Wild North America 1846

In December, the Colorado Plateau has clear skies, bright sunshine, and the lowest temperature at night is still above 0 degrees Celsius.

looking into the distance

You can see the endless snow-capped mountains, the howling cold wind in winter passing through the villages and fields, and the withered yellow leaves covering the roads, creating a cold and desolate scene.

The towering Phoenix Castle has been reinforced and upgraded in the later period. The city walls are generally 8 meters high. The tall spiers surrounding the fortress echo the main tower in the middle of the fortress, which is very European style.

Phoenix Fortress is located at the intersection of the east bank of the South Perrette River and Cherry Creek. It occupies a huge three-forked river bay and consists of two tall military bastions and a long and tall city wall between them.

One military fort is called "Fort Denver", and the other one located by Cherry Creek is called "Fort Cherry." The fort area connected by a city wall between the two is dominated by dozens of large combat readiness warehouses, and contains

A large military camp is a defensive pillar facing the east.

There are moats, trenches and parapets around the Phoenix Fortress, all of which are made of solid rock or reinforced concrete. They are permanent fortress buildings with strong defensive capabilities.

After the end of the American-Tang Dynasty War in 1849, the Phoenix Fortress served as the primary defense facility on the Colorado Plateau against U.S. invasion. It has undergone continuous repairs, reinforcements and heightening over the years, and many small and medium-sized military facilities were added to the periphery of the fortress.

Stretching eastward from the Phoenix Castle, more than 20 kilometers away is the Red Rock Valley Fortress. On one side are continuous mountains, on the other side is a large desolate area transitioning from the desert to the Gobi Desert, all the way to the green South Peret River.

Along the coast.

Along one side of the road leading to the Red Rock Valley Fortress, the military built large and small bunkers, separated by deep trenches and breastworks, and set up multiple layers of barbed wire to prevent crossing.

actually

Phoenix Fortress and Red Rock Valley Fortress have been combined into a super large and permanently prepared comprehensive defense line to block any military threats from the east.

Even if this fortress is breached by the US military, there are still two lines of defense behind it, one is the river defense line relying on three wide rivers, and the other is the permanent fortifications relying on the Taoyuan Pass Fortress.

It is extremely unlikely that the U.S. military can break through these three strong lines of defense without paying a heavy casualty price of more than 100,000 people.

At this time, it is the slack season after winter, and the increasingly prosperous streets of Taoyuan City are crowded with people. The city's famous "Ginseng and Antler Stewed Pigeon Soup" is filled with fragrance and tempting appetite.

Regardless of whether you are young or old, a bowl of "Pigeon Soup Stewed with Ginseng and Velvet" is nutritious and stomach-warming. Paired with bread and side dishes, it is a nutritious breakfast. It is famous in the region.

The northern provinces were originally plagued by "North American Passenger Pigeons". There were as many as billions of them. Once they took off, they would cover the sky like dark clouds. This huge array was extremely astonishing.

But after the Chinese migrated here, it was really a mouse falling into a rice vat. They were so happy that they developed a variety of ways to eat this delicious bird, which greatly curbed the number of "North American passenger pigeons" and reduced them.

harm crops.

not long after

The smart Chinese figured out the best way to capture "North American passenger pigeons" on a large scale, which was to set off the net.

Set traps during the day and use lights to lure them at night, luring an astonishing number of "North American passenger pigeons" into the trap.

Often in one day, farmers can grab a carriage of "North American passenger pigeons" and deliver them to the restaurant, where they are slaughtered and stewed, making them delicious.

However, "North American passenger pigeons" are not valuable. There are at least seven or eight hundred of them in a carriage, and it only costs 10 yuan to deliver them to a hotel. Basically, in terms of stacking, if the quantity is not enough, you can only get seven or eight yuan.

Fortunately, there was enough of this stuff and the profits were good. Many clever Chinese farmers on the Colorado Plateau started a business of "planting wheat to attract passenger pigeons, setting up nets to catch them, and then selling them in cities after collecting enough for a carriage."

Not to mention, if you do it for a few months every year, you can earn thousands of yuan, which is more profitable than farming and selling food.

North America is really a good place. There is no shortage of velvet antler and American ginseng. In the rolling mountains and hills of the north, you can easily find North American wild ginseng. There are very few sika antlers, but red deer antlers are abundant.

Therefore, wild deer antlers, deer blood, deer penis, deer sinews, deer skin, and deer meat are all very cheap. As long as you are not afraid of nose bleeding, you can add whatever you want in the restaurant, all for three cents a bowl.

A breakfast including pigeon soup, side dishes and bread only costs 5 cents. This price is almost pure labor cost. Pigeons, velvet antlers, and wild ginseng are almost free. Basically, they can’t be sold for much.

Really cheap, affordable and delicious.

In today's Taoyuan City and the surrounding Fenghuang City and towns with a population of nearly one million, people have developed the habit of drinking pigeon soup in the morning. Children and young people who do not need supplements drink "braised pigeon soup" with flatbread or bread.

