Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 523 Calming the Raging Spirit (Part 5)

[wilderness]
The crisp sound of cowbells wafted rhythmically in the wind.

A convoy that seemed to stretch endlessly was winding its way across the equally boundless grassland.

A rough count revealed that there were at least five hundred carriages in the caravan.

Most of them were small carts with narrow bodies and large wheels, essentially two wooden planks fixed to an axle, pulled by a sturdy and hardworking Herd horse.

These simple single-unit carts were common in the wilderness. The Hede people called them "lele carts" or "ox carts," and used them to pull anything that didn't have legs.

They would also connect the carts one after the other with leather ropes, so that one driver could drive a long line.

Although it cannot carry as much weight as the neighbor's double-horse carriage, the lele cart has the advantage of being small and light, not relying on roads, and can move freely in the wild.

Without it, nomadism would be out of the question.

However, ordinary Hede herders could not afford iron parts for their carts, which were made entirely of leather and wood, making them easy to repair but also easy to break down.

The carts in this caravan all had iron bearings and wheel rims.

Moreover, ordinary herders usually use oxen, which have better endurance, to pull their carts. This caravan, however, used horses to pull the animals in order to ensure speed.

Besides the majority of the rickshaws, the caravan also included more than twenty oddly shaped black two-wheeled carriages.

These black carriages were wider and had larger wheels than the traditional carts, but their bottoms were closer to the ground, which made them lower in center of gravity and more stable.

The black carriage's cargo box was placed on three curved steel slats, two longitudinal and one transverse, which greatly reduced the carriage's swaying.

Therefore, although the black carriage carried significantly more cargo than the oxcart, it could travel across the wilderness alongside the light oxcart, and the horses pulling it were no more tired than their counterparts pulling the oxcart. No wonder someone in the caravan kept praising this new type of carriage.

In addition to the goods loaded on the vehicles, the convoy also carried a lot of cargo that came with four legs – livestock.

Thousands of cattle and horses were divided into small herds, each managed by its own dedicated horse and cattle herders.

According to the tradition of the Hed people during their migration, horses led the way, followed by cattle.

At first glance, it really does look like a thriving grassland tribe heading to the next pasture.

However, it only looks similar at first glance. A careful observer will immediately notice the discrepancy:

The migrant population was too homogeneous, consisting entirely of adult men; the elderly, women, and children that should be present in a tribe were nowhere to be seen.

The clothing and weapons of the elite cavalrymen who rode their horses and patrolled back and forth on both sides of the column were not of the style of the Hed people.

At the very back of the procession, there were no flocks of sheep or goats that the grassland tribes couldn't do without, only a lone little cart carrying a mechanic, his apprentice, and their full set of tools, clattering along.

The most suspicious thing is actually the location of this convoy.

The rolling wheels have trampled over what was once a no-man's land, now the grasslands of the "Wenduoer Tribe," belonging to that infamous "Blood Wolf."

Even though this land is fertile and abundant, no Hed tribe dares to put their noses in it—at least not yet.

Therefore, this long line of carts and horses was not a migrating tribe at all, but a caravan traveling between Tiefeng County and Chihe Tribe.

They set out from Shovel Harbor in Iron Peak County, laden with nails, iron pots, yarn, plain linen, tobacco, spirits, and all sorts of things the Heard people needed.

They returned from the "water village," located within the territory of the Teldun tribe but under the control of the Chihe tribe, carrying livestock, washed and dried wool, untanned raw hides, large salt blocks for the animals to lick, and all the local specialties that the wasteland could provide.

Of course, the main products were livestock and wool.

This is the third deal between the "lion" and the "wolf." Compared to the previous two small-scale attempts, this time both sides are serious and have invested heavily, not allowing any failure.

So at this moment, Pierre Mitchell is also in the team.
-
Eleven days have passed since Pierre and Bale had that heart-to-heart talk.

During these eleven days, Bell first formally introduced "Batu's Arrows That Shoot Near and Far" to all the Wendor people in the old camp as the "Beast Spirit Speaker," and then accompanied the "newly arrived Nayan" to visit the sub-camps around the old camp one by one.

After several days of arduous travel and sleeping in the open, Pierre visited all the camps he could reach, except for those that were too far away or simply could not be found. He gained a basic understanding of the current situation of the Wendor tribe.
By sheltering runaway slaves and accepting weaker tribes into submission, the Wendor tribe developed rapidly, and by the standards of the Palatine, its population had exceeded 20,000.

A tribe with 20,000 people is already considered a prominent force among the tribes.

However, according to the standards of the Hede tribes, the population of the Wenduoer tribe should be reduced by more than half, to about six or seven thousand.

They can only be considered to have some strength, but they are far from being able to compete with the three major departments.

The reason for this difference is that, according to the customs of the Parat people, children are not considered "people"—they may die at any time, so the Parat people only count adult men and women when calculating the population.

