Chapter 865: Planning on the Map

"Good, good, good, very good. As long as the Spear performs its intended role in actual combat, it will have been worth all the time and energy we spent crafting it.

And then, what other things happened? The letter was just a few words here and there, not very clear."

Xiong picked up the thread and continued: "After that, the first tribe was wiped out by us directly. As a result, two other tribes arrived, ready to pick up the spoils. Perhaps they already had a conflict with that first tribe, and being quite greedy, they came to cause us trouble under the same banner."

"However, there were a few too many people this time. After our verbal threats had no effect, we simply used a Bomb to blow them up. We solved the problem in one go and, at the same time, established the prestige of our Huaxia."

"After that, whatever our Huaxia said, those tribes were willing to listen. With the intimidation of force combined with using salt to bribe and entice them, they were quite obedient. Huaxia's control over that gathering can basically be considered a success."

"Later, because there were too many corpses in the original place, it was no longer suitable for setting up a camp, so we simply chose a new place for the gathering, and those tribes were all willing to go."

"It was at that time that we had subdued a few tribes. I also set new rules for them, telling them how they should trade and who they should find to resolve problems if they arose."

"So, the Golden Autumn Gathering is now completely under our control, right? Will those wild tribes still come next year?" Baifeng asked again, even though he already knew the result, and Xiong's answer was meant to confirm his own merit.

Xiong was very confident in his work results: "Of course. All the tribes will continue to trade at the location I selected next year. The main thing is that we are generous, and those tribes also benefit. If they were to trade among themselves, they might not necessarily get as much of a harvest as they do when trading with our Huaxia."

"Good, good. This matter, I will record a great merit for you. And another thing, I also said when I left that anyone who could persuade tribes to come to Huaxia would also be rewarded. How about it, is there anyone who did a good job?"

After a slight moment of thought and calculation, Xiong said: "It should be Xi, the one from the Ministry of Rites who plays the musical instrument. He didn't expect to have such talent in this area; several tribes were persuaded to come because of him. Then there are our own Soldiers. The number of tribes that came this time wasn't large, and there was one that I sentenced to be a Slave because they stole our carrier pigeons."

Xiong suddenly paused: "By the way, King, that Slave tribe, the one called the Zhangshan tribe, how should they be dealt with? I sentenced them that way at the time because I was quite angry, and they truly had no way to compensate us. What do you think? How should they be counted? Should they be counted as citizens?"

Baifeng immediately raised his hand: "Hey, you decide this matter yourself, then there is no problem. It is just a small wild tribe. You were the highest person in charge of everything that happened on the road. How to judge and punish is your authority, and I also think there is no problem. Since you think they are Slaves, then they are."

"Then, when they are in the camp, let their treatment be a bit separate from ordinary people. Just register them as Slaves when you record them. However, they don't need much training, nor do they need to stay in Huaxia. Just let them follow those tribes to reclaim wasteland."

When he said this, he leaned back in his chair again, thought for a moment, and then said: "As for this Xi, I think he should formally enter the Ministry of Rites. Let him learn from the Ministry of Rites first, and then he must also go to school. When serving as an envoy to other tribes, besides his own eloquence, he must also understand our Huaxia's writing; office work cannot do without it."

"If he can successfully complete his studies and pass the graduation assessment, then he can enter the Ministry of Rites to participate in real Government Affairs. But if he cannot pass the exam, all these rewards of his will be converted into supplies and given to him."

"Your Soldiers are the same. After all, they are people of the Ministry of War, not the Ministry of Rites, so how to punish them is your own problem. Merit should be credited as merit, and rewards should be given as rewards. I will not manage this part here, understand?"

"Yes, I understand." Xiong sat in the chair and bowed slightly to Baifeng.

"Alright, the problem of the gathering is now solved. Let's talk about this road. Are you already familiar enough with this route now?"

Hearing Baifeng's question, Xiong immediately took out an object wrapped in a piece of leather from his bosom, and then gently opened it in front of Baifeng; inside was just a piece of paper.

Baifeng took the paper and opened it gently. To his surprise, a map appeared in his hand. Huaxia's map-drawing ability was not bad now. Although it became less accurate the further the distance, it was still very difficult to be able to draw such a map now.

The map marked the four cardinal directions. It started drawing from the very bottom, beginning at Lema City and extending all the way to the place of the Golden Autumn Gathering.

Besides the general direction, the road also heavily marked water sources, relatively large flat lands, and relatively tall mountains. As long as it was a mountain, it was drawn with contour lines. Although the elevation and such were unknown, the heights could all be estimated by eye.

Baifeng looked at this map, very happy, and hurriedly had someone set up a table in front of him.

"Hey, Xiong, come and see. Are you familiar with these places? Which location do you think is the most suitable for building a New City?"

Although Xiong did not draw this map, he had been watching the whole process, so he was very familiar with this map. He knew what should be where, even if it wasn't on the map.

"I am very familiar with the places on this road now. As long as there are no more earthquakes like that, I can recognize all the places very clearly."

"Look here, this is the place where I found the Chishe. The guide was also found from their tribe. Within the area they lived in at the time, there was a relatively large Quake Lake. It's just that there is no risk of it bursting, but once there is no rain for a long time, the water there will inevitably dry up. Although it is large, it is not a stable water source."

Xiong moved his finger to a different position and pointed to several places in succession: "Here, here, and here are all places I think are more suitable for settling them. It's just that the conditions of each place are uneven; there are advantages and disadvantages."

"This first one is closer to Huaxia. Even Lema City can easily control it. If one is willing to spend more time and energy, one could even build a pretty good road, just like Xiao Town."

"Look, every section on this has a number added to it, which means how long it takes to walk from there to Huaxia."