Victor still found it hard to believe. The conclusion was too bizarre; he did not think the Barbarian Tribes were capable of farming on that scale.
"Did the Iron Bone Tribe really harvest that much grain?
How did you get those figures?"
Horne gave a bitter smile. "We didn't believe it at first either. Few tribes on the grasslands grow barley, but plenty grow rye, so everyone knows roughly what a normal harvest looks like.
"But last winter, the Iron Bone Tribe threw open its gates and began taking in small wandering tribes and refugees from across the grasslands. They said they had enough grain to get everyone through the winter.
"At first, our tribes all waited for them to make fools of themselves. Some even drove refugees toward Iron Bone territory on purpose. To our surprise, they took every last one in.
"We don't know the exact number, but the Iron Bone Tribe took in at least a hundred and ten or twenty thousand people. And those people really did survive the winter. They didn't freeze or starve to death!
"That was how we confirmed the Iron Bone Tribe truly had harvested enough grain to feed a third of its population for an entire year.
"When spring came, those people simply became members of the Iron Bone Tribe. The tribe also announced that any tribe willing to become its ally and send warriors to fight for it would receive improved seed and farming techniques.
"Just like that, many small and midsize tribes went straight over to the Iron Bone Tribe. Even some of our own branch tribes began to waver."
This was no small matter. Victor understood the situation of the Barbarians in the Northlands Wasteland. Though the grasslands had many large tribes, most Barbarians lived in small or