I felt the energy of three people, not two, in the belly of 'The Moon Rises'. Triplets?! It is still not possible to tell whether it is a son or a daughter.
However, if you look closely, it is almost certain that they are triplets. I was happy.
"Why are you staring at me so obviously? What do you have to say?"
When I heard the story of 'The Moon Rises', I hesitated for a moment whether I should tell this fact that I know or not. However, I thought it was better to say something for the safety of 'Moon Rises' who has triplets.
"It seems like the Creator God has blessed us. There are three of us in your belly."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
'The moon rises', who had been asking with surprised eyes, was lost in thought for a moment. She didn't take my words lightly, knowing full well the abilities I had shown her so far, even though she was hesitant.
"Am I really having triplets?"
He said this while holding 'The Moon Rises' in his arms, who was caressing his belly with a very happy expression.
"Yeah. That's right. Anyway, for the time being, it would be best to leave the work of the Ministry of Agriculture to someone else and put it on hold. If you move too recklessly, it could end up putting you or the children in danger, which would be a big problem."
'The Moon Rises' nodded repeatedly at my warm and sincere words.
"I will. I will tell my mom about this and ask her to help me."
"okay."
After a while, the mother-in-law, who heard the news, took 'The Moon Rises' home with a happy expression. Meanwhile, my father-in-law, the 'Hunter of the Forest', who had had quite a few drinks at the wedding reception, handed me a glass with a bright face.
"Hahaha! I'm so lucky to have a son-in-law. Is it because his name has 'very big' in it? Triplets at once. I feel good today in many ways. Please give me many grandchildren in the future."
"Oh, yes."
He quickly brought the wine that filled the glass to his lips. And when her closest associates heard the news of her pregnancy, they congratulated her one after another.
"Your Majesty the Emperor! Congratulations!"
"Are you pregnant again? That's really amazing."
"You are tall, big, and have a big body. I envy you. Your Majesty the Emperor!"
I also did not back down and said a word to the 'fast-footed deer' who seemed to be secretly teasing me.
"There hasn't been any good news lately. Can you tell me a secret?"
"yes?"
When the 'fast-footed deer' that had been properly beaten by me showed a momentary look of bewilderment, laughter erupted here and there.
In such a friendly atmosphere, the wedding reception continued late into the night.
* * *
South of the 'Sun of the Sky', the pioneer area. The Cherokee tribe came to the citadel where the 'Cold Tree' resided.
They were greeted by Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials who were already prepared for negotiations.
"Welcome. Please come this way."
"Ahh! Thank you."
The expressions on the faces of the Cherokee people who suffered damage in the last battle were all unpleasant. As soon as people from both sides arrived in the meeting room, negotiations began.
"Both sides say that the battle broke out because of some minor misunderstanding, but isn't this too much? It's not that we are on bad terms with the Cherokee tribe, and I think it could have been resolved through dialogue."
Even though the 'giant fist' representing the Cherokee tribe came out strong and fierce from the beginning, the 'cold tree' and the people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs just listened silently.
"Yes, yes. Keep talking."
"I will listen."
For a time, the 'Big Fist' and the Cherokee people blamed the Sun in the Sky for the incident, citing various reasons.
"We had no intention of fighting the 'Sun of the Sky' side from the beginning."
"If we had handed over the slaves who were ours from the beginning, this tragedy would not have happened."
"It was once our land, and our Cherokee warriors had a momentary misunderstanding, but isn't it true that you attacked first?"
"Our tribe's precious warriors have unfortunately died. Accordingly, I would like the 'Sun of the Sky' to provide appropriate and reasonable compensation."
If you hang it on your ear, it's an earring, and if you hang it on your nose, it's a nose ring. The reasons put forward by the Cherokee tribe were, in a word, far-fetched.
The Foreign Ministry people began to refute the Cherokee people point by point without hesitation, as if they had expected them to react in this way.
"Our warriors had no intention of fighting the Cherokee warriors from the beginning."
"We heard from our investigation that Cherokee warriors were the first to attack the peaceful village of the Tutelo tribe. We also heard that they invaded our territory first."
At that moment, the 'cold tree', who had been silent while the people from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spoke on one side, drove in a wedge while spitting out cold anger.
"I don't want to fight over this issue any longer. If you want to start a war, invade our territory again. Then I will show you the true terror of our 'Sun in the Sky.'"
"...."
For a moment the Cherokee people stood speechless. It seemed as if they were embarrassed and blaming themselves for their mistake, as if they had negotiated poorly from the beginning.
In particular, the 'giant fist' blushed and grumbled as if he felt insulted. 'Cold Tree' laughed at the Cherokee people and winked at the Foreign Ministry people to negotiate.
"We don't know whose story is true now, so why don't we listen to the stories of the captured Cherokee warriors?"
There was no torture, but I will not lie, for I was already in a situation where I was kissing Cherokee warriors who had been taken prisoner by threats and intimidation.
The 'giant fist' and the Cherokee people in the meeting room made eye contact and nodded.
"It's not a bad idea to check on the safety of our warriors. Please call them."
* * *
After lengthy negotiations, the Foreign Ministry and the Cherokee tribe shared a memorandum of understanding.
"In order to maintain friendly relations with the Cherokee tribe in the future, the prisoners will be returned unconditionally. I hope that problems such as territorial invasion will never occur again."
"Thank you. I will convey the contents of this agreement to the chiefs and warriors of each village and obtain their promise not to invade the territory of the 'Sun in the Sky'."
