Volume 6: Helping the World Chapter 193 The Great Wisdom of the Snow Wolf Tribe
Snake Department.
About three months after the four snake tribes took root on the grassland, the remaining seven tribes also arrived at the Snake Tribe on St. Bridge's favorable ship.
The sudden increase of more than 3,000 people caused a little chaos in the Snake Tribe. Fortunately, Qingcao had established a management system suitable for the snake tribe and quickly organized the new personnel to engage in production work, allowing the Snake Tribe to quickly stabilize.
When the cat farm had a bumper harvest, the snake tribe was also immersed in a sea of joy.
Compared with the farms, the Snake Tribe received higher treatment. The ten farms they opened up successively had a sweet potato yield of over 6,000 kilograms per mu and a minimum of over 3,000 kilograms. Except for 30% of the interest on the aid loan that was repaid to the Fire Tribe, the rest belonged to them. Of the nearly 200 million kilograms or more than 90,000 tons of sweet potatoes, the rest were kept for their own use and sold to the Fire Tribe at the price of 600 copper coins per ton. The income from sweet potatoes reached 10,000 gold coins!
You have to know that the Fire Department's income last year after deducting expenses was only more than 30,000 gold coins... Of course, this is also related to the fact that the Fire Department spent too much last year.
After ten days of ships coming and going on the canal, all the goods were finally moved. Qingcao generously carried the 26 kilograms of gold coins to the elders of the Laishe tribe and the production team managers to deliver them.
In the center of the Snake Division, in a meeting room that mimicked the Fire Division, Qingcao opened the box with a smile. Ten-gram gold coins were densely piled in the box. The golden brilliance almost blinded the snakes' already not-so-good eyes: "Thirteen thousand gold coins are all here~ The craftsmanship of the forest elves, the gold is of high purity and the casting is exquisite. Look, the patterns on it are made by the forest elves very beautifully!"
The thirteen snake elders had different expressions, some were genuinely happy and smiling, some were shocked, and some had their eyes darting around.
Compared to the complexity of the elders, the management of the production team is much simpler, and each of them is smiling and full of a sense of accomplishment...
Harris was particularly happy. After more than half a year of work experience, his temperament had become much more cheerful. When he heard the numbers reported by Qingcao, his joy was beyond words - he thought he could just gain a foothold and get enough food and clothing in the first year, but he didn't expect to earn so much!
Before their hometown was taken over by the Beast King, they were considered lucky at best if they could dig out a few thousand gold coins every year; during the days when they were exiled to the human kingdom, even a top traveler like Harris was lucky to earn a hundred gold coins a year.
"It is stated in the contract between the Fire Tribe and the Snake Tribe that you only need to pay 30% of the harvest for interest in the first three years, and the rest of the harvest is at your disposal. After all, you are living in a new place, and you will definitely need money. When your life becomes better and more stable in the future, you can slowly pay back the principal." Qingcao smiled and pushed the box forward, "Here you go, Gustav, your money."
Xiao Yun brought the snake tribe to the grassland to settle down in order to develop the snake tribe into his own people, but he did not intend to let them grow wildly on their own. When Qingcao came to organize production, he also referred to the decision-making model of the Fire and Flame Department and set up a management meeting for the Snake Department. Whether it can be as pure as the decision-making level of the Fire and Flame Department, at least none of the thirteen elders present can act arbitrarily if they have selfish motives.
The management meeting of the Fire Department was chaired by Xiao Yun, and the presiding officer of the Snake Department fell to Gustav, the most prestigious elder of the Python Tribe, because of the great elder Gregor's decline in prestige. Gustav held the gold coin box with both hands, and his wrists trembled slightly... This was the first time in his life that his hands had touched so much money.
"This is... the hard-earned income of all our Snake tribe members who have worked hard and sweated together this year." Gustav swallowed his saliva and tried his best to remain calm, "This is money that belongs to all our tribe members and must be spent on all our tribe members. Winter is coming soon, and we should prepare winter supplies for our tribe members. This money is just right for us."
