Meeting Room of the Government House.
"I was referring to an opportunity to offer help to their peoples so they could unite," I explained to the minister.
"Oh... How kind of you," he commented, not giving it much importance. It seemed he wouldn't mind at all if I issued an order of that kind.
"It's not kindness; I just want their people not to suffer. Furthermore, it's essential that we advance gradually with them and adapt our cultures for better communication, since they are somewhat... extreme."
"Are you referring to their human sacrifices, Young Chuta?" the minister asked me curiously.
"Yes, that's exactly what I mean. Like the Aztecs, they sacrifice people to the gods, something we respect about their way of communicating with the deities, but which we will not accept in our territory. The only favorable thing about the Mayans is that their sacrifices are on a smaller scale."
"Why was our approach to the Aztecs so successful?" the minister wondered, grasping the crucial point; the Aztecs are more brutal than the Mayans.
"Well, they interpreted our arrival, or rather the imposing size of our ships, as the coming of the messengers of the Gods, which played decisively in our favor. If it hadn't been this way, we surely would have had many problems achieving an approach," I explained.
"Oh!"
"The gods always accompany us... That's all for this meeting. If you have anything else to report, you can do so now."
"That's all I had to report, Young Chuta."
"You may withdraw."
I continued observing the map with great attention.
I touched the map in the area where the Mayans are located, feeling the paint strokes. I moved my hand to the right, passing through the blue-painted areas that showed the future Caribbean Sea, or as it is known in the Kingdom, the Inner Sea.
I reached the islands we now controlled. That green in different shades, with a bit of brown, looked like small specks of paint on an immense blue canvas.
A little further to the right, there was a series of uppercase letters.
"Young Chuta," someone spoke to me from behind in a soft tone of voice.
I turned around and noticed Fiba in her neat clothes and some ornaments on her attire and hair.
"What's wrong, Fiba?" I asked her.
"We have to go to the Command Office in a few minutes for the meeting with the generals," Fiba reminded me, and she looked at the map attentively.
"Thanks for reminding me, Fiba. I had completely forgotten," I commented in a relaxed tone.
"What does MCDXCII mean?" she asked me curiously.
"It's a date."
"But those aren't numbers, how could it be a date?" she asked me again, seeming even more confused.
"It's another way of writing numbers," I explained.
"And what date is it?"
"1492."
"Is it a year?"
"Yes."
"That's 1484 years from now, is it a prediction?"
"No, it's not a prediction... This date doesn't use our current calendar. It's another calendar."
"Another calendar?" Fiba asked.
"Yes, but it's not important now, let's go to that meeting."
Half an hour later.
"Gentlemen, we have come across the greatest discovery to date. The north and south routes have reached 30° in both directions, which means they have covered approximately 3330 thousand of meters, or as taught in the academy, 3330 kilometers. From the Central City to the North Sea City is approximately 690 kilometers, so the distance we traveled north is 2640 kilometers and 4020 kilometers south."
Everyone in the meeting room of the Kingdom's Command Office fell silent.
Each one took their time to imagine such a distance.
Some had spent some time studying in the kingdom's schools, while others only dedicated themselves to improving their command capabilities or physical skills, so some were already surprised by the immensity of the world.
"Young Chuta, that means from north to south it's approximately 9.65 times the distance from the Central City to the North Sea City, isn't that, right?" asked one of the Colonels.
"That's exactly as you calculated... However, I want to emphasize that the exploration is not over. These are just the latest updates from the Explorer Division with the cooperation of the Navy," I replied with a look of pride.
"What?!"
"Almost 10 times?!"
"Is the world that big?!"
All high-ranking military personnel present were quite surprised by the information.
A couple of years ago, many of them had not traveled more than 50 kilometers, and now they found that you could travel more than 100 times that distance from north to south.
"I know it may sound extraordinary but trust the academy's researchers and your navy comrades. We have advanced a lot and will continue exploring the confines of the world that the gods have given us," I said with an emotional tone, as my arms, unintentionally, opened in an expansive gesture. "I can't believe I got carried away by the emotion of the moment," I thought, embarrassed, lowered my arms subtly and tried to breathe deeply, my face was surely red.
Everyone immediately began to applaud.
They shouted and smiled like children.
"At least their reaction hid my embarrassing moment," I thought, as I motioned for them to be silent.
"As I said before, this is a great discovery, but I want to remind you that we were not the only ones the gods placed in this world. In every part of this vast world, there may be people with other beliefs and aspects, as well as unclaimed territories... What I mean is that this exploration will not be to conquer the world. This world belongs only to the gods, and what we must do is know it, care for it, and try to make other people know the greatness of the gods... Do you understand?"
"Yes, Son of Heaven!" everyone replied in unison.
Most of those present had been in many of the meetings since the beginning of the Kingdom, and all knew what I thought about war and brutality.
