I am a Primitive Man
Chapter 914: Training a Middleman
Han Cheng glanced at the people around him and then thought about that unknown tribe—also equipped with bronze weapons—and for a moment didn’t know how to express his feelings.
From the perspective of someone in the future looking back at human history, he should have been very pleased with the current situation.
But as someone who had been thrust into this era and now lived here, he didn’t want to see such things.
At least, he didn’t want them appearing near his own tribe’s living area.
Because this was a potentially dangerous situation.
Competition was everywhere. That unknown tribe, when facing weaker tribes, might peacefully coexist as they did now, trading pottery, salt, and other goods with the tribe before it.
But when they encountered another relatively strong tribe, things certainly wouldn’t remain so peaceful.
Take Han Cheng himself as an example.
Upon suddenly learning this news, he began considering all possibilities. Even if the unknown tribe hadn’t thought as deeply or broadly as he had, they would gradually realize these issues too.
When the two tribes eventually met, unpleasant encounters could occur.
Especially if both sides had huge production surpluses for this era.
Should he take his people back? Leave this place? Abandon it?
The thought briefly entered Han Cheng’s mind—and he immediately dismissed it without hesitation.
Abandoning this place was out of the question—no matter what.
Not to mention the effort he had already invested in his people here; the mere possibility of the weather continuing to turn colder was enough to completely shut down that idea.
This place would become their tribe’s stronghold against the harsh cold. If abandoned, what would they do if temperatures continued to drop?
Was he supposed to lead the tribe across mountains and rivers to find a new suitable location, starting from scratch?
Setting aside whether such a place could even be found quickly, how could he be sure there wouldn’t be another unknown tribe like the one already encountered nearby?
If that were the case, what next?
Continue migrating the tribe endlessly?
Many things cannot be solved merely by avoidance—they require confrontation. Only by facing challenges can problems truly be resolved.
Constantly avoiding problems only worsens the situation and produces nothing of value.
Moreover, as someone from the future, though he had no “cheat codes,” his mind contained knowledge far beyond this era. If he still hesitated, intimidated by the civilization he had encountered in this time, it would truly be a disgrace for the army of time travelers—a reason to be expelled from the group.
With these thoughts, Han Cheng’s mind gradually cleared.
No matter what, the priority was to build up his own strength.
Many times, in life, once one becomes strong, the rest naturally falls into place.
As for that unknown tribe—if they didn’t provoke him, fine; if they did, then he would simply fight.
Of course, in practice, he knew actions required strategy and method.
“Máo, ask them again—when they traded with those people, were there many of them?”
After a brief pause, Han Cheng spoke, continuing to give instructions to Mao.
Following his orders, Mao continued questioning the elder woman of the tribe.
Once Mao’s intentions were understood, the elder woman and some nearby tribespeople who understood his meaning looked troubled.
They hadn’t yet learned to count, so they didn’t know how to express the exact number of people.
They only knew there were many, but not precisely how many.
Partly because they couldn’t count, and hadn’t recorded the exact numbers at the time; partly because their last encounter with those people had been long ago, and they hadn’t paid special attention. Now, their memory was unclear.
After some effort and consulting with others, the elder woman began gesturing with her fingers.
After a lengthy, hesitant demonstration, Mao finally understood roughly how many people from that tribe had once come to trade with them and quickly relayed it to Han Cheng.
“About forty to seventy? All adults?”
Receiving Mao’s answer, Han Cheng murmured to himself.
As he suspected, a tribe capable of developing bronze was far from simple—not comparable to the earlier tribes he had encountered.
Just sending so many adults to trade indicated that the tribe’s total adult population was much larger.
While Han Cheng pondered this, the elder woman and her tribe could not help glancing at the two burned black pottery jars and the gourd of salt near Mao’s feet.
Their eyes reflected longing and unease.
They wanted to regain these precious items belonging to their tribe and feared they might be taken and not returned.
As for whether the items would be damaged, they weren’t particularly concerned—these objects were far too valuable.
Knowing the true worth of these items, they couldn’t imagine anyone destroying them.
Han Cheng, considering these matters, thought of something else.
One reason he felt pressure from the unknown tribe was that they had bronze; the greater reason was how little he knew about them—their development, their population.
