Chapter Summaries

Yan returned to the Valley River Mouth Outpost after the Fire Tribe defeated the Wolf Tribe, where Jianshi welcomed him and praised the victory. At a feast, Yan reunited with Qingye, Qingsui, and Yi'er, reassured Qingsui about his safety, and joined the leaders and warriors for a hot meal.

• Yan left Daya and Shibang at the Great Rock River Mouth Outpost with instructions before leading the fleet upstream.
• Yan returned to the Valley River Mouth Outpost, where Jianshi welcomed him and praised the defeat of the Wolf Tribe.
• Yan credited Shinian, Daya, Shibang, Julang, and the other warriors for the victory, and Jianshi invited everyone to a feast.
• Qingye welcomed Yan, and Qingsui brought Yi'er to him; Yan held his son while Qingsui explained how worried she had been during the campaign.
• Yan reassured Qingsui that the Fire Tribe had been strong and that he had returned unharmed, while she urged him to be more cautious in future battles.
• Jianshi invited everyone to eat, and the returning warriors and leaders shared a hot meal in the council hall.

Yan described the Fire Tribe’s victory over the Wolf Tribe, and Jianshi outlined plans to prepare for a campaign against the Tiger Tribe after the autumn harvest. The leaders left the meeting having agreed to rest, settle people at key outposts, stock supplies, and train troops before the campaign.

• Yan explained how the Fire Tribe routed the Wolf Tribe’s evacuating forces, destroyed Xueshou’s reinforcements, and captured the Wolf Tribe’s stronghold and supplies.
• Yan reported that Duzhu and Xueshou had been killed, the Wolf Tribe’s territory was under Fire Tribe control, and more than twenty thousand people could join the Fire Tribe.
• Jianshi promised rewards for the fighters and said the Fire Tribe’s population was growing faster than the Tiger Tribe’s.
• Jianshi announced that the Fire Tribe would take back the former Willow Vine Tribe and Great Luwei Tribe territories after the autumn harvest to gain land and people and weaken the Tiger Tribe.
• Jianshi directed Yan to rest, settle people at the Great Rock River Mouth and Great Green River Mouth outposts, move some residents to Fire Creek River Mouth, and prepare provisions, boats, and troops.
• Jianshi warned that the Tiger Tribe remained a much stronger enemy, then dismissed the meeting.

Yan returned home after the feast and told Qingsui that he would lead the Fire Tribe’s campaign against the Tiger Tribe’s territories after the autumn harvest. Qingsui worried about his safety and Yi'er growing up without him, and Yan promised to take more people and return as soon as he could.

• Yan arrived home and told Qingsui that the Fire Tribe planned to attack the Tiger Tribe after the autumn harvest, while he would first oversee settlements at the Great Rock River Mouth and the Great Green River Mouth.
• Yan explained that the Fire Tribe intended to weaken the Tiger Tribe by taking the Willow Vine Tribe’s and Great Luwei Tribe’s territories and disrupting the great elder’s faction.
• Qingsui worried that the Tiger Tribe would fight to reclaim its territories and asked whether Yan would have enough soldiers.
• Yan described the Fire Tribe’s plan to take the territories quickly and defeat reinforcements before the Tiger Tribe could recover.
• Qingsui asked Yan to return safely for Yi'er’s sake, and Yan reassured her that he would take more people and come home as soon as he could.

Yan rested at the Fire Tribe management center with Qingsui and Yi'er while Zhuangchai visited to ask whether veteran soldiers could join Yan's forces. Yan agreed and revealed that the Fire Tribe planned to attack the Tiger Tribe after the autumn harvest, then the family gathered for lunch at Qingye's home.

• Yan cared for Yi'er at home while Qingsui sewed, and Zhuangchai arrived to visit him.
• Zhuangchai told Yan that veteran soldiers wanted to transfer from rear outposts to serve under him, and Yan agreed, telling them to prepare their weapons, horses, and arrows.
• Yan told Zhuangchai that the Fire Tribe planned to attack the Tiger Tribe after the autumn harvest and reclaim the Willow Vine Tribe and Great Luwei Tribe territories.
• Qingsui invited Zhuangchai to stay for lunch, and they all went to Qingye's home, where Jianshi joined them.
• Jianshi held Yi'er as the family ate Qingye's fish and other dishes together.

