"Mintun villages in the Northland... village communities working collectively..."

The sun slanted to the west, shining red clouds all over the sky. Woodpecker Epeck led the tribal archer battalion and walked more than 50 miles a day, so he was really tired. The same goes for the surrounding kingdom officers. On the other hand, the lightly dressed tribal archers, although tired and hungry, still had no complaints. They are like obedient and stoic worker ants, with only a set of paper armor on their bodies and leggings wrapped around their legs, it seems that they can walk for another night.

"It's getting dark! Go to the surrounding villages, have a full meal, and then have a good rest!..."

The Kingdom officer of the battalion had a long discussion with the leader of the nearest village, before the other party agreed with a stiff face. But when the Tlaxcala Archers Battalion arrived at the village, they saw a warm "welcome" scene.

At the entrance of the village, there were more than 400 young adults in the village, all mobilized. The faces of these young adults are full of vigilance, with a simple and ruthless expression. Each of them has a two-meter spear, mostly sharp obsidian, and even dozens of shiny copper spears. The militiamen in the front row all held simple shields and leaned shoulder to shoulder. Looking at the queue they formed, it was vaguely more orderly than the archer battalion of the woodpecker Epeck!

"Lord God! Did this group of village militiamen in Hekou County have trained spear formations?"

The woodpecker Epeck looked at it in surprise for a while, only to realize that what was really neat was actually the outermost circle, that is, more than a hundred trained militiamen who had participated in the kingdom's conquest. And further inside, "old men" in their 30s and 40s, "children" in their twelfth and thirteens, and "cattle melons" with blank faces, are all wrapped in the outer circle, which is unlikely to be a big deal.

But no matter what, Hekou County goes to war every year, and these trained militiamen have actually been on the battlefield, and the formations listed are also really capable of fighting. The appearance of this "welcome" scene immediately became a silent deterrent to the tribe's archer battalion.

"Damn it! Are these villagers in the north treating us like bandits? This is within the kingdom, and my battalion leaders are all well-trained... er... alright!..."

The woodpecker, Epeck, was stunned in place, took a few breaths of anger, and then came back to his senses. Now his subordinates are not some reliable Mexica warriors, or the local Prepecha warriors, but the newly recruited tribal archers. These Tlaxcala archers had only surrendered to the kingdom for more than a year. Only two years ago, they were still fighting to the death with the army of the alliance. And their parents and grandparents are probably the same... It's really not surprising that the villagers of Hekou County are so vigilant and vigilant.

"Okay! The villagers are on guard and be on guard, intimidating the tribal battalion. This is not a bad thing..."

Thinking of this, Epeck the woodpecker felt a little relieved. After all, he was also worried that these tribal archers were only superficially obedient, and they would secretly cause him some trouble in looting, especially in the hinterland of the kingdom, when the grand ceremony was about to be held.

"Praise the Lord God! I am Tu Niao, the missionary priest of the village. Respected military nobles, your residence is the village chief's longhouse. And your officers all have their own thatched huts. As for these tribal warriors who are good at fighting...the village has Dozens of huts have been vacated, as well as storage yards for drying grain..."

Facing the leader of the Kingdom military officer, the one who came out of the village to talk was naturally the village priest with the highest status. During the Western Expedition that year, Hekou County was the front line of repeated fighting, and it was strictly cleaned up. The old nobles of the Kingdom of Tarasco were almost uprooted, and there was no family left. After destroying the old aristocratic territory, more than 100 villages in Hekou County basically established civilian villages and were brought under the direct control of the kingdom.

The highest status in the village is the village priest who presides over the sacrificial ceremony. These village priests often contacted the priesthood of the kingdom to obtain the guidance of "divine revelation" to reform agricultural technology, promote composting, new farm tools and field management.

The village priests brought spiritual comfort, increased food production, and orders from the kingdom government, naturally occupying the highest position of power. In fact, in the ignorant Central American world, they are the masters of advanced culture and advanced productive forces. Without them, there would not even be a single person in the village who could understand the "Ali Sutra" and understand the teachings of the Kingdom.