The kingdom would only attack when someone tried to harm it.
A strategy taught in military schools, known as; 'Iron Fist'.
"Alright, let's move on to what's important now."
After a brief observation, I proceeded with the scheduled meeting.
During this session, the establishment of provisional regiments was agreed upon, which were designated as 'Expeditionary Regiments'. The mission of these regiments would be to secure and establish safe zones on the coasts already explored by the navy.
Simultaneously, ports, warehouses, and basic dwellings would be constructed, with the aim of adequately preparing settlements for volunteers and local inhabitants who decided to join them.
Additionally, other important measures were communicated, such as the implementation of compulsory military service, the formation of joint regiments in the Federal Region of the Rising Sun Islands, and the creation of a new subdivision within the navy and army, named; 'Roars of the Volcano'.
This newly created subdivision would carry out its training with the specialized instructors of the Explorer Division, who already possess vast experience in handling long-range firearms. These weapons have been perfected in multiple versions by the dedicated researchers of the Innovation Department.
Currently, there are two main models in use.
The cannons, baptized as 'Juracán', in allusion to how the Taínos referred to hurricanes, were artillery pieces developed using two types of metal; iron, both forged and cast, and cast copper. These imposing artillery pieces presented various dimensions, which depended directly on the projectiles for which they had been specifically elaborated.
On the other hand, there were the culverins, nicknamed 'Colibri' due to their remarkable lightness compared to the Juracán. These weapons were also made of iron and copper, although, generally, given the Kingdom's ease of obtaining cast iron, their elaboration was carried out mainly with this metal.
These firearms were incorporated into the vessels that sailed through the Three Routes of the Eastern Ocean, serving as an effective means of deterrence. While they do not represent the latest generation of cannons, their capacity is sufficient to face the ships they might encounter on their journey.
"Young Chuta, have these Juracán and Colibri been added to the ships?" inquired the colonel from the capital of the Northwest Region, visibly dismayed.
"That's right, colonel. From now on, the Kingdom's military and commercial vessels will have cannons installed. For this precise reason, this new subdivision will be established for both branches of the Kingdom's military forces," I replied calmly, although I observed the surprised glances with great attention.
"Young Chuta, will it be necessary to implement security measures against potential enemy ships?" asked the colonel, showing concern.
"Young Chuta, will private ships also be equipped with cannons?" a captain from another region inquired simultaneously.
Both looked at each other with suspicion due to the interruption, and because of the opposing focus of their respective questions. One expressed concern for the Kingdom's security, while the other was analyzing the implications of potential misuse of weapons.
"Calm down, please, both of you... Both are valid questions," I appeased them with a gentle yet firm tone. "Firstly, I want to clarify that the cannons are still in the research phase, and their development, although progressing slowly, promises a very bright future," I began to explain.
"Considering this, private ships will not be equipped with Juracán and Colibri, at least not for the moment. However, we will not allow them to face danger unarmed. The navy will be responsible for establishing fixed maritime routes with various destinations, in which all ships traveling on said routes will be protected," I continued explaining.
"Furthermore, we will build fortifications in coastal cities, which will effectively protect them from enemy ship incursions. This project will begin shortly and is estimated to be completed within two years. Unfortunately, only some of the most important cities will have these fortifications," I concluded my explanation, thus answering both questions.
"Young Chuta, why the need to build these fortifications? Do you perhaps believe that our own brothers will betray and attack us?" inquired a Major from the North Region, with a skeptical tone, although a hint of pride was perceptible in his voice.
"Major, I have just informed you that we have covered thousands of kilometers exploring north and south; our brave comrades are currently exploring the Eastern Ocean, perhaps covering thousands more kilometers to the east. What guarantees you that there aren't other peoples, like us, who possess some of the Gods' knowledge?" I questioned him with a cryptic tone, but my facial expression was the most serious I had adopted in my more than eight years living in this era.
"I..."
The Major was left completely speechless, not only due to the significance of this possibility but also because of the intensity of my gaze.
"The problem with this kind of officer is that they tend to rest on the laurels of success, thus neglecting the future of their own people," I reflected with some annoyance.
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[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED
Hello everyone.
Chuta confirms fixed trade routes for the Inland Sea (Caribbean) and the Western Ocean (Pacific). Plus, we have official confirmation of the date; he even put it in Roman numerals, haha.
The formal military deployment is also beginning. Chuta is starting to get serious; it seems the wait is coming to an end.
Unnecessary Fact of the Day: Bartolomeu Dias was a Portuguese navigator sent by King John II of the Kingdom of Portugal to find a sea route around southern Africa. He was the first to cross the Cape of Good Hope.
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Read my other novels.
#The Walking Dead: Vision of the Future.
#The Walking Dead: Emily's Metamorphosis from Visions of Future Saga.
You can find them on my profile.]