For a moment, a golden light that was visible only to my eyes seeped into the great warriors and the guardsmen.
[Tiring!]
[The attack power, defense power, and mobility of the army are doubled for 24 hours.]
As [Battlefield Command] was activated, the look in the eyes and spirit of the 'Brave Wolf' and the warriors changed clearly.
"Suddenly, I feel a surge of strength."
As the 'stubborn bear' spoke, swinging his axe lightly, the 'swift deer' nodded in agreement.
"That's right. You look good today."
'Brave Wolf' and 'Heavy Snowstorm' also looked at each other in silence, feeling their changed bodies.
"...."
The guardsmen also tightened their grip on the reins, looking brimming with strength.
"… The Cherokee people are letting their guard down. Let's take control of the wide-open entrance first. Everyone, take up your bows!"
"Yes, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
Suddenly, he shouted loudly to the archers and the guard warriors.
"charge!"
"charge!"
With me in the lead, the mounted warriors and bodyguards began to charge fiercely toward the Cherokee village.
Adadadadadadadada!
The warriors' roars echoed through the Cherokee village. As always, as soon as I spotted my first target, I shot first.
Swoosh!
A Cherokee warrior was shot in the chest with an arrow and fell backwards with a short scream. And as if that was the beginning, the archers and the bodyguards all started shooting arrows at the target.
The Cherokee warriors guarding the village entrance were hit by arrows and fell one by one in a sudden surprise attack.
Eww! Eww! Eww!
* * *
'It's already over.'
It had been less than an hour since the surprise attack on the village. As you can see from the map window, there weren't many Cherokee warriors guarding the village.
About thirty people. Even so, the Cherokee village they conquered this time was quite large, with a capacity of two hundred people.
"Get on your knees!"
"He lowers his head and avoids eye contact with us."
After the battle, the 'Heavy Snowstorm' and the guard warriors gathered the Cherokee people together in the central square of the village and organized the gathering.
On one side, the 'Swift Deer', the 'Stubborn Bear', and a few bodyguard warriors were examining slaves captured by the Cherokee.
"name?"
"Mountains and rivers."
"What tribe are you from?"
"This is the Tutello tribe."
In the midst of everyone's busyness, 'Brave Wolf' happened to approach me to report the results of the battle.
"… we killed twenty-two of them and captured the rest of the Cherokee warriors. Fortunately, none of our warriors were injured."
The Royal Guard is comprised of the strongest warriors in 'The Sun in the Sky'. I nodded with a satisfied expression as if the result was natural and continued to receive reports from the 'Brave Wolf'.
"… I think it was because we dealt with the Cherokee warriors who had gone out to hunt slaves that we were able to conquer this village so easily."
"...."
Of course, that was the biggest reason. And the buff from my special trait, 'Battlefield Command', would certainly have helped the fighting power of the great warriors and the royal guard warriors.
However, there were not many Cherokee warriors in the village, so it was not clear how effective 'battlefield command' was.
'… I can't help it.'
Unfortunately, I plan to check the power of 'Battlefield Command' again in a later big battle.
'I guess it'll be possible after two weeks.'
After a while, the Cherokee village was roughly cleared out. 'The Swift Deer' reported on the people he had captured as slaves in this town.
"… there were one hundred and two slaves, fifteen of the Shawnee tribe, thirty-three of the Tutelo tribe, and forty-seven of the Savage tribes. Among them was the man we were seeking."
"… What a relief."
The 'swift deer' said angrily, as if he had more to report.
"… It seems like the Cherokee people didn't give them enough food. Recently, three people starved to death."
I had expected it to some extent when I saw the slaves who were almost just skeletons. I turned my head and looked at them.
At that moment, a few soldiers of the Imperial Guard were taking food from the village storehouse and distributing it to the enslaved people.
"…You saved us and even shared food with us!"
"…thank you so much!"
Unlike the first time, the anxious and fearful appearance was nowhere to be seen, and instead, people who had been living a life of slavery were hastily eating food and repeatedly expressing their gratitude to our guard warriors.
"…What should we do with them?"
The 'fast-footed deer' asked cautiously after finishing his report.
"Ask them what they want first. If there's anyone who has nowhere to go, we can take them in."
"All right."
The 'fast-footed deer' answered vigorously and retreated, and then the 'heavy snowstorm' approached.
"Your Majesty the Emperor! I have brought the chief of this village."
When the village was attacked, the village chief was the first to run away, and the guardsmen had a hard time searching for him for a while, searching the log cabins.
"great job."
"no."
I looked down at the Cherokee chief, who was kneeling with his hands tied behind his waist.
"Raise your head."
"...."
The Cherokee chief, his face bruised and blue from having been struck several times by his bodyguards, slowly raised his head, his whole body shaking.
"You don't have to be afraid. Just answer my questions truthfully."
"...."
The Cherokee chief was momentarily surprised by my fluent speech, but did not respond and just nodded. At that moment, the 'Honest Bear's' large fist hit him square in the face.
Phew!
With a cool crash, the Cherokee chief fell to the ground.
"Answer me. Answer me! Be polite!"
"...."
The Cherokee chief, who probably didn't know Lenape, seemed to have some sense as he abruptly rose from his seat.