Below the village priests are the field chiefs who deploy manpower and preside over the construction of canals and roads, and the militia captains who train the village militia. These two are often old or injured retired warriors, and they are also the roots of the kingdom's power in the countryside. The "divine power", "political power" and "military power" held by the three cooperate with each other to form the most basic rural order. This kind of rural order of "belief in gods", "strict laws" and "samurai supremacy" must have many flaws, and there is nothing fair about it. But the establishment and maintenance of a stable order alone is better than the chaotic places in Central America!

"Praise the Lord God! Greetings to you, respected Priest of the Lord God! I am the commander of the Thousand-Man Battalion of the Kingdom, Woodpecker Epeck!"

Facing the young village priest, the woodpecker Epeck lowered his head slightly, showing respect.

"Well... I live in a longhouse, the officers live in thatched huts, and the archers live in straw huts and barnyards..."

Afterwards, he thought about the arrangements in the village and felt quite appropriate, so he smiled and nodded in response.

"Very good! The Lord God blesses you, so let's do this! Thank you, Priest Tuniao!"

"Lord God bless! Battalion Commander Epeck, is there anything else the village needs to do?"

"Hmm... It will be a bit cold in the late autumn night. Pile up more thatch in the huts and grain farms... Also, we must feed our battalion tonight, and we have to go on the road tomorrow!"

"Good! We have collected a lot in the village, and there is enough thatch to keep warm. This year's autumn harvest is good, and there are enough pumpkins and bean paste!..."

Tu Niao, a young village priest, nodded with a smile, and was about to turn around to make arrangements. But before leaving, he thought of something and turned around to remind him.

"Respected military nobles...the latrine in the village is just on the edge of the field to the west. There is a row of dug holes...please tell the battalion to leave manure there...in addition, there is a big compost pit next to the latrine, which is very deep It's very sticky, like a swamp. Be careful not to fall into it. If you do fall into it, don't struggle, but shout for help, lest you drown..."

"Uh!... Priest Tuniao, I see!"

Hearing this, the woodpecker Aipeku twitched his mouth and reluctantly nodded. He knew that the kingdom's composting technology had been extended to all counties and villages by the priests. For these Mintun villages, the accumulated manure can fertilize the fields, which is an extremely precious wealth that must be collected in every possible way.

Around the royal capital Chin Tseung Chan, there will be many neighboring villages. Every morning, people will be sent into the city to dig excrement in the public latrines. What's even more outrageous is that there will be militiamen from communities in the city standing guard in front of the public cesspit, demanding "payment" from the farmers who come to dig out the manure. These rewards are usually local goods produced in the countryside, such as a basket of pumpkins or corn, traded in front of the cesspit...

Thinking of this, the woodpecker, Epeck, lost his appetite. But to be fair, the promotion of composting technology, the establishment of public latrines, and the strict implementation of hygiene teaching methods in the city have indeed improved the hygiene of the city a lot.

"Farmers' output is all obtained from the fields...everything that can increase the harvest is the blessing of the Lord God!...the family manor wants to increase production, but relying on the manure of dozens or hundreds of people is useless Yes. The alliance also has a method of burning bones to grind bone fat, but there are not many sources of bones, it is too labor-intensive and firewood, and it is not very easy to use..."

】

"That's right! The stones brought back by merchant ships from the south are said to be bird droppings, but they have no smell at all. However, God's Enlightenment Institute ground these stones and buried them in the fields, which can increase the yield by several percent! ... I don't know, When will the Kingdom be able to get a large amount of... Lord God! What a mysterious sea, these weird things, just like in mythology..."

Epeck the woodpecker was thinking wildly while eating dinner. The meals in the village are very simple, consisting of three staple foods: corn, pumpkin, and kidney beans, oh, and sweet potatoes.

As night fell, a bonfire was lit. Baskets and baskets of food in the barn are shipped out, and the aroma of food permeates the village. To feed a thousand edible tribal warriors, at least one or two thousand catties of grain would be obtained. Because there is no oil and water, and the march is exhausting, it is common for the soldiers to eat a catty or two of pumpkin and bean paste for a meal.