As he often said, the unknown is terrifying; the mind tends to exaggerate it.
Upon hearing news about that tribe, he naturally fell into speculation—usually imagining the worst-case scenarios, as his cautious nature dictated.
Solving this was simple: contact the tribe and fully understand their strength and numbers.
Once he knew, there would be no uncertainty.
In military strategy terms: “Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated.”
However, finding a tribe in this era was no easy task.
Otherwise, in spring, the bark people who had lived in the main tribe wouldn’t have been able to sneak into the Copper Mountain settlement with the Black Stone Alliance.
Moreover, his own tribe was not yet fully established here. Their current priority was to develop Jinguancheng and cultivate rice paddies rapidly. Under these circumstances, it was clearly unwise to send people to scout the unknown tribe.
Considering all this, Han Cheng’s gaze fell on the elder woman crouched on the ground, and an idea began to form.
They weren’t suitable to do this task themselves, but the other members of the tribe could.
These women were perfect candidates.
They lived here and understood the environment better than outsiders. They also had some knowledge of other nearby tribes and had traded with the unknown tribe.
Thinking this, Han Cheng ordered some pottery jars and a jar of salt to be brought from the house.
Shortly after, a few people returned with them. A small path was cleared through the crowd, and those carrying the jars and salt placed them next to the elder woman’s own pottery and salt gourd.
The elder woman, previously pondering what Han Cheng had meant, immediately stopped thinking—every bit of their attention was drawn to the astonishing sight before them.
Their eyes widened, mouths gaping. The reactions of the rest of the tribe mirrored hers.
Some began breathing rapidly; others forgot to breathe entirely.
But whether breathing or not, they were filled with amazement.
And that amazement was tinged with disbelief.
This tribe also possessed such precious tools?!
Moreover, their cooking vessels were large, round, and beautiful.
Compared to the two treasured pots of her own tribe, the elder woman felt theirs suddenly seemed ugly.
And the key point: they had many exquisite, precious items!
As the elder woman continued to gape in shock, Han Cheng spoke again.
A moment later, the people blocking the path to the slave huts opened a passage directly in front of the door.
At the doorway, an extensive array of pottery was laid out—pots, bowls, and utensils brought along for the journey. Counting bowls for each person, there were roughly 160–170 pieces.
For a more substantial visual impact, Han Cheng had them laid out individually rather than in stacks.
The elder woman, crouched on the ground, curiosity compelling them, reluctantly lifted their gaze from the beautiful pottery to the cleared passage.
Then they were collectively stunned—shock and astonishment clearly written on every face.
They initially thought this handful of pottery represented all the tribe’s treasures.
But now they realized they had been wrong—this was only a small portion. The tribe possessed far more!
Though they had seen other tribes amazed by their own pottery, the Green Sparrow Tribe still felt a profound joy, as if their spirits had been lifted.
Like the little primitive tunes they hummed at night to pass the time, endlessly entertaining, never tiring.
“There’s also this.”
Following Han Cheng’s signal, Mao stepped forward, blocking the tribe’s gaze from the doorway, and brought over a sealed jar, opening it to reveal crushed salt inside.
Then he picked up the gourd the women used for salt, poured some out, and held it level with the jar of salt.
His actions immediately captured the elder woman’s attention.
Seeing what was inside the large, exquisite jar, they were shocked again.
This white substance looked different from what their tribe had obtained from previous trades—but undoubtedly more delicious than theirs.
In astonishment, under Han Cheng’s guidance, several Green Sparrow Tribe members brought ten or so similarly sized jars from the doorway, opened them, and displayed the salt.
This time, Han Cheng had brought a significant supply—salt was needed not just for the tribe, but also for their livestock.
Unlike food, which could be foraged if depleted, salt could not be replaced without knowledge of nearby salt deposits. They would remain here for some time, so they had brought plenty.
The elder woman’s mind was overwhelmed.
Previously, they thought the wealthiest tribe was the one they had traded with. Now they realized an even wealthier tribe existed.
This tribe’s pottery was more exquisite, their white substance more delicious—they were clearly richer.
If only their own tribe could possess such treasures…
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