An Unexpected Windfall
With the Fire Tribe's population approaching four thousand, its affairs are becoming increasingly complex. Relying solely on a few core members like Jianshi and Wang Yan, who personally handle every matter, is already becoming somewhat inadequate. On this day, a meeting regarding the division of responsibilities in tribal management is underway in the council hall.
"Father, uncles," Wang Yan said, pointing to the newly drawn simplified tribal organizational chart, "Now that there are more people, there is more work to be done. We can no longer just rush in like before, or rely on a few people to assign tasks. My idea is to divide the tribe's manpower into several 'groups' based on their strengths and responsibilities."
He explained in detail:
• Hunting Team: Responsible for hunting, fishing, tribal defense, and external warfare. Led by Dali, Dazhuang, and others, they are the core of the tribe's military strength.
• Farming Group: Responsible for the reclamation, planting, management, and harvesting of all paddy fields, dry land, and vegetable gardens.
• Gathering Group: Responsible for the planned collection of natural resources such as wild vegetables, wild fruits, herbs, and firewood in the mountains, forests, and Shuize surrounding the tribe. Coordinating this team is led by Qingye.
• Logistics Group: Responsible for the warehousing, statistics, storage, and distribution of all supplies, as well as the supply of daily food (such as communal meals). Overseen by Jianya, ensuring the orderly flow of supplies.
• Manufacturing Group: Encompassing all handicraft production, including shipbuilding, pottery making, weapon and tool forging, fine salt refining, and possibly oil pressing in the future. Directly supervised by Wang Yan, with skilled craftsmen selected to be in charge.
• Domestication Group: Specifically responsible for the feeding, breeding, disease prevention and training of all livestock and poultry, including cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, deer, chickens, ducks, and rabbits. This team is led by specialists knowledgeable about animal behavior.
• Personnel Group: This is a new concept. Responsible for recording population changes (births, deaths, additions), coordinating the allocation of tasks among various groups, handling general internal disputes, and explaining tribal rules. For now, this is overseen by the Jianya, with clear-headed and fair-minded individuals selected to assist.
"This way, everyone has a clear division of labor, each performing their own duties, knowing who to listen to and what to do, which greatly improves efficiency and avoids chaos," Wang Yan summarized.
Jianshi listened attentively, nodding frequently. "Yan's idea is good! Before, with fewer people, everything was easier. Now, with thousands of mouths and hands, if we don't establish rules and clarify responsibilities, chaos will ensue sooner or later! Let's do as Yan says! Starting tomorrow, each 'group' leader will finalize the list and personnel, and we'll begin operations! Report any difficulties promptly!"
After the meeting, everyone accepted their orders and dispersed, feeling both curious and excited about this new management style.
However, as the population increased and the division of labor became more refined, Wang Yan increasingly felt that the level of tools had become a bottleneck restricting the tribe's efficiency from further improvement. Stone tools, bone tools, and wooden tools were usable, but in many fields such as reclamation, construction, shipbuilding, and processing, they were inefficient and the quality was difficult to guarantee.
"If only we could find copper and tin mines..." Wang Yan often thought this in the quiet of the night. He knew that with the current conditions, iron smelting was an unattainable dream, but bronze was a goal that could be achieved. Copper and tin have relatively low melting points, and their ores—especially malachite (green) and cassiterite (with a metallic luster)—have unique colors and shapes, making them relatively easy to identify in the wild.
Once the idea took root, it wouldn't go away. The next day, Wang Yan decided to try his luck. He summoned all the former leaders or elders of the smaller tribes that had later joined the Fire Tribe, and described in detail the "Shitou as green as peacock feathers" and the "shiny, sometimes growing with white Shitou, heavy Shitou," asking them if they had seen them in their original territory.
Most people shook their heads blankly. They had only ever struggled to survive before, so why would they have paid attention to these "strange" Shitou? Wang Yan felt a little disappointed.
However, the situation was quite different when asked about Lu Ming, the leader of the Deer Tribe.
"Captain Yan, those two kinds of Shitou you mentioned..." Lu Ming frowned in thought, then his eyes suddenly lit up, "It seems... I've really seen them before! Wait a minute!" As he spoke, he quickly ran back to the wooden hut he had just been assigned, and soon returned carrying a rough animal skin bag.
He carefully opened it, and inside were a few inconspicuous Shitou. But Wang Yan's eyes were immediately drawn to them!
One piece is clearly malachite, displaying a unique emerald green color; although small, it has distinctive features!