After the Fire Tribe eliminated the Wolf Tribe, the Tiger Tribe debated how to defend its southern territories without abandoning its northern expansion. Hu Zheng secured agreement to send seventy percent of the mobile troops south and leave thirty percent in the north, but the rival factions left the council hall still at odds.

• Yan led people gathered at the Fire Tribe's management center onto boats and divided them between Great Rock River Mouth and Great Green River Mouth.
• Hu Zheng convened the Tiger Tribe's leaders and warned that the Fire Tribe's advance had exposed Willow Vine Tribe River Mouth and Great Luwei River Mouth to attack.
• Grand Elder Tongding urged sending troops south, while Hu Bashan argued that doing so would disrupt the Tiger Tribe's efforts to absorb people north of the Long River.
• Tong Dachui, Hu Zhenshan, and Hu Dingshan joined the dispute, and Tongding and Hu Bashan traded accusations over past military defeats and troop deployments.
• Hu Zheng proposed sending seventy percent of the mobile troops south and keeping thirty percent in the north, and both factions accepted the compromise.
• Tongding planned southern fortifications, boats, and sentries, while Hu Bashan agreed to scale back northern operations; the leaders then left separately.

Yan transported people from the river outposts to new homes, checked the defenses, and resupplied his fleet at the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost. After sharing credit for the Wolf Tribe victory with Jianya and reporting Daya’s appointment, Yan continued downstream with the fleet.

• Yan arrived at the Great Green River Mouth Outpost, where Shibang reported that housing and supplies were ready and that the Tiger Tribe’s boats had not advanced past their usual patrol route.
• Yan warned Shibang to maintain the outpost’s defenses, then left people there and at the Great Rock River Mouth Outpost before gathering the fleet and heading to Fire Creek River Mouth.
• Jianya welcomed Yan and praised his victory over the Wolf Tribe, and Yan credited the victory to the people who supplied the front lines.
• Yan told Jianya that Daya had been put in charge of the Great Rock River Outpost and had fought well, and Jianya told Yan to discipline him when needed.
• Jianya’s people settled the arrivals and loaded supplies and new boats, then Yan departed downstream along the Fish River.

Yan gathered several hundred veteran warriors at the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost and brought them to the management center, where Jianshi assigned him thirty thousand elite warriors, boats, and supplies for the campaign against the Tiger Tribe. After visiting Qingye, Qingsui, and Yi'er, Yan led the fleet downstream toward the front.

• Kuaitui, Shimao, Changteng, Jiandun, Lichi, Heizhua, and several hundred veterans asked Yan to take them to fight, and he agreed.
• Dali handed Yan boats and supplies at the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost before the fleet continued downstream.
• Yan told Jianshi that the resettlement was complete and that he had brought the veterans with him.
• Jianshi prepared boats, supplies, and thirty thousand elite warriors for Yan, ordering him to take the Willow Vine Tribe's and Great Luwei Tribe's territories.
• Yan visited Qingye, who gave him rice cakes, then held Yi'er and reassured Qingsui before leaving.
• Yan led the fleet downstream along the Fish River toward its lower reaches.

Yan gathered the Fire Tribe commanders at Great Rock River Mouth Outpost to plan an attack on the Willow Vine Tribe and Great Luwei Tribe territories held by the Tiger Tribe. He assigned forces to seize both territories and planned to confront Tongding’s reinforcements, with the army set to depart in three days.

• Yan arrived at Great Rock River Mouth Outpost and convened Daya, Bailin, Yingmu, Shibang, and the other leaders to discuss the campaign against the Tiger Tribe.
• Yan declared that the Fire Tribe intended to take the Willow Vine Tribe and Great Luwei Tribe territories, and the assembled commanders shouted their support.
• Shibang explained that the Tiger Tribe oppressed the populations in both territories and stationed four thousand troops in Great Luwei and three thousand in Willow Vine.
• Yan assigned Yingmu eight thousand men to attack Great Luwei and Shibang six thousand to attack Willow Vine, while Daya handled logistics and Yan watched the Fish River for Tongding’s reinforcements.
• Yan ordered everyone to prepare and assemble at the docks in three days to set out against the Tiger Tribe.

