When many people think of a chieftain or a king, they often picture an Arab tycoon, subconsciously assuming they must be wealthy. However, this is not always the case.
Take, for example, the chieftains or local kings of Angola. Those in the north are wealthy because they have oil beneath their lands, but the same cannot be said for those in the south.
The kingdom where Liang En serves as chieftain is an example. Apart from some land and granite suitable for construction, there are no valuable minerals hidden beneath this land.
Additionally, this vast territory is somewhat remote, with few forests, making it unsuitable for trade or lumber sales. The entire territory relies solely on agriculture and a minimal amount of processing industry, making it extremely poor.
This is why all those chieftains came to befriend Liang En. This hydroelectric station is the largest industrial facility on their land.
According to the analysis by the assistants on the way, this small hydroelectric station's annual output might be ten times the total industrial output of the entire territory under these local kings' rule, and that's considering handicrafts.
If handicrafts were excluded, the only industries in this land might be a car repair shop, a bicycle repair shop, and a mill for grinding locally grown corn.
Besides the facility, Liang En also offered to arrange for the tribes to receive a batch of affordable solar stoves and solar panels to help them address some of their energy issues.
Thus, the banquet ended on a joyful note. Afterward, the local king specifically ordered a large box to be delivered to one of the pickups in Liang En's convoy, saying it was an additional gift for the chieftain.
"What is this?" Joan of Arc asked curiously as she looked at the box that had been brought into the house after they drove back to the hydroelectric station's construction camp. "It seems pretty heavy, and by the size, it looks like something big."
"You'll see once we open it." Liang En stepped forward to open the box, and his eyes widened in surprise. "It's ivory and lion skins—this is a very precious gift."
According to local tradition, a chieftain, besides the three-piece set used during the coronation ceremony, must also have a chair covered with the skin of a fierce beast and a pair of ivory tusks placed behind the chair. It seems this completes the set.
After a brief inspection, Liang En found that both the ivory and lion skins were at least fifty to sixty years old, which made him feel a little less guilty.
Although it is now fashionable for wealthy Europeans to hunt in Africa, and there are legal wildlife hunting activities in Africa, Liang En is not fond of hunting for non-survival purposes. Therefore, knowing that these items were from stockpiles wasn't a bad thing.
That said, ivory tusks longer than 2 meters are now rare, mainly because previous rampant poaching essentially filtered out elephants with long tusks.
It’s worth mentioning that while many believe China is a major consumer of ivory, the market has significantly decreased since the international ban on ivory in 1990. The true large-scale consumers are now Europe, the United States, and Japan.
Europeans, in particular, have historically used ivory extensively—for furniture handles, cigarette holders, jewelry boxes, billiard balls, and piano keys, among other things. However, most of these items were made and left behind before the ban took effect.
The real issue lies with the Japanese. Unlike most countries worldwide, Japan insists on maintaining and operating its ivory market.
According to official statistics, Japan’s ivory stockpile accounts for about 89% of Asia's and 31% of the global stockpile, far surpassing China.
A Japanese government report shows that by the end of 2020, Japan's ivory stockpile was 244 tons, including 178 tons of whole tusks (about 17,000 tusks) and 66 tons of cut ivory.
Theoretically, ivory was listed as a banned import in the 1990 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Japanese side also emphasizes that most of their stockpiled ivory was imported before the ban.
But the reality is different. It’s clear that a large amount of ivory with unclear origins and storage times is circulating in the Japanese market. Considering Japan's stance on whaling, this can be seen as a reflection of their national character.
In Japan, these ivories are primarily used to make stamps and jewelry. By the end of 2020, Japan had 968,000 ivory stamps and 3.18 million pieces of ivory jewelry.
Yet, strangely, it is the Chinese who bear the stigma of the international community, while few people are aware that it is the Japanese and Europeans who are the true major consumers and illegal users of ivory.
"So, this is what they call international public opinion—" Liang En muttered as he closed the box, then signaled to the security personnel to take it away and prepare a temporary hall.
The hall would be used the next day. Traditionally, a newly appointed chieftain must perform a ceremony on their land and receive the loyalty of their subordinates. For someone like Liang En, who is entirely new, this ceremony is also necessary to recruit his first batch of subjects.
"I hope at least a few people show up tomorrow," Liang En thought before going to sleep, with the mindset of a foreman hiring workers. "Even though it's not a big deal if no one comes, it would still be a bit embarrassing—"
That night, Liang En fell asleep worried, but fortunately, the situation turned out much better than expected the next day. After the ceremony, a group of temporary workers from the surrounding areas immediately expressed their willingness to serve under Liang En.
By the end of the ceremony, Liang En discovered that a total of 150 households, more than 700 people, were willing to follow him and become subjects of this land, swearing their allegiance on the spot.
"They're actually people from various tribes, but since the land couldn't support so many people, they had to leave the tribes and find their own way," explained the ceremonial officer sent by the local king.
"So now that Your Highness has taken them in, it's a good thing. Compared to surviving alone outside, it's obviously easier to achieve a better life by gathering together."
Liang En knew the ceremonial officer was right. After all, this place is still a traditional agricultural area, and farming purely as a family would be very challenging with many potential problems.
As for finding work elsewhere, that would be even harder. This place is not like Europe, America, or China, where infrastructure is highly developed. A trip could take months of preparation.
Not to mention that even if they made it to the city, they might not find suitable work, as Liang En saw a massive shantytown made of asbestos sheets, iron sheets, wooden sticks, and steel pipes on the outskirts of the capital, filled with unemployed people.
In the long run, having these people join is clearly beneficial. But in the short term, they seem more like a burden. Fortunately, there are only a few hundred of them, so managing this work shouldn't be too difficult.
More importantly, most of these people are farmers or herders, so after some basic training, they can at least maintain the current vegetable plantations and assist with upcoming livestock farming.
Indeed, according to the scholars consulted earlier, the environment here is relatively fragile. If the entire land were turned into uniform plantations, various problems would likely arise.
Therefore, the plan is to implement an integrated and coordinated strategy to develop the entire land into a complete ecological farm, aiming for sustainable development.
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