help them relocate and ordered preparations to attack the Bear Tribe.
• Xueya tricked Xiong Pan into leaving the Bear Tribe camp, then captured it and killed Xiong Pan and his cavalry, as Yan approached, Xueya abandoned the camp and fled north.
• Yan occupied the Bear Tribe camp, assigned Yingmu to defend it through the harvest, and planned to lead ten thousand people upstream.

Yan led the Fire Tribe’s expansion as the Valley, Bean, Bear, Greater Qing, and Willow Vine peoples prepared to join, while the Tiger and Wolf Tribes built up their forces. After marrying Qingsui, Yan remained at Greater Qing to escort the Willow Vine people and repel a Wolf Tribe attack.

• Yan settled Bear Tribe survivors at northern outposts, helped secure the Valley and Bean Tribes’ allegiance, and Jianshi moved to establish the Valley Tribe as the Fire Tribe’s administrative center.
• Yan defeated Qingshi in a sparring match, winning his loyalty, while Qingya agreed to bring the Greater Qing Tribe into the Fire Tribe.
• Yan coordinated successive migrations of Valley, Bean, Bear, and Greater Qing people, while warning Jianshi and the outposts that the Tiger and Wolf Tribes were strengthening their forces.
• The Willow Vine Tribe sought the Fire Tribe’s protection from Tiger Tribe pressure, and Yan offered it the same terms as the other joining tribes.
• Yan married Qingsui at the Little Fish River Mouth camp, then set out with her to arrange the Willow Vine Tribe’s migration and test a new boat design.
• Yan helped relocate Greater Qing people and promised Liutiao he would escort the Willow Vine Tribe’s roughly thirty-five thousand people past Tiger Tribe scouts.
• After Wolf Tribe ships appeared near Greater Qing, Yan led Fire Tribe forces against them and destroyed most of a Wolf Tribe force of about a thousand horsemen.
• Yan ordered Shibang to strengthen Greater Qing’s defenses and kept the northern outposts alert in case Xueya retaliated.