Aztec Eternals

"Witness the Lord God! Dear Priest Mickey, we did encounter the fishing boats of the Changwan Tribe and had a brief exchange with them, just over two months ago..."

"More than two months ago?"

"Yes! In early May, the ice floes on the sea melted, and fish began to swim in the bay. At that time, it was the fishing festival shared by the coastal Sugpia tribes and Eyak tribes! This spring The festival is one of the oldest and most important festivals of the coastal fishing and hunting tribes, probably similar to the spring plowing festivals of the plateau tribes..."

"Our long boat is participating in the fishing festival together with other fishing boats of the Eyak tribe in the Qiandao Bay. When we sailed to the west side of the bay, we happened to encounter several canoe fishing boats of the Long Bay tribe. …They were very surprised when they saw our longboat and took the initiative to get closer and chat for a while. They also shared the first fish they caught with us to express their friendship…”

"They curiously asked how big a tree such a big canoe and fishing boat was made from... We told them that it was made from the tribe's 30-foot-long sacred tree, and it was the blessing of the main god!... They were surprised. They praised our shipbuilding skills. I also gave them some silver amulets of the main gods. They liked it very much, gave us a few white fox skins in return, and invited us to visit the tribe as guests...but we didn't agree..."

"Well, Tailed Leopard, I remember that when I was exploring last year, I also met the hunting team of the Changwan Tribe. The hunting team at that time also invited us to their tribe... It seems that this Changwan Tribe is very He is warm and hospitable, but also very strong and confident!…”

The setting sun is setting, the birds are singing late, and the rays of light are floating on the sea of ​​Shenxue Bay Harbor. Mickey the Knowledgeable sat in front of the bonfire on the shore, holding a warm clay pot and drinking herbal tea with blueberry leaves and willow leaves.

Next to Mickey is a priest tailed leopard dressed in fur and carrying a copper axe. The weather-beaten face had high bulging cheekbones and fierce eyes. Except for the obsidian necklace around his neck, he didn't look like a priest. Instead, he looked like a senior warrior.

In fact, the Leopard Priest was originally the war priest who accompanied the ship. It was only when the fleet arrived here last year that all the preaching priests were basically allocated, so he was put in charge of the Sacred Blood Bay Port and responsible for preaching and development.

"Tailbao, do you think this Changwan tribe is an enemy or a friend?..."

"Chief Priest Miki, the Changwan Tribe is the ancestral tribe of the Changwan tribes. They regard the entire warm Changwan as a hunting and fishing ground inherited from their ancestors. They will never move away, and other tribes are not allowed to move in... Therefore, outside the 600-mile Long Bay, they are friends who can trade and share food. But if one day, we open up into the Long Bay, or preach to the various tribes in the Long Bay, seeking to absorb and assimilate... what will happen to each other? , there must be a distinction between superior and inferior!…”

"That's right! Leopard, you are sober and can see clearly. No matter how huge the wolf pack is, there will only be one leader... In this bitter cold northland, when the kingdom takes root, it needs to expand its influence and do something When the wolf king was on the far north coast...a fight for the wolf king was always inevitable..."

After hearing Taibao's analysis, Mickey the Knowledgeable nodded in agreement. After experiencing so many ups and downs, his heart has become much harder, and it is no longer the same as when he just came out of the temple. He pondered for a moment before asking seriously.

"Tailbao, how many tribes are there in your Divine Blood Bay Port now, and how many acres of potato fields have been cultivated?..."

"Chief Priest Mickey, we have gathered four or five Eyak tribes around the bay... There are about 240 people at the moment, and we have cultivated 180 acres of potato fields..."

Having said this, the priest tailed leopard stretched out his hand and pointed to the red river to the north of the camp. There is a large area of ​​lush grass beside the river, like a weed pile, and occasionally you can see the swaying shadow of a prairie dog.

