The tribe usually hunted in three separate teams. Although they operated separately, they stayed close together. If one team encountered danger and sent for help, the other two teams would quickly arrive. This was a system they implemented after Shan became leader. It was a successful approach, minimizing casualties while significantly increasing the amount of prey they could catch.

And Qinglang is one of the team leaders.

Qiao Yu wanted to discuss important tribal matters, and according to past custom, Huo and Qinglang had to attend. If he didn't invite them, it would seem that Qiao Yu was petty, unfair, and mixing personal feelings with official matters, which was not the attitude of a leader.

At that time, Huo will jump out to question and take the opportunity to make a fuss.

But if Qiao Yu asked them to come to discuss matters, given Huo and Qinglang's hatred for their family, they would make things difficult for Qiao Yu and oppose his proposal. In short, they would do whatever they could to cause trouble.

This was Qiao Yu's first meeting since becoming leader. Being challenged and questioned in public like this, where was her authority? How would she convince others in the future?

So it would be better for all the people in the tribe to discuss it together. This is also a good way to win people's hearts.

He asked, "Do you have any good ideas? How about we go back and discuss it, and you can find a chance to tell everyone?"

Qiao Yu nodded. "I have some ideas I'd like to discuss with everyone. But before winter comes, it will be difficult for everyone to get together again."

"That's true." Shan Dao said.

Unless there is something important happening in the tribe, such gatherings are generally not held.

He said, "Okay, since you have an idea, tell me now."

He said to the tree, "Go tell Lu to tell everyone to be quiet."

The tree went away quickly.

After a while, Lu walked into the middle of the dancing crowd and said a few words. Everyone gradually stopped dancing and looked towards Qiao Yu.

Qiao Yu walked to the middle of the clearing and raised his voice, "Winter is coming soon. We don't have enough meat in stock, and we need to trade some at the trade fair. So, I wanted to take advantage of everyone's presence to discuss our next plans."

Everyone was originally a little unhappy that she had disturbed their dancing mood, but when they heard that she wanted to discuss such an important matter, their dissatisfaction immediately dissipated.

Without food, we will starve to death in winter. How can we have the interest to dance?

"Yu, do you have any good ideas?" someone asked.

"I do have an idea," Qiao Yu said. "Everyone gather around so we can discuss it."

To facilitate the fighting and later the dancing, the space in the middle where everyone sat was half the size of a football field. If we sat too far apart, it would be difficult to talk.

Everyone gathered together immediately.

Qiao Yu then said, "Usually, we hunt in the two mountains to the east. If there's not much prey there, no matter how hardworking and brave we are, we won't be able to catch anything. So I plan to take fifteen people with us tomorrow and go hunting farther away. If you're willing to go with me, please tell me privately later."

When everyone heard this, they started discussing it.

Qiao Yu waited for everyone to discuss it for a while before saying, "We'll discuss the hunting registration later. Everyone, please be quiet for now. I want to talk about something else."

Everyone quickly quieted down.

"Although I've stayed in the tribe these past few years and haven't gone hunting with everyone, I've been thinking about some things. I think we can't just rely on the prey in the mountains to survive. What if, like this time, there's a big tiger or a pack of wolves in the mountains, and no one dares to go out hunting, or the prey becomes scarce, then won't we starve?"

"Don't we have you then? We won't be afraid of tigers and wolves." someone shouted.

Everyone agreed: "Yes. With Yu, we are not afraid of tigers now."

Qiao Yu also laughed, but quickly suppressed his smile and said seriously, "Maybe we're not afraid of tigers and wolves now, but what about natural disasters? What if there's a flood or drought? What should we do?"

After hearing this, there was silence in the audience and everyone's expression was solemn.

Older people still remember the disaster vividly.

About twenty years ago, a flood struck their area. A flash flood rushed directly into their valley and into the caves, killing many people. Those who escaped fled to the mountains and saved their lives.

Even earlier, they heard from the elders that because of thunder, a fire started from the sky on the mountain, burning several mountains and almost burning their place. Fortunately, several heavy rains fell in time to put out the fire.

Their tribe was lucky, but some tribes failed to escape and almost all the people in the tribe were burned to death.

But even after the wildfires died down, their tribe still had a hard time. There were fewer game animals in the mountains, and many people died that winter.

Natural disasters are often devastating to modern people, let alone primitive people.

Later, they did not dare to dig caves in low-lying areas, but built them on high ground. But even so, they were still terrified when heavy rains came in the summer. Sometimes, when the situation looked bad, they would go to a large cave on the east mountain to hide for a few days.

However, if you go there, you have to brave the heavy rain. The elderly, children and the disabled have difficulty moving and are weak. The cave is also damp, and it is easy for them to get sick and even die from the going back and forth.

So when this was mentioned, everyone's mood became heavy.

Lu asked loudly, "Nayu, what do you think?"

Everyone perked up and looked at Qiao Yu expectantly.

Qiao Yu said, "I think we can't rely on fate for our livelihood. We have to rely on ourselves."

"Rely on yourself? How?" Everyone was very puzzled.

"We can catch live prey and raise them. When they give birth to pups, we'll have meat to eat. And we won't have to go up to the mountains every day and risk the danger of hunting."

At first, no one took the first half of her words seriously.

Is it really necessary to raise prey? There are so many prey in the mountains. If you want to eat them, you can just go and catch them. Why bother with all this effort?

But after hearing the second half of her sentence, everyone took her words seriously.

Hunting tools at the time were extremely limited. Tribe members possessed only bone knives and bone spikes, not even bows and arrows. Hunting was essentially hand-to-hand combat, which was inherently dangerous.

Every year, as many as a dozen men, as few as seven or eight, would go hunting, either dead or injured, all succumbing to the claws of wild beasts. Not to mention their families, even they themselves, every time they went hunting, didn't know if they would return alive.

If you can eat your fill by staying in the tribe, who would be willing to go out and take the risk?