Chapter 814: Establishing Order (6)

Once Xiong said this, the other Tribal Chiefs were all a bit confused and looked at each other; why make it so complicated?

One Tribal Chief who felt he was already quite familiar with Huaxia voiced his question: "Why make it so troublesome? Stealing is stealing, and not stealing is not stealing. We wouldn't talk nonsense about this; it's better if no one steals. Besides, if they steal, just kill them directly. That has always been the rule of the gathering. Wouldn't killing them make those who steal things more afraid, so they won't go steal again?"

Xiong stroked his beard. Could it be that he was really overthinking it? The laws of Huaxia were a bit complex regarding these matters, and they were very rigorous; handling things wouldn't be so casual. It seemed he was too influenced by the laws of Huaxia, causing him to forget that in places outside of Huaxia, rules should be as simple as possible.

Moreover, unlike Huaxia, the tribespeople of Huaxia could not be killed directly even if they became thieves. Having raised them for so many years as labor, they should make enough contributions; otherwise, it would be a losing business.

But here, it wasn't his own tribespeople being killed, so it didn't matter. As long as unnecessary trouble could be avoided, wasn't that enough?

Thinking this way, Xiong changed his tune quite readily: "Fine, what you say also makes sense. Then what about the rest of you? Do you think my way is better, or his way? Those who think his way is better, raise your hands."

The savages had no excessive concerns and raised their hands directly. If Xiong had first asked who thought his way was better, those savages really wouldn't have known what to do and would likely have been in a difficult position.

A quick glance was enough to know his plan was not accepted, so he chose to listen to everyone's opinion: "Fine, since you think the original method is better, then we will continue to use the old one. However, I have one requirement: if you are going to kill, you must take them far away from our Battalion to do it. I don't want a situation like yesterday again; having a corpse here makes the water unusable and attracts flies."

"Another thing is, once you catch someone, tell our Soldier first. This is to prevent some people from killing indiscriminately. Is this okay?"

The Tribal Chiefs did not expect Xiong to actually listen to their opinions, and their favor for Huaxia increased by a few points. Previously, apart from the established rules, everything else was whatever the Jiangshui Tribe said. If the Jiangshui Tribe wanted to favor tribes they had good relations with, the other tribes had no way to stop it.

Now that Huaxia had such an attitude, as for the subsequent requirements they proposed, it had no impact on them, so they agreed quite readily.

"Good, good. Regarding the issue of trade, there are only these two requirements. Finally, I will say one more thing, which is quite important for everyone: whenever you need to defecate or urinate, find a fixed place. Dig a pit in your Battalion's area, do it inside, and bury it at the end. Absolutely do not defecate or urinate into our water source or near the water source. Can you do this?"

Everyone said they could in unison. They might have to instruct their tribespeople about urinating, but defecating was unlikely to be an issue; after all, the lakeside was so slippery that they might fall into the lake before they even finished, and no one wanted to cause trouble for themselves.

The rules were just that simple. The gathering was originally a hasty and savage place, and too many rules would be counterproductive. Xiong holding this meeting was nothing more than announcing his dominant position to everyone.

Xiong stood up, and those Tribal Chiefs dared not remain seated and all hurriedly stood up.

Xiong finally said: "Good, I brought you here for this matter. Finally, I will tell you one more thing: we in Huaxia need furs, preferably soft and rare furs. We also want some animal horns and bones, but we will be selective. We in Huaxia only trade using salt and Salted Fish. If you want to trade, you can bring a portion over tomorrow, or lay them out for us to see ourselves."

"By the way, there are also various Grass Seeds. If you have different types of Grass Seeds, lay them out as well. As long as we in Huaxia take a liking to them, we will definitely give a good price."

"I wish all your tribes can trade for the things you want, pass the Winter smoothly, and prosper. In the next cycle of heat and cold, we will be able to meet here again."

"Of course, if your tribe feels it is difficult to hold on, you can keep heading East, toward the place where the sun rises. Every half-day's journey, we have chopped down a piece of Grass as a marker. As long as you follow the markers, you will be able to find our Huaxia."

"Huaxia can provide you with shelter and food, and can accept you. Alright, everyone go rest now. Get the gathering started as soon as possible tomorrow; finish trading early and go back early."

Such plain and dry words from Xiong would naturally not have any appeal to these tribes, unless they were truly unable to go on and were about to perish, and then remembered there was a place called Huaxia, perhaps treating it as a straw to clutch at, and traveled all the way to Huaxia. But they might not even finish the journey before the tribe had already perished.

In the eyes of those Tribal Chiefs, Xiong calling them over suddenly was a bit inexplicable, and what he said was also a bit inexplicable, but they dared not express it and just took it as Huaxia asserting its status.

However, compared to the Bairong Tribe, Huaxia was indeed good enough. Not only did they give salt, but they also showed the appearance of a qualified superior. They were not repulsed by it; it was much better than the Bairong Tribe's forced posturing.

It was getting late, and they should all go back. In this lake, they had already discovered there were many fish. The lake was large enough, the water was sufficient, and there were enough fish inside, as long as you had the ability to catch them.

Now this place was equivalent to ownerless land. After all, the Jiangshui Tribe was gone, and Huaxia occupying it didn't seem very reasonable—it was so far away—and when their Tribal Chief was fishing, Huaxia didn't object either.

These Tribal Chiefs were all eager to try. As long as they put in some effort, they might be able to catch some fish to eat tonight, saving them some food.

They had indeed taken Xiong's words to heart; they would just give instructions to their tribespeople when they returned. As for the goods Huaxia said they wanted, their own tribes all had them—animal skins, horns, and such. They would gather them when they returned and lay them out tomorrow for Huaxia to pick. As long as Huaxia liked them, they would make a big profit; Huaxia was truly very generous when trading.

But why would Huaxia want Grass Seeds? Small tribes like them couldn't bring many, and a tribe like Huaxia shouldn't be short of Grass Seeds. Can't figure it out. Forget it, won't think about it. Catch fish.