Chapter 066: Rewards for Valor

Luo Chong meticulously prepared a substantial batch of his so-called "Fatal Gift Packages" and personally delivered them to the wolf pack.

At midday, he rode Huishan to the forest's edge and scattered various animal offal—ox hooves, antelope hooves, lungs, and remnants of terror birds. These seemingly worthless scraps, neither too appetizing nor entirely discardable, served as bait to lower the wolves' vigilance.

By dusk, it was time for the real delivery. He spread the actual "Fatal Gift Packages"—thorny vines coated in frozen ice and thick layers of lard—across the western boundary of the forest. The goal was to ensure that the majority of the gray wolves would fall into the trap.

After setting everything in place, Luo Chong instructed the sentries on the wall to remain vigilant for any movements along the forest's edge. With his plans in motion, he returned to the cave.

Spring was approaching, and the Han Tribe had countless tasks ahead. The most pressing matters were spring farming and salt collection. Previously, the tribe had only sixteen blue antelopes, but among them, only Wu Da and Xi Men were capable of plowing the fields. The others were either too young or pregnant females.

Since antelopes lacked strength, the plows Luo Chong had designed were small and single-headed. Now, with wild bulls replacing them as draft animals, their power output had drastically increased. Naturally, the plow design had to evolve as well. As Luo Chong pondered over improvements, a new dual-headed wooden plow frame took shape in his mind.

While Luo Chong was absorbed in the design of his next-generation bronze plow, another figure—Rat Da—was embarking on a commercial expedition, playing the role of an opportunistic middleman eager to profit from both ends.

The Li Tribe, a community of over 230 people, resided in a territory abundant with chestnut trees. Though these chestnuts couldn't sustain their entire population as a staple food, they provided a reliable backup during periods of scarce hunting, allowing the tribe to scrape by.

Situated south of the Black Rat Tribe, the Li Tribe was a day's walk away—an average distance between most primitive settlements. In an era without transportation, where the only means of travel was on foot, human control over territories was typically limited to the range of a half-day's journey, as returning home before nightfall was crucial. With predators still rampant, nightfall posed a grave threat to survival.

Rat Da, accompanied by ten adult men, journeyed for a full day to reach the Li Tribe. They arrived at dusk, just as the tribe was preparing dinner.

Li Tribe's chief, Mao Li, and their shaman, Li Wu, were visibly displeased by Rat Da's unexpected visit.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" their expressions seemed to say.

Winter had lasted three long months, and every tribe was enduring the harshest period, with food supplies running dangerously low. It was difficult enough to sustain their own people, let alone entertain unexpected guests. Their thoughts were clear: Are you here to freeload? You must be joking—not even a crumb for you!

Sensing their hostility, Rat Da quickly played it off with laughter. He reassured Mao Li that he wasn't there to mooch a meal; they had brought their own food. This response slightly softened Mao Li's demeanor, and he agreed to let them enter the settlement.

The Li Tribe's dwellings consisted of a cluster of semi-underground earthen houses, similar in structure to the Han Tribe's brick kilns. Half-buried beneath the earth, the above-ground sections were domed with tree branches, then plastered with thick layers of mud, complete with a chimney hole at the top.

Upon entering, Rat Da's eyes were immediately drawn to the central fire pit, where Li tribesmen were roasting chestnuts and jerky on stone slabs. Seeing this, Rat Da felt reassured—he had an angle to negotiate. However, before he could make his pitch, he turned and met Mao Li's darkened expression.

MMP. Still saying you're not here for food? The first thing you did was inspect our dinner! What's the meaning of this?!

Unfazed by Mao Li's skepticism, Rat Da swiftly directed his men to unpack their supplies—pottery pots and dried meat—and set up their own meal by the fire.

Watching this, Mao Li's face gradually relaxed. The fine pottery, in particular, caught his attention, especially the method of cooking meat in boiling water.

Seeing his interest, Rat Da seized the moment to extol the virtues of pottery cookware—how boiling meat into broth could ward off the cold, conserve food, and, according to Luo Chong's earlier explanations, reduce the risk of disease. He rattled off every possible advantage, embellishing where necessary.

Mao Li didn't absorb most of the speech, but the claim that it conserved food struck a chord. Right now, food was his greatest concern—everything else was secondary.

However, Rat Da's asking price was steep. Lacking a water jar or ceramic bowls for comparison, he couldn't clearly convey the relative size and worth of the cooking pot. After rounds of negotiation, they settled on an exchange rate: one ceramic pot for either three boys or one woman and one boy.

Rat Da, however, had a more ambitious goal—he wanted to strengthen his tribe's combat force. Thus, he exclusively requested boys.

The boys, aged ten to eleven, were not as young as they seemed. Given the local calendar's fourteen-month cycle, their biological age was roughly equivalent to Earth's middle school students. In a couple of years, they'd be full-fledged warriors. Had they possessed hunting experience, they could have already fought in battle.

Mao Li was displeased by this arrangement. A single transaction that involved so many potential warriors, even in a tribe of 230 people, was a heavy loss. They reached an agreement: this trade would be a one-time deal. If Rat Da returned in the future, he wouldn't be allowed to take only boys.

Early the next morning, Rat Da left behind five pottery pots, gathered his ten men and the fifteen newly acquired boys, and began the journey back to the Black Rat Tribe. Winter was shortening, and trade with the Han Tribe needed to proceed swiftly.

Meanwhile, at the Han Tribe, every face was brimming with joy—their chief was distributing rewards for valor.

During the recent battle to defend the tribe, every member had fought with outstanding courage. Now, Luo Chong was fulfilling his promised rewards.

Wolf pelts were granted to every adult—after all, there was no shortage of them. Bronze ornaments were also distributed generously. Despite the tribe's limited supply of bronze, Luo Chong was far from frugal.

He was particularly enthusiastic about hair accessories. While the act of tying one's hair might seem trivial, Luo Chong viewed it as essential. The Han Tribe had started with just over fifty people, but with outsiders now making up the majority, the tribe was at risk of fracturing. Luo Chong sought to foster unity by instituting a shared custom—hairstyling.

When people perform the same ritual together, they subconsciously begin seeing one another as kin. It's a powerful psychological phenomenon.

The military understood this well. Soldiers, hailing from different backgrounds, forged unity the moment they donned the same uniform and wielded identical weapons. Luo Chong had experienced this firsthand in his past life, during his own military induction.

"This uniform looks great! Look at these pants… these boots… this hat—"

"Yeah, yeah, we all look amazing."

"Haha, but this hat is green, though…"

"What did you just say?!"

"Oh, nothing! I meant we all look the same. Nothing different about us at all."

Just like that, a simple uniform transformed strangers into comrades-in-arms.

Now, the Han Tribe was undergoing the same transformation.

Da Li proudly pointed to the bronze clasp on his head and boasted, "See this? I'm the strongest man in the Han Tribe. I killed five wolves, so the chief gave me the biggest clasp."

Beside him, Mu Tun gestured to his own headpiece and grinned, "I'm wearing one too. I'm part of the Han Tribe now. I fought to protect our people."

Through these seemingly minor details, Luo Chong was methodically uniting his tribe, ensuring that the growing population remained cohesive—securing his rule and preventing the tribe from splintering apart.