Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1836 - 1323: Kutadai River Mouth, Amur River, Heilongjiang River!

The golden sunset illuminates the golden sea, the golden coast stretches from south to north, converging with a golden river. The Kaozaki Family, at the lower reaches of the river, is stirred by the golden light of twenty-four pieces of Gold Talisman, inciting the restless minds of the Young Master and the House Elders. Meanwhile, more shimmering Gold Talismans are piled into heavy small heaps, steadily pressing down on the bottom of the Great Snow Wolf, sailing north towards the Ezo Coast.

At this moment, the meditating Takeda Nobuhiro is unaware and cannot see this golden dream. Even if his son, Kaozaki Mitsuhiro, can increase his cultivation and see through the temptation of dozens of pounds of gold... yet when hundreds or even thousands of pounds of gold surge from the upper river! Such a dreadful temptation of Treasure Light, even he might not resist it and achieve wisdom; how can his thirty-year-old son Mitsuhiro cultivate to resist it?...

Of course, at this moment, Zuwaro is equally unaware. Due to the gold he revealed, the Kingdom has been wrapped in a new and unforeseen "Golden Clan" cloak by the Japanese of Ezo land. And if this "Golden Clan" cloak is spread around, it would not only shake the Shogunate but also touch the "sleeping giant" across the sea, stir the increasingly closed Empire, and rattle the nerves of the Great Ming Imperial Court! 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

For the varied overseas Barbarians, the Great Ming Imperial Court always keeps its eyes tightly shut, unwilling to glance at them. They will not easily exchange with the "Barbarians," much less engage in any equal official trade with overseas "Barbarians!"

In later generations, the Portuguese took half a century, directly causing the "Battle of Tuen Mun" to open trade routes with the Ming Dynasty, later involving deeply in the "Battle of Shuangyu," being repeatedly attacked by the Ming Army... only at last, through bribing Local Officials, were they able to open the commercial port of Macau at the empire's frontier.

For the Ming Imperial Court after the Tumu Pass crisis, provoking the "Tribute" dispute that incited the Wala uprising is a deadly taboo not to be touched; anyone who touches it will face unpredictable political risks!

Only the fifteen "non-conquering countries" in the Grand Ancestor's "Imperial Ming Ancestral Prelude" are vassals able to communicate with Huaxia. Only the sixty-five "tribute countries" accepted by the Ming Chengzu are acceptable for tributes by the Ming official. And other than these, it's almost impossible for the "Barbarians" to be accepted by the Great Ming Imperial Court, or by the Ming's officials!

The result for those not on the tribute list and not accepted by the Ming official is receiving no political protection. Facing the consequences of encounters with the Ming Army and official forces will not be optimistic... inevitably facing the same predicament as the Portuguese!

And that which can touch the empire's nerves, rise to a political height in the court, and make the "sleeping giant" of the Ming open its eyes, or even reach out and touch... that can only be the lifelong deadly foe emphasized by the empire since its founding, the Northern Mongolian Tribes...

"Haha! Ze, my brother in faith to the Thunderbolt Divine Might, my dear brother-in-law!... Please lend me a batch of small boats and sailors to help transport these Japanese farmers, these prisoners from the Ishikari Faction, up to the north to Kutadai, to the port we previously decided on at Kutadai!"

"Ah! The divine might of the ocean and thunderbolt! Zu, my brother-in-law! You actually brought your tribes south to plunder the Japanese clan? ... You, you actually captured so many Japanese prisoners? How did the Japanese react?!"

"Haha! No need to worry! I didn't bring the tribe south to raid Japanese land... These people and supplies were sent over by the Japanese's own Mountain Insect Great Tribe. They came to trade for the gold they desired!... They will themselves block this news, and there will be no more Japanese warriors coming north to oppose the Beiyu Clan..."

"Ah! That's good, that's good... being able to drive away the Japanese is enough; there's no need to head south and proactively provoke them... Divine Might shelter us! We are a peaceful and kind Ainu people, protected by the peaceful and kindly Divine Might! And the Rice God of the Japanese can never cross the boundary!"

"... Chief Divine protect us! Ze, no need to worry! The Chief Divine possesses the mighty power of the ocean and thunderbolt, as long as you devoutly believe in Him, He will bless and protect you!... Hmm, let's talk again about the new port our Thousand Islands Tribe is about to set up in the southern part of Kutadai!"

Sailing northwards from the Beiyu Cold Shore Division in central Ezo, five to six hundred li brings one to the northwestern tip of Ezo, the location of the Beiyu Cold Swamp Tribe. And at this moment, three longships from the Kingdom, loaded with spoils from the south, filled with Japanese goods and population, are now anchored at the port of the Cold Shore Division.

And continuing north from the Beiyu Cold Shore Division, one only needs to cross the 100-li Soya Strait to arrive at "Kutadai," "God's power territory of the river mouth" in the Ainu's words, later known as Sakhalin Island. This sea route of just 100 li, even a fishing boat of the Ainu people can reach it in just two days.

