Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1474 - 1026: Snowfield Nomadic Tactics and the Warfare of Kamchatka Tribes
"Chief Divine! The speed of these dog sleds on the snow is really fast! In just a quarter hour on the flat snow plains, they can cover at least 10 miles!... Ugh! Ah!..."
The snow plains stretch endlessly, white encompassing everything in sight. A white sky, white snow, distant white mountains and forests, and the white racing pack of dogs.
Exploration Captain Zuwaro sat on the shaking and jolting makeshift sled, his body close to the ground, swaying along with the swiftly running pack of dogs. Quickly, the world in his eyes turned into a dizzying blend of white. Obviously, he was not accustomed to this land-bound speed, his face gradually turning pale, his stomach churning like a storm at sea, feeling seasick and nauseous just like his first voyage!
However, when Zuwaro arduously turned his head, with the howling snow wind blowing against him, looking at the Hunting Team Leader Mukun who sat steadily on the sled, steering the pack of dogs with a calm and composed face... he swallowed back his shout to stop.
"Chief Divine bear witness! These Mountain Part hunters, though they look simple, are full of cunning tricks! Damn, they are deliberately showcasing themselves, demonstrating the speed and capability of the Tribal Warriors as they move!... Ah!..."
It seemed as though Mukun felt Zuwaro’s gaze. The Hunting Team Leader slightly turned his head, casting a complex look at this former friend and potential future enemy or son-in-law. Watching Zuwaro’s expression of wanting to vomit but holding it back, he slightly curled the corner of his mouth and shouted in a deep tone the command to the dogs.
"Yo-ho! Faster! Even faster!..."
"Awoo! Awoo!..."
The Huskies excitedly accelerated, running at a speed of up to 50 miles per hour on the icy plains! Of course, such rapid running by the dogs entered the realm of racing and couldn’t last long. In less than an hour of racing, the distant white mountains suddenly appeared in front of them. The galloping pack, panting heavily, stopped at their owners’ commands.
"Ancestors bless us! The tribe’s Winter Camp is not far into the mountains; we’ll reach it in half a day’s journey!..."
The Mountain Part Tribal Huntsmen leisurely got off the sleds. From their pouches, they took out small frozen pieces of deer meat to replenish the Huskies’ strength. The uphill mountain path ahead could not accommodate sleds; humans and dogs would have to climb together. Zuwaro staggered, dizzy and unsteady after just stepping out, nearly falling onto the soft snow.
"Chief Divine! Ugh!..."
A rough, powerful hand assisted him, followed by the hearty laughter of the Hunting Team Leader, Mukun.
"Haha! My friend from the Sea Tribe, is this your first time on a sled? To even get queasy... Our Mountain Part’s pack are the best big dogs! They can pull quite the weight, running faster than the Rokube’s reindeer!... Wuhai, go assist the leader from the Sea Tribe, and translate my words too!..."
"Yes, Captain Sage!" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Hunting Team Leader Mukun looked up, enthusiastically praising the tribe’s sled dogs to the constantly dry-heaving Zuwaro. His face was full of a "simple" smile, but when speaking about the tribe’s migration and hunting, there was a deeper meaning in his words.
"Ancestors bless! Friend from the Sea Tribe, you don’t know... Once, our Mountain Part hunters drove the dogs to chase those long-haired island tribe people for three full days and nights, not letting a single enemy escape! On this vast snow plain, only the northern Rokube and Tent Tribe can hold their own against us... Those boating island tribes stand no chance. Even with their numbers like snow hares and metal weapons, they’re of little use; they only dare poach our deer in the summer..."
After a brief rest, the Mountain Part hunters fed the big dogs well, and continued up into the mountains with their bows and arrows. The Huskies howled and dragged the empty sleds up the mountain, occasionally stopping to wait for their masters.
"Awoo! Awoo!..."
"Well... The wise old grandmother had us harness the tribe’s forty big dogs, sending out an elite team of huntsmen, just to show these long-distance visitors from the Sea Tribe the might of our Mountain Part! Haha!..."
The snow buried their ankles as the Hunting Team Leader Mukun bowed his head, trudging through the snowy mountains, a "simple" smile on his face. The many Hunters surrounded Zuwaro, walking leisurely into the mountains. Mukun would occasionally turn back to look at Zuwaro, smiling as he asked.
"Friend from the Sea Tribe! The mountain roads in the snow are hard to travel. Are you tired? Do you want to rest on the sled and let the dogs pull you, and take a sip of invigorating Luba?"
"Chief Divine bless! No need... I’ll walk by myself!..."
Exploration Captain Zuwaro shook his head, his face pale and cold, gritting his teeth as he replied. The Hunting Team Leader Mukun raised his eyebrows, smiled simply, and turned to stride forward. The snow wasn’t too deep, and though the mountain roads were difficult for Zuwaro, they were quite ordinary for the Mountain Part who had lived here for generations.
