Chapter 471: Exploration of the Lake Kingdom, the Old Militia’s First Voyage!

In mid-December, the exploration fleet was formed. They set out from the mouth of the Talzas River and headed northwest along the southeast coast. They passed through the coastal villages of the southern Tekos tribe and stopped twice for supplies.

This is the border of the Fire River Plain, only 120 miles away from Fire River City. The envoy of Fire River City heard the news and rushed day and night to ask the purpose of the fleet. Chivaco responded briefly, saying that they were going out to sea to find the holy land of seabirds, and left in the envoy's uneasy eyes.

Then, the fleet continued to head north. At the end of the year, the cold wind came from the northern continent. It was almost difficult to sail along the way with the help of wind, and they could only rely on paddling. In order to save their energy, they could only paddle for 8 hours a day and travel about 120-140 miles. Counting the time for rest and supply, it was not until the beginning of January that the fleet traveled 1,400 miles and arrived at the mouth of the Leman River.

The Leman River surged down, and at the mouth of the river, it impacted a vast riverside plain. The water and soil here are extremely fertile, and the population and villages are also quite prosperous. There is a small town of Tekos near the sea, which is called Sanhe City by the locals.

Because from south to north, there are three rivers that divide the rich riverside plains. And the small town surrounded by three rivers is naturally called Sanhe City.

The fleet anchored in the prosperous Sanhe City for two days, trading gems and cloth, replenishing some food, and recruiting a passionate Tekos guide.

After everyone finished the supplies and continued to go out to sea, they encountered sudden strong winds and waves. The low paddle boat was instantly penetrated by the waves, and it rose and fell on the sea, as if it was about to fall. The old militia encountered such a storm for the first time, and was immediately scared out of his wits, and hurriedly took everyone to the shore to anchor.

On the day of the landing, the newly recruited Tekos guide disappeared. The old militia searched for half a day but found no traces. He suddenly had an ominous premonition. They camped on the high ground near the coast and rested for two days. The wind became slightly weaker and the waves were slightly calmer.

At noon on the third day, the old militia became more and more uneasy. He thought about it and suddenly realized that it would take about three days to get to Sanhe City from here!

"Everyone on board! Everyone on board! Push the boat back into the sea and move everything back on the boat!"

Gray Tu Puapu was a little puzzled, but looking at the anxious old militia, he chose to obey.

"After all, Lao Qitou is not good at anything else. When he encounters danger, he runs faster than anyone else! According to your majesty, he is favored by the unpredictable fate."

Sure enough, in the evening, the disappeared Tekos guide reappeared with three or four hundred Tekos tribe warriors. The warriors each held a spear, carried a throwing javelin, and even carried a rare hunting bow. When they saw the fleet, they raised their javelins, took out their bows and arrows, and rushed over with wild shouts.

"Feathered warriors of the Tarasco Kingdom! Where are you escaping? Leave your heads behind!"

"Damned Condor Tribe! They actually extended their evil hands here, and we must cut off their hands and feet!"

"Yes! And gems, gems! Leave the gems on their ship, this is the order of the chief!"

Chihuaco looked at the enemies who suddenly appeared, horrified. He immediately gave up the remaining water on the shore and led everyone back to the boat. Then, he asked Puapu, who was familiar with the language of the Tekos people, to raise his shield and shout.

"Warriors of the nearby Tekos tribe, we have no hostility. This is a misunderstanding! Misunderstanding! We are not feathered warriors, nor are we from the Condor tribe. We are from the lake tribe, from the Mexica Alliance!"

Hundreds of enemies rushed to the shore, with ferocious expressions, struggling in the water, and approaching the three anchored paddle boats. Their number was three or four times that of the expedition fleet. Some warriors threw javelins at the sailboat, while others took out hunting bows and shot arrows at Chihuaco's position.

The rain of arrows and javelins shot at them, injuring three or four sailors in an instant. The Purépecha warriors on board also took out their bows and began to fight back decisively.

Seeing the enemies shouting and fighting, Chihuaco finally realized that all negotiations were in vain. And the real purpose of this group of enemies was probably the property and gems on the ship. The old militia looked at the still surging waves on the sea, and then looked at the enemies rushing in frantically. He had no choice but to give orders loudly.

"Set sail! Paddle with all your strength and head northwest!"

The Kingdom's expedition fleet braved the waves and headed northwest at full speed along the coast. The Tekos warriors chased them on the shore for a whole day before they roared in anger and were completely thrown away by the fleet.

After this encounter, Chihuaco never dared to rashly replenish supplies in the Tekos tribe in the north again. If food is really scarce, they will go to small villages and tribes, trade quickly and leave.

Even so, they were attacked by the Tekos once. The village elders on the shore seemed kind and dragged their feet to trade with everyone, but they contacted nearby villages behind the scenes. Not only did they launch an attack on the shore, but they also organized more than 20 canoes to raid.

Seeing that the transaction time had passed, Chihuaco decisively took everyone away. Everyone got on the boat, avoided the Tekos warriors on the shore, and fought a big battle with the Tekos on the water. The Tekos left more than a dozen small boats, fifty or sixty corpses, and the expedition fleet also lost more than a dozen people.