"Well, that's it! That's the potato field we opened up! It's too cold here, and potatoes grow very slowly. Excluding insect pests and animal damage, the annual harvest is not much. It takes only six acres to raise one young adult... However, these potatoes have One advantage is that it doesn’t require much care. If you plant it this year, you will be able to harvest it for several consecutive years..."

"Well, if you raise one young adult on six acres, you can harvest it every year... That one hundred and eighty acres of land will only support thirty more young adults... Taibao, you still have to plant more fields! Even if the harvest is lower, It’s a bit tiring on weekdays, but it’s better to be safe…”

Hearing Taibao's words, Mickey the Knowledgeable raised his eyebrows and gave a few instructions in a deep voice, and the other party nodded repeatedly.

"Priest Mickey, I listen to you... When we harvest this year, we will double the area of ​​the potato field!..."

Potatoes are originally perennial herbs. The oldest way of growing it is like cassava, planting once and harvesting for several years. In this era of the late fifteenth century, the potatoes introduced to Central America from South America were actually very different from the potato varieties grown in later generations.

At this time, the potatoes are closer to their wild form. Their yields are not high, so they are widely planted but their harvests are poor. But they are highly competitive against weeds and not prone to genetic degradation. And their biggest advantage is that they don’t pick up the land and don’t have high requirements for water and fertilizer...

"Don't pick the land, water or fertilizer", although this sounds simple, don't underestimate this advantage!

In mountainous and poor lands where rice and wheat cannot be grown, potatoes can be grown, which means that the cultivated land area has been greatly expanded. And in places with many mountains and little water, it can even expand the area suitable for farming several times! Even if there is a severe drought and the rice and wheat harvests fail, potatoes can still be produced, which is the life-saving food for the villagers! Even in extremely cold areas or encountering cold waves, it can still be harvested, which is the basis for farming people to colonize the sub-arctic zone...

In fact, potatoes, like pumpkins and sweet potatoes, are crucial new crops that can change the pattern of the Old World!

"The Lord God bless you! Taibao, you must remember that farming and sacrifice are the cornerstone of the kingdom's foothold in the North! ... Are there any difficulties in your port camp?"

"Priest Mikey, in this Thousand Island Bay, there are so many catches in the summer that we can't eat them all... But we don't have enough salt to store the catches in the summer... We also need more metal axes to cut down Come to the northern forests to build wooden houses and collect firewood. The wood here is too hard, and it takes an ax to cut it down..."

"Salt and ax... Well, I remember it. When we arrive at the whale port on the west coast and encounter the subsequent support fleet, I will give them careful instructions!..."

Mickey the Knowledgeable pondered for a while, looking at the broad red river flowing from the north, thinking flashed in his eyes.

"Tail Leopard, this big red river is so wide, and the basin it flows through in the upper reaches will never be small! And with the river connection, it is very easy to communicate with the tribes in the upper reaches... Have you sent hunters to contact the tribes in the upper reaches? Are they Sugpians or Eyaks?…”

"Uh... Priest Mikey, I did send hunters and trade with the tribes upstream. As for their origins... Those tribes have similar languages ​​​​to those of the Longwan tribes, and they will also call themselves 'Danaina people', that is, the descendants of the sacred mountain. people. However, they do not regard the Changwan tribes on the west coast as the same ethnic group, or the origin of any tribe. The Changwan tribes on the coast do not recognize them, but call them 'Atna people'... In fact, they seem to be closer to some deer-raising tribe in the snowy plains further northeast..."

"The Atna people make a living by hunting. They will often drag their tents and migrate after herds of animals. Their tribes are small in size, but they are extremely tall and have a very brave temperament...the best way to communicate with them is , that is, trading salt or bronze tools... The Lord God witnesses! As long as you have salt and axes, you can enter their camps. And if you have enough food and fuel, you can conquer these tribes!"

"That's it..."

After hearing this story, Mikey, the knowledgeable man, took out his charcoal pen and carefully wrote down the tribal situation in the upper reaches of the Blood River. He drew a deer mark further to the northeast, where there was originally a gold symbol. Then, he seemed to think of something, and asked aloud after a while.

