Chapter 458 - 16: The Watermill
Sunday's snake-slaying incident troubled Chen Zhou for several days.
It wasn't that he was overly suspicious; it was just that on the island, he was the only "outsider," whereas the other indigenous people, despite being from different tribes, at least came from the same area and spoke the same language.
This kept Chen Zhou wary of all the indigenous people, fearing they might band together to overthrow his rule.
On the day Sunday slew the snake, amidst the unanimous cheers from the indigenous people, Chen Zhou seemed to see a conclusion where "slaves unite to overthrow the slave masters' rule."
…
Of course, the subsequent investigation proved he was worrying unnecessarily.
The indigenous people's history is very brief; they have merely developed a language and haven't developed writing, relying entirely on oral transmission for historical records.
In their short historical journey, there has never been a cry like "Are kings and ministers born different?"
Without this first rebellion, subsequent revolts such as the Red Eyebrows revolt, Yellow Turbans revolt, Huang Chao revolt, and Fang La revolt, to overthrow rulers, are naturally out of the question.
Not even when Chen Zhou governs them "gently," nor when the Spaniards and subsequent colonizers treat them like livestock, did they have any thoughts of rebellion.
Chen Zhou believed the reason the isolated indigenous people didn't have this awareness was partly due to their brief history.
Additionally, the fact that their archipelago never unified to form a stable, lasting government or a universally accepted religion played a certain role.
The Inca people of South America were also oppressed, and after their king was extorted and executed by Spaniards, they initiated a rebellion to fight back against the Spaniards.
And for the Inca people to gather an army of a hundred thousand, it was inseparable from the call of their shared belief in the Sun God.
The indigenous tribes were scattered, with different beliefs, unclear history, and writing, and limited population, making the emergence of a rebellion consciousness exceedingly difficult.
To "drive mad" this group of people emerging from a Hell-like survival environment, one at least has to be ten times more harsh than their Leader.
Such a degree of harshness and oppression was something Chen Zhou could not achieve; after all, he is a modern man.
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In fact, the indigenous people were already quite satisfied with their present life; they even felt that here was the "Celestial Kingdom," or at least next to it.
Both of the indigenous people Saturday and Sunday, just like when they were first rescued, remained loyal, treating him with an attitude more respectful than how they treat their father.
Such pure and unmotivated affection was just like how Friday treated Robinson.
Compared to these simple-minded indigenous people, modern people who seem to have complex thoughts and wish to sprout a bellyful of tricks appear to be another kind of creature.
After closely observing Sunday and the indigenous people for several days, Chen Zhou finally realized that he had been judging virtuous people by their own standards.
Perhaps the indigenous people's loyalty to him wasn't yet to the extent that they would risk life and limb for him, but the youths Saturday and Sunday were always ready to die for him.
Because the average lifespan of the indigenous people is very short, and in their lives, they haven't experienced much of the world's beauty; they have always been oppressed, enduring the burden of survival.
Moreover, most of the male indigenous people have faced battles early, struggling between life and death, making them not particularly fearful of death nor cherishing their own lives.
This point makes the indigenous people entirely different from modern people who fear death, injuries, and cling to their lives.
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It was also from this time that Chen Zhou genuinely realized how much his way of thinking and world perception, as well as understanding of life, differed from the indigenous people.
However, recognizing this isn't a bad thing.
The premise of knowing how to wisely utilize individuals is knowing them; once he sufficiently understood the indigenous people, he could comfortably make use of them.
On the other hand, mistrust someone and don't use them; use them and don't mistrust them. After this incident, Chen Zhou's level of trust in Sunday and Saturday increased a notch.
He felt that since he chose "strength in numbers" rather than bearing all things alone, to get through a long period of challenge, he ought to be more open-minded.
Being jealous of the capable is clearly not a trait a wise leader should possess.
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The grass cut by the indigenous people became food for the sheep, although the sheep were quite unwilling to eat grass that was no longer fresh, it wasn't something they could control—
Due to entering the mating season and running off with wild goats, indirectly causing the "Snake-slashing incident," Chen Zhou had already decided to limit their free, undisciplined life.
Underneath the herders' huts on the hillside, the indigenous people fenced off an area to keep the sheep.
Until the mating season is over, the rams can only mate with designated ewes within the herd, and the ewes can only find sires within the group; neither can go out to philander.
As for the bull and cow, they don't have this restriction; there are only these two cows on the island, and not to mention they might not want to find mates, even if they wanted to, they couldn't find any.
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The sheep pen is enclosed with wooden boards, not very tall, and not sturdy or durable, just a makeshift project meant to cope with the rainy season.
Actually, not long after the Spaniards arrived on the island, Chen Zhou had plans to build sheep and cattle pens as well as more sturdy and functional herders' huts.
But plans can't keep up with changes; who could have thought the anniversary gift package would bring so many building materials?
Faced with the extremely tempting major project that is the factory, smaller projects like pens naturally got shelved.
Of course, this was partly because there weren't enough hands, and partly because the rainy season made construction inconvenient.