Chapter Summaries

Jianshi returned to the Valley Tribe with Yan and discussed the Greater Qing Tribe joining the Fire Tribe. Qingshi challenged Yan to spar, promising to follow him if defeated, and the two faced off in the camp clearing.

• Jianshi told Daiyue that the Fire Tribe had settled ten thousand people with the Bear Tribe and Bean Tribe and would soon take in more Valley Tribe members.
• Daiyue introduced Qingya, who asked to join the Fire Tribe, and Jianshi offered him and the Greater Qing Tribe's chiefs positions in the Fire Tribe's council.
• Qingshi challenged Yan to spar, and Yan accepted after Jianshi gave a slight nod.
• Qingshi said he would follow Yan if Yan defeated him, and the two went to the camp clearing as a crowd gathered to watch.

Yan defeated Qingshi in three moves before the assembled tribes, winning Qingshi’s respect and pledge to follow him. Qingya accepted Jianshi’s plans for the Greater Qing Tribe to join the Fire Tribe and receive help defending against the Wolf Tribe.

• Fengren, Quyong, Bailin, Jia Li, Daiyue, and Jianshi discussed Yan’s strength as Qingshi prepared to fight him.
• Yan overwhelmed Qingshi with three spear strikes, disarming him and leaving a shallow cut on his throat.
• Qingshi knelt, acknowledged Yan’s strength, and vowed to follow him without complaint.
• Yan helped Qingshi up and promised him opportunities to grow stronger among the Fire Tribe’s experts.
• Qingya agreed that Qingshi would follow Yan and accepted Jianshi’s plans to bring the Greater Qing Tribe over in batches beginning next spring.
• Jianshi promised to send warriors, boats, and bronze weapons before winter to help protect the Greater Qing Tribe from the Wolf Tribe.

Jianshi and Yan returned to the Fire Tribe after settling Bear Tribe people at northern outposts and securing the Greater Qing Tribe’s agreement to join them. The leaders planned a gradual move of the administrative center to the Valley Tribe, and Yan departed again to settle people and deliver supplies.

• The fleet left the Valley Tribe and dropped Bear Tribe members at the Big Horse, Clothing, Little Horse, and Green Leaf River Mouth outposts.
• Jianshi and Yan returned to the Fire Tribe, where Jianshi reported that the Greater Qing Tribe had agreed to join and that the Bear Tribe’s remaining people had been settled at northern outposts.
• Jianshi outlined plans to move people and essential supplies gradually to the Valley Tribe, strengthen production and defenses, and bring Valley Tribe members to the headquarters valley.
• Jianshi announced that Yan had defeated Qingshi and that Yan and Qingsui had agreed to marry the following year.
• Dabang, Canglan, Wu Xiong, and Junfeng reported on grain reserves, boatbuilding, supplies, and horse fodder, and Jianshi praised their work.
• Two days later, Yan checked the supplies and led a fleet toward the Valley Tribe to settle people and deliver supplies to the Greater Qing Tribe.

Tong Dachui returned to the Tiger Tribe after a disastrous campaign, and its leaders agreed to pool resources under joint control to prepare for the Fire Tribe. As the Tiger Tribe rebuilt its forces, Xueya expanded the Wolf Tribe’s army and considered attacking the Greater Qing Tribe before it joined the Fire Tribe.

• Tong Dachui reported that the Fire Tribe’s reinforcements forced a retreat, fewer than five thousand men returned, and Xiong Lie was trapped.
• Hu Bashan blamed Tong Dachui for the defeat and warned that the Tiger Tribe’s southern gateway was exposed to the Fire Tribe.
• Tongding proposed centralizing the Tiger Tribe’s supplies, and Hu Zheng ruled that he, Tongding, and Hu Bashan would jointly approve their allocation.
• Three days later, the Tiger Tribe began building ships, smelting bronze, and training newly recruited warriors.
• Xueya expanded the Wolf Tribe’s force to eight thousand warriors and ordered scouts to watch the Greater Qing Tribe for signs of contact with the Fire Tribe.

Yan brought Fire Tribe settlers and military support to the Valley Tribe and Greater Qing Tribe while gathering news about the Tiger Tribe and Wolf Tribe. After arranging defenses at Greater Qing, he prepared to continue to the Bean Tribe, leaving the threat of the Tiger Tribe’s rapid preparations unresolved.

