This Is My Primitive Tribe-Chapter 510 - 314 Soil Desertification Prevention and Control

May and June should be the rainy season, but in the north of the Vine Tribe, not a drop of rain has fallen for two consecutive months.

Under the scorching summer sun, the vegetation in the northern forest quickly withered, and the groundwater level rapidly decreased due to the expansion of the Great Rift Valley and the drought, even affecting the Lobster River.

Fortunately, with the Great Swamp, nearby tribes can temporarily meet their water needs. But if this situation continues, even the vast waters of the Great Swamp may gradually shrink.

In the north of the Vine Tribe, Jiang Xuan walked through the dried-up forest, watching the dust flying across the sky, and frowned, "It seems I underestimated the impact of the Great Rift Valley. At this rate, this place might slowly turn into a desert like the Western Wilderness."

Jiang Xuan reached out to grasp a spinning, floating fallen leaf and whispered, "This is unacceptable. We must plan early, and cannot sit and await destruction."

Walking through the forest, Jiang Xuan thought to himself, organized his thoughts, and immediately returned to the tribe to discuss his ideas with Chi Shao.

Because she had trained many witch doctors and managed various tribal affairs neatly, Chi Shao was no longer as busy as before, and she had more time for her own matters.

When Jiang Xuan found Chi Shao, she was devoutly divining beside the fire pit.

Jiang Xuan did not disturb Chi Shao and quietly waited patiently aside.

"Crackle…"

Chi Shao closed her eyes, continuously chanting ancient and mysterious witchcraft incantations, as the flames before her blazed up fiercely, with a palm-sized turtle shell suspended in the center of the flames.

Under the flames' burn, the turtle shell gradually became charred, showing various deep and shallow fractures of different shapes.

After chanting the witchcraft, Chi Shao slowly opened her eyes. The flames from the fire pit gradually subsided. She reached out to take the turtle shell, carefully observing the cracks on it, her brows sometimes furrowed, sometimes relaxed.

After a moment, she put away the turtle shell and turned to Jiang Xuan, "Xuan, have you been waiting long? Come sit."

Jiang Xuan nodded and sat on a stool made from a polished tree stump beside the fire pit.

"Sister, what were you divining just now?"

"I was divining when it will rain in the north."

"What were the results?"

Chi Shao shook her head and said, "Not very good. It seems a drought may shroud the north for a long time to come."

Although Jiang Ye had already suspected this, hearing Chi Shao say it still left him somewhat disappointed.

"I just went to the north forest. The situation is terrible; most of the trees have died, dust fills the sky. If this continues, the land there will soon become desertified like the Western Wilderness."

"It's so serious—what should we do?"

Jiang Xuan pinched his chin and said, "Currently, we need to do several things: first, select drought-resistant and cold-resistant vegetation for artificial planting in the north to resist wind and sand invasion."

"Second, the tribe's planting and livestock industries need to shift to areas with abundant water sources. Only in this way can we ensure that yields won't continue to decline."

"The third thing…" Jiang Xuan solemnly looked at Chi Shao and said, "We must consider gradually advancing our territory toward the central region."

"Advancing toward the central region…"

Chi Shao repeated Jiang Ye's words, thought for a moment, and said, "Wouldn't it be too hasty? You mentioned before that the central region has many large tribes, with heritage longer than ours and strength much greater than ours. If we want to enter the central region, conflicts will inevitably arise with these large tribes. Given our current strength, we may not benefit."

Chi Shao, being cautious and prudent, believes the Vine Tribe is not strong enough to recklessly enter the central region, as the risks are too high.

Jiang Xuan said, "I have of course considered these things. When I mentioned advancing toward the central region, I did not mean to enter immediately and compete with those large tribes for land. Instead, I meant expanding our territory gradually along the riverbanks toward the central region."

"We have large ships capable of transporting goods on water and affiliated tribes capable of fighting in the water. As long as we control the rivers and the fertile land along the banks, the tribe will certainly become stronger in the future, and we'll be more confident in dealing with drought conditions."

After hearing Jiang Xuan's words, Chi Shao was finally relieved: "Xuan, if that's the case, then do as you say. Sister supports you."

Then, Jiang Xuan discussed the specific details of these tasks with Chi Shao before leaving her courtyard and heading to the Planting Team.

Nowadays, the Planting Team isn't what it initially was—just a group of people who understood nothing but hard labor.

With Jiang Xuan's support, some people specialize in improving and inventing agricultural tools, others study seed selection and breeding, some research fertilizers, and others work on pest and disease control...

With accumulated experience and the addition of various talents, the Vine Tribe's planting industry has become increasingly prosperous, and harvests continually grow.

However, as the leader of the Planting Team, Gan Song has felt increasingly strained leading the team over the past two years.

Gan Song was one of the first wanderers to join after the Vine Tribe was established. Despite limited qualifications, after so many years, he remains a Two-Color Warrior.

