TL: A_Passing_Wanderer
ED: Chrissy
There was a 'simplest' way to fix this problem.
And that was to attack and conquer the surrounding tribes.
The invasion would lead to bloodshed, yes, but Kim Gi-Wu was pretty sure that using force was the only way to quickly and easily solve the problem of low population.
Even if this justification sounded like an excuse... Submitting to the Creek tribe, or more correctly, to him, might give those tribes a far better chance at continued survival. Wasn't this literally a win-win scenario for everyone involved?
'Tsk.'
He didn't feel so good just then. That's because he knew only too well that the justification he thought up of was the same one used by the conquerors responsible for much bloodshed in the past.
Even so, he had no choice but to do it. He wasn't trying to wage war to satisfy his desires, after all. All of his actions were deeply connected to the eventual survival of the entire human race.
Of course, he wasn't planning to start his conquest right away.
The war would only start after the plots of land surrounding the tribe were turned into farmlands to secure enough food supply, and enough weapons were manufactured to arm all the warriors of the tribe.
They needed to be trained in the art of group warfare, too.
When all the preparations were complete, that very moment in time would be recorded in history as the starting point of the Creek tribe extending its reaches to the neighboring lands.
At least, that's what Kim Gi-Wu's plans initially entailed.
*
"Even now, everyone is working without rest, but you still look quite good, Spirit Chief. All this is thanks to..."
"Stop right there!"
"I'm sorry?"
"You better stop right now if you were thinking about licking my boots again. Just how many times are you planning to do this in a single day?"
"Ahahah. It's just that I'm delighted, sir... Yes, delighted."
This guy, he... He sure was overflowing with sentimentality. Before long, large teardrops were dangling visibly near the corners of Upright Tree's eyes.
No one would argue that the tribespeople were currently working their butts off without taking a single break. Even so, their overall atmosphere was very good. And that was why Upright Tree displayed behavior like this.
'Everyone understands the reason for all this workload, after all. And humans are supposed to get more fulfilled the more they work, right? When they see a brighter future ahead, they get motivated to work even harder.'
First of all, they were no longer starving. This was probably the most important development. Additionally, plenty of tasty new dishes were introduced along the way, causing some people to stop bothering with what they used to eat in the past.
Among the new dishes, the one Kim Gi-Wu enjoyed the most was, somewhat unsurprisingly, still kimchi.
He loved this dish so much that as soon as Chinese cabbage and Korean chili peppers were cultivated, he had it prepared right away.
Besides the improvement in the food situation, the tribe also saw the introduction of many items that made the villagers' lives so much more convenient. Which became possible through their own hard work, no less. From clothing to shoes, and even the daily necessities made out of iron or wood...
Little by little, the tribespeople were getting used to the taste of civilization's advancement.
However, Kim Gi-Wu didn't become as emotional as Upright Tree, even as he watched the villagers toil under the harsh sun to cultivate the fields.
But he had a good reason for that.
And it had to do with the nearby great tribes making their moves sooner than he expected. This event forced Kim Gi-Wu to revise the plans he made in Spring last year.
While thinking about this and that, his feet eventually took him to the tribal meeting avenue. Kim Gi-Wu and Upright Tree stepped inside.
"You've come, Spirit Chief!"
"Hahaha. Even today, you're shining radiantly from your face, sir."
"Good to see you, everyone."
Kim Gi-Wu replied to all the energetic greetings of the warriors, then walked up to his designated spot before settling down.
Chairs and a table made by carpenters were now installed in the meeting venue. Thanks to this development, he got to comfortably sit on a rather sturdy wooden chair.
Although, there were no cushions or leather covering invented just yet, so the surface remained a bit hard for his liking.
"Well, then. Let us get today's meeting on the way."
Before anyone could say when it happened, the role of announcing the meeting's start and end became Kim Gi-Wu's.
The moment he finished speaking up, various topics happening within the tribe started to get discussed.
"Iron production is gradually ramping up, everyone. I'm sure you all have heard about the addition of a new furnace. But it's just too difficult to handle them all with our current manpower."
"It's the same story for our carpentry workshop, as well. The timber supply is steadily increasing, but the number of workers remains the same, which doesn't make any sense, wouldn't you say?"
"We also have the same problem where..."
Contents of what they talked about usually devolved into complaints of the lack of workers in the tasks they were in charge of. This scene had become a rather familiar routine ever since the necessary foundation for the primary industries were completed some time ago.
