Again, the 'Lazy Beaver' asked, exuding a dark atmosphere.
"What do you think it is when you see it?"
"hmm!"
The 'lazy beaver' tilted his head as he looked at the blueprint I handed him.
"Looking at the bar··qui, it seems to be related to a water··le."
It's not exact, but it's close enough. When I hesitated and did not answer easily, the 'lazy beaver' asked with a slightly annoyed expression.
"Your Majesty the Emperor! What on earth are these blueprints?"
The technicians standing next to him also looked very curious. Should I call it a carriage? Or an oxcart? From what I know, it sounds like a carriage, but since it is pulled by buffaloes instead of horses, I think it would be correct to call it an oxcart.
"Woochaya."
"What is it?"
The 'lazy beaver' and the technicians kept looking at me as if they wanted more detailed explanations.
"It's a little different from a cart. It has four wheels. In the future, this oxcart will be pulled by buffalo instead of people. And this oxcart can carry people and also loads. If this is developed, it will be a good means of transportation."
"···okay."
The engineers were already excited as they looked over the blueprints at the thought of creating something new. But unlike them, the 'lazy beaver' sighed as usual.
"Then, Your Majesty the Emperor! How long will it take to finish this oxcart?"
Up until now, I've been paying attention to the 'lazy beaver' who has contributed greatly to the development of 'The Sun in the Sky'.
"Take it easy. The technicians here will be making the carts anyway. You just need to supervise them from time to time and receive reports."
"But I would like you to give me a specific deadline."
"It would be nice if it could be finished by this winter. However, I would like to finish the oxcart by next spring, if possible."
'Lazy Bibi' listened to my story, became lost in thought, and then bit her lips tightly as she spoke.
"We will introduce the oxcart by this winter."
"It's winter… yeah."
After briefly congratulating the 'lazy beavers' and technicians in the lab, I hurried out of the lab complex.
"Lazy beavers have a lot to do."
In this personnel reshuffle, the 'lazy beaver' was excluded.
"I guess I'll have to ask Splendid Sunset to recommend a few successors to Lazy Beaver."
* * *
North of the 'very large' city. As we got closer to the river, we could hear ducks croaking.
Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!
Finally, in the distance, I saw a barn where wild ducks were raised. The barn was built in an environmentally friendly manner to allow ample sunlight and good ventilation.
There was a rectangular house where wild ducks could breed and sleep, a large lawn where the ducks could run around, and a fence to keep out predators.
And not far from the barn was a river, so wild ducks could swim in it from time to time.
"The location of the barn is good."
After a while, before entering the barracks, the guardsmen who had received instructions from the 'Honest Bear' quickly moved and took their places.
"Ah, there's nothing wrong. You may enter the congratulatory rites hall."
Nodding to the report of the 'Honest Bear', I slowly opened the fence gate and entered the barn. The first thing I noticed was that there were over thirty wild geese running around in the wide grass.
Even then, at the sudden appearance of a stranger, the wild geese flapped their wings and swarmed to one side.
"It's okay, Your Majesty the Emperor. Have you already completely forgotten? Your Majesty the Emperor brought you here."
The 'Gorgeous Turkey' who successfully domesticated turkeys was once again in charge of raising wild turkeys. Before I knew it, the 'gorgeous turkey' that had been feeding and coaxing the wild geese came over and greeted me happily.
"You have arrived, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
"Yes. How about the wild ducks we brought from the Abnaki Federation?"
While traveling through the Abnaki Federation region, I happened to come across the Malashite tribe raising wild ibises.
Could it be said that the wild ducks raised by the Malisht tribe are just beginning to be domesticated? The wild ducks raised there were accustomed to human touch, roaming freely through the Malisht tribe village.
However, the wild ibis was still more wild. I collected wild geese that had a good chance of being domesticated and brought them to a 'very large' city.
"It's definitely because he's been touched by human hands, so he listens well to not only me but also other people."
"Well then, that's good."
In the barn, in addition to the 'fancy turkeys', several people were staying in the barn and taking care of wild geese. Those people came over, greeted us, and began to give brief explanations while guiding us around the congratulatory address.
"This is where wild ducks lay their eggs, and we made it as similar as possible to the habitat of mallards."
"We feed them a proper mix of grains and vegetables in the morning and evening. And we go to the river three times a day and let the wild ducks hunt on their own."
"This is where we stay and rest. Sometimes, weasels and coyotes that are after wild ducks climb over the fence, so two people take turns working the night shift at this place to guard the barn."
As soon as the explanation of how the wild geese farm was run was finished, it was time for the wild geese to head out to the river.
"Your Majesty the Emperor! Would you like to go to the river with me?"
I nodded readily at the suggestion of the 'Gorgeous Turkey'.
"okay."
In any case, the more grains and livestock that can be used as food, the better. I headed down to the river, guided by the people who managed the 'flashy turkeys' and wild ducks.
Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!
The wild geese coming out of the barn and waddling seemed more excited than ever, as if they knew that they were going to the river to play.
'Is that it?'
At first glance, it didn't seem like there was much of a difference.
