Chapter 29: New Rules 1 |
Xia Hong had never been one to compromise easily.
Just like in his previous life when his ALS reached its final stages, sensing he would soon lose all mobility and become completely helpless, he had chosen to end his own life.
If living meant losing all dignity, it was better to die honorably.
But in this perilous winter world, achieving even this basic goal was extraordinarily difficult.
Hunger, cold, daylight, Frost Beasts, Abominations...
Any one of these could claim countless lives.
Doing it alone was impossible.
Only by uniting more people's strength could this goal be achieved most effectively - this was the deepest realization Xia Hong had since transmigrating here.
Xia Hong believed that all humans inherently yearned for dignified and respectable lives - this was mankind's most fundamental desire without exception.
So too was everyone else in Great Xia Camp.
And Frost Beast meat was the ticket to such a dignified existence.
Previously when meat wasn't distributed, whenever Xia Hong returned to camp, he found only lifeless depression. Aside from the few who had meat for cultivation, most just numbly lay by the fire.
But after Xia Hong started sharing the meat, they transformed.
Nearly everyone, after eating their fill, would find opportunities to train, hoping to grow stronger, join the lumberjack reserve team, and earn their share of Frost Beast meat.
This sudden vitality made Xia Hong realize everyone in camp secretly yearned for change - given the chance, anyone could unleash tremendous potential.
When countless such individuals united toward a common goal, no obstacle could stop them.
"There is strength in numbers" wasn't just an empty saying.
The classification of camps by population size proved this.
All camps knew increasing population meant greater strength.
But limited by resources and capability, they couldn't achieve it.
Now, Great Xia Camp could accomplish this through unconventional means using Small Torches.
Naturally, Xia Hong wouldn't stubbornly cling to old rules.
Setting aside personal gains to share meat, thereby increasing the camp's active forces, absorbing more people, expanding the camp's scale, and repeating this cycle - this was the optimal development path.
Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng and others weren't foolish, but constrained by past experiences, their vision remained limited.
Moreover, self-interest has always moved men's hearts since ancient times.
Setting aside personal gain was never simple.
Fortunately, Xia Hong had set the example first.
When Xia Ding and the lumberjack team first met disaster, Xia Hong shared the meat he brought back with them.
That's why now, he could confidently ask them to do the same.
Truthfully, Xia Hong could absolutely dictate terms unilaterally. Given his current authority, neither Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, Yue Feng nor anyone else would openly oppose him.
But he chose instead to patiently explain the reasoning to them.
Abolishing old rules and establishing new ones was easy.
But making everyone understand the principles behind them, ensuring the rules functioned properly, and having everyone collectively uphold them - that wasn't simple.
Any system's purpose was to regulate and develop the organization.
If implementing new rules caused Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng and others to resent other camp members or create conflicts, it would defeat the purpose.
Recently, Xia Hong had clearly noticed the earliest Lumberjack Realm breakthrough group led by Xia Chuan genuinely resented other camp members, with tensions escalating.
That's why he took such pains to thoroughly explain his reasoning and the benefits for them and the camp.
After laying out all considerations, seeing Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng and others deep in thought, Xia Hong remained silent, letting them digest his words.
After a long while, Yuan Cheng was first to look up:
"Leader, I understand. Only when everyone grows stronger can we truly fear no Frost Beasts and prevent past tragedies. I'll follow your 3-5-2 meat distribution ratio."
"No individual's strength alone can change our camp's overall situation. The leader is right - only when everyone contributes can we live better and longer. I also agree to keep the distribution rules unchanged."
"Right, with our current hunting capability, we have more meat than before - enough to cultivate more Lumberjack Realm fighters. Sticking to old rules would only return Great Xia to its former state. I support keeping the distribution rules unchanged."
One by one, Yue Feng, Lin Kai and the other five all voiced agreement, showing they'd not only listened but truly understood Xia Hong's message.
"Prioritizing more Lumberjack Realm fighters is indeed more crucial now!"
Surprisingly, the last to comprehend was younger brother Xia Chuan. Seeing everyone's sincere expressions and knowing their acceptance was genuine, Xia Hong finally relaxed, a faint smile appearing.
This matter wasn't earth-shattering, but certainly no trivial affair either.
Resource distribution had always been humanity's eternal dilemma.
Whether to prioritize individuals or the collective never had a definitive answer.
But currently, Great Xia absolutely should prioritize the collective.
A group too weak to even venture out at night not only couldn't help the camp, but would burden their Lumberjack Realm members.
Even harvesting Crystal Fruits carried risks.
Abandoning them wasn't an option, but endlessly harvesting just to feed them was even worse.
As the ancient saying goes: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Xia Hong firmly believed this.
Helping them grow stronger and improve survival skills was the correct path.
Moreover, as the entire camp grew stronger, resource accumulation would accelerate. More resources could support more people, creating a virtuous cycle with limitless potential for Great Xia Camp.
Of course, more importantly, this secured resources for camp system upgrades.
Though currently only the Small Fire Pit system building was unlocked, judging by upgrade requirements and conditions for opening others, future resource needs would be astronomical.
Without a stable, large camp population, Xia Hong alone could never gather that many resources. He needed to rely on more people.
Establishing these new rules was Xia Hong's challenge to this world's ingrained notions, and his first practical implementation of Great Xia Camp's development philosophy.
Fortunately, through accumulated authority and considerable persuasion, everyone ultimately listened.
"After all, it's just a makeshift group of a hundred-plus people. Take it slow - where there's a first time, there'll be a second. We're not far from proper operations!"
With new rules established and everyone's concerns resolved, Xia Hong stopped dwelling on it.
"Night's almost here - time to prepare for the hunt."
Hearing this, the others nodded and went to gather their weapons.
Only the newly-breakthrough Xu Ning, knowing he'd venture out for the first time, excitedly touched the hand axe already at his waist, his expression most eager of all.
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