The 'Cold Tree', who had conquered almost three-quarters of the barbarian tribes, was having quite a hard time because of a warrior named 'Wounded Arrow' who suddenly appeared.
Some call him the chieftain of a savage tribe, others call him a great warrior. However, until now, nothing has been clearly revealed about his identity.
In any case, the 'Wounded Arrow' united the remaining barbarian tribe villages and, instead of avoiding an all-out war against our warriors, employed a thorough hit-and-run tactic.
'Cold Tree' wanted to meet him once, as he was fighting well against him. After a while, the white general who was assisting him reported quickly.
"Master! I am bringing out the enemy barbarian tribesmen who entered the village. What should we do?"
'Cold Tree', who had deliberately abandoned the recently conquered barbarian tribe's village in order to pursue 'Wounded Arrow' and his warriors, shook his head without a second thought.
"···We will secretly pursue them to their base."
"Understood, Master Cheon In-jang!"
The warriors who had been lying in ambush in the forest under the instructions of the 'Cold Tree' crouched even more in their hiding places to avoid being detected by the savage tribe warriors.
Had about thirty minutes passed? As the Savage Tribe's warriors disappeared from sight, taking the Savage Tribe's villagers with them, the 'Cold Tree' immediately selected ten warriors and formed a scout party.
"We'll chase them from as far away as possible. Leave a mark on the trees and we'll follow."
"Understood, Master Cheon In-jang!"
The scouts who had been given the mission quickly followed the white general to the place where the savage warriors had disappeared.
The instructions for 'Cold Tree' didn't end there. It was necessary to relay the information they had just obtained to the 'Ferocious Wolf' unit, the 'Sharp Staghorn' unit, and the 'Roaring Thunder' unit, who were each divided into three units to conquer the barbarian tribes.
"···The army must have almost conquered the empty barbarian tribe village by now. Tell the three units to hurry and join the main force."
"Understood, Master Cheon In-jang!"
The warriors who had been given the order answered vigorously and ran in different directions. 'The Cold Tree' spoke to the remaining warriors.
"An unexpected battle may occur. After checking each person's weapon, follow the scouts."
"Yes, Mr. Cheon In-jang!"
While the warriors briefly checked their weapons, the 'Cold Tree' fell into deep thought, then his eyes glowed coldly with a meaningful smile.
"······If we do it right, we can deal with the troublesome barbarian tribes all at once."
* * *
In the southernmost village of the savage tribe, the chieftain 'Little Foot' is rescued by the Lenape warriors from the savage tribe who have been conquered under the orders of 'Wounded Arrow', the new hero of the tribe.
"Move over there."
"When moving, you must refrain from talking as much as possible and follow the warriors' instructions."
"The Lenape warriors may appear again. If you want to live, move quickly."
The savage tribesmen began to flee in a hurry under the instructions of the savage tribes warriors. A moment later, as the savage tribesmen were safely out of the village, a few warriors who had been scouting the area ran up to Little Foot.
"Chief! The Lenape warriors have begun to move."
At that moment, 'Little Feet' nodded repeatedly with the corners of his mouth twitching.
"···It went as planned."
From the moment I first entered the village, I felt something strange. As expected, Lenape warriors were waiting in ambush, just as the 'Wounded Arrow' had predicted.
'Little Foot' secretly gave instructions to the warriors.
"There's no need to move around so noisily. Let's all act as usual so they don't know we've caught them."
The warriors answered quietly, looking slightly nervous.
"Understood, Chief!"
As the warriors retreated after finishing their report, 'Little Foot' looked at the place where the Lenape warriors were lying in ambush and his eyes glowed coldly.
"Well, that's okay since we've succeeded in luring them. I'm looking forward to seeing how the 'Wounded Arrow' will lead us to victory."
* * *
Beautiful waters high above (Lake Winnipesaukee). At the edge of the lake was a village of the Penacook tribe. It was a village where the chief resided, and three hundred Penacuk tribesmen lived together in peace.
Rumpy huts were built at appropriate intervals between the lake and the forest, and Penacook men paddled birch bark canoes out into the middle of the lake to fish.
Penacuk women repaired torn nets and dried gutted fish in the sun. Children ran around or huddled together in front of the village elders to learn the tribe's legends and etiquette.
And as the sun set and darkness grew, the Penacuk women gathered together and began to prepare dinner. Meanwhile, in contrast to the peaceful atmosphere outside, the large hut where the chief resides is enveloped in deep silence as the goods sent by the 'Sun of the Sky' Federation are left behind.
"······"
A large hut was brightly lit by a campfire in the center, a thatched hut the size of a man's arm. At that moment, someone in the hut let out a gasp, and the rest of the Penacuk tribe elders also spoke up in surprise.
"This is really amazing!"
"What on earth is it made of?"
"But it doesn't get as warm as a bonfire."
"It just seems like something that brightens up the inside of the shack."
"But where is it?"
"but."
As the hut grew noisy, a middle-aged man wearing a cone-shaped hat stepped forward and spoke.
"Okay! I want everyone to be quiet."
"I'm sorry, Chief!"
"yes."
"The Sand That Goes to Wash Away," said Chief Penacuk, with his thick eyebrows standing out, pointing to another gift from the Federation of the Sun in the Sky.
"How do you use that thing?"
"Ah! Yes." Chief Penacuk, who had suffered greatly from the 'water' chieftain, showed a demonstration himself by holding a bar of soap.
When I rubbed my wet hands with the soap, white foam formed. And again, when he poured water from the earthenware bowl and washed his hands with soap bubbles, the chief and elders in the hut let out exclamations again.
"Oh my God! My hands are clean."
"Is that what soap is used for?"
The chief who brought the soap nodded and explained further.
