After the drought ended, the Vine tribe took the opportunity to open up wasteland on a large scale and plant fast-growing food and vegetables.
If all goes well, these vegetables can mature before the winter snows, adding some winter food to the vine tribe.
After wiping out the Locust tribe, the Vine tribe's strength and reputation reached its peak.
If those captives and newborns are included, the population of the Vine Tribe is close to 10,000, which is an extremely astonishing number.
You know, one of the signs of becoming a large tribe is that the population exceeds 10,000.
Of course, Jiang Xuan did not feel complacent because of this, because he knew very well that a truly large tribe had a very deep foundation, while the Teng Tribe had been established for too short a time and its foundation was too thin, and there was still a long way to go before it could become a truly large tribe.
It’s a long way to go.
On the first day of September, on the Feiyu River, the Teng Tribe fleet set off again.
"Wow..."
On the river, nine large wooden boats were lined up in order, and the totem flags on the masts fluttered in the wind, making a hunting sound.
Among these nine wooden ships, three are new ships built by the shipyard this year, and six were built last year and have been sailing for some time.
The new ship is larger than the old ship, with a length of fifteen meters. It has four sails, a rudder, an anchor, a sealed cabin, etc., and has been improved to deal with problems that arise during navigation. It has a larger load capacity than the old ship.
Larger, more stable performance.
"Finally we can sail again!"
On the new boat, Jing Jie stroked the bronze rudder, looked at the waves on the river, and looked up at the totem flag above. She felt her heart surge and she wanted to set sail immediately.
As the leader of a fishing team and a fleet, the three months of drought have been the most difficult for Nepeta.
Because the drought has caused the water level of the river to drop so much that the fleet cannot travel far at all and can only run around nearby.
It's better now. After several days of heavy rain, the water level of Feiyu River has risen to normal levels again. The fleet has added new ships that have been tested. He can take the fleet to sail in distant places again.
Jiang Xuan was also standing on the deck. He said to Nepeta: "This time you set sail, you first go to the Otter tribe and ask about the waterway they used to migrate from the Great Swamp, and then follow the waterway into the Great Swamp."
"The Great Swamp is extremely wide, and there are countless prey and various resources in it. I hope you can return with a full load."
Jing Jie nodded heavily and said: "Don't worry, leader, we will definitely return with a full load!"
Jiang Xuan added: "Although the Great Swamp is rich in products, the dangers in it cannot be underestimated. Therefore, I invited a person to go with you."
"Who is it?" Nepeta asked curiously.
Jiang Xuan turned around, looked at the rickety figure walking towards the shore, and said, "That's him."
Nepeta glanced over there and saw the old witch walking slowly towards this side, leaning on a bamboo staff. Following him was the huge giant eagle.
"Old Witch, are you coming with us?" Jingjie asked in surprise.
Jiang Xuan smiled and nodded, saying: "Yes, the old witch wants to go to the swamp to find some new medicinal materials, and he happens to be traveling with you. With the old witch here, the giant eagle can also give you directions and warnings in the air.
, it will be much safer when traveling on the sea route."
Jing Jie hesitated for a while and whispered: "But the old witch is too old. Can he withstand the bumps on the ship?"
Sailing is not as beautiful as imagined. The boat keeps rocking on the water. If it encounters strong winds or heavy rain, there is even a risk of capsizing.
Nepeta was very worried that the old witch was too old and could not bear the life on the ship.
"You're looking down on me, old man?"
At this moment, the old witch who had just walked to the side of the boat glared at Jingjie and continued: "I rode a giant eagle and traveled all over the country. I have never experienced any hardships. Are you afraid that I won't be able to get on the boat?"
Jingjie didn't expect that the old wizard's hearing was so abnormal, so she smiled awkwardly and didn't dare to refute.
The old witch boarded the ship unhurriedly, said hello to Jiang Xuan, then walked into the cabin on his own, found a good seat to sit down, and placed his luggage. p>
On the deck, Jiang Xuan said to Jing Jie: "There are too many affairs here in the tribe, so I won't go with you this time. Remember, be careful in everything. When you really encounter trouble, immediately pray to the Vine God for protection."
!"
Nepeta nodded solemnly, and looked up at the largest totem flag on the mast.
There is a branch of the divine vine in that totem flag, which is a trump card to save the fleet's life.
After explaining the precautions, Jiang Xuan patted Jingjie on the shoulder, then got off the boat and waved goodbye to the fleet.
"Woooooooo..."
On the big boat, a soldier blew a horn made of rock sheep's horns, and the loud and melodious sound floated back and forth on the river.
"Weigh anchor!"
Nepeta shouted, and personally went to the bow of the ship and used the winch to pull up the anchor.
"Wow..."
As the winch rotates, the bronze chain makes a crisp collision sound, and the heavy bronze anchor slowly rises from the mud on the river bottom, untying the ship.
"Sail!"
After Nepeta pulled up the anchors at the bow and stern of the ship, he shouted again, and then together with the soldiers of the fleet, he raised the sail.
After the sail is raised, the angle needs to be adjusted to use the wind to propel the ship forward. This is an experienced job and should be completed by the most experienced warriors.
After all the sails were raised, Nepeta stood on the boat and shouted excitedly: "Sail!"
"Woooooooo..."
