Discussion of Relocating the Administrative Center

In the morning in the valley of the Fire Tribe's headquarters, the sun slowly peeks out from behind the mountains to the east, first illuminating the distant peaks, then gradually spreading its light throughout the valley. Wisps of smoke rise from the chimneys, drifting in the morning light like a veil shrouding this bustling land. In the distant fields, people are turning the soil; several farmers, bent over, swing their Chutou rhythmically, sweat streaming down their backs. From the workshop area, the clanging and banging of tools and materials fills the air—the craftsmen are inspecting their tools and preparing materials, the sounds crisp and rhythmic, like an ancient melody.

In the council hall of the Fire Tribe headquarters, the flames in the hearth flickered, illuminating the room brightly. The light Jianshi shadow danced on the walls like countless moths fluttering. Jian Shi sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. To his left sat Qingye, and to his right was an empty seat—Yan's seat, he hadn't arrived yet. Below him sat Canglan, Jia Li, Wu Xiong, Shuize, Mu Muye, Binmao, Jijiao, and others. Almost all the leaders of the Fire Tribe headquarters were present. Some were chatting quietly, some were resting with their eyes closed, and some were staring blankly at the flames in the hearth.

Jianshi picked up his teacup and took a sip. The tea had gone cold and was a bit bitter. He frowned, put down the teacup, and tapped his fingers lightly on the table. He had been thinking about the matter to be discussed today for a long time. The Fire Tribe was developing too fast, and the main valley could no longer accommodate too many people. Twenty thousand people was already the limit. The main base was already crammed with nearly twenty thousand people, and adding more would be impossible. The outposts outside were developing better and better, and the population was increasing. It was indeed inappropriate for the management center to remain in this valley.

"Yan's here!" someone shouted from the doorway.

Yan strode in, fine beads of sweat on his forehead, clearly having run all the way. He sat down to the right of Jian Jianshi, nodded to everyone present, and then said, "Father, esteemed leaders, I'm late. I went to check on the Youth Team, which delayed me a bit."

Jianshi waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down, and said, "It's not too late now, everyone has just arrived."

His gaze slowly swept over everyone, and he said in Chenwen and powerful voice, "I'm sure you all know why I've called you all here today."

No one spoke, but all eyes were on him. Some had already guessed, while others were still speculating, but everyone knew that today's discussion was about something important. Jijiao sat up straight, Canglan paused in stroking his beard, Jia Li put down his teacup, and Wu Xiong's brows furrowed slightly.

Jianshi slowly scanned everyone, raised his voice slightly, and said, "That's right, the reason I called everyone here today is to discuss the relocation of the Fire Tribe Management Center."

He paused, looked at Yan sitting to his right, and said, "The matter of the migration management center was proposed by Yan. Yan, you should talk to everyone first, and explain what you've been thinking and what I've discussed with you privately."

Yan stood up and walked to the center of the council hall. His gaze swept over everyone present—his father, mother, Canglan, Jia Li, Wu Xiong, Shuize, Muye, Binmao, Jijiao... Familiar faces were waiting for him to speak. He took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Gentlemen," his voice was clear and articulate, echoing in the quiet council hall, "Our Fire Tribe is growing stronger and stronger, and our population is also increasing. The Fire Tribe's main valley has a maximum capacity of about 20,000 people, but now nearly 20,000 people already live there, and we can't accommodate any more."

He paused, then continued, "As our Fire Tribe continues to grow, this place is becoming increasingly unsuitable as our Fire Tribe center. That's why I suggested moving the administrative center to the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost."

The council chamber fell silent, save for the crackling of the firewood in the hearth, and the occasional spark that fell to the ground and quickly went out. Some nodded, some frowned, some lowered their heads in thought, and some exchanged glances.

Yan raised a finger and said:

"The first reason is that the dock at Little Fish River Mouth Outpost is easy to expand. Our Fire Tribe will have more and more boats in the future, and bigger and bigger boats, with a carrying capacity of 50,000 catties, 100,000 catties, or even larger. On the Fire Creek River here, during the dry season, even boats with a carrying capacity of 20,000 catties cannot enter. Boats with a carrying capacity of 50,000 catties can only dock at the Fire Creek River Mouth Outpost. People and goods need to be transferred by small boats, which is time-consuming and laborious. It's different at Little Fish River Mouth. The Fish River is wide, and even larger boats can dock. Boats with a carrying capacity of 50,000 catties can dock directly, and boats with a carrying capacity of 100,000 catties are no problem either. Putting the management center at Little Fish River Mouth is very beneficial for the docking, transportation, and construction of boats."

Yan raised his second finger and said, "The second reason is that our Fire Tribe's population is increasing and our territory is expanding. Look at the map, where is our main valley? It's at the southernmost point! If the Fire Tribe continues to expand northward, the mouth of the Little Fish River Mouth will become the center of the Fire Tribe. Having the management center in the center is very advantageous for us in managing the tribe."

Yan raised his third finger and said, "The third reason is that the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost has a more flat and wide terrain, and the land is more fertile. Those of you who have been to Little Fish River Mouth know that it is a river mouth plain. We can build a settlement of 50,000 people in Little Fish River Mouth without any problem. We can build as many houses as we want, and build roads as wide as we want. If we want to continue to develop, we can continue to cultivate along the banks of the upper reaches of the Little Fish River. The land there is much better than here at headquarters, and the water source is also abundant."