• Yan arrived at the Valley Tribe with ten thousand Fire Tribe people and arranged their settlement before continuing downstream toward Greater Qing.
• At the Bear Tribe, Yan learned that Wolf Tribe ships had been patrolling the river and ordered Yingmu to strengthen patrols and drive them off if they approached.
• Near Greater Qing, Yan identified the watching ships as belonging to the Wolf Tribe and sent five large ships to chase them away.
• Yan promised Qingya and Qingshi a thousand elite warriors, weapons, armor, and ships to strengthen Greater Qing’s defenses.
• Qingya told Yan that the Tiger Tribe’s factions had united and were building ships, smelting copper, and training warriors, while Greater Qing awaited a response from the Willow Vine Tribe.
• Yan told Qingya to prepare the supplies and personnel he was leaving behind, then planned to continue to the Bean Tribe and return with its people.

Yan led the fleet upstream, collecting people from the Bean Tribe and preparing to transport them to the Fire Tribe. After leaving the Bean Tribe and boarding the first group of Valley tribespeople, including Qingsui and Fengren, the fleet set off for the Fire Tribe, while Daiyue stayed behind to oversee the remaining people.

• Yan reached the Bean Tribe's dock, where Shunian had gathered eighty percent of the tribe's people for evacuation and confirmed the rest could defend the camp.
• Yan instructed Shibang to coordinate defenses and intelligence with nearby tribes, left him boats and warriors, and arranged for regular sentry reports and a beacon network.
• The Bean tribespeople boarded Yan's fleet, and Yan departed after telling Shunian and Shibang to send word to the Valley Tribe if anything unusual happened.
• Yan reached the Valley Tribe's main camp, where Daiyue had gathered twenty thousand people and planned to let the Bean Tribe's newcomers rest before assigning work.
• Qingsui and Fengren joined the first group leaving for the Fire Tribe, and Yan ordered the fleet to set off while Daiyue stayed behind to oversee the remaining Valley tribespeople.

Yan brought twenty thousand Valley Tribe members upstream to settle in the Fire Tribe’s main valley, stopping to coordinate supplies and northern defenses with Feiyu, Dazhuang, and Jianya. The fleet continued toward the Fire Tribe’s management center, while the outpost leaders prepared to receive settlers and guard against the Tiger Tribe and Wolf Tribe.

• Yan told Feiyu to monitor the northern tribes, maintain contact with downstream outposts, and wait before moving former Bear Tribe members farther south.
• Yan warned Dazhuang that the Tiger Tribe factions were building ships, smelting copper, and training soldiers, while Xueya’s Wolf Tribe had grown to around eight thousand warriors.
• Dazhuang agreed to extend Green Leaf River Mouth Outpost’s ship patrols farther south.
• After more than twenty days upstream, Yan told Jianya that he had brought twenty thousand Valley Tribe members and that the newcomers were ready to settle.
• Jianya said the Fire Tribe could receive around forty thousand newcomers and promised to add a watchtower at Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost.
• Yan warned Jianya about the Tiger Tribe and Wolf Tribe’s growing strength, then continued with the fleet toward the management center.

Yan returned to the Fire Tribe and reported that the resettlements and military preparations had gone smoothly, while the Tiger Tribe and Wolf Tribe were building their strength. Jianshi planned to expand the fleet, strengthen the northern defenses, and bring the Willow Vine Tribe into the Fire Tribe, then urged Yan to rest before winter and prepare for his wedding next year.

• Yan returned to the Fire Tribe's Little Fish River Mouth Outpost and reported to Jianshi that ten thousand people had settled in the Valley Tribe, elite warriors and weapons had reached the Greater Qing Tribe, and other migrations were complete.
• Yan warned Jianshi that the Tiger Tribe was building ships, smelting bronze, and training troops, while Xueya had expanded the Wolf Tribe's forces and sent boats to patrol near the Greater Qing Tribe.
• Yan told Jianshi that Uncle Jianya's settlements could now house forty thousand newcomers and that the promised cargo boats had all been completed.
• Jianshi planned to expand the fleet, increase the Valley Tribe's population, move production workshops there, and contact the Willow Vine Tribe to close a gap in the northern defenses.
• Jianshi discussed Yan's wedding to Qingsui next year and urged Yan to rest; Yan agreed to discuss the date with Qingsui and left the council hall.