As soon as Gustav finished speaking, an elder spoke up hastily: "What do you mean, Gustav? Do you have the final say on how to spend the money?"
"Yes, since it's the tribe's money, why should you be in charge of it?" Another elder echoed, "Gustav, don't think of taking the tribe's money with such a lame excuse."
The two elders took the lead, and elders who questioned the issue appeared one after another. The elders had no choice but to let Gustav preside over the management meeting. However, since Qingcao had said that the Snake Tribe’s revenue would be at its own disposal, the elders would not tolerate Gustav’s monopoly.
Qingcao said nothing, the managers' faces changed, and Harris secretly clenched his fists.
"Enough!" Gregor, the great elder who never spoke at the management meeting, shouted in a deep voice, "Did any of us bring more than two pieces of clothing when we came to the grassland? It's only autumn now, and the nights on the grassland are as cold as the winter in the human kingdom. All the tribesmen need warm clothes and blankets. We need firewood and black stones, and we need to pay for winter food ourselves - we have already earned money, do we have to continue to borrow from the Snow Wolf Tribe? Towels, toothbrushes, bath soap, who here doesn't need them? Gustav proposed to use the tribe's money to buy supplies for the tribe, what's wrong with that!"
"Greg, watch your tone!" The elder who first spoke up to object turned pale and turned green, and shouted angrily.
Gregor ignored him and looked at the larger production team managers, and slowed down his tone: "In the management meeting, everyone has an equal right to speak. Since Elder Gustav's proposal is controversial, let's vote by raising our hands. Those who agree, raise your hands." After he finished speaking, he immediately raised his hand.
There were ten agricultural production teams, one earthworm breeding group, and a working team responsible for the daily affairs of the tribe, with dozens of managers in total, which was much more than the number of elders. They were all members of the snake tribe and knew each other well, and the elders' selfish motives were clearly seen by the managers. Anyway, who was in charge of the snake tribe was determined by ability, not by whether they were close to a certain elder. Elder Gregor took the lead, and all arms were raised in unison.
Elder Gusta let out a light breath , and Elder Greg looked at those who opposed it and sneered silently.
Qingcao and the other snake tribe members agreed, and then they laughed and said, "We have no control over how the Snake Tribe spends its money, but our two families have signed an aid contract. The Fire Tribe has the obligation to help the Snake Tribe establish clear and definite statistical accounts, make year-end summaries, and budget expenditures. Every expenditure must be recorded, which is good for the development of the Snake Tribe. As our Ayun said, spending money also requires technical skills."
The eyes of the elders who had originally jumped out to oppose looked at Qingcao with something wrong...
"That's true." Gustav understood the style of the Snow Wolf Tribe and said with a smile, "Then let's discuss how to spend the money now."
"We need to buy enough black stone (coal) first." Harris said first, "The weather is getting colder now. If we don't light a fire in the house when it gets colder, the tribesmen will fall into a deep sleep."
"Black Stone must be purchased." Elder Gustav nodded.
"Qingcao, can we buy some sun cloth from the Fire Tribe?" someone asked.
"Of course." Qingcao smiled, "The outer layer is made of sun cloth, the inner layer is made of white cotton cloth, and a layer of long-haired sheep's cashmere is sandwiched in the middle. It's very warm. The Fire Department has all of these."
"We also need some leather to make shoes. We need to go out of the house occasionally in winter."
"Tell the warriors to hurry up and go hunting. They'll have skins soon. There's no need to buy them."
"That's fine... Oh, and a blanket. This is very important. It's too cold without a blanket to cover your feet."
"Buy more rabbit meat. Rabbit meat is cheaper than pork."
"We still need pork. The tribesmen have worked hard for a whole year, so we can't let them go hungry in the winter, right?"
"And the blanket made of magic mineral powder (aluminum powder) is very warm. Should we prepare some for the younger cubs?"
