Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1746 - 1249: The Far Northern Shipping Route Connecting East Asia (Part 2)

The sea is a frozen blue and white, and the distant mountains are covered with snow. The meadows beneath the snow undulate with the mountains, with sparse cedars standing straight. The barren mountains, heavy snow, tall grass, and sparse trees - nature uses the simplest and coldest strokes to depict a high-standing island mountain range, outlining an 'ancient armadillo' lying on the sea, just like millions of years ago.

From ancient times to today, the snow-covered mountain range spanning the island seems unchanged. Regardless of how many generations of hunting tribes have lived on this island, they haven't altered its wild appearance. The only change on the entire great island now is the natural harbor at the northeastern corner, a small section with built huts, a potato field covered in snow, and two longships and dozens of canoes frozen in the harbor.

This is the Kingdom's Divine Great Whale Port (N58, W152), also the chosen winter harbor of the Chimere High Priest. The tribal population in the harbor has grown to more than four hundred people, but relative to the nine thousand square kilometers of the great island, it remains just a tuft of hair on a rabbit's short tail. At this time in March, the Great Whale Island is frozen; the endless whale songs of summer cannot be heard, only the sound of...

"Woo! Oww! Aw!!…"

"Li Li!!…"

"Ah! High Priest Sir, have the samurai take the dogs away! Quick! The mare is about to get angry!…"

"Ke Wubao, go, take the big dogs away!…"

"Yes!…"

Upon hearing this, Warrior Captain Ke Wubao nodded in salute and retreated several dozen paces with two strong, long-haired black-and-white big dogs.

"Li!…"

The horses' neighing eased a little, yet their wary eyes remained fixed on the curious Chimere High Priest. There was a definite smell of 'wolf' on him, constantly trying to get closer, making them very uneasy! Especially now that they were carrying foals, the most sensitive and slowest time...

"Witness by the Chief Divine, how strange! These four-legged beasts larger than humans are actually afraid of those two wolf dogs? The strength of these horses should be greater than that of the wolf dogs! Even the samurai were very afraid and apprehensive when they first saw the gigantic 'horses', thinking they were some legendary monsters..."

"High Priest Sir, you... you are joking! No matter how big a horse is, it eats grass, and no matter how small a wolf is, it eats meat. Moreover, those wolf dogs are so big! Standing up, they are almost like humans, really frightening! I've never seen dogs that big, oh, except for those in the tented tribe of barbarians who catch people on sleds…" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"Hmm? Eating meat?… No, Ichiro, you're wrong! These two wolf dogs, I've always fed them by hand. They eat not only meat and fish but also potatoes and corn cakes. They have a great temperament, are excellent at pulling sleds, very obedient, both loyal and gentle!…"

The Chimere High Priest shook his head, patiently communicating with Horse Breeder Sukeichiro from a safe distance of over ten paces. He occasionally turned to glance at the two Alaskan dogs crouching several dozen paces away, who still pawed the ground, eager to rush over to guard him, his eyes filled with contentment and fondness.

"Praise the Chief Divine! What loyal and wise big dogs! Luo Heishi was indeed considerate!…"

Indeed, these two 'wise-eyed' black-and-white big dogs were specifically presented to the Chimere last year by Luo Heishi, the Warrior Leader responsible for the harbor, at the Divine Land Port (N55, W163) stopover.

According to Luo Heishi, these two dogs, a male and a female, more robust than the northern gray wolf, were exchanged from a southward-migrating Sugpiaq tribe during the longboat's summer fishing at Divine Land Port. The chieftain of that tribe told the Sugpiaq sailors on the longboat that the true origin of these two big dogs was from the sled tribes on the even more northern snowfields, from an Inuit tribe (Inuit) who call themselves 'Snowfield People'. As for the primary purpose of these two big dogs, it was to pull sleds and tents swiftly across the winter snowfields!

In the northern snowfields, where it is icy cold for thousands of miles, snow-covered several feet deep, winter lasts for eight months of the year, yet there are still migrant hunting tribes able to survive. This greatly amazed the 'world-exploring' Chimere!

He was very fond of these two dogs that the Alliance didn't have, always bringing them on the ship, sailing westward all the way. It was not until the end of summer, early autumn last year, that he sent five supporting longships on the route to the island chain's end from Divine Revelation Archipelago's mid-point, Divine Peak Mountain Port (N52, W174), managing to return to Divine Great Whale Port in time before it became icebound...

If Divine Blood Bay Port (West Longitude 145°) is the most critical 'waist port' on the far north route, then further west, Divine Great Whale Port (West Longitude 152°) is the Kingdom's horse-rearing 'Horse Port', situated akin to a navel. Further on, Divine Land Port (West Longitude 163°) serves as the starting point for the Aleutian Island Chain, deemed as the 'starting port'. As for the front section of the island chain's Divine Peak Mountain Port (West Longitude 174°), it can be regarded as the 'foretail port' on the tail.

In reality, Chimere's third batch of support fleet left a longship in Whale Harbor, Divine Eagle Wing Port, and these four ports, stationing a new batch from the Kingdom's main force. Populations at these four ports also grew to 500 people at Divine Blood Bay Port, 400 at Divine Great Whale Port, 400 at Divine Land Port, and 300 at Divine Peak Mountain Port.

