Chapter Summaries

Yan met with Daiyue and the Valley Tribe elders to negotiate grain deliveries, promising the Fire Tribe could buy as much as twenty million jin next year and leaving pottery as an advance payment. The Valley Tribe agreed to expand cultivation and support this year’s transport, and Qingsui escorted Yan and his party back to their camp.

• Daiyue and the seven elders welcomed Yan, Dali, and their party, and Yan presented lavish gifts from Chief Jianshi.
• Daiyue raised concerns about the delayed fleet and the eight million jin grain trade, and Yan explained the delay and described the Fire Tribe’s expanding shipbuilding plans.
• Daiyue asked how much grain the Fire Tribe would need next year, and Yan said the tribe could buy up to twenty million jin if the Valley Tribe could supply it.
• Yan proposed transporting one and a half million jin first and leaving pottery worth the remaining payment and a prior advance with the Valley Tribe.
• Daiyue agreed to expand cultivation and provide full support for this year’s grain transport, and the two sides discussed delivery and shipping arrangements.
• After the feast, Qingsui offered to escort Yan, Dali, and the others back to their camp by the docks.

After Yan and his party left, Daiyue and the seven Valley Tribe elders debated how to meet the Fire Tribe’s proposed order for twenty million jin of grain next year and how to use the resulting profits. Daiyue limited population growth, assigned immediate preparations, and postponed the dispute over profit distribution.

• Daiyue brought the seven elders back into the council hall and emphasized the importance of the Fire Tribe’s grain trade.
• Hefeng praised the trade’s potential, while Zhiyun warned that producing twenty million jin of grain could exhaust the Valley Tribe’s fields.
• Yao Feng proposed taking in large numbers of outsiders, but Daiyue countered with a plan to accept around two thousand people and hire temporary laborers for busy seasons.
• Jin Ye proposed buying bronze farming tools from the Tiger Tribe, and Daiyue approved the plan and asked him to negotiate a good price.
• Yao Feng, Lin Feng, and Jin Ye argued over whether trade profits should support livelihoods or strengthen defenses, and Daiyue postponed the decision.
• Daiyue prioritized delivering the first 1.5 million jin of grain, assigned the elders tasks for next year’s preparations, and sent them home.

Yan and Qingsui discussed the Fire Tribe’s growing need for grain and the threat posed by the Tiger Tribe, leading them to consider an alliance between their tribes. Qingsui promised to raise the idea with Daiyue, and she and Yan arranged to meet again the following afternoon.

• Dali and the others left Yan and Qingsui alone on the road to the docks.
• Yan explained that the Fire Tribe needed grain to feed newly settled tribespeople and hoped to help more upstream tribes survive.
• Yan told Qingsui that the Fire Tribe was growing stronger to protect itself from the Tiger Tribe and proposed a future alliance with the Valley Tribe.
• Qingsui revealed that the Tiger Tribe was suspected of backing the Bear Tribe against the Valley Tribe and promised to discuss an alliance with Daiyue.
• Yan said he would formally propose an alliance after the tribes completed more trade, and Qingsui agreed to show him around the next afternoon if he had time.

Yan discussed the Valley Tribe alliance proposal and the grain trade with Dali after Qingsui left. They planned to pursue closer ties gradually while prioritizing the handover and strengthening the Fire Tribe’s boats, and the chapter ended with them resolved to build the tribe’s strength on the water.

• Yan returned to camp, and Dali teased him about his time with Qingsui and encouraged him to meet her again after the handover.
• Yan insisted that he would prioritize the grain handover the next morning, while Dali promised to handle the remaining work so Yan could see Qingsui afterward.
• Yan told Dali that Qingsui would convey the idea of an alliance against the Tiger Tribe to Chief Daiyue, though the Valley Tribe’s elders and limited trust could make agreement difficult.
• Yan and Dali agreed that steady grain trade could build ties over time and that the Valley Tribe’s enthusiasm for the twenty-million-jin order could secure the trade and the Fire Tribe’s eight million jin of grain.
• Yan warned that the Valley Tribe’s river strength could threaten their equality, and Dali agreed that the Fire Tribe needed larger boats and eventually warships.
• Yan and Dali resolved to accelerate boatbuilding, including efforts to build ten-thousand-jin boats, as the camp’s work wound down for the night.

