Central Mountain City, Chuta's Mansion Meeting Room.
"Young Chuta, are you alright?", a boy about nine years old who was present in the room asked me, pulling me from my thoughts about the innovations and advancements in cannon making.
"I'm fine", I replied, still somewhat confused.
"Quemuen, don't bother the Son of Heaven", Michuá scolded the little boy, frowning. "Excuse me, Son of Heaven", he politely excused himself.
"No need to scold him… I appreciate your concern, Quemuen", I said first to Michuá and then to the boy. "I'm defending myself on behalf of a child who's probably two years older than me, as if he were an adult", I thought ironically, noticing the boy blushing at my words. "I'm sorry for my nephew's behavior. I really wanted to see you, Son of Heaven, so I brought you to this meeting", Michuá clarified, noticing that his nephew wasn't saying anything.
"It's fine, I understand. Besides, I think I've seen him before... He must be a student at Simte Academy, right?", I asked Michuá.
"Correct", Michuá confirmed. "Quemuen wanted to learn mathematics, and that's why he enrolled at the academy. However, I wanted him to join the group preparing Upqua so that in the future he can be a general like me", he commented.
"Well... Both are worthy options for becoming a good general or military leader", I said on the subject. "Although you should be cautious with the group training Upqua, it's for people who already have several years of military training... If it's any consolation, a military academy will open next year in the two central regions and a naval academy in the Northwest and North regions", I informed Michuá, who seemed surprised and pleased by the news.
"Listen, everyone", I said in a serious tone, closing the previous conversation.
"Since all of you will be part of the defense of our kingdom, I will begin by informing you of the latest developments regarding our hostile neighbors", I began.
"As you know, to the south are those who call themselves 'children of the sun,' under the command of their leader, 'Inka.' We have recently received information that a new Inka, named Ccapac, has been appointed leader of this kingdom. So far, we have had no conflicts with the nearby territories they control, but some villages in the Southwest Region used to pay tribute to the leaders in the north of their territory. However, it has been a considerable amount of time since they stopped making those payments", I added in detail.
"Regarding the forest tribes in the Northeast and Southeast", I continued, pointing to the next enemy that poses a risk. "Our scouts have had encounters with their warriors, and they attack as soon as they detect someone in the vicinity of their territory. Although this hostile attitude is more typical of the forest tribes in the southeast", I added, pointing to some green areas on the map.
"Young Chuta, what do you mean by the forest in the southeast? Isn't it just one large forest?", one of the officers asked. "That's true, you're not informed", I replied casually. "Explorers have discovered that both forests are distinct, and although there is an area where they connect, each forest has different types of trees, flora, and fauna, so we decided to differentiate them. Furthermore, where the two forests meet, we identify the source of a large river, which we believe flows through the northeastern forest and empties into the northeastern ocean waters. Our Sand Fleet explorers have found the outlet of a major river beyond the Northeast Region and the Caribbean islands", I explained to everyone.
The revelation surprised many, and what impacted them most was the mention of the river. Everyone was aware of how distant the previously called Eastern Forest or the Endless Forest was from our territory, and now, upon hearing that there was a possible outlet to the ocean through this river, many thoughts arose in the minds of those present at the meeting.
They understood how vital our Suaza River is to our community, facilitating transportation, trade, and acting as a means of military control. This new river could improve our trade relations with those tribes while also serving as a mechanism of control over opposing tribes.
"Back to our neighbors", I commented, returning to the main topic. "The Caribs are quite interested in joining us because of their conflicts with the Tainos in the northern islands, as well as our respect for their beliefs and the food we have provided them", I added, pointing to the Carib region on the map.
"The problem lies in our approach to the Tainos", I mentioned regarding our new neighbor. "As I mentioned previously, they have conflicts with the Caribs, though only the southern Tainos, as the rest of their population on the large northern islands seems quite satisfied with our relationship and the benefits we offer", I explained as I looked at the new naval generals and their respective officers.
"At first, their disputes were caused by cultural differences and the scarcity of resources in each region", I continued.
