Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Chapter 1403 - 958: The Northern Star of the Wilderness, the Fourth Military Governor!

"Balamo, my Great General bearing heavy responsibility! The wind and sand of the wilderness carve sculpted stone pillars and also shape your resilience. In the vast northern lands, you have long safeguarded a frontier for me, enduring much hardship..."Cycling through the exchange of letters, it came to the last kingdom’s county magistrate, the poet commander Balamo stationed at Desolate Valley City in Qingqiu County. This time, the letter and royal decree sent by Xiulote to this county magistrate also carried belated commendation and reward.

The location of Desolate Valley City is approximately at 22 degrees north latitude, situated in the former Pamus River Valley of Pamus State, at the border of the Mexican Plateau and the Sakascat Wilderness. From the perspective of precipitation, this valley is situated at around 400mm of rainfall, marking the so-called "agricultural and pastoral dividing line." Of course, in this era, there are no Old Continent herds on the northern wilderness, only North American bison running wild, migrating herds of deer and packs of wolves, as well as the desert cottontail rabbits which serve as an important meat source for the tribespeople.

"Qingqiu County guards the wilderness, and the central valley area is suitable for cultivation. Meanwhile, the western and northern parts of the valley, being half grassland and half desert, are more suited for pastoralism..."

"The so-called pastoralism involves raising some herds of herbivorous animals to provide food. Such pastoral activities are actually present on the highlands, like the ants, grass rabbits, and hairless dogs that the Alliance raises... And in the wilderness, the suitable animals to raise are two kinds: rabbit herds and bison herds..."

Writing to this point, Xiulote paused slightly. He recalled the intelligence about the wilderness tribes and also remembered snippets of rumors from later generations.

In this era, the North American prairie tribes have already semi-regularly raised North American bison herds to provide more stable sources of meat, fur, bones, and sinew and horn. Among them, the Cheyenne, Sioux, and Lakota tribes are particularly well-known for bison raising. Of course, this "raising" does not mean domestication; it merely ensures that the living area of the bison herds remains stable within the tribe’s territory, overlapping with the tribe’s activity range.

Only a very few bison, close to humans since young, can be briefly ridden by trusted hunters, used even for short-distance transport. As for complex agricultural labor, it clearly exceeds the current endurance capacity of North American bison.

"Balamo, I have heard there are hundreds of bison herds being raised around Desolate Valley City, and priests from the Divine Revelation Place are also involved in the cultivation, having already raised two generations. I consider this matter very important, and you’re doing well!..."

"For Qingqiu County at present, the role of the bison herds is not only to provide meat, fur, sinew, and horn but also, the most crucial benefit is to provide a large amount of manure! To achieve a bumper harvest of grain in the barren wilderness, sufficient fertilizer is indispensable!..."

"Thus, I commission your first important task to be the expansion of the bison herds, especially increasing the number of female bison! Those tribes who aren’t adept at farming often know well how to handle bison. You should select professional herdsmen and hunters from among them to engage in the raising and strengthening of the bison herds..."

Xiulote recalled the later generations’ North American cattle herds, vaguely remembering particularly strong and tall breeds resulting from Eurasian public cattle interbreeding with native female bison. There is no reproductive isolation between Eurasian domestic cattle and North American bison, and these mixed-breed offspring are markedly more docile, able to engage in complex farm work.

If enough female bison herds are raised in advance, as long as a few Eurasian bulls are introduced, the number of cattle can quickly expand. Once there are many oxen, the entire kingdom, the entire realm’s agricultural level, will rapidly leap to a higher level!

"The combination of agriculture and pastoralism, with sufficient food production, is the foundation for the kingdom to stand firm in the wilderness! Balamo, as the county magistrate of the kingdom, you must always remember that the kingdom is based on farming and warfare, with ’farming’ preceding ’war’..."

Xiulote carefully instructed a few more words before solemnly writing down the royal decree.

"Balamo, the second important task I entrust to you is to keep an eye on the expansion of the Red Crow Great Tribe and take part in it timely! According to the news brought back by the exploratory fleet, thousands of warriors from the Red Crow Tribe are relentlessly campaigning northward. The Coa Wei Ke tribes along the banks of the Great River are either surrendering and submitting or fleeing and migrating..."

"With successive waves of impact, the tribes of the Northern Land are gradually descending into chaotic slaughter. And Qingqiu County, with a population of 150,000, has a military force of 20,000 to 30,000 strong, making it one of the most powerful forces in the wilderness! You must proactively deploy people to delve into the Northern Land, to welcome and subdue those migrating tribes, and even actively dispatch troops to subjugate those weakened tribes to expand Qingqiu County’s army!..."

"And as for the realm occupied by the Red Crow Great Tribe, the city of Otter Cukuxicapan, you must continually send envoys to urge the Red Crow Chief Amos to abide by the agreement and hand it over as soon as possible! When necessary, you can coordinate with the Prince of Xilotepec’s Suiqiu City, Osellor, to jointly deploy troops against the Red Crow Great Tribe, intimidating and deterring them! At present, at least half of the Red Crow Great Tribe’s forces are far in the northern Great River, and they certainly won’t be your match—they can only retreat northward!..."

"Once the kingdom controls Otter City, it completely controls the upstream tributaries of the Tampen River. And through the land of the Otomi and this thousand-mile waterway, the kingdom can bypass the Alliance and connect with the Totonac Coast... With this route, we can establish trade among the Northern Wilderness, the Vastec Coast, and the Totonac Coast to facilitate the development of all parts of the kingdom! The Silver Raven Great Tribe of Vastec is also an ally we can greatly strive for... In critical moments, this will be an extremely vital messenger route!..."