Yan and Dali coordinated the final pottery and grain handover between the Fire Tribe and the Valley Tribe. After the trade preparations were nearly complete, Qingsui told Yan that Chief Daiyue wanted to meet with him privately to discuss closer ties between their tribes.

• Dali divided the work between the pottery inspection and the grain loading, while Yan supervised the supplies and checked the cargo counts.
• Hefeng’s team confirmed that the pottery was worth 1.5 million jin of grain, and the grain boats were loaded with totals that broadly matched.
• Dali returned from a meal and took charge of the remaining inspections, agreements, and boat preparations, then sent Yan to eat and rest.
• Yan met Qingsui outside the camp, and she told him that Chief Daiyue was interested in his proposal for stronger relations and a possible military mutual-aid alliance.
• Qingsui took Yan to meet Chief Daiyue privately at the Valley Tribe’s council hall.

Yan met with Daiyue to discuss a closer relationship between the Fire Tribe and the Valley Tribe, including a possible military alliance. Daiyue revealed the Tiger Tribe’s overwhelming strength, and Yan disclosed the Fire Tribe’s rapid growth; they agreed to preserve the grain trade and keep discussing an alliance while the Valley Tribe considered the risks.

• Yan entered the Valley Tribe’s council hall alone and exchanged courteous greetings with Daiyue before they discussed the proposed alliance.
• Yan explained that the Fire Tribe wanted closer ties with the Valley Tribe to prepare for threats from downstream, and Daiyue said an alliance required Council of Elders approval and a clearer account of Fire Tribe’s strength.
• Daiyue described the Tiger Tribe’s population, warriors, bronze smelting, and fleet, warning that its internal conflicts might not last forever.
• Yan revealed that the Fire Tribe had nearly forty thousand people and close to eight thousand potential fighters, explaining how it had absorbed and managed smaller tribes.
• Yan accepted that the Valley Tribe needed time to consider an alliance, and Daiyue promised to protect the grain trade and raise the proposal when the time was right.
• Daiyue saw Yan and Qingsui off from the council hall as they headed toward the dockside camp.

After discussing the Valley Tribe’s fears of the Tiger Tribe with Daiyue, Yan shared a tender riverside conversation with Qingsui that revealed their mutual affection. He returned to camp thinking that strengthening the Fire Tribe and its ties with the Valley Tribe would be essential before pursuing a future with her.

• Yan returned to the dockside camp with Qingsui after his frank conversation with Daiyue and felt reassured about the tribes’ growing trade ties.
• Yan cooked dinner for Qingsui and sent bowls to Dali, Feiyu, and Bailin before eating with her.
• Yan invited Qingsui to visit the Fire Tribe and ride Chasing Wind or Treading Clouds, then told her he preferred a figure like hers.
• Yan teased Qingsui by claiming many women and their relatives sought to match him, then told her his heart belonged to someone close by, revealing his feelings for her.
• Yan apologized after Qingsui blushed and playfully protested, and they parted with their feelings more clearly understood.
• Back at camp, Yan considered the political and cultural obstacles to marrying Qingsui and resolved to strengthen the Fire Tribe before addressing their future.

Yan and Dali returned to the Fire Tribe with one and a half million jin of grain, strengthening its trade ties with the Valley Tribe and Fish Tribe. Jianshi welcomed them home and prepared to continue the grain shipments while addressing the Fire Tribe’s growing needs.

• Yan promised Daiyue that the Fire Tribe would continue the grain trade, while Daiyue pledged to prepare twenty million jin of grain for the following year.
• Yan and Dali departed with the joint fleet, and Qingsui watched them leave before the fleet completed its twenty-six-day journey home.
• Jianshi welcomed Yan, Dali, and their guests at Fire Creek, where Fengren observed the Fire Tribe’s rapid growth and growing strength.
• The Fire Tribe unloaded and counted all one and a half million jin of grain, and Jianshi promised to send Jianya for the next batch within two days.
• Jianshi gave Feiyu and Bailin twenty large dugout canoes as payment for transport, then discussed the remaining grain trade and other work with Yan.

