Chapter Summaries

After the Fire Tribe’s victory over the Wolf Tribe, Xueya withdrew half the Wolf Tribe’s people to Stone Ridge Mountain while Yan prepared to bring the Willow Vine Tribe back. Yan’s fleet reached the Willow Vine Tribe, where Liuren welcomed him and Liutiao joined his service.

• Xueya ordered Xueshou to take half the Wolf Tribe’s people and supplies to Stone Ridge Mountain, then organized patrols and sent word to the Tiger Tribe about Yan’s presence at the Greater Qing Tribe.
• Yan strengthened the Greater Qing Tribe’s defenses and granaries while Shilin returned after settling its remaining people at Fire Tribe outposts.
• Yan told Shilin that they would sail to the Willow Vine Tribe, then set out with the fleet along the Fish River.
• The Fire Tribe’s fleet reached the Willow Vine Tribe, and Tiger Tribe boats fled from the nearby former Great Luwei Tribe dock without being pursued.
• Liuren welcomed Yan and asked him to take Liutiao into his service; Yan accepted, and Liuren invited him to eat in the council hall.

Yan and Liuren agreed to evacuate the Willow Vine Tribe to the Greater Qing Tribe while the Tiger Tribe’s attention was divided. They finalized the route and preparations, leaving the evacuation set to begin in three days.

• Liuren told Yan that his people had destroyed the Tiger Tribe’s nearby outposts and gathered the subordinate tribes for evacuation.
• Yan proposed taking the old and weak, along with grain and portable supplies, by boat while able-bodied people drove livestock overland to the Greater Qing Tribe.
• Liuren agreed to leave the farmland and large equipment behind after Yan promised the tribe would be settled together and later move to the Fire Tribe’s main valley.
• Liuren reported the Tiger Tribe was expanding and arming itself while avoiding major conflict with the Wuyue Tribe and the Shu Tribe.
• Yan assigned Bailin and Liutiao to organize the groups, boat cargo, and route, with Liuren advising them about difficult stretches of the path.
• Yan and Liuren agreed to begin the evacuation in three days.

Yan and Liuren organized the Willow Vine Tribe’s evacuation as affiliated tribes gathered and prepared to leave for the Greater Qing Tribe. The people departed by boat and overland, while Yan and Liutiao stayed behind to monitor the Tiger Tribe and prepare the remaining supplies for evacuation.

• Yan sent scouts to watch the Tiger Tribe and received the arriving Vine, Thorn Thicket, Green Vine, and Weeping Willow Tribes, reassuring their chiefs about settlement and provisions at the Greater Qing Tribe.
• Liuren told Yan that more than seven thousand young and able-bodied people would travel overland with livestock while the elderly, weak, women, and children went by boat.
• Yan assigned Liuren to lead the overland groups and planned for Bailin to take the fleet upstream, then return to help move the remaining supplies.
• Bailin led the boats carrying the elderly, weak, women, and children upstream toward the Greater Qing Tribe, and Liuren led the overland column along the western bank of the Fish River.
• Yan told Liutiao to hide the stone millstones and destroy or disable selected crops and water facilities so the Tiger Tribe could not use them easily.

Hu Zheng convened the Tiger Tribe’s leaders to decide how to respond to the Fire Tribe’s attack on the Wolf Tribe and its fleet near the Greater Qing Tribe. He ordered a small fleet sent to assess the Wolf Tribe’s situation, more scouts sent to the Great Luwei Tribe, and recruitment in the north to continue cautiously.

• Hu Zheng told the council that the Fire Tribe had destroyed the Wolf Tribe’s naval forces, killed around two thousand people, and prompted the Wolf Tribe to request reinforcements.
• Hu Bashan, Hu Zhenshan, and Hu Dingshan argued against sending substantial forces south, saying the Tiger Tribe needed troops for northern recruitment and its other borders.
• Tongding and Tong Dachui argued that the Tiger Tribe should protect the Wolf Tribe and guard the Great Luwei Tribe against further Fire Tribe advances.
• Hu Zheng decided to send a small fleet to the Wolf Tribe, increase scouting around the Great Luwei Tribe, and continue northern recruitment with greater care.
• Hu Zheng assigned the fleet’s departure, scout rotations, and recruitment routes, and the leaders left the council hall.

