Spring Begins, Progress on Many Fronts
The winter snow and ice have finally melted completely, the ice on the Fish River has broken, and spring has officially arrived. The Fire Tribe Valley, which had been dormant all winter, bursts forth with amazing vitality like a thawing beast.
At dawn, before the mist had fully dissipated, the valley was already bustling with activity. Nearly three thousand acres of paddy fields, meticulously planned, reclaimed, and prepared last winter, shimmered in the sunlight. Loads of vibrant green rice seedlings, already cultivated, were carried to the edge of the fields, and experienced farmers, barefoot, expertly planted the seedlings. Behind them, neat rows of seedlings quickly spread out, like green verses being written on the earth.
"Keep your hands steady, keep your rows aligned! Don't plant the plants too close together!" Two agricultural experts patrolled back and forth on the field ridges, loudly instructing. There were too many newly reclaimed fields this year, and many new members of the clan were not yet familiar with the process, so they needed experienced people to guide them.
The vegetable garden area has doubled compared to last year, and various cold-resistant spring vegetables, beans, and melon seedlings have been carefully planted. The bean field has also expanded considerably, with thousands of kilograms of bean seeds sown into the fertile soil. These are important sources of plant protein and raw materials for future oil extraction.
After sowing the first batch of 3,000 mu of paddy fields and all the vegetable and bean fields, the able-bodied men barely rested before immediately throwing themselves into the reclamation of another 3,000 mu of paddy fields and new vegetable fields. Land is the lifeblood of the tribe, and Jianshi and all the higher-ups knew that they had to seize every possible planting season.
"Quick! Break up these clods of dirt!"
"Wooden plows! Bring us wooden plows! Those few have priority!"
Thanks to the widespread use of bronze tools, the speed of manufacturing wooden farm implements is now many times faster than before. Specialized farm implement workshops are producing wooden plows, harrows, seed drills, and Chutou day and night. The bottleneck that previously limited the speed of land reclamation due to a lack of tools has now been largely broken. Although the newly reclaimed 3,000 acres of land can only be planted once this year, as long as there is a harvest, it will be a huge supplement to the tribe's granary.
"The chief said that once these three thousand mu are planted, we'll immediately organize manpower to cultivate another three thousand mu. Even if we only plant once, we can harvest another three thousand mu of rice. After that, we'll cultivate another three thousand mu! The three thousand mu planted in the spring will yield the first harvest, and we can immediately plant the second harvest in the summer!" The foreman loudly encouraged the troops. Everyone knew that every additional mu of land they planted gave the tribe more confidence. For this reason, wooden windmills, threshing machines, large waterwheels, and other "heavy equipment" that could improve efficiency were all scheduled on the Manufacturing Group's schedule, ready to be put into production one after another. Grain was always the foundation of the Fire Tribe's survival, and they dared not slacken their efforts in the slightest.
Meanwhile, in the spacious shipbuilding area near the riverbank, the scene was equally bustling. The clanging of chisels, the sawing of logs, and the shouts of workers filled the air.
On the largest slipway, the skeletons of two colossal vessels, each over ten meters long, had already taken shape. These were the Fire Tribe's first attempt at building large ships, each capable of carrying over five thousand catties. Fumu and Shuihen, along with their most skilled craftsmen, carefully installed the critical parts, referring to blueprints derived from reverse engineering of the Fish Tribe's large ships (incorporating Wang Yan's improvements). With bronze saws, chisels, planes, and drills, the precision and efficiency of processing massive timbers had greatly improved. It was expected that the first prototype ship would be ready for sea trials soon.
More craftsmen are focusing on building standard boats. The dried timber stockpiled last winter is piling up like mountains. Thanks to the inexhaustible resources of giant trees in the surrounding mountains and the sharpness of bronze tools, the speed of shipbuilding is now unprecedented. It is expected that by the end of this year, there will be 200 small boats with a carrying capacity of 500 jin and 100 dugout Muzhou with a carrying capacity of 2,000 jin. As for the large boats with a carrying capacity of 5,000 jin, if some technical problems can be solved, it is not impossible to build 30 of them.
The fleet's deployment plan was also finalized. Thirty large Muzhou, each with a carrying capacity of two thousand catties, were organized into ten exploration teams. Each team would have three large canoes, along with several smaller boats weighing five hundred catties each, for mobility and resupply. They would be fully loaded with the Fire Tribe's specialties—pottery, salted dried fish and meat, and a small amount of linen—and would sail upstream along the Fish River, heading towards more distant, unknown waters.
"Our target this time is a distance of three to five days' boat ride upstream!" Jianshi told the exploration team leaders at the pre-departure mobilization meeting. "Don't be reckless, proceed cautiously. When you encounter a tribe, trade first, gather information, and exchange for the furs, special seeds, useful herbs, and... any valuable information and people we need. Remember, you are the eyes and tentacles of the Fire Tribe!"
Last year, the Fire Tribe's fishing and activities were mainly concentrated in the waters about a day's boat ride from the confluence of the Fish River and the Valley Tribe's stream. This time, they will extend their reach and influence further upstream.
The remaining twenty large boats weighing two thousand catties each, along with some smaller boats, were responsible for large-scale fishing in the known fertile fishing grounds near the confluence and downstream. As for the increasingly burdened stream in the valley, its fishing task was mainly handled by the existing dozens of small boats weighing five hundred catties each. The surge in population forced the Fire Tribe to seek protein from a wider range of waters.
In the most heavily guarded secret forging area, the temperature of the furnace fire seemed even hotter than the spring sun outside. Wang Yan devoted a great deal of energy to this place, and the bronze smelting and forging techniques matured continuously with the accumulation of experience.
The transport team traveling between the Colorful Stone Mountain secret mine and the tribe has expanded to a size of twenty people and twenty cattle. After the spring, Jianshi specially dispatched a trade team to exchange grain and pottery for fifty strong draft cattle from the Bison Tribe (which almost emptied the Bison Tribe's savings over the years), greatly alleviating the pressure on animal power and ensuring a stable supply of ore.
The red-hot copper-tin molten metal cooled in the ceramic mold, transforming into standard spearheads, axe blanks, and blades. The rhythmic clanging of forging and the flying sparks created a magnificent effect. Through repeated hammering, polishing, and sharpening, batches of weapons gleaming with a dark bluish-green light gradually took shape.
"The thousandth!" the craftsman in charge of counting shouted excitedly. In the warehouse, the bronze spearheads were neatly stacked, reaching a thousand in number. They were just waiting to be fitted with carefully selected and polished Yingmu shafts to arm a fearsome spear formation.
"Next, focus all our efforts on forging bronze axes and bronze daggers!" Wang Yan wiped the sweat from his brow and ordered the craftsmen, "The axes must be suitable for both logging and combat, and the daggers must be sharp and lightweight! Our warriors need more handy and more powerful weapons!"
The small-scale production of bronze weapons signifies that the Fire Tribe's core military force is quietly falling behind in terms of equipment level compared to surrounding tribes that still commonly use stone and bone weapons.