"My proposal is to acquire the islands between both territories due to their value to them. Then, we will move our fleet and the people of the kingdom to those islands. At the same time, we will offer them trade agreements that will reduce their need for expansion and bring us closer to unifying those peoples within our kingdom", I proposed after assessing the situation of what would become the Caribs in the future. "Young Chuta, Sogeking, who found the mouth of the river in the endless forest... correct me, the northeastern forest, found an infinite island north of these islands under the control of the Tainos", reported Nygua, the new General of the Northeast Zone Navy.
He, along with Umzye, general of the Southwest Zone, would lead the navy in the defense of the coasts and the exploration of both oceans. Both have been working on the nearby exploration of the Northeast Ocean, or what would be known in the future as the Atlantic Ocean. The first few years were only explorations along the nearby coasts, due to technological limitations, but with new advances, we have been able to advance into more distant explorations like those the newly appointed Sogeking has been conducting.
"I think I know about that place", I casually commented, surprising everyone. "I forget to pretend I don't know anything about that… Well, I'll blame the gods", I mused, pointing to the ceiling as if I were pointing to the sky.
"Son of Heaven!", they all exclaimed, standing with their right hands on their chests.
"No surprise there… Back to the topic, tell Sogeking that as soon as he reaches the shores, he must come to the Government House for a meeting with me. I know I gave him permission to explore as long as he has resources, but he must be careful not to provoke enemies we don't know", I told Nygua, a little embarrassed by the previous slip-up.
"I'll inform Sogeking, young Chuta", he replied immediately.
"Okay… With the discovery of this new territory, we'll be able to settle a greater number of people here and on these islands", I said, pointing to the approximate location of the newly discovered territory. "We can even establish close relations with nearby villages to incorporate new types of local resources into our trade", I added, a little excited.
"Back to the main topic", I continued. "The next people are west of the islands in a large territory and were called Maya, although now they are just a group of scattered peoples without a centralized government, and even their culture has fragmented", I explained, pointing to the area that would eventually become the Yucatán Peninsula.
"The next two kingdoms to mention are the real problem", I introduced the new topic. "The first are the Mexica kingdom, who are quite hostile toward their own neighbors. Which leads us to assume they would not be happy with our approach. However, they have a theory that a god of theirs will soon come to their lands and walk among men", I said in a mysterious tone.
"And the other kingdom is the Purépecha… They have been fighting against the Mexica for many years and have even emerged victorious in some of their wars", I continued explaining.
"Young Chuta, are your warriors and weapons comparable to ours?", Sagua asked. "Their warriors seem to be quite good, compared to our old way of training, but if you consider the new methods I've promoted with you, Michuá, and Upqua, our warriors and officers are much better… As for weapons, they, like us before being guided by the knowledge of the gods, used rudimentary stone weapons or even some made of bronze, but compared to the new weapons made by the workshops, they are far inferior", I explained calmly, noting the enthusiasm of everyone present.
"Does that mean we could conquer them?", one of the officers asked, smiling excitedly.
"The answer to that question is yes", I replied dryly. "However, my answer is no", I said seriously, looking at everyone present.
"It seems the blessing the gods have given us isn't enough for you", I commented in a frustrated tone. "Maybe I should reconsider whether everything I do for the kingdom is going in the right direction", I added with a wry tone as I shrugged, looking disappointed.
Everyone in the room sat firmly in their seats. They clearly noticed that I didn't like that comment, and they didn't know what to say to remedy it. I didn't blame them for their enthusiasm but knowing that many of them had that idea simply because they were technically superior to our neighbors made me quite worried.
"I must fix this at its root, or else I'll have to deal with some rogue general in the future", I reflected, looking at the nervous men in the room.
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[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED
Hello everyone.
Chuta meets with the military and informs them about the nearby kingdoms that could be a danger.
Unnecessary fact of the day: the Inca Empire began as a small territory in the mountains, like the Muisca, and after a few centuries, it became the largest empire in America before the conquest.
Vongola, there's a mention of Sogekin. I haven't developed his character yet because it's not yet time, but here it is, as promised.
Read my other novel, The Walking Dead: Vision of the Future.
You can find it on my profile.]