A major change in the forest world

Chapter 9 The Great Tortoise's Strategy at the Seven Clans Summit

Experience has shown that when the eldest brother is willing to set aside his pride and discuss issues with the second and third brothers in a consultative tone, the outcome is often positive; however, if the second and third brothers fail to grasp the eldest brother's true intentions and become arrogant, the result is often negative.

Big Turtle later gave himself a perfect score of 10 for his meeting with Big White Goose in front of the media. But in reality, he should have scored 100, he was just being modest.

After their private meeting, Da Gui returned to the top-tier hotel arranged by Shiba Inu, who had been waiting for him. Da Gui told him about asking him to nominate him for the Forest World Peace Prize the next day, and then went to rest.

Because the last summit was not handled well, Shiba Inu was being put under intense scrutiny by his colleagues and the public. Seeing how the big turtle treated him, he eventually declined the offer, citing forgetfulness as the reason.

On August 29th of the same year, the meeting of the seven tribes of the Forest World was held as scheduled in the Eagle Kingdom.

The giant tortoise, still exuding a powerful aura and firmly holding its position as the overlord of the forest, sits high in the main position.

On either side are the eagle, with its sharp posture and still unable to let go of its past glory, and the Berlin bear, which is meticulous in its actions and honest in its heart;

The romantic and carefree host sculpture; the temperamental and competitive goat; the silent and reserved falcon that follows the crowd closely.

There was also the owl, who is usually low-key and has always relied on the big tortoise; the last to enter was the Shiba Inu that messed up the last 20-tribe summit.

Originally, this gathering was only intended for the seven oldest tribes. However, the giant tortoise had captured some details about the goats at the previous gathering of twenty tribes in the Osaka forest:

"The goat's gaze toward the phoenix always concealed a deep sense of defiance and stubbornness, revealing its dissatisfaction and unwillingness to compete with the phoenix."

The giant tortoise, skilled in the art of checks and balances and mind-reading, planned strategically from a macro perspective and meticulously from micro perspective. He deliberately broke with past practice and took the initiative to invite the goat to the meeting.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Diao, as the host of this summit, smiled and announced the start of the meeting, his tone composed yet exuding a romantic and refined air:

"Dear old friends of the forest, it is a rare occasion for us to gather together on our beautiful coast. The sea breeze is just right today. Let's not talk about disputes or trade. Let's take a deep breath, calm down, and talk about the changes in the forest world over the years, and about the ideologies and doctrines that have influenced the fate of our people in our forest world."

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire room fell silent. Everyone turned to look at the giant tortoise, their eyes filled with doubt: What? No talk of economics, no talk of cooperation, just talk of learning!

Seeing everyone's confused expressions, the giant tortoise slowly began to speak:

"Today, taking advantage of this summit, I'd like to discuss something with you all. I'm sure you're all aware of what happened at the last summit: how can we better understand the great white goose, unite as one, and enable it to contribute more to forest development!"

Although different ethnic groups may sometimes disagree, we must unite as one for the common development of the forest.

Therefore, the prerequisite for unity and friendship is that we must first calm down and consider each other's feelings, and understand each other's thoughts and needs.

The eagle frowned slightly upon hearing this, flapped its wings, and said with the arrogance of a seasoned powerhouse:

"Phoenix is ​​too gentle and humble, while Big White Goose is too tough. They're different from Big Turtle and us, so why bother trying to figure out what they're thinking?"

The Berlin bear beside him chimed in:

"The various races in the forest world have all sorts of ideas. It's their business if they want to be unique. Besides, the white goose isn't the mainstream. Brother Turtle, is it really necessary to study him?"

The goat, who had been holding back his anger, finally spoke up, his tone full of resentment: "I've always disliked Phoenix's outwardly honest but inwardly tough way of doing things. This kind of middle-of-the-road approach is better left unlearned!"

Seeing that the others still wanted to echo his opinion, the giant tortoise gently shook its head, its eyes revealing a worldly wisdom and clarity, and slowly said:

"As a member of the forest family, the worst thing we can do is to be complacent and shut out the world. Existence is a fact. The white goose has managed to secure its place in the forest and survive to this day, so it must have advantages that we lack. If we don't even know what the truly outstanding people rely on, or the beliefs they hold dear, how can we possibly discard the dross, select the essence, and keep pace with the times?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present fell silent, inwardly applauding. The reason the Great Turtle had been able to maintain its dominant position for so many years, besides its top-tier technology and first-class military, was its unwavering willingness to study powerful opponents and learn from the strong.

This may be the main reason why a certain clan has not become the strongest in the forest for the past five hundred years: they are arrogant, complacent, and do not learn from the best. They are not like the great tortoise, who never stops learning.

The giant tortoise adjusted its posture, looked out at the vast sea, and slowly began to recount the monumental work that had changed the entire forest world: the great white goose's unwavering faith stemmed from a book that spanned a century and influenced the development of the entire forest community—"The Forest Declaration".

A century ago, the forests were in turmoil, and the creatures suffered terribly. Two great pioneers, concerned for all living beings, saw through the laws governing the operation of all things in the world and understood the essential contradictions in the development of their people. They then took up their pens and wrote this classic work.

It dispelled the fog in everyone's hearts, revealing the truth that all things are equal and that all beings can refine gold when they are of one mind. It also planted the seeds of ideals and struggles in the forest, which later slowly spread to every corner of the forest.

The giant tortoise suddenly paused and said earnestly, word by word, "I have studied this great work in its entirety and learned from history how this doctrine was born, spread, and gradually took root and grew."

Any doctrine, from its birth to its development, and then to its acceptance and recognition by the public, goes through a process.

At this point, the giant tortoise uttered a famous saying in a firm tone: "Any doctrine, any belief, represents the voice and needs of the majority of people at that time."

The moment those powerful words were spoken, the eagles, hawks, Berlin bears, and goats present all nodded in approval.

Seeing everyone in silence and deep thought, the giant tortoise continued, "The great white goose's unwavering resolve and journey to where he is today is inseparable from his steadfast faith, which originates from this monumental work."

We must value every voice in the forest, and we must not blindly reject those who are different. The stronger a group is, the more it will learn from the strong, study and understand the needs and strengths of the excellent. Only by knowing ourselves and our enemies can we remain calm and in control amidst the ever-changing landscape of the forest.

Upon hearing this, the goat, who had been harboring resentment, lowered its proud head and began to reflect: being unconvinced and throwing a tantrum was not conducive to the harmony of the forest. The only way to get along with others was to lower its pride and calm down to learn from the strengths of the strong. Compared with the great tortoise's composure and humility, it was far inferior.

Eagle also suppressed his arrogance, sighed softly, and said slowly, "Hearing what Brother Turtle said today, I've had an epiphany. We've always been arrogant and complacent because of our past glory as overlords, failing to face reality, and disdaining to understand others or humbly learn from them. In the end, we've regressed."

Diao nodded slightly and sighed, "It turns out that the true strongmen in the forest are never those who look down on all living beings from a high place. Instead, they are more willing to put aside their prejudices and earnestly try to understand each competitor and the real needs of each group."

"The gentle sea breeze carried away the autumn's sweltering heat, and also made everyone understand a profound truth: 'The forest world has a long history, and outstanding individuals come and go, but they all share the same precious qualities: they always have their own unwavering beliefs, while also humbly learning from those with differing opinions, seeking common ground while reserving differences, working together for development, and progressing together.'"

Looking at the subdued expressions on his followers' faces, the big tortoise couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Whether it's Southern doctrines or Northern beliefs, aside from written expressions, there is only one essence, and this essence can only be understood intuitively, not explained in words!

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