Improving Tools
The information brought back from upstream by Yan and Dali invigorated the entire Fire Tribe leadership. When they returned, Binmao and Dabang had completed the final cleanup work—all the jars, pots, and belongings of the three thousand new tribesmen who had joined the three tributaries of the Fish River (Water River, Forest River, and Stone River) were transported back to the valley on the last ferry.
In the Fire Tribe Valley, the three thousand new tribespeople, after a few days of unfamiliarity and awkwardness, have gradually adapted to their new environment under the guidance of Qingye and the tribespeople specifically responsible for their resettlement. They have been organized and assigned to various production teams; some have joined the land reclamation army, some have gone to the garment workshop to learn a trade, and some have joined the hunting and fishing teams. Although there are still some slight differences in living habits, the reality of having enough to eat and living in sturdy wooden houses, as well as the relatively fair management of the Fire Tribe, has quickly given most of the newcomers a sense of belonging, and they have begun to work hard to integrate into this thriving family.
The planned 6,000 mu of new paddy fields is nearing completion thanks to the continuous efforts of thousands of people. Straight ridges and crisscrossing irrigation ditches have divided the former wasteland into neat squares. Only final leveling and water storage remain, and next spring, this place will become a fertile field with rolling waves of rice. Meanwhile, the reclamation of vegetable plots extending outwards from the core paddy field area and residential area has never stopped. Large swathes of shrubs have been cut down and burned (wood ash is excellent fertilizer), the land has been deeply plowed and leveled, and various vegetable seeds have been sown. The Fire Tribe's dining table is becoming increasingly abundant with the expansion of the land.
Meanwhile, construction of the stronghold in Small Gathering Valley was in full swing under the leadership of Jianya. The two thousand men were divided into several teams. Some were cutting down trees to build stronger walls and watchtowers; others were cultivating the first batch of paddy fields and vegetable gardens in the designated area, trying to achieve partial self-sufficiency as soon as possible; and still others were cavalry patrol teams that, with the stronghold as the center, conducted detailed reconnaissance of the surrounding mountains and forests and the direction from which the Wolf Tribe might attack in the north. Every few days, messengers would travel by small boat to report the progress of the stronghold, the situation in the surrounding area, and any disturbances in the north back to headquarters. Special personnel were also arranged to guard the beacon towers, and an early warning system had been initially established.
Various workshops are operating at full capacity, and the pottery workshop has expanded further, with skilled women and young girls being recruited as new members of the tribe. The uncles and aunts are directing operations with remarkable efficiency, and the division of labor has become even more refined. From selecting clay, refining mud, shaping blanks, and air-drying to glazing and firing, an increasingly smooth production line has been established. In particular, the yield rate of glazed pottery has steadily increased. Although there are no immediate plans to export large quantities, its exquisite appearance and superior performance have already significantly improved the user experience within the tribe. Large quantities of pottery are being produced and neatly stacked in the expanded warehouse, awaiting transport to the Valley Tribe after the autumn harvest to exchange for the pre-ordered million-plus catties of grain.
What delighted Jianshi and Yan the most was the good news from the shipbuilding workshop. In the few days since Yan returned from his exploration, ten more large ships with a carrying capacity of 5,000 jin (2,500 kg) have been successfully launched. After sea trials, their performance was stable. Fumu, who was in charge of shipbuilding, reported to Jianshi with a face full of pride, "Chief, at the current pace, by the time of the autumn harvest, we will definitely be able to complete and launch all fifty 5,000-jin (2,500 kg) ships that we planned for this year!"
Jianshi was overjoyed and patted Fumu's shoulder forcefully. "Great! Well done! With these fifty large ships, our Fire Tribe will be even more formidable on the water! What about next year? What are your plans for next year?"
Fumu, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation, stepped forward and said excitedly, "Chief, Young Chief, we've discussed it with the best craftsmen in the workshop. We've mastered the 5,000-jin boat. Next spring, we plan to start building a 10,000-jin boat! We have some rough ideas on how to strengthen the keel, thicken the planks, and make the compartments more stable... We're just waiting for your approval so we can start preparing materials and making model tests!"
"A ship weighing ten thousand jin!" Jianshi's eyes lit up, and he nodded emphatically. "Good! Go for it! Just tell me what kind of timber you need and how many men you need! Our Fire Tribe can't just keep looking at the Valley Tribe's giant ships with envy; we need to have our own!"
With the leader's full support, Fumu was even more motivated. He quickly bowed and rushed back to the shipyard to work on the blueprints for their "giant warship weighing tens of thousands of kilograms".
Yan wasn't idle either. After returning from upstream, besides participating in high-level meetings, he spent most of his time in the workshop area, especially the "Hundred Crafts Workshop" which was responsible for manufacturing and improving tools. Now that there was a relatively sufficient supply of bronze raw materials, the efficiency and quality of making various tools were incomparable to what they used to be.
He first improved several commonly used agricultural tools. For example, the plowshare of the curved plow, which was previously mostly made of wood or directly from polished stone, was now made by having craftsmen cast a sharper, more streamlined plowshare directly from bronze. This not only broke through the soil more deeply and with less effort, but was also more wear-resistant. The large wooden rake used to level the mud when reclaiming paddy fields was also fitted with bronze tips, greatly increasing its efficiency.
Wheels of wheelbarrows, oxcarts, and horse-drawn carriages have always been consumables. Yan instructed craftsmen to improve the structure of the wheel hubs and reinforce key load-bearing parts with bronze hoops, greatly increasing the durability of the wheels and reducing delays in transport teams due to vehicle damage.
What he valued most was the improvement of water power applications. The giant waterwheels already in use for irrigation had revealed some problems during long-term operation, such as rapid wear of the wooden transmission gears and the tendency of some structures to loosen under the impact of water flow. Yan led the craftsmen to carefully inspect and reinforce the key connection points, replace the gears with more durable Yingmu, and try adding animal grease to the bearings for lubrication. This made the waterwheels run more smoothly and reliably, providing a reliable guarantee for irrigating a larger area of farmland.
Yan even took the time to improve the prototype of the "threshing machine"—a round wooden roller with toothed protrusions driven by a foot pedal. He optimized the transmission structure, making the foot pedal less strenuous, the roller rotating more smoothly, and the threshing efficiency improved significantly. Although the machine was still very crude, it would undoubtedly be more efficient and save a lot of manpower during the autumn harvest season.
These seemingly trivial technological improvements, though accumulated little by little, have genuinely enhanced the entire tribe's production efficiency. Land reclamation is now faster, material transportation is more reliable, irrigation is less strenuous, and even future grain harvests will be easier.