After Qiao Yu's analysis, everyone finally realized the seriousness of the situation.
Lu asked, "Is there a 50% chance of a conflict? Wouldn't that mean there would be casualties? We're not that short of salt, so why don't we just not go this time?"
His son and grandson have both signed up to attend the trade fair. Don't let them go and never come back.
Qiao Yu had traded a large amount of salt at last year's snow season trade fair; this time, he went to the Sifang Tribe to trade more salt. If they saved some, they would have enough to last until the trade fair in late spring or early autumn. The tribe wasn't in dire straits yet, so he didn't want anyone to risk it.
"There's a saying, 'prepare for a rainy day.'" Qiao Yu explained it again. "We can't wait until we're in dire straits before trying to figure out how to solve this problem. If a tribe wants to go far, it has to plan ahead for everything. Now that we have salt to eat, we can solve this problem more calmly and without urgency. When I take everyone out, I'll be very careful and avoid any conflict unless it's absolutely necessary."
Shan agreed, "Yes, I agree with Yu. If we go now, at least we can still retreat. If we run into danger, we can come back. After all, we still have salt to eat. But if we wait until autumn, even if it's impossible, no matter how dangerous it is, we will have to fight to the death. The number of casualties will be unpredictable."
"I also agree with Yu's approach." Ming said.
Since he took on the job of assessing and statisticians for the tribe, his position as an elder has become more secure, and he has gained a voice in the tribe, which has also made him more confident. He now participates in discussions and offers suggestions on any decisions.
"I agree too." Shi said.
This time it was about a trade fair, which also involved medical issues, and Wu Yu also participated.
Wu Yu, who usually doesn't like to express his opinions, actually voted for Qiao Yu this time: "I agree too."
Seeing this, Lu had no choice but to say, "I'm not against it, I'm in favor of it too."
"I agree." Huo nodded.
Seeing that the elders had expressed their opinions, the team leaders also voted in favor.
Just kidding, except for one or two special teams, the other teams are the main force participating in the trade fair. If they don't agree, wouldn't they be cowards? They will be laughed at.
Being laughed at is a small matter, but if their own teammates oppose this matter and apply to remove them from their positions, they will be extremely embarrassed.
Didn't you see how hard life was for Zuo Heshanmu after he was removed from his position as squad leader? Not only was he no longer a squad leader, but he also had to work under his former subordinates, now the new captain, and be ostracized by the team members he had abused and scolded before. That must be a tough feeling.
Therefore, the team leaders now think carefully before they do anything, consider the consequences, and then make decisions carefully.
This made these team leaders who were used to doing things according to their temper become more stable and they knew how to use their brains when encountering problems. They were no longer the reckless men they used to be.
"That's settled then. Each team leader will be responsible for checking what the team members need to bring, and we will set off early tomorrow morning." Qiao Yu said.
The next morning, Qiao Yu took everyone out.
They still set out on a raft.
When everyone returned from the Sifang tribe, the snow season was approaching and the tribe was busy storing winter food and preparing for the snow trade fair. There was no manpower left to build a boat. During this time, Yue joined everyone in digging yams. The tribe still only had rafts.
These rafts had been under construction for a year. The vines used to bind them had aged, and the wood, lacking any antiseptic measures and not being stored in a dry place, had begun to warp, deform, and become moldy and infested with insects.
If they could successfully attend the Snow Season Fair, by the time they returned, it would have snowed for more than ten to twenty days, and the river would be frozen and impassable. Qiao Yu planned to return directly by land. He planned to discard the remaining rafts, except for a few that the women would row back to the Dragon Tribe after they finished collecting.
Anyway, there wasn't much else in this primitive society. There were towering trees everywhere, so there was no shortage of materials for making boats or rafts.
They paddled the raft upstream and reached the river bank of the Valley Tribe. They first sent the women to the old site of the Valley Tribe and spent a day helping them clean up the original cave. They then cleaned up the area around the chestnut trees and sweet potato fields to ensure that there were no medium or large dangerous animals. Only then did they set off for the Sun Tribe.
"Why don't we wait until it snows before setting off like last year?" someone asked in confusion.
Qiao Yu explained, "The situation now is different from last year. Last year, nothing happened, so we could pretend to be in trouble with the people of the Valley Tribe and the Stone Tribe. But after the conflict last year, we want to pretend nothing happened, but that's like trying to cover up the truth and deceiving ourselves."
Qiao Yu told everyone the story of the man who covered his ears and stole the bell.
She found that telling these fables was much more effective than simply explaining the moral principles; they were easier for people to remember and understand. The popularization and edification of culture is a long-term, subtle process, and whenever she had the opportunity, she would pass on her knowledge to everyone.
"Qiao Yu, how do you know so much?" someone exclaimed.
Now everyone in the Dragon Tribe has a surname. After the news of the family tree and genealogy spread, many people wanted to be the one to bear the surname. So, as long as there were no elders still alive, many heads of families would use their given name as the surname and only use their original name.
For example, Shi himself is still called Shi, and his descendants all take his surname, so his grandson is called Shi Jian.
Shan is still called Shan, and Xiaoquan's name is now Shanquan; and Shu, Shan's younger brother, was not to be outdone. He became the ancestor of his branch, and his son Lin was named Shulin, while his daughter Miao was renamed Shu Miao, which is quite poetic.
Qiao Yu was worried about how to tell Shan that her last name was Qiao, so Shan took the initiative to tell her to be like a tree, independent and to just call her Yu. Qiao Yu said that she had a feeling that her last name was Qiao, so she wanted to call herself Qiao Yu.
This statement was not only held by Shan, but also by several other elders, and no one questioned Qiao Yu's statement.
They felt that Qiao Yu must have been blessed by the gods and had spiritual connections to be so intelligent. She was different from ordinary people, so it was normal for her to have spiritual connections from time to time and have some sense of things.
Now the names of all the people in the tribe are clearly recorded on wooden slips. In the Dragon Tribe today, wood is easy to come by, but bamboo is hard to come by. So they now use wooden slips instead of bamboo slips.
When someone called him by his full name, Qiao Yu was stunned for a moment, then immediately regained his composure.
She didn't answer the man's question, but only smiled at him and continued, "Once you get near the Sun Tribe, find a place to hide while I gather information. You can then act accordingly."
"Okay." Everyone nodded.
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