Chapter Summaries

After defeating most of the Wolf Tribe force, Yan pursued the fleeing Xueya while Jianya organized reinforcements, supplies, and prisoners. Xueya reached the Marsh Tribe camp and prepared to flee before dawn as the Fire Tribe gathered forces to destroy the Wolf Tribe.

• Yan told Jianya that Xueya had escaped toward the Marsh Tribe, then took three hundred elite cavalry to pursue him.
• Jianya arranged for Dali to gather supplies and follow with reinforcements, ordered allied tribes to send troops, and assigned prisoners to three years of hard labor.
• Jianya sailed with the grain fleet toward the Fire Tribe's main camp and planned to collect the remaining grain from the Valley Tribe.
• Dali prepared to march with five hundred cavalry, with more than twelve hundred cavalry expected to join the campaign.
• Xueya reached the Marsh Tribe camp with fewer than a hundred survivors, warned Duyan that the Fire Tribe was pursuing them, and ordered everyone to pack and leave before dawn.

After the Fire Tribe defeated the Wolf Tribe, Xueya fled with the survivors and split them into two groups to escape pursuit. Yan’s cavalry crushed Duyan’s group, while Xueya escaped; Yan and his warriors regrouped at the Marsh Tribe’s camp and prepared to pursue the Wolf Tribe later.

• Xueya told Duyan that the Fire Tribe had overwhelmed the Wolf Tribe, killing Shichui and leaving only two hundred warriors and five hundred logistics personnel, and ordered the survivors to flee.
• Xueya and Duyan split the Wolf Tribe’s survivors onto separate roads, with Duyan taking the southeastern route and Xueya heading northeast.
• Yan divided his cavalry to pursue both groups, then caught Duyan’s column and routed it, killing Duyan and the remaining Wolf Tribe cavalry.
• Yingmu and Shinian reported that Xueya escaped after sacrificing his infantry to delay them, and Yan reassured them before agreeing they could lead the attack on High Pointed Mountain.

Yan gathered Dali and allied forces at the Marsh Tribe camp to prepare for a coordinated attack on Xueya’s remaining Wolf Tribe fighters at High Pointed Mountain. After Yan’s cavalry departed to blockade the mountain, Dazhuang arrived with the infantry and organized the transport of supplies and captives before setting out in pursuit.

• Yan reviewed the seized Wolf Tribe supplies and planned to wait for reinforcements before attacking High Pointed Mountain, where Xueya had escaped with about fifty cavalrymen.
• Dali arrived with seven hundred cavalrymen, heard Yan’s account of the pursuit, and agreed that the forces should surround and starve out the Wolf Tribe’s stronghold.
• Kaishan and Biaotou arrived with cavalry from the Hundred Crafts and Pottery Salt Tribes and promised further infantry reinforcements.
• Yan ordered the allied cavalry to rest and set out for High Pointed Mountain the next morning to blockade it.
• Two days later, Dazhuang arrived with fifteen hundred infantrymen and learned that Yan had already taken the cavalry ahead.
• Dazhuang left two hundred Fire Tribe infantrymen to guard the supplies and captives, ordered the supplies sent to the Pottery Salt Tribe, and led the remaining troops toward High Pointed Mountain.

After the Fire Tribe destroyed most of his force, Xueya decided the Wolf Tribe could no longer remain at High Pointed Mountain. He secretly fled north with a hundred elite warriors, leaving the lair and its people behind as a decoy.

• Xueya returned to the Wolf Tribe’s lair with a few dozen survivors and ordered them to keep their arrival secret.
• Yexiao told Xueshou and Duzhu that the Fire Tribe had crushed their army, killing more than four hundred warriors and capturing a thousand support personnel.
• Xueya decided to abandon High Pointed Mountain and migrate north with a hundred veteran warriors, leaving the subordinate tribes and most of the Wolf Tribe behind.
• Xueya ordered Xueshou to select the warriors, Yexiao to prepare supplies, and Duzhu to reinforce the lair and mislead those left behind about the defeat.
• Before daybreak, Xueya left for the north with the elite warriors and supplies, leaving High Pointed Mountain behind.