"Please, please don't kill me. If you ask me, I'll tell you the truth."
"...."
'Honest Bear' was smiling like an idiot and looking at me as if he wanted to be praised.
"Good job. Now I feel more comfortable talking."
The 'Honest Bear' once again chuckled with a pleasant expression, then glared at the Cherokee chief with a murderous look in his eyes as if nothing had happened.
Phew!
I began to ask the Cherokee chief a few questions in a relaxed manner, as he trembled with fear and dread.
"name?"
"Oh, it's your last breath."
"Age and location in town?"
"I am forty-two. I am the chief of this village."
After a while, the Cherokee chief's interrogation ended smoothly with one last question.
"… It has nothing to do with our Cherokee tribe. I made the decision on my own to raid the Shawnee village."
"...."
So far, it seems like you've answered my questions with facts, so it doesn't seem like you're lying. Anyway, the justification was secured as planned.
There will be no question of the Cherokee tribe later attacking this village.
'… But I should take him with me so he doesn't say anything else later.'
I turned my head and gave instructions to the 'Honest Bear'.
"… This one also takes me to the 'sun of the sky'."
"Understood, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
* * *
The next day. After spending a day at the Cherokee village, we prepared to leave for the Susquehannock tribe. Yesterday, the Shawnee people who had been held as slaves were safely escorted back to their village.
The Tudelo tribesmen also accepted their wishes and released them to return to their tribe. Of course, we also provided plenty of food separately.
Finally, the people of the savage tribe (the Powhatan tribe), who were like the people of our 'Sun in the Sky', decided to move together until they reached their territory.
At that moment, the 'brave wolf' entered the windowless log cabin and gave a brief report.
"…As His Majesty the Emperor has directed, we will take the chiefs and elders of this village and several Cherokee warriors as prisoners. And we have strongly warned the remaining Cherokees who will remain in this village not to engage in slave hunting."
"good job."
After a conference with the warlords, it was decided to show great mercy to the Cherokee people, who were considered unworthy as prisoners.
People can live in this village as before, but slave hunting is strictly prohibited.
"What about the Royal Guard warriors?"
"I think I can leave in about an hour."
"Just tell me when you're ready."
"All right."
A moment later, the great knights and the guardsmen were waiting for me in the central square of the village. During that time, I toured around the Cherokee tribal village.
'… There are roofs, and most of the houses are log cabins.'
Of all the Native American tribal villages I've seen so far, the Cherokee tribe was the most advanced in terms of architecture, environment, and many other aspects.
After a brief moment of appreciation, I was already mounted on a buffalo and shouted loudly at the knights and bodyguard warriors.
"depart!"
* * *
Susquehannah River, upper reaches, Susquehannock tribe village. After several days of travel, we safely arrived at the Susquehannock tribe village.
"Your Majesty the Emperor!"
"Your Majesty the Emperor, the Son of God!"
Perhaps because it was the first village to demonstrate divine healing, the Susquehannock tribesmen welcomed me and the warriors with even greater enthusiasm.
At that moment, I was greeted by a 'dazzling look' on her face, her face brightening up thanks to my treatment.
"Welcome, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
"I see a lot of new buildings."
"Haha! Thanks to His Majesty the Emperor, the whole town is bustling with life."
At a glance, it was clear that the town was developing rapidly. Guided by him, we walked towards the village hall. On one side, the Susquehannock tribesmen were looking at the buffalo we were riding in with curiosity.
"How did they tame that buffalo?"
"I want to touch it, but I can't get close because I'm afraid I'll get hit by a buffalo."
"As expected, His Majesty the Emperor is clearly the son of God."
After a while, we had a meal at the village hall and talked about various things about the village with 'Dazzling Eyes', the chief of the Susquehannock tribe and a representative of the 'Sun in the Sky'.
"…We do need a few more teachers to teach the children."
"… As Your Majesty the Emperor knows, there is almost no land left to cultivate as farmland because the surrounding area is mostly mountains. For now, we are planting fruit trees as instructed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry."
"… The turkeys I recently received are being raised well without any major problems."
Certainly, the land where the Susquehannock tribe settled was a rugged mountainous region with nothing to make a specialty of.
So, I thought about brokerage trade. Nestled on the slopes of the Appalachian Mountains, the Susquehannock tribe was surrounded by other tribes, making it an ideal location for intermediary trade.
So, taking that into account, there was a need to further activate the market. At that very moment, 'Dazzling Eyes' carefully brought up the market's concerns.
"…the tribal people have no understanding of private property at all. Honestly, I also think that all things are common property of the tribe."
Like all tribes, the Susquehannocks had a way of life that they had followed. Although they did create markets, the Susquehannock tribesmen showed a strong aversion to owning private property.
Of course, I expected this situation to some extent. It takes time to accept and settle into a new system. That's why reform is difficult.
However, even for monetary reform, private property must be recognized and the market must be actively utilized.
"… and the prices of each item are all over the place, so there is a lot of talk among people."
I was secretly delighted at the words, 'dazzling eyes.'
'Okay.'
The fact that such complaints are being raised among people means that it is time to set prices for things. Although slower than I expected, people were slowly embracing the market economy.
"… Then let's go around the market tomorrow and listen to people's stories."
"…All right."