* * *
A flock of wild ducks ran to the riverbank and jumped into the water in one breath. He wet his whole body with water, and swam around the river, grooming his fur with his beak.
Sometimes, it would find prey, disappear into the river in an instant, and then swallow the fish it had caught in its beak in one gulp.
The wild ibis' diet was almost omnivorous, including fish, crayfish, shellfish, and insects.
'Ducks have also been domesticated.'
I judged that there was a good chance that wild geese could be domesticated. For a while, I was lost in deep thought as I watched the wild geese swimming along the river.
'The Abnaki Confederation tribesmen raise wild ibises.'
I discovered it by accident, but I never thought that Native Americans would raise wild geese. In some ways, I feel like I've been subtly ignoring Native American tribes.
'I'm starting to reflect again.'
Native Americans are the ones who survived on the American continent, isolated from the Eurasian continent, without any exchange or technological transmission, while developing their own unique culture.
Moreover, they know better than anyone else how to survive in the Americas and are optimized for it. Corn, beans, peanuts, sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, etc.
The crops they discovered and grew were quite numerous. Even the Tuscarora tribe wore clothing made of hemp.
"I can't ignore you from now on."
A little later, the sound of the whistle from the 'Gorgeous Turkey' caused wild geese to emerge from the river and prepare to return to the barn.
"Let's go back, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
It was so amazing to see the 'gorgeous turkey' so skilled at handling animals even at such a young age.
"Just as you domesticated turkeys, try to tame wild ducks this time."
"Yes, Your Majesty! I will try to bring you good news next spring."
"Look forward to it."
* * *
A 'very large' city training camp. At the suggestion of the newly appointed head of the training center, 'Indomitable Fist', it was decided to further expand the training center.
"This is where the Bison Cavalry Training School will be built. Once the Bison Cavalry Training School is built, the warriors who will become Bison Cavalry in the future will receive more systematic training."
I was touring the new training camp site while listening to the explanation of the 'Brave Wolf', the head of the Ministry of National Defense, and the 'Indomitable Fist'.
And at the new training camp site, many workers were already busy tamping the ground and carrying building materials.
At that time, the 'Brave Wolf' asked the 'Indomitable Fist' with a calm expression.
"How will the Buffalo Cavalry train by branch?"
"Yes, sir! First, we will divide the Bison Cavalry into three major branches. First, a fully-armed Bison Heavy Cavalry unit specializing in assaults, a Bison Light Cavalry unit that will be in charge of rear support and reconnaissance, and lastly, a Bison Archer unit that will use bows as their main weapon. They will receive more specialized training according to their respective characteristics. Also, the Imperial Guard warriors who escort His Majesty the Emperor must complete all of these courses in order to become Imperial Guard warriors."
"I see."
Me and the 'Brave Wolf' moved to the next site with satisfied expressions on our faces. After a while, I toured the sites where the archery training camp and infantry training camp were to be built, and of course I could not help but feel satisfied.
Archery Training Center and Infantry Training Center will also train by branch, just like the Buffalo Cavalry Training Center.
The archery training center is divided into crossbowmen, shortbowmen, longbowmen, and angle bowmen for training according to the type of bow.
The same was true of the infantry training camp. Although they are classified more specifically into shield bearers, spearmen, swordmen, axemen, and clubmen, in the future they will receive more systematic and specialized training by branch.
Of course, all warriors must receive basic training at a training camp. As the new head of the training center, I decided to give my full support to the 'Indomitable Fist' who has been working passionately from the beginning.
"I wish other training centers in each region would train their warriors in this way."
"Understood, Your Majesty the Emperor!"
'The Indomitable Fist' answered with a louder voice than ever, his eyes sparkling.
* * *
A 'very big' city, government office. 'Splendid Sunset' was having a serious meeting with 'Singing Water', the head of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy, in his office regarding the trading post issue.
"The Cherokee tribe is said to be providing labor and materials to build a trading post."
The 'Splendid Sunset' smiled faintly at the story of 'Singing Water'.
"Good. It would be better if we built the trading post ourselves, but please do as the Cherokee Nation wants."
"Okay. Then, I will build the trading post building as extravagantly as possible without letting the construction technology leak out."
"Yes. By the way, are the Catawba tribe still hostile?"
'Singing Water' shook his head as if he was fed up with the Katawba tribe.
"Stubbornness is not that stubborn. Even now, communication is not working. It seems that the establishment of the Catawba tribe's trading post will have to be postponed until the next opportunity."
"is it so."
'Splendid Sunset' continued speaking while looking at the documents on the desk.
"The western plains tribes will be taken care of by the pioneer troops for the time being. How will the northern tribes react?"
"As Your Majesty the Emperor instructed, we have been making contact with the tribes living in the region of the Five Great Lakes, but we have only recently begun trading with them, so we are still lukewarm."
'Splendid Sunset' paused for a moment and gave instructions.
"There's nothing we can do. Let's continue trading and building friendships for the time being."
"Okay, then I'll place the water top and the dirt top separately in the northern tribes' area."
* * *
Winter of 1405. While I was working in my government office, I had no choice but to get up from my seat after reading the emergency report from the Vigilante Corps Office.
"I guess it won't work."