Yan and Dazhuang prepared to attack the Wolf Tribe’s stronghold on High Pointed Mountain after capturing more than eight thousand people from its subordinate tribes. The Wolf Tribe remained inexplicably silent, and Yan led five hundred infantry toward the mountain at dawn to probe its defenses.

• Yan and Dali captured more than eight thousand members of the Wolf Tribe’s subordinate tribes, while the Wolf Tribe made no move from its mountain stronghold.
• Yingmu and Yan wondered whether the Wolf Tribe had fled, but Yan considered it unlikely because High Pointed Mountain had been its stronghold for years.
• Dazhuang arrived with more than thirteen hundred infantry and about a hundred cavalry, then discussed the Wolf Tribe’s silence and the planned attack with Yan and Dali.
• Yan described the mountain’s narrow path and wooden checkpoints, and proposed using strong bows and fire to break through them before advancing on the stronghold.
• At dawn, Yan led five hundred infantry toward High Pointed Mountain while Dazhuang guarded the captives and Dali deployed cavalry around the area.

Yan found the Wolf Tribe stronghold abandoned in chaos, learned that Xueya had fled north with about a hundred followers, and arranged a pursuit and the occupation of the camp. He then set out with leaders from several tribes to bring them to the Fire Tribe and discuss their submission.

• Yan entered the Wolf Tribe stronghold and learned from survivors that Tulang’s men had fought among themselves after Xueya abandoned them, then fled east.
• Yan ordered Yingmu to secure the camp and Shinian to search for fugitives; the survivors reported that Xueya had gone north with at most a hundred people.
• Yan left Shinian to garrison the stronghold and assigned Yingmu two hundred cavalry to pursue Xueya north.
• Yan agreed with Dali and Dazhuang to send the prisoners to Stone Creek River Mouth and arrange the migration of the Fish, Pottery Salt, Marsh, Beast Taming, and Hundred Crafts Tribes in stages.
• Yan led the leaders and troops of those tribes west toward the Fire Tribe’s main settlement as Dali and Dazhuang prepared to escort the prisoners and supplies.

Yan met with the chiefs of the Pottery Salt, Hundred Crafts, Marsh, and Beast Taming Tribes after the defeat of the Wolf Tribe, and confirmed that the Fire Tribe equipped its warriors with bronze weapons. The four tribes prepared to migrate south to join the Fire Tribe while Yan set out to negotiate with the Fish Tribe.

• Yan arrived at the Pottery Salt Tribe’s camp, where Jia Li, Wu Xiong, Cangbo, and Muye welcomed him and thanked the Fire Tribe for defeating the Wolf Tribe.
• At dinner, Yan confirmed that the Fire Tribe’s warriors carried bronze weapons and promised that the joining tribes would have opportunities to obtain them as supplies increased.
• Yan told the chiefs that their combined population would soon bring the Fire Tribe to sixty thousand people, with eighty to a hundred thousand possible within two years.
• The chiefs reported that their people, harvests, and supplies had gathered at the Pottery Salt Tribe, and Yan ordered them to begin migrating to the Fire Tribe the following morning.
• More than five thousand people set out south along the Fish River, while Yan rode north toward the Fish Tribe to discuss its joining the Fire Tribe.

Canglan and the Fish Tribe’s leaders agreed to join the Fire Tribe after the Wolf Tribe’s defeat. Yan arranged for Fish Tribe representatives to study at the Fire Tribe’s main camp first, with the full migration planned for the beginning of spring next year.

• Canglan proposed joining the Fire Tribe, and Julang, Shentan, Feiyu, Bailin, Langhua, and the elders agreed.
• Canglan assigned Julang to inventory supplies and boats, Shentan to count the population, and Feiyu and Bailin to help welcome Yan.
• Yan arrived at the Fish Tribe’s camp, where Canglan hosted him and formally discussed joining the Fire Tribe.
• Yan explained that the Fire Tribe would first settle nearly six thousand migrants from other tribes, then provide the Fish Tribe with supplies and a thousand warriors to help prepare for its migration.
• Canglan and the leaders agreed to send representatives to study at the Fire Tribe’s main camp before moving everyone at the beginning of spring next year.
• Yan left to meet the migrating tribes at the Stone Creek River Mouth, while Canglan and Julang affirmed that joining the Fire Tribe was the right choice.

