Put Away Your Divine Techniques Now! Chapter 1123 - 335: Civilization’s Ladder (Part 2)
Having perused the chronicles of the Earth Worshiping Tribe, Chen Yan perceived that the eventual outcome was likely sealed.
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Indeed, a specific passage within the Earth Worshiping Tribe's records corroborated this.
The organizational structure decreed that if the collective populace surpassed fifty individuals, both male and female, it would constitute a 'party.' Ten such 'parties' could coalesce into a 'settlement,' thereby securing a substantial tract of land for agricultural pursuits.
Furthermore, the Earth Worshiping Tribe boasted over eighty 'settlements.'
This indicated that, by conservative estimation, the Earth Worshiping Tribe's population numbered no less than forty thousand souls!
This figure represented their mid-period records, far from their zenith.
Such a population already dwarfed the figures recorded for the Hunting Tiger Tribe that Chen Yan had previously examined, exceeding them by at least fivefold!
During their expansion, the Hunting Tiger Tribe inevitably crossed paths with the Earth Worshiping Tribe.
In the initial skirmishes, the Hunting Tiger Tribe achieved dominance, subduing the Earth Worshiping Tribe, confiscating considerable resources, and acquiring a portion of their grain.
The two factions engaged in no fewer than ten confrontations and battles, all culminating in victories for the Hunting Tiger Tribe.
Consequently, the Earth Worshiping Tribe conveyed their willingness to yield to the Hunting Tiger Tribe.
They proposed submission to the formidable Hunting Tiger Tribe, pledging to offer an annual tribute of grain and sustenance. Simultaneously, they extended a significant gesture to earn the trust of the Hunting Tiger Tribe.
They were prepared to relinquish half of the sacrificial meat from their yearly ancestral ceremonies to the Hunting Tiger Tribe.
In that epoch, this was the ultimate declaration of subservience.
The Hunting Tiger Tribe readily consented to this proposition.
From the Hunting Tiger Tribe's perspective, this arrangement was remarkably advantageous.
They could forgo combat, the bloodshed, and the sacrifice of their valiant warriors, yet secure annual grain provisions and claim the submission of another tribe. Similarly, the Earth Worshiping Tribe's sacrificial offerings could serve as a means to impress other tribes, a symbol of their subjugated status.
This would permit them to redirect their efforts towards subjugating tribes in a different direction.
Upon reaching this juncture in the records, Chen Yan comprehended that the trap had already been sprung upon the Hunting Tiger Tribe.
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The Earth Worshiping Tribe continued its silent proliferation, steadily expanding. Meanwhile, the Hunting Tiger Tribe, preoccupied with proclaiming their martial valor, busy forging more metal weaponry, engaging in mining operations, and conquering distant tribes, allowed the Earth Worshiping Tribe to focus its entire might on a single objective: land acquisition.
Apart from agrarian societies, land held little intrinsic value for other nomadic or warring tribes. It yielded no minerals, offered no timber for felling, and harbored no sizable game for hunting. The land was merely soil.
The Earth Worshiping Tribe, through discreet development, occupied increasing tracts of land, cultivated more crops, produced a greater volume of grain, and consequently, saw their population surge.
Moreover, owing to their agreement with the Hunting Tiger Tribe, they could even enlist the services of Hunting Tiger Tribe warriors for labor.
For instance, should they desire a parcel of land claimed by another agrarian tribe, they could disburse grain as payment to enlist Hunting Tiger Tribe warriors to aid in its conquest.
Their terms were straightforward: the more territory I annex, the greater the annual tribute of grain I shall offer.
The Hunting Tiger Tribe inadvertently assumed the role of enforcers for the Earth Worshiping Tribe.
And during this period, the Earth Worshiping Tribe accomplished the most crucial and pivotal advancement.
They mastered the art of metal refinement.
Chen Yan also discovered a particularly intriguing account.
During the amicable phase of their alliance, the Earth Worshiping Tribe extended a proposal to the Hunting Tiger Tribe’s chieftain, seeking a trade.
They offered to exchange an equal mass of grain for an equivalent mass of metal.
This proposition was viewed as exceedingly beneficial by the Hunting Tiger Tribe.
The reason being, metal possessed significantly greater density than grain! A single cartload of metal could secure several cartloads of grain!
The Hunting Tiger Tribe genuinely believed they had secured an exceptional deal.
The Earth Worshiping Tribe, for their part, also expressed profound contentment.
Diverging from the Hunting Tiger Tribe, who channeled all acquired metal into augmenting their weaponry,
the Earth Worshiping Tribe, upon obtaining the metal, commenced their own endeavors in metal refinement.
They procured ample metal, yet refrained from allocating it to armaments.
Instead, they dedicated it to the creation of agricultural implements! They ascertained that tools incorporating metal components facilitated easier soil tilling and farming! This conserved labor and enabled them to cultivate more extensive areas!
Grasping this revelation, Chen Yan concluded that the demise of the Hunting Tiger Tribe was inevitable.
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The eventual outcome did not come as a surprise to Chen Yan.
The Hunting Tiger Tribe's annual receipt of grain from the Earth Worshiping Tribe presented a stable increment to their sustenance—a yield that could have facilitated a modest increase in the Hunting Tiger Tribe's population.
Nevertheless, the inherently aggressive Hunting Tiger Tribe persistently engaged in conflicts with other tribes. Despite possessing military superiority, they incurred significant losses!
The population boom, fueled by the consistent grain supply from the Earth Worshiping Tribe, was negated by the immense drain of perpetual warfare.
Furthermore, the Earth Worshiping Tribe adhered to a custom of disdaining marriage with outsiders. While a formal marriage system was absent in that period, their sentiment was clear.
The Hunting Tiger Tribe maintained the belief that only those born of their own lineage could produce offspring meeting their stringent requirements for strength.
Other tribes were deemed too frail; even conquered peoples were relegated to mountainous regions for mining. Females from these subjugated groups were deemed superfluous, as the Hunting Tiger Tribe saw no need for weak women from other clans to sire their children. Their conviction was that such offspring would inevitably be weak!