"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, are you riding on the back of a bull and charging at the enemy?"
Hearing His Highness's question, Mo Hei was speechless. He had seen the power of the bull running wildly, as fierce as spring thunder, with the sound of drums when it stepped on the ground, and it could knock down a small tree as thick as a palm in one stroke. Even in
In his wildest dreams, he had never imagined charging into battle on an ox.
Mo Hei was stunned for a while before he reacted. He shook his head repeatedly and hurriedly explained.
"No, Your Highness, that's going to die! Not to mention how to sit firmly on the back of the violently undulating bull without being thrown off by the wildly jumping beast... Even if there is a way to sit on it, there is no way
It makes no sense, because there is no way to control the direction in which the bull runs!"
"Really uncontrollable?"
Hearing this, Shulot frowned. When a person rides on the back of a beast, the cavalry is the one that can be controlled, and the beast cannot be controlled.
"Your Highness, you really can't! Even a herdsman who grew up taming oxen can't drive an adult independent oxen... If you want to make the oxen go in a certain direction, you can only lure it with food.
oxen, or make noise and fire, and drive them carefully to run."
Having said this, Mohei paused, eyes flashing, as if he thought of something.
"Of course, the Lord God bless you! Occasionally, there will be a few oxen that have been fed by the herdsmen for a long time from childhood to adulthood, and they have developed a special trust in the close herdsmen... In the season when they are not in estrus, they will be willing to wander around.
, follow the close herd slaves."
"Oh? So..."
Hearing this, Xiulote perked up and his eyes showed anticipation. But Mohei quickly shook his head and explained a few more words.
"However, these somewhat docile oxen are just acting according to their daily habits and are by no means being driven... But once they go to the battlefield, they encounter the gathered battle formations, howling crowds, and random arrows.
Even the dazzling firelight...the bull will definitely be frightened and fall into madness, without distinguishing between friend and foe, and rush wildly!"
"No distinction between friend and foe, crazy collision..."
Shulot was sullen and disappointed. In war, all uncontrollable troops should be used as little as possible. Because war is the most cruel game. Both sides will rack their brains to find the other side's weaknesses and launch targeted attacks.
Attack. Once the uncontrollable bull is in one's own army formation and is frightened by the enemy...
"The Southern Soldier Elephant Formation, which calls itself Kong Wu... The uncontrollable giant beasts used in battle formations are often useless and can only be effective on special occasions, such as surprise attacks."
Shulot shook his head, thinking of the failed battles using war elephants in history, and calmed down the thought of using oxen to fight. Now is the age of firearms, and scaring giant beasts is the easiest... He pondered for a while, and looked
Looking at the extraordinarily large bull, he thought of the elephant's transportation capabilities and asked with concern.
"The oxen cannot be used in battle formations, so can it be used to transport goods? For example, transporting ore from mines, wood from mountains, or transporting food with the army?"
"Uh... transporting cargo?"
Mo Hei tugged at his short hair, feeling a little unsure for a moment.
"Your Highness, are you talking about traveling back and forth between two fixed places? If trained for a long time, a very small number of docile oxen may be able to carry heavy loads back and forth, as long as they are not in heat or disturbed... As for transporting with the army in the wild, I am afraid it is not possible.
, they will lose their bearings as they walk.”
"Long-term training, fixed back and forth between the two places..."
Shulot frowned, feeling quite useless. The oxen are wild and untamed, cannot be driven, and have very few practical uses. They cannot be used as riding animals to form cavalry; they are also difficult to use for transportation and forming camel teams; as for
Domesticating oxen and using them to pull plows in the fields was not something that could be accomplished by one or two generations, or even by one or two generations.
"Mohei, if that's the case, what's the use of the alliance spending so much money to tame a large number of oxen?"
Shulot thought for a moment, then looked at Mo Hei with a sullen face. He wanted to hear what the ranch manager said, which might give him some enlightenment.
"Ah, ah this! Your Highness... the ox is useful!"
Hearing the question, Mo Hei's hands and feet trembled anxiously. He finally got the position of ranch manager. He was in charge of a small team of warriors and dozens of slaves. He was also responsible for the royal family's precious "giant beast". It can be said that
It's just that I have all my dignity and face, and there is no risk. Thinking of this, Mo Hei defended hurriedly.