The expedition fleet set out from Sanhe City, against the north wind, stopping from time to time to avoid the wind and waves and guard against the attacks of the Tekos. It took more than half a month to travel a thousand miles and reach the mouth of a large river. The east here is full of towering mountains, and only the plains by the sea are suitable for farming. The clear river flows out from the desolate distant mountains, bringing green vitality along the way.

The local tribe calls themselves Totorames. They have a small population and live along the coast. They grow corn, beans and peppers, catch fish, shrimp, clams and oysters, and make sea salt. At the seaside at the mouth of the river, they built a large village called Yushan Village.

Chihuaco stayed in Yushan Village for two days and gave the Totorames some cloth, a few gems, and some corn, beans, salted fish and water. The Totorames live in a narrow area by the sea. They don't have much food, but they have plenty of salt. Their language is similar to that of the Guajili people, and it is also somewhat similar to the Mexica language of the alliance. It seems that the tribes in the entire northwest wilderness all speak a similar language.

The old militia asked about the situation in the northwest, and the elders of the Totomai people told him.

"Further northwest, rowing for many, many days, is the land of the Mayo people! There are many Mayo people, many powerful tribes, and hundreds of warriors! My friend, they know a lot and will definitely be able to help you!"

In late January, the Kingdom Expedition Fleet received guidance and set off again. After sailing for several months, the expedition fleet gradually became more experienced. Everyone has experienced inland waterways, and after adapting to the situation near the coast, the supply of water has become more and more orderly, and there will be no mistakes in dealing with occasional wind and waves.

In fact, this large area of ​​the coast is shielded by the narrow peninsula extending from the Lower California region, and the wind and waves are not too big, far less than the real ocean.

When night falls, the priest Mecart on board will use a strange compass, placed in front of his eyes, to measure the angle between the bright North Star and the sea surface. It is said that this is a divine creation that His Majesty personally guided and left to the Shipbuilding Department. As the fleet continued to move north, the angle measured by the compass became larger and larger. At first, it was only a dozen degrees, but now it is more than 20 degrees.

In addition, Mecart also knows the magic of indicating direction. He used a thin line to hang a special needle to indicate the direction. The needle came from Black Rock Mountain and was made by grinding the divine stone. As long as the needle is hung, it will magically rotate in the air and then point to the north and south.

After seeing it, Chivaco was amazed. He tried to think hard, but he couldn't figure out the reason, so he could only praise the Lord God.

In early February, the expedition fleet finally traveled another seven or eight hundred miles and came to the estuary here. They met the large tribe of the Mayo people, the Yorem tribe with thousands of people. The kingdom's expedition fleet docked at the estuary and gave the Yorem tribe a large bag of cocoa, ten rolls of cloth, and a small bag of lake gems.

Chief Kalan of the Yorem tribe received the gifts and led hundreds of personal guards to the seaside in person. He was greatly shocked when he saw the huge paddle boat on the seashore, the solid leather armor of the warriors in the lake, and the strange metal weapons. Then, he asked people to light a bonfire and cordially invited the leader of the lake messengers to hold a gathering to witness the ancestors.

Chivaco thought for a long time, observing the relaxed and curious expressions of the warriors on the opposite side, and then took everyone off the boat. In this distant place two or three thousand miles away from the Lake Kingdom, representing the Lake Kingdom in the south, it was the first time to meet the leader of a large tribe!

The difficult memories of the past few months flashed through the mind of the old militia. At this moment of celebration, a smile rose on his face, and even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were relieved a lot. He looked at the deer-headed Chief Kalan, raised the gourd bell in his hand, and touched it heavily with the other party, making a pleasant "ding ding"!

Then, he took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice.

"Frog, Chief. We are friends! We are brothers! The Great Chief asked me to go find seabirds. Seabirds that can fly, have feathers, and there are many seabirds. In the northwest, on a small island, where?"

"Huh? You are looking for a small island in the northwest with many seabirds?"

Chief Kalan was stunned, his eyes flickering, thinking over and over again about the question of the leader opposite him.

After some contact, he was convinced that this group of elite warriors did come from afar, did not belong to any large tribe nearby, and had no hostility. And now it seems that they were sent by the great chief of some lake tribe to find beautiful seabirds and feathers.

The Lake Tribe could not care about the lives of a hundred elite warriors and travel such a long distance just to find seabirds. There are only two possibilities.

"Either they are very powerful, like us Mayo people, with thousands or even tens of thousands of warriors! Or in their belief, seabird feathers are very important tributes, and seabird islands are holy places of faith. And looking at the sturdy big ships they are riding and the bright feather crowns on their heads, I'm afraid they have both! And a powerful and pious distant tribe."

Chief Kalan thought for a long time, with a kind smile on his face, and some thoughts flashing in his mind. Then, he looked to the northwest, nodded slowly, and spoke affirmatively.

"Ahaha, my friend! I know where the chief in the lake is looking for!"

Note: The Easter egg chapter will put the navigation map of this voyage.