However, Mintun seems to have done well in the past two years, and the harvest in the fields is also sufficient. Although the faces of the villagers were regretful, they didn't look like they were desperate. Because the grain in the village is still sufficient, enough to last until next year's autumn harvest, and there is even a surplus. And the food supplied to the army will also be recorded by the priest Tu Niao to offset part of the tribute shipped to the county.

Mintun villages in the Kingdom adopted the traditional collective village community system. A village is a whole, or a "tribe". The villagers collectively cultivate the land, using the village's farm tools, and the harvested grain is also stored in a centralized manner to supply the entire village.

This tribal village community model is the tradition of various tribes in Mesoamerica. Because a single individual family is simply unable to cope with the difficult natural environment, let alone resist the various tribes fighting and fighting. Even the children in the village are raised collectively and taught by the village elders or priests.

Of course, this kind of traditional collective village community does not have a big pot of rice, and naturally has a clear status and hierarchy. The "three elders" in the village, village priests, village chiefs, and militia captains are the highest level, and the food and drink expenses are the best. Down the second level, there are warriors, militiamen, hunters in the village... These are strong men who can fight and hunt. If a clever apprentice priest can be produced, it will be the highest in this second level. And further down, there are farming men, strong women, and frail old people.

As for the children raised collectively in the village, their treatment depends on whether the village's food reserves are sufficient. Just like when there is a lot of food now, the children can have enough to eat, and they can even receive training from warriors and hunters to see if they can cultivate some good seedlings...

"Huh? The village chief's longhouse looks pretty good!"

The woodpecker Epeck entered the longhouse, lit the firepit, and put some dry firewood to make the cabin warm and bright. He looked at the soft, thick grass bed, covered with a sisal mat and even a coarse blanket on top of it. And beside the wooden wall behind the grass bed, there is an empty shelf. He approached, carefully looked at the scratches and ropes on the shelf, and understood it in his heart.

"Bows and arrows...copper axes...leather armor...the leader of this village seems to be a retired warrior from a kingdom. Now these weapons and armor...well, they are still on guard against us!"

Thinking of this, Epeck the woodpecker smiled helplessly. Then, he looked at the shrine to worship the god. Inside was a stone sculpture of the main god, surrounded by ceremonial cocoa beans, shells, and bird feathers. A silver sun amulet was enshrined in the middle, and a gray pottery incense burner was in front. .

There is a faint scent of pine in the whole house. The woodpecker Epeck searched carefully for a while, and saw the pine resin not long after burning in the incense burner in front of the main god's withered sculpture. And looking at the dust accumulated on the pottery stove, it is obvious that it looks like it is always praying.

"Retired kingdom warriors, pious village chiefs, rich village life..."

After reading these places in the house, the woodpecker Epeck knew it all. He rubbed his tired legs, found the remaining half of turpentine and ignited it, and then he lay comfortably on the grass bed, covered with a soft cloth blanket.

"Witness of the Lord God! Trained militiamen with bronze soldiers ~lightnovelpub.net~ Harvested collective farmland, piled up field fertilizer, villagers who can eat enough, and village chiefs who can live well...Of course, there is also the most important thing, Tun A village barn full of grain! . . . "

"This is the prosperous village of Tuntian in the kingdom. It belongs to the common people, and it also comes from the land!..."

"Hmm... let me think about it, how should I recite it? The poets in the capital don't have poems that sing praises to common people..."

"There it is! . . . the countryman's barns are like green leaves, scattered across the vast fields. They are filled with harvested grain, like censers filled with pitch! . . . Praise the Lord God and King!"

"Haha! I'm really a natural born poet! I want to dedicate this poem to His Highness!...But, there is still a short paragraph, three paragraphs are needed...What else should I write?..."

The rosin is slightly flammable, which relaxes the mind. The bonfire is quiet and warms the body. Epeck the woodpecker was thinking about his unfinished poems, lying on the comfortable grass bed, and soon fell into a deep sleep. And tomorrow, he will cheer up and continue on his way. In particular, it should be noted that they will pass through the flag team settled by those dog tribes, and they don't know what it looks like...

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . :