The chiefs of each village nodded silently to the proposal. 'Singing Water' looked around at the chiefs in the communal hut and said.
"Please raise your hand if you are in favor of joining the Sky Solar League."
Voting is, of course, by raising your hands. The chiefs raised their hands, looking around. The elders who assisted the chieftain counted the number of chiefs who raised their hands.
"Thirty-two votes."
"…hmm!"
Forty-two chieftains gathered in a communal hut, and the other ten chieftains opposed joining the 'Sun of the Sky' confederation.
The motion to join the confederation of the Sun of the Sky was defeated, as was the tradition of the Mohegan tribe, which required everyone to agree.
At that time, 'Blue Leaf' raised his hand representing the chiefs who opposed it. 'Singing Water' nodded and listened to his objection.
"Go ahead."
"Thank you, Chief!"
'Blue Leaf' stood up and began to passionately explain why he was against it.
"… Joining the alliance of the 'Sun of the Sky' is not a bad choice. However, I think we should not limit our options too much. And I also wonder if they will accept us even if we join the Sun of the Sky."
The other chiefs seemed to agree with the 'blue leaf' and sat deep in thought. 'Blue Leaf' continued to voice his opinion.
"… I think it would be best to choose a direction that is as advantageous to our tribe as possible. First of all, if the Abnaki tribes form an alliance, I think it wouldn't be a bad idea to express our intentions to them as well."
'Singing Water' asked with sparkling eyes.
"Does that mean we should play tug-of-war between the two alliances to maximize our tribe's interests?"
"Yes, that's right. And even if it's not necessarily one of those two alliances, joining the Iroquois confederacy would be a good solution."
There was a commotion inside the communal hut as the Mohegan chiefs seemed shocked by the opinion of 'Blue Leaf'.
"I think we were thinking too narrowly."
"That's right."
"It wouldn't be a bad idea to join the Iroquois confederation."
'Singing Water' also seemed to have cleared his mind, and with a strange smile on his lips, he cleaned up the noisy room.
"… Then, considering the various interests, we discussed and decided what terms to impose on the Abnaki tribe, the Iroquois Confederacy, and the League of the Sun in the Sky."
The chiefs raised their hands one by one to offer their opinions.
"…our tribe should be ruled by our tribe's people."
"…For the safety of our tribe, I hope that we can promote inter-tribal marriages and form a strong alliance."
"… If you join a federation or union, there will be more than one or two things you will need to support. I think it would be better to join a federation or union that sets the minimum conditions through consultation."
The meeting continued for a while with many good opinions being exchanged. After a while, 'Singing Water' summarized the opinions that had been expressed so far.
"… The Abnaki tribe was chosen as the first priority for negotiation, followed by the Iroquois Confederacy, and finally the Celestial Sun Alliance. I will soon send people to negotiate with them, so we can discuss it again at the next meeting and make a decision."
"Chief! This is a very wise decision."
"great."
The Mohegan council ended in a good mood as all the chiefs agreed to the decision and decided on who to send to each confederation and alliance.
* * *
'Very large' town, office. Good news came from the Ministry of Construction.
"…You discovered two iron mines?"
'Lazy Beaver' reported, shrugging his shoulders.
"Yes, Your Majesty! Although it is an open-pit mine, it is estimated to contain a considerable amount of iron."
I said it was a large amount, but considering the current production of weapons and farm equipment, it would probably not even be enough for a year.
However, the fact that the Ministry of Construction found an open-pit mine without me was a great achievement in itself.
"The lazy beavers and the construction workers must have had a hard time finding the open pit mine."
No one was offended by the compliment. The 'Lazy Beaver' showed even more enthusiasm for the open pit mine with an excited expression.
"Hahaha! No. Thanks to His Majesty the Emperor's careful teachings, I can easily find an open-pit mine. And since two open-pit mines are not enough, I plan to continue searching for iron ore in the future."
For a moment, I was troubled. Should I step forward myself to shorten the time or should I continue to leave the task of finding iron ore to the Ministry of Construction?
'Yes, the administrative system is running well without me… I think it's right to trust and leave it to them.'
I patted the 'lazy beaver' on the shoulder to cheer him up even more.
"Even if the mine is not developed right now, I hope the Ministry of Construction will take responsibility and continue to find not only iron, but also copper, limestone, and coal."
"Yes, Your Majesty! The Ministry of Construction is already planning to create a separate Resource Survey Department."
"That's a very good idea. Get the resource investigation team together and report back. I'll approve it right away."
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
After a while, as the 'Lazy Beaver' withdrew with light steps, I was left alone in the office, frowning as I read the report on the war between the Irie and Iroquois Confederate tribes.
"I'm holding up well, but… it's precarious."
It seemed likely that the Irie tribe would be conquered by the Iroquois Confederacy before I could visit. I urgently called out to 'Splendid Sunset', who was waiting outside.
"Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
"The situation of the Iri tribe is getting worse. I think I should visit the Iri tribe quickly. How long will it take to prepare? Is it possible by the day after tomorrow?"
'Splendid Sunset' seemed to have anticipated this situation and answered without hesitation.
"We can leave as soon as tomorrow."
A smile spread across my face without me realizing it, seeing her thoroughly prepared appearance. As expected of a genius in the top 1%, 'Splendid Sunset' was quickly learning and processing everything like cotton absorbing water.
I guess it was a stroke of genius to appoint her as my chief of staff. Because it was comfortable to work, it was too comfortable.
