Chapter 078: Invocation for Ancestral Blessings

As the drumbeats echoed, the "Clan Flag" guard procession delivered the flag to the base of the pole, where Luo Chong personally attached it to the rope.

"Raise the flag, watch the clan flag ascend!"

With Luo Chong's command, every tribesperson fixated on the flag, as if it might reveal insights from their ancestors. The tempo of Big Power's drumming quickened, and Luo Chong, in rhythm with the drum, hoisted the flag to the top of the pole.

Once the flag was securely in place, Luo Chong turned to face his people, raised his right fist to the sky, and shouted, "Long live the Han!"

The crowd responded in unison, "Long live the Han! Long live the Han…"

"Kneel and pray to our ancestors."

Leading by example, Luo Chong knelt beneath the flagpole, and the tribe followed suit, including the puzzled animals, Meaty and Grey Mountain, who lay down beside them, curiously looking around to see what would happen next.

"We, the descendants of the great Han, inherit the will of our forebears and the abilities of our ancestors. We mine gold and stone from the mountains, cast copper plows in the caves, cultivate fertile fields in the wilderness, and fortify our city amid the fields. We practice archery for self-defense and train with spears to guard our borders.

We toil in the fields, multiply our numbers, ready our horses and sharpen our weapons, to prosper the Han.

We implore our ancestors for blessings: may we never hunger, may we always be warm, may our families flourish, may our livestock prosper, and may our rice yield abundantly.

A bow once, twice, thrice, the ceremony concludes—rise and let's all go farm…"

After the prayer, while the tribe was initially puzzled, especially by the last part, they understood the essentials—mining copper, casting plows, farming, building defenses, practicing archery, and spear-throwing to protect the tribe.

They prayed for the ancestors' protection: food when hungry, animal skins when cold, prolific offspring for the people, and abundant young for the livestock, hoping for a bountiful rice harvest.

As for what constitutes the "six livestock," the tribe counts cattle, alpacas, elk, rabbits, terror elephants, and thunder beasts among them, a reasonable approximation of the term.

With the ceremony complete, everyone resumed their usual activities, directed by Luo Chong to begin farming.

Due to limited resources, the tribe had only two double-headed plows. Luo Chong selected two of the most docile bulls to pull these, starting the plowing of the fields.

Since these wild oxen were untrained and could not walk straight, plowing required one person to lead the ox by the nose and another to stabilize the plow from behind.

Each double-headed plow could till half a meter wide and up to 30 centimeters deep with each pass, allowing for rapid progress—potentially finishing the rice fields in just three days. Once the fields were plowed and leveled, they could be irrigated.

Row after row of soil was overturned, its pale green turning to a rich brown loam, refreshed by sunlight.

A group of boys, newly arrived during the winter, carried baskets, picking out roots and other debris unearthed by the plowing, which needed to be cleared lest they sprout anew and compete with the rice for nutrients.

Some plants would naturally die once the fields were regularly flooded, as not all vegetation can endure water like rice and reeds can.

Fertilization was not planned yet, partly because it wasn't deemed necessary. Fertilizing is generally to replenish nutrients after prolonged cultivation depletes the soil. However, this land was being farmed for the first time—it was fresh and rich, likely sufficient to support a crop without additional nutrients.

After three days spent plowing and leveling the land, Luo Chong hesitated to sow the rice seeds due to the still chilly early morning and evening temperatures, with the risk of frost. However, he decided to plant the cold-resistant grass seeds he had brought back, crucial for future livestock grazing.

The tribe's west side, designated by Luo Chong as grazing land, was sown first with grass seeds. The boys formed a line across the field, scattering seeds as they walked. There was no doubt about the viability of the grass—its resilience is formidable, and the recent spring rain had left the ground moist, ideal for rapid germination and root growth.

With the grass seeds sown and rice planting postponed, Luo Chong pondered the tribe's next steps. Given the warming weather and the fact that they lacked sufficient fabric for socks, he decided to shift from leather boots to straw sandals. This footwear change was necessary because wearing the same boots for months without socks had led to unbearable odors as the weather warmed.

Thus, the elephants, Meaty and Grey Mountain, were driven away by the stench to reside near the brick kilns outside the compound wall. Luo Chong gathered the women of the tribe to demonstrate how to weave straw sandals, which were simple enough: crisscross to form a sole and use thin grass ropes to secure it to the foot, resembling the strappy sandals seen today.

With the creation of straw sandals, the tribe began a major spring cleaning—bathing in the river, washing their leather boots, and cleaning their animal skins. There was no dry cleaning technology, and although real leather shouldn't be washed, it was necessary to do so to remove the buildup of dirt and odor.

Some of the men, unfazed by the cold, switched to grass skirts—an attire remembered from Luo Chong's past experiences during the spring and summer seasons, where minimal clothing was typical. Only in autumn would they wear thicker animal skins.

After a refreshing bath, Luo Chong joined the tribe in crafting grass skirts, but he soon regretted wearing one as Meaty and Grey Mountain chased him around, nibbling off his skirt until it was completely gone, munching on the grass with relish.

As Luo Chong, looking rather forlorn, changed back into leather clothes, the elder approached with urgent news:

"Chief, we're running low on salt."