For those with strong tastes, eating "Spicy Pigeon Stew Pot" or "Five-Spice Stewed Pigeon Meat" will make your face sweat and you will feel refreshed.

At noon and evening, various game restaurants, mainly selling "North American Passenger Pigeon", "North American Moose", "Red Deer", "Bison" and "Brown Bear", are particularly popular. Various methods of frying and cooking are used, and the portions are large and the prices are high.

It is not expensive and is the favorite of people at the bottom of society.

Over the years

This has greatly curbed the proliferation of "North American passenger pigeons", making them much more difficult to capture than before. The price of nourishing pigeon soup has also quietly increased, from three cents to five cents.

Every time after winter

The men on the Colorado Plateau began to gather friends, bring hunting dogs, and go out hunting every now and then. Their main hunting targets were wild wolves, black and brown bears, bison, North American moose and beavers, turning a blind eye to the flocks of passenger pigeons.

.

This is because the value of the "North American Passenger Pigeon" is too low to be worth wasting bullets.

But any hunter must shoot a wild wolf when he encounters it. This is the most hated wild animal by estate owners and ranchers in the Colorado Plateau and northern provinces, and they must be killed quickly.

Generally, after shooting wild wolves, most of them are discarded. A few people will spend time peeling off the wolf skin and tanning it to make hunting leather clothing for hunting in the mountains in winter, which is warm and wear-resistant.

The most valuable among wild animals is the brown bear. Before winter, the brown bear's paws are large, thick, and extremely plump. One can be sold for 5 yuan on the street, and 4 for 20 yuan. You can sell as many as you want.

The most valuable thing is bear bile. After processing, the fresh bear bile can be sold for 70 to 100 yuan depending on the size and quality. There are special local product stores to buy it.

This thing can be used as medicine and can also be exported to the Eastern China Continent, where it is very popular.

Comparison

The bile and bear paws of the smaller black bear are much cheaper, usually less than half of the price of the brown bear, and the best black bear bile does not exceed 50 yuan.

Over the past 10 years since the Colorado Plateau was developed, the population of the entire Colorado Province has grown to more than 960,000 people. The vast plateau is dotted with towns, crisscrossed by ditches, and dotted with thousands of large and small estates, farms and ranches, and more than 30 towns.

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Large towns have tens of thousands of people, while small towns have only three to four hundred people. The size varies greatly.

Today's Colorado Province is the most populous and relatively economically developed province among the twelve southern and northern provinces. It is known as the "Granary of the Kingdom" and the "Pearl of the Plateau" and is famous for its rich production of grain, wine, delicious ham and cheese.

Due to the long development time, wild wolves are basically extinct on the Colorado Plateau, and large herds of bison are rarely seen. Although North American brown bears and wild bears are often seen, the difficulty of hunting has also greatly increased.

In areas further north such as Helena in Montana, Great Falls, and Casper in Wyoming, due to the late migration of the Chinese population, the development is insufficient and the urban population is small, so you can often see

Large groups of wild animals have invaded the farm, and the "North American Passenger Pigeon" has caused widespread harm to the crops.

This kind of scene is rarely seen on the Colorado Plateau.

Just at the end of July this year

The city of Great Falls, Montana once reported that a herd of more than 70,000 bison migrated in pursuit of young grass. The city organized 1,265 volunteer cavalry to hunt, and a total of approximately 70,000 bison were hunted in more than 50 days.

More than 13,000 bison were collected, and more than 20,000 people in the city were mobilized to make 2,600 tons of beef jerky, about 1,500 tons of which went into the strategic reserve for low-temperature storage, and the excess was sold.

This income is also a huge income that Great Falls City receives every year. 1,100 tons of beef jerky is worth nearly 3 million yuan, which is already a considerable income for a city with a population of only 47,000.

Every summer and autumn is the hunting season in Great Falls.

North American bison is full of treasures. Bison meat has lower cholesterol and fat than other types of beef, and has a good taste. It is a rare delicacy.

Because North American bison migrate for a long time and chase water and grass, their fat melts into the beef, showing the beautiful stripes and spots of snowflake beef. It is especially suitable for pan-fried steak. Just add a little salt and black pepper to make it delicious.

Great Falls is famous for its delicious beef offal soup. A large number of North American bison hunted every year are made into salted beef jerky and spiced beef jerky, or canned beef is sold at home and abroad and in various provinces in the Kingdom. This unique local delicacy

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What to do if so many cows enter the water?

The smart and hard-working Chinese immigrants would not throw away all the tens of thousands of tons of cattle offal, so the beef louvers, beef brisket, beef lungs, beef liver, beef intestines, beef double strings, beef head meat and cowhide products produced here are very famous.

In particular, beef offal soup is almost the favorite breakfast food of Great Falls residents. It is a must-have when paired with steamed buns. This is also a typical example of eating from the mountains.