When the Hed people counted the population, they didn't even include women or consider age; they only looked at whether the woman could draw a bow.

After Pierre's on-site investigation, he immediately noticed that the Wendoer tribe had an abnormally high number of elderly, weak, women, and children, with very few able-bodied men. Each of them was the pillar of their respective camp and family, making it impossible to conscript manpower without disrupting normal production. No wonder Bell hadn't mobilized any of his tribes, only taking Big White and Little White to search for wolves in the vast wilderness.

The Wenduoer tribe at present is like a thin child wearing an adult's robe.

Given time, he may have the opportunity to truly live up to the robe he wears.

But the prerequisite is that he has enough "time".

However, what worried Pierre the most was not the fact that Ventour's department was outwardly strong but inwardly weak.

In fact, Pierre immediately understood and accepted the current situation of the Wendor tribe—if they weren't living hand to mouth and had nowhere else to turn, why would those small tribes seek the protection of the Blood Wolves?
What truly concerned Pierre was whether the small tribes that had submitted to Batu under duress were loyal.

Even a small child, if he can concentrate all his strength in one place, can make any adult who underestimates him look bad.

However, if a person's hands, feet, and head are all preoccupied with their own thoughts, then even if they have great strength, once they get serious, they will only become a laughing stock.

The Hede people in the Wenduoer tribe can be roughly divided into two categories: one is runaway slaves who, unable to endure the driving of their former masters, seized horses and fled to newly cultivated lands to serve the enemies of their former masters.
Another group consisted of minor nobles and commoners who, facing oppression and even annexation by other tribes, had no choice but to migrate as a whole to newly cultivated lands and submit to Batu.

The former were destitute and mostly stayed in the old camp. The caravans that traded with the Chihe tribe were mainly composed of these "newcomers" in the literal sense.

Although the latter became a member of the Wenduoer tribe, they still maintained their original tribal and family units, separated from the old camp, and dispersed to various newly reclaimed areas to graze their livestock, forming various "sub-camps".

It wasn't that these "old white-collar workers" intentionally distanced themselves from the old camp. In fact, if they had a choice, they would prefer to live in the old camp—not for any other reason than safety.

However, the "old white-haired people" came with livestock and felt tents. If everyone's cattle and sheep were gathered together, the pasture around the old camp would be completely eaten up in just a few days.

The nature of nomadic life dictates that the old Bai people have to "act alone," but even so, each sub-camp still tries its best to stay close to the main camp—for safety.

Having learned about the basic situation of the Wendor tribe through on-site visits, Pierre immediately decided that "we must meet up with the caravan as soon as possible."

Pierre, having come up with the idea, immediately put it into action.

He bid farewell to the young hunter that day and, accompanied only by two guides, traveled day and night to "Water Village." Finally, four days' journey from the old camp, he encountered a caravan returning with its full load—that was three days earlier.

Since the caravan's guards were mostly Dussac and Iron Peak cavalry, Pierre smoothly took over command of the caravan and successfully established his initial authority among the "new white men".

In the following period, Pierre continuously strengthened his prestige among the new white men, while also trying to understand their thoughts and desires, and silently observing which of them were reliable and capable.

Three days was enough time for him to find several good pieces of material.

Next, he plans to promote the "good talents" to his side and continue to cultivate and observe them.

Next, he planned to reorganize the Wenduoer tribe, govern the newly reclaimed lands, subdue the Teldun tribe, block the infiltration of the Chihe tribe, and make the army in the newly reclaimed lands an indispensable force in the newly formed army.

He has found the key to taking the first step.

He made up his mind.
-
[Back to the present]
A golden eagle swooped down from high above and then suddenly pulled up a short distance from the ground, waking Pierre from his reverie on horseback.

Pierre watched the golden eagle return to the clouds and disappear from his sight, then with a sense of loss, he turned his gaze back to the earth.

From his side to the distant hills, the carts stretched endlessly, like a winding river.

Every person in the convoy was both part of the river and swept along by it until they disappeared on the horizon.

Pierre was momentarily dazed.

He recalled that the last time he escorted a convoy was with a centurion to deliver "supplies" to the expeditionary force besieging Bian Li.

That was the first time he had been involved in a war.

He recalled that the last time he escorted a convoy, he was with the centurion at the Blackwater town's ford field when they were ambushed by the "Horseshoe" gang.

That was the first time he had been involved in a battle.

Now, he is escorting a convoy again, but there is no centurion to lead, guide, or protect him.

Where will this river carry me next?
Pierre felt a sense of desolation.

Suddenly, a very energetic voice interrupted Pierre's rare moment of sentimentality.

"Look! Mr. Mitchell, how about my horse? Trade me your carriage! Give me a carriage, and the horse is yours! I'll even throw in a top-quality saddle and bridle!"

A little lion riding a magnificent black horse galloped over, shouting and yelling.

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