In fact, as long as you walk through this valley, after a dozen days, the road ahead will be open.

"The river is pretty good, there is enough water." Of course it won't work without a water source, so the second priest was quite satisfied.

"The river here has a freezing period." Although Tianxiong was here for the first time, the information he got from the scouts was clear.

"It's okay, as long as it doesn't delay the planting season." Cai Ji, who was accompanying them, was studying the soil. "The soil isn't sandy enough to grow sweet potatoes."

The soil required for sweet potatoes needs to be loose and breathable, otherwise the yield will not be high. The Leishen City area is very suitable.

"The soil is not light soil, so the yield of potatoes will not be high." Cai Ji was worried.

The high yield of sweet potatoes and potatoes is the important food to sustain a large tribe.

Potatoes are best grown in soils with a lighter texture, also known as light soil. This type of soil is characterized by good air permeability. Since potato tubers grow in the soil, loose soil not only helps potatoes breathe in the soil, but also reduces the resistance brought by the soil during the potato tuber expansion period.

"What should we do then?"

"The soil is quite fertile, let's plant corn. If there's enough rainfall in this area, it would be even better." Corn cultivation requires a lot of water. If there's not enough rain, irrigation? We can't afford it.

The low per-acre corn yield in warm areas is due to insufficient rainfall. These days, it is simply impossible to implement irrigation technology.

Kirishima has sufficient reserves, and the corn yield per mu reaches more than 500 kilograms, which is already impressive.

There are no chemical fertilizers these days.

The Hai tribe's composting technology is pretty good and can roughly guarantee the fertility of the land, but this is only relative.

"It would be nice if it could be suitable for growing corn." The second priest was quite satisfied. It was better than wheat, which had a yield of less than 200 kilograms per mu, right?

The main reason is that grinding flour is too laborious. It’s too early to promote the consumption of flour.

The team continues to move forward.

"This river is great, there should be a lot of fish." Fish is an important food for the tribe and is also good for cooking.

"Try?"

"Then give it a try. It's just right that the team needs a break."

The Hai tribe has a long tradition of catching fish in baskets. As soon as the fish basket is thrown down, there are indeed a lot of big and small fish.

There is no shortage of salt in Sun City. Use the salt to cook fish and drink a bowl of fish soup. It’s so delicious.

The team wandered around this area for half a month. The place is quite large, with more flat land and less forests. It is indeed suitable for living.

The second priest estimated that this place was not much worse than the Howling Valley.

After wandering for half a month, the Second Priest's men hadn't encountered the Yushan cavalry brigade that had arrived earlier. This area was too vast, so it was normal that they hadn't encountered any.

"Second Priest, are you not going back?" Tian Xiong asked.

"Then why go back? Build a house first. Oh, by the way, bring a lot of winter wheat and green onion seeds. Can't waste the whole winter." The second priest also knows how to live a good life. Since the headquarters has decided to develop this place on a large scale, of course he has to bring enough seeds.

"Then I'll go fire up the kiln!" Daily necessities must be provided, including pottery jars. The Hai Tribe doesn't allow drinking raw water.

There were more than a thousand men, and as long as they wanted to work, they were very enthusiastic. It was their new home, and everyone cherished it very much. Tian Xiong didn't go back either, and sent a hundred cavalrymen back to deliver the letter.

After settling down by the river, they put on the copper plows and shovels they brought and began to plow the land in full swing.

There is no need to build a stone city for the time being, a simple wood fence and wooden house will do.

To the south is a large river, and to the west are mountains and forests. This location is well chosen, as it allows for fishing, firewood, and wood from the forest. Human settlements are not chosen randomly.

Tianxiong led a team of cavalry into the western mountains to explore whether there were any people in the forest, or whether there were any other resources that could be used.

Because there was no farming, people in the primitive world liked to gather in the jungle. This is understandable, as people in the jungle survived by fishing and hunting. If they were on the plains, even if there was prey, human legs would not be able to catch up with the beasts, right?

With the development of farming, humans gradually moved out of the forest.

To put it bluntly, it was the arrival of the time traveler Ma Yue that truly stimulated the rapid development of farming.

There wasn't much food in the new settlement, but that was okay, we could just go fishing. That was all that mattered. Transporting food was difficult unless it was frozen over.

Fortunately, primitive people were used to hard work and were content with having fish to eat, and occasionally went into the mountains to hunt wild animals to satisfy their hunger. For pioneers in newly developed areas, the hardship and fatigue were all worth it.

"Xi'an branch, alright, whatever the charlatan says is what it is."

Xi'an, easy to remember, this is the original intention of Ma Yueqi's name.

The Yushan cavalry circled around and around, eventually finding the Second Priest's group. They found it pointless to gather together. The Yushan cavalry marched south through the mountains and forests, a distance of two days' gallop, to establish another gathering place on the edge of another large river.

At least Sun City had provided a lot of salt, which was small and easy to transport. While developing the Xi'an branch might not have enough food, salt was enough to keep us physically fit.

Two thousand cavalrymen stayed in the Xi'an branch. The second priest brought a lot of leading cadres, and the grassroots construction was not delayed. The skeleton of the Ministry of Civil Affairs was successfully established.

Is two thousand cavalry too few? Not at all. At least they've reclaimed tens of thousands of acres of farmland. Whether it's winter wheat or green onions, they're both good things the Hai Tribe needs. After all, the Xi'an branch can't just eat for free, right? They have to contribute to the Hai Tribe, right?

The Xi'an branch's Red Feather message system, linking Sun City with the city, had finally been connected. Ma Yue felt reassured after receiving the latest updates from the Xi'an branch. As long as it was suitable for large-scale human habitation, this would be the Sea Tribe's best option.

Why can't we grow sweet potatoes and potatoes if they're not suitable? Didn't early Chinese people survive by growing low-yielding wheat? Even during the Republican era, wheat and millet were the main crops grown on the land. Wheat and corn during the Republican era only yielded a mere 100 to 200 kilograms per mu, yet people still managed to survive?

Of course, farming technology during the Republican era was much more advanced than that of the Hai tribe. Despite the Hai tribe's abundance of large livestock, their actual farming efficiency was not as high as that of farmers in the Republican era who didn't have large livestock.

We need to analyze each case individually. It’s good enough if we can survive.

For example, the Xi'an branch has no food now, relying only on fishing and hunting, but aren't the two thousand men still alive? If this were the case during the Republic of China, without food, they would have starved to death long ago.

As the autumn harvest in warmer areas ends, large-scale sea transportation of grain begins.

The winter in the Xi'an branch was also very cold, but fortunately there was charcoal fire in the wooden house for warmth. Until the first batch of food arrived, the Xi'an branch finally got through the most difficult period.

Along with the food and snow trucks, there were also many elderly and weak people in the Sun City area. They were all families of militiamen who had been incorporated into Sun City in recent years. It was cold in Sun City, so they might as well go to the Xi'an branch to spend the winter.

The large number of people made the cold Xi'an branch even more lively. The preparations for the Second Sacrifice were well done. Many villages had built large wooden houses. With so many people coming, there were places to stay for the winter, right?