The managers of the Snake Department discussed and listed the types of materials to be purchased. Qingcao wrote down the types of materials needed by the Snake Department on paper and distributed the bark paper for math problems to everyone with a smile: "After determining the types of materials to be purchased, the next step is to calculate the exact number. Which material is needed in specific quantities, can it meet the needs of the Snake Department without causing waste, how much all the expenses add up, and will it exceed the budget? Let's calculate the accounts first."
Everyone's faces immediately turned pale...
"We have to settle this account. We have learned this before. Planning income and expenditure is a very important part of the essentials of management. Next year, we will launch a plan to purchase farm machinery, expand construction, reclaim land, and increase crop production. These all cost money. We have to set aside the corresponding funds, and only the rest can be used." Qingcao said seriously, "Every copper coin must be spent wisely, so that we can show that this management meeting is responsible to the Snake Tribe. Everyone sitting here shoulders the trust of the Snake Tribe members, and we must not let you down!"
At this point, even the most stubborn people would not object, and everyone reached out to take the bark paper...
"Don't make too many mistakes." Qingcao added with a smile, "Last month when we calculated the canteen's purchasing budget, we made a lot of mistakes. It took a lot of effort to correct them. This time we are calculating the expenditure budget for the entire winter. If there are any mistakes, it will be troublesome."
The managers began to write down equations on the bark paper with a deep sense of resentment, and a few of the elders began to think of quitting again - it was really not easy to be an "official" in the Snake Tribe under the supervision of the Snow Wolf Tribe!
There is no chance to reap the benefits, but the work still needs to be done, and you often have to deal with torturous arithmetic!
Qingcao looked at everyone who was deep in thought with a smile on his face, his expression very calm.
Power must be linked to responsibility, and the responsibility of managing a tribe must start with being a good householder and doing the accounting for the tribe. Management issues ranging from engineering projects to tribal cities and even national management are actually various detailed mathematical problems. Resource allocation, financial budgets, and engineering work plans are precise and detailed mathematical problems from the simplest to the most complex. To be a manager, it doesn't matter if you are too old to lead the work team or production team, or even if you can only reduce your workload. At least you have to master the accounting skills!
If you can't even calculate how much white cotton cloth the tribe needs to buy for the winter, then the green grass will have to be recorded on the attendance sheet... When you want to make trouble, we can settle the old scores. How dare you, a person who doesn't even have the ability to be a good head of the tribe, to give orders?
This "budget meeting" lasted half the afternoon. In the evening, when the managers were finally able to leave the meeting room, most of them felt a little unsteady in their steps...
Gustav watched those cunning or sinister elders go back to their houses, then turned to look at Qingcao and said sincerely, "Thank you, Qingcao."
"Hmm? What are you thanking me for?" Qingcao said loudly, "Everyone should have recovered their strength after a day's rest. Let's continue the composting work tomorrow so that it will be more useful next spring."
Gustav couldn't help but laugh.
After receiving the purchase payment from the Fire Department, Gustav became nervous after his excitement.
The great elder Gregor has lost his prestige and has difficulty winning the support of the people. Although he has a certain reputation among ordinary tribesmen, the elders may not necessarily obey him... If they had not been under the pressure of high-intensity work, they might have argued countless times over who has the final say in the Snake Tribe.
With such a large sum of money handed to him, Gustav had no guarantee that he could keep the money, so he was eager to suggest spending the money - in front of such golden coins, how many people could resist being tempted?
Most of the gold coins that the management committee had not yet warmed up were delivered to the Snow Wolf Tribe for purchases. Shiploads of supplies were delivered to the Snake Tribe's doorstep, boxes and bags were moved into the Snake Tribe's warehouse, and distributed to the Snake Tribe members. The atmosphere of the entire tribe returned to the bustling autumn harvest.
