The rain stopped, and the small elite marched at great speed. The black wolf Toltec led two hundred personal guards and ran along the white sand coast for forty or fifty miles. Finally, when the sun was setting, he arrived at the river and lake where the exploration fleet had hidden.
Everyone looked from a distance, and saw the golden red lake surface reflecting the light of the setting sun, and tall reeds growing densely along the river. On the clear lake, instead of birds landing, you can even see turtles lying flat. They float on the water like rocks in the lake, leisurely, calm and peaceful.
The black wolf Toltec stood by the river, looking at the flat lake connected to the river. The scene in front of him was so peaceful that it was difficult for him to imagine the fierce water battle and desperate fight. Tropical rivers, lakes and jungles are always so full of vitality that they will swallow up all flesh and blood, not even leaving dry bones behind, using life to erase death.
"Praise the Lord God! What a natural inner harbor for the navy! ... Chuchute, what is the name of this lake connected to the sea through a river?"
"Uh, respected leader of the Black Wolf!... There are no fish in this lake, but there are many big turtles... The local villagers call it, uh, Big Turtle Lake!..."
"What? Big Turtle Lake?"
Black Wolf narrowed his eyes, looked at the leisurely turtle on the lake, grinned, and showed his sharp teeth.
"Uta!"
"Here, boss!"
"Go! Bring someone to get some big turtles! Tonight, we will camp here and eat roasted big turtles to replenish our energy!..."
"Yes! Boss!"
Hei Lang gave a few brief instructions and arranged the camp for tonight. Then, he looked at the end of the team, a lean and simple Prepecha warrior and asked.
"Local fish! Where is the cassava field that Old Man Qi planted at that time?"
"Well, Chief Black Wolf...it's this lake, right in this area! But where exactly...it was mainly owned by Captain Qi at that time, and it only lasted less than two acres...I can't remember!..."
The lean yellow fish touched his head and stared at the wide lake and the tall reeds for a long time. He was one of the last sixteen people to return from the Cuban exploration fleet, and for this reason he was unusually awarded the title of Military Noble by Shulot. Now that he has returned to the lake where bloodshed and fighting once took place, there is both unspeakable emotion and a little confusion in his eyes.
"Boss, how about we look for it? The leaves of this thing are very wide, like the palm of a hand. The height is also not low, and they rise in clumps..."
"What?! It's such a big area, 30 miles along the lake, and the reeds are so tall! When will we find this?!"
Black Wolf frowned, looked at the leader Chu Chute, and ordered.
"Go! Go to the nearest village and call the local hunters and fishermen! First ask them if they know..."
The summer sun sets later. Before the last sun sets, hunters from nearby villages finally obey the orders. When he heard the plants described by the native yellow fish, the village hunter was surprised for a moment and suddenly shouted loudly.
"Ah! Gods! I know!...It's the grass of the dead! Eating the grass of the dead can kill people!...I know where it is, and I'll take you there!"
After some twists and turns, everyone finally found the cassava field planted among the reeds in the bay of the lake. After a year of wind and rain, the traces of the fields have long since disappeared. Clusters of cassava grow densely together, and they are still growing vigorously even without the care of farmers.
"God bless you! Is this small tree like mature cassava?"
It was dark, and the black wolf held the torch, stared at the cassava bush in front of him, and estimated the height. Most of the grown cassava are more than half a person tall, and the stems are also very thick. Due to the height advantage of cassava, there are almost no weeds in this cassava bush. Compared with the most common corn, pumpkins and beans in the alliance, this "new" crop is obviously easy to grow and difficult to survive.
"Tsk tsk! This is what His Highness said, a divine crop with a yield of five to six hundred kilograms per acre?... It is said to have the divinity of death and the vitality of the earth. It must be peeled off before it can be eaten..."
Hei Lang touched his chin and looked at the strong cassava bush for a while. Then, he looked at the military nobleman Yellow Fish and asked.
"Local croaker, I remember this thing is quite troublesome. How do you eat it?"
"Uh...Boss, Captain Qi made up a new song about cassava. It's easy to remember!"
Hearing this, Tuhuangyu cleared his throat, imitated the accent of the old militiamen, and began to sing a song.
"Cassava is so good. One person can grow it and feed ten people! Even though it's good, it's not good either. It's born with the skin of a dead person. If you eat it casually, it will kill you!..."
