Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 226 The Clash of Civilizations

Three years ago, the state fort was established.

At that time, the immigrants got along well with the surrounding Indian tribes, and established relatively close relationships through simple barter trade and mutual exchange of what they had.

However, with the gradual increase in the number of new Chinese immigrants in recent years, the establishment of settlement villages one after another, and the frequent trade exchanges between the two sides, the primitive and backward indigenous tribal system has inadvertently undergone major changes, and some have even disintegrated.

Once upon a time, immigrants used civilized goods such as iron tools, cloth, seasonings and food to exchange with Indians for furs, hunting dogs and meat, and even gave them food to hire them to open up wasteland, build houses and mine.

Later, the Xinhua government issued its own currency, spread it to Indian tribes, and then forced them to accept this legal tender.

Of course, this exquisite and small-looking "thing" can still be exchanged for anything the Chinese want from them. It is also extremely convenient to carry, and the transaction process saves many steps, which has won the recognition of many "enlightened people" in India.

However, as time went by, some Indians gradually discovered that this thing called "money" could be exchanged for less and less, forcing them to hunt more furs, cut down more trees, and even do more work for the new Chinese.

Originally, a soft fox skin could be exchanged for a large jar of wine, and a sea otter skin could be exchanged for a bag of cornmeal. But now, after exchanging the same amount of fur for coins, when it was used to "exchange" for wine or food, it seemed that the amount was much less than before.

In fact, there is a phenomenon in economics called "scarcity makes things valuable", which can reasonably explain this situation.

No matter what thing or item, if there is too much of it, it loses its value.

In other words, when the supply of goods exceeds the demand and the rate of increase in supply is greater than the rate of increase in demand, the equilibrium price will fall.

It is obvious that in more than three years, the amount of furs provided by the Indian tribes around Fort Fenzhou increased more than ten times compared to when the immigrants first arrived.

They went from merely satisfying their own simple needs to engaging in large-scale hunting for "commercial benefits". Although this increased their total income, it also inevitably lowered the unit price.

Xinhua people are "civilized people" and "economic people". After they keenly notice the sharp increase in the quantity of a certain commodity, they naturally lower its price accordingly, thereby increasing their own business profits.

But the simple and honest Indians don’t understand this kind of economic behavior at all. They simply think that those new Chinese are “cheating” them!
However, this transaction requires mutual consent. If you think the price offered by the Xinhua people is too low, the worst that can happen is that you just don't sell it to them.

But the problem is that more than three years of "close contact" have made the Indians of more than ten tribes around Fenzhou Fort accustomed to the fun things provided by the new Chinese, and have developed a certain dependence on them.

For example, salt. Without it, food will have no taste at all.

For example, venison or salmon roasted over a campfire would taste like chewing wax without a little bit of spices.

For example, if you wanted to chop down some trees with the stone axes you used before, it would be very difficult.

For example, the intoxicating feeling of alcohol is so intoxicating.

Especially in the cold winter, when you pour a mouthful of such strong liquor into your mouth, your whole body will instantly become hot from the inside out, as if the ice and snow world outside will no longer pose any trouble to you.

This magical drink has intoxicated and addicted most Indians. After drinking it many times, they cannot stop and soon become addicted, finding it difficult to get rid of it or give it up.

In later generations, scientific researchers discovered that the differences among different races, regions, and countries in the world extend to the composition of blood!

One of the characteristics is that there are significant differences in the levels of two enzymes (alcohol dehydrogenase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase) in human blood that are used to metabolize alcohol. The levels of these enzymes are closely related to the eating habits of human ancestors and will be passed on to future generations.

Alcohol dehydrogenase can remove two hydrogen atoms from alcohol molecules, breaking down ethanol into acetaldehyde, while acetaldehyde dehydrogenase can remove two hydrogen atoms from acetaldehyde, breaking down acetaldehyde into carbon dioxide and water.

Although alcohol dehydrogenase exists in most human bodies and the amount is basically equal, there are many people who lack acetaldehyde dehydrogenase or completely lack acetaldehyde dehydrogenase.

Indians who have not been exposed to alcoholic beverages for thousands of years are particularly lacking in the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase that breaks down alcohol in their blood. This results in them being unable to quickly and completely break down high-concentration liquor into water and carbon dioxide after being exposed to it. Instead, acetaldehyde continues to remain in the body, causing them to remain drunk for a period of time and develop alcohol dependence.

