Chapter 1219: Depriving Power

They could already see She Shan, but the sights they had seen over the past few days had made their hearts go somewhat cold, for they had seen absolutely no traces of other humans appearing; it was completely desolate.

Given the current situation, it could basically be concluded that this year's Golden Autumn Gathering would, in all likelihood, be unable to take place, as no one had come.

The result, which could basically be considered a wasted trip, left everyone in a bad mood; after all, everyone had harbored thoughts of making contributions and establishing a career, but as things stood now, they couldn't establish a damn thing.

Having suffered in vain for dozens of days like this, and with the possibility of encountering various risks on the way back, this trip of theirs was truly a wasted effort; it was too much of a loss.

Moreover, Yishang was already critically ill; it was unknown whether he was still alive now, or if he could successfully return to Huaxia. Everyone was very worried about this issue; after all, if Yishang were to die, they would likely not only have no merit, but would also have to bear some responsibility, and the doctor and Ju would be the ones bearing the brunt of it.

However, they did not know whether Yishang was alive or not, but in any case, they still had to carry out the mission Yishang had given them and continue to look at this Golden Autumn Gathering.

Although it was now 80 percent certain that this year's Autumn Gathering would not be held, they had to reach the gathering point before they could say so; it was still too early to draw this conclusion, and even if there was only a one percent chance, they still had to go and see.

"Captain, look, there isn't even a wisp of smoke over at She Shan; I'm afraid we really are going to have made this trip for nothing this year."

Ma's position had changed from Tribal Chief to Captain, and when he was in the Western Development Group, he didn't even have the title of Captain, because the leadership team of the Western Development Group had not taken shape at all, and all positions were non-existent.

One could only determine one's status by the extent of one's power, but everyone was the same; there was no clear position to address you by.

This was precisely a point that made Ma anxious. At first, because of his importance, his status was high enough, and everyone respected and trusted him enough; there were even many people who were willing to continue calling him Tribal Chief.

But as time gradually changed, and with more and more people coming to the fore, his importance was also gradually weakened bit by bit.

Originally, the roles of him and Zhi were not particularly important, because of the special nature of their identities in the past, they were able to be kept, kept in the leadership layer, because the two of them had enough influence to lead everyone and command everyone, so that Ce and the others' orders could be better executed downward.

But now it was completely different; Ce had completely occupied the leadership position, because everyone was already very clear about who was providing them with food in the Western Development Group, and who was providing them with all the items they needed.

It was Huaxia, and in the Western Development Group, those who could represent Huaxia were the few people headed by Ce, not their former Tribal Chiefs and Leaders.

As long as one could listen to Ce, then food and such would be available in a steady stream; even one's own Tribal Chief had to listen to those people.

Besides, it was true that Ce and his group were much more capable than their own Tribal Chief. What could Ma do? What could Zhi do? In fact, they could do nothing, and they were completely incomparable to Ce and the others.

Especially Wuzhong; when people had problems, they would go ask Wuzhong, and Wuzhong would definitely be able to give them a solution, but if they went to ask the Tribal Chief, the Tribal Chief would definitely say: "I'll go ask Ce... I'll go ask Wuzhong and the others."

There were even more capable young people who were also replacing Ma and the others' positions step by step; after all, they were younger, had stronger learning abilities, worked faster, and could also have a say among their peers.

Ce and the others naturally liked young people more, and gradually weakening the role and status of Ma and the others was also an arrangement made for them by Wang.

For these former Tribal Chiefs, if they could not achieve a passing grade in the teaching and examinations of Huaxia, or if they did not get the opportunity to continue their in-depth studies, that meant their leadership careers were gradually coming to an end.

All officials and all leaders of Huaxia had to meet the requirements of Huaxia and had to have passed the unified training of Huaxia; only then could they successfully convey and complete the instructions and requirements given by the upper levels.

If one could not even complete this most basic point, then one was definitely not suitable to be an official of Huaxia. If one's tribe was large enough, one's own power was sufficient, and one had a certain amount of prestige, then Huaxia would use wealth to exchange for one's power.

Just like Baoxi, there were some things he didn't even need to ask for, and Huaxia would naturally give them; after all, the Suiren Clan was simply too large. But for a small tribe like Ma's, Huaxia did not need to care too much; at most, they would give you, the Tribal Chief, an opportunity—an opportunity to continue to be a manager.

If you didn't grasp it, then you would have nothing; at most, they would give you a few more bags of grain and a little more meat. Wanting to sell your power and turn yourself into a rich man was completely impossible.

Ma had already understood this principle. Feeling that his power was decreasing and being weakened day by day, he also began to get anxious, and he also regretted it. Why hadn't he studied hard when he was in Huaxia? If it were possible, he still wanted one more opportunity to study; he felt that he could learn now.

However, it was said that Huaxia had never had such a precedent and would not give you a second opportunity for advanced studies; if you couldn't do it, you couldn't do it—you were not that kind of material.

Ma already knew that several young people had already been noticed by Ce and were being entrusted with important tasks. Perhaps when they returned to Huaxia this Winter, they would be taken back together, then sent into schools to study, and return in the Spring.

Simple literacy and writing were things they could already do; a hundred characters were simple and easy for them, and simple written communication was already completely fine. Now, they needed deeper, more systematic education and training to be fully qualified for official positions.

There was not much time to study, and Winter was the best opportunity. Although it was impossible for them to learn to be very good in a short time, they could completely solve the problem of the shortage of manpower in the Western Development Group, and they could also become members of the future leadership team of the Western Development Group. They were all struggling from zero; even if their ability was a little lower, that was no problem at all—they could improve in practice.