"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, ride on the back of a bull and charge towards the enemy?"
Mohei was speechless after hearing His Highness's question. He had seen the majestic power of the wild bull running wildly, as fierce as spring thunder, with the sound of drums when it stepped on the ground, and it could knock down a small tree as thick as a hand in one stroke. Even in his wildest dreams, he had never imagined charging into battle on a bull.
Mo Hei was stunned for a while before he reacted. He shook his head repeatedly and explained hurriedly.
"No, Your Highness, that's going to die! Not to mention how to sit firmly on the back of the violently undulating bull without being thrown off by the wildly jumping beast... Even if there is a way to sit on it, there is no way It makes no sense, because there is no way to control the direction in which the bull runs!"
"Really uncontrollable?"
Hearing this, Shulot frowned. A man rides on the back of a riding beast, and what he can control is the cavalry, but what he cannot control is just the beast.
"Your Highness, you really can't! Even a herdsman who grew up taming oxen can't drive an adult independent oxen... If you want to make the oxen go in a certain direction, you can only lure it with food. oxen, or make noise and fire, and drive them carefully to run."
Having said this, Mohei paused, his eyes flashing, as if he thought of something.
"Of course, the Lord God bless you! Occasionally, there will be a few oxen that have been fed by the herdsmen for a long time from childhood to adulthood, and they have developed a special trust in the close herdsmen... In the season when they are not in estrus, they will be willing to wander around. , follow the close herd slaves."
"Oh? So..."
Hearing this, Shulot perked up and his eyes showed anticipation. Mo Hei quickly shook his head and explained a few more words.
"However, these somewhat docile oxen are just acting according to their daily habits and are by no means being driven... But once they go to the battlefield, they encounter the gathered battle formation, howling crowds, and random arrows. Even the dazzling firelight...the bull will definitely be frightened and fall into madness, without distinguishing between friend and foe, and rush wildly!"
"No distinction between friend and foe, crazy collision..."
Shulot had a sullen face and was disappointed. In war, all uncontrollable troops should be used as little as possible. Because war is the cruelest game. Both sides will rack their brains to find the other side's weaknesses and launch targeted attacks. Once the uncontrollable bull is in one's own military formation and is frightened by the enemy...
"The Southern Soldier Elephant Formation calls itself Kong Wu... Uncontrollable giant beasts are often reduced to useless when used in battle formations."
Shulot shook his head, thinking of the failed battles using war elephants in history, and calmed down the idea of using oxen to fight. We are already in the age of firearms, and it is easiest to scare giant beasts... He pondered for a while, looked at the extremely large oxen, remembered the elephant's transportation capabilities, and asked with concern.
"The ox cannot be used in battle formations, so can it be used to transport goods? For example, transporting ore from mines, wood from mountains, or transporting food with the army?"
"Uh... transporting cargo?"
Mo Hei tugged on his short hair, feeling a little unsure for a moment.
"Your Highness, are you talking about traveling back and forth between two fixed places? If trained for a long time, a very small number of docile oxen may be able to carry heavy loads back and forth, as long as they are not in heat or disturbed... As for transporting with the army in the wild, I am afraid it is not possible. , they will lose their bearings as they walk.”
"Long-term training, always going back and forth between the two places..."
Shulot frowned, feeling rather useless. The oxen are wild and untamed, cannot be driven, and have few practical uses. It can neither be used as a riding animal to form a cavalry; it is also difficult to use for transportation and form a camel team; as for domesticating the oxen and using it to pull plows in the fields, it cannot be completed by one or two generations, or even ten or twenty generations.
"Mohei, in that case, what's the use of the alliance spending so much money to tame a large number of oxen?"
Shulot thought for a moment, then looked at Mo Hei with a sullen face. He wanted to hear what the ranch manager had to say, which might be enlightening.
"Ah, ah this! Your Highness... the ox is useful!"
Upon hearing the question, Mo Hei's hands and feet trembled anxiously. He finally got the position of ranch manager. He was in charge of a small team of warriors and dozens of slaves. He was also responsible for the royal family's precious "behemoths". It can be said that he had all the honors and dignity without any risks. . Thinking of this, Mohei defended hurriedly.
"Your Highness, the oxen are huge in size, running fast and roaring loudly... They symbolize... they symbolize the majesty of the royal family and can intimidate all people! Even elite warriors who have been trained for a long time will encounter the fierce running for the first time. Even an ox will lose its color in fear and its hands and feet will tremble..."
