The sunset is sparse, the birds and beasts are singing in the forest, and the jungle on the tropical coast is full of life. Everyone lit a bonfire, set up camp in front of the spectacular iron ore belt, took out the drinks and food they brought, and celebrated wildly until dawn. And from the second day, it was a careful and busy investigation.

Under the guidance of Priest Mecate, everyone roughly determined the surface area of ​​the Mayali Iron Ore Belt. To be honest, the scale of this large open-pit iron mine has really exceeded everyone's expectations. The northernmost end of the iron ore belt is actually only thirty miles away from the nearest coast. And the southern end of the iron ore belt has penetrated into the mountains and forests, and the range is extremely wide. The outcrops on the surface alone are at least twenty or thirty miles away.

After all, the Mayali Iron Ore Belt is one of the largest shallow iron ore belts in the world. The iron ore here ranks first in the world in terms of reserves and quality. What is more precious in later generations is the "chromium" rich in iron ore belts, an indispensable key element in special steel.

Along the way, nickel, cobalt, manganese, chromium, iron, and copper, six kinds of mineral deposits with rich reserves, are all enriched in the eastern part of Snake Island in Cuba, the snake head area with a radius of 400 miles. Coupled with the dormant tungsten mines on the large island of the scales, and the oil in the offshore Gulf of Mexico... "Cuba's bonanza" lives up to its name.

"Praise the Lord God! Praise Your Highness! The reserves of this iron ore belt are enough for the entire alliance to dig for an epoch! And the quality of the ore here is also much higher than that of Black Rock Mountain!"

Three days later, Priest Mecate gathered all the information and came to a firm conclusion. Even though several days had passed since the discovery of the large iron mine, the excitement and excitement on his face still hadn't subsided. Because every day, the exploration team will bring new discoveries and expand the new boundaries of the iron ore field.

"The Maria Iron Mine must be firmly in the Kingdom's hands! We must establish a permanent camp to control this piece of mountain forest and coast that is crucial to the Kingdom!"

Hearing this, Priest Tomat and the old militiaman Chihuaco looked at each other and nodded at the same time. Then, Priest Tomat held the sun amulet on his neck and spoke firmly.

"Bless the Lord God! Now that we have found the large iron mine that His Highness predicted, the kingdom's fleet needs to establish the first permanent base here, as well as the first main temple on the island of Cuba! The glory of the Lord God, It must be spread on Cuban Snake Island, and the suppression of Feathered Serpent God must also be completed by the main temple!..."

Speaking of this, Priest Tomate had a solemn expression and an indestructible will.

"Praise the Lord God, I will dedicate my life for you!...I will stay in Cuba, preside over the construction of strongholds and temples here, and preach to the surrounding Taino villages! And the priests of the Lord God on board will also Stay!" Hearing Priest Tomat's words, the old militiaman Chivaco lowered his eyes, his heart full of emotion. Priest Tomat chose to stay, which was what he should have meant. It's just that after staying here this time, it's a long 8,000-mile voyage, and I don't know what year it will be until I want to return to the kingdom...

"The devout priests of the Lord God! What a group... well, a group of moths who are willing to jump into the fire..."

Chivaco was in a complicated state of mind and remained silent. To be honest, if he was asked to dedicate the rest of his life to the gods and bury his bones overseas, he would not be able to do it.

"The kingdom's fleet sailed here, and the sailors on the ship died and were replenished. They also recruited Puton warriors along the way... There are currently four hundred people in the fleet. Among the four hundred people, there are only more than two hundred Men are warriors and sailors who set out from the kingdom."

Chivaco didn't speak, but Priest Tomat spoke again, stating the cold truth.

When the fleet set off from the kingdom, there were more than three hundred loyal Prepecha warriors and sailors. But now, at the destination in Cuba, a full third of these initial manpower has been lost! Storms, diseases, fighting, getting lost...everything will take away life continuously. The difficulty of long-distance sailing can be seen from this.