The leaders of each industry had to complain away as much as possible because they feared that others might get a jump on them in getting the new workers.
Kim Gi-Wu's usual reply in the past was, they should wait until the harvest season was over, then prioritize those industries that required the help most.
However, today was different.
Kim Gi-Wu replied. "Let us discuss that later in the meeting."
This was a different answer from the usual. Only then did a handful of warriors notice the strangeness in the air.
After the discussion of manpower was delayed, they began discussing other events that took place within the tribe, both minor and major in scale. These incidents and accidents included a variety of crimes such as minor cases of thievery, fraud, armed robbery, and even murder.
There was no written law in the tribe yet, so the warriors attending the meeting acted like jurors and decided on the majority vote to choose the appropriate judgments.
Once those discussions came to an end, they got down to...
"...I've treated my sixth son as you have advised us, Spirit Chief. And a few days ago, he completely beat the illness and is now back on his feet! As I thought, there is no hurdle we can't clear by listening to your wisdom, Spirit Chief."
"Hahaha. Spirit Chief, thanks to you, I was able to..."
'Uh-whew...'
This always happened. The meeting's participants would start praising Kim Gi-Wu as if they were in a competition. Hell, they even began attributing every little insignificant happy event happening within their own households to Kim Gi-Wu's blessings these days.
Just sitting here listening to them made it seem like Kim Gi-Wu was an absolutely perfect existence. His face was getting hot all on its own.
If this had been any other times, he would've kept quiet, listened to everything they were saying, and announced the end of the meeting, for the sake of preserving the friendly atmosphere. Them acting like this was one of the ways to express their joy and happiness, after all.
But at least for today, he couldn't do that. Kim Gi-Wu silently raised his hand.
That caused a bout of silence to descend in the meeting venue.
"It seems to me that everyone here is having fun."
"..."
Kim Gi-Wu's voice sounded flat, unimpressed.
At the very least, the warriors attending the meeting knew how to read the mood. They instantly realized that the current atmosphere was markedly different from how Kim Gi-Wu usually acted.
"Is there anyone among you who can remember what I talked about two years ago?"
"Yes, we remember it, Spirit Chief. I'm sure most warriors haven't forgotten about it."
"Is that true? But from what I can see, it looks like everyone here has completely forgotten about it."
Kim Gi-Wu's eyes narrowed, his glare cold.
Didn't the old adage go, 'The occasion maketh the man?' or some such? Kim Gi-Wu's current aura was something to behold, having been leading the tribe for quite some time now.
As proof, many warriors were nervously swallowing their saliva at this taut tension in the air.
"Back then, I told all of you about my great aspiration. And all of you agreed with me. Was I wrong?"
"No, you're not, Spirit Chief."
"But, now!"
Kim Gi-Wu suddenly roared out. He then stopped talking for a little while, causing the atmosphere to plummet even lower in temperature. So much so that it was almost unimaginable to think that everyone was smiling only a few moments ago.
"How come none of you is suggesting that we must prepare ourselves for the threat looming over us? Don't you know that our tribe is currently facing the greatest threat to our existence?!"
Question marks began floating above the faces of the warriors.
But that wasn't surprising. It hadn't been all that long since Kim Gi-Wu got his hands on the intel, after all. That's why most of the warriors attending the meeting had no idea about the current situation.
Things were quite busy for the Creek tribe but everyone believed that their living condition was rapidly improving day by day, which only exacerbated the issue of their lack of vigilance even further.
Despite knowing all this, Kim Gi-Wu did his best to pretend that he hadn't noticed anything and continued on from where he left off. "Hunting Chief, please."
"Yes, Spirit Chief."
Kim Gi-Wu had already spoken to the tribe's Hunting Chief, Swift Steps, before attending the meeting. That was for the purpose of overturning the meeting's atmosphere in one go.
In a way, you could say this was all staged. But it couldn't be helped. Kim Gi-Wu couldn't decide on everything by himself yet, so some level of incitement was an absolute necessity.
"Hunting Chief, can you tell us the movements of the neighboring tribes?"
"We have spotted something odd about them."
"Please tell us in detail."
"Chiefs of several great tribes have congregated for a meeting recently. Without informing us, too."
"Which means?"
"It's not confirmed, but it seems like they wish to attack us, the Creek tribe after we displayed continuous progress every single day."
No concrete evidence, just some circumstantial suspicions. That's all they had. But it should be an accurate assessment nonetheless.