Hu Zheng convened the Tiger Tribe chiefs after learning that the Fire Tribe had evacuated the Willow Vine Tribe. He rejected Tongding’s call to attack and set a plan to claim the abandoned land while focusing on absorbing people from the Long River’s northern bank.

• A chief reported that the Fire Tribe had used a large fleet to evacuate the Willow Vine Tribe’s people and escort them upstream, leaving the camp mostly empty.
• Hu Zheng considered how the dispute over the Fire Tribe reflected the struggle for influence between Tongding, Hu Bashan, and himself.
• Tongding urged the chiefs to gather troops and ships to confront the Fire Tribe, while Hu Bashan blamed Tongding for failing to monitor the Willow Vine Tribe and argued against a risky attack.
• Hu Zheng ruled that an attack would come too late, and proposed taking over the Willow Vine Tribe’s fields, keeping a fleet on watch, and focusing on absorbing people from the Long River’s northern bank.
• Hu Bashan and the other chiefs accepted Hu Zheng’s plan, and Hu Zheng assigned people and schedules for the land, recruitment routes, and monitoring fleet.

Xueya, Yexiao, and Duzhu discussed the Wolf Tribe’s danger as the Fire Tribe expanded its forces around them and the Tiger Tribe refused to offer meaningful support. Xueya chose to prepare for a possible retreat while delaying any decision to abandon their territory.

• Xueya told Yexiao and Duzhu that the Tiger Tribe would only sell the Wolf Tribe boats and send some to observe the Fire Tribe.
• Yexiao and Duzhu warned that the Fire Tribe had positioned forces at the Greater Qing Tribe and Bear Tribe, leaving the Wolf Tribe vulnerable to attacks from both sides.
• Yexiao proposed moving the Wolf Tribe to the north bank of the Long River, but Duzhu raised concerns about the route, local tribes, and relocating their subordinate tribes.
• Xueya said the Wolf Tribe should consider the north bank only as a last resort and ordered scouts to investigate the route and its inhabitants.
• Xueya planned to buy smaller boats, keep the subordinate tribes farming, monitor Fire Tribe movements, and prepare Stone Ridge Mountain as a fallback stronghold.

At the Willow Vine Tribe's dock, Yan and Qingsui discussed their work and growing partnership while Liutiao reported on the Tiger Tribe, the Wolf Tribe, and larger threats beyond the Long River. Yan planned to withdraw with the supplies once Bailin returned and continue strengthening the Fire Tribe at Greater Qing Tribe.

• Yan and Qingsui spoke about their recent work together, and Yan thanked her for staying by his side while the Fire Tribe was busy.
• Liutiao reported that the Tiger Tribe was only patrolling near the Great Luwei Tribe and had not sent a force to pursue the Fire Tribe.
• Liutiao said the Tiger Tribe had expanded its population by taking people from small northern tribes, while Yan judged that the Fire Tribe was growing stronger faster.
• Liutiao asked what the Fire Tribe would do about the Wolf Tribe at the Great Boulder Tribe, and Yan said they would confine and weaken it before striking when the time was right.
• Liutiao reported that tribes of over a million people lived north of the Long River, and Yan said the Fire Tribe needed to move its administrative center to the Valley Tribe and prepare for those powers.
• Yan said they would load the supplies and leave as soon as Bailin returned, then continue handling the work waiting at Greater Qing Tribe.

Yan led the Fire Tribe’s fleet back from the Willow Vine Tribe with its final supplies, stopping to deliver goods, hand over responsibility for the Bean Tribe, and check the outposts along the route. He reached the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost at night and headed to the meeting hall to report on the journey and arrange the final move of the Fire Tribe’s administrative center to the Valley Tribe.

• Bailin returned from the Greater Qing Tribe and told Yan that the Willow Vine Tribe’s people were settled safely, while Yan reported that the Tiger Tribe posed no immediate threat and that Liutiao had hidden supplies.
• Yan and Bailin loaded the Willow Vine Tribe’s remaining supplies and set off upstream the next morning with the Fire Tribe’s fleet.
• At the Greater Qing Tribe, Yan delivered the supplies to Shibang and gave instructions for storing them and maintaining the camp.
• At the Bean Tribe, Bailin disembarked to take charge of its defense and administration after checking the handover records and defenses.
• Yan checked in with Yingmu, Jia Li, Feiyu, and Dazhuang at the outposts, discussing northern watches, settlements, and preparations for moving the administrative center to the Valley Tribe.
• Yan brought the fleet to the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost after dark and went to the meeting hall to report on the journey and plan the administrative center’s relocation.

