Winter Training

In winter, the Fire Tribe headquarters is covered with a thick layer of white snow. The rooftops, tree branches, and distant hillsides are all covered in a white expanse. Breath condenses into white mist in the air, and footsteps crunch on the snow.

But on the training ground of the new recruits' camp, the atmosphere was bustling with activity. Three hundred young people who had just come of age were running in neat formations in the snow. They were wearing thin linen clothes, but beads of sweat were dripping from their foreheads. Their slogans were clear and powerful, and they sounded particularly loud in the quiet winter.

Yan stood on the sidelines, looking at these young people with great satisfaction. He had been in the rookie camp for quite some time now, and during that time, he spent almost every day with them, training, eating, and chatting together. He watched them improve day by day, many of them going from being clumsy and awkward at the beginning to being quite skilled now.

"Stop!" he shouted.

Three hundred people stopped abruptly and stood ramrod straight. Yan walked over and his gaze swept across their faces. Some of these faces came from the Fire Tribe headquarters, some from the west bank of the upper reaches of the Fish River, some from the Fish Tribe, and some from the Pottery and Salt, Shuize, Beast Taming, and Hundred Crafts tribes. Their skin color, accents, and habits were all different, but at this moment, they were all wearing the same clothes, standing on the same training ground, and sweating the same sweat.

"What are we practicing today?" a young man asked.

Yan glanced at the sky and said, "We'll practice marching and physical fitness this morning, and learn to read and do arithmetic this afternoon."

The young man scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Boss, I'm still not very good at reading..."

Yan walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

"Take your time. Everyone learns little by little. You've improved a lot since you first arrived."

The young man grinned, his eyes gleaming with gratitude.

"Alright, continue!" Yan waved his hand.

The three hundred people started running again, their slogans even louder. Yan stood on the sidelines, watching their backs, thinking about the bits and pieces of this period of time. When they first arrived, these people were all different. Some were physically strong but slow-witted; some were quick-witted but physically weak; some knew many characters but were arrogant; some knew few characters but were willing to endure hardship.

Yan spent several days getting to know each of them individually, then grouped them into groups: those with good physical condition trained separately from those with average physical condition; and those with good knowledge of the Fire Tribe studied separately from those with average knowledge. In this way, everyone could receive training and learning that suited them. Over this period of time, the results were very obvious.

Those with good physical condition are now running faster and stronger, while those with average physical condition have caught up and are no longer falling behind. Those with good knowledge can already recognize thousands of characters and do simple calculations, while those with average knowledge can recognize about a hundred characters and count. Yan looked at them and felt a sense of accomplishment. These people are the future of the Fire Tribe.

"Inflammation!"

A voice rang out, and Yan turned his head to see Dali, who was wearing a thick fur coat and striding over.

"Uncle Dali!" Yan went to greet him.

Dali walked to the sidelines, looked at the young people running, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad, you're practicing quite well."

Yan smiled and said, "Not bad. This group is diligent, hardworking, and progressing quickly."

Dali said, "Your father sent me to check on things here and ask how things are going."

Yan said, "That's good. Those in good physical condition can already keep up with the training intensity of veterans, and those in average physical condition are not much different. As for literacy, the fast ones can recognize thousands of characters, and the slow ones can still recognize a hundred or so."

Dali nodded and then asked, "How are those from different tribes getting along?"

Yan said, "We were a little awkward at first, but it's much better now. We train together, eat together, and sleep together every day. We naturally became familiar with each other and started kissing."

Dali laughed, "That's good. That's how fusion should be done."

He looked at the young people and suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, that kid Gubang already knew all of this before he went to the Deer Tribe, right?"

Yan nodded. "Yes, he's an exception. He's been with me for the past few years, and he already knows all these things, so I arranged it in advance."

Dali exclaimed, "That kid will definitely amount to something!"

Yan smiled but didn't say anything. The two of them stood on the sidelines and watched the training for a while. After this round of training ended, Yan told the people to rest for fifteen minutes. The three hundred people dispersed. Some went to drink water, some sat on the ground to catch their breath, and some gathered together to chat. Yan and Dali walked over and started chatting with a few young people.

"How are you? Are you tired?" Yan asked.

A young man from the Pottery Salt Tribe shook his head and grinned, "Not tiring at all! Much easier than before in the tribe!"

A young man from the west bank of the upper reaches of the Fish River nodded in agreement. "Yes! And we have enough to eat, warm clothes, and good housing. Who would have dared to dream of that in the past winters?"

A young man from the Hundred Crafts Tribe asked, "Boss, when can we join the Hunting Team?"

Yan laughed, "What's the rush? Hone your skills first. Once you're skilled, you can go anywhere."

The young man scratched his head and chuckled.

Dali said from the side, "Practice hard, those who perform well will become the backbone of the Fire Tribe, and who knows, one day they might even become leaders, in charge of hundreds or thousands of people."

The young people's eyes lit up.

"Real?"