The great elder Gregor silently participated in the moving. He sat down on the steps to rest when his waist felt a little unbearable. Looking at the cubs in the tribe cheering for their new clothes, new shoes, candies and snacks, the wrinkles on his face gradually smoothed out.
"Elder Gregor, give me a cup of canned sweetened water made with hot water." Harris came over with two cups, handed one to Elder Gregor, and sat down on the steps. Together with Gregor, they watched the cubs in the square quarreling over candy.
"In the blink of an eye, this year is almost over." Harris said with a relaxed smile, "At this time last year, we were still confused about where the future would lie, and worried whether our people would be driven away by the humans in Elliot Palace... In less than a year, we have become wealthy people who can spend thousands of gold coins in just a few days. Even the human nobles are not so extravagant."
Elder Gregor sipped the hot, sweet water and hummed softly through his nose.
"I heard from Nanfeng that the MSG factory next door is going to lock its doors, and those human workers are going back to Valentine for the winter. Over the past year, some of them have always sneaked in to spy on us, and screamed when we discovered them. It's really..." Harris couldn't help laughing as he spoke, "If we don't have to make a living on their land, the human race is actually quite interesting."
"Harris." Elder Gregor suddenly spoke.
"Um?"
Elder Gregor's lips moved, he turned his head away, and said in a muffled voice: "I... apologize for my past harshness. An old man like me is indeed not qualified to lead the Snake Tribe. The future... belongs to young people like you."
Harris was stunned for a moment before he realized what Elder Gregor was talking about. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "What are you talking about, Elder Gregor? Without you and Elder Gustav protecting us young people, the Snake Tribe really has no future."
Elder Gregor smiled faintly and then disappeared again.
His previous invitation to the Snow Wolf Tribe was indeed just a compromise he had to make...it was just a group of exiled and impoverished races banding together for warmth, and he didn't think he could get much help from the Snow Wolf Tribe.
Not until he had safely passed the year with the help of the Snow Wolf Tribe did Gregor gradually realize the great wisdom of the Snow Wolf Tribe - Qingcao, the snow wolf who always smiled so brightly and seemed heartless, had actually been using her methods to eliminate the power struggle within the Snake Tribe.
Gregor was standing in a relatively high position after all, and he could see very clearly. If it were not for Qingcao, the snow werewolf, he, as the chief elder, would have lost his authority, and the snake tribe, which had lived separately for many years and had little respect for each other, would have been in chaos countless times if they had been hastily put together to live.
Elder Grego was not wrong. Qingcao was not as smart as Dahe, but he had been following Xiao Yun for so many years, so he knew the essence of ensuring stability in a group - regular feeding, busy hands and feet, and a certain amount of spiritual food. As long as these three items are met, basically nothing will go wrong!
Even if there are people who are rebellious and greedy, as long as no one follows suit, they won't make any waves!
Well, although it is very simple, this is indeed an irrefutable truth. On Earth, from gang leaders to traitors to street politicians, the prerequisite for success is that someone takes the lead, and then a group of people who are too full but idle support, and a large number of people who are not full and tired follow suit to support the charge... If any link is missing, nothing can be done. (Spitting at Mao Yushi: Bah!)
As a member of the Snow Wolf Clan, Qingcao can't control which of the Snake Clan elders has bad intentions, but she can eliminate the existence of the two types of people: "not being full but still tired, and being too full but still idle"~
Looking at the snow wolf Qingcao who was counting supplies with Gustav in a notebook on the other side of the square, Elder Gregor blew away the steam coming out of the cup and took a sip of the sweet water.
"Harris, you warriors are much more resistant to cold than ordinary tribesmen. Now that the weather is cold, we don't need to farm. If the Snow Wolf Tribe needs manpower for anything, you should go and help." Elder Grego said slowly.
Harris: “Huh?”
A few days later, Harris and other travelers and warriors appeared on the ship carrying the workers from the MSG factory back home. Together with Isaac and his companions, they sent the workers back and transported several ships of pork and rabbit meat to Valentine for sale...
