The nomads on the Abu Serra grassland, which has a simple social structure, still have an extremely strict hierarchical system. Except for the large number of slaves within the tribe who are used as slaves and livestock, the real grassland people can usually be divided into three classes.
The top class is naturally the nobility represented by priests and clan leaders. Priests are usually the eldest people in the entire tribe. Therefore, in addition to being priests, their status is also the think tank of the entire tribe, serving as the basis for the clan leader and subordinates. The former clan leader was a guide-like presence who showed the way. Sometimes these two positions are performed by the same person at the same time, but most of the time they are separated. The clan leader is responsible for conquest and control as well as the major and minor matters within the clan, while the priest is responsible for the sacrifices to the gods and The training of the younger generation of priests, and communication with priests of other ethnic groups.
Examples of two positions being held by one person at the same time are also very rare in the Abu Sera grassland, which has more than 300 tribes, large and small. Generally speaking, this only happens to very weak tribes with insufficient population and the ability to attract the favor of priests. However, there are also other more rare cases where the personal ability of a new tribe leader is indeed particularly outstanding.
There have been such figures in a few legends in the history of the prairie people, and every time they appeared, they were often accompanied by huge disasters that caused the settler people to shed blood - but let us return to the original point and return to the present first.
The children and wives of priests and patriarchs and other related relatives are naturally among the nobility in accordance with the original social structure of blood supremacy. In addition, as a tribe that advocates force, their social status is in the second class. Naturally, They are the feared prairie warriors.
We have mentioned before that the nomads on the grassland are all soldiers. They have learned how to archery and ride horses since they were four or five years old. Any kid of thirteen or fourteen can kill several ordinary adults on the west coast or in the south alone. Even if you encounter a regular mercenary with a green card certification, if the equipment is not well-equipped and there is no shield or hard plate armor or breastplate that can withstand arrows, a head-on battle will inevitably end. He was killed instantly by that precise riding shot.
Being able to use a bow and mount and shoot on horseback is just a matter of course for the grassland people, and in such a social structure, those who can be worthy of the title of warrior must of course be better than others. The so-called warriors on the grassland can all fight against several blue-brand war mercenaries on their own. Their existence is similar to the knights and nobles on the west coast, but they do not have any fiefdoms or titles, and their loyalty to the patriarch is Incomparable to the knights and nobles of the West Coast who rebelled at every turn.
The way to identify a prairie warrior is very simple. Not only do they have superb archery skills like all other prairie people and can penetrate the poplars with a hundred steps, but they also know how to use a one-handed scimitar for melee combat on foot and on horseback. They have a long one-handed sword worn around their waist. Those who wield swords are real prairie warriors. On the grasslands where iron ore is scarce and most can only be obtained by plundering, the lower third class can only carry short knives for hunting.
But that's not all. The prairie people also have strict regulations on clothing. For example, only nobles and warriors can use certain colors and fabrics, or there are no regulations on beards on the west coast and in the south - here. Ordinary people are not allowed to have beards on the chin, and at most they can only keep their upper lips. Prairie warriors can grow goatees, but only clan leaders and priests can have thick beards.
This simple and clear method of distinguishing status ensures that you know the identity and status of others when you see them. People without beards may not necessarily be civilians, but if you have a beard and it is a big beard, you are the best. Be respectful to the other person.
——In any case, as the lowest level among the ethnic group, just like everywhere else, the civilian class craftsmen, herdsmen and their children are the largest group. These people are warriors and nobles who herd, hunt and collect food. They need to constantly carry out shooting and horse riding training according to the wishes of the clan leader. When war comes, they also need to use force. It can be said that in this aspect alone , not much different from the west coast.
The only thing that really makes people feel the huge gap is perhaps the prairie people's rigid and stubborn attitude towards outsiders, culture and the trade of goods.
There is no currency in the steppes of Abu Serra.
People here rely on plundering or bartering for everything they need. Merchants are regarded as low-level existences. Even if figures such as clan leaders try to trade with other tribes, they will be looked down upon by others and considered to have lost their ability. The roots of prairie people. After all, in a place where everyone believes in the dogma of "relying on force to plunder without trade or need," if you adopt a peaceful approach, you will be looked down upon and looked down upon.
——This may be why when Henry and his group came to the group that was said to have traded with the Felix Merchant Group seven or eight years ago, they felt that the people around them were all indifferent and hostile. The root cause of the vision.
The primitive social structure is always simple and clear. The grassland people respect the strong, so they do not look down too much on the guards such as these fully armed Thoradin mercenaries. Although there is vigilance and hostility, it is proof that he is treated as an opponent of the same level.
