Seeing everyone’s reactions, Han Cheng smiled slightly to himself, but didn’t stop speaking. Instead, he kept fanning the flames, stoking their emotions.
“But none of you are willing to go to Copper Mountain, unwilling to guard what belongs to our tribe!
If no one goes to guard it, then what’s the point of all this loud talk?
Will our enemies be deterred just because we shout louder? Can your voices reach Copper Mountain?”
These blunt words left no room for saving face, making everyone flush with embarrassment. Reflecting on their earlier thoughts, many felt deeply ashamed.
Yes, they were so far away from Copper Mountain. Even if they valued it highly, without anyone stationed there, how could they stop other tribes from taking it over?
“Divine Child, I’ll go!”
One person clenched his fists and shouted, his eyes slightly red and his breathing heavy.
With someone taking the lead, a wave of voices surged through the Green Sparrow Tribe like a tidal wave.
The crowd, emotions ignited, raised their fists and shouted, as if they could immediately fly to Copper Mountain, stab anyone who dared to seize it, and drag them back to serve as tribal slaves.
Even Eldest Brother, Shang, Mao, Gu, and Dou were all waving arms and shouting enthusiastically.
They deeply regretted not volunteering earlier when Han Cheng first brought up this matter.
The Third Senior Brother, who had taken the initiative to lead this task, stood tall with pride, his chest puffed out as he roared along with the others. Though he couldn’t outshout the others’ booming voices, no one could match the pride and honor in his tone.
Feeling secretly pleased, Han Cheng raised his hands several times to calm the crowd.
“As long as we go and guard it, no one can take Copper Mountain from us!
But not everyone needs to go. Who will take care of things here if we all head to Copper Mountain?
We only need twenty people. If you wish to go, report to Third Senior Brother…”
When Han Cheng finished speaking, the crowd surged toward Third Senior Brother, jostling to sign up. Watching the chaotic scene, Han Cheng couldn’t help but twitch his nose.
Looks like he had gone a bit too hard with the hype. Though he had tried to temper things at the end, he couldn’t extinguish the blazing enthusiasm.
Cheeky as ever, Han Cheng wondered how he’d stirred the pot a little too well — a classic case of playing humble after scoring a win.
In just moments, the twenty people were chosen.
Those selected beamed with pride, basking in honor. Those who weren’t looked dejected, kicking themselves for not running faster.
“Divine Child, I want to go too.”
Some of those not selected mustered the courage to approach Han Cheng directly, hoping to find another way.
Once one person stepped forward, others rushed up, surrounding Han Cheng with hopeful eyes.
This is the power of words — they can stir courage, spark determination, and even kill silently.
Of course, if you push too hard, you get the situation Han Cheng is now facing.
Looking at the eager crowd, Han Cheng gave a wry smile. That’s what he got for being so flashy.
Then he said, “Going to the Copper Mountain Residential Zone doesn’t mean you’ll never return. Those who go will come back. After the new year every year, we’ll select another group to rotate in.
Those who want to go will still have another chance…”
Although some people were still disappointed, they now had hope. Many quietly vowed to run faster next time.
Once the people were selected, it was time to prepare for the journey to the Copper Mountain Residential Zone.
Unlike the earlier missions to mine ore and return, this trip was for development. So preparations had to be much more thorough.
They needed to bring enough food for long-term consumption, all kinds of digging tools, weapons — every little item had to be packed.
The deer and dogs, who had become increasingly helpful to the Green Sparrow Tribe, would also be split up, with some going to Copper Mountain. The deer would be especially helpful in labor, and the dogs, now essential for scouting and detecting threats, were indispensable.
Slaves from the Green Sparrow Tribe would also be sent.
Not all of them—only about fourteen or fifteen strong ones were chosen to help develop the Copper Mountain Residential Zone.
This deliberate limitation in number was a safeguard implemented by Han Cheng.
These slaves had been obedient during their time in the tribe and had caused no trouble. Of course, that had much to do with Han Cheng not overly exploiting them.
Even so, Han Cheng never dropped his guard regarding the slaves.
The number of slaves going was kept lower than that of Green Sparrow citizens — a calculated safety measure.
There were so many things to prepare that the group didn’t depart until three days later.
Han Cheng himself would be going this time. After all, this was the Green Sparrow Tribe’s first branch settlement. Many decisions had to be made in person to ensure everything went smoothly.
Hei Wa, a master at building furnaces, would accompany him. His skills were essential in establishing furnaces for smelting tin and copper.
Once the furnaces at Copper Mountain were up and running, they only smelted copper and tin ingots. Bronze wasn’t smelted there, and no molds were used to cast tools.
The few mold-making artisans would not stay long at Copper Mountain.
This decision was made to impose checks and balances on the settlement.
It would prevent the Copper Mountain Residential Zone from becoming too ambitious. The rotation system was also designed with this in mind.
Han Cheng wanted the Copper Mountain zone to serve as an extended arm of the Green Sparrow Tribe — a force for strengthening the tribe, not something that would one day rebel against it.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Third Senior Brother and the others, but human nature is fickle. Coming from the modern world, Han Cheng understood this all too well.
So setting up safeguards in advance was not only wise — it was necessary.
Prevent trouble before it happens.
And in Han Cheng’s view, rules were often more reliable and comforting than trust when it came to governing people.