Moreover, Indians have poor self-control and tend to drink excessively.

Their purpose of drinking is very simple. They believe that drinking must get them drunk, otherwise it is not drinking.

The habit of moderate or social drinking among the Chinese in New Zealand does not work at all among the Indians. When they drink, they just want to get drunk!
Therefore, after getting alcohol, they always drink excessive amounts quickly regardless of the occasion, making it difficult for them not to get drunk.

What's worse, priests, shamans and other "spiritual" personnel in Indian tribes would force themselves to drink more alcohol in pursuit of a certain religious mood.

They view the state of intoxication as a higher spiritual level (a feeling of being tipsy and trance-like), and drinking is the best way to achieve this state.

This habit of the priests in turn influenced other ordinary Indians in the tribe, causing more potential alcoholics to learn and imitate them.

Of course, the Indians' alcoholism is also due to the intentional or unintentional indulgence and temptation of the new Chinese.

Because, among many categories of goods, spirits are the most perfect commodity in the fur trade.

The liquor sold by Xinhua is mainly brewed from potatoes, which is relatively cheap and easy to transport.

More importantly, spirits themselves are a fast-moving consumer product, not as durable as durable goods such as knives, axes, and hardware tools. Moreover, Indians have almost no self-control over alcohol, and the demand can be said to be endless.

Another point is that after drinking, the Indians' already not very bright brains will become even more "muddy", making them more likely to accept the transaction prices offered by the new Chinese.

However, whether they are unable to get rid of the alcohol provided by the new Chinese or are reluctant to give up the other rare items they sell, this is ultimately an economic issue and will not intensify the contradictions and conflicts between the Indians and the new Chinese.

If purchasing power is insufficient, the worst that can happen is to reduce one's material desires, or work harder to earn more money to meet personal needs.

The real problem between the two sides was that the New Chinese tried to "liberate" all Indians, freeing them from tribal shackles and making them truly "free people."

They hoped that the Indians could freely accept employment and work in the new Chinese towns or settlements, whether it was logging, clearing land for farming, or mining in mines, in exchange for their labor, rather than following past traditions where they were personally dependent on the tribe and controlled by tribal chiefs or priests.

For the "ruling class" of the tribe, this is tantamount to digging up their roots in disguise.

If all the Indians in the tribe ran to the territory of the new Chinese, and could easily support themselves and their families through their own labor, and no longer needed the tribe's relief or protection, then what prestige would the ruler of the tribe have?

The disintegration of traditional tribes and the collapse of primitive collective systems meant the disappearance of their identities as tribal chiefs or priests, and their eventual transformation into insignificant marginal figures.

What makes them even more angry is that as the number of new Chinese increases, competition and conflicts over natural resources and land are inevitable.

Three years ago, when the new Chinese people first arrived here, they focused their main energy on mining and land reclamation. The land they occupied was all "unowned" wasteland and had not yet invaded the "legal territory" of the Indian tribes.

Furthermore, to reduce disputes, the New Chinese also offered food, salt, and alcohol to the surrounding Indian tribes as payment for the land they had occupied. However, as the New Chinese became more powerful, they became increasingly reckless in their occupation of new land and resources.

They claimed that all the land here was under the rule of Xinhua, and any undeveloped land also belonged to the Xinhua government.

The so-called "undeveloped land" refers to land that has not been cultivated by human labor or has not been reclaimed. Legally, it is "ownerless" and belongs to the Xinhua government.

After confirmation by the Xinhua government, people only have the right to use these lands for labor, but not the ownership.

The priority for the use of reclaimed land lies in the fruits of human labor rather than in claiming ownership of traditional tribes.

According to Xinhua, as long as the land and hunting grounds owned by the indigenous people (tribes) are not developed, cultivated, or houses are built on them, the ownership of these lands will belong to the Xinhua government.

The Xinhua government has the right to redistribute these lands and grant them to immigrants for development.

Since we do not recognize the land ownership of Indian tribes, there is naturally no need to spend money to buy it, we can just occupy it through labor.

If the Indian tribes also develop and utilize the land they control, the Xinhua government will identify and recognize the ownership of the tribal land based on the principle of respecting labor success.

When the Indians saw the mountains and forests that once served as their hunting grounds being completely cut down and then leveled into farmland, they couldn't help feeling a bit unwilling and resentful.