"You can use this soap to wash not only your hands but also your body. You can even wash your hair."
"What a curious thing."
"I like soap better than vinegar."
For a moment, the hut was filled with silence as the admiration lasted for a moment. After a while, the Penacook elders and the chief conversed with expressions of doubt and suspicion about the gift sent by the Sun of the Sky League.
"······It seems that the 'Sun of the Sky' Federation did not send this gift for the sole purpose of trade."
"I also have a suspicious feeling that the intentions of the 'Sun of the Sky' Federation are questionable."
The Penacuk tribe was already very tense because of the noisy situation of the surrounding tribes. In particular, small tribes belonging to the Abnaki tribe were frequently meeting to discuss countermeasures, as they were alert to the expansion of the Iroquois tribe, a neighboring tribe.
At that time, 'The Grain of Sand Being Washed Away', who had been deep in thought while listening to the elders' opinions, slowly opened his mouth.
"···Anyway, I heard that the weapons they possess are formidable. If we refuse to trade without any reason, we will give the Federation of the 'Sun in the Sky' an excuse to cause trouble, so let's just allow trade for now."
"······"
The elders nodded in agreement with the chief's wise decision. 'The grain of sand that is being washed away' opened its mouth again.
"However, I think we need some countermeasures. I heard that the 'Sun of the Sky' alliance was formed by the Lenape tribe. First, let's investigate the Lenape tribe's past actions. In particular, if we learn about the tendencies of the Lenape chieftain, we will be able to decide what choice to make. And since the surrounding tribes are in disarray, I think we should quickly strengthen the solidarity of the Abnaki tribes."
One of the elders, unable to contain his curiosity, quickly asked.
"When you say solidarity, does that mean we will soon form an alliance?"
'A grain of sand being washed away' nodded slightly and spoke with a meaningful smile on his lips.
"It won't be easy, but there's no other way to keep us safe than the Federation."
"I also agree with the chief's opinion."
"Well, we can understand each other and we are from the same tribe, so I don't think there is any need to fight and growl at each other."
"I wish we could form the Abnaki Confederacy to fight against the Iroquois Confederacy and the 'Sun of the Sky' League as soon as possible."
* * *
A 'very big' town. The cold winter gave way to warm weather as the frozen ground thawed. When spring came, the junior warriors who had been discharged from the training camp helped the villagers diligently plant crops in the large farmland.
As the entire village was busy with spring farming, the 'very large' village council hall was filled with young people from all over the region.
There was a subtle sense of tension in the assembly hall as they were testing the talents to be selected for each administrative organization.
At that moment, when the head of the Ministry of Education that administered the test, 'Wind and Cloud,' appeared, the young people in the conference hall quickly straightened their posture.
"······"
'Wind and Cloud', who went up on stage, spoke briefly about things to keep in mind when taking exams while looking at young people.
"···If you are caught looking at someone else's test paper, you will be disqualified on the spot. Of course, I trust that you will not cheat."
"······"
"There are ten questions in total. You have two hours. There is no correct answer. Feel free to write down your answers according to your own thoughts and submit them to me. Okay, I think I'm done talking. Do you have any questions?
"······"
When there were no questions, 'Wind and Cloud' smiled and spoke to the young people for the last time.
"Today, His Majesty the Emperor has come here in person to encourage you, despite his busy schedule. Everyone, please stand and be polite."
Boom boom!
As I appeared on the podium, escorted by the Royal Guard, cheers erupted from all over the conference hall.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!
"Your Majesty the Emperor, the Son of God and Warrior!"
"To see His Majesty the Emperor here···"
"It is the glory of the tribe."
As I stood in the center of the stage, the young people from each tribe shouted loudly in unison.
"With all due respect to His Majesty the Emperor! Loyalty!"
The salute used by warriors had naturally transformed into a greeting for the emperor.
"insect!"
I also lightly placed my right fist against my left chest and pointed at them.
"Okay, everyone, please take your seats."
"······"
The young people sitting there looked at me with eyes full of awe and respect.
'Why do you all look like that? Are they brainwashing you at school?'
I don't know how the Department of Education teaches me, but I didn't feel bad. As soon as the mood was set, I started giving my speech in front of them.
"······This test cannot evaluate everyone. However, it is only a test to see your wisdom, so please do not be disappointed if you fail the test. There will be another test next year, and opportunities are always open. Lastly, please always keep in mind that everyone is equal before the Creator God."
As soon as I finished my speech, thunderous applause and cheers erupted from all sides. I nodded with a pleasant expression as I stepped down from the stage.
'All are equal before the Creator God.'
The reason I constantly emphasize this is because it can be a powerful tool to unite the Indian tribes who are scattered across a vast land.
Because they had different tribes, different cultures, and different languages, they desperately needed an ideology that could unite the American Indians.
'No matter how much I think about it, it's the perfect ruling ideology.'
* * *
Lower reaches of the Swan (Potomac River). The savage warriors crossed the Swan River with the savage tribesmen in canoes they had prepared in advance on the riverbank.
And the 'cold tree' and the warriors who had been secretly chasing them could only watch them quietly with bewildered eyes in the dense forest.
'I got hit once.'
The 'Cold Tree' smiled bitterly, and as soon as the savage warriors and people disappeared from sight across the river, he immediately gave orders to the white generals assisting him.
"······We pair up in groups and cross the river using logs. We cut down suitable trees nearby."
"Understood, Master Cheon In-jang!"
A moment later, a hundred warriors were ready to cross the river on logs, waiting for the command of the 'Cold Tree'. At that moment, a scout party that had just returned from scouting the area came running in a hurry.
"Your Majesty! The rear is full of barbarian warriors."
"······"
For a moment, the face of the 'cold tree' became distorted.
'Damn! Am I being lured in reverse?'