Yan and Qingsui returned to the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost and reported the successful relocation of the Willow Vine Tribe and their strike against the Wolf Tribe. Jianshi discussed the Fire Tribe’s plans for expansion and defense, then told them to rest before taking on more work.

• Yan reported that the Greater Qing Tribe had settled its people and the thirty-odd thousand members of the Willow Vine Tribe, and that the Wolf Tribe had lost around two thousand warriors.
• Yan explained that Shibang and Yingmu would harass the Wolf Tribe while Bailin took over the Bean Tribe’s defense and management.
• Yan told Jianshi that the Tiger Tribe was absorbing small tribes on the north bank of the Long River and that large tribes there had populations exceeding a million.
• Jianshi and Yan discussed the Fire Tribe’s population growth, boatbuilding, supplies, and plans to move its administrative center to the Valley Tribe.
• Jianshi said he would assign Dali to lead the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost after the move and urged Yan and Qingsui to rest for a few days.
• Yan and Qingsui left the council hall and returned to their quarters.

After Qingsui develops morning sickness, Qingye realizes she is probably pregnant and takes responsibility for caring for her while Yan handles his duties. The chapter leaves Yan preparing to lead a relocation to the Valley Tribe and resettle people from the Bear Tribe and Greater Qing Tribe.

• Qingsui dry-heaves, and Qingye recognizes her symptoms as a likely pregnancy.
• Qingye tells Qingsui to rest, avoid travel and move into her sunny room; Yan agrees to leave her in Qingye's care.
• Yan tells Jianshi the good news, and Jianshi shares his excitement about becoming a grandfather.
• Jianshi assigns Yan to take people to the Valley Tribe, then settle roughly ten thousand people from each of the Bear Tribe and Greater Qing Tribe.
• Yan and Jianshi discuss the travel order and supply arrangements, and Yan leaves to prepare.

Yan led twenty thousand tribespeople and his brothers downstream toward the Valley Tribe, preparing to move the management center closer to the coming conflict with the Wolf Tribe and the Tiger Tribe. He left instructions at two outposts to gather qualified Bear Tribe people for pickup on his return.

• Yan finished organizing the tribespeople, supplies, and boats, then brought Gubang, Daya, Zhuangchai, and other experienced brothers along on the journey.
• Yan told the brothers that he had gathered them to prepare for conflict with the Wolf Tribe and the Tiger Tribe, and they eagerly welcomed the chance to earn merit.
• Gubang, Daya, and Zhuangchai described their skills and readiness to serve, and Yan said they would first learn the route while helping settle people at the Valley Tribe and Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost.
• At the Green Leaf River Mouth Outpost, Yan told Dazhuang to prepare qualified Bear Tribe people for pickup after the settlement.
• At the Big Horse River Mouth Outpost, Yan gave Feiyu the same pickup instructions and reminded him to rotate sentries and watch the river.
• Yan’s fleet continued downstream toward the Valley Tribe with the brothers and tribespeople aboard.

Yan arrived at the Valley Tribe headquarters with twenty thousand people to settle there and arranged for ten thousand people from the Greater Qing Tribe to travel to Fire Creek River Mouth. After discussing the Tiger Tribe and Wolf Tribe with Jia Li, Yan sailed upstream with the fleet, leaving Jia Li to prepare the headquarters for the administrative center’s move.

• Yan arrived at the expanded Valley Tribe dock and told Jia Li that the Fire Tribe planned to settle fifty thousand people there this year and eventually establish a population of around eighty thousand across the headquarters and Little Valley Camp.
• Jia Li explained that the dock and housing had expanded, the northern fields were fertile and irrigated, and ten thousand Greater Qing Tribe members were organized to board for Fire Creek River Mouth.
• Jia Li reported that the Tiger Tribe had occupied the Willow Vine Tribe’s territory and resumed production, while northern tribes fled its recruitment efforts and the Wolf Tribe had withdrawn its patrols but secretly used ships bought from the Tiger Tribe.
• Yan said he would intensify pressure on the Wolf Tribe after the administrative center moved to the Valley Tribe, reinforcing Shibang and Yingmu and guarding the river mouth to intercept the Wolf Tribe’s ships.
• The twenty thousand arrivals settled into the Valley Tribe while the ten thousand Greater Qing Tribe members boarded Yan’s fleet, and Yan instructed Jia Li to prepare shelters and irrigation channels.
• Yan sailed upstream toward Big Horse River Mouth with the fleet, while Jia Li remained to manage preparations for the administrative center’s move.

