Chapter 341: Open and Aboveboard

Baifeng sat steadily, thinking about how to explain things more clearly. Seeing that Baifeng had the intention to instruct him, Xuanyuan did not stand up either; he sat more securely as well, waiting for Baifeng to speak.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Baifeng said, "This 'State', it is a more mature and systematic model for a tribe. A 'State' can also be called a 'Nation'. A nation is composed of countless families. What a 'family' is, I have told you before, and I have also had you promote it within your tribe. For the entire human race, first promoting the family-household system is extremely important. You must let ordinary people, just like you leaders, know not only their mother but also their father; the number of foolish or disabled people will immediately decrease."

This is also the foundation for establishing a nation; one must make people have a concept of society.

And to build a nation, territory, people, and government are all indispensable. Territory is the place where people live and where wealth is produced. People are those who create wealth and defend the nation. Government is the institution that manages the nation and the territory. And you, Tribal Chief, are the person who manages the government. In a nation, the Tribal Chief is called a King."

Since Baifeng had started speaking, it meant the answer to this question was free, so he dared to continue asking, "I understand territory and people, but what should this government be like?"

Baifeng smiled and pointed to the seal hanging at Xuanyuan's waist, saying, "Look, doesn't this represent the government? However, regarding this, I cannot tell you too much, because my experience might not be applicable to you. You must consider the situation of your tribe, establish a government suitable for your tribe, and then form a nation."

"I also hope that the next time I communicate with you, you will appear in the capacity of a King. We can bring our Subjects, let them discuss those trivial matters, and we can use the writing of both our sides to draft an agreement, or treaty, more rigorous and reliable than a vow, to bind both of us. Unlike now, where the things you owe can only be restricted by future transactions and my trust in your character."

Although Baifeng did not speak in great detail, Xuanyuan felt he had obtained the information he wanted. After nodding in acknowledgment, he stood up. Both sides said goodbye, and then Baifeng watched as Xuanyuan boarded the boat they had developed themselves and headed downstream.

Baifeng did not say much more. After greeting everyone, he boarded a small boat and began to leave the shore, rowing toward their Large Ship. It was best for their ship to set sail only after leaving the sight of the Xuanyuan Tribe; otherwise, the matter of the sails would be exposed. With Xuanyuan's wisdom, he could not yet make a sailing ship capable of sailing against the wind, but he could certainly make one that ran faster when sailing with the wind.

On the boat, Yu asked Baifeng in confusion why he had told Xuanyuan such secret things. Wasn't this helping Xuanyuan?

Baifeng asked Yu in return, "Do you know how many years it took us in Huaxia, from wild Grass Seed to the grain seeds with the current yield?"

Yu shook his head. He had come here when he was still a child; at that time, the Grass Seed was not as good as it was now, and today, he was already at the age of getting married and having children. Plus, since he arrived, he had basically been learning knowledge about finance, and while he paid attention to agriculture, he had never really put his heart into how to cultivate or improve it.

"Then tell me, how many years did it take us from having the rudiments of a government to being able to operate normally now?"

Yu knew this. When the government had its rudiments, he was already inside the government, so he replied, "Nearly ten years."

Baifeng said as if in a meeting, "More than that. From the moment I started building the Baifeng Tribe, I was already planning the government. From the moment we separated the Shaman to manage the warehouse supplies, we were already on the path of exploring a government system."

He looked at Yu, who had grown into an adult, not knowing whether to sigh that time passed too quickly or too slowly: "Think about it, we started with only a few hundred people and a small piece of land. From simple to complex, we have been exploring until today, and strictly speaking, we have been doing things one by one, and even then, we have had quite a few troubles and problems."

"Look at the Xuanyuan Tribe now. The farmland is likely countless, and the population is several times ours, but now they want to fight wars, build boats, and manufacture various items. They have even created writing. Based on our experience, think about how much manpower, material resources, and time this will consume."

"Now Xuanyuan wants to engage in agriculture, research high-yield grain seeds, and also wants to establish a government and promote the concept of a family society."

"Even if he had a clone, he would be so busy he wouldn't even have time to sleep for a day. We were exhausted just doing one thing. No matter how strong he is, with so many things, it will only become a mess that he is reluctant to give up but cannot pick up. One thing pulling at another, not only will he be unable to develop faster, but it will actually hold back his development. I don't believe he has a group of subordinates as smart as he is. You all are people I spent many years teaching."

After hearing Baifeng's words, Yu's expression gradually became excited: "You mean, these are the difficult problems you specifically threw out for the Xuanyuan Tribe? Each one has a huge attraction for Xuanyuan, and as long as one is accomplished, it can bring immense development to the Xuanyuan Tribe. But he doesn't have enough energy to develop each one, and developing just one alone would take him at least ten years. This is what you call a 'bright and upright' conspiracy."

Baifeng added, "You also forgot one point: these all need to serve as foundations for each other. Our rapid agricultural development is not just a matter of seeds, but also cultivation techniques, draft oxen, and farm tools. These cannot be separated from our industry. People engaged in industry do not produce food, so they must rely on the extra food produced by agriculture to feed them back. The government is even more so; it produces no wealth and relies entirely on being supported. Does his Xuanyuan Tribe have this foundation now?"

The radiance on Yu's face grew even brighter. It was indeed so. The ambiguous, superficial things the King had thrown out were, to the Xuanyuan Tribe, poison with a sweet taste. It just depended on whether he was willing to spit it out, or just lick off that layer of sweet sugar coating.

Sitting on the boat, the more Xuanyuan thought about it, the more something felt wrong. What Baifeng told him was too easy. Although he had paid a price, he always felt something was off. Clearly, as long as he utilized every point well, he could develop rapidly and face Huaxia with a crushing posture, but why?

Xuanyuan thought about it on the boat for three days, then suddenly realized. Then, a wave rose up, the boat swayed violently, and Xuanyuan, who had eaten very little for several days, suddenly felt a twisting, cramping pain in his abdomen. He spat a mouthful of clear water mixed with bile into the river, and then collapsed in the boat cabin.