Xiulote lowered his eyes and wrote a meaningful sentence. Then, after pondering for a long time, he continued to clarify the deep meaning.

"Qingqiu County is rooted in the Northern Land, and its relationship with the Otomi tribes is inseparable! Balamo, as the County Magistrate of Qingqiu, the two largest groups in the county are the Otomi tribes and the Wilderness tribes. And when the Wilderness tribes moved southward, they committed heavy slaughter on the Otomi tribes... Therefore, you must mediate the relationship between the two sides to avoid any dissatisfaction! And the third important task I give you is to cooperate with the Supreme High Priest Omaltzin of the Otomi Diocese, and the City Lord Jiowar of Otapan City, to jointly resist the... pressure from the alliance!"

The old priest of the Otomi people, the former Supreme High Priest of the Otomi, aged Olte, finally succumbed after a serious illness lasting two years. He passed away to the Divine Kingdom in the sky at the end of last year, sent off by the wailing of over a hundred thousand Otomi people. Xiulote, situated by the shore, did not receive this belated mourning news until early this year.

Thinking of that "groundhog"-like tenacious old back, he fell silent for a long time, filled with emotion and a faint sorrow. Under the wise guidance of the old priest Olte, the interests of the Kingdom of the Lake had long been deeply bound with the Otomi tribes, inextricably linked. The future Olte envisioned for the Otomi people had also fully rested upon Xiulote’s shoulders.

"’Even if you burn all the wild grass over the hills, you must leave the cocoa for the tribe’s continuation! Because, after the wild grass is burned, it will grow back’..."

Xiulote spoke softly, murmuring the words the old priest Olte once said to him. Then, he chanted with emotion, filling in a blessing ending to this ancient sacrificial verse.

"Yes! Under the Chief Divine’s gaze, the wild grass has grown! They thrive lushly in fertile valleys and by rivers, intertwined and indistinguishable from the reeds of the Kingdom of the Lake. And the most resilient cocoa falls silently, exhausting all vitality but leaving behind seeds for continuation, which are the future spring and sunlight..."

"Balamo, this is a sacrificial poem I wrote for the old priest Olte, which I handed over to his disciple and successor, the new Supreme High Priest Omaltzin, to be read aloud before a gathering of Otomi priests... As for the other successor who Olte tirelessly cultivated, he is my brother by oath, City Lord Jiowar of Otapan..."

Xiulote picked up his pen, continuing to write to Balamo with the language of a poet, weaving a deep tapestry of power and conflict.

"The alliance’s High Priesthood has already sent personnel, attempting to seize control of the Otomi tribes’ divine authority. And the royal central authority of the alliance has a strong interest in the solid ancestral lands of the Otapan Mountain City! After all, this is where Tizoc faced failure, and it holds special significance for Aweit. If the alliance can completely control the mountain city, stationing troops in Otapan, there would be a truly magnificent stronghold on the northwestern plateau..."

"The world’s foes and allies are forever altering with the shifting of circumstances, constantly changing. The transformations of all things resemble the rotation of a circular cycle, sometimes requiring ups and downs, dizzying, without direction..."

"Balamo, having said so much... I must reiterate it clearly! At least until I inherit the greater power of the alliance, the Kingdom of the Lake and the Otomi tribes remain the closest allies! Your Qingqiu County, with its thousands of warriors, must secretly cooperate with Omaltzin and Jiowar, to jointly resist the royal and divine authority extended by the central alliance!"

"I have already issued orders to the Divine Revelation Place in the capital city to support Otapan City with a large batch of bronze weapons, paper armor, leather armor, greatbows, and crossbows... to arm a legion of eight thousand Otapan! And in return, the Otapan tribes will provide two thousand warriors and enough grain for twenty thousand people for a year to your control in Qingqiu County! Thus, you may recruit the poor tribes further north to join the army with freedom! And the Kingdom of the Lake and Otapan tribes will provide you with sufficient equipment and food..."

The long letter to the poet finally came to an end. Xiulote, with a melancholy expression, gazed at the northern night sky through the open ceiling. Then he picked up his pen and wrote the last few sentences, expressing his complex feelings with the language of a poet.

"The night is so long, and the sky is filled with starlight. The stars gather around the moon, waiting for the patient dawn! ... Balamo, you are the Northern Star, the Arctic Star, the guardian star of legend, gathering tens of thousands of wilderness warriors for me! ... Chief Divine witness! As for me, I am like the master of stars, the sun within the dark night, granting you the power to guard the Northern Land: Qingqiu Jiedu! Able to independently conquer and negotiate, recruit and expand the army, and preside over all military and political affairs as the Great Chief of Qingqiu!"

In fact, Balamo in the wilderness had long been fully presiding over local military and political affairs, independently recruiting wilderness tribes. The so-called Qingqiu Jiedu Order seemed more like a posthumous recognition and acknowledgment by the kingdom. Yet the truly important promises and rewards were...

"In addition, the establishment of the kingdom’s eighth eight-thousand-man regiment, composed of four thousand Otomi warriors and four thousand wilderness warriors, to form the Qingqiu Legion! The Qingqiu Legion’s equipment, following the kingdom’s standards, includes four Divine Eagle Cannons, ten Tiger Squat Cannons, five hundred sets of bronze cloth armor, all dispatched and supplied by the capital’s craftsman camp!"

"My poet commander Balamo, my great general bearing heavy responsibilities, you are the kingdom’s eighth Legion Commander, the Qingqiu Legion Commander!"