CHAPTER 1495: CHAPTER 1042: REINDEER SLED "CAVALRY" AND THE GREAT SHAMAN’S THUNDERBOLT MAGIC ARTIFACT

A night of howling wind and snow buried all sounds. The next morning, the clear sunlight shone on the soft dry snow, which was perfect for skiing.

"Chief Divine! The noble lady of the Mountain Part... she’s truly an expert skier!..."

Exploration Captain Zuwaro emerged from the warm leather tent covered in snow, his face tired yet reflecting a hint of reminiscence. He staggered in his step, sinking knee-deep into the snow and struggling to pull himself out, just in time to see Warrior Captain Stonefirm emerging from a nearby leather tent.

"Huh? Stonefirm, what are you doing here? This is the tent camp where the Mountain Part women live... What happened to your neck? Is it a local wolfdog’s scratch?..."

"Uh... Chief Divine bless! I’m here... to learn the Mountain Part’s language... No... I mean spreading the teachings of the Chief Divine... Scratch? What scratch?... Ah! Captain, let me sound the assembly horn!..."

Warrior Captain Stonefirm stammered a couple of words before stumbling to an open area, blowing a short, sharp horn. Soon, a dozen Kingdom’s Warriors hurriedly donned their armor and emerged from nearby tents. Judging by their expressions and actions, it was obvious that they spent the night either laboring over language studies or diligently spreading their faith...

"...Chief Divine bless! A large number of the Kingdom’s Warriors appear in the women’s tents, partly due to the tacit consent of the Mountain Part’s elderly matron and partly because the warriors, welcomed enthusiastically by the Mountain Part, have lowered their guard... Now that both tribes are continually intermarrying, which will end up annexing the other?..."

Thinking of this, Exploration Captain Zuwaro’s eyes flickered with contemplation.

"Fortunately, having witnessed Your Majesty’s prophecies and miracles along the way, the Kingdom’s Warriors’ faith is devout enough, reliable enough!..."

"Muluke Alashanwa! Blessings of Ancestors and Divine Mountain!... Set forth, my brave children!... Head north twelve hundred miles, to the Deer Moss River, to defeat the mightiest Rokube!..."

"Roar! Blessings of Ancestors and Divine Mountain! Set off!..."

"Howl! Howl! Howl!..."

The sun rose from the East, lighting up the white sea and the white Divine Mountain. In this early winter sunlight, the large white dogs and mottled reindeer pulled lines of sleds as they set off!

Three hundred and twenty Hunters from the Mountain Part, eighty Kingdom’s Warrior sailors, mixed in pairs, sat on large reindeer sleds. These large sleds, made of wood and leather, covered with wind and snow-resistant tents, essentially formed mobile winter camps. A single large sled tent, needing 4-6 reindeer to pull, could accommodate 3-4 people and carry up to two hundred pounds of supplies, traveling one to two hundred miles a day. Their mobility and carrying capacity were truly impressive!

"Chief Divine! These reindeer-pulled large sleds can tow so many, such heavy things! They run fast, though not with the explosive force of dog teams, but with remarkable endurance and stability..."

The icy wind blew past, and the reindeer maneuvered lightly over the snow, just like the warriors running swiftly. At such a pace, Zuwaro avoided "getting dizzy" in the sled, allowing him to look around and enjoy the exhilarating feeling of "cavalry."

He carefully counted over a hundred moving tents and hundreds of galloping reindeer and dogs. On the vast snowfield, this speeding group stormed northward, kicking up flurries of snow and leaving a trail of deep and shallow footprints and sled tracks.

"Whew! Chief Divine bless! A mere 400-person sled ’cavalry’ exuded the awe-inspiring aura of 2,000 warriors! Yet in this vast, boundless snowfield, they seemed so insignificant and quiet! Even the marching sounds, and barking of dogs, were absorbed by the snowfield’s snow..."

Reindeer-pulled sleds ran for two hours, covering at least 60 miles, maintaining a speed exceeding 15 kilometers per hour. For reindeer, this was an acceptable long-distance marching pace, not overly tiring.

After running for half a day, Hunting Team Leader Mukun observed that the leading batch of strong male deer were becoming restless and swaying, prompting him to order the Hunters to halt and rest. As the sleds stopped, the reindeer eagerly used their long antlers to clear the snow, munching on the lichen and moss hidden beneath.

"Blessings of Ancestors! Old Hunters, soothe the lead male deer... Rest for two hours, fill up the reindeer and dog teams before moving on!..."

