Striking a Balance Within
The banquet finally ended in a pleasant atmosphere. Yan, on behalf of the Fire Tribe, once again expressed his gratitude to Daiyue and the Valley Tribe, and discussed with Daiyue the subsequent grain delivery and the approximate time for the next transport team to arrive. Daiyue was beaming and in high spirits—the huge order for eight million catties of grain, plus Yan's on-the-spot promise to leave enough pottery as advance payment for the next one million catties of grain, undoubtedly gave the Valley Tribe peace of mind to expand planting and prepare grain, and also showed the Fire Tribe's full sincerity.
"Young Master Yan, it's a pleasure to cooperate! I wish your department a speedy recovery from its difficulties and continued prosperity!" Daiyue personally escorted Yan and his entourage to the entrance of the council hall, patted Yan's shoulder forcefully, and spoke sincerely.
"Daiyue, Chief Daiyue! We, the Fire Tribe, will forever remember the friendship and support of the Valley Tribe!" Yan replied solemnly.
At this moment, Qingsui, who had been quietly following behind, jumped out and said in a clear voice, "Father, it's getting dark and the road is difficult to walk on. Let me take Yan and the others back to camp!"
Daiyue glanced at his daughter, then at Yan, a knowing and helpless smile on his face. He waved his hand, "Go on, take good care of the guests, and don't come back too late." He had always doted on his clever and lively daughter, and he knew that she seemed to have a special feeling for the young leader of the Fire Tribe. As long as it didn't affect the overall situation, he didn't want to interfere too much in the affairs between young people.
"Thank you, Father!" Qingsui's eyes curved into crescents as she immediately ran to Yan's side.
Yan smiled somewhat embarrassedly at Daiyue, and did not refuse. Accompanied by Qingsui, the group headed towards the temporary camp in the direction of the dock. In the night, the headquarters of the Valley Tribe was dotted with lights, and faint voices and firelight could be heard from the direction of the dock in the distance.
As Yan and the others disappeared into the night, Daiyue's smile slowly faded. He turned around and looked at the group of elders and leaders who hadn't immediately dispersed. The excitement he felt from the big order quickly cooled down, replaced by a familiar, heavy pressure.
"Gentlemen," Daiyue's voice regained its usual Chenwen, "I'm sure you all have something to say. It's windy here, let's go inside, sit down, and discuss it slowly."
Everyone nodded silently and followed Daiyue back to the council hall. The charcoal brazier was still warm, but the relaxed and lively atmosphere in the air had vanished, leaving only a heavy atmosphere. The servants quickly removed the leftover food and replaced it with clean water.
Everyone took their seats, and for a moment no one spoke, save for the occasional crackling of Mucai burning firewood. Daiyue's gaze slowly swept over each face present. The First Elder, Yao Feng, remained indifferent, seemingly lost in thought; the Second, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Elders had varying expressions, but most remained silent; the Third Elder, Jin Ye, had a furrowed brow, his fingers unconsciously tapping his knee; while the Fourth Elder, Lin Feng, leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed intently on Daiyue, clearly unable to contain himself any longer.
As expected, Lin Feng broke the silence first. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a sharp edge that cut straight to the heart of the matter. "Chief, if the Fire Tribe's transaction of eight million catties of grain can be successfully completed, the profits will definitely far exceed last year's. I wonder what the Chief plans for distributing this huge profit? The entire tribe is waiting for rice to cook."
These words, like a pebble thrown into still water, immediately stirred ripples. Before Daiyue could speak, the Third Elder, Jin Ye, chimed in, his voice ringing with metallic force. "How to allocate them? Is that even a question? Fourth Elder, your information network should be better than mine! The Bear Tribe downstream of the Fish River has acquired a large number of bronze weapons from somewhere in the past few months, significantly improving their equipment! Our Little Valley Camp Outpost on the opposite bank only has six thousand men, while the Bear Tribe camp has nearly nine thousand! Originally, our Little Valley Camp Outpost with the quality and quantity of bronze weapons, but now? If we don't immediately follow suit and purchase large quantities to replenish our forces, how will we maintain our advantage? If the Bear Tribe launches an attack and we lose Little Valley Camp, how will we protect the fertile farmland and vegetable fields on the opposite bank? In my opinion, the profits from this transaction must be prioritized, or even entirely, used to purchase bronze weapons and tools to strengthen our forces!"
Jin Ye's words were forceful and concerned core security interests, causing many of the leaders present to nod slightly. The threat from the Bear Tribe was a sword hanging over the Valley Tribe's head.
Lin Feng remained unmoved. He had anticipated Jin Ye's response and immediately retorted, "Third Elder, you can't say that. The Bear Tribe is a threat, but it's been a threat for a long time. In all these years, when has our Valley Tribe not steadily suppressed them? Even if they replenish their weapons, our overall strength, especially in terms of food, population, and ships, is still superior! That Tiger Tribe at the very bottom, seeing that we haven't bought much of their bronze ware in recent years, deliberately inflated the price of their bronze ware for the Bear Tribe. Isn't that just trying to force us to follow suit at a high price so they can make a fortune off us? If we buy at a high price now, it's exactly what they want. It's not worth it!"
He paused, his tone softening but becoming more persuasive. "Besides, last year we used the profits from our trade with the Fire Tribe to replace all the Valley Tribe's damaged and worn-out bronze artifacts. The tribe's bronze weapons and tools are now brand new. If we invest all the profits this year, our people will work hard in the fields, and we will work hard to organize the trade. In the end, what improvement will we get in terms of our lives besides a pile of cold, lifeless bronze lumps? Elder, don't you agree?"