Yan returned from the Fish Tribe after securing its agreement to join the Fire Tribe and helped arrange the settlement of four tribes and thousands of laborers. He reunited with Jianshi and the Youth Team at the main settlement, where he left the newcomers being settled and the youths eager for future battles.

• Yan reached Stone Creek River Mouth, where Dali and Dazhuang briefed him on the arriving migrants and captured laborers.
• Yan, Dali, and Dazhuang arranged for Dazhuang to guard and develop the outpost, Dali to lead able-bodied migrants overland, and Yan to transport their families and supplies by boat.
• Yan brought the elderly, infirm, women, and children to the main settlement, where Jianshi welcomed him and arranged for the newcomers to be housed.
• Yan reassured Jianshi that Xueya's escape with about a hundred followers was no great threat, and explained that Yingmu had taken two hundred cavalry to pursue him.
• Yan visited the Youth Team, told Gubang, Daya, and Zhuangchai about the campaign, and urged them to keep training before seeking battlefield experience.

Yan inspected the Fire Tribe’s Youth Team, horses, and workshops as the tribe continued to grow. Dali returned with the young and strong members of four allied tribes, whose chiefs joined the Fire Tribe’s council and pledged their people’s service.

• Yan visited the Youth Team camp, praised Gubang, Daya, and Zhuangchai for training the newcomers, and learned about promising youths Xiaosheng, Xiaotou, and Xiaogen.
• Yan checked the stables and workshops, learned that the Fire Tribe had around fifteen hundred horses, and heard that a large ship was planned for launch early next spring.
• Dali returned with the young and strong people of the Pottery Salt Tribe, Marsh Tribe, Hundred Crafts Tribe, and Beast Taming Tribe, bringing the total number of arrivals from the four tribes to nearly six thousand.
• Jianshi welcomed Dali and the four chiefs, Jia Li, Cangbo, Wu Xiong, and Muye, and hosted them at the council hall.
• Jianshi assigned the newcomers roles suited to their skills and made the four chiefs council leaders; the chiefs pledged their tribes’ service and joined the Fire Tribe.

After defeating the Wolf Tribe, Jianshi warned the Fire Tribe’s leaders that the revealed secret of bronze-making could eventually draw the powerful Tiger Tribe’s attention. The leaders reviewed the tribe’s growing population and workshop output, then prepared to accept more refugees from the upper Fish River.

• Jianshi and Yan discussed how Xueya’s escape would spread news of the Fire Tribe’s bronze weapons, potentially alerting the Tiger Tribe downstream.
• Yan urged the Fire Tribe to use the time before the Tiger Tribe could act to strengthen itself, and Jianshi noted that the tribe controlled over seventy thousand people, including captives.
• Dabang reported increased production from the pottery, shipbuilding, bronze, textile, and saltmaking workshops, and Jianshi ordered him to coordinate supplies for further growth.
• Jianshi announced that five or six thousand people from the western bank of the upper Fish River wanted to join the Fire Tribe, and Yan confirmed that grain supplies could support them.
• Jianshi told Yan and Dali to bring Fish Tribe leaders and trusted members to help persuade the newcomers, then urged everyone to continue their duties without slackening.

Canglan arrived at the Fire Tribe headquarters with the Fish Tribe fleet and agreed to integrate his people into the Fire Tribe. After discussing leadership roles and plans for migration, he returned to the Fish Tribe with Fire Tribe warriors and supplies to prepare for the move next spring.

• Jianshi welcomed Canglan and the Fish Tribe leaders at the dock, and Canglan was astonished by the Fire Tribe's farms, herds, and settlement.
• At a feast, Jianshi credited the Fish Tribe and other allies for helping defeat the Wolf Tribe and assigned Feiyu and Bailin to assist Yan and Dali on a future mission.
• Canglan brought the Fish Tribe's boats and agreed to serve as a Fire Tribe council leader while the Fish Tribe's leaders trained and its ordinary members prepared to migrate next spring.
• The next morning, Canglan sailed back with Fire Tribe warriors and supplies as Jianshi saw him off.

