As dusk descended, it cloaked all things in the world, obscuring the brutality of the daylight and making everything appear somewhat less bloody and cruel and a bit more serene and clean.

Under the night sky, the tribe looked as peaceful and tranquil as ever, with no trace of the chaos from the daytime battle.

However, the captives—who either did not realize they were living in a pigsty or did not care even if they knew—did not share this sentiment.

The day's events, which now seemed distant, remained vividly etched in everyone’s minds, making it clear that this seemingly quiet tribe could be terrifying when roused.

Everyone sat quietly within, some letting out soft groans due to their injuries, while others curled up against the cold stone walls and drifted off to sleep.

This was their first night in the tribe.

It was not a wonderful night. Autumn was nearly over, and early winter had arrived slowly, bringing with it cold and desolation.

However, no one felt that their living conditions were wrong; after all, their situation had considerably exceeded their expectations.

The thick walls and roofs kept the cold at bay, and the warm orange glow of fire filled the room. A few wisps of light seeped through the door cracks, breaking the night’s darkness.

Several prominent figures of the Green Sparrow tribe gathered inside a gray brick house that served as a temporary meeting place to discuss matters.

Unlike the ordinary citizens of the Green Sparrow tribe, who peacefully fell asleep with feelings of victory, these individuals still had to continue their labor of the mind and body.

In the conference room, the shaman shook his head. He disagreed with Shang and Mao’s proposal to lead a force to attack the Flying Snake tribe’s stronghold.

He believed that the number of slaves in the tribe was already sufficient and that there was no need to venture so far to assault the Flying Snake tribe.

Moreover, having too many slaves could burden the tribe in the short term.

As the weather grew colder and winter set in, this was not an ideal season for food procurement.

This meant that the captured slaves from the Flying Snake tribe would end up consuming food for two or three months, or even longer, without any return.

During this period, the Green Sparrow tribe's food supply would not increase much, and they would have to rely on their already-stored provisions.

Although this year’s millet harvest had been abundant, the sudden addition of more than sixty mouths to feed would be somewhat overwhelming.

If they were to conquer the Flying Snake tribe and bring the remaining people over, the number of individuals consuming free meals would increase even further. ɽ

This would put more pressure on the tribe.

Given his age, the shaman lacked a strong drive for progress and was inclined to be content with the status quo.

The tribe's current state was already several times better than his most optimistic projections, and the number of slaves acquired was beyond his expectations.

With his worries about insufficient food, he resisted Shang and the others' suggestion of sending people to assault the Flying Snake tribe directly.

After the shaman shared his views, the room fell silent momentarily. The others inside stopped talking and focused on Han Cheng, waiting for the Divine Child to decide.

Han Cheng did not speak immediately; he lightly tapped his fingers on the stone slab tabletop in front of him, made of stone bricks, and after a while, he slowly began, “I think we should still attack this time…”

"One should use the remaining courage to pursue the fleeing enemy rather than seeking fame by imitating tyrants."

This time, the Flying Snake tribe was completely devastated, and those who had escaped were thoroughly scattered; the likelihood of them all returning was slim.

Now was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the situation and wipe them out in one go.

The Flying Snake tribe had to be eradicated. First, because the two individuals taken from the original Donkey Tribe had not appeared on the battlefield today, there should still be two from the original Pig Tribe at the Flying Snake tribe's stronghold.

Han Cheng had once promised Shang and Mao that he would rescue their kin when the time was right.

Now that the timing was ripe, Shang and Mao would likely feel uneasy if no action were taken, which would not be conducive to unity within the tribe.

Second, as long as the Flying Snake tribe was not eliminated, they would continually threaten the Green Sparrow tribe, creating an uncomfortable feeling akin to being watched by a venomous snake.

From what Tu Mao had told him, Han Cheng understood the expansion tactics of the Flying Snake tribe.

In his view, this method was extremely crude.

However, it was undeniable that it was an effective way to increase strength rapidly in a short period.

If left unchecked, following the Flying Snake tribe's operational style, they could develop once more.

While achieving their current scale might be difficult, surpassing a typical small tribe would not be.

Third, the existence of the Flying Snake tribe was not a good thing for the tribes in this region.

They would further deplete the already limited manpower available.

Even though the impact of today’s battle would make it difficult for them to muster the courage to attack again, in the long run, the Flying Snake tribe's presence would still be detrimental to the development of the Green Sparrow tribe.

As the Green Sparrow tribe continued to grow, it required more and more people, while the Flying Snake tribe did the opposite and continually reduced its population.

A person goes through countless trials from birth to adulthood, yet killing someone takes just a moment.

Destruction is always easier than construction.

To avoid the Green Sparrow tribe ultimately finding itself with no one left to use.

This is to ensure that the Green Sparrow tribe’s trading teams do not encounter a single tribe when they set out.

Han Cheng believed it essential to launch an offensive against the Flying Snake tribe to eliminate them in one fell swoop.

As for the shaman's concerns about food shortages, Han Cheng was not overly worried—not because he had immense confidence in the tribe's food reserves, but because he was considering the Flying Snake tribe.

He clearly remembered that Tu Mao had said the Flying Snake tribe's shaman wanted to stockpile enough food before launching an attack on the tribes, so he had sent Tu Mao and a few others ahead to scout.

The fact that the Flying Snake tribe had attacked today indicated that they had stored enough food for themselves.

As long as they did not suffer significant losses, they should have enough food to sustain themselves, and now, with so many of their people dead, feeding the remaining members of the Flying Snake tribe with their stored food should not pose a problem.

When attacking the Flying Snake tribe, they took their population and seized their stored food.

With this food, the Green Sparrow tribe, now with many more slaves, could pass through the winter comfortably without worrying about food shortages.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay