Chapter 685: The second kingdom exploration, shocking! The yield of cassava is 500 kilograms per acre...
The Taino people's songs, ancient and cheerful, accompanied by the leather drums, echoed inside and outside the leader's hut. Chihuaco, the old militiaman, listened patiently, with a peaceful smile on his face. Until the singing stopped, he informed the gods and ancestors
The ceremony also came to an end.
Silence returned to the hut, and the old village chief of Yukamu reached into his arms, took out a "spear" of Cohiba tobacco leaves again, and handed it to Chihuaco. Soon, the two of them were puffing away, smoking the most primitive
cigars, and with Cuba's translation, they started talking candidly.
"Dear Chief Yukamu, our fleet needs food and water. I am willing to exchange the fleet's goods with you!"
The old militiaman Chihuaco looked sincere and confessed the purpose of his trip. Hearing this, the old village chief of Yukamu was startled and answered with a smile.
"Tribes in the lake, friends from far away! The gods and ancestors are looking at the village. You are our guests. You can directly share our food and replenish what you need."
"Well..."
Hearing this, Chihuaco scratched his head. He thought for a while, then shook his head.
"Praise the gods and thank you for your kindness! However, our fleet has a large number of people and needs a lot of food. We cannot take your food in vain. We have enough goods to exchange, no matter what you like
.”
Having said this, Chihuaco waved and shouted to the mountain bird carrying a bamboo basket.
"Bird, bring the things up!"
Soon, in front of the old village chief of Yukamu, there was a small bag of cocoa, a palm of cotton, a small bag of lake gems, a small bag of gold and silver, and a few bright feathers. These were all brought by the fleet along the way.
, the most common trading items in various ministries.
The old village chief of Yukamu pondered for a while, then pointed at the gold, silver and feathers, and waved his hand. The Taíno tribes did not produce gold and silver, and they did not think that these stones, which were neither edible nor wearable, had any use.
As for feathers, Taino tribes need them as headdresses or house decorations. But the Yuca tribe itself produces a lot of bird feathers. They will use domesticated birds to emit crisp chirps to trap brightly colored wild parrots. They
Traps and bait will also be set up to capture coastal seabirds.
Then, the old village chief of Yukamu looked at Coco, a little confused, and seemed to remember something. He shook his head slightly, pointed at Coco, and waved again.
Crops on the island of Cuba include cassava, tobacco, corn, beans, pumpkins, cotton, peppers, peanuts, pineapples, gourds (Cucurbita)...as well as palm fruits, guavas and zebra fruits. And the plateau and Maya
The cocoa that each tribe admires is not in the daily food of the Taíno tribes, but Mayan caravans have brought such products many times, and the old village chief recognized it.
The sailing priest Mecat sat not far away, watching this scene thoughtfully.
"Cocoa is a common sacrificial drink among the Nahua and Mayan religions. Since the Taíno people do not drink cocoa, their polytheistic beliefs may have completely different origins from those on the plateau and in the rainforest!"
Then, the old village chief of Yukamu touched the soft cotton cloth, smiled on his face, and nodded. Each Taino tribe also grew cotton and weaved cloth, but whether it was the quality of the cotton output or the quality of the cloth weaving,
They are much worse than the Nahuas and the Mayans. In fact, throughout Central America, the centers of various civilizations are located in the Mexica Valley on the plateau and the Maya Basin in the lowlands.
Finally, the village chief of Yukamu opened the small bag of gems, and the bright light was reflected into his eyes. He was obviously stunned for a while, then a bright smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he reached out to grab a white lake gem.
"This! This is good! You can tie it into a necklace, wear it around your neck, or offer it to your ancestors!"
Seeing the shining white beads in the hands of the village chief, the Taino old men in the hut were surprised for a moment and smiled. The necklaces around their necks are a medium for communication with gods and ancestors, and they are also a guarantee for the reincarnation of their souls after death.
.According to ancient legends, the whiter and more translucent the beads are, the more they can attract the attention of their ancestors, the God of Death, and guide their souls.
"Okay, the Lord God is witness! Dear Yukamu Village Chief, then we will use the gems and cotton cloth in the lake to trade your food!"
Chihuaco breathed a sigh of relief and had a relaxed smile on his face. There were still many gems on the ship, even more white ones.
"The tribes in the wilderness like green and blue, and the Mayan tribes like green and red. Unexpectedly, the Taino people like white and translucent. It's really strange that the gems in the lake created by His Majesty can be used all over the world!"
..”
"Okay! This bead is good!"
The old village chief of Yukamu smiled honestly and nodded in agreement. Holding a shining white bead in his hand, he gave some instructions to the nearest villager. Soon, someone came with a basket of food and placed it in Chihuaco.
in front of you.
"This is cassava pancakes. It can be eaten on the road. It can be stored for four or five days. This is dried cassava cubes. It has been soaked, peeled and baked to dry. Don't touch it with water. It can be stored for ten or twenty days. This is dried corn. It can be stored for a long time.
A long time. This, cassava leaf powder, can be drunk in water or added to rice..."
The old village chief of Yukamu picked up the food one by one and explained for a while. Chihuaco looked serious and nodded repeatedly.