Yan and Dali led a fleet to the five tributaries on the west bank of the upper Fish River and brought more than six thousand people facing hardship back to the Fire Tribe. The newcomers were welcomed and settled in an orderly fashion, pushing the Fire Tribe’s population above seventy thousand.

• Yan and Dali set out with five hundred boats carrying supplies to bring the most vulnerable people to the Fire Tribe.
• At the Peach River, Yan promised Taogen that the Fire Tribe would take people in batches, rescued around five hundred people, and left supplies for those who remained.
• Over the following weeks, Feiyu, Bailin, and members from the west bank helped Yan recruit people from the Grass, Ash, Red Leaf, and Little Water River basins.
• The fleet returned with more than six thousand people, and Jianshi welcomed Yan and the newcomers at Fire Creek Wharf.
• Yan’s people registered, treated, housed, and provided supplies for the newcomers, bringing the Fire Tribe’s population above seventy thousand.

Yan and Dali reported that the Fire Tribe had brought back six thousand people from the west bank of the upper Fish River, with seven thousand more expected in spring, while Jianya confirmed the Valley Tribe could supply twenty million jin of grain next year. Jianshi set plans to expand shipping and cultivate 140,000 mu of new paddy fields next year, leaving the Fire Tribe preparing for rapid growth and greater food independence.

• Yan reported that about thirteen thousand people lived across five tributaries on the west bank of the upper Fish River, and that the Fire Tribe had brought back about six thousand while promising to return for the rest in spring.
• Jianshi calculated that the Fire Tribe would have about 78,000 people to feed including Wolf Tribe captives, rising to 85,000 after the remaining west-bank people arrived, and tasked Dali with retrieving belongings and delivering supplies.
• Jianya reported that he had brought back the final 1.5 million jin of grain for the year and that the Valley Tribe had guaranteed a supply of twenty million jin next year.
• Jianshi ordered Dabang to build 150 ten-thousand-jin boats and, if possible, fifty twenty-thousand-jin boats, while keeping production of tools and goods high.
• Yan presented a plan to develop farmland and settlements across the Fire Tribe's territory, and Jianshi assigned next year's field reclamation targets, totaling 140,000 mu of new paddy fields.
• Jianshi sent Jianya to buy plow oxen and ponies from the Horse Tribe, assigned Dazhuang to oversee projects for several tribes, and divided responsibility for the other outposts among himself and the named leaders.

Yan inspected the Fire Tribe’s workshops and Youth Team, then traveled with Yingmu to visit Shibang at the Deer Tribe’s mining area. He promised Shibang that Gubang would soon take over his post and that the Fire Tribe would face more battles as it continued to grow.

• Dali and Jianya led separate supply fleets away from the Fire Tribe’s headquarters, while Yan began inspecting the tribe’s workshops.
• Yan confirmed that pottery, bronze goods, and other workshop production could support the Fire Tribe’s growth and that bronze weapons were stocked for another two thousand fighters.
• Yan told Gubang he would take over Shibang’s mining-area post after the coming-of-age ceremony, and assigned Daya and Zhuangchai to manage the Youth Team.
• Yingmu reported that Xueya had raided two tribes and was hiding between Little Valley Camp and the Horse Tribe, so Yan postponed pursuing him and planned a visit to the Deer Tribe.
• Yan and Yingmu met Shibang at the mining area, where Yan promised Gubang would soon relieve him and said more battles lay ahead for the Fire Tribe.

Yan inspected the Deer Tribe’s mining and refining operations, then proposed moving the bronze workshop there and relocating coarse-salt refining to Jumbled Stone Slope. Jianshi approved planning both moves, and Dabang began preparing detailed plans as Yan considered the Fire Tribe’s future expansion.

• Yan inspected Colorful Stone Mountain, the refining workshop, and the miners’ residential area, and praised Shibang’s management while promising to improve the miners’ benefits.
• Yan told Shibang and Yingmu that the bronze workshop should gradually move to the Deer Tribe, and warned them to prepare for future conflicts involving Xueya, the Bear Tribe, the Valley Tribe, and the Tiger Tribe.
• Yan returned to the main valley and proposed moving the bronze workshop to the Deer Tribe; Jianshi agreed and told him to have Dabang prepare a plan.
• Yan proposed moving coarse-salt refining to Jumbled Stone Slope while keeping fine-salt processing at the main settlement, and Jianshi approved planning that move as well.
• Yan explained both proposals to Dabang, who enthusiastically began preparing detailed plans, while Yan returned home and thought about the Tribe’s future projects.

