Once the was a kingdom at the foot of the mountains. As the kingdom was surrounded on many sides by the mountains, the land was easy to defend. The king's army grew quite powerful and made the king quite wealthy. But it was not enough for him. Half his land was rocky mountains.. Useless!

  So it was that the king divided the rocky land between two peasant clans. He told them to make use of the land within three years time or be exterminated! Whichever clan pleased him more with their half of the useless land would be allowed to live, the other was to be slaughtered, and their land given to the other clan. Having no real choice, the peasant clans headed into the rocky hills.

  The first clan, like the king, saw little use for the land. The surface was rocky and harsh, unsuitable for most farming and livestock. But beneath that craggy surface... They found the rocks held many valuable minerals, and so set out to mine the hills of their precious contents.

  The second clan was also at a bit of a loss as to what use the land could have. The only crop that would grow in such an environment was... Grapes...! So it was they set about making a Vineyard and Winery on their half of the rocky hills.

  The two clans toiled long and hard at their respective plans. The first clan, being miners, grew strong and stout. The second clan, being vintners, learned to use their wits more than their brawn.

  When the three years had expired, the mining clan presented the king with riches from within the mountainous terrain. The king was most pleased. The Vintners then presented the king with many barrels of some of the finest wine the king had ever quaffed. The king could not choose between the two; both clans had provided a most excellent tribute to his greatness. So the king simply decreed that every year the clans would pay their tributes to him, and the first to disappoint him would be the clan to die.

  So it was over the years that the peasant clans came to feud. Miners raiding the vineyards to destroy the crops only served to plow new fields for more grapes. Wine generously donated to thirsty miners only dulled the pain of a full day's toil, allowing the miners to work even longer. The cunning of the vintners and the strength of the miners were at equal odds.

  Much to the king's delight, neither clan failed to produce their annual tribute for many years. Until one fateful year when the minerals of the earth began to run dry. The miners had nearly exhausted their mines. But they were not about to go gently into that good night.

  Mining as much wealth as they could, the miners used their gold to purchase arms and mercenaries. The king would not find it so easy to defeat them. They attacked some of the king's patrols, opting to bring the fight to the king just days before their tribute was due.

  Alas, the king's men were more than enough to humiliate the peasant rabble. The riot was quelled in short order, and the miners fled back to their mountain home. They had little choice, now. Their brawn was not enough to overcome the king's.

  The miners needed more strength if they were to survive. So they went to their neighboring peasants' land, and begged forgiveness and aid. Surely they could see that the king would slaughter them too when the mood arose in him.

  The vintners knew the miners' plea was true. Despite their feuding, their true enemy was the oppressive king. However, they were farmers, not warriors. All the strength they had was their wits... But it would have to do. The king would be alerted to the miner's uprising within a day, and the army would be upon them in short order.

  The two clans of peasants worked together, the vintners were trained in the basics of swinging sharp things by the miners. The miners were taught the basics of strategy by the vintners, who attacked their problems with their minds.

  The vintners even sent their annual tribute a day early, with an appeal that it might quell the king's rage. A ploy they knew would not work, but the herbs contained within the wine would ensure the soldiers would not be in top form when they arrived in the rocky hills.

  When the king's army arrived in the rocky hills, groggy from the bad wine and long march, they faced a united front of both peasant clans. The strategies of the vintners and the brawn of the miners proved too much for the king's army, who regretted personally leading his men into battle against what he thought would be mere rabble.

  The king was cowed, and forced to sign a treaty with the peasant clans. Thus was founded a mighty mountain fiefdom, one where all were friends and a valuable lesson was passed down from generation to generation:

Brawn and brains combined is far more effective than brawn alone.