CHAPTER 193: CHAPTER 191 BOUNDARY DIVISION_1

Yan Xing knew that for these Werewolves and Lizardmen, the idea that the same piece of land could produce ten times the food was sheer fantasy. Even humans skilled in farming would consider it utter nonsense. Yan Xing knew that the doubts of the Werewolves and Lizardmen could not be dispelled by a simple slogan. He said to the Werewolf and Lizardman leaders attending the meeting, "Please open the booklets in your hands..."

The first page of the booklet was a photo of a rice paddy field.

Chief Qiao She asked, "Does Master Yan Xing wish for us to cultivate grains?"

Yan Xing answered, "Yes... As the populations of Werewolves and Lizardmen increase, relying solely on fishing and hunting will one day be insufficient to sustain your tribes. Moreover, the more food you consume, the less game there will be to catch. When that time comes, not only will the wars between Werewolves and Lizardmen be unending, but there will also be continuous bloodshed within your own ranks over the competition for hunting grounds. The only solution is to obtain a more stable food supply through farming."

Everyone understood the reasoning Yan Xing presented. However, suddenly changing their tribes’ lifestyle would inevitably cause some resistance among the various groups. Furthermore, the tribes deep in the swamps could still feed their people and did not have as urgent a need for food as the starving Werewolf Tribes on the fringes. Therefore, Yan Xing’s suggestion of farming did not receive an enthusiastic response. After all, the Werewolves and Lizardmen had come to discuss a ceasefire, not farming. And how could the hatred between them be resolved by Yan Xing’s mere words when both Werewolves and Lizardmen intrinsically wished to either exterminate the other or drive them out of the swamp?

Still, a few Werewolf and Lizardman leaders showed an interest in farming. These were primarily Chief Qiao She, Lianzu Chieftain, and the Clan Leaders who often came to scrounge for food and drink at Eternal Domain’s Blood Crown Mountain camp. Unwittingly, they were being influenced by the Eternal Domain. Not only did they aspire to its prosperous lifestyle, but their spiritual focus was also shifting towards Yan Xing. They instinctively believed that everything Master Yan Xing said was right.

In any case, the response from the leaders attending the meeting made Yan Xing realize he had been overly optimistic about the process of taking control of the Thunderous Swamp. The hatred between the Werewolves and Lizardmen had accumulated over long, drawn-out wars. Their entire world was the Thunderous Swamp; how could they easily share it with an enemy?

Disregarding the indifference of most Werewolves and Lizardmen towards farming, Yan Xing had everyone continue flipping through the pages. He explained the many benefits of farming: digging fishponds, building livestock pens, constructing irrigation systems, and building roads.

Yan Xing lowered his goals. He no longer hoped that all Werewolves and Lizardmen in the Thunderous Swamp would follow his lead in farming. If only some of the tribes were willing to shift from fishing and hunting to agriculture, he would consider it a significant step towards controlling the Thunderous Swamp. Tribes willing to engage in animal husbandry would inevitably grow strong rapidly. With the support of the Eternal Domain, their martial power would also be greatly enhanced.

Yan Xing believed in the laws of change concerning productive forces and relations of production.

Prosperous, affluent, and powerful tribes would undoubtedly hold great appeal for the surrounding backward, poor, and weak tribes. The populations of Werewolves and Lizardmen would irreversibly migrate towards these farming tribes, and these farming tribes would have ample food to support the new immigrants. Then, these tribes would complete their agricultural and urban transformation, further widening the power gap between them and the Werewolf Tribes and Lizardmen Clans that still relied on gathering. The Eternal Domain would only need to control the supply and demand of these swamp cities to control the entire Thunderous Swamp.

Based on the meeting’s developments, Yan Xing adjusted his strategy for the Thunderous Swamp on the fly and had Chui Chui add this plan to his memorandum. After Yan Xing finished his somewhat tedious introduction of the farming project, he asked the Werewolf and Lizardman leaders to turn to a new page in the booklets they held. This page detailed his planned main north-south road through the Thunderous Swamp.

"I believe an important factor in the frequent battles between Werewolves and Lizardmen is the lack of a clearly defined border. Without a clear boundary, it’s difficult to judge who is invading whom..." Yan Xing’s words finally piqued the interest of the assembled leaders once again, especially the Lizardmen, who were constantly being encroached upon by the Werewolves.

Lianzu Chieftain agreed wholeheartedly, saying, "Master Yan Xing is absolutely right! We must establish a border to prevent the Werewolves from continuing to encroach on our land!"

Yan Xing seized the opportunity. "Honorable leaders, please look at the maps in your hands. I plan to build a road traversing the Thunderous Swamp from north to south. It will run along the western side of Blood Crown Mountain, effectively using the current frontline where your main forces face each other as its baseline. Land to the east of this Thunderous Swamp Main Road will be occupied by the Lizardmen, and land to the west by the Werewolves..."

Before Yan Xing could finish, Werewolf Chief Ironhead objected, "I disagree! What about the Werewolf Tribes that have already moved east of this proposed road? Especially the Werewolf Tribes along the southern and northern edges—many of their territories are on the east side of this road!"

Yan Xing said to Chief Ironhead, "Chief Ironhead... the Werewolf Tribes scattered along the northern and southern edges of the Thunderous Swamp are not your concern. The Werewolf Tribes at the southern edge of the Thunderous Swamp fall within the sphere of influence of my Eternal Werewolf Tribe. I will be responsible for negotiating our border issues with the Lizardmen there. As for the border issues between Werewolves and Lizardmen in the northern Thunderous Swamp, we need to bring those northern tribes into the discussion. You only need to be responsible for the Werewolf Tribes you represent. And basically, everything west of this road is already under your actual control."

Yan Xing’s words explicitly divided the Werewolf Race into three factions, drawing an angry glare from Ironhead. "I disagree with this border division! Some of my tribes already have territory east of this road."

Ironhead considered himself the leader of all Werewolf Tribes. He might look down on the smaller, weaker Werewolf Tribes on the fringes, but letting them officially separate would infringe upon his interests.

Yan Xing replied, "Have the Werewolf Tribes east of Blood Crown Mountain relocate to the west. Alternatively, they can move to my controlled territory; I can provide them with land and food. The Lizardmen will then compensate the migrating Werewolf Tribes. Do the Lizardmen approve of this border division?"

The recent war had made the Lizardmen realize that within the Thunderous Swamp, the Werewolves had actually grown stronger than them, especially since the Lizardmen themselves were divided into factions. Currently, the Lizardmen only wished to end the conflict with the Werewolves as soon as possible. A stable border would give them time to handle their internal strife, consolidate their strength, and then prepare for the next battle against the Werewolves. Therefore, the Lizardmen were relatively amenable to this border division proposal. After all, it largely corresponded to the actual zones of control, and it was unrealistic for them to try and push the boundary further south. The only aspect that made the Lizardmen uncomfortable was that the proposed border lay right at the foot of Blood Crown Mountain.