Yan spent the last part of winter riding with Qingsui, planning the Fire Tribe’s preparations, and checking its boats and supplies. He then brought twenty thousand people to the Valley Tribe for resettlement, discussed northern affairs with Daiyue, and agreed to arrange his wedding with Qingsui after the migration was settled.

• Yan rode with Qingsui in the main valley, and the two discussed planting early rice in a field the following autumn.
• Jianya defeated Fengren in a staff sparring match and advised him to improve his timing and control.
• Yan returned to the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost and organized migration supplies, boat inspections, and resupply schedules for spring.
• Yan arrived at the Valley Tribe with twenty thousand people, and Daiyue arranged to take them to the Valley Tribe’s main camp and Little Valley Camp.
• Daiyue reported that the Tiger Tribe was strengthening its armaments, the Wolf Tribe had quieted down, and the Willow Vine Tribe was considering joining the Fire Tribe.
• Yan and Daiyue agreed that Yan and Qingsui would plan their wedding after the people and supplies had been settled.

Yan led twenty thousand Valley and Bean Tribespeople upstream to the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost, where Jianya arranged their settlement among the Fire Tribe's outposts. After Quyong reunited with Fengren and Yan spoke with Qingsui about their wedding, Yan departed for the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost to report.

• Yan showed Quyong the Fire Tribe's river-mouth outposts, and Quyong recognized how they controlled the waterways and supported the tribe's growth.
• Quyong envied Fengren's promotion and training, and Yan assured him that he too could become a deputy leader.
• After more than twenty days upstream, Yan brought the fleet and twenty thousand people to the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost, where Jianya arranged their settlement and provided twenty new boats.
• Quyong greeted Fengren, who invited him to the camp and reassured him about training.
• Yan told Qingsui that Chief Daiyue wanted them to set a wedding date, and she agreed as long as her father approved.
• Yan left the outpost and led the fleet toward the Little Fish River Mouth to report.

Yan arranged the next relocation of tribespeople and prepared to marry Qingsui once the Valley Tribe and Bean Tribe had joined the Fire Tribe. He brought twenty thousand Fire Tribe people to the Valley Tribe, collected more than ten thousand Valley Tribe and Bean Tribe people, then picked up Bear Tribe people from two outposts as the fleet continued toward Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost.

• Yan reported to Jianshi that the latest relocation had gone smoothly and that Uncle Jianya could receive another twenty thousand people in the Valley Tribe.
• Yan told Jianshi that the Willow Vine Tribe wanted to join the Fire Tribe, and Jianshi authorized him to negotiate with them on the same terms offered to the Greater Qing Tribe and the Valley Tribe.
• Yan said Chief Daiyue had agreed to hold Yan and Qingsui’s wedding after the Valley Tribe and Bean Tribe people arrived, and Jianshi told Yan to prepare the fleet for another relocation.
• After two days of preparations, Yan led twenty thousand people downstream and delivered them to the Valley Tribe, where Daiyue and Shunian prepared a little over ten thousand people to board.
• Yan’s fleet took the Valley Tribe and Bean Tribe people upstream, then collected ten thousand Bear Tribe people from the Big Horse River Mouth and Clothing River Mouth outposts.
• Yan continued toward the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost, where figures were waiting on the dock.

Yan delivered the Valley Tribe, Bean Tribe, and Bear Tribe arrivals to the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost, then continued downstream. Meanwhile, the Willow Vine Tribe's leaders decided to seek an agreement to join the Fire Tribe, and Liutiao prepared to travel to the Greater Qing Tribe to arrange talks.

• Yan left the newly arrived tribespeople in Jianya's care and continued with the fleet toward the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost.
• Liutiao reported that the Fire Tribe was rapidly growing stronger and that the Tiger Tribe was expanding its armaments and pressuring the Willow Vine Tribe to declare its allegiance.
• Liuren warned that the Tiger Tribe might soon attack and that joining it could leave the Willow Vine Tribe's people on the front lines.
• Liutiao recommended joining the Fire Tribe, citing its favorable treatment of newly joined tribes and reports from Qingshi and the Valley Tribe.
• Liuren and the chiefs agreed to seek an agreement with the Fire Tribe, and Liuren ordered Liutiao to contact Qingya and arrange face-to-face talks.

Hu Zheng presided over a Tiger Tribe council dispute between Hu Bashan, who wanted to keep expanding north, and Tongding, who urged caution and action against the Willow Vine Tribe. The council agreed to slow northern expansion, watch the Willow Vine Tribe, and continue preparing ships, weapons, and soldiers.

