Chapter 445: Eat It and Enjoy It, but Don’t Hesitate to Discard It

"Your Highness, ride on the back of a bull and charge towards the enemy?"

Mohei was speechless after hearing His Highness's question. He had seen the majestic power of the wild bull running wildly, as fierce as spring thunder, with the sound of drums when it stepped on the ground, and it could knock down a small tree as thick as a palm in one stroke. Even in his wildest dreams, he had never imagined charging into battle on a bull.

Mohei was stunned for a while before he reacted. He shook his head repeatedly and hurriedly explained.

"No, Your Highness, that's going to die! Not to mention how to sit firmly on the back of the violently undulating bull without being thrown off by the wildly jumping beast. Even if there is a way to sit on it, it doesn't make any sense. , because there is no way to control the direction in which the bull is running!”

"Really uncontrollable?"

Hearing this, Shulot frowned. A man rides on the back of a riding beast. The only thing he can control is the cavalry, and the only thing he cannot control is the beast.

"Your Highness, you really can't! Even a herdsman who has grown up taming oxen cannot drive an adult independent oxen. If you want to make the oxen go in a certain direction, you can only lure the oxen with food. Or make noise and fire to drive them away carefully."

Having said this, Mohei paused, eyes flashing, as if he thought of something.

"Of course, the Lord God bless you! Occasionally, there will be a few oxen that have been fed by herdsmen for a long time from childhood to adulthood, and they have developed special trust in the close herdsmen. In the season when they are not in estrus, they will be willing to wander around and follow Close Herdsman Action.”

"Oh? So."

Hearing this, Shulot perked up and his eyes showed anticipation. Mo Hei quickly shook his head and explained a few more words.

"However, these slightly docile oxen are just acting according to their daily habits and are by no means being driven. Once they go to the battlefield, they encounter the gathered battle formation, howling crowds, random arrows, and even dazzling Fire. The bull will definitely be frightened and fall into madness. It will not distinguish between ourselves and the enemy, but will run wildly!"

"No distinction between friend and foe, crazy collision"

Shulot's face was sullen and disappointed. In war, all uncontrollable troops should be used as little as possible. Because war is the cruelest game. Both sides will rack their brains to find the other side's weaknesses and launch targeted attacks. Once the uncontrollable bull is in one's own army formation, it is frightened by the enemy.

"The Southern Soldier Elephant Formation, a giant beast that claims to be uncontrollable by Kong Wu, is often used in battle formations. It is often useless and can only be effective on special occasions, such as surprise attacks."

Shulot shook his head, thinking of the failed battles using war elephants in history, and calmed down the thought of using oxen to fight. We are already in the age of firearms, and it is easiest to scare giant beasts. He pondered for a while, looked at the extremely large oxen, remembered the elephant's transportation ability, and asked with concern.

"The oxen cannot be used in battle formations, so can it be used to transport goods? For example, transporting ore from mines, wood from mountains, or transporting food with the army?"

"Uh transport cargo?"

Mo Hei tugged on his short hair, feeling a little unsure for a moment.

"Your Highness, are you talking about traveling back and forth between two fixed places? If trained for a long time, a very small number of docile oxen may be able to carry heavy loads back and forth, as long as they are not in heat or disturbed. As for transporting with the army in the wild, I am afraid it is impossible. They You’ll lose your bearings as you walk.”

"Long-term training, fixed back and forth between two places"

Shulot frowned, feeling rather useless. The oxen are wild and untamed, cannot be driven, and have few practical uses. It cannot be used as a riding animal to form a cavalry; it is also difficult to use for transportation and forming a camel team; as for domesticating the oxen and using it to pull plows in the fields, it cannot be completed by one or two generations, or even ten or twenty generations.

"Mo Hei, in that case, what's the use of the alliance spending so much money to tame a large number of oxen?"

Shulot thought for a moment, looked at Mo Hei with a sullen face. He wanted to hear what the ranch manager had to say, which might provide some enlightenment.

"Ah, ah, this! Your Highness, the bull is useful!"

Upon hearing the question, Mo Hei's hands and feet trembled anxiously. He finally got the position of ranch manager. He was in charge of a small group of warriors and dozens of slaves. He was also in charge of the royal family's precious "behemoths". It can be said that he had all the honors and dignity without any risks. . Thinking of this, Mohei defended hurriedly.

"Your Highness, the bulls are huge in size, run fast and fierce, and their roars are loud and loud. They symbolize the majesty of the royal family and can intimidate all people! Even elite warriors who have been trained for a long time will be afraid when they encounter the wild bulls for the first time. Losing color, trembling hands and feet.”

