Jinshan Bay at the end of July has both the warmth and pleasantness of spring, and the dryness and clearness of autumn. The water chestnuts around the bay are in brilliant bloom, spreading out a sea of orange or golden flowers, like the fallen feathers of sunbirds.
, so beautiful that one loses consciousness.
This gorgeous flower has special divinity in the hearts of the tribes on the west coast and is used in all aspects of tribal life!
The priests, warriors and tribesmen of the tribe all like to chew this fragrant flower and feel the rare sweetness. The pollen of caltrop can be used as tattoo pigment and make wounds heal easily. And its grass stems
It is an herb that soothes nerves, can relieve pain, and has a certain antibacterial effect. As for its more powerful roots and seeds, it is an extremely important sedative drug in sacrificial rituals...
In fact, in later generations, caltrop also had a more famous name, "California poppy".
Ten kingdom longships, carrying fully armed warriors and sailors, slowly sailed out of the harbor. Large galleys, boats of armored warriors, rows of shields and big bows, fell on the Miwok tribe who were watching.
In the eyes of the people, it turned into uncontrollable awe!
"Boom boom boom!"
The tiger crouching cannon on the longship pointed at the sky, making a thunderous sound, also announcing the departure of the fleet. Under the thunderbolt on this sunny day, the Miwok leaders with feather crests on the shore suddenly showed horror on their faces, and their hands and feet
Trembling. Some people even knelt down and prayed loudly in the direction of the fleet, in awe of the unknown and powerful Southern Thunder God!
"Praise the Lord God! She protects us!"
On the leading flagship, Zuvalo, the exploration captain, and Mickey, the knowledgeable man, stood side by side on the bow. The two men straightened their crests, wore thick leather armor, and stared at the horrified crowd on the shore, and the newly built buildings not far away.
The simple village with smiles on their faces.
"Zuaro, you have a good idea! In the name of giving away gems and trading weapons, invite the Miwok chiefs and priests from a hundred or two hundred miles around here, so that they can see with their own eyes the power of the fleet! This time
, they should have a clear understanding of the kingdom’s force! And after we leave, the villages in Xishan Port should be able to ensure stability for a long time..."
"Haha! Mickey, this is all thanks to you! If you hadn't persuaded Puiatti, the prestigious Cedar Chief of the Miwok tribe in the North Bay... he would send envoys and invite the leaders of various tribes... these
I’m afraid it won’t be so easy for the tribe leaders to come!…”
The exploration captain Zuvalo was in high spirits. He chewed the water chestnut in his mouth and answered with a smile. Although he had arrived in Golden Bay not long ago, he had already learned this "good tradition" of the local tribe.
From a certain perspective, chewing caltrops feels like chewing tobacco leaves.
“It’s all blessed by the Lord God!”
Mikey, the knowledgeable man, prayed and watched the green smoke from the Crouching Tiger Cannon gradually drifting away in the wind, heading to the southeast. He raised his brows and shook his head slightly.
"It's already the end of July, and the wind direction is still southerly!... It seems that we still can't borrow the wind for the next trip north..."
"Mickey, if you can't borrow the wind, you have to paddle hard! All the way north, in the past six months, it has been hard against the wind and the current. The whole fleet is used to it! ... But, here it is.
Near the bay, the sea currents along the coast suddenly changed direction, from flowing southward to northward... I don’t know what the reason is?..."
"Haha! It can't be that, as Priest Miwok said, it's the undercurrent set off by the underwater water elf, or some kind of ocean goddess..."
"Well...undercurrent..."
After hearing this, Mikey, the knowledgeable man, thought for a while and had some vague inspiration, but he couldn't grasp it. After a while, he put aside this difficult doubt and said with a smile.
"Zuvaro, no matter what, this time we will go north according to His Majesty's prophecy to find another bay... We can at least borrow the current, and we will definitely go much faster!"