Yan led the Fire Tribe’s fleet down the Fish River and captured the Willow Vine Tribe and Great Luwei Tribe, destroying the Tiger Tribe’s naval force and defeating its defenders. He ordered the surrendered soldiers treated fairly and the local populations registered and supplied with grain.

• Yan ordered Yingmu and Shibang to land their troops on opposite banks of the Fish River and secure the beachheads.
• Yan’s fleet rammed and destroyed the Tiger Tribe’s ships at the Great Luwei docks.
• Yingmu’s troops seized the Tiger Tribe’s camp in Great Luwei, while Shibang’s troops captured its camp in the Willow Vine Tribe.
• The Fire Tribe defeated the seven thousand Tiger Tribe defenders and took control of both territories and their supplies.
• Yan ordered Yingmu to guard and register prisoners, and told Shibang to inventory supplies and count the Willow Vine Tribe’s population.

After capturing the Willow Vine Tribe and the Great Luwei Tribe, Yan organized their supplies and absorbed more than fifty thousand people, many of whom welcomed joining the Fire Tribe. He prepared for the Tiger Tribe’s expected counterattack by assigning Shibang and Yingmu to fortify the two camps and coordinate their defenses.

• Yan repaired the Great Luwei camp, organized its buildings and supplies, and ordered guards to watch the captives.
• Shibang and Yingmu registered residents at the two territories, while boats brought grain, cloth, salt, medicine, and weapons upriver.
• Yingmu reported that about thirty thousand people at Great Luwei eagerly joined the Fire Tribe, and Shibang reported that about twenty thousand at Willow Vine were also willing to join.
• Shibang said many Willow Vine residents had been taken from the north bank of the Long River and resented the Tiger Tribe’s rule, while most surviving garrison soldiers were willing to work.
• Yan warned that Tongding would send troops to retake the territories and ordered the camps fortified, supplies stocked, and soldiers trained.
• Yan assigned Shibang to defend Willow Vine against an attack from the north and Yingmu to guard Great Luwei and its dock, promising to support each with flanking forces or boats.

After the Fire Tribe captured the Willow Vine Tribe and the Great Luwei Tribe, the Tiger Tribe’s leaders argued over blame and whether they could spare troops to respond. Hu Zheng sent twenty thousand men south under Tongding and Hu Bashan to assess the Fire Tribe’s forces, attack only if an opportunity arose, and otherwise preserve the troops and defend the main base.

• A messenger reported that the Fire Tribe had taken the Willow Vine Tribe and the Great Luwei Tribe, defeating or capturing their seven thousand defenders and destroying their naval forces.
• Tongding urged the Tiger Tribe to mobilize for a counterattack, while Hu Bashan argued that troops stationed along the Long River and the Western Shu and Wuyue borders could not be spared.
• Tongding blamed Hu Bashan for withholding mobile troops, and Tong Dachui and Hu Zhenshan joined the factions’ heated argument over past losses and responsibility for the southern defenses.
• Hu Zheng stopped the dispute and ordered Tongding to take his remaining ten thousand southern troops together with ten thousand men under Hu Bashan to investigate the Fire Tribe’s fleet and deployment, striking only if conditions were favorable.
• Tongding agreed to prepare boats, and Hu Bashan agreed to muster his troops on the condition that they retreat rather than be sacrificed in a losing fight.

Yan’s Fire Tribe fleet defeated Tong Dachui’s Tiger Tribe forces on the Fish River, while Hu Bashan withdrew his fleet rather than help. The survivors fled toward the Tiger Tribe’s main camp, and Yan continued downstream, planning to scout its defenses before attacking.

• The Fire Tribe fleet, led by Yan, overwhelmed the Tiger Tribe’s smaller ships and pushed the battle line toward the main camp.
• Tong Dachui accused Hu Bashan of holding his ten thousand troops back and decided to retreat with his remaining forces.
• Yan sent Yingmu to keep Hu Bashan occupied while he and Shibang attacked Tong Dachui, but Hu Bashan fled downstream and Yingmu captured only a few boats.
• Yan and Shibang scattered Tong Dachui’s fleet, and Yingmu struck the retreating ships from behind, leaving Tong Dachui to escape with just over a thousand naval troops.
• Yan continued toward the Tiger Tribe’s main camp and agreed with Shibang to scout its ships, walls, and sentry posts before attacking.

