Chapter 6: A Bountiful Catch

Now the tribe has grown strong, commanding many warriors, and the conquest of the western mountains no longer requires Jingni to lead. At the same time, Lin Shu could not bear to let his woman be away for too long.

After feeding her daughter, Jingni sighed, “My husband, none of the chieftains dare speak up, but I know the tribes have only half the food they used to! Fortunately, with leather clothing, we can cut down on some consumption, and some of the elders might make it to spring!”

A month of ceaseless campaigning and now preparing to march west into the mountains had depleted much of the tribe’s dried meat and fruit. If not for the warmth of leather clothes and blankets, the tribe would have lost thousands this winter.

“Don’t worry, Jingni. I had planned to set out in a few days, but since it’s urgent, let Chief Taker prepare guides and a thousand warriors. Tomorrow we’ll head south to the Northern Sea Lake!” With his beauty expecting again and a child to amuse him in idle moments, Lin Shu almost forgot he still needed to fish.

...

In three days, the party of over a thousand reached their destination.

Lake Belga, known as the Northern Sea, is the cradle of tribes in the northern desert.

“King, the frozen sea ahead is the Sea Lake. In a while, Old Grandfather will seal it completely,” Chief Bashan said, his emotions conflicted. The Sea Lake was both their summer hunting ground and a place of fear.

Endless ice stretched before them, and waves still rolled in the distance.

“Bashan, have your warriors wait here. I’ll go ahead to scout.”

“As you command, King!” Bashan thought the king would dismount, but the divine carriage charged straight toward the frozen sea.

Though wondrous, the carriage could not fly, and Jingni frowned, “Husband, don’t go too far. The ice is thin this time of year.”

“Don’t worry, Jingni.” Lin Shu was unconcerned—the carriage could float on water if needed, though energy consumption was still a major concern.

Second-level carriage

Technology: Peak of ironworking
Internal space: 1,000 meters
Detection range: 1,000 meters
Force field range: 20 meters
Maximum force: 10,000 jin
Maximum defense: 100,000 jin
Maximum spirit defense absorption: 2,000 units
Upgrade: Subdue 300,000 people and the corresponding spirit energy

After recovering, Jingni’s spirit energy had reached 1,800 units, but childbirth had weakened her, leaving her unable to recover her power beyond 2,000.

Even two more as strong as Jingni could not breach the carriage’s force field. Only after the vessel was upgraded to level two did Lin Shu truly feel at ease.

As the carriage halted, Xin Ying’s voice sounded in Lin Shu’s mind: [Commander, the ice is only half a meter thick, perfect for breaking holes to fish.]

“Good! Xin Ying, let’s break ten ice holes first.”

[As you command.]

The carriage started again, and soon ten three-meter-wide holes appeared on the lake.

As oxygen entered the water, fish immediately rushed toward the holes; several large fish were even forced out onto the ice.

The commotion behind made Jingni turn her head. Seeing the crowded fish, she understood at once.

“Husband, so many fish! They’re not afraid of people at all! Wonderful—we should have enough to last until spring.”

The carriage stopped, and Lin Shu jumped down. Warriors summoned by command approached.

“So many fish, King!” Bashan almost couldn’t resist snatching some himself.

The carriage then threw out a hundred large fish nets onto the ice, each a meter wide, constructed entirely of steel except for the webbing.

“Take these nets and fish them all out.”

“As you command, King.” The snow warriors, unable to contain themselves, rushed forward.

Lin Shu shook his head, laughing as he returned to the carriage. These warriors were excellent in every way, except they were too easily excited! Without his supervision, these fools would be fighting over the catch again.

“Lin Shu, these nets are made from vine bark, aren’t they?” In the presence of outsiders, Jingni avoided calling him husband, her expression cool as before.

Lin Shu nodded, “Of course! Anything the Seven Kingdoms can make, I can make; even what they cannot, I can.”

“I believe it,” Jingni replied with a soft smile, jumping onto the carriage.

The ten fishing holes were soon emptied, though most fish quickly retreated below the ice.

Half an hour later, the clever fish dared not surface, and Bashan’s men had to stop.

The icy, stiff fish were soon stowed away by the carriage, whose main brain reported: [Commander, a total of sixty thousand jin of fish, enough for three days of the tribe’s minimum consumption.]

Lin Shu hadn’t expected so much, but compared to the needs of the whole tribe, it was still a paltry amount.

“Bashan, place these nets in the water, and don’t lose the rope ends.” Tossing the nets around, Lin Shu personally supervised their positioning.

The king’s head reached only Bashan’s shoulder, so Bashan bent down respectfully. “As you command, King.”

Soon, ten extra-large nets were lowered into the holes, and some thawed blood and meat scraps were thrown in as bait.

Snow warriors squatted by the holes, barely daring to breathe.

Here they come—the fish emerged. Dense schools appeared again, but the king had forbidden anyone from moving hastily.

After ten minutes, the fish stopped fighting, more and more crowding onto the ice.

At that moment, Lin Shu nodded to Bashan.

“Pull up the nets, quickly!”

Finally receiving the order, the warriors hauled the thick ropes.

“Ah! It’s so heavy! Hurry, everyone help!” Bashan hadn’t expected the nets to be so hard to lift.

The warriors watching nearby excitedly joined in, knowing that the heavier the net, the better.

Over several days, the group of more than a thousand kept drilling holes and fishing, amassing several million jin before Lin Shu called a halt.

...

Western Campaign: Major Zhu Ba personally led fifteen hundred warriors, sweeping north from the southern edge, leaving no tribe able to resist; most chieftains surrendered outright.

These wild tribes were kin, but facing a fully armed, overwhelming force, even the largest tribes of over a thousand dared not oppose.

After ten days, most tribes had submitted; the few unwilling chieftains and warriors hid atop a mountain.

Upon learning this, Zhu Ba led six thousand troops to encircle the mountain.

With the army surrounding them, the wild folk were more terrified than ever. Though strong, they could not withstand the slaughter wrought by steel blades and spears.

“Chieftains, the Sunrise Tribe may be many, but so are we; our food supplies are ample, and when the heavy snow comes, they must retreat,” said Ubu, the grand leader of the Sunset Alliance, nominally the chief of the western mountains, and most unwilling to surrender.

His words eased the chieftains’ fears. Remembering the dread of endless snow, they believed the enemy would soon withdraw.

There were only two narrow stone paths, two meters wide, leading to the mountain caves—attacking was near impossible, climbing alone a challenge.

“Major Zhu Ba, it’s no use! The warriors are all knocked down by rocks!” said the deputy gloomily.

Zhu Ba sighed, “Cowardly Ubu! Thousands of them, yet they won’t come down to fight our thousand!”

“Major Zhu Ba, let’s pause for now! If casualties are too high, the King will be furious!” a chieftain warned, recalling the King’s instructions.

After just three assaults, dozens of warriors had fallen. Remembering the King’s orders, Zhu Ba panicked. “Stop the attack! Send someone back on a great stag to report to the King!”

Unable to scale the mountain, the warriors retreated to the halfway point.

“Ha! The Sunrise Tribe bastards are gone!”

“Good! Wonderful! The grand leader is truly formidable!”

Seeing the enemy withdraw, Ubu smiled, “When spring comes, we’ll head west, far from these mountains. Let’s see how they find us.”

“Yes, westward! Let them die of rage!” They still had over two thousand warriors and two thousand tribesfolk, but no one dared speak of retaking their lands.