Yan and Dali reported on their grain-trading voyage, confirming the Fish Tribe’s help and securing a much larger deal with the Valley Tribe. Yan also revealed the Tiger Tribe’s overwhelming strength and the Valley Tribe’s reluctance to form a military alliance, leaving Jianshi’s council focused on preserving trade and building the Fire Tribe’s strength.

• Yan reported that the Fish Tribe had agreed to help transport eight million jin of grain in exchange for twenty large dugout canoes, and Dali said its chief was interested in buying surplus grain and helping with next year’s transport.
• Jianshi assigned Jianya to lead the next grain shipment to the Valley Tribe in two days and allowed him to negotiate further transport help from the Fish Tribe.
• Yan said the Valley Tribe had accepted the Fire Tribe’s pottery and agreed to a twenty-million-jin grain deal for next year after its leaders gained confidence in the Fire Tribe’s ability to fulfill its promises.
• Yan conveyed the Fire Tribe’s interest in a future military alliance, but reported that Chief Daiyue was wary because the Valley Tribe feared provoking the powerful Tiger Tribe.
• Yan revealed that the Tiger Tribe had over 150,000 people, more than 30,000 armored warriors, and a vast fleet, prompting the council to recognize the scale of the threat.
• Jianshi rejected rushing an alliance and prioritized maintaining grain trade, while Dali and the other leaders called for building more and larger boats.

Jianshi announced the Fire Tribe’s progress in shipbuilding and farming, then laid out plans to strengthen the tribe while the Tiger Tribe remained a distant threat. He assigned Jianya to lead a fleet back to the Valley Tribe for grain, while Yan and Dali took on work at home.

• Jianshi reported that the Fire Tribe had completed its planned fleet and built its first ten-thousand-jin boat, which was due for a trial run the next day.
• Jianshi announced that the main settlement’s paddy fields had produced more than three million jin of rice and that planting and land development were continuing elsewhere.
• Jianshi urged the leaders to use the time before any possible Tiger Tribe attack to grow the population, reclaim fields, train warriors, and build more boats.
• Jianshi ordered Jianya to lead the newest fleet to the Valley Tribe in two days to bring back grain and demonstrate the Fire Tribe’s strength.
• Jianshi tasked Dali with overseeing vegetable-plot reclamation and told Yan to integrate and train new Youth Team members and coordinate with the workshops.

Yan visited the Youth Team after returning from the council hall, praised Gubang, Daya, and Zhuangchai for integrating the new youths, and shared news of future grain shipments and a boat launch. He then cared for Chasing Wind and Treading Clouds before returning home to Qingye and falling into a deep sleep.

• Yan watched the youths drill and saw Gubang, Daya, and Zhuangchai supervising their training.
• Yan told the three that the tribe had brought back one and a half million jin of grain so far and had agreed to receive twenty million jin next year.
• Yan reassured Gubang, Daya, and Zhuangchai that there would be no large-scale recruitment upstream for at least forty days, and Gubang reported that the new youths were settling in and recovering their health.
• Gubang gave Yan a bamboo board listing promising youths and their talents, and Yan invited the three to witness the launch of the tribe's first ten-thousand-jin boat the next morning.
• Yan fed and exercised Chasing Wind and Treading Clouds, then ate dinner with Qingye and slept at home.

Yan and the Fire Tribe gathered to launch and test their first ten-thousand-jin-capacity ship. After it passed its stability and load tests, Dali led its first sailing trial and returned safely to the dock.

• Yan awoke to find the Youth Team waiting eagerly to see the ship launched, and he joined them on the way to the Fire Creek River.
• Jianshi ordered the ship uncovered and launched, and the large vessel rocked before righting itself and floating steadily.
• Dabang’s craftsmen confirmed the hull had no leaks and loaded the ship to ten thousand jin while it remained stable.
• Dali persuaded Dabang to let him lead the sailing test with experienced sailors and agreed to follow the safety precautions.
• Yan watched the ship sail across the Fish River, and it returned safely to the dock at sunset as Dali reported that the test had gone well.