On the contrary, it is these merchants in the southern border, these merchants who spend money to hire mercenaries to fight with them and stay in the rear to enjoy themselves, are really despised by the grassland people and regarded as weak and useless trash.
The sound of "GuluGulu" wheels rolling came, and the group slowly approached the vast camp, led by a dozen serious-looking prairie warriors who glanced at it from time to time. As soon as they came over, they could clearly see the settlement here. Seeing how big the land was, many people, including the young second-generation green mercenary, couldn't help but take a breath of cold air——
Dotted throughout this lower basin are various camps and tents enclosed by fences. Herds of cattle and sheep are playing and eating in the nearby areas with rich water and grass. There are many people washing clothes and food by the water, and even more. Looking into the distance, more and more camps were seeing rising smoke.
——Just by visual inspection, there must be at least tens of thousands of people.
The flags fluttered fiercely in the wind, and horses made of sharp wooden stakes and hemp ropes surrounded the camps of the major ethnic groups. The few Thoradin mercenaries who had been holding their bows and arrows before were immediately frightened. There are only half a hundred people in this group. If someone hadn't been prevented from shooting the arrow with a shaking hand in front of him, as long as one percent of the people here were mobilized, it would be enough to wipe out the entire team.
The numerical advantage is extremely terrifying, especially when these people basically have a bow. Even in close combat, with better armor, these mercenaries may be able to fight one against ten, but when encountering bows and arrows, At this time, even a grassland short bow with a range of only more than a hundred meters, and the overwhelming arrow feathers coming at it, would make anyone except a knight wearing full plate armor feel frightened.
But even if the West Coast Knights are fully armed, their horses are still vulnerable to attack. A set of full-body plate armor usually weighs between 35 and 40 kilograms. In addition, the weight of the built-in cotton armor evenly covers all parts of the body. Although it can still move normally, if it is lost on the battlefield, If he loses his war horse, he will definitely not be able to escape quickly with such a weight on his back.
Although the war horses on the grassland are smaller in size than the war horses on the west coast, they can still weigh more than half a ton. Coupled with the momentum and the presence of hoofs, it can trample it no less than a powerful armor-piercing war hammer. It is a matter of course for dozens of horses to catch up and trample to death a fully armored knight alive, not to mention among the prairie people. The more sophisticated warriors also possess melee weapons and can take advantage of their lack of armor to quickly approach the knight, using daggers and daggers to pierce through weak points in the armor, such as armpits, throats, and observation openings. .
In a frontal conflict on the plains where there are no bunkers or hiding spots for ambush, equipment, quantity and training must have at least two advantages to make the victory relatively stable. If the combat ability is equal but the number of people is at a complete disadvantage, the victory will be relatively stable. In this case, even wearing better armor and holding better weapons will only make you die slower.
This group of tens of thousands of grassland people living here, although there are still a considerable number of slaves who are not allowed to carry weapons and can only do the most painful and tiring chores, if they can unite to invade the southern border or the Thoradin area, like A small town like Rosemary, with a population of only a few thousand including slaves, would easily bleed into a river.
This is the terrifying thing about the nomads who have all the people in arms. This is why civil strife and war among them is what all the surrounding countries want to see most. The merchants in the southern border and the bishops of the White Church have put a lot of effort into ensuring that this state can continue. There is no need to go into details about funding weapons, equipment, food and grass. They use the superior intrigues in the better social system. Plans and conspiracies such as frame-ups and assassinations are also endless.
The current situation in Abu Serra is inseparable from the "efforts" of everyone, whether it is the naturalized people among the grassland people who have been corrupted by a better life or the malicious people on the west coast and the south. If there were initially When in contact, the two sides could be more restrained and courteous - or if the White Church did not exist at that time - the current stalemate and the appearance of the two sides fighting each other do not need to exist at all.
But history is always full of inevitable seemingly coincidental events. Even in the era that Henry and the others live in, even if our protagonist is called a sage who claims to know everything, all he can do is erase the ice floes on the surface. After that, the situation of the entire world will be... It was like the still deep and invisible lake. Even he could only be prepared to deal with it, but could not completely and completely control everything.
If we in future generations come back and look at it from God's perspective, perhaps many things are actually so simple and clear, but how can people living in the turmoil of the times know what will happen in the future.
It is said that the authorities are confused and the onlookers know clearly, this is probably what it is all about.
Time passed calmly and slowly. After the entire team of about fifty people, including merchants, truly entered the territory of the nomads, many people involuntarily clenched the weapons in their hands - the mercenaries were So, too, do many young prairie people.