"The kingdom wants to establish a permanent stronghold, build warehouses here, store food, cut wood, build temples, and even mine iron ore, laying the foundation for the arrival of more manpower! ... And to do all this, not only You need property to mobilize the manpower of the surrounding tribes, and you need enough force to control the surrounding area..."

Priest Tomat remained solemn. He looked around at the leaders of the fleet, and spoke out His Highness's will word by word.

"Before I set off, His Highness gave me the right to make decisions! I need a fleet, leave three longships, at least half of the manpower, that is, more than two hundred soldiers and sailors, stay with me in Cuba! These two hundred and more Among them, there must be at least a hundred people, as long as the reliable Prepecha Headquarters... well, most of the precious stones, weapons and armor, and cloth property in the fleet should also be kept as much as possible."

After Priest Tomat finished speaking seriously, he was the first to look at the leader of the exploration team, the old militiaman Chihuaco.

"Captain Chivaco, what do you think?"

"Leave two hundred people?..."

Chivaco pursed his lips and pulled his hair. Familiar young faces flashed in his mind. At this moment, he will decide the fate of these boys, whether to stay here or go home... After a long time, he nodded and promised.

"I'll keep three boats and pick out a hundred reliable Prepecha boys, um, eighty sailors, twenty warriors. The remaining hundred gaps... more than fifty of the Puton tribe If you are familiar with the tropical jungle environment, you can leave them all. And among the more than 30 people in the Silver Crow tribe, half of them are shipwrights, and they are familiar with carpentry, so I leave them to you! As for the last 20 people..."

Chivaco paused, wanting to keep the newly added manpower in the Mayan lowlands. In his heart, there is still a partiality, thinking about bringing back as many people from Preepecha as possible.

"For the last 20 or so people, let's choose the loyal Prepecha warriors!"

Priest Tomat raised his brows, saw Chivaco's thoughts, and interrupted decisively. He looked into the eyes of the old militiaman and said sincerely.

"I believe that the Prepecha warriors who can participate in this voyage have no doubts about their loyalty to the Lord God! Here in Cuba, reliable manpower is needed! ... And the next return journey is still eight thousand miles long The difficult sea route. Staying here is actually easier and safer than returning to the kingdom!"

The 8,000-mile long sea route is, to put it bluntly, the difference between life and death. When the fleet came, nearly one-third of them died, and when they returned, many people died.

Thinking of this, the old militiaman was silent for a while, and looked at the deputy captain Huitu Puap. Puap nodded indifferently, agreeing. In his opinion, there was nothing wrong with letting the warriors and sailors of Prepeca stay here. You don't have to worry about eating and drinking, and women jump straight on you, so you don't have to fight a difficult battle. If it were him, he would be happy...

"Bah! I'm Puapu, UU Reading www.uukanshu.com, but the man who has been entangled by the eagle and the snake! His Highness promised me that I was destined to be the commander of the legion. How can I stay in the army?" This Cuban desert island!...Well, I have a dozen young wives, in my hometown in the lake..."

Thinking of this, Pu Apu rubbed his chin with a rare look of regret in his eyes. After this voyage, he was tortured by the curse, and he never wanted to go to sea again.

"God bless you! When you return to the kingdom this time, rely on me to fight bravely, kill the Mayan prince, and discover the great iron mine... No matter what, I have to ask Your Highness not to send me out to explore..."

The old militiaman's eyes flickered, seeing Huitu Pu'ap's expression, he pursed his lips again. He knew Puap very well, and at this moment he shook his head secretly and said nothing. Afterwards, the old militiaman looked at Priest Tomat with a solemn expression, and asked a question that he cared about very much and was equally important.

"Dear Priest Tomat, you stay in Cuba, establish a stronghold of the kingdom, and spread the glory of the Lord God... Then, how are you going to get along with the simple Taino people?"

Let's go and give it a try. 】

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