"Hmm... That makes sense."
Hearing this, Shulot raised his head, looked at the solemn guard warriors who were cautiously guarding the bull, and nodded slowly.
The first practical role of the ox is to train warriors, allowing them to become familiar with running giant beasts and master the skills to deal with them, thereby overcoming the fear of the unknown. Once the warriors got used to the presence of the ox, they would not panic when faced with the colonists' war horses, nor would they deify the horses and lose their will to resist.
Seeing His Highness's approval, Mohei breathed a sigh of relief. He pursed his lips, swallowed, and said carefully.
"Your Highness, as long as the terrain is suitable, a small number of oxen can be domesticated in the cool mountain pastures on the plateau. Although the cost of domesticating them is relatively high, they can provide a stable supply of high-quality meat for the nobles and priests to enjoy... The meat is chewy and thick, and it’s countless times more delicious than turkey meat!”
"Huh? Raised for meat?"
Shulot was startled for a moment, then nodded knowingly. The cost of domesticating oxen is high, but no matter how high the cost is, it cannot compare with the vanilla enjoyed by the nobles. The Mexican Union lacks high-quality meat sources. If beef cattle is added to the menu of the nobles, the need for domestication will naturally arise.
"Nice idea. Any more?"
"Well..."
Mo Hei pulled his hair and thought about it for a while. Then he pointed at the pile of cow dung in the corner.
"Your Highness, according to the village priest, that... manure has the vitality of the earth given by the Lord God, and can be used to fertilize fields! A bullock eats 60 kilograms of fodder a day, and can also pull about 50 kilograms..."
"Eat 60 pounds of fodder a day?"
Hearing this number, Shulot was a little surprised. He looked at the busy shepherd slaves and the vast mountain pastures. There are less than 300 oxen, occupying a large area of the mountain. Dozens of people are required to prepare fodder, which is indeed edible. After looking at it for a while, Shulot nodded slightly.
"If the ox can produce a lot of fertilizer and use it to fertilize the fields, it will be of some benefit."
"Your Highness, it's more than that."
Mo Hei smiled and pointed respectfully at the warehouse in the distance.
"In addition to providing meat, oxen can also produce a lot of fur and sinews. These can offset part of the cost of domestication... In fact, domesticating oxen is not that difficult. At most, some herder slaves will be lost during the dangerous estrus period. ..”
"Fur and sinew...leather armor and horn bow..."
Shulot was lost in thought, and some distant scenes flashed before his eyes. If fine leather armor is coated with lacquer, its defensive power is very impressive, and it is a must-have for noble warriors in the Spring and Autumn Period. However, compared with cheap cloth-covered metal armor, the production cost of high-quality leather armor is too high, the time is too long, and the maintenance cost is also terrifyingly high.
"What's more, there's no sumac in America... Maybe we can use rubber?"
Shulot was silent for a moment, and then started thinking about making the horned bow. With enough beef tendons and horns, a composite horn bow can be trial-produced. He remembered some common knowledge about horned bows, and had previously told them to the kingdom's crossbow director, the bowsmith Kundili.
"After returning from the Northern Expedition, Kundili's bamboo and wood composite bow has made progress, but I don't know how the research on the horn bow is going..."
"Your Highness..."
Seeing His Highness's thoughtful expression, Mohei waited for a while before asking carefully.
"It's already evening, do you want the herdsmen to prepare dinner? Two days ago, the ranch killed an escaped oxen. It has excellent beef eye meat, which is thin and tender. It tastes soft and juicy when roasted... Please Let me cook it for you myself!"
"Huh? Grilled beef eye fillet?...Okay, not bad!"
Hearing this, Shulot's eyes lit up. He glanced at Na Xiu, who was standing beside him, and she nodded knowingly.
"Your Highness, I brought some chili powder, allspice, ground vanilla, and other spices..."
"Very good! Just stay here tonight and have a good meal. Haha, rare roast beef!"
Shulot laughed with satisfaction, waved his hand, and everyone went to prepare. He stood on the hill, raised his head, looked at the majestic red sun in the west, and smelled the faint fragrance of grass in the wind. In the undulating mountain pastures, huge herds of cattle form small groups, reflecting the red glow, like the darlings of the sky and the earth.
"The North American bison! It is neither a riding beast nor a camel beast... You are the free-running thunder beasts on the North American continent!... I eat them quite deliciously, but it would be a pity to abandon them..."
7017k