After Dali’s successful trial voyage, the Fire Tribe celebrated its first ten-thousand-jin ship and approved an ambitious expansion of shipbuilding to meet rising grain-transport needs and the threat of the Tiger Tribe. The meeting ended with plans to send a large fleet to the Valley Tribe and keep watch along the Fish River.

• Dali reported that the ten-thousand-jin ship had completed its trial voyage successfully, easing the Fire Tribe’s fears.
• Jianshi confirmed the ship’s success, and Dabang reported the tribe’s existing fleet and proposed building another hundred five-thousand-jin ships and fifty ten-thousand-jin ships that year.
• Dabang requested more bronze tools, several hundred apprentices, and guaranteed supplies, and Jianshi approved the support.
• Jianya reported that the planned grain fleet could carry over one million jin and bring back one and a half million jin with help from the Valley Tribe’s fleet.
• Jianshi ordered Jianya to depart the day after tomorrow and told Yan and Dali to monitor the Fish River and contact any small tribes upstream.

Jianya led the Fire Tribe's largest fleet yet to the Fish Tribe to prepare for transporting grain from the Valley Tribe. The Fish Tribe agreed to add ships and manpower to the mission, and Jianya arranged to leave the following morning.

• Dabang checked the busy shipbuilding workshop while Jianya inspected the fleet and confirmed its cargo preparations.
• Yan reviewed the Youth Team's training and visited the shipbuilding, bronze, and pottery workshops before the fleet departed two days later.
• Jianya led nearly four hundred ships downstream to the Fish Tribe, where Julang and Chief Canglan welcomed him.
• Jianya presented pottery gifts, and Canglan offered thirty large dugout canoes and ten ships to help transport grain.
• Jianya agreed to discuss a continuing transport partnership in which the Fish Tribe would provide ships and manpower in exchange for retired Fire Tribe ships.
• Canglan assigned Feiyu and Bailin to join the grain mission, and Jianya told his crew to rest before departing in the morning.

With food running low and only a little over three hundred fit warriors left, Xueya decided the Wolf Tribe would raid small tribes on the edge of the Horse Tribe’s territory to seize supplies and horses. Before dawn, he led the raiding force out from High Pointed Mountain.

• Xueya told the Wolf Tribe’s leaders that their food would last only half a month and they needed to raid for supplies.
• Shichui and Duyan urged an attack, while Yexiao warned that the Fire Tribe had nearly destroyed their main force and the southern and western routes were too dangerous.
• Xueshou proposed raiding small tribes in the north, far from the Horse Tribe’s main camp, and Duzhu suggested bringing useful people from the vassal tribes along.
• Xueya assigned Xueshou and Duzhu to guard the camp, then chose himself, Shichui, Duyan, and Yexiao to lead three hundred warriors north with all sixteen horses.
• Before dawn, Xueya led the Wolf Tribe’s raiding force down the mountain toward the north.

Xueya led the Wolf Tribe to attack and destroy the Tree Bark Tribe, restoring his warriors’ morale and seizing food and captives. He then divided his forces to coerce nearby small tribes into joining them, leaving the Wolf Tribe poised to expand before the Horse Tribe could respond.

• Xueya ordered Xizhi to lead three hundred conscripted logistics workers north behind the Wolf Tribe under guard.
• Xueya’s forces surrounded the Tree Bark Tribe and launched a dawn attack, killing most of its people and capturing several dozen young women.
• Xueya had the bodies burned while the Wolf Tribe celebrated and ate the tribe’s stolen rice.
• Xueya planned to split his three hundred warriors into separate groups to seize able-bodied adults from more than a dozen nearby tribes and force them to join.
• Xueya ordered the groups to meet at the old site of the Niujiao Tribe in five days, then watched the warriors celebrate as the captives sobbed in confinement.