Yan continued, "The fourth reason is that our Fire Tribe and the Tiger Tribe will inevitably clash sooner or later. The Tiger Tribe won't let us develop peacefully; they will come looking for trouble one day. They have over 100,000 people, 30,000 armored warriors, and giant ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin. Although our Fire Tribe has developed rapidly, we are still somewhat behind them. We've moved our management center to the Little Fish River Mouth. Once the Tiger Tribe brings their people over, we only need to light the beacon fires, and our reinforcements will arrive quickly by sailing downstream along the Fish River."

After Yan finished speaking, he stepped aside and waited for everyone's reaction. The council hall slowly began to get noisy, like a pot of water boiling and bubbling. Some people whispered, some argued loudly, some nodded, some shook their heads, some frowned, and some pondered. The voices grew louder and more chaotic, like a flock of sparrows chirping.

After a while, Jijiao stood up. He was an elder of the Fire Tribe, and his words carried weight. His brows were slightly furrowed, as if he was thinking about something, and his lips were pursed into a line. When he stood up, the chair creaked as it scraped against the ground.

"Yan, what you said makes sense." His voice wasn't loud, but it was clear. "However, if we move the management center to the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost, what will happen to the workshops in the Fire Tribe's main valley?" He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. "The shipbuilding workshop, bronze workshop, pottery workshop, textile workshop, and salt-making workshop are all here. Moving them won't be a matter of a day or two."

Yan was prepared and answered immediately. He walked to the map hanging on the wall, pointed to the location of the main valley, and said, "Although we moved the management center to the Little Fish River Mouth, the Fire Tribe's main valley can still be put to good use." He drew a circle on the map with his finger. "This place is located in our rear, very safe and secure. Outsiders can't get in, and internal information can't get out. It can become our technical training center and research center. New craftsmen can learn their skills here, and then go to the workshops. New technologies can be researched here, and once successful, they can be promoted to various branch workshops. The improvement and research of confidential technologies like bronze smelting are safest here. It's harder than climbing to heaven for the Tiger Tribe spies to get in."

He paused, then continued, tapping the map a few times with his finger, "Even if we move the management center, this place will still be very prosperous."

Upon hearing Jijiao, Horn's expression relaxed, his brows unfurrowed, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. He nodded, sat down with satisfaction, and the chair creaked as if in agreement.

His Binmao stood up; he was an elder of the Fire Tribe, in charge of the tribe's affairs, and knew every blade of grass and tree in the tribe like the back of his hand. His brows were furrowed, clearly showing some worry.

"When will we move? Will we move next spring? Or after next autumn harvest?" His voice was tinged with urgency. "Moving is no small matter. Many people need to move, and hundreds of ships of supplies need to be transported. It can't be done in a day or two. If it coincides with the busy farming season, manpower will be even more scarce."

Jianshi took over the conversation, his voice Chenwen. He stood up, walked to the center of the council hall, and continued Yan's words, saying, "The workshops should be relocated slowly without affecting production. We can't rush it; rushing will only cause trouble. First, build a branch workshop at the Little Fish River Mouth. Send a group of craftsmen there with tools and materials, and build slowly—houses, furnaces, kilns, one by one. Once the branch workshop is built and can produce, the main workshop can gradually reduce production. We can't move everything over at once; that would delay production. Our pottery still needs firing, salt still needs making, and cloth still needs weaving; we can't stop."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and said, "I plan to start relocating the management center next spring, and finish before the autumn harvest. We'll move the management center first, then the workshops. We'll take it one step at a time, without rushing. We'll move another batch of people in the spring, another batch in the summer, and move all the equipment there. We'll finish before autumn, so it won't interfere with the busy farming season or production."

Binmao nodded and sat down. His brows were still furrowed, but they were more relaxed than before. Canglan stood up. He was the old chief of the Fish Tribe and was appointed as the council leader after joining the Fire Tribe. His brows were slightly furrowed, clearly worried about something.

"How will the people who migrated be settled? Where will they live? What will they eat?" His voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear. "So many people are going, not just a few or a dozen. Houses need to be built on the spot, and food needs to be transported immediately. We can't let them go without a place to live or anything to eat."

Jianshi said, "They've already started building more wooden houses at Little Fish River Mouth. Dazhuang has built quite a few there. The first batch of people who moved there will have a place to live. Although there aren't many houses, they can squeeze in. There's also enough food. Once more land is cultivated, we'll be able to grow our own food. Dazhuang sent someone back with news that they're continuing to cultivate the land. The newly cultivated land will be ready for planting by next spring, and by next year they'll be able to achieve self-sufficiency."

Canglan nodded and sat down.

People then raised a series of questions, which Jianshi answered one by one. Some were worried about trouble during the migration, some were worried about not being used to the new place, and some were worried that the relocation of the workshop would affect production. Jianshi patiently explained and calmed everyone's emotions. His voice Chenwen and his gestures were powerful, like a big tree, sheltering everyone from the wind and rain.

After all the questions had been asked, Jianshi stood up and said, "Alright, that's all for today. Everyone go back and prepare. Next spring, we will begin relocating the management center, and strive to complete the relocation before the autumn harvest next year."

Everyone nodded and left one after another. The sounds of chairs being moved, footsteps, and voices blended together, like the receding tide.