"Then, let's leave right away tomorrow."
"Yes, before that."
'Splendid Sunset' took out a piece of paper from the documents she was holding and handed it over.
"This is the list of people to escort His Majesty the Emperor. Please take a look and let me know if there are any corrections."
I was a little worried that 'Splendid Sunset' might be included on the list. Luckily, her name wasn't there. I nodded with a satisfied expression after seeing the names written on the paper.
"… This is a perfect excuse to go to war."
"Then, I'll get ready to leave at dawn tomorrow."
"okay."
* * *
The next day. As day broke, warriors who were to visit the Iri tribe were waiting at the entrance to the castle gate. There are twenty-five people, including the Grand Master.
'The Brave Wolf', 'The Stubborn Bear', 'The Swift Deer', 'The Heavy Snowstorm'. And the rest were the bodyguard warriors who knew how to ride buffalo.
As the chief of staff, I spoke to 'Splendid Sunset', who was seeing me off, and gave her some instructions.
"… Each administrative organization and head will take care of it, but if there are any issues that are difficult to resolve on your own, please contact us immediately."
"Yes, Your Majesty! I will contact you immediately through the Intelligence and Inspection Service."
For the time being, 'Splendid Sunset' will lead 'The Sun in the Sky' in my stead. Of course, the villagers and delegates had no idea that I was visiting the Iri tribe.
Even my wife, 'The Moon Rises', knew that I was going to hunt a herd of buffalo.
"… … There won't be any major problems. Believe in yourself."
'Splendid Sunset', who had been a little nervous because of the burden of having to lead the sun in the sky, answered with confidence as if nothing had happened.
"Of course I trust myself. I will handle things perfectly and cleanly, so Your Majesty the Emperor, just have a safe trip."
Now, I could turn around with peace of mind, seeing her even joke around. After a while, as I was getting on the buffalo, the 'brave wolf' came riding on the buffalo, as if everything was ready.
"Let's go."
"okay."
As soon as I gave permission, the 'brave wolf' winked at each and every one of the group riding buffalo.
"depart!"
Before I knew it, a cavalry formation was formed, riding buffaloes, and they began to move quickly to escort me, the Emperor.
I turned my head and glanced at the 'Humble Bear' who was grinning like an idiot. Would it be so nice to see a 'red sunset'?
'By the way, for my plan to succeed, I need the honest bear to play a cool role…'
* * *
The mountains that divide the earth (Appalachian Mountains), west. My companions and I quickly crossed the mountain that split the earth at incredible speed.
Knock knock! Knock knock! Knock knock!
It was definitely different. By riding a buffalo, the distance of five days was covered in one day. Less than a month later, as we crossed the Susquehannock territory and entered Shawnee territory, my party was stopped.
"Let's take a break here."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
'Brave Wolf' quickly relayed my orders to the Grand Master and his bodyguard warriors.
"… the guard guards the perimeter, while the rest of the warriors feed and water the buffaloes and rest."
"Understood, sir!"
Now that this situation was familiar, the archers and bodyguards quickly moved about to find their place. They went to a nearby valley and gave the buffalo water, then tied them to a tree.
The great warriors and his bodyguards rested first, having grazed the grass around them and fed it to the buffaloes. After confirming the safety of the surroundings, the guards stood guard in comfortable positions at their respective positions.
Meanwhile, I was taking a break with the map window open, and was receiving a report from the head of the Information and Inspection Department, the 'Fast Deer'.
"… I did leak information to the Iroquois Confederacy as instructed, but time is the issue."
If it was dangerous, the 'fast-footed deer' who had been opposing this plan until the end was still looking at me with a worried expression.
"It's time…."
I turned my head and called out to 'Heavy Snowstorm', who knew the area well.
"How many days do you think it will take to reach this tribal territory?"
"...."
'Heavy Snowstorm' thought for a moment without saying anything, then answered with an uncertain look in his eyes.
"If there are no problems, I think it will arrive within ten days at the latest."
Ten days… There was little time left to meet the 'Red Fruit' and the Iri tribe warriors on the promised date.
"Heavy snowstorm! Don't be afraid. Oh, okay? Can you make it in there?"
'Heavy Snowstorm', who had been guiding the group from the front until now, hesitated for a moment and then carefully opened his mouth.
"I know a shortcut, but… it's a bit rough. Is that okay?"
I pushed ahead without even thinking about it.
"That's good. You can think of it as training anyway. Just take that shortcut."
"Understood, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
As I made a quick decision, the 'fast-footed deer' let out a long sigh with a sad face.
"Whew! I'm suffering because I followed you for no reason."
My sense of playfulness was aroused when I saw the 'fast-footed deer' muttering softly and sticking out its lips.
"What? You followed me for nothing?"
"When did I ever say that? Ah! I'm tired! I'll rest too."
The 'fast-footed deer' panicked and quickly moved to another spot. After a while, when the break was over, the group was ordered to hurry and depart.
"There will be many Shoni warriors waiting. Let's move to the meeting place at full speed."
"Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
* * *
Southwest of Lake Erie. The Iroquois confederacy was using the recently conquered Erie village as a temporary camp and holding military council in the longhouse.
At that time, good news was delivered to the long house.
"… It seems the rumors are true. It is said that the Iri tribe warriors who are targeting the rear have just left the village."
'Rising Flames', who hosted the military conference, smiled brightly and coldly at the report.
"Hahahaha! This is a perfect opportunity to deal with this tribe in one go."