• Tongding warned Hu Bashan that recruiting large numbers in the north could draw the attention of powerful tribes while the Tiger Tribe was already occupied with the Fire Tribe.
• Hu Bashan rejected Tongding’s concerns and argued that the Tiger Tribe should prioritize absorbing northern populations before annexing the nearby Willow Vine Tribe.
• Tongding argued that taking the Willow Vine Tribe would strengthen the Tiger Tribe’s southern defenses and reduce the risk of overextending its forces.
• Hu Zheng ordered Hu Bashan to keep a lower profile in the north, suspend large-scale northern trips if possible, and send people to monitor the Willow Vine Tribe.
• Tongding and Hu Bashan agreed that the tribe should watch for Willow Vine ships, reinforcements, or migration while continuing to build ships, forge weapons, and train soldiers.
• Hu Zheng settled the council and dismissed everyone, while Tongding left after pausing over the council’s wooden tablets.

Xueya and the Wolf Tribe leaders discussed the growing conflict between the Fire Tribe and the Tiger Tribe and planned to strengthen their own forces. Xueya urged them to train their cavalry and expand to ten thousand warriors, while keeping open the possibility of moving to the north bank of the Long River to gain techniques and people.

• Xueshou and Duzhu reported that the Wolf Tribe had more than eight thousand cavalry and plenty of supplies after its gains from the Bear Tribe.
• Yexiao warned that the Fire Tribe and Tiger Tribe might both turn their attention to the Wolf Tribe as their conflict intensified.
• Xueya advised the leaders to train their warriors and wait for the two great tribes to fight, when their attention would be elsewhere.
• Duzhu asked whether the Tiger Tribe might force the Wolf Tribe to lead an attack, but Xueya expected it to offer benefits to secure their support instead.
• Xueya said the Wolf Tribe should grow to around ten thousand warriors and suggested that moving to the north bank of the Long River could give them a chance to gain techniques and people.
• The leaders agreed to focus on training, and Xueya stood at the council hall doorway before closing it and walking back toward the camp.

Yan returned to the Greater Qing Tribe with supplies and two thousand elite warriors, arranged to relocate twenty thousand people, and began negotiations with Liutiao about the Willow Vine Tribe joining the Fire Tribe. The chapter left Liutiao ready to send people with Yan so they could see the Valley Tribe's settlement conditions.

• Yan reported to Jianshi that the latest population transfers had gone smoothly, and Jianshi ordered him to reinforce the Greater Qing Tribe and move more people to northern settlements.
• Yan stopped at the Green Leaf River Mouth Outpost and the Big Horse River Mouth Outpost to tell Dazhuang and Feiyu to prepare houses for around ten thousand incoming people.
• Yan arrived at the Great Green River Mouth Outpost with two thousand elite warriors and supplies, while Wolf Tribe boats withdrew downstream.
• Qingya told Yan that the Greater Qing Tribe had gathered twenty thousand people for relocation and introduced Liutiao, who had come to discuss the Willow Vine Tribe joining the Fire Tribe.
• Liutiao explained that the Tiger Tribe had pressured the Willow Vine Tribe to provide supplies and threatened to send troops, and Yan offered the tribe the same terms given to the Valley Tribe, the Bean Tribe, and the Greater Qing Tribe.
• Yan offered to take Willow Vine tribespeople to see the Valley Tribe's settlement conditions, and Liutiao agreed to arrange for them to go.

Yan defeated Liutiao in an arm-wrestling match, persuading the Willow Vine Tribe’s young chief to support joining the Fire Tribe. After Yan resettled the Greater Qing Tribe’s twenty thousand people and returned to the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost, Jianshi told him to prepare to bring Qingsui and the others back for his wedding.

• Liutiao challenged Yan to test his strength, and Yan won their arm-wrestling match after letting Liutiao strain against him first.
• Liutiao said he would urge his father to bring the Willow Vine Tribe into the Fire Tribe and agreed to send people to see the Fire Tribe’s settlements.
• Qingya handed the Greater Qing Tribe’s twenty thousand people to Yan, who distributed them among the Valley Tribe and northern outposts as the fleet traveled upstream.
• The Willow Vine Tribe’s visitors toured the Fire Tribe’s settlements and decided to recommend joining when they returned home.
• Yan reported to Jianshi that the Wolf Tribe had fled and that the Greater Qing Tribe had been resettled; he also described Liutiao’s support.
• Jianshi told Yan that wedding preparations were nearly finished and asked him to bring Qingsui and the others to the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost after two days of rest.