These four ports mainly engage in fishing and hunting, with low-yield potato fields that nonetheless provide a stable winter storage ration. The tribes have metal logging tools and large ships that can fish in shallow seas, as well as coalstone fuel for winter use, making them much better off than the surrounding far-northern tribes!

Under the concept of "Unifying the Jiao People and Assimilating the Northern Tribes," the port cities of various kingdoms are all very welcoming to nearby tribes, showing great friendliness. As a result, the warm, affluent, and powerful Longboat Tribe gradually gained a reputation in the Far North, becoming a destination for many small tribes around to seek refuge!

Especially before winter arrives, many hunting tribes come to request joint operations to endure the long, frozen harsh winter together. And when May brings spring, various small tribes scatter to hunt again but often leave behind some injured able-bodied men, children they cannot support, or simply separate out tribal households to join, rapidly increasing the population of the port. The faith in the Chief Divine also began to spread among the tribes under the practical name of "God of Fire and Potatoes..."

"The Chief Divine bears witness! These two four-legged beasts are indeed very spiritual! They look very intelligent, as wise as those large dogs! They vigorously shake their heads and necks, but their pregnant bellies remain still, is it to protect the fetus inside?…"

"Uh… High Priest Sir, you are truly wise! These two Far North horses are very smart and have a much better temperament than that Jurchen Stallion... If they weren't pregnant, usually they could be ridden... But now they've been pregnant for ten months, and it looks like they are about to give birth, so they must not be frightened! If they miscarry, the effort and care I've put in these past ten months would be wasted!…"

"Furthermore, sir, you carry the scent of wolf dogs... It makes these two horses quite afraid! These Northern horses are fast runners and strong, not afraid of big forest bears and rarely encountering tigers, but the only thing they fear is wolves!…"

Sukeichiro carefully persuaded the esteemed "Monk Official" in front of him. As he spoke, he continued to soothe the two Yakut horses, feeding them the tender grass dug from the snow, treating them even more diligently than a fierce wife.

These two mares, traded from the Shandan Tribe and transported over thousands of li here, are Sukeichiro's "source of wealth," more important than the Gold Talisman around his neck! The ten months of attentive care have left Sukeichiro weathered and aged, yet he's noticeably sturdier, no longer appearing like a frail, small deer. This is clearly due to ample nutrition and a higher status at the port, enabling him to frequently consume meat.

As for the dozen or so tribal apprentices learning to breed horses under his command, they've gradually gained experience and can help look after the horses, especially the separately raised Jurchen Stallion. And when the two foals are born, two apprentices can be promoted to nurture them from a young age, allowing man and horse to understand each other and become the best riders...

"Ah! So that's how it is!…"

Chimere raised his arms, sniffed the dog scent on his hands, and again showed curiosity. These four-legged "horses" that can be ridden have a gestation period longer than humans, likely absorbing "Ihoter" life force stronger than that of ordinary people. But this long breeding time for horses, to truly breed hundreds or thousands to form the "horse-riding warriors" as mentioned by His Majesty, how long would it take?

"Sukeichiro, after these two mares give birth, how long before they can reproduce again?…"

"Ah? Rest?… No, no, High Priest Sir! Horses are different from humans; they don't need rest and can breed continuously... Actually, after giving birth to a foal, within ten days their bodies will heat up and come into estrus again! And as long as they can be maintained, this is the easiest time for them to conceive; a stallion mounts and they get pregnant!... It turns out they can give birth to one offspring per year, one foal at a time…"

"Chief Divine! Is that so! One foal per year, one at a time…"

Chimere's eyes sparkled, silently calculating the reproduction rate of the herd. A moment later, he recalled something and continued to ask.

"Then Sukeichiro, how long does it take for a newly born filly to start breeding?"

"At least three years! To be safe, four years is best, as it ensures the mare is most robust and won't give birth to weak foals... And if a young horse survives past three years, it will live a long time, able to reproduce for at least ten years…"

"Hmm, breeding begins at three to four years, and lasts at least ten years?"

Chimere blinked, having worked out the answer in his mind. For the horse herd to grow to a thousand, it would take about ten years, starting slowly but then accelerating rapidly. Once the herd reached a few hundred, the group could stabilize. By then, there'd be no more worries; they could breed on the island and also expand southward to develop several Kingdom's horse-breeding Great Islands. Across from Divine Eagle Wing Port, Haida Gwaii, larger than Great Whale Island, would be ideal…

"Chief Divine's protection! Breeding a rideable horse herd is indeed a long undertaking, but its future is boundless! Yes, we must bring back more mares from the Western Sea continent quickly to double the size of the initial herd, saving years of accumulation…"

Thinking of this, Chimere looked toward the West mountains with longing. Beyond the hundreds of li of contiguous snowy peaks lies the icy, shining Western Sea. At this moment, on that continent, what is the Zuwaro High Priest, personally appointed by His Majesty as the Exploration Captain, doing?…

"Chief Divine's protection! The longships headed west to support should have arrived safely, right? In the end, I chose safety, suppressing my curiosity about the Western Sea continent, continuing to manage the Far North route... In any case, I still lack the courage of Captain Zuwaro, resolutely advancing for the Chief Divine, leaving behind the tribe's wife and children without fear!

"On such a difficult and cold peninsula, on the continent of death as mentioned by the Unanga, Zuwaru Priest must be having a hard time, right? May the Chief Divine protect him! May this Far North route continuously bring back Western Sea's technological talents, domesticated livestock, and new crops!…"