Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 154 Linhai Fort (I)

On July 1630, 7, a solemn and mysterious "Bear Sacrifice" ceremony was being held in an Ainu tribe several kilometers north of Rinkai Fort (now Kushiro Port).

The blazing bonfire illuminated the solemn faces of every tribesman present. They were shirtless, with only a rough piece of animal skin wrapped around their crotch, holding simple wooden spears, and stood in a circle.

Their muscles gleamed sharp in the firelight, as if they were ready to fight wild beasts at any time.

In the central open space, a huge grizzly bear was tied to a pillar in the middle of the field, its eyes glaring with murderous intent, its body twisting restlessly, and occasionally making low growls.

The Ainu people believe that bears are the incarnation of their ancestors and possess supernatural powers.

A priest wearing a fur robe decorated with feathers and a bear bone crown on his head held a string of bear teeth high in his hands, muttering something, praying for the protection and blessing of the bear god.

As the rhythm of the drums became more and more rapid, the atmosphere of the sacrifice became more and more enthusiastic.

The tribal elder walked out slowly and stood just over ten meters away from the bear. He then raised his bow and shot several specially made "flower arrows" at the grizzly bear one by one. The bear immediately became furious and roared, rolling and jumping continuously, but under the constraints of the rope, it could not break free from the shackles of fate.

After the elder finished shooting his arrows, several Ainu warriors raised their wooden spears and stabbed the struggling bear fiercely.

After a few shrill howls, the huge grizzly bear collapsed in a pool of blood.

Then, several warriors raised their wooden spears and roared loudly, bringing the atmosphere of the sacrifice to a climax.

People gathered around the bear's body and performed an ancient dance, while the women sang melodious songs praising the bear's bravery and greatness.

Several warriors laid the bear flat on the ground, and began to skin it in the order of right arm, left arm, lower limbs, body, and head using the sharp blades they had exchanged from the seaside tribe.

After skinning the bear, the bear's internal organs were removed and the meat was dismembered.

Finally, the bear's head, which has become bones, is cut off and kept for later use in sacrifice.

The tribal leader walked up to Qi Yongze and others with a smile on his face, extended his hand and made an invitation gesture, meaning to take them into the hut where the elders lived to enjoy bear meat.

Qi Yongze nodded, stood up and followed him to the north side of the tribe.

He and Wei Zhonglong led 35 immigrants to build Linhai Fort on the coast for about several months, and then gradually came into contact with the Ainu people there.

Initially, the Ainu people were wary and cautious of these sudden intruders, and did not dare to approach them, let alone communicate with them.

Later, they slowly discovered that these outsiders did not seem to have any malicious intentions, and after being warned for accidentally entering their hunting area, they quickly retreated and did not commit any aggressive acts.

Peering in secretly, I discovered that they were just constantly cutting wood, building houses, digging ditches, leveling the land, farming, and occasionally going to the beach to fish.

These people are amazing. In a very short period of time, they built a large number of wooden houses and surrounded their living areas with wooden fences, which enclosed their entire residence.

After they had cut down all the trees around the camp, they spent a lot of time clearing away the tree stumps.

Then, the vacant land was continuously leveled, dug up, and some things were sprinkled on it.

What is even more puzzling is that these outsiders dug a long pit (ditch) and diverted water from a nearby river for irrigation.

As the weather turned cooler, many green "shrubs" and "weeds" grew on the dug-up land, which made these outsiders cheer.

The Ainu people, who have lived on fishing and hunting for generations, felt that these people were pitiful and stupid.

The woods are full of overgrown bushes and weeds. Is it necessary to go to so much trouble to plant them specifically?
However, one day, when several Ainu people who were spying on them were discovered, the other party not only did not express anger or dissatisfaction, but instead gave them seven or eight burnt "wild fruits" to eat.

After eating it, these tribesmen immediately regarded it as the most delicious food they had ever eaten in their lives. Then they excitedly brought it back to the tribe and presented it to the tribal leader and several elders.

As a result, the Ainu tribe began to come into contact with these outsiders and gradually became familiar with them.

They have delicious granular seasonings, soft and light "fur", and hard and sharp knives.