"Yes! The first golden bay land, as predicted by His Majesty, appeared between 35 and 40 degrees north latitude! Then the next warm bay land should be between 45 and 50 degrees north latitude! As long as it is between 45 and 50 degrees north latitude
If we find it before winter comes, this year's voyage will come to an end. We can also truly feel what the terrible northern winter in the prophecy is like!"
Having said this, exploration captain Zuvalo touched his chin, raised his head, and looked towards the north.
The north is the junction between the coast and the mountains. The endless sea extends to the northwest, and the tall mountains surround this long and narrow bay area, blocking the cold wave from further north. And if what your majesty said is true, then this long and narrow bay area
The Bay Area is the most pleasant fertile land in the entire northern voyage, and it is also the place where the fleet needs to focus its operations!
"Mickey, you are good at math, do the math for me... how many acres of farmland have been cultivated in the villages in Xishanggang?"
"Witness the Lord God! I have calculated it before. Five hundred of us have cultivated land for a month. The warriors and sailors have all started working together. We have burned wasteland, cleared the fields, and planted seeds... Well, each of us has cultivated about two acres... A total of five hundred acres have been cultivated.
Potatoes, three hundred acres of mixed corn, pumpkin, beans, and three hundred acres of sweet potatoes..."
"Oh! By the way! I heard from the local Miwok people that the yield of corn and beans here is not very high. And the sweet potatoes are not very cold-resistant, so the harvest is expected to decline... The only thing we can count on during the autumn harvest is that His Majesty calls us by name.
The potatoes I brought... are only so small, I don't know if they are really cold resistant..."
In this era, potatoes had already arrived in Central America from the Andes where they originated, across the narrow Isthmus of Panama. In fact, Mayan fleets hundreds of years ago had already brought potatoes back from Chibucha.
However, potatoes have not shown sufficient crop advantages in the warm and rainy tropical climate of Central America, and have not been able to cross the Mexican plateau to the truly suitable North American continent. The potatoes planted by the exploration fleet this time are
It is the first time that this kind of crop suitable for cold climates has taken root in the vast northern continent to feed more tribes!
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Ha! Mickey, along the way north, the various settlements we set up... The first half was very dry, and we could only grow sweet potatoes. In the second half, the temperature was not high, and we mainly planted
Potatoes... It seems that we will have to choose one of the two as our staple food in the future!..."
"No. Choose one of the three... The Miwok people said that in this bay, the pumpkin production is not bad. In addition, they also grow bitter melons and collect almonds and pine nuts..."
"Oh! That's sweet potatoes, potatoes and pumpkins...this is really..."
Exploration captain Zuvalo raised the corners of his mouth and smiled helplessly. Then he realized what was happening.
"Lord God? You just said that each person only cultivated two acres? Two acres in one month?"
Having said this, Zuvalo was stunned for a moment, pulled his hair hard, and cursed in a low voice.
"Damn it! The samurai must be lazy!..."
"Uh... Zuvalo, it is difficult to open new fields in woodland and grassland! We have only arrived for a month and a half. We have to cut down trees, build wooden houses, and dig underground caves to keep warm. The time is also limited.
Insufficient…"
Mickey the Knowledgeable blinked his eyes and defended the warriors in the fleet.
"What's more! The Kingdom's Prepecha warriors traveled five thousand miles north and sailed arduously for half a year, but they were still able to pick up farm tools and cultivate in a land far away from home!...Their faith and loyalty are already world-famous.
It’s rare!…If it were any other warrior, even the Mexica warriors of the Alliance, I’m afraid they wouldn’t be able to go to the ground…”
"Phew! You are right! The Prepecha warriors who went out to sea to explore all believe in the Lord God devoutly, and they are also His Majesty's most loyal warriors!..."
Zuvalo, the exploration captain, nodded and regained his composure. He had a leisurely look on his face, and he couldn't help but sigh when he recalled his journey to the north.
"God bless us! We traveled five thousand miles north and sailed for half a year!... Along the way, we were like fur seals climbing the rock wall at the seaside, moving forward bit by bit, but never rested for a moment!"
This chapter has been completed!