Discussing Next Year's Development Goals

After Jianshi led everyone to the council hall of the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost Little Fish River Mouth Outpost they were seated, the firewood in the hearth burned brightly, making one both drowsy and invigorated. Several animal hide maps hung on the walls, depicting the distribution of the Fire Tribe's various strongholds and fields in charcoal, densely packed like the roots of a large tree. The council hall of the Little Fish River Mouth Outpost, after its expansion, was much larger than the council hall of the Fire Tribe's headquarters. The log walls, with rows of round logs bound together with vines and plastered with mud, were sturdy and warm. The thatched roof was thick and firmly pressed down, preventing rainwater from seeping in and sunlight from penetrating. Two thick pillars stood at the entrance.

Jianshi sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, lingering on each face for a moment. With a smile, he began, "This year, our Fire Tribe Fire Tribe achieved remarkable results. Our population has now increased to around 150,000, and we've cultivated 160,000 mu of paddy fields. These fields stretch as far as the eye can see, one after another. Our Fire Tribe plan for this year is also basically complete. We even built a large ship with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin ahead of schedule, several months earlier than everyone expected. These achievements are the result of everyone's joint efforts, and the collective hard work of our tribe. Thank you all for your hard work this year!"

The voices rose and fell like a tide, one after another saying, "We're not tired, we're not tired." "These are things we should do, it's our duty." "Chief, you've worked much harder than us, you've had the most worries this year." Dabang stroked his beard, his eyes narrowed into slits. Dazhuang slapped his thigh, making a loud thud. He Jijiao, his face full of smiles. Canglan and Jia Li also smiled and talked to each other. Yan sat next to his father, a smile on his face.

Jianshi raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. He pressed his palm down, and after the noise in the council hall gradually subsided, his gaze became more serious, and his brows furrowed slightly before he continued, "Now, our Fire Tribe's strength is not weak in the Fish River Basin Valley Tribe. We have more boats, more people, more Valley Tribe, and better weapons than the Valley Tribe Valley Tribe. But what are our Fire Tribe's development plans for next year? Everyone can speak up. What ideas or suggestions do you have? Please bring them up for discussion. Don't hold back, don't be shy about speaking up."

After Jianshi finished speaking, Yan stood up and walked to the center of the council hall. He was wearing a linen robe, which was blue and shone softly in the firelight. He stood up straight, like a javelin.

His gaze swept over everyone present, and he spoke clearly and logically, "While our Fire Tribe is not weak now—we have hundreds of ships, hundreds of thousands of people, and hundreds of thousands of acres of paddy fields—we still Fire Tribe considerably behind established powerful tribes like the Tiger Tribe. The Tiger Tribe has been operating for many years and has a deep-rooted foundation. Although our Fire Tribe Fire Tribe's population is not much different from theirs, the Tiger Tribe Tiger Tribe many vassal tribes following them after years of development. Many tribes near the Tiger Tribe are their subservient Tiger Tribe, obeying their Tiger Tribe. Although our Fire Tribe is currently taking advantage of the Tiger Tribe's preoccupation with the two major eastern and western tribes, preventing them from focusing their full strength on the Fire Tribe, and the Fire Tribe Tiger Tribe is currently unable to attend to the Fire Tribe, our current strength is sufficient for self-defense and defense, but somewhat lacking in offensive and counter-offensive capabilities. Therefore, I suggest that we continue to develop and strengthen our Fire Tribe Fire Tribe's power. Our Fire Tribe cannot stop, we cannot rest. We must not change our fundamental path of strengthening our Fire Tribe. We must continue to move forward and enhance our strength; we cannot turn back."

Jianshi nodded, his eyes filled with approval and satisfaction, and said, "Yan, continue. Say everything you think, don't leave anything out."

Yan nodded, raising his voice slightly, his tone firm and confident. "To enhance the strength of our Fire Tribe, we must continue to increase our Fire Tribe. More people mean greater strength and efficiency. To increase the Fire Tribe, we must ensure everyone's food security; we cannot allow newcomers to go hungry, nor can we ensure the elderly and children are starving. Therefore, our Fire Tribe must continue to cultivate more land and plant more grains. This will allow our Fire Tribe Fire Tribe grow even larger, enabling us to train more warriors. We must then arm these warriors with superior bronze weapons to enhance their combat effectiveness. Our Fire Tribe Fire Tribe will also build more ships, bigger ships, and continue building them indefinitely. We must also manufacture more bronze weapons and tools— Chutou, sickles, plows—all of these must be of high quality. Furthermore, we must increase the number of cattle and horses in our tribe. More cattle mean faster land reclamation, and more horses mean faster transport of goods. These cattle and horses are invaluable."

After listening, everyone nodded in agreement. Jianshi also spoke up, "Yan, the direction you've suggested is indeed excellent. Our Fire Tribe's development must be grounded in reality, taking it one step at a time. We can't rush, but we also can't stop. Dabang, tell everyone about our Fire Tribe 'Fire Tribe shipbuilding plan for next year. How we'll build ships, how many we'll build, and where we'll build them—you need to explain all of that clearly so everyone has a clear understanding."

Dabang stood up and walked to the center of the council chamber. He was wearing a linen jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his thick forearms, which were muscular and had prominent veins. His hands were rough and strong, with large knuckles, yellowed nails, and calluses all over his palms.