"Yeah, that makes sense."

Hearing this, Shulot raised his head, looked at the solemn guard warriors who were cautiously guarding the bull, and nodded slowly.

The first practical role of the oxen was to train warriors, allowing them to become familiar with running giant beasts and master the skills to deal with them, thereby overcoming the fear of the unknown. Once the warriors got used to the existence of the ox, they would not panic when faced with the colonists' war horses, nor would they deify the horses and lose their will to resist.

Seeing His Highness's approval, Mohei breathed a sigh of relief. He pursed his lips, swallowed, and said carefully.

"Your Highness, as long as the terrain is suitable, a small number of oxen can be domesticated in the cool mountain pastures on the plateau. Although the cost of domesticating them is relatively high, they can provide a stable supply of high-quality meat for the nobles and priests to enjoy. The meat of oxen, It’s chewy and thick, and it’s countless times more delicious than turkey!”

"Huh? Raised for meat?"

Shulot was startled for a moment, then nodded knowingly. The cost of domesticating oxen is high, but no matter how high the cost is, it cannot compare with the vanilla enjoyed by the nobles. The Mexican Union lacks high-quality meat sources. If beef cattle is added to the menu of the nobles, the need for domestication will naturally arise.

"Nice idea. Any more?"

"Well"

Mo Hei pulled his hair and thought about it for a while. Then he pointed to the pile of cow dung in the corner.

"Your Highness, according to the village priest, the manure has the vitality of the earth given by the Lord God and can be used to fertilize the fields! A bullock eats 60 kilograms of fodder a day and can pull about 50 kilograms."

"Eat 60 pounds of fodder a day?"

Hearing this number, Shulot was a little surprised. He looked at the busy shepherd slaves and the vast mountain pastures. There are less than 300 oxen, occupying a large area of ​​​​the mountain. Dozens of people are required to prepare fodder, which is indeed edible. After looking at it for a while, Shulot nodded slightly.

"If the ox can produce a lot of fertilizer and use it to fertilize the fields, it will be of some benefit."

"Your Highness, it's more than that."

Mo Hei smiled and pointed respectfully at the warehouse in the distance.

"In addition to providing meat, oxen can also produce a lot of fur and sinews. These can offset part of the cost of domestication. In fact, domesticating oxen is not that difficult. At most, some herder slaves will be lost during the dangerous estrus period."

"Fur and sinewed leather armor and horned bow."

Shulot was lost in thought, and some distant scenes flashed before his eyes. If fine leather armor is coated with lacquer, its defensive power is very impressive, and it is a must-have for noble warriors in the Spring and Autumn Period. However, compared with cheap cloth-covered metal armor, the production cost of high-quality leather armor is too high, the time is too long, and the maintenance cost is also terrifyingly high.

"What's more, there is no sumac in America. Maybe rubber can be used?"

Shulot was silent for a moment, and then started thinking about making the horned bow. With enough beef tendons and horns, a composite horn bow can be trial-produced. He remembered some common knowledge about the horned bow, and had previously told it to the kingdom's crossbow director, the bowsmith Kundili.

"After returning from the Northern Expedition, Kundili's bamboo-wood composite bow has made progress, but I don't know how the research on the horn bow is going."

"Your Highness."

Seeing His Highness's thoughtful expression, Mohei waited for a while before asking carefully.

"It's already evening, do you want the herdsmen to prepare dinner? Two days ago, the ranch killed an escaped oxen. It has excellent beef eye meat, which is thin and tender. It is soft and juicy when roasted. Please let me come. Grilled for you personally! ”

"Huh? Grilled beef eye fillet? Okay, not bad!"

Hearing this, Shulot's eyes lit up. He glanced at Na Xiu, who was standing beside him, and she nodded knowingly.

"Your Highness, I brought some chili powder, allspice, ground vanilla, and other spices."

"Very good! Just stay here tonight and have a good meal. Haha, rare roast beef!"

Shulot laughed with satisfaction, waved his hand, and everyone went to prepare. He stood on the hill, raised his head, looked at the majestic red sun in the west, and smelled the faint fragrance of grass in the wind. In the undulating mountain pastures, huge herds of cattle form small groups, reflecting the red glow, like the darlings of the sky and the earth.

"North American bison! They can neither be used as riding animals nor as camel animals. You are the free-running thunder beasts on the North American continent! I eat them quite deliciously, but it would be a pity to abandon them."