Free Web NovelChapter 2071: Chapter 1513: Cuba’s New Year, Tomato’s Waiting
The blood and fire of human warfare continue to rage, while the sun in the heavens rises as usual. When sunlight bathes the mountain forests, lakes, and seas, from the Cloud Mountain Valley at 18 degrees north latitude to the Iron Bay of Cuba at 21 degrees north latitude, from the tropical highlands over two thousand meters in altitude to the tropical rainforest at sea level, all are enveloped in the radiance of the Sun God. The devout prayers of the Taino tribe resound in the heavens with the sun at its zenith during the New Year sacrificial ceremony to the Chief Divine!
"Bo’matu Yahuba Guey! Bo’matu, Yahuba, Guy! Praise to the spiritual Sun Divine Spirit!..."
"Bo’matu Guey Atabeyra! Bo’matu, Guy, Atabeyra! Praise to the Sun God’s brightness!..."
The sacred fire blazes on the red three-tiered altar, turning the shouting and upward-gazing Taino faces into a faint red. This pyramid altar, standing at six meters tall, along with the Chief Divine Temple behind it, is built on a base of compacted iron-rich red soil, bonded with burnt shell lime, and constructed with piled red bricks. At first glance, this structure resembles the three-story rural earth brick buildings commonly seen in the late 1990s, albeit in a peculiar tower shape. Yet, in this era, the appearance of this red brick altar symbolizes the "highest" architectural craftsmanship on the Great Island of Cuba!
Although the scale of the pyramid altar temple in Iron Bay Town cannot compare to the pyramid temples in the Nava Plateau or Maya Rainforest that are tens of meters tall, it is undoubtedly the "most sacred" building among the three thousand miles of Cuba Island!
Construction of this altar temple, from laying the foundation to its completion, took nearly a year, involving nearly two thousand laborers from over ten Taino tribes. Its presence stands as a tangible testament to the transformation of the formerly weak and scattered tribes of Cuba into a tribal alliance with the foundation of a nation under the "infusion of faith" by the Nava priests, forming the Taino Province with faith in the Chief Divine!
"Praise to the Supreme Chief Divine! He has granted us a bountiful cassava harvest, a plentiful catch, and an abundance of game! I, Tomate, Chief Priest of Cuba, representing the thirty tribes of Cuba, ten tribes of West Haiti, five tribes of Jamaica, and five tribes of Bahamas... offer sacred cassava and three sacrifices to the merciful, mighty, and luminous Sun Chief Divine!..."
Amidst the gaze of thousands of Taino tribespeople, hundreds of Kingdom’s Warriors, and dozens of chieftains, Tomate, the Chief Priest of Cuba, wearing a feather crown, donned in ceremonial dress with patterns painted on his face, held aloft an obsidian dagger and sacrifices before the sacred fire. He first threw a peeled white cassava into the fire, followed by the "three sacrifices" offered by Cuba. Each time a sacrifice was thrown into the fire, a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from below the altar!
"I offer cassava to the Chief Divine, praying for a bountiful harvest! I offer fish to the Chief Divine, praying for abundant fisheries!... I offer deer, praying for plentiful game from the forest; I offer frogs, praying for the tribe’s proliferation!..."
Tomate, the Chief Priest, loudly implored, first using Nava to "communicate with the Divine," then using Taino to "communicate with the tribes," ensuring all participating Taino tribespeople could hear clearly. Until all sacrifices turned to ash, the devoted cheers of the Taino people erupted fully from the thousands of tribespeople bowed to the ground, accompanied by the fervent shouts of the Nava Warriors.
"The Sun Divine Spirit has accepted the sacrifices! This year will be a good year!..."
"Praise the Chief Divine! He will bless us, and we fight for Him!..."
With both hands raised high, Tomate, the Chief Priest, gazed at the tribal believers in Iron Bay Town, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth. The Taino tribes were gentle and kind, and the Kingdom adopted a strategy of marriage alliances for integration. Therefore, the establishment of the Cuba Archdiocese differed from other dioceses, rarely resorting to force. Apart from two bloody sacrifices against evil demons, there had been almost no human sacrifices. To some degree, the sacrificial rites of the Cuba Diocese bore the closest resemblance to those of the Kingdom of the Lake, being the most gentle!
Regular Cuban sacrifices primarily used staple "cassava" and the Cuban "three sacrifices" of "fish, deer, and frogs." The substitution of "frogs" for "wolves" in the Kingdom’s three sacrifices was naturally due to the absence of wolves or any native canine animals on Cuba Island...
"Ignite the Thunder Fire Cannon! Farewell to the departing Chief Divine!..."
"Boom! Boom boom boom!..."
Thunderous cannon fire resounded from the ships in Iron Bay Town’s port, akin to the most resounding "hymn of faith." The fleet comprised five large oar-sail ships each with 80 men, twelve smaller oar-sail ships each with 50 men, and three swift sailing ships each with 30 men, forming the "Cuba Navy," the Kingdom’s strongest military presence in Cuba to fend off evil demons! free𝑤ebnovel.com
At this moment, each large oar-sail ship was equipped with two Tiger Squat Cannons, while each smaller oar-sail ship had one. The three captured swift sailing ships were outfitted as follows: two were equipped with two Two-pound Cannons each, while the last had a single Eight-pound Cannon. This configuration of firepower clearly represented the combat characteristics of the different ships.
