Chapter 330: An Unsuccessful Start to the Expedition

The attendees had all arrived, but Xiu still appeared very uneasy. Because just a moment ago, during the wait, Baifeng had already told him that the next order of business was to discuss how to settle the Luoneng Tribe. Therefore, regarding this matter that would decide the fate of his tribe, Xiu naturally could not relax.

Baifeng took the lead, set the meeting agenda, and then each department stated their proposals according to their responsibilities, followed by a vote from everyone.

Finally, regarding the Luoneng Tribe, their settlement plan was to abolish the name of the Luoneng Tribe. Those with children would all be relocated to the Old City to be settled; this was to give the children an opportunity to receive an education. As for the others without children, if they were willing to stay in the New City, they could stay; those who were unwilling would be sent to the Old City. However, if the proportion of people staying was insufficient, they would still have to draw lots to make a mandatory decision.

Their status would all be that of ordinary Citizens. Xiu, as a temporary official, would be responsible for assisting various departments in their work. Afterward, his performance would be evaluated; if he performed well and possessed the basic qualities of an official, he would be sent to the Old City for training and study, including reading and writing characters. Upon passing the assessment, he would be hired as an official. If his performance was poor, he would be given a certain amount of economic compensation and then become a commoner.

Xiu was very satisfied with this result; one could even say it exceeded his expectations. Moreover, from this meeting, he also gained more information about Huaxia, such as the existence of an Old City that was even larger and more prosperous than the city he was currently in.

Although it was very late after the meeting ended, Xiu still returned to their temporary residence, woke up all his tribespeople, and explained this matter to them so they could have some mental preparation.

For the people of the Luoneng Tribe, the biggest shock was that their "Luoneng Tribe" was dissolved and no longer existed. Xiu also told everyone not to call him Tribal Chief anymore, but to just call him by his name. However, everyone was unable to accept it for a while and found it difficult to change immediately. Yet, this was by no means a bad thing for them, because becoming Citizens of Huaxia meant they would no longer have to worry about food and clothing in the future.

In the following days, the census and basic integration work for the former Luoneng Tribe were completed. Subsequently, the population was divided: a portion had their work and housing arranged by the New City Ministry of Revenue and officially moved into the New City, while the vast majority were escorted by Soldiers to the Old City.

The entire population of Huaxia ushered in a mechanical growth. To gain nearly two thousand laborers through natural growth, Huaxia would have to spend many years. This time, it injected a shot of adrenaline into everyone in Huaxia.

After more than two months of work, everything in the New City was completely on the right track. Baifeng was also able to leave the New City with peace of mind and return to the Old City. Under the steadfast guardianship of Bai Yulong, the Old City had not had a single error. Baifeng was very gratified by this and verbally commended his eldest son.

After returning home to rest for a few days, he personally reviewed the work Bai Yulong had taken over during the days he was away to ensure there were no problems or hidden dangers, and then he arranged the subsequent focus for Government Affairs.

After everything was confirmed to be without issues, Baifeng convened a major meeting with all departments, with the goal of attacking the Cannibal Tribe and recovering the territory.

Everyone already knew of the existence of the Cannibal Tribe, and the Ministry of War was especially looking forward to this day, because their department had not yet fought against other tribes with real knives and guns. This was an opportunity to test their strength and also to give the Citizens an answer, washing away the shame of the "useless" army from their tribal era several years ago.

The war plan was passed without any obstruction. Subsequently, all departments united to prepare for the war. The most excited was the Ministry of War; they mobilized half of the professional Soldiers and then gathered three thousand Militia. The force of over four thousand people all possessed metal long Weapons, half of them wore armor, and there were over fifty Heavy Armored Ox Cavalry. No matter which tribe they faced, they had absolutely nothing to fear.

The Ministry of Revenue opened the Grain Storehouse to prepare military rations and supplies. The Ministry of Works prepared all transport equipment and marching gear, and also allocated one thousand personnel for the Logistics Department. The Ministry of Health did not have many doctors, so they could only pull out five to perform emergency treatment on the battlefield.

After everyone had finished reorganizing, Baifeng made an expedition speech at the Old City square to boost morale. This was also the first large-scale war since the founding of their nation, and they had to achieve results.

Subsequently, the Zhizhongdui took the first step to go to the New City to temporarily stay, also storing a portion of the grain and grass in the New City as a transit station. When they went to attack, they would only carry a portion and then transport more through the New City.

Although Baifeng would not personally go up to fight, he still had to go to the New City to oversee and command; the Old City was still a bit too far away.

On the way from the New City to the Cannibal Tribe, many places were impassable for vehicles, so the supplies could only be carried by people and oxen. They were still the ones moving ahead, arriving one day early at the predetermined location on the edge of the Cannibal Tribe's territory to set up camp. Along the way, they were protected by Soldiers. Upon reaching the location, they immediately set up a large area of Tents; those for living, those for storing grain, and those for the sick were all complete.

The surrounding water sources were also found and were perfectly safe to drink. The main force was right behind them, and by the time they had secured the camp, everyone had arrived. Xiong would command this battle.

On the first day, the main force rested and sent out Scouts to investigate the situation. Because it was already known that this group of Cannibals was good at ambushes and sneak attacks, they did not wear Light Armor, but instead all wore Heavy Armor. They moved in teams of several people, without scattering, putting safety first.

In the afternoon, the five teams of Scouts sent out all returned, but one person was injured and in very poor condition. According to their teammates, they were ambushed by savages from the bushes and struck in the head with a blunt object. Fortunately, their reaction was fast, and with the protection of a helmet made of Hemp Cloth and straw, they were not seriously injured, only still feeling the world spinning and very dizzy. The Cannibals who launched the sneak attack were killed on the spot by them.

There were six Cannibals in total; because they hid separately and ran fast, they only killed two.

The expedition did not start smoothly, but Xiong did not blame them too much; after all, Scouts were the most dangerous and the most prone to injury.

The first casualty was sent to the doctor. After an examination, there were no external wounds, so they could only let them rest well; there were no other means of treatment.

As for the other teams, some did not find any traces, while two teams discovered signs of human activity but did not directly encounter the Cannibals. Finally, by combining the information, Xiong determined a gathering point for the Cannibals; even if it wasn't their main base, they would definitely have something to gain.