Yan and Dabang oversaw plans to relocate the bronze and coarse salt workshops, while Dali and Jianya returned with supplies and reports from the western bank and the Horse Tribe. Jianshi assigned the next steps for resettlement and warned that Xueya’s presence between the Horse and Valley Tribes threatened future grain trade.

• Yan and Dabang presented the workshop relocation plan, and Jianshi approved moving bronze production to the Deer Tribe and coarse salt refining to Rocky Slope while keeping the old workshops available.
• Jianshi appointed Tongchui to manage the bronze workshop and Yanbo to manage the coarse salt workshop, then ordered Yan and Dabang to complete the relocation before heavy snow.
• Yan learned from Dali that seven thousand people near Peach River, Grass River, and Ash River welcomed joining the Fire Tribe and were awaiting boats to bring them over in spring.
• Jianya returned with four hundred ponies and five hundred draft oxen, and reported that Xueya and his men were hiding between the Horse Tribe and Valley Tribe territories after raiding two tribes.
• Jianshi rejected Yan’s suggestion to send troops against Xueya and told Yan to raise the issue with Leader Daiyue in spring so the Valley Tribe and Horse Tribe could act together.
• Jianshi ordered Jianya to use the Fire Tribe’s boats to transport the remaining people and supplies to outlying settlements before winter, while Yan left the hall concerned that Xueya would threaten future grain trade.

Yan and the other youths came of age in a Fire Tribe ceremony, and Jianshi assigned Yan to help lead the newcomer camp while preparing him to command two thousand men in spring. Gubang left for the Deer Tribe to take over from Shibang, who welcomed him and promised to show him the mining area.

• Jianshi gave three hundred youths adult identity tokens and celebrated their coming of age with a feast.
• Jianshi told Yan to report to Dali's newcomer camp, keep overseeing the Youth Team, and take command of Shibang and Yingmu's troops in spring.
• Yan said goodbye to Gubang, who rode to the Deer Tribe to take over his older brother's position.
• Shibang welcomed Gubang at the Deer Tribe camp and told him to learn the work and take responsibility for the mining area.

Yan trained three hundred recruits through the winter, building their physical skills, literacy, and bonds across tribes. As spring approached, Jianshi ordered Yan to take them to fetch seven thousand people from the west bank of the upper Fish River, then arrange for Canglan and the Fish Tribe to begin migrating.

• Yan organized the recruits into groups and oversaw their daily physical training and lessons in characters and arithmetic.
• Dali visited the camp, praised the recruits’ progress, and encouraged them with the prospect of becoming Fire Tribe leaders.
• Yan taught the recruits ten characters and coached them individually as they practiced writing.
• Dali told Yan that he would lead two thousand people in spring, with Shibang and Yingmu following him, and that recruits would be assigned under him.
• As winter neared its end, Jianshi ordered Yan to take the three hundred recruits to fetch seven thousand people from the west bank of the upper Fish River, then visit the Fish Tribe and begin Canglan’s people’s migration.

Yan led a fleet to bring seven thousand people from the Peach River, Grass River, and Ash River back to the Fire Tribe, then began relocating newcomers and supplies to its outposts. He ended the chapter transporting more than four thousand Fish Tribe people after their tribe formally joined the Fire Tribe.

• Yan departed with 650 boats and 300 newly trained young people to collect the people waiting along the rivers.
• Yan picked up everyone from the Peach River and Grass River, then reached the Ash River and brought its people aboard after an overnight camp.
• Yan returned to the Fire Tribe headquarters with seven thousand newcomers, where Jianshi arranged for them to be settled at several outposts.
• Yan delivered people and supplies to the Pottery Salt River Mouth, then continued to the Fish Tribe dock.
• Yan loaded more than four thousand Fish Tribe people and their supplies onto the fleet, and Canglan and Yan agreed that they were one family.