The Fire Tribe's Autumn Harvest
Time flies by in a busy rush. In the blink of an eye, the vast rice paddies on both sides of the Fire Creek in the valley have lost their green and turned into heavy golden yellow. The rice ears droop low, and the grains are full. The entire Fire Tribe is infected by this scene of Fengshou. The air is filled with joy and urgency. Today is the day to start the harvest.
At dawn, the open space in the center of the tribe was already packed with people. Jianshi stood on a slightly elevated earthen platform, the morning light illuminating his resolute face. He looked down at the throng of people below, mostly young men and women, but also quite a few elderly people and children who were still in good health. Each person's face was filled with expectation and energy.
"Fellow tribesmen!" Jian Shi's Jianshi voice echoed through the valley, "As you all see, the rice we worked so hard to plant is ripe! This is a gift from heaven, but even more so, it is the result of our own sweat and toil!"
The crowd erupted in excited cheers.
"Food is the foundation of our tribe's survival! With food, our children can grow strong, our warriors can have the strength to defend our homeland, and we can face any storm without fear!" Jianshi's voice suddenly rose. "The weather is perfect now, we must seize the time and take advantage of these three sunny days to harvest every single grain of rice from these six thousand acres, dry them in the sun, and store them in our granaries!"
"Harvest the rice!" "Harvest it quickly!" Loud shouts erupted from the audience, the sound almost lifting the morning mist.
For this autumn harvest, the Fire Tribe mobilized almost all available resources. Excluding warriors and craftsmen who had to stand guard, and women who were truly elderly and frail and needed to care for young children, a total of eight thousand people were mobilized! This massive force, according to the pre-defined areas and division of labor, moved swiftly towards the golden fields like an army on a campaign.
The fields instantly transformed into a bustling battlefield.
At the forefront was a harvesting team wielding improved bronze sickles. These sickles were much sharper and more durable than the old stone and bone knives, with a slight curve in the blade. People bent over and swung their arms, and golden rice stalks fell in swathes, making a pleasant swishing sound. The harvested rice was quickly bundled and placed on the ridges of the field.
Following closely behind were the teams responsible for threshing the rice. This time, they had new helpers—over six hundred improved foot-operated threshing machines. These machines were evenly placed in spacious areas along the edges of the fields. Working in groups of three or four, one person was responsible for spreading bundles of rice evenly in front of toothed wooden rollers and pedaling, while others were responsible for moving and passing the rice bundles. As the wooden rollers spun rapidly, the rice bundles were caught, and the golden grains fell off with a soft rustling sound into the large wooden bin below. With the improved threshing machines, efficiency was greatly increased, and much less labor was required.
Behind them came the transport teams, using wheelbarrows, oxcarts, and even human labor to quickly transport the freshly threshed rice to the pre-prepared, wide, and flat drying ground. On the drying ground, women and elderly people were already using wooden rakes to spread the rice evenly on bamboo mats (30,000 bamboo mats were prepared this time), exposing it to the still intense autumn sun, filling the air with the unique aroma of new rice.
Another team was specifically responsible for logistics. They set up large pots, cooked fragrant rice, stewed large chunks of meat and vegetables, and boiled fresh fish to ensure that the workers could have hot and filling meals in a timely manner.
Thousands of people, each with their own tasks, worked closely together in this golden rice field. Shouts, laughter, and the hum of threshing machines blended into a grand and stirring symphony of Fengshou.
The harvest went exceptionally smoothly. Ample bronze tools and improved machinery greatly improved efficiency, and sufficient manpower ensured progress. Vast expanses of golden rice were replaced by neat stubble. Threshing and drying were fully underway. By the third day, the last paddy field had been cleared, and the rice on the drying ground had been turned over several times.
Three days later, as the last load of rice was transported into the temporary warehouse to await further drying, the busyness and noise that had lasted for three days and three nights finally gradually subsided.
The following days were filled with the intense work of drying, removing impurities, weighing, and storing the goods. Yan personally led a few people to supervise and record the entire process.