Dali laughed heartily, "Of course it's true! As long as you're willing to work hard, there will be plenty of opportunities!"

The young people were thrilled and expressed their determination.

We'll definitely train hard!

"Never slack off!"

Yan smiled and patted them on the shoulder.

"Alright, you've rested enough, let's continue training!"

The three hundred people immediately stood up and lined up again. They became even more serious during the training. Yan looked at them with great satisfaction. This group of people had already laid a solid foundation. With a little more training, they would be ready to be put to use.

In the afternoon, it was time for literacy class. Three hundred students sat on the ground, each with a wooden board and a charcoal pencil in front of them. Yan stood at the front, writing characters on a large wooden board.

"We'll learn ten characters today," he said. "Everyone, write them after me."

He first wrote the character "fire" on the wooden board.

"This character is pronounced 'huo,' like the 'huo' in the Fire Tribe. Everyone, please write it down."

Three hundred people bowed their heads and wrote on the wooden board with charcoal pencils. After they finished writing, Yan wrote the character "water".

"This character is pronounced 'shui,' the 'water' in 'drinking water.' Everyone, please write it down."

The three hundred people lowered their heads and wrote again. In this way, they were taught and learned one character at a time. After teaching ten characters, Yan let everyone practice on their own. He walked down from the podium and moved between the groups to see how well everyone was writing. He stopped next to a young man from the Beast Taming Tribe. The young man wrote crookedly, but very seriously, stroke by stroke, sweating profusely.

Yan squatted down, pointed to his wooden board, and said, "For the character 'fire,' this stroke should be a little longer. For the character 'water,' both sides should be symmetrical and harmonious. Come on, let me teach you."

He picked up the charcoal pencil and rewrote it on the young man's wooden board. The young man looked at it and his eyes lit up.

"I see! Thank you, boss!"

Yan smiled and patted him on the shoulder, continuing to walk down. He stopped again when he reached a young man from the Hundred Crafts Tribe. The young man wrote very well, with neat handwriting and correct strokes.

"Well written," Yan praised.

The young man scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly.

Yan encouraged him, "Study hard, and maybe you can teach others and become a teacher in the future."

The young man's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly. An hour later, the literacy lesson ended. Yan told everyone to put away the wooden boards and continue tomorrow. The three hundred people got up one after another. Some went to eat, and some went back to the wooden house to rest. Yan and Dali left the training ground together.

"How's it going?" Dali asked. "Is this group alright?"

Yan nodded. "Okay, better than I expected."

Dali said, "That's good. They'll be officially assigned in the spring. Your father said you'll lead two thousand men, with Shibang and Yingmu following you. Many of these men will be under your command."

The two walked and talked until they reached the entrance of the camp, Dali stopped.

"Yan, your father has high expectations for you. Do a good job."

Yan said solemnly, "Uncle Dali, don't worry, I will definitely live up to my father's expectations."

He patted him Dali on the shoulder, turned and left. Yan stood at the camp gate, watching the sky gradually darken, and took a deep breath. Winter was about to pass, and there would be more things to do after spring. The seven thousand people on the west bank of the upper reaches of the Fish River were to be picked up by the Fish Tribe for their official migration.

The four tribes of Pottery and Salt, Shuize, Beast Taming, and Hundred Crafts need to be fully integrated. The production targets of the Bronze Workshop and the Coarse Salt Workshop also need to be met. We also need to find a way to wipe out that bastard Xueya. And the 20 million catties of grain from the Valley Tribe need to be transported back.

besides...

There were so many things to do, but Yan was full of energy. He turned around and strode back to his wooden house. Behind him, the training ground was empty, with only rows of footprints in the snow, recording the efforts he had made over the past few days. The training continued on the second day, the third day, and the fourth day.

Before we knew it, winter was almost over. One day, Yan was leading everyone in a run on the training field when a soldier suddenly ran over.

"Brother Yan! The leader wants you to go to the council hall!"

Yan paused for a moment, then nodded. He handed over the training to his deputy and strode towards the council hall. Inside, Jianshi Shi was sitting in the main seat, with Qingye, Dabang, Dali, Jianya, and others sitting beside him. Jianshi nodded when he saw Yan enter.

"Yan, sit down and talk."

Yan sat down and asked, "Father, what is it?"

Jianshi looked at him and said earnestly, "Spring is almost here, it's time to go and fetch the seven thousand people on the west bank of the upper reaches of the Fish River."

Yan nodded. "Okay, I'll get ready right away."

Jianshi added, "Take those three hundred new recruits with you this time. Let them get some experience; they'll be assigned positions when they come back."

Yan's eyes lit up.

"Yes!"

"Also," Jianshi said, "After you pick up the people, go to the Fish Tribe. The migration over from Canglan should begin soon."

Yan nodded again, and Jianshi looked at him with anticipation in his eyes.

"Yan, this time, you need to do a good job."

Yan stood up and said solemnly, "Father, rest assured, I will definitely handle it well!"