Planning Far Ahead

Inside the hut, flames flickered, illuminating the faces gathered around them. The atmosphere was as heavy as the night outside. Jianya had laid bare every danger of "being innocent yet guilty for possessing a treasure," each word landing like a heavy stone on their hearts.

Wang Yan sat below his father, Jianshi. Listening to his uncle's calm, brutal analysis, he felt a chill shoot from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.

He clenched his fists hard, his nails digging deep into his palms. The slight sting brought him fully to his senses!

Stupid! I've been so stupid! All this time, I've been basking in the satisfaction of improving the tribe's life, forgetting the most basic law of survival-this is a primitive age where the weak are meat for the strong! There's no law, no order, only naked power! I brought out pottery and salt, technologies that could change the balance of power across the region. For the still-weak Fire Tribe, these aren't blessings, but death warrants!

Thank goodness! Thank goodness Father and Uncle have so much experience! Otherwise, the consequences... Wang Yan dared not think any further. A powerful surge of belated fear sent his heart pounding.

Strength! We have to gain the strength to protect all this as soon as possible! a voice screamed wildly in his heart.

Just then, Chief Jianshi spoke in a low voice, his gaze sweeping over everyone. "You all understand the situation now. We must keep the secrets of pottery and salt tightly under wraps! Now, tell me, what should we do next? How can we make the tribe strong as quickly as possible?"

Everyone fell silent, their brows tightly furrowed.

Wang Yan drew a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He knew he could no longer be merely a provider of technology. He had to take part in planning the tribe's development strategy.

"Father, uncles, Mother," Wang Yan's voice was still somewhat young, but exceptionally firm. "Uncle Jianya is right. We have to hide. But we aren't hiding so we can stay hidden forever. We're buying time to grow strong! I think there are several things we should start on immediately!"

Everyone's eyes turned to him.

"First, people and food. These are the foundation of our strength," Wang Yan said, laying out his points clearly.

· "We need more people! For the next few years, the women in our tribe should avoid marrying out as much as possible. We need to have more children ourselves! Everyone needs to eat better and grow stronger so they can have more healthy children. That's the foundation for growing our own numbers."

· "We also need to take in outsiders!" He looked at Jianshi. "Winter is coming. Those tiny tribes with only a few dozen people who can't survive are the ones we should aim to absorb! If they come to us for shelter, we give them food and somewhere to live, and they can become our people! There's also the autumn gathering. We can trade pottery, hemp clothing, and food for furs, and even... find ways to trade for some wanderers who've lost their tribes, or slaves, to add to our population and workforce!"

· "We need more food, and a steadier supply! Fishing and hunting can't stop. We need to expand them. But those alone aren't enough. I've seen the nearby Green Sheep and White Pig Tribes keeping some small animals in pens. Before, we didn't have food to spare, but now we do. Why can't we learn from them? We can catch some docile wild sheep and wild piglets, pen them up, and let them breed. Then we'll have a steady supply of meat in winter! And gathering," he turned to his mother, Qingye. "Mother, why do we have to go so far away to gather wild vegetables and fruit? Why can't we transplant the tasty ones that grow easily to somewhere near our tribe and set aside a plot to grow them? They'd be convenient to eat and safe to get to, and we could watch over them to keep wild beasts and insects from ruining them!"

"Second, housing and defenses," Wang Yan continued.

· "As our numbers grow, we need enough huts to keep up. We need to build more, and make them sturdier."

· "More importantly, defenses!" His tone grew emphatic. "Right now, we have almost no defenses. I suggest we immediately start building an earthen wall around the tribe! It doesn't have to be too high. We can start by building it up with earth and timber. It'll keep wild beasts out and mark out our territory! Once we have more people and greater strength, we can build higher, stronger walls! Turn our valley into a real fortress!"

"Third, friends outside the tribe." Wang Yan looked at his uncles. "The Green Sheep, Bison, White Pig, and Deer Tribes have marriage ties with us, and their strength is about the same as ours. We should take the initiative to build good relations with them, help one another, and form an alliance. If anything happens, we'll have someone to look out for us."

He laid out the plans he had long been considering in one breath, leaving the hut utterly silent. Jianshi, Jianya, and the others stared at him, their eyes filled with shock. They had never expected that Yan not only had ideas, but could plan so clearly and so far ahead!

Wang Yan took a deep breath and put forward his boldest suggestion, which he also considered the most urgent:

"Last, fighting! The forty people in the hunting team aren't enough on their own! I suggest that everyone in the tribe, male or female, train in combat whenever they have free time! Everyone a soldier! Let every member of the tribe be able to pick up a weapon and protect it!"

"What? Train the women and children too?" Dali was the first to object, finding it inconceivable. Dazhuang shook his head repeatedly as well.

Jianshi's brows were tightly furrowed. Clearly, he too felt the idea was too radical. Having women and children take up weapons was somewhat difficult for him to accept, and it could also cause disorder within the tribe.

Wang Yan knew this proposal was too far ahead of its time. He immediately took a step back and said, "If training the whole tribe isn't possible for now, then at least... gather the boys over eight and under fifteen to train in their free time! Apart from playing, they don't have much to do right now anyway. If they train early, they'll already be warriors when they join the hunting team at fifteen, and they'll become a fighting force sooner! Surely that's better than letting them run around aimlessly all day!"

This compromise set everyone thinking. Indeed, those half-grown boys were full of energy. Rather than let them run wild over the hills and fields, gathering them for drills would both keep them in line and build up a reserve of fighting strength for the tribe.

Jianya was the first to nod. "I think it'll work. Starting the boys' drills early is a good thing."

Jianshi weighed the pros and cons, then looked at the others. Seeing that no one voiced a clear objection, he made the decision. "Good! Then it's settled-we'll train the boys! Yan, discuss the details of the drills with your uncles in the hunting team. As for the rest..." He looked around at everyone. "Increasing our population, building an earthen wall, trying animal husbandry and planting, and befriending our neighbors-these are all good ideas. We'll tackle them one by one!"

His gaze finally settled on Wang Yan, filled with complex feelings: pride, but even more, weighty expectations. "Yan, your ideas are good. The tribe's future will need more effort from you. But remember, we can't move too fast. We have to keep our footing!"

Wang Yan nodded firmly. "I understand, Father."

After the meeting broke up, Wang Yan walked out of the hut. The night breeze brushed over him. The urgency in his heart had not lessened, but his direction was utterly clear.