A few days later, in the largest council house in the tribe, the core leaders of the Fire Tribe gathered again. Unlike their usual serious demeanor when discussing matters, everyone's face was filled with undisguised smiles today.
Yan stood before the crowd, holding a wooden board covered in numbers written with charcoal. He cleared his throat, his voice steady yet powerful:
"Father, uncles and elders, the autumn harvest statistics are complete. This time, we harvested 12,000 dan (a unit of weight) of rice from 6,000 mu (a unit of area) of new rice." He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "According to our custom, one dan is approximately 100 jin (a unit of weight), which means 1.2 million jin!"
"One million two hundred thousand!" someone repeated in a low voice, unable to suppress a grin.
Yan continued his report, "Adding the 600,000 jin of early rice harvested from the 3,000 mu in the spring, and the 600,000 jin of late-planted rice from the other 3,000 mu, our Fire Tribe's total harvest from our own paddy fields this year is—2.4 million jin of rice!"
This number elicited a collective gasp from the room, quickly replaced by even more enthusiastic hushed discussions. Two million four hundred thousand catties! This was a number they had never dared to even dream of before!
"That's not all," Yan raised his voice slightly, "We also planted over 6,000 mu of soybeans this year, and they're growing very well. We expect to harvest around 500,000 jin in the fall."
He put down the plank and looked at Jianshi and the others. "In addition, of the two million catties of rice ordered from the Valley Tribe, we have already transported back 850,000 catties. After the autumn harvest, we can transport back the remaining 1,150,000 catties. Adding to that the several hundred thousand catties of grain purchased from the Fish Tribe at the beginning of the year... roughly calculated, by this winter, our Fire Tribe's total grain production this year will reach about six million catties!"
"Six million jin!" Even the most Chenwen Jianya, who had rushed back from the bottom of Xiaoji Valley, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. This number was too visceral and too shocking. How many overflowing granaries did that mean? How many mouths could be fed?
Yan added, "This is just the staple food. The vegetable gardens we've cultivated, the scattered orchards, the catch from the Fishing Team, and the output from the livestock we raise aren't included. If we include everything, the actual total amount of 'food' would be even greater."
He concluded with absolute certainty. "With our current food reserves, feeding 20,000 people and getting through the winter and the lean season next year is more than enough!"
"Great! Excellent!" Jianshi Shi slapped his thigh and stood up abruptly, his face beaming with an unprecedented radiance. "With this grain, our Fire Tribe can truly stand tall!"
He surveyed the crowd, his voice firm and resolute. "However, we cannot be content with the grain we have right now, much less rely on buying grain from outside! Buying grain is ultimately a rope hanging in the hands of others! Our own land is the most reliable thing!"
He walked to the wooden plank Yan had just placed down and pointed heavily with his finger. "Yan calculated before that if we develop this valley along Fire Creek properly, we can create at least 20,000 mu of high-quality paddy fields! Now, we already have 9,000 mu. After this autumn harvest, the newly reclaimed 6,000 mu will also be prepared, and next spring, we will be able to plant 15,000 mu!"
His gaze grew even more fervent. "For the rest of the year, during the off-season, we must continue working! We must clear away the trees and shrubs from the last five thousand mu of prime paddy fields in the plan, and level the land! That way, next year, our Fire Tribe Valley will have a full twenty thousand mu of paddy fields! Even based on this year's harvest, that's several million jin of grain!"
He paused, then continued, "There are also vegetable plots, dry land, and orchards! Yan said that we can cultivate nearly 200,000 mu of vegetable plots, dry land, and orchards in our valley. Next year, we'll try to cultivate them all! At least 40,000 mu of them will be used to grow soybeans!"
The blueprint drawn by Jianshi made everyone present gasp for breath. 20,000 mu of paddy fields! 200,000 mu of vegetable fields, dry land, and orchards! If this could be achieved, the Fire Tribe would not only be a powerful tribe, but also a tribe with terrifying food production capabilities!