Chapter 1155: The Opportunity to Strive

"Xiaohe, like this, you can rest assured. Just take good care of them carefully; I don't object to it. It would be best if you could raise them to be big enough before I return to Huaxia, so that I can take one back to show my father."

"If they truly have the potential to be domesticated further, they will be useful. Then, our Huaxia might not just be raising the few you have in your hands; we might have to find ways to look for more of these little kittens. And you, because of this merit, might receive an unexpected reward. Do you understand?"

Xiaohe was a bit incredulous: "Really, Prince! If that's the case, then I will definitely be able to raise them well. I am feeding them goat milk right now, and they are indeed bigger than when I first picked them up."

"They aren't afraid of people and don't bite me. Once they get a bit bigger, I can feed them meat. As long as they start eating meat, they will definitely grow very fast. By then, Prince will certainly be able to take one back."

Changle smiled and said: "Good, good, it all depends on you. You are responsible for raising them with care. Goat milk or whatever, feed them if you want, and meat is fine too. They are only that small, how much meat can they eat? If they turn out to be useful, just like dogs, they will soon be able to earn back the little bit of meat they ate by working."

"Oh, one more thing: when feeding meat, remember to feed them cooked meat. You must never feed them raw meat. Only by feeding them cooked meat will they not develop such heavy wildness, and only then can they stay close to people. This is the experience we have gained from raising dogs in Huaxia."

"Dogs cannot be fed raw meat; they can only be fed meat that has been boiled. I believe the same logic should apply to feeding these little kittens. After all, they are wild beasts, and they all eat meat."

Xiaohe nodded repeatedly in gratitude. A burly man like him was now actually showing such an expression and demeanor over a few tiny wild beasts.

Of course, the main reason Changle was letting those kittens be raised was that Wuzhong liked them. If Wuzhong didn't like them, Changle wouldn't care at all. They were just small wild beasts; what use could they have? If they were useful, Huaxia would have captured and domesticated them long ago. Even horses took so many years to domesticate, let alone a little kitten.

If it had a decisive role for Huaxia, then his father could not have never mentioned this thing; he would have sent people to look for it long ago. Therefore, Changle held no hope for this at all; it was just to give Wuzhong some hope, just words to comfort Wuzhong.

After the pleasantries ended, Yishang also began to announce his mission: "Starting tomorrow, I will set off for the Golden Autumn Gathering. Those who are familiar with the Golden Autumn Gathering can sign up to go together. Completing this mission will count as merit, as it is relatively dangerous and arduous."

"When you return after the mission ends, your merit will be calculated. You surely know what merit is; it will be useful for you later, regardless of whether you can become an official."

"If you become an official, these merits will be the foundation for your future advancement, allowing you to promote faster and become a higher-ranking official."

"If you cannot become an official, then this merit will be converted into wealth and distributed to you. If you go, you will be rewarded with grain, Cloth, Silk, and the like—a lot of it. Moreover, at the very least, everyone who goes will be rewarded with one sheep!"

"If there are other, greater merits on the road—for example, being brave enough during a battle, capturing enough prey, or being able to persuade other tribes to join Huaxia, just like someone came to persuade you at the last gathering—persuading one tribe is a reward. The more people, the more rewards. You might even be rewarded with Nobility or a surname. A tribe of over a hundred people could even be rewarded with a cow."

"Do you know? A cow, a cow that belongs entirely to you, not public property. It is your own asset. No one will care even if you kill it for meat!"

"Cows cannot be killed! Cannot be killed!"

There were immediate voices of opposition from below. Mainly, everyone already had feelings for cows. Besides being livestock, they were also the best labor force, better than any strong man. They had the most strength and were hardworking without complaint. Who among everyone wouldn't like cows?

So even if it was just a figure of speech and not really killing them, everyone was very agitated, stating that cows must never be killed, but sheep could be.

To this, Yishang could only smile awkwardly and say: "They won't really be killed. I just meant that you can dispose of your own property however you want, and Huaxia will not interfere. That is all I meant."

"And what I have to say is just this much. I feel you should know what the Golden Autumn Gathering is like better than I do; after all, you have participated many times, and this is only my first time going."

"So I need the most familiar people to help me. For the requirements, I need about one hundred and fifty people. Those who want to go, sign up with Ma, and then we will take a count. We will set off tomorrow."

"All supplies, including the Tent and such, I am carrying here. You don't need to worry about anything; you only need to think about going. Alright, now I will give you time to consider. Think quickly. If you have any questions, you can also come and ask me directly, and I will explain them to you."

Many people were now lost in thought because what Yishang said was indeed a bit tempting. They, as newcomers, had absolutely no competitiveness in Huaxia, so they needed merit even more, and they needed wealth even more.

However, they also knew that the Golden Autumn Gathering was very dangerous and the road was very long. Was this risk worth taking?

"Sir! What if we die? Wouldn't we have nothing then?"

Yishang looked at the person who asked and first asked a question: "Do you have a wife and children?"

The man replied: "I do, my son was just born!"

"Then all your honors and rewards will be given to your son. And after death, as long as it wasn't because you were fleeing, there will be rewards. And they will only be more generous than if you were alive. It will be enough to let your child live until adulthood without doing anything. This, I can guarantee you!"

Once Yishang said this, whether they had children and a family or had nothing at all, they all had the idea of wanting to strive for it. Should they just slowly endure and try hard to wait for the days to get better, or go into the wilderness and take a gamble? As long as they succeeded, they could immediately make their wealth and everything they had far exceed others. Now was the best opportunity.