The Grassroots Chief welcomed the snakes to come and help. After arranging cabins for them, he asked curiously, "You are willing to come out in such a cold weather. I didn't call you before because I thought it was inconvenient for you."
Harris: “Uh…”
The grass-roots chief said with a smile: "Ayun asked us to learn how to do business with others. I'm having a headache here. I feel much more at ease with you here."
Harris said hurriedly: "As long as we can help, we will do our best."
"Hahaha, no need to be so formal!" The Grassroots Patriarch slapped Harris on the back, causing the skinny Harris to stagger...
In the northwest of the Fire Department, the entrance to the underground world.
The entrance here was originally not very big. After the Snow Wolf Clan opened a food store in the underground city, in order to facilitate the transportation of food, they widened the hole that was originally only the size of a door to the extent that four Snow Wolf people who turned into wolves could walk in side by side...
A total of more than 300 snow werewolves transformed into wolves and carried a huge number of fans into the underground world through this entrance.
After walking in the long and narrow downward sloping passage for about a day, the space in front of us became clear. There were circular caves of various sizes nested inside each other. The ceiling of the lowest cave was only three meters high, and the highest was more than ten meters high. The dark environment, the sound of dripping water, the sound of wind coming from nowhere, and the faint and strange roaring sounds heard in the ears, if a timid person walked in, even if there were friendly people around him, he might be scared to death.
The large group moved slowly along the passage that the Abyss Scythe Anqiluo had taken when he visited the Snow Wolf Tribe. After going deeper into the underground world, Xiao Yun, along with his speed-oriented Uncle Ashan, the frontal Yu, the highly-sensing snow leopard Rosemary, and the goblin Baron who was leading the way, turned a corner and headed towards the area where Baron's tribe once lived.
"The one who managed our tribe was the dark elf supervisor who lived in the nearby gray dwarf village." After returning to the underground world after many years, the goblin Baron was still a little nervous and kept looking around. Obviously, the days of living in the underground world left a big psychological trauma on this little guy. "We have never been to that gray dwarf village... but I remember that the dark elf supervisors always came from the same direction."
"How did you make up your mind to escape at that time?" Xiao Yun said.
"The dark elf inspectors originally came every ten days to take away the gemstones we mined." Baron sat on Ashan's back, holding the belt that tied the vermicelli, and swallowed his saliva. "Later, the dark elves didn't come for a month... The elders in the tribe thought that something must have happened to the gray dwarf village. The dark elves couldn't take care of us, so they decided to escape."
"Didn't you go to the gray dwarf village to see what was going on?" Ashan asked curiously.
Baron smiled awkwardly.
Rosemary, who was walking at the back without the vermicelli and swinging her arms, said, "Stupid, of course they don't dare to go. Why do you even need to ask?"
Xiao Yun stopped and turned around, looking at Rosemary expressionlessly.
"..." Rosemary said aggrievedly, "Ashan, I didn't say you were stupid."
Xiao Yun then let him go: "Let's go to the gray dwarf village first to see what's going on. If there are gray dwarves, we'll take them away. If there are gray dwarves and dark elves, we'll say we were delivering vermicelli and got separated from the main group halfway. If we don't have anything, we'll just consider ourselves unlucky."
"Ayun, won't it be enough for us to bring only a few people?" Yu was a little worried, mainly worried about Xiao Yun's safety... Ashan and Rosemary can protect themselves, but Ayun is still a cub.
"Don't worry, we are not planning to fight with the dark elves. Fighting and killing hurts feelings, how can a serious businessman do such a thing." Xiao Yun said righteously, "We are just here to poach some of the dark elves' people. How can poaching and fighting be considered together?"
Yu, Rosemary, and Baron: "..."
Ah Shan stuck out his tongue and thought for a long time, then turned back to look at Rosemary: "Why did you call me stupid just now?"
“…”Rosemary’s mouth twitched wildly.