Yan led the Fire Tribe fleet to the Big Horse River Mouth Outpost to collect the temporarily settled 5 Bear Tribe people and found the outpost thriving under Feiyu’s management. After all the newcomers boarded, Yan sailed upstream toward the Clothing Tribe, leaving Feiyu to continue developing the outpost.

• Feiyu told Yan that more than three thousand qualified 5 Bear Tribe people had been organized by family and were ready to board.
• Yan praised Feiyu’s care of the Bear Tribe people and the growth of the outpost, and Feiyu described his plans to expand farming, the dock, and specialized work teams.
• Yan and Feiyu discussed reports about the Tiger Tribe and Wolf Tribe, and Yan instructed Feiyu to prepare vacant houses for the next arrivals.
• Feiyu’s people counted the Bear Tribe passengers and confirmed that everyone had boarded.
• Yan bid Feiyu farewell and ordered the fleet to set off upstream toward the Clothing Tribe.

Yan collected more than seven thousand Bear Tribe people at the Clothing River Mouth Outpost and set off to bring them to the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost for settlement. He and Dazhuang discussed the Fire Tribe’s expansion and plans for the Tiger Tribe and Wolf Tribe as the fleet headed upstream.

• Yan arrived at the Clothing River Mouth Outpost, where Dazhuang had gathered and organized more than seven thousand people from three outposts for boarding.
• Yan told Dazhuang that Jianya had prepared housing for the newcomers and that he would take more than twenty thousand people to the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost for settlement.
• Yan explained that Dali would manage the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost and that Dazhuang might later oversee the Valley Tribe as the Fire Tribe expanded.
• Yan reported that the Tiger Tribe had occupied Willow Vine Tribe territory and resumed farming, while the Wolf Tribe had reduced its patrols and hidden ships in the Great Rock River.
• Dazhuang offered to send elite warriors to help Yan deal with the Wolf Tribe after the management center moved to the Valley Tribe.
• After the warriors confirmed that all the people had boarded, Yan ordered the fleet to leave for the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost.

Yan delivered more than twenty thousand Greater Qing Tribe and Bear Tribe people to Jianya at the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost, where they were assigned places to settle. After reporting on the migration and the tribes’ affairs, Yan sailed downstream toward the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost to report back to his father.

• Yan told Jianya that the migrants had been safely transported and grouped by family, and Jianya confirmed that several outposts had room to house them.
• Yan praised Daya’s careful management of supplies, and Jianya entrusted his son to Yan’s guidance and training.
• Yan and Jianya discussed the Tiger Tribe, the Wolf Tribe, and the Fire Tribe’s plans for its northern management center and rear supply point.
• The receiving teams at the Fire Creek River Mouth and Middle Outposts guided the migrants toward their camps as they disembarked.
• Yan left for the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost to report to his father, and the fleet sailed downstream.

Yan returned to the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost after completing the relocations and reported to Jianshi, who planned the next stage of the Fire Tribe’s move to the Valley Tribe. After agreeing to lead the next convoy, Yan went to see Qingsui and reunited with her at his mother’s home.

• Yan told Jianshi that he had settled twenty thousand people at the Valley Tribe and transferred more than twenty thousand Greater Qing and Bear Tribe members to the Fire Creek River Mouth and Middle Outposts without incident.
• Yan reported that the Tiger Tribe had taken over the Willow Vine Tribe’s territory and that the Wolf Tribe was using fast boats to evade Shibang’s patrols; Jianshi said both threats could be managed.
• Jianshi asked Yan to take the fleet to the Valley Tribe with senior members’ families and essential supplies, and Yan agreed to leave early on the third morning after preparing.
• Jianshi arranged for Dali to return to the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost and for Dazhuang to continue managing nearby river mouths, while Jianya remained at Fire Creek.
• Yan visited his mother’s home, where Qingsui had been waiting for him, and reassured her that his journey had gone smoothly.