Not long ago, after listening to him and Mulu’s experiences, the Tribes’ old grandmother quickly realized that although this "Sea Tribe" had strong force, they had a significant weakness during the winter when the sea was frozen: their "short legs!"
"Ancestor bless! The Sea Tribe arrived suddenly on a large ship. The place they landed was too close to the winter camp of our tribe Anza. With such formidable force, the threat was imminent! However, while they may look like elite and capable Hunters, they don’t have big dogs or reindeer to pull sleds!..."
The Hunting Team Leader Mukun bowed his head, walking along the familiar mountain path he could navigate with his eyes closed, recalling the grandmother’s instructions. He sincerely hoped to form a close alliance with this Sea Tribe through marriage, possibly even incorporating those strong Hunters into his own tribe!
But before the snow settled, the Hot Spring Mountain Part had to prepare for the first clashes to ensure the tribe’s safety and continuation! The grandmother’s invitation to the Sea Tribe’s Leader, to keep important hostages, was also part of this "preparation." The survival law of the Extreme North Asia Tribes is brutally honest. For the continuation of the tribe, regardless of the cost... those who couldn’t do it have already been buried deep in the snowfield...
"If we can’t reach an agreement... we’ll detain the Leader of the Sea Tribe and lure those elite Sea Tribe warriors away from the camp, deep into the vast mountains, deep into the terrifying snowfield!... Musuona, my daughter... sigh!..."
"If the tribe really needs to fight them, then let the old and weak ride on the migrating reindeer-drawn sled tents, leave this adjacent winter camp. Then have teams of elite Hunters sit on flexible dog-drawn sleds and harass them day and night!... This may be the nomadic tactic that the Tent Tribe and Rokube are most adept at, but we of the Mountain Part are not inferior!... Ancestor bless!..."
The sled dogs, when running at full speed, are indeed faster than reindeer. They are more agile, more maneuverable, and understand their master’s intentions, assisting in hunting and combat. However, these dog-drawn sleds are more suited for short-distance sprints, suitable for hunting and skirmishing. In terms of long-term action and maintenance costs, they are far inferior to the cold-resistant and herbivorous reindeer.
For the Kamchatka Peninsula Tribes of Extreme North Asia, reindeer are truly practical beasts of burden, the mainstay of tribal migration. A reindeer can drag hundreds of pounds, travel a hundred to two hundred li in half a day, and then use its long antlers to uncover the thick snow to eat the moss and grass buried beneath. With three to four reindeer, they can tow a family’s small migratory tent, allowing tribespeople to rest comfortably inside, maintaining emergency strength during migration. Similarly, reindeer meat and milk also serve as the tribe’s primary food sources.
The Kamchatka Tribes herd tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of reindeer across the vast Far North Snow Plains, migrating nomadically. The abundant reindeer herds and extensive territories are the foundation for the continuation of the Extreme North Asia Tribes!
This life of nomadic migration across the Far North also naturally gave birth to special snowfield nomadic warfare strategies. Whenever the Kamchatka Tribes faced an unstoppable enemy, they would drive sleds and carry their reindeer herds, migrating as a whole tribe, then split off small teams of elite to harass the enemy. The endless snowfield and the extreme cold of winter would become their most powerful allies in war!
In later generations, facing the brutal invasion of the Russian Cossacks, the Kamchatka Tribes used these snowfield nomadic tactics, showing remarkable resilience. They resisted for a whole century until Tsarist Russia compromised!
Undoubtedly, the Kamchatka Tribes are hardy tribes adept at warfare in harsh cold. Their biggest disadvantage never lay in their fighting skills or bravery, but in their too sparse tribal population.
The Hot Spring Mountain Part, where the Hunting Team Leader Mulu resides, occupying the winter camp by the hot springs, is the largest Kotyel’myen tribe on the Kamchatka Peninsula. However, all of their young and old combined number just over eight hundred.
In fact, the Kotyel’myen, occupying two-thirds of the Peninsula, amount to only about ten thousand people, even when combining twenty or thirty small tribes. The Koriyaki, who occupy the northern part and coastal snowfield of the Peninsula, are slightly more numerous, probably between ten to twenty thousand. As for the Chukchi, who occupy the vast Arctic Snowfield and herd hundreds of thousands of reindeer, they number less than ten thousand themselves!...
"Ancestor bless! Friends from the Sea Tribe, our camp of the Mountain Part is right here, in this warm mountain valley! This has been our winter camp for generations..."
"Look! The tribe’s Hunters have all come out to welcome you! Praise the oldest Rakuba, for the reunion of long-lost brothers, truly Luba Luba good!..."
