The workers at the Copper Mountain settlement had returned ahead of schedule, which surprised the members of the Green Sparrow Tribe, who had just learned of the news.
However, their surprise quickly turned into anger.
In the tribe, Han Cheng, stroking the fine stubble on his chin, listened to Third Senior Brother’s account without saying anything for a moment.
“Divine Child, it’s my fault. I didn’t keep an eye on things properly…”
After explaining the situation, Third Senior Brother began to apologize earnestly.
Han Cheng raised his hand to stop the Third Senior Brother, who had clearly become much thinner and frailer.
Developing a barren land takes tremendous effort—words like “hard work” don’t even begin to describe the hardships. Third Senior Brother and his group had been working for a long time under such conditions, and with all the exhaustion they had endured, how could Han Cheng punish him for the actions of a mere slave?
“This isn’t your fault. It’s all because of that slave,” Han Cheng said with a smile to Third Senior Brother, and this single sentence made Third Senior Brother, who had feared the Divine Child’s anger, feel a warmth inside.
Han Cheng had been cautious about the slaves from the very beginning. When the Green Sparrow Tribe first got slaves, he had prepared for potential revolts.
However, because of his excellent handling of them, the slaves, who had never experienced much, developed a strong sense of belonging to the tribe. This prevented any revolts or escapes, which Han Cheng had anticipated but had yet to see.
This made the crafty Han Cheng feel a bit disheartened at times.
Now, finally, a slave had stepped out of line—a perfect example to make an example of, and it would be strange if he didn’t feel some excitement.
Third Senior Brother, naturally, was anxious. After all, these slaves had never caused trouble before. Now, after only a short time in the outside world, one was already thinking of rebellion. It would have been strange if he weren’t anxious.
At this moment, Third Senior Brother, whose eyelids were tense, had no idea how Han Cheng was feeling. If he had known, he would have been astonished and his mind would likely have been flooded with a thousand strange thoughts…
After listening to Third Senior Brother’s explanation, Han Cheng’s gaze fell on the bound slave, Meng, lying there.
Upon realizing that Han Cheng was staring at him, Meng, who had already been beaten severely, had no fear left, but now, his body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Meng tried to control his body, unwilling to shake, because the Divine Child before him didn’t appear physically strong and was generally relatively gentle.
But his body wouldn’t obey his will.
Fearful, he couldn’t bring himself to say the words he had planned, so he curled up, attempting to show submission and prepare to speak the truth.
But what troubled him even more was that Han Cheng didn’t seem interested in asking him anything. Instead, he immediately ordered the gongs to be struck, gathering everyone together.
The sky was overcast, with little wind and heavy air, indicating a storm was approaching.
The weather at this moment mirrored the mood of the Green Sparrow Tribe’s people.
Meng had never read the famous “Sea Swallow” and thus couldn’t shout a battle cry like “Let the storm come even fiercer!”
In truth, even if he had known, he still couldn’t have shouted it.
After arriving at the large tribe, seeing the gathering crowd and the appearance of the Divine Child, the courage he had previously mustered to express his grievances evaporated.
As everyone gathered, they spat at him in disgust, and although it hadn’t rained yet, Meng was already soaked in their spittle.
“Divine Child, kill him!”
“Divine Child, kill him!”
“We don’t want traitors!”
Without Han Cheng even needing to speak, those aware of the situation began shouting angrily.
Not just the citizens of the Green Sparrow Tribe, but many slaves in the tribe also waved their fists, shouting.
Their eyes, filled with anger and shame, were fixed on Meng.
How could such a traitor emerge in their tribe?
With legs as long as a grasshopper’s, they longed to crush him with their hands!
Had they known he would betray the tribe, they wouldn’t have even given him extra food!
Han Cheng said nothing, merely observing the crowd’s reactions with a neutral expression. Alongside him, the elderly, once-kind-hearted shaman was also watching closely.
After a long pause, Han Cheng finally spoke, announcing the decision regarding the punishment of the first runaway slave.
Contrary to the wishes of the crowd, he did not kill Meng.
Killing a grown man like that would be too wasteful.
Of course, Han Cheng would not let him off easily, as he wanted to set an example and deter others.
Aside from death, other forms of punishment could make life worse than death.
In front of everyone, Han Cheng declared that Meng would be forced to work in the copper mines until his death.
Unlike the normal miners of the Green Sparrow Tribe, Meng’s labor would be an intense, near-exploitative form of mining, much like the exploitation seen during the 17th and 18th centuries in the West under capitalism.
This time, Han Cheng intended to treat the slaves as slaves.
Many in the crowd felt that this punishment was too lenient. Someone like Meng, who betrayed the tribe, should be killed outright.
Even Meng himself was taken aback. He felt both surprised and a strange sense of relief.
This situation didn’t escape Han Cheng’s keen observation, and he told the crowd, “This punishment is far more serious than you think,” before saying no more.
Upon hearing this, Meng, who had secretly rejoiced, now felt uncertain.
Temporarily detained, he began to reflect on his punishment and the life that awaited him.
Mining—he had done it a few times at Copper Mountain. It was indeed tiring, but not as bad as he had imagined.
Yet when he thought of Han Cheng’s last words, unease began to creep into his heart.
Still, after much pondering, he couldn’t figure out what could be so terrible about a life spent mining…
After this matter was settled, the crowd dispersed to resume their work.
In the yard, by the bamboo grove, Han Cheng sat on a stone bench next to a small stone mill, resting his chin in thought.
He was still contemplating how to strengthen control over the slaves.
This incident of Meng’s escape made him realize that his previous, overly lenient methods weren’t sufficient. He needed to come up with new ways to control them better.
“From the Xia and Shang to the Western Zhou, the Eastern Zhou in two parts, Spring and Autumn and Warring States, the Qin and Han dynasties unified, the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Shu, and Wu, the Jin Dynasty, North and South Dynasties, the Sui and Tang, the Five Dynasties, and the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing—this is the complete history of the dynasties,”
After thinking for a while, Han Cheng started to recite the history of the dynasties.
Of course, he wasn’t trying to show off his “vast” historical knowledge, but rather hoping to find a method from these periods that could be adapted or modified to solve the issue.
Throughout its five thousand years of history, this long-standing nation has experienced a range of systems, including clan-based structures, slavery, feudal monarchies, centralized imperial rule, and later capitalist and socialist systems. Throughout these changes, countless wise individuals have devised solutions to the issues of their time, and drawing from these examples is an excellent approach.