Corn is different from potatoes. It does not need to be germinated or processed in advance. Since they can reproduce year after year, it means that the temperature in the cold season will not harm the seeds of this variety of corn on the Somali continent.
Half of the existing cultivated land in the tribe is used to plant potatoes, and the remaining half is used to plant corn.
Ling Yun led his men to dig the corn field into ridges with equal spacing, and then threw a corn seed on the ridges at a distance of one foot.
According to Lin Qiu's modern experience, three to four seeds are usually thrown into a pit to prevent the seeds from failing to germinate due to their own reasons or being eaten by insects in the ground, thus wasting land.
But what the tribe lacks now is seeds, while the land is abundant, so Ling Yun was told to only throw one seed into each pit, and give each seed enough space to survive regardless of the germination rate.
After sowing, bury a little wood ash between every two corn seeds to provide the nutrients needed for the seeds to germinate.
The land is very moist after the cold season and only needs a little watering. Planting corn is much easier and less labor-intensive than planting potatoes.
It’s a pity that in his previous life, Lin Qiu only graduated from junior high school and didn’t know how to breed crops. Otherwise, this fist-sized corn cob might have been slowly cultivated into a high-yield variety.
This bit of physical work was nothing to the males in the tribe. In addition, Song Mu brought back only a few corn seeds, which had to be kept for distribution to other tribes. Therefore, Ling Yun arranged for three orcs to take advantage of the last ray of light in the evening and carefully prepared the corns in just one day.
"Chief, this is the silk you requested. Can you take a look at it?"
Pu Su cut the finished silk they collected into small rectangular pieces with a sharp thin bone knife according to Ling Yun's instructions, and then carefully burned a circle along the edge with candlelight to prevent the silk from being pulled out. Pu Su was very careful and each piece was almost the same size.
"Okay, these are almost enough. This one doesn't seem to be of much use this year."
Ling Yun checked it over and told Pu Su to ask the orcs who raised the colorful-winged butterflies to pay more attention. This summer, all the females in the tribe must wear silk fabrics.
The messengers sent by the Tiger Tribe arrived at various tribes one after another. Since they had been in contact before, the Tiger Tribe wanted to organize everyone to exchange what they had and were willing to provide them with food seeds for them to plant back home. Everyone quickly sent out teams, bringing with them what they could find in the tribe and heading to the Tiger Tribe.
Three or five days later, the Horse Tribe was the first to arrive at the Tiger Tribe.
Ling Yun asked Teng Ning to arrange them into the dormitory that had already been built. The horse orcs arrived early, so Ling Yun did not let them idle. He paid them with some food and asked them to help with the work.
Once most of the tribes have arrived, arrangements will begin at the trading center.
After experiencing the severe drought last year, all the tribes were short of food. The various supplies they brought were not enough to fill their stomachs, and the trade between them was very limited.
The tiger tribe stepped forward and expressed their willingness to exchange silk for those supplies and pay them a certain proportion of food.
"These white pieces can't be eaten or drunk. They're just so small, what good can they do? They look like leaves. Won't they be lost or rotten before we get back to the tribe?"
The bear beastmen are born strong. They have extremely high martial arts skills, so they are too lazy to think. They solve all problems with force. They are also generous and say whatever is on their mind. Looking at the silk fragments in Ling Yun's hands, they couldn't help but look at the disgust in their eyes.
The other tribes were also hesitant about this, and after hearing the words of the bear orcs, they all looked at Ling Yun.
"Chief Ling Yun, we of the Rat Tribe believe in your credit and are willing to exchange." The Rat Tribe had lived a relatively stable life last winter because of the potatoes returned by the Tiger Tribe. They had long been convinced by the Tiger Tribe and planned to follow them forever.
Ling Yun nodded to the Rat Tribe and said to the orcs from the other tribes, "I understand your concerns, so I won't force you. However, any tribe that exchanges this cloth will be forming an alliance with our Tiger Tribe. We will prioritize helping you. Those who hold this cloth can exchange it for items of equal value. For example, today I'll trade a piece of cloth for a tanned wolf hide. Later, you can use this cloth to exchange for a hide of comparable quality and size from our Tiger Tribe."
"Aren't you just helping us store these things? Why should we store them for you? We're so far away, it's not convenient for us to use them."
Everyone finds it inconvenient.
Ling Yun said, "A piece of cloth can be exchanged not only for animal hides, but also for food and other supplies, such as bone combs, animal hide shoes, candles, and even fabrics woven by our tribe. If the rains are normal this summer, you can exchange them for anything you want. You'll know how much each piece of cloth can be exchanged for after exchanging with us once."
The others looked at each other, convinced: "But if you do this, won't you gain anything? Why bother working so hard?"
Everyone showed an embarrassed expression, thinking that the Tiger Tribe was too nice and actually cared so much about them. As long as they exchanged this small fragment, they could use it to exchange for anything in the Tiger Tribe. Everyone who heard this knew it was a good thing.
Ling Yun waved his hand: "It's not like we won't get anything. If you leave these goods in our tribe, we will naturally have priority in using them. This is the biggest benefit for us."
"That's good, as long as you benefit from it. We would feel bad if your tribe helped us for nothing."
"What is this little piece of fabric you're talking about?"
Ling Yun gave two of them to the orcs from different tribes. They passed them around and touched them, and found that these small fragments were different from what they had imagined. Although they were very thin and soft, they were very flexible and would not rot easily.
"No, we've spun some woolen cloth from the wool of woolly beasts, and linen from the fibers of thorns. They're both very light and thin, and can be used as summer clothing for females. If you're interested, you can come with me to the warehouse to take a look. However, our tribe doesn't have much of these cloths, so we can't exchange them with you this time. We'll prepare more when summer comes."
"It must be very cool to wear clothes with this."
"The hemp thorn can be used to make clothes? This is incredible."
"Chief Ling Yun, please show us around! If your tribe has any other goodies, please show them to us. We...we, the Horse Tribe, are willing to exchange all the herbs we brought for food and this piece of silk, as you requested."
"We, the Bear Tribe, are also willing to trade with you!"
"Let's change too!"
"We're willing to trade too! Chief Ling Yun, can you tell us how many fragments these animal-skin boots can be exchanged for?"
Ling Yun said: "Don't worry, I will tell you one by one."
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