Aztec Eternals

"Your Highness... Your Highness, ride on the back of an ox and charge the enemy?"

Hearing His Highness's question, Mo Hei was speechless. He has seen the power of the ox running wildly, the thunder as fierce as a spring day, with the sound of drums when it steps on the ground, and it can knock down a small tree with a thick palm. Even in his wildest dreams, it never occurred to him to charge into battle on a bull.

Mo Hei stayed for a while before reacting. He shook his head again and again and hurriedly explained.

"No way, Your Highness, that's a death sentence! Not to mention, how to sit firmly on the back of the violently undulating ox and not be thrown off by the wild beast... Even if there is a way to sit on it, there is no Any meaning, because there is no way to control the direction the ox is running!"

"Really unmanageable?"

Hearing this, Shiloh frowned. When a man rides on the back of a cavalry beast, only the cavalry can be manipulated, and only the beast cannot be manipulated.

"His Royal Highness, really can't! Even a herdsman who grew up taming cattle can't drive an adult independent cattle... If you want the cattle to go in a certain direction, you can only use food to lure them. Cattle, or make noise and fire, and drive them away carefully."

Having said this, Mo Hei paused, blinked his eyes, and seemed to think of something.

"Of course, the Lord God blesses! Occasionally there are so many oxen, who have been fed by herdsmen from childhood to adulthood, and have a special trust in the close herdsmen... When it is not the season of estrus, they will be willing to sway around. , and follow the close shepherd slaves."

"Oh? So..."

Hearing the words, Shirott was refreshed, and his eyes were full of anticipation. Mo Hei quickly shook his head and explained a few more words.

"However, these slightly docile oxen are just acting according to their usual habits, not accepting orders... But once they enter the battlefield, they encounter the gathered battle formation, the howling crowd, and the random shooting arrows. Even the dazzling firelight... the cattle will definitely be frightened and fall into a frenzy, regardless of the enemy or me, and madly collide!"

"There is no distinction between the enemy and me, madly bumping..."

Shirlot sullen and disappointed. In war, the use of uncontrollable troops should be minimized. Because war is the cruelest game. Both sides will rack their brains to find the other's weaknesses and launch targeted attacks. Once the uncontrollable ox is in its own army, it is frightened by the enemy...

"Southern Soldiers Elephant Array, self-proclaimed Kong Wu... Uncontrollable giant beasts are often used in battle formations and often become tasteless."

Shulot shook his head, remembering the failures of using war elephants in history, and calmed down his mind about using oxen to fight. Now is the age of firearms, it is the easiest to scare giant beasts... He pondered for a while, looked at the extraordinarily large ox, remembered the transport ability of elephants, and asked with concern.

"The ox can't be used in battle, can it be used to transport goods? For example, to transport ore from mines, wood in mountains, or to transport food with the army?"

"Uh... transporting cargo?"

Mo Hei tugged at his short hair, feeling a little uncertain for a while.

"Your Highness, do you mean to go back and forth between two fixed places? If you train for a long time, a very small number of docile cattle may be able to go back and forth under heavy load, as long as they are not in heat or disturbed... As for transporting with the army in the wild, I am afraid it will not be possible. , they will disperse as they walk."

"Long-term training, fixed back and forth between the two places..."

Shirot frowned, feeling rather tasteless. The ox is wild and untamed, unable to drive, and has few practical uses. It can neither be used as a beast to form a cavalry; it is also difficult to use it for transportation and form a camel caravan; as for the domestication of cattle, it is not possible for one or two generations, or even one or twenty generations to complete it.

"Mo Hei, since that's the case, what's the use of the Alliance to tame a large number of cattle at such a high price?"

Shilot thought for a moment, then looked at Mo Hei with a sullen face. He wanted to hear what the manager of the ranch had to say, maybe it would be enlightening.

"Ah, ah this! Your Highness... the ox is useful!"

Hearing the question, Mo Hei's hands and feet trembled anxiously. He managed to get the position of the ranch manager with great difficulty. He was in charge of a small team of samurai, dozens of herdsmen, and he was in charge of the precious "giant beast" of the royal family. . Thinking of this, Mo Hei hurriedly defended.

"His Royal Highness, the oxen are huge, run fast, and roar loud and loud... They symbolize... the majesty of the royal family, and they can deter all people! Even a well-trained elite warrior is the first to encounter a mad rushing warrior. The oxen will also be afraid and pale, and their hands and feet will tremble..."