Commanded by Hunting Team Leader Mukun, the Hunters skillfully busied themselves. The leading strong male deer were tall and massive, weighing 300-400 pounds, truly powerful. These male deer acted as leaders of the reindeer herds; by leading the way, the rest of the herd naturally followed. Unlike the master-servant relationship between dogs and humans, their relationship with the Hunters was more akin to conditional cooperation.

"Grandfather, only those who can command strong male deer are truly qualified reindeer Hunters! These male deer must be trained from a young age to follow Hunters’ commands, so that when they mature, they can be harnessed and controlled. Once they reach maturity and far exceed humans in strength, they become increasingly difficult to tame..."

Mukun wiped the wind and snow from his face, accompanied by the Translator Wuhai, and approached his son-in-law Zuwaro with a sincere smile. Surveying the desolate, undulating hills and the distant mountains left behind, he estimated aloud.

"It’s now December, the days are short... We can probably cover four hours each day. Today, we might only manage 120 miles! But we’re traveling along the snow-covered hills, up and down, slow-going. Once we reach the western coastline and travel along the flat tidal flats and coastal ice paths, our speed will increase! And by sticking to the coastline, we’re unlikely to be detected by the small Rokube groups wintering here..."

"Chief Divine bless! Mukun, will our northern raid be discovered by the Hunters of the Deer Moss River Tribe? If we can catch them off guard and charge into their camp for a battle..."

"Grandfather, large tribes have grazing and guarding deer herds at their perimeters, and herdsmen living with the deer. A complete surprise attack is very difficult... unless there’s a blinding snowstorm, but even that’s dangerous for both sides..."

On hearing this, Hunting Team Leader Mukun shook his head, relating the nomadic battles on the Northern Land’s snowfields, a type of warfare Zuwaro had never encountered before.

"Witness the Ancestors! Taming reindeer and dogs isn’t like maneuvering humans, who are easy to conceal... So, our raid will likely be known to the Deer Moss River Tribe half a day to a day in advance... If we can close the gap to half a day, it’ll be an outstanding raid! That way, the Deer Moss River Tribe won’t have time to gather all their scattered winter hunting and herding teams, at most half!

Keep in mind, winter herds can only forage on lichen and moss, and their grazing areas are vast, often miles away from the main camp... They won’t have time to summon reinforcements from neighboring tribes and will be undermanned... But if given adequate time, their gathered forces from various tribes will indeed outnumber our 400. In snowfield warfare, tribal unpreparedness, moderate preparedness, and thorough preparation make all the difference!"

"Whew! I see... Nomadic tribes scatter over vast grazing lands, requiring time for assembly. So the speed of a raid equates to military strength, to the power of an offensive!"

Zuwaro stroked his chin thoughtfully. He gazed at the skilled and busy Mountain Part Hunters working amidst the wind and snow, bowing slightly to express respect for the speed and strength of these nomadic tribes!

Half a month earlier, when he entered the Hot Spring Mountain Part with his entourage, he bore habitual contempt and disdain. Yet after the Shaman intercession by the elderly matron, the blood oath alliance, and the blood-red wedding... he found himself meticulously arranged, like a wolf stepping into a bear’s den. Reflecting now, this group of eight or nine hundred from the Hot Spring Mountain Part had instilled a sense of danger in him surpassing even the five thousand Mivok people of the North Bay Tribe!

"Chief Divine bless! In these perilous Western Sea Lands, one longship, ninety warriors, conceal life and death with every step... It’s truly challenging indeed!... When will the Kingdom’s subsequent reinforcements arrive?..."

Zuwaro’s eyes grew deep, pondering the distant future. Hunting Team Leader Mukun curiously examined the large sled Zuwaro occupied, eyeing the heavy golden-yellow long tube on it, and inquisitively asked.

"Grandfather, witness the Ancestors! This ’Shaman Ritual Artifact’ you brought along weighs as much as two people... What’s its purpose? Is it a whistle inherited from your Ancestors, Giants?"

"Uh... it... it’s the Thunderbolt Giant’s whistle, a Holy Artifact bestowed by the Great Shaman, capable of unleashing earth-shaking thunderbolts to shatter the Rokube’s camp!"

Hearing this, Zuwaro smiled slightly, gazing at the bronze tiger squat cannon resting on the sled, with a mysterious smile.

"Mukun, be patient! Though this Magic Artifact is heavy, you’ll understand its power when the time comes! Chief Divine bless us!"