The crew of the oar-sail ships comprised equal numbers of Taino oarsmen and the Kingdom’s Warriors, undoubtedly the main force of the Kingdom of Cuba Navy, akin to infantry in land warfare. Once engaged in battle, they needed simply to row desperately to close in on and ram enemy ships, then board and assault them!
The three swift sailing ships captured from the evil demons were far more agile. They served as fast-moving scouts, performing longer-range bombardments after repositioning. Should the enemy flee, they could pursue and board, akin to light cavalry in land warfare. In some respects, under the tutelage provided by prisoners from the two Iberian exploration fleets, the Kingdom’s Cuba Navy represented the Kingdom’s "ultimate" naval combat capabilities!
"Boom boom! Boom boom boom!..."
"Praise the Holy Son, Holy Father, and Holy Spirit of Huitzilopo!..."
The kingdom fleet with gunpowder weapons docked at the crude wooden port. The armored warriors with metal weapons, alongside the unarmed Taino chieftains, devoutly kneeled before the blood-red altar. This primitive wilderness, yet strangely courageous and martial sacrificial scene, appeared in the eyes of Scholar Martin Behaim, or rather Priest Apprentice Adin, as grotesque and shocking, evil to the extreme devil worship!
However, at this moment, he had become one of the "devil worshippers" himself, with no way to retreat. He and more than ten sailors from the two Ears all bore the "devil’s emblem." The feather crown on his head, the ceremonial robe he wore, and the way the surrounding sailors looked at him... continuously reminded him that he was the closest to the "devil’s presence" among all the captives! He had personally seen the scriptures of the "devil’s apostle," been chosen by the "devil’s apostle," the most corrupt "devil priest!"
"Boom boom! Boom boom boom!..."
"Praise the mighty Sun God! Praise the mighty Longboat Tribe!..."
The roar of dozens of cannons made all the Taino chiefs and chieftains bow down reverently, loudly praising the Chief Divine and the strength of the "Longboat Tribe."
Tomate, the Chief Priest upon the altar, surveyed the kneeling Taino chiefs with a solemn expression, focusing especially on the conspicuous emblem of the Chief Divine, the "Sun Hummingbird," on their foreheads. Silently calculating in his mind, from Iron Bay Town to all of Cuba, from Bahamas, Jamaica to Haiti, the map of the East Sea under the Chief Divine’s dominion seemed to unfold before his eyes.
"The faith of the Chief Divine has already spread throughout Cuba and has reached the Bahamas, Jamaica, and Western Haiti Island! The thirty tribes of Cuba, ten tribes of West Haiti, five tribes of Jamaica, and five tribes of Bahamas... have all dispatched kingdom warriors for intermarriage, and even the guiding Chief God Priests!..."
"Centered at Iron Bay Town, the trade circle still needs to extend eastward, crossing the Brave Island of Puerto Rico, reaching even farther eastern island chains; it needs to extend northward, crossing the Bahamas Islands, reaching the swamp forests of the Northern Continent, home to those self-proclaimed ’Miccosukee,’ the ’Stream Tribe’..."
"Black Wolf Marshal dispatched a second batch of support fleet, bringing 200 craftsmen and priests from the alliance... Iron Bay Town’s temple altar construction is complete, the ironware workshop has been expanded, there are brick and pottery workshops, and the Eastern Sea shipyard is taking shape..."
"For this New Year festival, Iron Bay Town assembled twenty warships, over a thousand kingdom’s main force warriors, over a thousand Taino militia, and a fifty-member Taino Matchlock Gun Team... and the kingdom’s strength on the three thousand miles of Cuba Island is over two thousand kingdom’s main force, capable of mobilizing thousands, even more, Taino militia... all warfare preparations, following Your Majesty’s divine revelation, are fully completed!"
At this moment, Tomate Chief Priest’s gaze journeyed beyond the wild yet prosperous Iron Bay Town, beyond the many Taino chieftains, beyond the seaside fleet, to the endless blue Caribbean Sea. He was filled with devout faith, affirming the clear future of the Chief Divine’s expansion!
However, one unresolved mystery lingered deeply in his heart, akin to a constant warning sign that had never been verified...
"Chief Divine’s protection! This New Year festival, the chiefs of Cuba Tribes, Bahamas Tribes, Jamaica Tribes, Haiti Tribes have brought the latest news... Yet, not a single tribe has discovered the newly emerged Evil Demon fleet. Even the patrolling light sailing ships have found no trace of the Evil Demon!..."
"Supreme Chief Divine, enlightened Majesty! Why has the Evil Demon invading fleet not appeared for a full year? Are they here at this moment? Where are they?"
Tomate Priest looked ahead for a long time, neither the sun nor the sea provided answers. Finally, he turned around, a benevolent smile dawning on his face, loudly announcing to the excited thousands of Taino tribespeople, to the thousands of kingdom’s warriors.
"Chief Divine’s protection, the New Year festival concluded smoothly, this year will be a good year! Next comes the celebration feast, the never-ending bonfire party! Everyone must eat and drink to satisfaction, sing and dance with all their might, striving for the tribe’s propagation! Praise the Chief Divine!"
"Ah, praise the Chief Divine!!..."
With the Priest’s proclamation, the tribe’s joyful cheers resounded throughout Iron Bay Town in Eastern Cuba! The 2 Rabbit Year (1494), symbolizing vitality, growth, and blood, representing divine enlightenment and blessing, has passed. And the 3 Reed Year (1495), symbolizing rivers, lakes, seas, and water, representing fluidity and impermanence, has just begun~~