Despite the tense atmosphere at the beginning, it ended well in the end. After a while, as 'Big Fist' and the Cherokee men left the fort with the prisoners, 'Cold Tree' and the Foreign Affairs men who were escorting them had a brief conversation about the outcome of the negotiations.
"They seemed worried that we might stop doing business with them."
"Now that we have a definitive answer in diplomatic documents, there will be no more clashes with the Cherokee over territorial issues."
"By the way, since they traded weapons with us, the Cherokee tribe has been hunting slaves more than before."
The 'cold tree' nodded and spoke to the people at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"I have heard that the surrounding tribes have a lot of resentment and resentment toward the Cherokee tribe. Recently, the Saponi tribe, a small tribe, came to visit and cautiously asked how they could join the 'Sun of the Sky' confederation. I think there will be a lot of work for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the future."
"Yes. The Department of Foreign Affairs is keeping a close eye on the tribes that have joined forces against the Cherokee. When the time is right, and His Majesty the Emperor gives instructions, we will reach out to them."
* * *
Lower reaches of the Muhekunnetuk River (Hudson River). Not far from the 'very big' city was the Muhekunnetuk River. And today, as always, dozens of Viking ships positioned on the riverbank cut through the water and advanced forward little by little.
"To the left!"
"Turn the ship around!"
I boarded the medium-sized Viking ship selected as the flagship and gave orders without hesitation to the warriors of the 'Sun of the Sky' who were holding the oars.
"You have to row in sync!"
"Row with all your might!"
At the bow of each ship, white captains shouted and delivered my orders.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the flagship's drums rang out, the warriors began to row vigorously to the command.
"One! Two!"
"One! Two!"
The warriors were training intensely in the river, feeling that there was a clear difference between the theories learned in the training camp and experiencing it firsthand.
After a while, the warriors who had rowed so hard that their mouths smelled sweet were taking a sweet rest. Meanwhile, I had a long conversation with 'Brave Wolf' on the flagship about the upcoming training schedule.
"I think I have acquired some physical strength for rowing, so I think it would be good to start training for water battles in earnest."
"Then, let's start with landing training first."
There will probably be little fighting on the river with the Iroquois. Basic surface combat training is not too late after landing training is over.
I nodded and gave more detailed instructions on the landing training.
"I want you to train separately during the day and night to surprise the enemy's rear. And also to secure the safety of the landing site and build a defensive position."
"Understood, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
Even the 'brave wolf', the head of the Ministry of National Defense, seemed a little nervous about the water combat training, as he was accustomed to land combat.
Phew!
I patted his shoulder and relieved the tension.
"Don't worry too much, this training will end safely."
* * *
A dark night. Nearly a hundred Viking ships sailed up the river as stealthily as possible.
"Advance party! To the landing point!"
At the command of the 'Brave Wolf', three small Viking ships quickly broke away from the camp and began moving towards the landing point.
"Strengthen your security!"
At the next instruction from the 'Brave Wolf', the remaining Viking ships formed a wide formation around the landing point, keeping watch in all directions and strengthening their security.
Meanwhile, the advance ships arrived at the landing point almost simultaneously.
"Move quickly!"
The warriors on the boat jumped into the river and quickly began to disperse to their respective areas.
"Secure safety ahead!"
"Secure the right side!"
"Secure left side!"
The leader of the advance party, Baek In-jang, who had received a series of reports, all blew their whistles in unison.
Peeeeeeeeeee!
'Brave Wolf', who had heard the whistle from the flagship with me, again relayed the order to each ship.
"landing!"
"Build a defense!"
Before we knew it, the Viking ships that had been on guard around the area began to move one by one towards the upstream point.
A moment later, the barricades brought in from the medium-sized ships were widely spread out around the landing point.
And inside the fence, makeshift leather barracks were lined up neatly in rows.
"Light the fire!"
"Let's take turns in groups to set up boundaries!"
"Fill your stomach with combat rations and quickly go to sleep!"
Under the command of the 'Brave Wolf', the warriors ran around busily. We lit fires in the braziers placed throughout the defensive area and stood guard at the fence by group.
The warriors who had eaten the rations developed this time as combat rations, made by mixing dried fruit, maple syrup, and nuts, went into the barracks one by one to sleep.
As the warriors built their defensive positions and secured safety, the 'Brave Wolf' who had been in command of all these operations up to this point approached me and reported.
"Your Majesty the Emperor! The landing operation has been completed safely."
For three days, the warriors rowed the boat without sleeping. From what I've seen so far, this landing operation, despite the intense training, has been almost flawless.
I praised the 'brave wolf' with a satisfied smile.
"Good job! You can deploy to war right away."
"No. I still have a long way to go before I can train for surface combat."
Although he said that, only then did the hardened face of the 'brave wolf' loosen up.
"I think it would be a good idea to give the warriors a few days of rest and then begin full-scale water combat training."
"Understood, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
Canoe vs. Viking ship. If a water battle were to be fought against an enemy in canoes, it would most likely result in a one-sided massacre.
However, basic surface combat training was necessary anyway.
* * *
Beautiful waters high above (Lake Winnipesaukee). Penacuk tribal village. After the formation of the Avnaki League, a guest from afar came for the first time in a long while.
In the large hut, Chief Penacuk, "The Sand That Washes Away," spoke on behalf of the Abnaki Confederacy and asked in astonishment at the proposal made by the Iroquois Confederacy.
"Shall we, the Abnaki Confederacy and the Chigo Iroquois Confederacy, join forces to strike the 'Sun in the Sky'?"
"Yes, that's right."