Many young boys and girls with light black skin, red hair or black hair were holding the short bows in their hands tightly and looking here with frowning brows. The obvious hostility sent shivers down the spines of everyone on the horse. cold. As for the older ones, although they had good control and did not show it, their hands never left the handle of the short knife at their waist.
The semi-surrounding posture of the old and young men and women from the tribes along the way frightened several young merchants who came out for the first time. Fortunately, the middle-aged, fat, southern merchant with a small mustache was the one who came here last time. The team leader during the transaction here had some experience. He kept maintaining a calm smile, which made others feel at ease.
The camp of the tribe with white goat heads on a black background - let's call it the White Sheep Clan according to the understanding of the southerners - is located in a relatively safe part of the entire camp near the center. In addition, the surrounding relatively vast terrain and nearby areas are obviously There are more animal skin camps here than other ethnic groups. It can be more or less inferred that at least among the tens of thousands of people, they should be the top ones.
It’s no wonder that the scope of plunder and conquest allocated by more powerful tribes is of course correspondingly wider. The chance that a tribe leader from this background will choose to exchange trade with the people in the south is naturally higher than that of a little-known small tribe. On many.
Under the murderous onlookers all the way, a group of people rode towards the front, led by more than a dozen warriors from the Aries clan. Mira looked around while riding on the horse. Many people who were washing clothes near the water on the left also turned their heads and looked here. At such a close distance, the girl could see clearly. Looking at the dirty bodies and tattered clothes of these people - it is obvious that the people who do such chores are slaves and not real prairie people.
She noticed that many of them had blond or brown hair, and the relatively fair skin was vaguely visible on their dirty faces. It was obvious that they were plundered from the west coast by nomads.
The mercenaries who were born from Thoradin turned a blind eye to this, and perhaps they were used to their status as slaves. When these West Coasters saw their compatriots in their hometown, they still had numb faces - a few of them even had expressions on their faces. He also showed a similar or even worse hostility and hatred to the prairie people. It seemed that he had integrated into the culture here and regarded himself as a member of the prairie nomads.
"..." The white-haired Luoan girl did not stay too much on them. The fat business leader in front raised his hand again. At this time, everyone finally arrived at the camp of the Aries clan. At the door, he shouted in a not too high voice: "Everyone dismount -" The softer pronunciation of the Laman language unique to the southern region and the elongated tail tone prevented the sudden sound from triggering an overreaction among the prairie people. The mercenaries were confused for a moment, and then they all followed their employer's instructions and rolled down.
Mira glanced around and found that there were only a few people riding horses in the camp. She thought this must be some kind of rule. Anyway, when she saw them all getting off the horses obediently, there were solemn expressions on the faces of the dozen prairie warriors. His expression also relaxed. After they led the group in, they paused for a while near the entrance. Mira heard from behind that they and the leaders of the caravan seemed to be talking about something in the language of the prairie.
After both parties finished speaking, they nodded to each other, and then some of the prairie warriors walked in the other direction, while the rest turned over and dismounted. Their movements and gestures seemed to lead them to the one with the Aries flag on the top. The huge main camp.
Such important matters must be decided by the clan leader himself, but it is impossible for everyone in the team of forty or fifty people to go, so of course they have to elect representatives.
The 50-year-old Thoradin mercenary Bartley, who has grassland ancestry and plays an important role as one of the scouts and translators in the team, is one of the candidates, while the leader of the caravan, the fat middle-aged man Inya Ji Ze is another person who must go. In addition, there is a mercenary under Felix and two young businessmen as followers. The rest are Henry and Mira.
When the two of them were chosen to go together, many mercenaries in the team reacted. However, this was not a matter of envy or jealousy, but rather a feeling of joy. After all, the person who was going in to meet was the leader of a ethnic group on the grassland. It's normal to behead someone if you point out something in front of them and if they don't like it, it's normal.
Although staying outside would mean being surrounded by prairie people, no matter what, it was still much better than entering the main camp.
There was a real feeling when the leather boots stepped on the soil. After walking into the main camp made of thick animal skins, the sound and light outside were quickly cut off. Several warriors in front led the team. Rays of sunlight filtered in through the ventilation openings on both sides of the walkway. The smell of sweat and the unique smell of cows and horses filled the mouth and nose, and the smell of some kind of fermented dairy product lingered in the air and seemed to flow with the heat. People here are probably making some unique food on the grassland.
"Araku, Said." Words that were probably announcing that the reporter had arrived came from the mouth of the warrior leading the way. The passage to the tent finally came to the end. The leader of the Aries clan probably waved his hand, and the warriors respectfully The ground lowered his head, then turned around and waved for everyone to enter. (To be continued.)
