Winter Training and Passing Down Knowledge
The valley of the Fire Tribe seemed to have been put on pause, but this tranquility was not stagnation; rather, it transformed into a deeper and more efficient busyness. If Wang Yan's literacy class was igniting the spark of civilization, then in other corners of the world, a series of "winter training exercises" and "brainstorming sessions" centered on technology, experience, and management were unfolding with unprecedented breadth and depth, systematically sorting out, summarizing, and passing on the vast experience accumulated by the Fire Tribe over the years.
In several spacious rooms dedicated to weaving and garment making, the hearths were warm and cozy. Qingye, along with a group of the most skillful and experienced women, thoroughly reviewed all the tribe's techniques for making clothing and footwear.
Before them lay a variety of materials: hemp fibers of varying toughness, animal hides processed to different degrees, Jianren grass stems collected, bone needles, stone awls, and even a few finer needles and awls that they had attempted to grind from bronze (for teaching purposes only).
"Look, everyone, this kind of hemp needs to be harvested before the second frost in autumn so that the fibers are the Jianren. When kneading it, you have to do it like this..." An elderly woman with gray hair but exceptionally nimble fingers demonstrated the technique of twisting hemp rope while explaining the relationship between the season and the materials.
"In tanning animal hides, the concentration of ash water and the rubbing time vary depending on the animal. Deer hide is soft and suitable for making underwear; Bison hide is thick and best for making boot soles..." Another woman, skilled in tanning, pointed to several processed samples and explained in detail.
The techniques for weaving straw sandals, the stitching and reinforcement of animal hide shoes, the thickness and style of clothing for different seasons and occasions... these experiences, which were previously passed down orally between mothers and daughters, or between masters and apprentices, or even explored by feel, were being consciously summarized, compared, and optimized for the first time. Young women sat around, watching intently, practicing along with the techniques, and occasionally asking questions. They not only learned the techniques but also began to understand the connection between the properties of materials and the function of the finished product.
In Granny Cao's wooden house, which was always filled with the fragrance of herbs, the atmosphere was solemn and focused. The core members of the Fire Tribe's "Medical Group," along with several young people who showed a strong interest and talent in herbs (including a few clever kids from the Youth Team), were sitting together.
Instead of clay tablets, what lay before them were dried herbal specimens, a stone mortar for pounding herbs, a ceramic pot for boiling medicine, and several special smooth wooden boards used for recording.
Granny Cao spoke slowly and clearly, pointing to a dried root. "This is ' Hemostatic Vine,' with leaves shaped like palms and small white flowers. It must be harvested around the summer solstice when the leaves are at their thickest, and then dried in the shade. Crush it and apply it externally; it can quickly heal wounds. However, excessive internal consumption can cause dizziness."
She then pointed to another type of dried flower. "' Fever-Reducing Chrysanthemum,' which grows on sunny hillsides and blooms in autumn. A decoction of it is effective for fever at the onset of a cold. However, it is cooling in nature, so people with weak constitutions should use it with caution, and it's best to add a few slices of ginger..."
The name of each herb (some are ancient and passed down, some are new names given by the Granny Cao or Wang Yan), its morphological characteristics, growing environment, best harvesting season, main effects, usage methods, contraindications and proportions... were all carefully discussed. Then, literate apprentices used charcoal pencils to draw simple diagrams on wooden boards and tried to add key information in words next to them.
They even began discussing which common and useful herbs could be artificially cultivated in the designated "herb gardens" near the tribe to ensure a stable supply. A primitive "Compendium of Materia Medica" and medical knowledge system belonging to the Fire Tribe was quietly being woven under the winter thatched hut.
The Farming Group's debriefing meeting was held in an empty room next to the largest granary, where some farm tools and seed samples were still piled up. Two agricultural experts presided over the meeting, and all the experienced old farmers and quick-thinking young farmers gathered together.
"Why did the yield from our two thousand mu of paddy fields this year decrease by thirty jin per mu compared to the western part?" Suyuan asked a specific question.
