The "Tribe Flag" guard, accompanied by the beat of drums, brought the flag to the foot of the flagpole, where Luo Chong personally tied it to the rope.
"Raise the flag. Watch the Tribe Flag."
Following Luo Chong's shout, all the tribespeople stared intently at the flag, as though they could see some revelation from their ancestors upon it. Big Strength's drumming grew faster and faster, and following the rhythm of his drums, Luo Chong raised the flag inch by inch to the top of the pole.
After securing the flag, Luo Chong turned to face the tribespeople, clenched his right fist, raised it toward the sky, and shouted, "May Great Han prosper forever!"
"May Great Han prosper forever! May Great Han prosper forever!" the tribespeople below shouted along with him.
"Perform the kowtow ritual. Offer prayers to our ancestors."
Luo Chong led the tribe in kneeling beneath the flagpole. The clueless Rou Rou and Hui Shan beside them even flopped onto the ground as well, swinging their huge heads from side to side and looking around to see what the tribespeople would do next.
"We, the descendants of Great Han, inherit the ambitions of our forebears and receive the abilities of our ancestors. We mine metal and stone from the treasure mountain, cast copper plows in the rock caves, reclaim fertile fields in the wilderness, build solid cities amid the farmland, train with bows and arrows to protect ourselves, and practice with spears and pikes to guard the frontier.
"We work hard to till the fields and multiply our population. We sharpen our weapons and feed our warhorses, making Han prosperous.
"Please let our ancestors bless us, protecting the descendants of Great Han so that the hungry have food, the cold have clothes, the population thrives, the livestock flourishes,