The horn sounded again, and the nine large ships slowly moved forward driven by the wind and water. This was a very spectacular scene.
"Hey!"
The giant eagle also flew into the sky, slowly circling around the fleet, protecting the fleet.
On the river bank, Jiang Xuan watched the fleet gradually go away, then turned around and returned to the tribe.
Nowadays, the scale of the Vine Tribe is very large. With more people, there are more things to do. As the leader, Jiang Xuan is very busy.
He first went to the second residential area on the other side of the river to inspect the various handicrafts of the Vine tribe.
Bronze smelting, clothing manufacturing, shipbuilding, coinage, stoneware, woodware, pottery, salt and other workshops are all operating normally as before.
Except for the Vine Tribe, almost no tribe on this continent has such a rich and complete handicraft industry.
These handicraft products not only meet the needs of the Vine Tribe people, but the excess can also be sent to the trading area for trading, earning huge profits for the Vine Tribe.
In the pottery workshop, the owner Shi Gen stared at a black pottery jar for a long time, not even noticing Jiang Xuan's arrival.
On the table, there are jars of different shapes. These jars are all black, but none of them can match the real black pottery. They look a bit nondescript.
"Still studying black pottery?"
Jiang Xuan's voice rang out, pulling Shi Gen out of his state of deep thought.
Shi Gen put down the black pottery pot and said with a wry smile: "Chief, we have tried many methods, but we can't make real black pottery."
This black pottery jar was traded back from the Black Tooth Tribe when Jiang Xuan went to the central region. According to Wu Yu from the Black Tooth Tribe, the black pottery comes from the Rhinoceros Tribe in the Southern Wilderness.
Black pottery is a very exquisite pottery, which can even be regarded as a peak of pottery craftsmanship.
It is as black as paint, as loud as sound, as thin as paper, as bright as a mirror, and as hard as porcelain, forming a sharp contrast with other rough pottery.
Jiang Xuan looked at the black pottery jar and recalled it carefully. He vaguely remembered that he had seen an introduction to black pottery in his previous life, but he didn't remember it very clearly. He only remembered that the black pottery seemed to use some kind of charcoal infiltration process.
Charcoal is easy to understand, it is charcoal or charcoal ash, carbon element.
The key is how to let the charcoal penetrate into the pottery to form a uniform bright black color?
After a while, Jiang Xuandao said: "Next time, try adding a lot of branches and grass to the kiln halfway through firing, and then close the kiln door and chimney to see if you can smoke the pottery black." p>
"
Okay, I'll try it right away!"
Shi Gen had great trust in Jiang Xuan, and even blindly worshiped him, because Jiang Xuan's guidance played a vital role in the development of the Teng tribe's pottery to its current exquisiteness.
Shi Gen couldn't care less. He immediately found a kiln where pottery was being fired, and then found a large amount of firewood.
The kiln has been burning for several hours, and the temperature inside has reached the temperature for pottery sintering, and the pottery blanks made of clay are being transformed into hard pottery.
"Open the kiln door!"
Shi Gen gave the order, and although the workers in the pottery workshop were a little confused, they still obeyed.
After the sealed kiln door is opened, you can see the red-hot pottery inside, and the heat waves are pouring out, which is suffocating.
Shi Gen took matters into his own hands, braving the heat wave and adding a large amount of firewood into the kiln, and then sealed the kiln door and chimney.
"Master, if you seal the chimney, the firewood won't burn."
The worker in charge of firing the kiln couldn't help but remind him.
"Don't worry about so much, just ban you if you are asked."
Shi Gen is very determined, because this method was told to him by the leader, and he believes that it will definitely succeed.
Jiang Xuan, who was standing aside, looked at him and murmured in his heart, because he was also blind and didn't know whether this method could succeed.
Jiang Xuan thought for a while and then said to Shi Gen: "Seal the chimney. The fire inside is indeed not burning brightly. Don't rush to open the kiln. Let it burn for a longer time and wait for the kiln to cool down naturally before opening it again."
"Yes!"
Shi Gen obeyed Jiang Xuan's words. Since Jiang Xuan said so, he would do it.
After adding firewood and sealing the kiln door and chimney, the next step can only be left to time and luck.
Jiang Xuan did not stop here, but went to other places to continue his inspection.
Time flew by, and in the afternoon three days later, Jiang Xuan was picking colored peppers in the yard when he heard excited sounds coming from outside the yard.
"Chief, it's successful, it's successful!"
"What succeeded?"
Jiang Xuan stood up straight and looked at the courtyard door, only to see Shi Gen running in excitedly.
"Chief, the black pottery was fired successfully, look!"
Shi Gen handed a pottery basin in his arms to Jiang Xuan, his eyes full of admiration for Jiang Xuan.
Jiang Xuan took a look at the pottery basin and saw that the pottery pot was as black as ink and shiny. Although it was not as thin and translucent as the rhino tribe's pottery, it was indeed black pottery.
Can even a blind idea be successful?
Jiang Xuan himself couldn't believe it, but facing Shi Gen's admiring eyes, he had to pretend to be calm, encouraged Shi Gen, and rewarded him with some bronze coins.
From this day on, the Vine Tribe initially mastered the black pottery manufacturing process and continued to improve it. Finally, it appeared in the Vine Tribe trading area, causing quite a sensation and being traded by various tribes.