"The Lord God is good. He has given you a treasure. Dig out the rhizome, which is thick and long! Peel it off, cut it into pieces, soak it in water to disperse the poison, and you can eat birds after waiting overnight!..."
"Soak in water, boil, and make a paste that will be delicious. Dry it, grind it into powder, and bake it into cakes to keep for a long time. God bless your highness! ... Hey! God bless your highness! ... Cassava, It’s good, one person can plant enough to feed ten people…”
Listening to the piercing and looping song of the Yellow Fish, Black Wolf Toltec's eyelids twitched, but the sound was so magical that it was unforgettable. He was silent for a while, then shook his head and shouted.
"Okay! Stop singing! My head hurts when I hear it!... Mikui, go and bring a few people to dig up some cassava roots for me and soak them in water...Tomorrow morning, I want to taste this for myself. What does it taste like to grow the God-blessed crops that His Highness values so much!”
"Yes, boss!..."
"Hei Lang leader, I'm going to help too, I'm familiar with this!..."
"Yuhuangyu, don't worry!"
Black Wolf Toltec shook his head. He stretched out his big hand, held down the lean yellow fish, and asked seriously.
"Witness the Lord God! This piece of cassava doesn't look like much...how many acres can be expanded to grow?!"
"Hei Lang Chief, these cassava have grown up, and the stems can be cut off and planted... It's no problem to cut out more than ten stems from one cassava. The two acres of cassava land... can be expanded no matter what. Give me twenty acres!”
"Twenty acres? So little?..."
"God bless you! It's a lot! Corn can't survive without it! ... In another year, there will be at least more than two hundred acres! ..."
"Hey! It's true!"
Hei Lang opened his eyes wide and tried to calculate with his fingers, and then he completed ten times the multiplication. He pondered for a moment, staring into the eyes of Yellow Fish, which made him tremble.
"Uh! Black Wolf Leader?..."
"Lotus Yellow Fish, His Highness gave me a royal order to expand the cultivation of cassava and popularize this high-yielding new crop..."
The black wolf Toltec was bright and energetic. He looked at the yellow fish and ordered decisively.
"Witness the Lord God! You are good! You are knowledgeable and can work! This task of expanding cassava cultivation will probably take many years, so I will leave it to you!..."
"Ah! I...Leave it to me?! But, I'm alone..."
"Ha! As for the insufficient manpower, I will let you choose the tribal warriors and militiamen recruited by the legion!..."
Hei Lang waved his hand, patted the Yellow Fish on the shoulder, and generously rewarded him.
"Right here, by this big turtle lake! I will set up a tribal flag team and assign 400 people to manage it for you! And this 30-mile-long lake will also be left to you! ... Well, One tribesman can farm at least five acres, and four hundred people can farm two thousand acres?... Then they can farm for at least two years!..."
"Local croaker, the Lord God has witnessed! Give you two years to grow two thousand acres of cassava! If you do well, I will promote you to another level and build you a 4,000-strong banner team. Plant cassava! I’ve already thought of the name of the flag team, it’s called Cassava Flag!…”
"Nothing! If you don't do well..."
The black wolf Toltec narrowed his eyes, stared at the yellow fish coldly, and grinned again, showing his sharp teeth.
"Witness the Lord God! Your Highness and I will be very angry!"
"Ah! Ah this?... If you grow well, you will be in charge of a large flag team? Cassava flag?... If you grow poorly, uh..."
The yellow fish stood dumbly for a moment, then trembled violently. He knelt down respectfully to receive the order and shouted loudly.
"Yes, the Lord God bless you! Chief Black Wolf, I will plant a good cassava field for the Lord God, for His Highness, and for your order!..."
"Very good! You should be so energetic!..."
The black wolf Toltec held the torch and nodded with satisfaction. Then, he turned around, turned his back to the lush cassava field, looked toward the disappearing darkness to the west, and whispered to himself leisurely.
"Actually! It would be most appropriate to leave this job to Old Man Qi! However, he should be in Yunshe Mountain City..."
"The Lord God bless you! Counting the time, Yun Sheshan City, which never falls, must fall!..."
The long wind blows thousands of miles to the west, and darkness envelopes the mountain city, with sporadic drizzle. Under the rain in the mountain city, groups of silent guard warriors were climbing along the steep mountain road. Not far above their heads, the back village of Yunshe Mountain City had quietly opened its door.