Yan traveled to the Fire Tribe’s main valley to bring Qingsui back to the Little Fish River Mouth camp, where they married amid a celebration. The chapter ended with Yan and Qingsui sharing wine and settling together for their first night as a married couple.

• Yan set out with Dali and a large fleet to fetch Qingsui, stopping overnight at the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost.
• Yan met Daiyue and Qingsui at the Fire Tribe’s main valley, and the Valley Tribe party joined the fleet for the return journey.
• Yan and Qingsui arrived at the Little Fish River Mouth camp and married beside a bonfire as the gathered tribespeople celebrated.
• Yan toasted the leaders and warriors before joining Qingsui in their room, where they shared wine and tied the red cord around their fingers.
• Yan and Qingsui held hands and lay beside each other as the camp’s celebration quieted outside.

After resting from their wedding, Yan returned to tribal affairs and agreed to lead a fleet to the Greater Qing Tribe to settle the Willow Vine Tribe’s possible integration into the Fire Tribe. The chapter ends with Yan’s enormous fleet sailing downstream toward the Greater Qing Tribe.

• Yan told Qingsui that the Fire Tribe would move its administrative center to the Valley Tribe and later to the Tiger Tribe, while Qingsui planned to learn weaving, salt-making, and accounting from Qingye.
• Jianshi and Dabang asked Yan to travel to the Greater Qing Tribe and arrange for members of the Willow Vine Tribe to join the Fire Tribe.
• Jianshi instructed Yan to settle the first arrivals at the Greater Qing Tribe camp and Green Leaf River Mouth camp, and Dabang assigned him a fleet of hundreds of large boats and many smaller ones.
• Yan suggested testing a segmented keel to help develop boats capable of carrying two hundred thousand jin, and Jianshi told him to take Qingsui and wait if necessary.
• Two mornings later, Yan ordered the massive fleet to set off from the dock and sail downstream toward the Greater Qing Tribe.

Yan arrived at the Greater Qing Tribe with a large fleet to oversee its relocation and arrange for the Willow Vine Tribe to join the Fire Tribe. The Greater Qing people began moving downstream, while Yan stayed behind to await the Willow Vine Tribe’s preparations and watch for the Tiger Tribe.

• Yan greeted Qingya and Liutiao at the Greater Qing Tribe dock and confirmed that the Fire Tribe would welcome the Willow Vine Tribe under the agreed terms.
• Liutiao told Yan that the Willow Vine Tribe and its subordinate tribes numbered about thirty-five thousand people and that Tiger Tribe scouts watched their movements; Yan promised to return with a fleet and escort them safely.
• Qingya prepared the Greater Qing people to relocate, and Yan assigned Qingshi to organize the remaining workers before they departed.
• Bailin led most of the fleet downstream with fifteen thousand Greater Qing people to settle them at the Valley Tribe and Green Leaf River Mouth Outpost.
• Yan stayed at the Greater Qing Tribe with Qingsui and a small fleet, and Liutiao returned to the Willow Vine Tribe to prepare its people to move.

Yan joined forces with Yingmu and Shibang to destroy the Wolf Tribe’s ships and defeat a cavalry force, securing the Greater Qing Tribe’s river crossings. He warned that Xueya might retaliate and assigned Shibang to defend the Greater Qing Tribe and Yingmu to return to the Bear Tribe after Bailin took over the Bean Tribe post.

• Yan had Qingshi watch the river and summoned Yingmu and Shibang after scouts spotted Wolf Tribe ships near the Greater Qing Tribe’s dock.
• Yan led the three Fire Tribe naval forces against the Wolf Tribe’s fleet, while Yingmu and Shibang searched for and destroyed hidden boats nearby.
• Yan deployed cavalry at the river crossings, then led an attack that wiped out most of a Wolf Tribe force of about a thousand horsemen.
• Yan warned Yingmu and Shibang that Xueya might retaliate and ordered them to remain vigilant despite their victories.
• Yan assigned Shibang to oversee the Greater Qing Tribe’s defenses and planned for Yingmu to return to the Bear Tribe once Bailin took over the Bean Tribe post.
• Shibang began reinforcing sentry posts at the crossings north of the Greater Qing Tribe’s camp.