Seeking Refuge Through Wind and Snow
The valley of the Fire Tribe, though cold, was peaceful and serene thanks to ample food reserves, warm shelters, and orderly management. The earthen walls insulated against the wind and snow, seemingly keeping the harsh laws of survival at bay for the time being. However, this tranquility did not last long, as it was shattered by faint cries for help from outside the walls and the urgent alarms of the guards.
This winter was a life-or-death test for the vast majority of small tribes. The rise of the Fire Tribe was like a huge bonfire suddenly lit in the darkness, attracting countless moths that were on the verge of freezing to death in the cold night. The ten tribes that reached marriage agreements with the Fire Tribe at the small market were in a far more miserable situation than the four tribes such as the Bison and White Pig.
Chestnut Tribe: The chestnut forests they depend on yielded little fruit this year, and their stored chestnuts were long gone. The tribe's strongest hunters attempted to venture into the deep snow to hunt, but none returned. To conserve food, the elders began silently walking into the snowstorm, never to return. The children were too hungry to even cry.
Frog Tribe: With the swamp frozen over, they lost their main food source. Attempts to dig for tubers beneath the frozen ground yielded meager results. A fever caused by hunger and cold began to spread through the tribe, and people continued to fall ill.
• The Medicine Tribe: Even though they know all kinds of herbs, they cannot fill their stomachs with them. They try to exchange precious herbs for food, but the surrounding tribes are struggling to survive, and no one is willing to make the exchange.
The Song Tribe... they appear so pale and powerless in the face of survival.
Some better-off tribes, like the Spring Tribe, might be able to barely keep some of their able-bodied members alive through extreme frugality and sacrifice (mainly the voluntary or involuntary deaths of the elderly and the weak). However, the starvation of some members of the tribe is almost a foregone conclusion.
Those in even worse situations, such as the Black Stone Tribe and the Stream Tribe, face the threat of extinction. Their food supply is completely cut off, their tribal structure is collapsing, and despair is spreading like a plague.
Faced with the threat of death, their last hope lay in the legendary Fire Tribe, known for its abundant food and willingness to take in people. Among them, three of the larger tribes— the Mountain Rock Tribe, the Clear Water Tribe, and the Forest Wind Tribe —made the most difficult yet resolute decision: to migrate en masse and seek refuge with the Fire Tribe!
They were about two sunsets' journey from the Fire Tribe. This wouldn't be considered far on a normal day, but in the depths of winter, braving the wind and snow, dragging their hungry and exhausted bodies, and traversing the knee-deep snow-covered forests, this journey was nothing short of a death trap.
The migrating caravan was in a pitiful state. People barely wrapped themselves in tattered animal hides, supporting each other as they trudged through the deep snow. Children were carried or dragged by their parents with their last ounce of strength. People kept collapsing in the caravan, mostly the elderly and children. They simply couldn't go on, or so as not to burden their loved ones, they let go of each other's hands, curled up in the snow, and were quickly swallowed up by the wind and snow, becoming part of the forest.
"Mother... I can't walk anymore..."
"Honey, don't worry about me, take the baby and go..."
"Hold on! Once we get over this mountain, we'll be there! The Fire Tribe has food!"
Hope and death intertwined in this desperate procession. Every step forward was accompanied by tears and farewells.
When these three battered and decimated teams, like ghosts in the snow, staggered out from outside the earthen walls of the Fire Tribe, the guards on the walls were stunned by the sight before them.
"Chief! There are so many people outside! They're not going to make it!" The guard's voice was filled with panic and sympathy.
Upon hearing the news, Jianshi, Wang Yan, and the others rushed to the top of the wall. Looking down at the many emaciated, bluish-purple faces below, and at the mixture of their last glimmer of hope and the numbness of impending death in their eyes, even the hunters, who were used to the hardships of survival, were deeply moved.
"Father..." Wang Yan's voice was low and somber, "They... they probably have no food left, they won't survive the winter."
Jianshi Shi's expression was grave. He took a deep breath of the cold air and, without any hesitation, ordered in a deep voice, "Open the gate! Let them in! Notify Qingye to prepare hot soup and food immediately! Notify Granny Cao to prepare to treat the wounded!"
The heavy wooden door was slowly pushed open. As the warm aroma of cooking and food wafted out, the refugees outside seemed to be infused with their last bit of vitality, bursting into faint cries and commotion.
They were carefully led into the village and placed in the prepared shacks that had been built in advance for future inhabitants. Hot, salty wild vegetable soup with bits of dried meat was quickly distributed. Granny Cao and her apprentices immediately checked on those who were frostbitten, sick, or extremely weak.
Upon counting, of the three tribes that should have had a total of more than 150 people, only about 140 people ultimately arrived at the Fire Tribe. More than ten people were lost forever in the snowstorm during that short two-sunset journey.
The newly arrived tribespeople held the warm earthenware bowls, feeling the long-awaited food slide down their throats and fill their empty stomachs. Many of them burst into tears on the spot. It was not only the joy of surviving a disaster, but also endless gratitude to the Fire Tribe that had taken them in.
Jianshi and Wang Yan watched this scene with mixed feelings. The population had increased to over seven hundred, bringing greater management pressure and food consumption. But faced with such a dire situation, no one with a conscience could turn them away.
"Count the number of people and organize them into various production teams," Jianshi instructed Jianya. "Tell them the rules of the Fire Tribe. From today onwards, they are people of the Fire Tribe. As long as we have food to eat, we will never let them starve to death!"
Wang Yan added, "Let Suyuan and Qingmu go and see if any of these people know how to plant or have other skills. Let them integrate as soon as possible." Jianshi and Wang Yan also knew that this "passive" way of absorbing people was a huge test of the tribe's carrying capacity. They had to develop production faster and use resources more efficiently in order to transform this heavy burden into the power for the tribe's take-off. This winter, the Fire Tribe was not only resisting the harsh cold of nature, but also digesting this sudden, blood-and-tears-stained "demographic dividend."