Xueya’s forces raided northern tribes, swelling the Wolf Tribe’s ranks to more than seven hundred people. At the former Niujiao Tribe site, he planned simultaneous attacks on the White Sheep and Black Sheep Tribes to seize supplies and build strength before the Horse Tribe could respond.

• Xueya’s force seized able-bodied adults from the Little Grass Seed Tribe, while Duyan and Shichui and Yexiao raided other small tribes along separate routes.
• Duyan and Shichui burned the Da Yingmu Tribe’s huts and slaughtered its people after its leader resisted.
• The three forces reunited at the former Niujiao Tribe site with more than 420 conscripts, bringing the Wolf Tribe’s force to over seven hundred.
• Xueya identified shortages of battle-ready fighters, weapons, armor, and food, then proposed attacking the nearby White Sheep and Black Sheep Tribes at the same time.
• Xueya ordered the new conscripts to fight at the front under veteran supervision and planned to seize people and supplies from more northern tribes before returning to High Pointed Mountain.
• Xueya recalled the Wolf Tribe’s defeat by the Fire Tribe and vowed to rebuild his strength before seeking revenge.

Xueya led the Wolf Tribe in simultaneous attacks on the White Sheep Tribe and Black Sheep Tribe, killing their people and seizing their supplies. The Wolf Tribe celebrated its sudden abundance as Xueya embraced the path of conquest and prepared to rebuild its strength.

• After recruiting more than seven hundred people, Xueya split the force and sent Duyan, Shichui, and Yexiao to attack the Black Sheep Tribe while he led the assault on the White Sheep Tribe.
• Xueya's force surrounded the White Sheep Tribe before dawn, seized its stable, and slaughtered its warriors as they charged into the camp.
• Xueya ordered the newly pressed men to kill the surviving elderly, weak, women, and children, forcing them to share responsibility for the massacre.
• The Wolf Tribe took more than forty thousand jin of grain, hundreds of sheep, livestock, and over forty horses from the White Sheep Tribe, while a rider reported that the Black Sheep Tribe had also been annihilated.
• Xueya arranged for logistics workers to transport the combined spoils, which included more than eighty thousand jin of grain and over eighty horses, then ordered a feast for the Wolf Tribe.

Xueya rewarded the newly pressed recruits and led the Wolf Tribe’s forces toward their next targets, planning to seize five nearby tribes before the Horse Tribe could respond. The column set out for the Charcoal Fire Tribe, with Xueya determined to reach its outskirts before dark.

• Xueya rewarded the recruits who had fought bravely and appointed them to lead squads of newcomers.
• Xueya led more than three hundred men from the White Sheep Tribe toward the Black Sheep Tribe and met Shichui, Duyan, and Yexiao on the road.
• Xueya reviewed the Wolf Tribe’s remaining strength and planned to seize five nearby tribes in succession to rebuild the Wolf Tribe’s numbers.
• Yexiao warned that the Horse Tribe might learn of the raids and intervene, but Xueya insisted they had to move quickly and would be strong enough after taking the five tribes.
• Xueya ordered the column to rest, then set out with more than six hundred men toward the Charcoal Fire Tribe and urged them to reach its outskirts before dark.

Xueya led the Wolf Tribe to seize the Charcoal Fire Tribe and the Firewood Tribe, forcing both to submit and adding their able-bodied adults and ponies to his expedition. He planned to attack the Mole Burrow Tribe next, then the Firefly Marsh Tribe and the Boat People Tribe, before the Horse Tribe could react.

• Xueya halted his force near the Charcoal Fire Tribe and planned a dawn assault after scouts reported its defenses and numbers.
• At daybreak, Yexiao, Shichui, and Duyan carried out Xueya’s attack plan, surrounding the camp, taking its ponies, and capturing the tribe’s people.
• Xueya threatened Heitan until the Charcoal Fire Tribe chief agreed to submit, then added more than a hundred able-bodied adults to the force.
• Xueya brought Heitan to the Firewood Tribe, where Mucai agreed to submit rather than risk the tribe’s destruction.
• Xueya confiscated the Firewood Tribe’s weapons and recruited more than a hundred able-bodied adults, then planned attacks on three more tribes.