Bringing People Home and Building an Outpost
After leaving the workshops, Yan felt much more at ease. He took a few deep breaths to relax his slightly tense nerves, but his feet involuntarily turned towards the tribe's stables.
As he approached, two tall horses, leisurely munching on hay, raised their heads, their alert ears turning in his direction. It was Chasing Wind and Treading Clouds. Yan walked to the fence, extended his hand, Treading Clouds immediately nuzzled its massive head against his palm, its breath warm. Chasing Wind also squeezed in, its soft lips brushing against his arm. These two horses were incredibly intelligent, seemingly able to clearly sense their new master's unconditional love and meticulous care, and were exceptionally close and trusting towards him.
"Bored, aren't you? Let's go for a run." Yan chuckled, untying the Jiangsheng and gently stroking their neatly combed Zongmao. He mounted Treading Clouds, led Chasing Wind by the hand, and leisurely walked out of the tribe. Reaching the open, gently sloping grassland outside the valley, Yan lightly flicked the Jiangsheng and gave a low shout, "Go!"
With Treading Clouds spurred itself forward, its hooves pounding the ground. Chasing Wind closely behind, the two horses galloping freely across the soft grass. Riding on the galloping steeds, Yan temporarily cast aside the heavy thoughts of tribal expansion and technological secrecy, feeling his heart expand. He knew that such moments were precious and fleeting, and that the great ship of the tribe was sailing into deeper and more unknown waters.
The last trade between Jianya and the Horse Tribe went exceptionally smoothly. The Horse Tribe's leader Junfeng, praised the quality and variety of the Fire Tribe's pottery and clearly expressed his desire for long-term trade. Jianya also took the opportunity to mention that the Fire Tribe urgently needed more oxen for large-scale land reclamation. Upon hearing this, Junfeng immediately assured him that he would reserve the best, healthiest oxen for the Fire Tribe next time. The Fire Tribe also planned to trade for even more strong oxen in the autumn. With more oxen, the tribe's efficiency in land reclamation and deep plowing would be greatly improved, ensuring a greater increase in grain production.
Today, thanks to an abundance of bronze tools, carpenters are working day and night to produce all sorts of farm implements—stronger wooden plows, lighter harrows... These new tools are piled up Little Mountain beside the newly reclaimed fields. The Fire Tribe's population has now reached about 12,000, and this ample human resource is being efficiently organized. People are taking turns working, and the 6,000 mu of new paddy fields are spreading at a visible pace. At this rate, completion before the autumn harvest is a certainty. This means that next spring, the core valley of the Fire Tribe will have a full 15,000 mu of high-quality paddy fields, and the foundation for grain production will be more solid than ever before.
Meanwhile, another massive project was also underway—the renovation and construction of housing. Bronze axes and saws made timber processing easy and efficient, and the abundant forest resources around the tribe provided ample raw materials. One after another, low and dark thatched houses were demolished and replaced with sturdy and dry new log cabins built from thick logs and planks.
Most of these new homes are designed for nuclear families, with one room comfortably accommodating a family of five to ten. The entire tribe is filled with enthusiasm for construction, as everyone knows that three thousand new tribespeople brought back from the three tributaries of the upper reaches of the Fish River will arrive soon, and it is necessary to prepare a place for them to settle down in advance.
Yan walked through the bustling construction site, observing the thriving scene, while calmly contemplating the evolution of the system. Currently, the Fire Tribe operates under a hybrid model of "semi-public, semi-private ownership." Production resources such as land, large tools, core workshops, and strategic granaries belong to the tribe collectively and are managed by the chief and high-ranking officials. However, the output obtained by individuals or families through extra labor, as well as some means of subsistence, are recognized as private property and are allowed limited exchange within the tribe.
During his trip south to the Valley Tribe, Yan carefully observed the situation of tribes of different sizes. He discovered that there was a positive correlation between the size of the tribe and the degree of privatization. Small tribes faced great survival pressure and had to rely heavily on communal ownership and band together for survival. In tribes the size of the Fish Tribe, the upper class had already developed clear private property, while the lower class still relied mainly on semi-communal collective labor. In large tribes like the Valley Tribe, with nearly 20,000 people, private ownership had become the foundation of social operation, and land, tools, livestock, and even craftsmanship could all become tradable and inheritable private property.
Yan understood that as the Fire Tribe's population continued to grow and the division of labor in production became increasingly complex, full privatization was an inevitable requirement for the development of productive forces, and could more effectively stimulate individual initiative and creativity. However, the current transitional "semi-public, semi-private" system was still functioning well, allowing resources to be concentrated on major tasks (land reclamation, war preparation, and large-scale manufacturing) while also giving hardworking tribespeople hope for improved living standards. The transition to the system could proceed steadily and gradually.
On the ninth day after Jianya went to the Pottery Salt Tribe, he returned safely. No sooner had he finished reporting the details of the transaction than his Binmao and Dabang, who had been ready all along, immediately took action.
At the Fire Tribe's dock, an unprecedented fleet of ships had assembled! Twenty large ships with a carrying capacity of 5,000 catties each, seventy large Muzhou with a carrying capacity of 2,000 catties each, plus one hundred small boats with a carrying capacity of 500 catties each, almost all the motorized vessels available in the tribe had been mobilized! The sails and masts were like a forest, the boats lined up one after another, almost obscuring a section of the river.
The key to this northward voyage to bring back the people lies in speed and stability. With such a large fleet, only two round trips are needed to bring back all three thousand new people. Their personal belongings can be transported in two or three more trips. Including the time for round-trip voyages, personnel assembly, and settlement, the entire operation is expected to take about two months.
On the day of departure, the dock was crowded with people. Binmao and Dabang stood at the bow of the lead ship, waving vigorously to Jianshi, Yan and the others who were seeing them off.
"Rest assured, Chief! We will certainly live up to your trust and bring the new clansmen back safely!" The Dabang's voice boomed like a bell.
"Go early and come back soon, have a safe journey!" Jianshi shouted in response.
The fleet slowly sailed away from the dock, entered the main stream of the Fish River, and went upstream with a clear destination— the Water River, the Forest River, and the Stone River.
After the fleet left, Jianya did not rest for a moment. He personally selected two thousand men, including four hundred experienced warriors, and sent them to Small Gathering Valley in three batches, carrying a large amount of tools, provisions, and building materials.
Their tasks were arduous: first, to establish a strong and permanent stronghold in the Little Gathering Valley guarding both land and water routes; second, to cultivate 1,000 mu of paddy fields and 3,000 mu of vegetable gardens around the stronghold to achieve partial self-sufficiency in food and vegetables; and third, and most importantly, to closely monitor the movements of the Wolf Tribe to the north and ensure the absolute safety of the Deer Tribe Mining Area.
To enhance early warning and communication capabilities, the Fire Tribe established beacon towers at several strategic high points along the waterway from their main valley to the Small Gathering Valley. Once enemy activity was detected in the north, beacon fires would be lit in sequence, allowing the message to be transmitted back to their main camp as quickly as possible. Traveling downstream from the Fire Tribe valley by boat, one could reach their Small Gathering Valley Outpost within a day, enabling reinforcements to arrive swiftly.
At the Fire Tribe Wharf, Jianshi gazed calmly and resolutely Yuantiao the vast northern mountains. In the wider world downstream of the Fish River, unknown and powerful enemies still existed. The Fire Tribe must seize this precious respite to accumulate enough strength to withstand any storm.