Everyone immediately started discussing: Soil quality? Irrigation? Timing and amount of fertilization (mainly wood ash and compost)? Planting density?
After intense discussion, several possible causes and directions for improvement were gradually identified.
Next came the discussion about seeds. "Next year we might expand to 6,000 mu (approximately 400 hectares). Will the seeds we've saved be enough? Should we select another batch from the best-yielding fields for seed production?"
"Where are the newly acquired vegetable and bean seeds suitable for planting? When should they be planted? Should we test them on a small plot first?"
"How should the waterwheels and irrigation canals be repaired next year to benefit more new fields?"
From soil to water, from seed selection to planting, from field management to harvesting and storage, every step was meticulously examined, experiences shared, and lessons learned summarized. Young farmers, charcoal pencils in hand, diligently recorded these valuable "farming tips" and "precautions" on clay tablets.
The Manufacturing Group's debriefings were conducted in several highly confidential or specialized locations. In a secret shipbuilding workshop, the craftsmen gathered around a scaled-down model of a ship under construction, discussing the keel curvature, rib spacing, plank splicing techniques, and how to use newly made bronze tools to improve precision and efficiency. Wang Yan participated in the discussions, guiding them to transform their intuitive "craftsmanship" into rational "technical parameters."
In the pottery workshops, the master craftsmen compared the viscosity of different clays, the effects of different kiln temperatures on the hardness and glaze of the pottery, and which shapes were most popular and economical in terms of material. They began to consciously record successful recipes and firing curves.
Outside the secret forging zone (the core area remains a secret), craftsmen responsible for different processes were exchanging ideas, discussing how to improve the purification rate of crude copper and tin, how to more precisely control the alloy ratio, and how to improve the forging temperature and techniques to reduce the scrap rate. Every failure was carefully analyzed, and every success was meticulously recorded.
The Domestication Group's debriefing meeting was lively (and a little unpleasant), held directly in the management room next to the large livestock pen. The "handlers" in charge of different livestock gathered together.
Why did those litters of pigs bred this spring grow so fast?
"Perhaps the boars and sows they selected were all robust, and they were fed more feed."
"Those hens that never laid eggs started laying eggs after we moved them to a different location and mixed them with other flocks. Were they too crowded before?"
"Is it okay for horses to eat only grass? Should we add some soybean meal? When should we add it?"
How do you train dogs to be more obedient? How do you cultivate their sense of smell and Jingjue from a young age?
Knowledge previously accumulated through personal experience and observation regarding breeding selection, mating timing, gestation management, offspring rearing, feed formulation at different growth stages, and disease prevention (although our understanding is still very rudimentary) has been gathered together and cross-referenced in an attempt to find more universal and effective patterns.
The summaries from the Logistics Group and Personnel Group focused more on management and process optimization. The Logistics Group discussed how to allocate daily rations more efficiently, how to adjust menus according to the season and labor intensity, and how to manage the increasingly large supply warehouse (categorization, moisture control, rodent control, and storage and retrieval records).
The Personnel Group reviewed the successes and failures of this year's population registration, dispute mediation, and task assignment, discussing how to better integrate the new inhabitants, how to establish clearer contribution records (though still rudimentary), and how to identify and cultivate potential talent earlier. The Hunting Team's debriefing took place on the training ground or around the largest campfire, in the most rugged and enthusiastic atmosphere. Dali and Dazhuang, the veterans shared techniques for tracking different prey, secrets to setting traps, how to deal with wild beasts, and most importantly—the gains and losses of the battle at Wild Boar Gully.
"Why did our Shichui throws work so well that day? It was because we threw them in unison! When we threw them all at once, the wolf cubs had no chance to dodge!"
"The rattan armor is good, but the joints are still weak; we'll have to find a way to reinforce them next time."
"The feeling of chasing on horseback is amazing! But I still need to practice how to throw spears more accurately from horseback!"
They reviewed tactics, exchanged insights, and transformed their combat experience into training points, which they then passed on to the new recruits in the reserve team.
This winter, similar scenes were playing out almost everywhere around the hearths in the Fire Tribe.