Yan advanced with the Fire Tribe fleet to the Tiger Tribe’s heavily defended main camp, but fierce resistance and strained supply lines made a direct assault too costly. He decided to withdraw, consolidate the Fire Tribe’s recent gains, and prepare for a later campaign against the Tiger Tribe.

• Yan ordered the fleet to slow down and sent scouts to inspect the Tiger Tribe’s defenses.
• The scouts reported a fortified stockade, archers, and a trench filled with sharpened stakes, while the Tiger Tribe gathered nearly twenty thousand troops at its main camp.
• Yan’s fleet fought several probing battles with the Tiger Tribe’s navy, and both sides suffered losses.
• Shibang and Yingmu warned Yan that the enemy’s fierce resistance and the Fire Tribe’s supply strain made a prolonged campaign dangerous.
• Yan decided to withdraw in two days, reinforce the Willow Vine Tribe and Great Luwei Tribe territories, and consult his father before deciding the next move.
• Yan ordered the boats to regroup and withdraw toward the Willow Vine Tribe River Mouth early on the third day.

After the Fire Tribe withdrew, Tiger Tribe leaders argued over the war losses and whether to place all troops under Hu Bashan’s command. Hu Zheng rejected Hu Bashan’s proposal and postponed the decision until next spring, while Tongding and Hu Zheng quietly moved toward an alliance.

• Hu Zheng acknowledged the Fire Tribe’s strength, and Tong Dachui accused Hu Bashan of holding back while Tong Dachui’s forces suffered heavy losses.
• Hu Bashan defended his actions, claiming his troops had protected the main camp, while Tongding stopped Tong Dachui from continuing the argument.
• Tongding weighed his faction’s weakened position and decided he needed Hu Zheng’s support against Hu Bashan.
• Hu Bashan proposed becoming supreme commander of a unified army, but Tongding argued that concentrating troops was premature.
• Hu Zheng sided with Tongding, kept the troops under their existing leaders, and told Hu Bashan to repair ships and replenish supplies.
• Hu Bashan left angrily, and Tongding and Hu Zheng exchanged a discreet nod before Tongding departed with Tong Dachui.

Yan returned to the Fire Tribe’s administrative center with captured ships and supplies, then reported the victory over the Tiger Tribe and the losses both sides suffered. Jianshi praised the army and ordered Yan to rest before returning to guard the front line.

• Yan returned to the Great Valley River Mouth stronghold, where Jianshi and Qingye welcomed him and his fleet.
• Yan reported that the Fire Tribe had seized the Willow Vine Tribe’s and Great Luwei Tribe’s territories, absorbed more than fifty thousand people, and inflicted heavy losses on the Tiger Tribe.
• Yan explained that Hu Bashan’s faction had held back during the campaign and that the Fire Tribe had withdrawn after fierce fighting near the Tiger Tribe’s main base.
• Jianshi said the Fire Tribe’s population had passed four hundred thousand and planned to crush the Tiger Tribe’s navy before launching a final attack.
• Jianshi promised to reward the fighters and ordered Yan to rest briefly before returning to guard the Willow Vine Tribe River Mouth and Great Luwei River Mouth.

Yan prepared to reinforce the Fire Tribe’s river defenses and harass the Tiger Tribe while Jianshi planned for a larger assault next year. After saying goodbye to Qingye, Qingsui, and Yi'er, Yan led the fleet downstream toward the front line.

• Jianshi summoned Yan and warned that the defeated Tiger Tribe could recover and attack the Fire Tribe’s outposts.
• Yan agreed to reinforce the Willow Vine Tribe River Mouth and the Great Luwei River Mouth and support Shibang and Yingmu.
• Jianshi ordered Yan to deliver supplies, destroy smaller Tiger Tribe strongholds, raid sentry posts, and intercept grain boats while avoiding a direct fight with the main force.
• Jianshi said the Fire Tribe hoped to test a larger-capacity ship next spring and might launch an all-out assault on the Tiger Tribe the following year.
• Yan visited Qingye, Qingsui, and Yi'er before departing at dawn with the fleet from the Valley River Mouth.