These lands have been their homes for generations and the foundation of their survival.

They hunted here, picked berries here, gathered firewood here, and thrived here.

But now, with the arrival of more and more new Chinese, these lands have become their farmland, developed into mines, and built into one village after another.

They also tricked tribesmen who had lost their land and hunting grounds into cities and villages, and forced them to plow fields, mine minerals, build roads and houses, thus turning the warriors of the tribe into decadent slaves.

It's time to change all this!

The chief of the Black Stone Tribe (the name given by the Xinhua people) looked up at the Xinhua people marching in front of him, and a hint of determination and courage appeared in his eyes.

The cold wind howled, blowing up layer after layer of snow, which hit the soldiers' faces violently.

All the warriors had battle paint painted on their faces, and the wooden spears and bows and arrows in their hands were flashing coldly under the setting sun.

A Xinhua man on horseback ran over, stopped forty or fifty meters in front of the team, and shouted loudly at them.

The howling north wind carried his words intermittently, as if persuading them not to be enemies and to restore their previous peaceful and friendly relations.

He said that as long as the fighting stops, the local government of the state will listen to their wishes and voices very patiently and is willing to reconcile the conflicts between the two sides to eliminate misunderstandings among everyone.

"Haha..." The Blackrock Tribe Chief laughed contemptuously.

The voice of the new Chinese man echoed in the empty wilderness, but his words seemed so pale and powerless that they were instantly blown away by the cold wind into the endless wilderness.

Are you New Chinese willing to give up changing or influencing the lives of our people?
Are you New Chinese willing to leave our land?

No, you won't!
"Warriors!" Chief Black Stone raised his long sword high in the air. "Let us take up arms to defend our territory and our honor. We must fight bravely and kill all the New Chinese who bully us!"

"My warriors!" A priest stepped forward, waving his arms and raising his wooden staff. "God will grant you endless strength and courage. Let us roar loudly at the new Chinese and demonstrate our mighty power. Kill them! Let these demons be annihilated in red blood and restore our traditions and glory."

As the high priest of the tribe whose sacrificial rights were deprived, they hated the Xinhua people particularly. Many tribesmen who were troubled by diseases and life turned around and threw themselves into their arms after receiving help from the Xinhua people, becoming their "vassals" and "slaves."

The arrival of the new Chinese people changed too many traditional habits of the tribesmen, and also broke the sole privilege of offering sacrifices to "communicate with the gods", causing those once extremely pious tribesmen to no longer blindly follow the sacrifices, thus shaking his status.

"Go, my warriors, fight bravely!" The priest shouted sharply, pointing the "staff" in his hand at the Xinhua armed militia on the opposite side. "God is with you and will bless you to be successful in everything you do!"

"Charge forward and kill them!" Chief Blackrock raised his long sword and swung it forward, letting out a sharp cry.

The sound seemed to penetrate time and space, carrying a primitive and vast power, shaking the hearts of every soldier.

"Roar, roar..." Hundreds of Indian tribal warriors, some holding short knives, some holding wooden spears, shouted and rushed towards the Xinhua formation.

"Bang bang bang..."

The sound of gunfire broke the silence of the wilderness.

The battle broke out instantly, arrows and bullets crisscrossed in the air, and shouts and screams intertwined.

People from both sides kept falling to the ground, and the ground was dyed red with blood.

The commander standing behind the Xinhua formation looked at the fierce battle ahead indifferently, issuing orders from time to time, and streams of white mist continued to emerge from his cold visor.

Teams of armed militiamen, breathing heavily, kept moving forward, mechanically pulling the triggers of their muskets and firing bullets forward.

The wind picked up again, stirring up smoke and flying snow.

The militiamen's vision became a little blurred, but the exploding shouts and cries in front of them also became weaker, and the surging figures of the Indians seemed to gradually disappear in the wilderness.

After about a quarter of an hour, the battle ended and the endless wilderness returned to peace, but the air was still filled with blood and sadness.

Rows of Indian corpses fell to the ground, piled up neatly fifty meters in front of the team.

Undoubtedly, they were all extremely brave soldiers, because nearly half of them died on the way to the charge.

But all this seems to be in vain in the face of the new Chinese who have more powerful military force.

ended.

In the distance, the setting sun was like blood, dyeing the entire sky red.

(End of this chapter)