"Tail Leopard, you are here, have you seen a deer?..."

"Huh? Priest Mickey, I have been here for a year and a half, and I have certainly seen deer. In the northern mountain forests, deer often appear. There are big and strong moose, and reindeer with very long antlers. And the antlerless elk..."

"Indeed! This area of ​​coast, mountains, forests and grasslands is very suitable for the survival of deer... Tailed leopard, can you reindeer?..."

"What? Tamed a herd of deer?... Uh! Priest Mickey, I was born in the Kingdom of the Lake, so how could I raise a herd of deer?...Besides, the people in the far north of this area have not seen many people who tame a herd of deer...raise deer." What is the use?…"

"God bless you! If you raise deer, you can drink milk and blood, skin and eat meat. You can also drive a sled in winter and run quickly in the snow... This is not what I said. Zuvalo saw it with his own eyes on the snowfield across the sea. Yes! He also went on an expedition with a deer-raising tribe there, conquered another deer-raising tribe, and captured many tribesmen who were good at fighting..."

Although the climate in Alaska is similar to that of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the level of production organization of the Alaskan tribes is far inferior to that of the Kamchatka tribes. As the reindeer nomads among the tribes in Northeast Asia, the Kamchatka tribe can tame thousands of reindeer, establish a powerful tribe of thousands of people, and even draw hundreds of skilled archers to fight across thousands of miles. However, the indigenous tribes in Alaska are still at the level of productivity that they struggle with nature and struggle to survive...

After all, the Kamchatka tribe is located in Northeast Asia. During the thousands of years they were separated from the Alaskan states, they passively accepted the diffusion of many technologies from the Mongolian Plateau in all aspects of life. However, the indigenous tribes in Alaska can only struggle hard, trudging step by step in the wind and snow...

"Witness the Lord God! Tailed Leopard, Priest Zuwaro said in the letter he brought back that he was preparing to bring back a group of deer-raising tribes from the West Sea... I read the description in his letter carefully. Those deer-raising tribes from the West Sea know a lot. The Far North has a unique way of survival. I think these captive deer-raising tribes may be able to bring a lot of technology and experience to the Kingdom’s colonization of the Far North coast!…”

Speaking of this, Mickey the Knowledgeable paused slightly. He looked seriously and looked carefully at the warrior-like tailed leopard priest before making a decision. UU reading www.uukanshu.com

"These deer-raising tribes are used to wind, snow and cold, and they are also used to fighting. They are very good at making bows and archery, and are also good at domesticating long-antlered deer and sled dogs... After thinking about it, I still think it is your Divine Blood Bay Port. , is the most suitable resettlement place!”

"The latitude of the Sacred Blood Bay Port is similar to the peninsula where those tribes live, and the climate should be similar. Reindeer and dogs can also be domesticated here, and there is no shortage of sinew and wood for making bows... And to the west of the camp here, there is a distance of three hundred miles. The snow-capped mountains and glaciers are the powerful Changwan tribes. In the upper reaches of the Blood River in the north, there are many fierce hunting tribes... This place is connected in all directions, and it is different from the port on Big Whale Island. We really need to strengthen our force!..."

"Witness the Lord God! Taibao, when those deer from the West Sea are brought back, they will be placed here with you! I will also leave more weapons and armor for you, and try to get more warriors from the kingdom to come here... You also have to let your hands and feet go, As long as the strength is sufficient, more tribes will be surrendered, and young men will be absorbed from the upper reaches of the vast Blood River!... After all, in this vast and ferocious northern land, only the large number of tribes is the real strength!..."

"And as long as the kingdom's power is accumulated enough...the six-hundred-mile long bay surrounded by mountains on three sides and facing the sea on one side, with many tribes, is the truly warm and prosperous place. It is fertile soil suitable for spreading the faith of the Lord God and growing large tracts of potatoes!..."