His voice boomed like thunder as he spoke, "Now our Fire Tribe's Little Fish River Mouth Outpost has the capacity to produce ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin. Next year's 100,000 jin carrying capacity ships will still be manufactured at the Fire Tribe's main shipyard. Ships with a carrying capacity of 50,000 jin and below will be manufactured at our Fire Tribe's Little Fish River Mouth Outpost. This way, our Fire Tribe can produce ships in two locations simultaneously, and our shipbuilding efficiency will be much higher."

He paused, then continued, "Next year, we plan to increase the number of the Fire Tribe's ships with a carrying capacity of 100,000 jin to 20; 50,000 jin to 100; and 20,000 jin to 200. With these ships, we can make one or two fewer trips to the Valley Tribe to transport grain next year, saving time for other things. Having so many ships will also make things much easier for the Fire Tribe Fire Tribe to use, and will greatly increase our naval strength."

Everyone was delighted by Dabang's words and cheered. Some slapped the table, some slapped their thighs, and some shouted "Bravo!" After the noise subsided a bit, Jianshi spoke:

"We've already agreed to advance all the bronze weapons for the Valley Tribe next year. After spring, our Fire Tribe will deliver these weapons to the Valley Tribe Valley Tribe, so they can feel at ease and upgrade their equipment sooner. However, our Fire Tribe Fire Tribe also needs to bring back the grain we ordered from the Valley Tribe as soon as possible. We feel more secure with the grain in our own warehouse; we certainly wouldn't feel comfortable leaving it with someone else. Next year, our Fire Tribe's water transport capacity will greatly increase. With more and larger boats, one trip will be equivalent to several trips. Next year, our Fire Tribe should only need two or three trips to transport all 20 million catties of grain ordered from the Valley Tribe Fire Tribe. One trip will be equivalent to several trips, saving a lot of time and effort. The sooner the Valley Tribe's grain is transported Fire Tribe next year, the more at ease everyone will feel. Dabang, next year's shipbuilding is up to you to oversee; we can't afford any mistakes."

Dabang nodded, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Rest assured, Chief, I will keep a close watch."

Jianshi nodded and continued, "This autumn harvest, our Fire Tribe harvested about 160,000 mu of paddy fields. That's over 30 million jin of grain per mu. The grain is piled up like mountains; our warehouses are almost overflowing. Next year, our Fire Tribe will have an additional population. Newcomers need land to cultivate, food to eat, and housing. We must continue to cultivate our paddy fields; we can't stop. We still have some time this year, and we aim to increase our paddy fields to 200,000 mu by next spring. We can continue to cultivate more as needed. Besides Fire Tribe fields, we also need to increase the planting area of soybeans and cotton, as well as other crops. We need enough vegetables and melons to eat."

He paused, raised his voice slightly, and said with a hint of urgency, "Cultivating the land requires a large number of oxen. Our Fire Tribe will purchase some more from the Horse Tribe next year and exchange Horse Tribe for more. Cultivating the land also requires a large number of bronze tools to improve efficiency— Chutou, sickles, plows, everything! And Dabang. How is our production in this area? Is it enough? Can we supply it?"

Dabang stood up and said in a loud voice, "Our Fire Tribe currently has enough bronze weapons to arm our 30,000 warriors. In addition to the bronze weapons supplied to the Valley Tribe Fire Tribe, we have 20,000 sets of bronze weapons in reserve in the armory, piled up like a mountain. Now our bronze workshops can fully produce bronze tools to support our Fire Tribe in cultivating fields and carrying out various activities. Chutou, sickles, plows, shovels, saws, planes—we have as many as you need, more than enough."

Jianshi nodded in agreement, a smile spreading across his face. He then turned to Yan and asked, "Yan, what are your thoughts on the Fire Tribe's population recruitment next year? Do you have a clear idea of which direction to recruit, how many people to recruit, how to recruit them, and what methods to use?"

Yan thought for a moment, then raised his head and said calmly, "Our Fire Tribe's reputation has spread throughout the upper and middle reaches of the Fish River. Everyone knows that the Fire Tribe Fire Tribe a good life, with food, clothing, shelter, and work. Even if we don't actively recruit or call out to others, many small tribes will gradually join us. Our Fire Tribe conditions have improved; we have enough to eat every day, surplus every year, mild winters, and cool summers. The natural population growth each year is also considerable. We can also absorb some independent small tribes to the north. These Fire Tribe Fire Tribe are not vassals of the larger tribes and are not subject to anyone else; they can make their own decisions. Next Fire Tribe, we can absorb some people on the Clothing River, where there are many small, scattered tribes struggling to make ends meet. We can also absorb some people near the Fire Tribe Horse Tribe in the Big Horse River Basin Fire Tribe. As for how many people we can absorb next year, we'll have to wait until we have contact and exchanges. It's uncertain now; it depends on the situation."

Jianshi nodded and said, "Then let's proceed with this plan for now. We can discuss the specific details later. Let's take it one step at a time. In the near future, let's make arrangements for winter. We need to stock up on food and firewood, repair the houses, and distribute winter clothes."

Then Jianshi made arrangements for the winter, clearly explaining how much food, firewood, and cotton-padded clothes each stronghold needed. Everyone discussed it for about half an hour before gradually leaving.