"Your Highness, the oxen are huge in size, running fast and roaring loudly... They symbolize... they symbolize the majesty of the royal family and can intimidate all people! Even elite warriors who have been trained for a long time will encounter the fierce running for the first time.
Even an ox will lose its color in fear and its hands and feet will tremble..."
"Yeah...that makes sense."
Hearing this, Shulot raised his head, looked at the stern guard warriors who were cautiously guarding the bull, and nodded slowly.
The first practical function of the ox is to train warriors, so that they can become familiar with running giant beasts and master the skills to deal with them, thereby overcoming the fear of the unknown. Once the warriors get used to the existence of the ox, they will not be able to wait until they meet.
When facing the colonists' war horses, they would not panic, nor would they deify the war horses and lose their will to resist.
Seeing His Highness's approval, Mohei breathed a sigh of relief. He pursed his lips, swallowed, and said carefully.
"Your Highness, as long as the terrain is suitable, a small number of oxen can be domesticated in the cool mountain pastures on the plateau. Although the cost of domesticating them is relatively high, they can provide a stable supply of high-quality meat for the nobles and priests to enjoy... The oxen
The meat is chewy and thick, and it’s countless times more delicious than turkey meat!”
"Huh? Raised for meat?"
Hulot was startled for a moment, and then nodded with understanding. The cost of domesticating oxen is very high, but no matter how high the cost is, it can't compare with the vanilla enjoyed by the nobles. The Mexican Federation lacks high-quality meat sources. If the oxen are
When beef was added to the menu of the nobles, the need for domestication naturally arose.
"Nice idea. Any more?"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Uh..."
Mo Hei pulled his hair and thought about it for a while. Then he pointed at the pile of cow dung in the corner.
"Your Highness, according to the village priest,... the manure has the vitality of the earth given by the Lord God, and can be used to fertilize the fields! A bullock eats 60 kilograms of fodder a day, and can also pull about 50 kilograms..."
"Eat 60 kilograms of fodder a day?"
Hearing this number, Xiulote was a little surprised. He looked at the busy herdsmen and the vast mountain pastures. There were less than 300 oxen, occupying a large area of the mountains, and dozens of people were needed to prepare fodder. It was indeed
It’s edible. After looking at it for a while, Shulot nodded slightly.
"If the oxen can produce a lot of fertilizer and use it to fertilize the fields, it would be of some benefit."
"Your Highness, it's not just that."
Mo Hei smiled and pointed respectfully at the warehouse in the distance.
"In addition to providing meat, oxen can also produce a lot of fur and sinews. These can offset part of the cost of domestication... In fact, domesticating oxen is not that difficult. At most, some herders will be lost during the dangerous estrus period.
..”
"Fur and sinew...leather armor and horn bow..."
Shulot was lost in thought, and some distant scenes flashed before his eyes. If fine leather armor is coated with lacquer, its defensive power is very impressive, and it is a must-have for aristocratic warriors in the Spring and Autumn Period. However, compared with cheap cloth-covered metal armor,
The production cost of fine leather armor is too high, it takes too long, and the maintenance cost is also prohibitively high.
"What's more, there is no sumac in America... Maybe we can use rubber?"
Shulot was silent for a moment, and then started thinking about how to make a horned bow. With enough beef tendons and horns, he could try to make a composite horned bow. He remembered some common sense about horned bows, which he had previously told the kingdom's crossbows.
Director, Bowmaker Kundili.
"After returning from the Northern Expedition, Kundili's bamboo and 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 thoughtful expression, Mohei waited for a while before asking carefully.
"It's already evening, do you want the herdsmen to prepare dinner? Two days ago, the ranch killed an escaped oxen. It has excellent beef eye meat, which is thin and tender. It tastes soft and juicy when roasted... Please
Let me cook it for you myself!"
"Huh? Grilled beef eye?...Okay, not bad!"
Hearing this, Xiulote's eyes lit up. He glanced at Naxiu who was standing beside him, and she nodded knowingly.
"Your Highness, I brought some chili powder, allspice, ground vanilla, and other spices..."
"Very good! Just 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
, huge oxen are gathered in groups of three to five, reflecting the red glow, like the darlings of the sky and the earth.
"The North American bison! It can neither be used as a riding beast nor a camel beast... You are the free-running thunder beasts on the North American continent!... I eat them quite deliciously, but it would be a pity to abandon them..."
This chapter has been completed!