Yan met with Daya, Shibang, and Yingmu at the Great Luwei Tribe to plan how to weaken the Tiger Tribe while consolidating their recent gains. They assigned responsibilities and prepared to begin attacking outposts along the lower Fish River in two days.

• Yan arrived at the Great Luwei Tribe and went directly to the council hall, where Daya, Shibang, and Yingmu awaited him.
• Yan explained the chief’s plan to uproot Tiger Tribe outposts and absorb newly gained territory while the Fire Tribe expanded its strength.
• Shibang endorsed wearing down the Tiger Tribe, and Yan described plans for a larger fleet and an all-out attack the following year.
• Yan assigned Daya to settle people and manage supplies, Shibang to train the army, and himself and Yingmu to lead attacks on outposts along the lower river.
• Daya, Shibang, and Yingmu agreed to their duties, and the group left the hall to prepare for the campaign beginning in two days.

Yan and Yingmu led the Fire Tribe in capturing all eight Tiger Tribe outposts along the Fish River, taking prisoners, supplies, and more than twenty thousand people. After the Tiger Tribe stayed behind its defenses instead of fighting, Yan turned the fleet back toward the Great Luwei Tribe.

• Yan and Yingmu divided the eight outposts between them and planned to protect the captured workers while attacking the Tiger Tribe garrisons.
• Yan's forces secretly seized the first west-bank outpost at night, subdued its soldiers, and spared the workers.
• Yan and Yingmu captured all eight outposts in less than ten days, taking more than a thousand garrison troops, over ten thousand people, and supplies.
• Yan joined Yingmu and led the fleet past the Tiger Tribe's main camp, but the Tiger Tribe did not come out to fight.
• Yan ordered the fleet to return to the Great Luwei Tribe with the prisoners, captured people, and supplies.

After the Fire Tribe devastated its outposts and seized territory, Hu Zheng and the Tiger Tribe's leaders agreed to pull back and seek peace with neighboring tribes. The chapter leaves them preparing envoys to negotiate with Western Shu and Wuyue while they gather their forces at the main camp.

• Hu Zheng told the council that the Tiger Tribe had lost eight outposts, four thousand soldiers, and vital farmland to the Fire Tribe, leaving it short of food and defenders.
• Hu Bashan urged the Tiger Tribe to abandon its outlying territory, consolidate its forces at the main camp, and strengthen its defenses.
• Tongding proposed yielding the eastern territory to Wuyue and the western territory to Western Shu, while seeking grain and an alliance with Western Shu.
• Hu Zheng approved Tongding's plan and ordered Hu Bashan to send an envoy to Western Shu with copper ingots and cloth to discuss territory, grain, and cooperation against the Fire Tribe.
• Hu Bashan agreed to contact Western Shu, and Tongding agreed to send an envoy to Wuyue to explain the Tiger Tribe's withdrawal and request that it not attack.

Hu Yi traveled to the Western Shu Tribe to secure grain and troops for the Tiger Tribe’s war against the Fire Tribe. Can Cong agreed to sell a year’s rations for 200,000 people and send 20,000 soldiers in exchange for territory, leaving Hu Yi to return with the agreement made.

• Hu Bashan sent Hu Yi to negotiate with Can Cong, and Hu Yi reached the Western Shu Tribe’s docks after more than twenty days of travel.
• Can Ge escorted Hu Yi to Can Cong after learning that the Tiger Tribe wanted a year’s worth of grain for 200,000 people.
• Hu Yi told Can Cong that the Tiger Tribe was fighting the Fire Tribe and offered ten percent above the usual price for the grain.
• Hu Yi asked Can Cong to provide troops and promised to return territory the Tiger Tribe had taken, plus another equal-sized piece.
• Can Cong agreed to sell the grain and send 20,000 troops led by Can Ge once the Tiger Tribe returned the first territory.
• Hu Yi and Can Cong discussed transport and troop arrangements, and Hu Yi departed with his fleet.