They also have a powerful "flame-breathing weapon" that can easily kill a ferocious grizzly bear. Of course, they are also very "generous".

A squirrel skin can be exchanged for a handful of seasonings, a dozen deerskins can be exchanged for a sharp knife, and if you use a precious bear skin, you can exchange it for a few baskets of delicious "wild fruits" or a big bag of "grain rice".

Even if you don't have anything to exchange, it doesn't matter. You can go to the outsider's camp with empty hands to help out and get a delicious meal in return.

Although the two sides did not speak the same language and had different customs, the Ainu tribe quickly became one with Linhai Fort due to their pursuit of beautiful things. They became close partners and their visits became increasingly frequent.

They even used a few pieces of soft and transparent "leather" to exchange for three slaves from the Ainu tribe.

When spring comes, they will take out some delicious food and recruit the Ainu people to help them open up more farmland and plant more crops.

Yes, after some in-depth understanding, the Ainu people have realized that these outsiders are not just planting shrubs or weeds at random, but are growing a variety of edible "food".

This means that they no longer have to brave the severe wind and snow to hunt animals in the forest to fill their stomachs during the cold winter days.

It can be said that it was the arrival of these outsiders that allowed the Ainu tribe to bask in the sunshine of civilization for the first time and feel that life could be a little better.

Today, their tribe held a "Bear Festival". Out of hospitality, they sent people to invite the partners from Linhai Fort to come and participate in and celebrate this ceremony.

In fact, the grizzly bears used for sacrifice were not hunted by the Ainu people, but bear cubs they found by chance.

After the bear cub was captured, it was carefully raised as a "god". When it was young, it was kept in the hands of the tribal leader and treated as a family member.

When it is half a year old, it will be moved out and raised in a specially made wooden cage next to the hut where it lives. There will also be wooden toys in the cage for the little bear to play with. When the little bear is raised to 1-2 years old, a solemn bear sacrifice ceremony will be held.

"I really don't understand these natives. Since they respect the bear as their ancestor, why do they slaughter it like a pig?" Liang Sangui, who was following behind Qi Yongze, muttered in a low voice.

"Shut up!" Qi Yongze turned around and glared at him. "If you don't understand something, just keep it in your heart and don't talk nonsense!"

Upon hearing this, Liang Sangui immediately shrank his head and forced a smile at Mr. Qi.

"Since we have settled in this barren land and our strength is insufficient, it is crucial to unite and win over the local people." Qi Yongze whispered, "Otherwise, how can we quickly gain a foothold here, and how can we increase the necessary manpower and accelerate the development of our Linhai Fort?"

"Yes, Captain!" Liang Sangui nodded hurriedly in agreement. "I'm ignorant and mean-spirited. If the natives accidentally overhear me, it might even ruin our Linhai Fort's important mission."

"What a big deal!" Qi Yongze cursed with a smile, "In front of these natives, we should show some respect and win them over. If we encounter problems in the future, we can come forward to summon them, right?"

"Captain is right!"

As the two were talking, they had already followed the tribal leader to a slightly larger thatched cottage, which was his "luxury house" that showed off his status.

At the door of the "Hua Zhai" were two Ainu women sitting. The older one was the wife of the tribal leader, and the younger one was his daughter, about sixteen or seventeen years old. She was helping her mother to skillfully process a large piece of bear meat.

The tribal leader called out, and the Ainu girl looked up at her father.

"￥……#%@#%#……￥" The Ainu chief pointed at his daughter, then said something to Qi Yongze with gestures, with a bit of joy and expectation on his face.

"..." Seeing this, Qi Yongze vaguely guessed something, his face suddenly changed, and he waved his hands repeatedly, indicating that this was absolutely not allowed.

The tribal leader seemed a little dissatisfied with his reaction. He turned around and glared at him, his thick beard twitching, his hands clenched into fists and raised high, expressing his firm attitude.

"Captain..." Liang Sangui reached out and gently poked Qi Yongze, signaling him to look behind him.

Qi Yongze turned around and saw more than ten Ainu warriors holding wooden spears, staring at the two of them with a fierce look.

What the hell!

What does this mean? Are you forcing me to get married?
(End of this chapter)