Yan returned home after a long trip and reunited with Qingsui, who was pregnant and recovering under Mother Qingye’s care. He updated Qingsui on developments among the northern tribes and left for his quarters after dinner.

• Yan told Qingsui he had resettled people at several outposts and reported that the settlements were expanding.
• Qingsui told Yan that Mother Qingye had cared for her during his absence and that her nausea and appetite were improving.
• Yan described the Tiger Tribe’s renewed production and the Wolf Tribe’s fast boats, saying he would monitor the Wolf Tribe from the Valley Tribe.
• Mother Qingye brought Yan and Qingsui dinner, then carried food to the meeting hall to make sure Yan’s father ate.
• Yan and Qingsui ate together, and after Mother Qingye returned, Yan went to his quarters.

Yan met Dali at the council hall, where Jianshi handed over responsibility for managing the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost and its subordinate outposts before departing for the Valley Tribe. Dali accepted the larger role, and Yan was tasked with helping him inspect the outposts as Jianshi prepared for their departure in three days.

• Yan slept well, ate congee with Qingye and Qingsui, and went to the council hall at Jianshi's request.
• Yan met Dali, who had arrived after handing over the Red Flower River Mouth Outpost to his deputy.
• Jianshi told Dali that he would manage Little Fish River Mouth and its subordinate outposts while Jianshi and Yan traveled to the Valley Tribe in three days.
• Dali worried about leaving Red Flower River Mouth short-handed, and Jianshi said an experienced leader would later be sent to support his deputy.
• Jianshi explained that the outposts would form a secure rear production base for the Fire Tribe's future conflict with the Tiger Tribe, and Dali promised to supply the front with grain, boats, weapons, and manpower.
• Jianshi reviewed the handover details and told Yan to have Dabang show Dali the warehouses, docks, crossings, and guard posts.

Yan oversaw the handover of the river-mouth outposts to Dali and coordinated preparations to move the management center and key personnel to the Valley Tribe. The fleet was set to depart in three days, with supplies loading underway and the outpost inspection still ahead.

• Yan brought Dali to the shipyard, where Dabang explained the workshops, remaining apprentices, and arrangements for transporting key personnel and equipment to the Valley Tribe.
• Dabang warned Dali to manage the scarce copper carefully, and Dali planned to sort old stock, track incoming batches, and take monthly inventories.
• Dabang briefed Dali on the river-mouth outposts, their defenses, supplies, and boats, then invited him to inspect the Fish River by boat.
• Yan left Dabang and Dali to conduct the inspection and joined Daya and Gubang, who reported that the cargo and passenger lists were ready for the relocation fleet.
• Yan ordered the supplies loaded that afternoon and set the fleet's departure for the morning in three days; Daya and Gubang began directing the work.

Yan and Jianshi led the fleet away from the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost, leaving Qingsui and Qingye behind as they planned to bring them to the Valley Tribe later. As the fleet traveled downstream toward the Valley River Mouth Outpost, Jianshi and Yan discussed settling the Greater Qing Tribe’s people and preparing to fight the Wolf Tribe and Tiger Tribe.

• Yan, Daya, Gubang, and the other brothers spent three days loading supplies, tools, workshop parts, and craftsmen’s belongings onto the fleet.
• Yan and Jianshi said goodbye to Qingsui and Qingye as the fleet departed; Jianshi reassured Yan that Qingye and Dali would look after Qingsui.
• Yan and Jianshi planned to resettle the Greater Qing Tribe’s people at the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost, then bring Qingye and Qingsui to the Valley Tribe after Qingsui passed the first three months of pregnancy.
• Jianshi said he intended to eliminate the Wolf Tribe next year and assign Yan to lead the campaign against the Tiger Tribe; Yan agreed and noted that Shibang and Yingmu knew the waterways.
• Jianshi instructed leaders at the Little Horse, Green Leaf, Clothing, and Big Horse River Mouth Outposts to gather the Greater Qing Tribe’s people for relocation, and he gave Dazhuang and Feiyu additional outpost directions.
• The fleet continued downstream along the Fish River toward the Valley River Mouth Outpost, with Yan and Jianshi standing together at the bow.