Therefore, the Beiyu Cold Swamp Tribe is very familiar with the southern part of Kutadai Island, where there are some small clans with Beiyu heritage that have always intermarried and communicated with the Cold Swamp Tribe. It can be said that they are like half-local figures.

"Don't worry! Ancestor! The southern part of the Kutadai Peninsula is a very deep bay. At the most recessed part of the bay, the coast on both sides shields against the wind and waves, making it the most suitable place to establish a tribe! There is a small tribe of one to two hundred people there that has always intermarried with our Beiyu Division... Ancestor! Just take people and stay at their camp, and accept them into the tribe!..."

"Accept the tribe? You mean annex... Good! Very good! The Beiyu Clan is all one family, and it should come together as one!... Swamp, time is of the essence! We must head out early to establish a solid Winter Camp before October's winter arrives, so that everyone can be accommodated!"

"Divine Might bless us! No problem! Our Beiyu Cold Swamp Tribe will do our utmost to support you, helping the Thousand Islands Tribe set up their camp! From now on, the two Beiyu Great Tribes with shared heritage and connected bloodlines can support each other across the shallow strait... Ancestor! I will gather the manpower and materials from the tribe, and will set out with you in three days!"

"Good! Swamp! From this trade with the Japanese, we have obtained many ironwares, especially abundant iron spears, which we can leave some for you to strengthen your forces! Also, I will leave behind two skilled tribal members to help you train your tribal warriors! Just like the hands left at the Hanbin Faction before... Divine Might of Thunderbolt bless us, He is the War God who governs battles! As long as you faithfully worship Him, your organizational and combat skills can greatly improve, like short-antlered moose turning into long-antlered reindeer!"

"Help us train warriors? That's great, that's great! Ancestor, the Cold Swamp Tribe's warriors also want to form something like a hedgehog 'Spear Formation,' so they look very fierce and handy!... Ancestor, after your training, can our Cold Swamp Tribe warriors defeat the Japanese warriors? How long does this training take?"

"Uh... defeat Japanese warriors?... Well... with half a year's to a year's training, your tribal warriors can defeat Japanese warriors... the organized peasant soldiers... will surely surpass the Ishikari Clan!"

The busy August thus faded away with the waves. And as late September arrived, the Kingdom's third port on the Western Sea Continent, Divine Kutadai Port, started to take rudimentary shape, able to accommodate hundreds of people spending the winter in earth pits and shacks. This port location is where the second largest city on modern-day Sakhalin Island, Korsakov (N47°, E143°) is located.

With the sea winds roaring, two longships docked quietly in the calm waters of South Kutadai Bay, and the simple camp was on a small slope by the sea. Hundreds of Ainu people's fishing boats were busy fishing by the sea. They don't even need to go offshore; just set nets by the small river to reap a constant harvest of abundant fish. For the grand autumn salmon season has already started!

As the Ainu tribes celebrated the coming "Salmon Festival," Zuwaro was not in the camp. He had already taken the Kingdom's flagship, the Great Snow Wolf, along the west coast of Kutadai heading north, finally reaching the legendary "Kutadai River Mouth," arriving at the territory of the Nivkh Dog Tribe!

With the help of local Ainu guides, after several relatively smooth communications, Zuwaro stood stunned on the spot, hearing an unexpected news. At this moment, he found it hard to believe, staring at an old chieftain of the Dog Tribe, watching him gesturing towards the depths of the Great River upstream.

"Chief Divine! What did you say? Many years ago, a particularly powerful Great Tribe came from the South, established a settlement at the Great River's upstream rivermouth, and also set up a trading market? At that time, all northern tribes, including various Sorun tribes in the forest, obeyed their commands, paying tribute... hmm, more of trading? Trading the useful goods they brought from the South?"

"But later, they left, and both the settlement and market were abandoned... only leaving a deserted temple eventually, just upstream of the Great River?... Ah! Where is that temple? How far is it?... Oh! It's not really far, just a boat journey of eight or nine days?"

"Praise the Chief Divine! This iron axe is our tribe's gift for you! Please serve as our guide and lead us to see it! We will provide you with wine and food along the way, yes, warm wine!... Yes! To see, to see that Southern Great Tribe's Temple! See what Divine Spirit they really worship, and what mysterious presence it holds!"

On the forest edge at the Kutadai River Mouth, the chieftain of the Nivkh Dog Tribe pondered, then tightened his grip on the gifted iron axe, nodding slowly. Then he took his two Khitan Hounds, bidding farewell to the tribesmen hunting by the river, boarding the large ship he had never boarded before.

Later, his fingers pointed towards the wide Great River, an endless stream amidst forests and swamps, heading to unknown destinations... and this grand vast river, rushing eastward, was known to the Jurchen as "Sahalien Ula," to the Tungusic tribes as "Amur," and to the Ming Dynasty as "Huntong River," as well as in the History of Liao as "Heilongjiang River!"