Pottery and Salt's Vigilance and Decision
News of the Wolf Tribe's bloody expansion, like that of wounded mad dogs, quickly reached the Pottery Salt Tribe, which had easy access to information, following the footsteps of refugees and the rumors of merchants. Upon hearing the news, their chief Jia Li, immediately frowned.
"Wolf Tribe Xueya... not only did he not die, but he's become even more ferocious?" He put down a newly arrived Fire Tribe pottery bottle he was playing with and said to his trusted confidant, Qiandai, who had come to report, his tone full of surprise and vigilance.
Since reaching a stable pottery trade agreement with the Fire Tribe and successfully acquiring the dwarf horses, Jia Li's dependence on the Fish Tribe has lessened considerably, and he feels more confident. Previously, he had been hesitant to expand his population on a large scale, fearing that it would arouse the jealousy of the Fish Tribe's leader, Canglan, and lead to the termination of his distribution rights. But now, with the Fire Tribe as his "new ally," he feels he can stand a little taller.
Just before news of the Wolf Tribe's rampage arrived, the Pottery Salt Tribe had quietly absorbed more than two hundred members from scattered small settlements, bringing its population to around seven hundred. Jia Li originally planned to proceed cautiously and assimilate the tribe gradually.
However, the Wolf Tribe's bloody expansion was like a bucket of cold water poured over him, waking him up. The crisis was far from over.
"These wolf cubs aren't just extorting this time, they're going for annihilation and annexation!" Jia Li stood up and paced around the chieftain's hut, which was covered in animal hides. "They've headed north to the outskirts of the Horse Tribe's territory, temporarily avoiding our and the Fish Tribe and Fire Tribe ' attacks. But once they've plundered enough, won't they turn back for revenge? Last time at Pottery and Salt, they suffered at the hands of our allied forces!"
The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. It would be foolish to entrust the tribe's safety entirely to the "protection" of the Fish Tribe or the "deterrence" of the Fire Tribe. The Fish Tribe's motives for helping last time were not pure; although the Fire Tribe was strong, they were still some distance away.
"We have to rely on ourselves!" Jia Li stopped in his tracks, his eyes hardening. "The Wolf Tribe can expand rapidly through annexation. Our Pottery Salt Tribe has grain, money, and trade routes. Can't we absorb manpower and strengthen ourselves?"
Once the idea took root, it quickly grew. Another factor that prompted him to make up his mind was the Fire Tribe.
He recalled what he had seen and heard when he delivered horses to the Fire Tribe, and his analysis after returning. The Fire Tribe not only had an astonishing scale of agriculture, but it seemed... they could even be self-sufficient in salt!
"In recent years, the Fire Tribe has hardly purchased any coarse salt from the Fish Tribe in large quantities," Jia Li analyzed to Qiandai. "But they've taken in so many people and produced large quantities of salted dried fish and cured meat to sell at the market. All of these require salt! Where does their salt come from? It can only be produced by themselves!"
This discovery both shocked and relieved Jia Li. He was shocked by the unfathomable depth of the Fire Tribe's technology, and relieved that he had made contact with them so early. If the Fire Tribe truly mastered salt-making technology (even if it was only rudimentary), then the Fish Tribe's leverage over the Pottery Salt Tribe by controlling the supply of coarse salt would be greatly weakened.
"As long as we firmly grasp the Fire Tribe as our stronger and more equal (at least for now) backing, maintain good relations, and expand trade, we won't have to be so afraid of the Fish Tribe's attitude anymore." Jia Li's thinking became increasingly clear. "The most urgent task is to take advantage of the Wolf Tribe's temporary northward march and the Fish Tribe's self-serving expansion to quickly strengthen our own Pottery Salt Tribe!"
He immediately summoned the core elders and leaders of the tribe to discuss the matter. After Jia Li finished analyzing the threat posed by the Wolf Tribe, the potential of the Fire Tribe, and the necessity for their own independence, the elders, who were initially somewhat conservative, were persuaded by the urgent situation.
"The leader is right! We can't be as cautious as before!"
"We have accumulated experience, established trade routes, and now a stable supply of goods from the Fire Tribe. This is the perfect time to recruit more people and expand our business!"
"That's right! Strengthening our power is the only way! Otherwise, if the Wolf Tribe or some other tribe attacks, all our wealth will belong to them!"
Opinions quickly reached a consensus. Under the pressure of survival, the Pottery Salt Tribe, a trading machine skilled in calculation, began to lean towards "military force and population".
Jia Li demonstrated his efficiency and decisiveness as a businessman. On the one hand, he sent people with some of the Fire Tribe's exquisite pottery and accumulated wealth to the Fish Tribe to purchase a batch of grain at a high price in preparation for accepting new people. On the other hand, he no longer carefully screened people as before, but opened his doors to openly accept scattered people and small settlements who had been displaced by the Wolf Tribe's atrocities or other reasons.
The Pottery Salt Tribe, with its well-informed reputation for relative wealth and substantial grain supplies (recently purchased at a high price from the Fish Tribe), served as bait. Under the dual pressures of the harsh winter and the threat from the Wolf Tribe, many desperate people or those seeking stability flocked to them.
Jia Li accepted all comers, but he was not without method. He had the Biaotou (leaders in charge of defense) conduct initial reorganization and discipline of the newly joined young men, assigning the honest and hardworking ones to the tribe's production or guard teams, and placing those who were obviously unruly on the periphery or under surveillance.
Before the heavy snow completely blocked the roads, the Pottery Salt Tribe absorbed more than 300 people at an astonishing speed! This brought the tribe's total population to over 1,000! The number of readily available warriors also increased to more than 200!
Looking at the camp, which had suddenly become crowded, noisy, and vibrant, Jia Li felt both a sense of security from his increased power and a slight worry about the pressure of management. But he knew this was a necessary step.
"Next spring," he instructed the tribal leaders, "We must expand our farmland; we can't rely solely on buying grain. Send people to survey nearby wastelands suitable for cultivation, especially areas where irrigation can be achieved. We must learn from the Fire Tribe and keep a portion of our own grain in our own hands."
After arranging internal affairs, Jia Li did not forget external communications. He knew the importance of intelligence and understood the principle of mutual dependence. He immediately sent people to inform the Hundred Crafts Tribe and the Beast Taming Tribe, who had fought side by side with him before, of the Wolf Tribe's recent bloody expansion and suspected increase in strength. At the same time, he formally warned Canglan, the leader of the Fish Tribe, in the capacity of "relatives" and trading partners.
"We can't just focus on our own development," Jia Li instructed the envoy. "We need to let everyone know that the Wolf Tribe has become a menace again, and raise their vigilance. If necessary, those of us who have fought against the Wolf Tribe must keep in touch and support each other."
Having done all this, Jia Li finally breathed a sigh of relief. Under his decisive action, the Pottery Salt Tribe completed a crucial transformation—from a shrewd and calculating "middleman" struggling to survive between two major powers, it began to quietly evolve into a regional entity with a certain population and military strength, seeking more autonomy.