That's because Kim Gi-Wu had requested Swift Steps to observe the ongoings of the neighboring great tribes so that he could prepare for an eventuality like this one.
Compared to other great tribes, the Creek tribe's military might was weaker. But that was obvious in the context of the tribe's smaller population.
From the perspective of other tribes, it must've looked like a weaker tribe than them had found a way to produce enough food to feed everyone and even learned a way to make high-quality cotton-based clothing, too.
Without a doubt, they must've been dying of jealousy. It was a similar principle to how you'd be green with envy when your cousin made enough money to buy land before you.
Of course, they could have asked the Creek tribe how the latter had managed to improve their situation so drastically. But they chose not to do that.
It was probably because the old memories of the weak and suffering Creek tribe still remained in their minds. And that had led them to a false belief that waging war would make it simpler to acquire the knowledge and all the benefits for themselves.
And now, several great tribes had displayed signs of working together. In other words, the enemy could turn out to be an alliance of many tribes. The situation was far more urgent than anyone had thought.
Finally, some semblance of seriousness began filling up the faces of the warriors attending the tribal meeting.
"War Chief?"
"Please speak, Spirit Chief."
"You previously mentioned a criminal found guilty of armed robbery. What was the criminal's sentence?"
"It was decided that he'd work in the toughest part of the mine for the next ten years without any compensation, Spirit Chief."
Being a miner was one of the hardest jobs currently available among all the industries of the tribe. And it'd only get harder in the future as the mining operation dug deeper underground.
As such, the compensation you got for working there was the best out of all the jobs. But by committing armed robbery just once, the criminal now had to work in the mine for ten years without getting paid, other than receiving rationed food and clothing.
It was a fairly severe punishment, indeed.
"That is the correct way. If you use a weapon to forcibly take away your neighbor's possession, then you must receive suitable punishment for your actions.
"But now, those people are thinking of stealing with force on everything we have achieved by pouring our blood and sweat for the past several years. What makes them any different from a gang of armed robbers, then?!"
Baaang!
Kim Gi-Wu deliberately slammed his fist down on the wooden table to express his fury. "Do any of you feel angry about this? Or is it just me?!"
"No, it's not only you, Spirit Chief!"
"Those stinking Choctaw punks dare to...!"
"We can't just let them do whatever they please!"
The atmosphere became rather ugly in no time at all.
Everyone present was a warrior of the Creek tribe. They weren't the types to endure and overlook such an unfair threat to their lives.
"All this is because the Creek tribe used to be weak in the past. But let me ask you this, are we still weak? I do not believe so.
"Those people do not know what we are truly like after experiencing the rapid advancement. And they certainly do not know about the existence of our steel weapons, too. Meaning, the situation is completely different from how it was in the past!"
"Spirit Chief, what does all this mean?"
Kim Gi-Wu replied while nodding fervently. "We must prepare for an enemy invasion. From this moment on, the entire Creek tribe will enter a state of war. The harvested crops and the industrial output from now on will focus solely on the tribe's war preparation for the foreseeable future. If you wish to object, please speak up immediately."
Even if someone wanted to object, they would've been instantly branded as a traitor in the current atmosphere. As such, no one dared to step up.
"In that case, I'll take it as everyone agreeing with me. I do not plan to show even a hint of mercy towards the lowly robbers drooling all over the fruits of our noble efforts.
"The truth of our Creek tribe having changed from the past... I'm going to make them feel it deep down in their souls!"
"Woo! Woo! Woo!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The warriors stomped their feet on the floor and began roaring out in unison.
Kim Gi-Wu stared at the warriors burning in determination and thought to himself.
'Well, even I have to admit that I'm such a hypocrite. I mean, I was thinking of absorbing those tribes through force in a few years even if they didn't get ambitious with us, anyway. And we wouldn't have stopped there but kept conquering more, too.'
If he wanted to bring to reality what he said two years ago, this step would have been an absolute necessity. However, the other side chose to act first. In that case, there was nothing to hold him back now, not even his guilty conscience.
Bringing his plan forward by several years could result in an acute food shortage but, if the tribe managed to endure by employing the newly-added populace – increased after the war – and making them work hard, then their situation should improve even faster than imagined.
'And now, behave yourselves and obediently become our precious labor force, okay? Kekeke.'
Kim Gi-Wu cackled insidiously inside his head.
< 7. Determination > Fin.