The main food of the Taíno tribes is cassava, which has a very high yield. Cassava can be grown in mountains or plains, and is most suitable for a climate that is warm all year round and has average rainfall. However, this crop is not picky about the soil and is drought-tolerant.
It is barren and heat-resistant. Even if there is insufficient rainfall and high temperatures in summer, you can still have a good harvest. It has strong survivability, can cope with the competition of weeds, and has low demand for field management. It was the staple food of the African continent in later generations and was used in pearl milk tea.
The raw material for pearls is cassava.
"Dear Captain Chihuaco, this is the Taino's cassava, which is more filling than pumpkin and about the same as corn!"
Seeing the food brought out by the village chief, Mayan businessman Tikalo raised his eyebrows and added with a smile.
"Of course, the taste of cassava is much worse than that of corn. Even cassava cakes are only slightly better than cassava cubes and can barely be swallowed. It is poisonous and needs to be peeled and soaked in water for two or three days before cooking.
Cooked and eaten. In the lowland Maya, there are ordinary people who grow cassava in the mountains, but the nobles generally do not eat it. On the other hand, the leaves of cassava, as long as they are soaked and washed, are very good vegetables to eat!"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "What? This cassava is the same as sweet potato and can be grown on the mountain?"
Hearing this, veteran militiaman Chihuaco's eyes lit up and he asked carefully.
"How many fruits can this kind of cassava be harvested from one acre of Alliance land?"
"Oh! When cassava grows, it looks like a low tree. The edible part is the tuber buried in the ground, not the fruit. As for the yield..."
Tikalo stretched out his hand and touched his divine head. He thought about it carefully, but he had never paid attention to the yield of this crop. The old militiaman looked at the old village chief again and asked Kuba to translate.
"Cassava is the gift given to our ancestors by the white god Yukahu in the southern rainforest! Cassava nourishes the Taino people. Whether it is heavy rain or flood, it will bring us precious food! A cassava dwarf tree can bear fruit
Five or six tubers came out, each at least as big as a fist. Look, what grows on the mounds of soil in the nearby fields is cassava, and what is buried in the mounds is the roots!"
"Ah? One cassava can produce five or six roots?"
Chihuaco stretched out his hand and weighed the cassava roots in the basket, which weighed about one or two kilograms. He looked outside the hut and estimated the density of the cassava soil pile, and the expression on his face turned into shock.
"You can plant a cassava in 2-3 steps, and 240 steps per acre of land. Each plant will produce 5-6 roots. Even if each root only weighs more than 1 kilogram, the yield of one acre of land... is...
that is..."
"The yield per mu should be at least 500 kilograms. If the skin is removed and water has passed, some will be deducted. Moreover, the harvested cassava is easy to spoil, and the storage time is shorter than corn and pumpkin. But I remember that this crop can
It grows in the ground for many years and can be harvested at any time, and you can eat and harvest at any time..."
Seeing the calculations made by the old militiaman on his fingers, the Mayan businessman Tikalo secretly smiled and answered casually. Then, he touched his chin, looked at the old militiaman's eyes widening with an unbelievable expression, and asked in confusion.
"Dear Captain Chihuaco, what's wrong with you? Is this output very high?"
"Ah, praise the Lord God! Damn it! That blind man finally did a good thing!"
Chihuaco gritted his teeth so hard that he almost bit his tongue. He answered with red eyes and gritted teeth.
"High, very high! This yield is higher than even the Lord God! It's even higher than sweet potatoes and pumpkins! We must bring these cassava back and bring them to the Alliance for cultivation!"
"If we encounter a famine, these are as life-saving as pumpkins and sweet potatoes..."
The old village chief of Yukamu looked curious. He didn't quite understand what the tribesmen in the lake were talking about when they pointed to the most common cassava. This common crop had been used by the ancestors of the Taino people in the Amazon jungle in the south.
The Ahuakan people have domesticated it for thousands of years, and it is the most common food in the entire southern continent.
"Cassava is the white god Yukahu, a gift given to the ancestors in the southern rainforest, and raised the Taino people!..."
Thinking of this, the old village chief of Yukamu held the shining white beads again, looked at the wood carving of the divine pattern, and praised silently for a while. Until Chihuaco looked solemn, saluted him solemnly, and asked again.
"Dear Yukamu Village Chief, thank you! I still have some requests... Our fleet, including three longships, is lost on this coast. I would like to ask you to send an envoy to inquire about the surrounding villages and villagers.
..."
"In addition, we will bring the damaged longboat to the village and repair it nearby. If we can get help from the villagers, it should be much faster... Of course, we will send white lake gems as gifts.
.”
"The gods and ancestors bless you, bless us! No problem, my friends. We are willing to help you, just like helping our brothers and sisters. We also like your shining white beads, which are for the gods and ancestors, and finally
What a gift!”
The old village chief of Yukamu smiled kindly. He nodded in agreement without hesitation.
"Come on, friends! Please come to our village and stay for a while. The women in the nearby villages welcome you. It has been a long time since we have injected new blood to maintain the vitality of the group.
..”
"Flowers welcome butterflies, and butterflies will make them fruitful. Cassava welcomes birds, and birds will spread the seeds. We welcome you to our village, take away the cassava of the white god, and leave behind the gems of the tribe in the lake to continue