The other piece was a mineral with a distinct metallic luster, and it felt heavy in my hand; it was tin ore!
"These are them!" Wang Yan's voice trembled slightly with excitement as he grabbed the two pieces of ore, as if they were priceless treasures. "Chief Lu Ming, where did you find them? Are there many?"
Seeing Wang Yan's excitement, Lu Ming realized that the Shitou was probably no ordinary object and quickly said, "It's near the ' Colorful Stone Mountain ' to the north, a place our Deer Tribe used to frequent! These green Shitou and shiny Shitou are occasionally found on hillsides and in streams, not many, but not particularly rare either. We used to just think the colors were pretty and different from other Shitou, so some kids would pick them up to play with. I casually kept two. Captain Yan, what's the use of this Shitou?"
Wang Yan suppressed his overwhelming joy and tried his best to explain in language the other party could understand, "These are two extremely precious ores! By melting them together using a specific method, you can obtain a metal called 'bronze'! This metal is harder than Shitou and tougher than bone. It can be made into incredibly sharp weapons, tools that cut down trees and dig through the soil like slicing vegetables, and even... it can be used to build ships larger than those of the Fish Tribe!"
Lu Ming was dumbfounded. He couldn't fully grasp the concepts of "smelting" and "metal," but descriptions like "sharp weapons," "tools that cut vegetables," and "ships larger than the Fish Tribe" were enough to make him understand that its value was immeasurable! "My God... we're sitting right next to a treasure trove, and we have no idea..."
Without saying much, Wang Yan inquired in detail about the specific location, terrain features, and possible mineral-rich areas of "Colorful Stone Mountain." Then, clutching the two pieces of ore tightly, he rushed out like a gust of wind to find the Jianshi.
"Father! Father! I found it! I found it!" Wang Yan rushed into Jianshi's house, panting, but his face was filled with uncontrollable excitement.
"What did you find? Why are you so happy?" Jian Shi asked, puzzled, as he was wiping his Shimao Jianshi.
Wang Yan placed two pieces of ore on the table, his voice slightly hurried with excitement. "Look! Father! These are copper ore and tin ore! With them, we can smelt bronze!"
Then, he quickly described to Jianshi all the advantages of bronze—stronger weapons, more efficient farm tools, more sophisticated implements, and even the possibility of building larger and stronger ships.
At first, Jianshi seemed somewhat bewildered, but as he listened, his eyes widened and his breathing became rapid. As the leader, he understood all too well the importance of weapons and tools! If, as his son said, these two materials could indeed be used to create bronze artifacts, what a dramatic transformation would that bring to the Fire Tribe's strength!
"Yan... you mean, with this thing, we can really build ships as big as the Fish Tribe? Cultivate land several times faster? Our warriors' weapons can easily cut through other people's Shimao?" Jianshi's voice trembled with disbelief.
"Yes, Father! Absolutely! It may be difficult at first, but as long as we can extract it and keep experimenting and improving, we will definitely succeed!" Wang Yan said firmly.
"Great! Great! Excellent!" Jianshi Shi slammed his hand on the table, jumped to his feet, his face flushed with excitement. "This is an incredible treasure! We must get our hands on it! What do you need? Just say the word!"
"Father, I want to immediately take men to the ' Colorful Stone Mountain ' mentioned by the Deer Tribe to investigate in person and collect as many ore samples as possible. I need ten reliable, strong, and discreet warriors, as well as eleven horses and ten oxen. Using oxen and horses to carry the ore will be faster and allow us to bring back more. With enough samples, I can begin experimenting with how to smelt and proportion the ore, because the ratio of copper to tin may differ when making different items."
"No problem!" Jianshi without hesitation. "People, horses, oxen—take your pick! We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning! Keep this a secret! No one outside of our group should know about this!"
"Clear!"
At dawn the next day, as the sky began to lighten, a small team led by Wang Yan quietly left the Fire Tribe Valley. The team consisted of ten elite warriors who had been repeatedly instructed to keep their secret, ten ponies, and ten Zhuangniu. Specially made wooden frames with deep baskets on both sides were carried on the oxen's backs, ready to be used to load ore. With horses for transportation and oxen for carrying loads, the journey that would normally take six or seven days round trip was expected to be completed in about three days.
Wang Yan rode on a dwarf horse, glanced back at the peaceful valley in the morning mist, and touched the two heavy mineral samples in his arms. His heart was filled with unprecedented anticipation and a sense of urgency.