Moreover, he had only one arm, and in this primitive era that revered strength, his power was increasingly unable to command the respect of others.

The continuous expansion of the team, the emergence of various talents and new technologies, along with his own insufficient strength, compounded by his advancing age, all made his role as leader exceptionally challenging.

Today, after Jiang Xuan arrived, Gan Song once again brought up the idea of stepping down.

"Leader, the Planting Team has now expanded to two or three thousand people, and the fields are countless; I really don't have the capacity to manage it anymore. The leader should indeed choose someone new."

As Gan Song spoke, he poured cool tea into a clay pot for Jiang Xuan.

Jiang Xuan held the clay cup, sniffed the herbal fragrance of the cool tea, and laughed, "Why, so quickly you don't want to work anymore?"

Gan Song was anxious, "Leader, you know me well. Am I the type of lazy person?"

Jiang Xuan looked at his sun-darkened skin and his calloused, rough hands and said, "Of course not. Ever since the Planting Team was established, you've started early and worked late, tirelessly working in the fields day and night. Everyone sees it."

Hearing this, Gan Song's intense emotions slightly eased, bringing him a sense of comfort.

He sat next to Jiang Xuan, bowed his head and said, "Leader, I'm getting older, learning slowly, my strength is low, I really can't manage such a large team anymore. I just want to be an ordinary team member and work peacefully in the fields every day."

Jiang Xuan blew on the steaming hot cool tea, sniffed the fragrance for a moment, and said, "Then, in your view, who is suited to be the leader of this Planting Team?"

Gan Song lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then raised his head and said, "I think Shui Cang is suitable. He is hardworking, strong, and resourceful. These past two years, thanks to his help in managing the Planting Team, nothing has gone wrong."

Shui Cang left a deep impression on Jiang Xuan, as he was one of the rare Three-Color Warriors in the Planting Team.

Among the tribe, strong warriors generally preferred hunting and battle. Many warriors in the Planting Team, after breaking through their strength, would apply to transfer to other teams with opportunities for combat. Those with strength who are willing to stay in the Planting Team are rather few.

Shui Cang is currently about twenty-eight or twenty-nine, and Jiang Xuan's impression is that he is relatively mature and steady, working in an orderly manner, indeed a good candidate for a leader.

Jiang Xuan said, "Changing a leader is a significant matter and shouldn't be decided hastily. Since you have confidence in Shui Cang, then try giving him more management authority first. After some time, if he indeed performs well and can command respect, then it's not too late to decide."

"Thank you, Leader."

Gan Song let out a breath of relief. He was not one to covet power; being able to hand over this position to someone suitable was indeed a joyous thing for him.

Of course, deep down, he also felt some loss and confusion, as he didn't know how much more he could contribute to the tribe after leaving this position.

At this moment, Jiang Xuan said, "I came to find you today for another matter."

Gan Song perked up, "Leader, please speak."

"You surely know about the drought in the north, where the grass and trees have withered?"

Gan Song nodded, "I know, many of the fruit trees we've planted there have died."

Jiang Xuan said, "If the drought continues, it's not just a matter of fruit trees dying. The land there will gradually turn into a desert, like the Western Wilderness, possibly encroaching upon our Vine Tribe's dwelling area."

Gan Song asked nervously, "Leader, what should we do then?"

"I've already discussed with the Witch; there's currently only one plan, which is proactive prevention. We need to select drought-resistant vegetation and plant them extensively before the soil turns sandy, to prevent wind erosion."

"As long as enough drought-resistant plants are planted, we can establish a green barrier in the north to halt the desert land from spreading here, protecting our forests and fields."

Jiang Xuan looked at Gan Song and said, "This task is tough and won't show results in the short term. I need someone who can endure hardship and loneliness to carry it out."

After listening to Jiang Xuan's words, Gan Song's eyes lit up instantly, "Leader, let me do it!"

"Are you sure? The conditions there are quite arduous, and the efforts made may not show returns in the short term."

"Leader, I do not fear hardship nor the lack of visible returns. As long as the task benefits the tribe, that's enough."

Jiang Xuan was deeply moved hearing these words; people like Gan Song, purely willing to work for the tribe, are indeed rare.

"Since that's the case, I entrust you with this task. But there's no rush, as it's not the planting season right now. You can first select some people from the Planting Team, go to those already desertified areas to find drought-resistant plants, then during the planting season, bring these plants back and try cultivating them gradually."

"Alright, Leader, rest assured, I will definitely accomplish this task!"

With a new goal, Gan Song's entire demeanor changed; from a state of depression and struggle, he once again became full of fighting spirit.

Jiang Xuan also taught Gan Song some windbreak sand control experiences he read in his previous life, giving him at least a direction. As for whether this task can really succeed or not, nobody knows.