"Um...that makes sense."

Hearing this, Shulot raised his head, looked at the guard warriors who looked solemn and cautiously guarded against the ox, and nodded slowly.

The first practical function of the ox is to train the warriors, so that the warriors are familiar with the running beasts, master the skills of coping, so as to overcome the fear of the unknown. Once the warriors got used to the existence of the bull, they would not panic when they faced the colonizers' war horses, nor would they deify the war horses and lose the heart of resistance.

Seeing His Highness' approval, Mo Hei was slightly relieved. He pursed his lips, swallowed, and said carefully.

"His Royal Highness, as long as the terrain is suitable, the cool mountain pastures on the plateau can domesticate a small amount of cattle. Although the cost of domestication is relatively high, they can provide stable and high-quality meat for the nobles and priests to enjoy... cattle. The meat is chewy and thick, but it is many times more delicious than turkey!"

"Huh? Raised to eat meat?"

Shirot was stunned for a moment, then nodded knowingly. The domestication cost of oxen is very high, but no matter how high the cost is, it cannot compare to the vanilla herbs enjoyed by the nobles. The Mexica Union lacked a good source of meat, and if beef was added to the nobles' recipes, the need for domestication would naturally arise.

"Nice idea. Any more?"

"Uh..."

Mo Hei tugged at his hair and pondered for a while. Then, he pointed to the pile of cow dung in the corner.

"His Royal Highness, according to the village priest, that... manure has the vitality of the earth given by the Lord God, and can be used to fertilize fields! A single ox eats 60 catties of forage a day, and can also pull about 50 catties..."

"Eat 60 catties of forage a day?"

Hearing this number, Shulot was a little surprised. He looked at the busy herdsmen and the vast mountain pastures. Less than 300 oxen occupied a large area of ​​​​the mountain, requiring dozens of people to prepare forage, which is indeed edible. After watching for a while, Shulot nodded slightly.

"If the cattle can produce a lot of fertilizer and use it in the fertile fields, it would be somewhat beneficial."

"Your Highness, not only that."

Mo Hei smiled and pointed respectfully to the warehouse in the distance.

"In addition to providing meat, oxen can also produce a lot of fur and tendons and horns. These can offset part of the cost of domestication... In fact, domestication of oxen is not that difficult, at most during the dangerous estrus period, some herdsmen will be lost. .."

"Fur and tendons...leather armor and horns..."

Shulot was lost in thought, and some distant pictures flashed in front of his eyes. If the fine leather armor is painted with lacquer, the defense power is very impressive, and it is a must for the noble warriors of the Spring and Autumn Period. However, compared with cheap cloth metal armor, the production cost of fine leather armor is too high, the time is too long, and the maintenance cost is also frighteningly high.

"What's more, there are no sumac trees in America... Maybe rubber?"

Shilot pondered, then thought about the manufacture of the horned bow. With enough tendons and horns, a composite horn bow can be trial-produced. He sporadically remembered some common knowledge of horn bows, which he had told before to the bow and crossbow chief of the kingdom, the bowsmith Kundiri.

"After returning from the Northern Expedition, Kundiri's bamboo-wood composite bow has made progress, but I don't know how the research on the horn bow is going..."

"Your Highness..."

Seeing His Highness's contemplative expression, Mo Hei waited for a while before asking carefully.

"It's already evening, do you want the shepherds to prepare dinner? Two days ago, the ranch hunted and killed an escaped ox~www.readwn.com~ There is a good beef eye meat, which is thin and tender, and it is roasted and tender. Juicy...please let me grill it for you myself!"

"Huh? Roast oxeye?...Okay, not bad!"

Hearing this, Shulot's eyes lit up. He glanced at Naxiu, who was standing beside him, and the other nodded in agreement.

"His Royal Highness, chili powder, allspice, vanilla powder, and other spices, all with some..."

"Very good! Stay here tonight and have a good meal. Haha, rare roast beef!"

Shulot laughed with satisfaction, waved his hand, and everyone went to prepare. He stood on the hill, raised his head, looked at the magnificent red sun in the west, and sniffed the faint fragrance of grass in the wind. In the undulating mountain pastures, the huge cattle are in groups of three or five, reflecting the red glow, like the darling of the sky and the earth.

"North American bison! It can't be used as a riding beast, nor a camel beast... You are the free-running thunder beasts on the North American continent!... I eat it quite delicious, but it is not a pity to abandon it..."

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