Chapter 2228 - 1598: Cuba, Cuba of the Kingdom!
"Beware of the Evil Demon Fleet! With a small-scale invasion of over a hundred demons, you should be able to resist. But if you encounter a large-scale demon fleet landing, send a messenger to Iron Bay Town for help immediately and retreat inland with the tribes!"
"Be careful of the demon’s cannon fire and the plague they bring! May the Chief Divine protect us! A new round of Divine War has begun!..."
Seeing the two Chief God Priests of the Red Soil Clan, Xiu Maoying issued a warning again. The military forces of the Kingdom in the Eastern Sea are essentially like this, radiating outwards with Iron Bay Town as the center.
Across the Caribbean East Sea, the Thirty Tribes of Cuba, Twelve Tribes of West Haiti, Five Tribes of Jamaica, and Five Tribes of the Bahamas have all converted to the Chief Divine, becoming affiliated tribes of the Kingdom. In each of these medium to large tribes, a priest of the Kingdom is stationed, along with a small team of warrior guards, comprising at least ten warriors. In the mainland of Cuba, they are mostly teams of twenty warriors.
Roughly calculating like this, dozens to hundreds of priests and thousands of warriors of the Kingdom have been dispatched. They are like pepper scattered across the vast islands of the Eastern Sea, becoming the roots of the Kingdom’s rule over the Eastern Sea. They spread the Nava culture from the Highlands, constantly drawing the Taino Tribe into the embrace of the Chief Divine, thus becoming the foundation of the Kingdom.
"May the Chief Divine protect us! Where has the Red Stone Chief, Bociba, gone?"
"The Chief has already reached Iron Bay Town. A month ago, the Tomate Chief Priest had already sent out invitations for the New Year Chief Divine Festival! Now, it’s estimated that the chieftains of all Thirty Tribes of Cuba have arrived, and the chieftains of West Haiti, the Bahamas, and Jamaica should have mostly arrived as well... It’s just unknown whether the chieftains of East Haiti will come."
Upon hearing this, Xiu Maoying rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, and shook his head.
"The chieftains of East Haiti are still somewhat wary of us... This year, I’m afraid only a small portion will come, three or four for trade. The entire Haiti’s Twenty-four Tribes, the alliance in the west and the alliance in the east are not on amicable terms. Nowadays, with the Twelve Tribes in the west swayed towards us, and the east being cautious, it is understandable... Once they see the Evil Demon’s fleet and witness the true cruelty of the demons, they will undoubtedly let go of their reservations and fully convert to the Chief Divine!..."
"May the Chief Divine protect us! These Taino chieftains of East Haiti... The Tomate Chief Priest is still too lenient, always using gentle means, like the spring rain, slowly winning over the tribes of Haiti. If they were to use thunderbolt actions, directly converting the families of the chieftains..."
The Chief God Priest of the Red Soil Clan shook his head, while Xiu Maoying remained silent. Both were well aware of the source of the hindrance.
As the Kingdom’s mission in the Eastern Sea deepens, the Chief God Priest not only brings faith but also stationed warriors, improved farming techniques, and Iron Bay Town’s iron tools. From faith to force, from farming to production, this comprehensive penetration, once it lasts for a few years, will undoubtedly win over the hearts of the Taino tribespeople completely!
Once the mission reaches a certain depth, the priest’s authority will rise to its peak. If there is any discrepancy between the tribe’s chieftain and the Chief God Priest, the tribespeople often choose to support the priest. The allocation of manpower and resources is also directed by the Chief God Priest, such as constructing the Holy Sanctuary Temple. The training of the tribe’s strong men is grasped by the warriors of the Kingdom, equivalent to mastering the tribe’s military power.
Once this transformation forms, it means that this Great Tribe of Taino has completely become the Chief Divine’s tribe! In the tribe, the Chief Divine’s priest is the most powerful, overseeing faith and economy, having the final say. The Warrior Captain of the Kingdom is second, overseeing military training. Meanwhile, the original Tribe Chief loses major power, devolving to managing minor administrative affairs within the tribe.
In the mainland of Cuba, because the Kingdom’s projection of power is very strong, the Taino tribes of Cuba had no division between upper and lower classes, and the priests’ settlement and conversion were relatively smooth. For the small island tribes of the Bahamas and Jamaica, it goes without saying, many still do not have the concept of a chieftain and remain in the most primitive egalitarian state. As long as the priest leads them to improve the tribe’s productivity, providing them with food storage and wooden houses, the Chief Divine is considered good!
But when it comes to Haiti, things change. The various parts of Haiti have formed opposing tribal alliances, with hereditary chieftain families, and even tribe alliance leaders above the chieftains have emerged.
Although this hierarchical division within the Taino alliance is still very primitive and crude, far from comparing to a single finger of the Maya Divine Descendants’ ant-men, it nevertheless leads existing chieftain families to resist and reject the Kingdom’s mission. They are very willing to accept the Kingdom’s iron weapons and tools, eager to learn new planting knowledge, but they refuse to allow the priests and warriors of the Kingdom to settle in.
In the present situation, due to West Haiti’s proximity to Cuba, the Kingdom, leveraging alliance conflicts, military threats, and marriage alliances, successfully converted them. However, the eastern and central Haiti has complex terrains and vast distances, making it hard to reach. As for Brave Island, isolated by East Haiti, it is even more out of reach... Perhaps, the arrival of the Evil Demon will bring about a complete change. But the price of this change, I’m afraid, will be the cruel bloodshed and death!
"Peace and war, the past and the future. The long peace of the past, the long divine war of the future. My brother’s prophecy has never been wrong!..."