Lin Feng directly steered the conversation towards the most respected elder Yao Feng. Yao Feng slowly raised his eyelids, glanced at the tense standoff between Jin Ye and Lin Feng, then at the expressionless Daiyue, and finally spoke slowly, "What the Fourth Elder said is not without reason. For the tribe to prosper, military strength is certainly important, but the people are also fundamental. If we relentlessly pursue militarism and neglect the people's livelihood, the foundation will be unstable, and internal strife may arise. We already invested heavily in military equipment last year; if we pour all our resources into it again this year, there will likely be resentment within the tribe." Although he didn't explicitly oppose purchasing bronze ware, he clearly did not support investing all the profits in it.
Once Yao Feng expressed his opinion, the elders who had been silent began to discuss in hushed tones, with most agreeing that they shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket and that they needed to take a balanced approach.
Daiyue listened quietly, his mind churning. He was well aware of the Tiger Tribe's tricks. The Tiger Tribe, which occupied the lower reaches of the Fish River and possessed advanced bronze smelting technology, had been using this method to balance the power of the various tribes in the upper and middle reaches of the Fish River for over a decade. The Bear Tribe's rapid rise to become a major threat to the Valley Tribe in the past ten years was undoubtedly due to the support and weaponry provided by the Tiger Tribe. Whenever he thought about being so controlled and schemed against by the forces downstream, Daiyue couldn't help but grit his teeth, a feeling of suffocation rising in his chest.
But as the head of the tribe, he had to remain calm. Jin Ye was right; the threat from the Bear Tribe was real, and the Little Valley Camp could not be lost. Lin Feng and Yao Feng were also right; the distribution of profits needed to be balanced, and the feelings of the tribe members could not be ignored. Otherwise, internal instability would render even the strongest external force meaningless. The decisions of the Valley Tribe were never made unilaterally by the leader, especially when it came to the distribution of such enormous interests.
Seeing that the elders had differing opinions and the other leaders also had their own thoughts, the argument gradually grew louder. Daiyue knew that he had to come up with a solution that could temporarily balance the interests of all parties and be acceptable to everyone.
"Everyone, please be quiet." Daiyue's voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, and the hall immediately fell silent.
All eyes were on him. Daiyue took a deep breath and slowly said, "The Third Elder is worried about military preparedness, the Fourth Elder is concerned about the people's livelihood, and the First Elder is focused on the long term. Everyone's considerations are reasonable. We must face the threat from the Bear Tribe squarely. We must also be wary of the Tiger Tribe's schemes. The well-being of our people is the foundation of our existence."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room, before offering his compromise. "How about this? We'll use 60% of this year's profits from the trade with the Fire Tribe to purchase bronze weapons and tools, strengthening the defenses of the Little Valley Camp and our headquarters. We must ensure our dominance over the Bear Tribe. Elder Jin Ye will be in charge of this matter. He must be meticulous in his calculations, striving for the best possible price to avoid being excessively exploited by the Tiger Tribe."
Upon hearing this, Jin Ye's brows were still furrowed, but his expression softened slightly. Although 60% did not meet his expectations, it was still a large share, enough to accomplish a lot. He nodded, indicating his acceptance.
Daiyue continued, "The remaining 40% of the profits will be used to improve the lives of the clansmen, including rewarding outstanding farmers, repairing public housing, stockpiling winter supplies, and appropriately reducing the exchange rate for some daily necessities. The specific allocation will be determined by the Fourth Elder Lin Feng, together with the Second Elder, the Fifth Elder, and others, who will jointly formulate a detailed plan for further discussion."
Lin Feng's tense expression relaxed a bit. Although 40% wasn't a lot, with this money, many things he had wanted to do but lacked the funds for could now be put on the agenda, and it would also soothe the emotions of the clan. He nodded.
Daiyue looked at Yao Feng: "Elder, what do you think of this proposal?"
Yao Feng pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "The 60/40 split... while not perfect, takes into account both internal and external factors, and is a prudent approach. I have no objections." He stated his position, thus finalizing the plan.
Seeing that the three most influential elders had expressed their opinions and that the plan took into account the concerns of all parties, the other elders and leaders no longer objected vehemently and nodded in agreement. Although each of them might have felt that their share should be larger, they all understood that this was the best compromise that could be reached at the moment.
Daiyue sighed inwardly. He knew that this plan was only a temporary balance. If the threat from the Bear Tribe intensified, or if the trade with the Fire Tribe was disrupted, this fragile balance could be broken at any time. But for now, this was the only option.
"Since everyone agrees, then this matter is settled," Daiyue concluded. "Regarding the specific implementation details, starting tomorrow, everyone should perform their duties and expedite the process. The grain delivery with the Fire Tribe is of paramount importance and must proceed smoothly. Third Elder, the procurement of bronze ware also needs to be started as soon as possible. Send capable personnel to contact downstream customers, investigate market conditions, and be extremely cautious."
"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.
As the meeting adjourned, everyone left with their own thoughts, leaving Daiyue alone in the gradually quieting council hall, gazing absently at the flickering embers.
The order for eight million catties of grain brought unprecedented opportunities, but also more complex internal games and external pressures. He was excited about the huge benefits that the Valley Tribe was about to gain, but also tired of the various problems involved behind these benefits.
"Hopefully... this business with the Fire Tribe can last a while." Daiyue murmured to himself, picked up the now-cold water, and drank it all in one gulp. Only a continuous and stable influx of huge trade could give the Valley Tribe enough confidence to deal with the Tiger Tribe's schemes, suppress the Bear Tribe's ambitions, and at the same time gradually improve the lives of its people, truly moving towards prosperity.