Chapter 216: Selecting Apprentices

Although the cultivated land area of the Baifeng tribe seems larger now, because the population has increased several-fold, the extra land is nothing compared to the massive labor base. This year's spring plowing ended a few days earlier than in previous years, and everyone was not so tired that they felt like dying, as they had been last year.

It was still the same few types of crops sown first; the other fields were just plowed, waiting for the right time to sow. The workload at that time would be much smaller, and it was still early for rice seedling cultivation, so after being busy for these few days, everyone became idle again.

Baifeng was also actively looking for things for everyone to do; he could not let those few people stay that busy forever. To share their pressure and for the better development of the tribe, Baifeng once again made an announcement among the Slaves: anyone who felt their hands were skillful and steady, and was willing to endure hardship, could follow the Carpenter and Stonemason to learn and become an apprentice. Their status would remain that of a Slave, but once they became a qualified apprentice capable of assisting the craftsmen, they would be granted the status of a Free Person. If they became a craftsman, they could become a tribesman.

Once this news came out, the number of people who wanted to go was massive. Because they did not know what kind of "skillful" Baifeng meant, and everything had to be learned from scratch, how could they know that the apprentice would not be themselves?

There were too many applicants, and Baifeng found it hard to choose, so he temporarily added a requirement: using any tools they could get their hands on, even if it was just a stone, as long as they could make something that satisfied him and the few craftsmen, they could become an apprentice. It did not matter what they made—whether they made a ball or whittled a straight, smooth wooden stick—as long as one of the craftsmen liked it, it would do.

Originally, those craftsmen were not very willing. Although having someone to help could greatly reduce their workload, the training cycle for a craftsman was truly too long. They themselves had all learned from nothing, and now they still had many things to explore and learn. Taking on a burden would not only fail to help, but would also delay their work progress because they had to spend time teaching. The things lined up to be made were, so to speak, nowhere near completion.

But Baifeng did the math for them: if they did not cultivate talent now, the tribe would continue to expand in the future, and there would be more and more things to do. With just the few of them, there would never be a time when the work was finished; the work would only drag on and accumulate, forming a vicious cycle.

But now they only needed to spend a little time every day to cultivate these newcomers. Even if it took two or three years, they would eventually cultivate someone who could help them. At that time, their work would be shared. Once those they taught became craftsmen of their own level, they could continue to cultivate new people. If this continued, there would be more and more craftsmen, and one day, they would be like other tribesmen, having some free time to rest.

Hearing Baifeng's words, their thinking was instantly opened up, and they even thought about taking on several people at once. Anyway, teaching one was teaching, and teaching several was the same. Baifeng naturally would not dampen their enthusiasm, but he still set an upper limit: at most five apprentices at a time. Otherwise, spending all their energy on teaching students would not be a good thing for the tribe.

At the same time, to reduce their burden, some non-urgent work could be appropriately slowed down, such as the Boat and Weapon production. Their tribe's current supply was basically enough, and Baifeng estimated there would not be any major wars in the next two years.

Because several other large tribes were still frantically annexing small tribes, their territories had increased, their populations had increased, and the food and supplies they needed were increasing accordingly. Their current management methods and channels for obtaining food could not support them in continuing like this; serious conflicts would definitely arise.

Their next focus needed to be on adjusting themselves. From the trading process with the Suiren clan last year, it could be clearly seen that the once generous Baoxi was now very strapped for resources.

Even the Baifeng tribe was the same. They had entered the era of agriculture, but the influx of a large population also made them feel the pressure. The Shaman looked at the empty warehouse and sighed every day.

Only when everyone's internal conflicts were resolved and the population was saturated could they begin the process of external war and territorial expansion. This was an inevitable process. Baifeng estimated it would take a few more years. However, during this period, various small-scale wars would definitely be constant, because when the right path had not been found, supporting war through war was the best choice. But this method could not last for a long time, especially under the current historical background.

The Carpenter and Stonemason were essential to bring along. For things like the Potter, there was almost no need for training; following along for a few months was enough to be considered a veteran. As for the Blacksmith, Baifeng did not intend to select from the Slaves, including those who smelted Iron. This was considered a relatively secret and important technology of their tribe, which must be kept in the hands of people whose roots were known and whom the tribe could trust. These people were all cultivated from the earliest tribesmen.

This apprenticeship selection plan of Baifeng also attracted many Free Persons. After they had been in the tribe for a longer time, they could always become tribesmen, but they felt this was a faster way to advance. Moreover, craftsmen had a high status in the tribe, just like the Archer and Swordsman, and because their numbers were small, they were even more precious and received better treatment. If they were selected, not only could they become tribesmen faster, but they could also become a class with higher status.

He gave everyone a few days to make a finished product and hand it to Baifeng and the others for selection.

In the end, Baifeng and the group of craftsmen filled all the apprentice quotas, but there was only one Free Person among them; the rest were all of Slave origin.

The food distribution and accommodation for these apprentice-to-be remained the same as before; they could not yet eat the food belonging to the craftsman level. Once they became qualified apprentices, their food and lodging standards could be appropriately raised.

To ensure these craftsmen would wholeheartedly teach the apprentices, Baifeng also gave them a reward mechanism. As long as they could produce qualified apprentices, the earlier the time and the greater the number, the more rewards they would be given. Of course, the premise was that it could not affect their own work progress.

Now the Baifeng tribe already had partial privatization of property. Those who often received rewards not only had their own big houses but even their own small warehouses, where everything inside did not need to be managed by the tribe, nor did the Shaman need to count and distribute it.

Everyone liked having more food than they could eat and more supplies than they could use. Even if they were already well-fed and clothed, as long as they had their own stock, they could feel at ease.

Baifeng was the only one among the tribe's high-level members who did not have his own small warehouse, because the entire tribe was his.