Chapter 227: Troubles for Both Sides

The Baifeng tribe never had more than a few days of leisure; they always had new tasks to attend to. They finished tidying the Fish Pond and planting mulberry trees, but before the houses inside could even be built, the time for planting Rice had almost arrived.

There was simply too much Rice to be sprouted this year, and there wasn't enough room, so they temporarily drove all the Slaves out of the rooms and made them sleep outside, using the rooms to cultivate the Rice seedlings.

The weather was warm now, so they didn't have to worry about the Slaves freezing outside; they only needed to set up a few more fires. Of course, although the Slaves had some complaints, they dared not express them in the slightest. Even though the Baifeng tribe treated them relatively well, they were still Slaves in the end. It was the tribe's choice to be kind, and if the conditions were harsh, there was nothing they could do. Being notified before being sent out was already kind enough for Slaves who could be killed at will.

The Rice was being sprouted, and other crops also had to be planted, so the tribe was busy for another period. The Slaves were very curious; this tribe didn't go hunting every day, so why did they have such endless work? In their view, scattering Grass Seed into loosened soil was a rather foolish act. Wouldn't it grow in the wild grass fields anyway? Why bother planting it?

The dogs of the Baifeng tribe were also about to give birth. The two dogs Baifeng raised were quite excited these past few days; after all, the ones being born were their own pups. The two of them already possessed the temperament of a Leader, and if they were in the wild, they would certainly be able to take over as the wolf king.

A few days later, the Baifeng tribe's pups were born one after another, totaling over thirty. Only two of them were silver, and it couldn't be said that only those two were the pups of Changwei and Laifu; it was more likely a matter of dominant genes. However, Changwei and Laifu were indeed more fond of the two dogs that shared their coat color. The two brothers were inseparable, and they treated their children the same way.

As time gradually passed, it was only one month until the Summer Solstice. Baifeng and his people were preparing to set off downstream to trade with Xuanyuan, as they had already discussed it last year.

One disadvantage of this era was that once you agreed to something, you had to do it. If you wanted to go back on your word, you didn't even have a way to give advance notice. It was fine if you were close by—you could just send your own Soldiers or hire wandering savages—but for those as far apart as they were, they could only obediently abide by the agreement. Unless some accident occurred that made it impossible to go, failing to keep the appointment would mean no more business with other tribes in the future.

The Baifeng tribe had no surplus grain to use for trade now; they had to live frugally and hold out until the Autumn Harvest. Moreover, they couldn't guarantee that the Autumn Harvest would go smoothly. After all, they had previous experience; summer rainstorms and hail could arrive at any moment. If they encountered either, their grain yield would decrease or even fail completely.

Furthermore, the Baifeng tribe had no stored grain this year. If it were only the original members of their tribe, the stored grain would have been enough to last through the Winter, but now that they had so many people, the grain was already stretched thin.

The Baifeng tribe now had four Large Ships, as well as many small boats suitable for the tribesmen to fish and move about in a small range. It was too troublesome to operate the Large Ships; they couldn't function without enough people, so there had to be some major event for the Tribal Chief to gather the tribesmen and potentially set sail in a Large Ship.

The only things they could take with them this time were countless Salted Fish and Glass products; the Wine had already been finished. For them, fishing was a relatively simple matter because they had boats and could go to the center of the Dahe without fear of being washed away. The same went for the Bamboo Raft; they could go to the center of the Dahu without having to linger on the shore.

Their fishing gear was also very abundant. The most basic fishing rods and fish cages could just be left in the water; they didn't need to worry about them, just collect them when the time came. As for fishing with rods, the current fishing resources were extremely rich, so there was no fear of coming back empty-handed. Plus, with live bait, they could basically catch fish within minutes of casting the line.

The bumper harvest of hemp caused the number of their fishing nets to surge. The bulk of the fish catch was hauled in using nets. Baifeng even thought that if the silkworms could be successfully raised this year, they could add some silk when weaving the fishing nets to make them more durable. This wasn't Baifeng being extravagant, but rather that they lacked the technology to weave silk. Once the silk was reeled, it was useless for anything other than making rope.

Baifeng was worried about the trade, and so was Xuanyuan. The main trade target Baifeng had mentioned to them was Tea Leaves. This was no problem at all for them, but it was very troublesome to figure out how to preserve them after picking. They would wilt quickly after being picked, making it impossible to meet Baifeng's requirement for fresh Tea Leaves. They wondered if they should just pick them and dry them in the sun.

But this might not meet the Baifeng tribe's requirements. If the Baifeng tribe was unwilling to trade, they would not only waste time but also sour relations with the Baifeng tribe. A trade that was already difficult to reach would fall through, which would be a loss for both sides.

So Xuanyuan thought about waiting until it was time to depart to pick them. Their tribe had a very large number of tribesmen and Slaves, so for them, picking enough Tea Leaves for trade in a single day was not a problem at all.

And the thing that worried him most was that he had gone to war with the Lieshan Clan. The Tribal Chief of the Lieshan Clan was also an elder of his, though there was really no need to acknowledge such elders. People of this era didn't have deep concepts of family affection. Now, for the sake of the Xuanyuan Clan's grand plan of expansion and for those boundless plains, they had officially gone to war in the spring of this year.

The war was not started unilaterally by the Xuanyuan Clan; the fuse was still the Lieshan Clan. The Lieshan Clan had set their sights on the Xuanyuan Clan, which was led by a young boy. He felt that with the foundation laid by a powerful Tribal Chief like Shaodian, the current Xuanyuan Clan must be very wealthy.

He also looked down on the child Xuanyuan, believing they could conquer the Xuanyuan Clan and obtain those riches. Furthermore, this could be considered a family matter; they all came from the Shennong Clan, so fighting was just a civil war, and outsiders had no right to say anything.

Xuanyuan had not intended to go to war with the Lieshan Clan so early. His goal was those small tribes; they were easier to attack, posed no burden to them, and could be quickly absorbed to strengthen his own power. The Lieshan Clan was a large tribe, after all; even if they could win, they would have to pay a significant price.

But the dispute had been provoked, and he had no choice but to fight.

What the Lieshan Clan didn't know was that the Xuanyuan they thought was still a child already possessed a brain and strength that completely surpassed everyone in this era. Moreover, it was already the era of young people like Xuanyuan and Baoxi; even Baifeng was relatively old compared to them.

Coupled with the Xuanyuan Clan's advanced system and their wealthier, stronger power, the Lieshan Clan did not gain any advantage at the beginning of the war.