In the military mobilization system of the Tang Dynasty, corned beef jerky was a necessary food for the cavalry. It was not only small in size and high in calories, but also easy to carry and store. A certain amount entered the reserve every year.

Because Montana is located at the northernmost latitude and has a cold climate, with the lowest temperature below 0 degrees for eight months a year, it is the best place to store beef jerky made in summer in an ice cellar.

Therefore, the Province of Montana has always been responsible for the task of producing and stocking beef jerky for the Kingdom’s cavalry. Making and stocking beef jerky with guaranteed quality and quantity is a political task of the provincial government and must be completed to the letter.

Normally, when a cavalry regiment of more than a thousand people performs combat missions, it needs to consume 15 tons of corned beef jerky in a month, which can maintain the soldiers' abundant physical strength and combat effectiveness, and is the most important military supply.

The northern provinces of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming are all important pasture-producing areas of the Kingdom. Their main economic pillars are grazing cattle and sheep, and mining trees. Their population is relatively small.

Industry is underdeveloped.

The population of these provinces ranges from hundreds of thousands to more than 400,000. The most populous province is South Dakota. The wheat planting industry here is very developed. It is a place rich in flour and one of the important grain-producing areas.

one.

The wheat growing areas of South Dakota are concentrated near the capital, Peel City, where the population accounts for more than 80% of the province's population. Peel City is surrounded by dense towns and is close to the fertile black land of the Missouri River Basin, with very favorable natural conditions.

It is known to the world that the black soil on the earth is very precious. It is a natural treasure soil for growing food crops. The humus layer is rich in nutrients. As long as the crops are planted, they will rise. This is extremely valuable in the era without chemical fertilizers and is the reason for the large agricultural output.

Guarantee of a good harvest.

There are only three large areas of black land in the world, the largest of which is the Central Plains of North America, with a total area of ​​1.21 million square kilometers.

The second area is the Dnieper River Basin on the Ukrainian plain, with a total area of ​​about 1.9 million square kilometers. It is called the "Granary of Europe" and is famous for its rich production of grains, melons and fruits.

The third block is the Northeast Plain of China, with a total area of ​​about one million square kilometers. The famous Northeast Rice in China is produced here. Unfortunately, it is now regarded as the ancestral land by the Manchu and Qing government, and the migration and development of Han people within the pass are strictly prohibited.

The flames of the Guan Nei Uprising spread throughout China, and food shortages have always been the biggest problem. The peasants who could not survive were starving and had to rebel and fight for a way to survive.

There is some of the best black soil in the world abroad, and it would be the biggest waste not to develop it with sticks to beat roe deer and scoops of fish.

The Central Plains of North America has the largest black land in the world, of which there are approximately 17,000 hectares within the territory of the United States, 0.4 million hectares within the territory of Canada, 0.5 million hectares within the territory of Mexico, and 0.3 million hectares within the territory of the Tang Dynasty.

Areas such as Peel City and Omaha in the south are located within the scope of this 0.3 million hectares of black soil. The black soil here is really sizzling and oily when you grab a handful of it, and you can harvest whatever crops you plant.

The area around Peel City is located in the northwest of the black soil zone of the Central Plains of North America. It happens to touch a narrow edge of the Great Plains of North America, so it is not surprising that wheat is abundant here.

Really, whatever you plant on the fertile black soil will grow, and there is no need for fertilizer at all.

All in all, these are great places.

Richard took a special train to inspect all the way, stopping and going in various provinces, inspecting defense and urban construction, and caring about local economic development and residents' lives. He often went into residents' homes to inquire about their welfare and listen to the most authentic thoughts of the public.

free time

We will also take the cavalry guards on horseback hunting in the plains, and relive the joy of leading a large group of cavalry to gallop thousands of miles down the Colorado Plateau for the second time. I feel that my mood suddenly becomes brighter.

The seventh day of January 1847

King Richard arrived at the last stop of his inspection - Fortress Omaha.

The reason why Richard placed Fortress Omaha at the end of his inspection was because it was the severe winter at this time and the Missouri River was in a period of drying up of water from upstream, so he could see the truest situation in the border area.

The Missouri River is a famous large river in North America, with a length of more than 3,600 kilometers. It is a seasonal river with extremely variable water volume.

Its minimum flow rate is 120 cubic meters/second (4,200 cubic feet/second), and its maximum flow rate is 25,500 cubic meters/second (900,000 cubic feet/second), a difference of more than 210 times.

Standing on the river bank on one side of Fortress Omaha, Richard could not see the other end of the river bank with his sharp eyes. According to people accompanying him, during the wet season, there is a vast ocean in front of him, with the river surface being 8 to 9 kilometers wide.

Today, during the dry season, a large area of ​​the river bank is exposed, and the unruly Missouri River has become an ordinary river meandering into the distance. The river surface is about 150 to 60 meters wide, and the flow speed is calm and slow.

Richard has extensive experience in swimming across rivers on horseback and knows that crossing such a river can be completed safely in less than 10 minutes with proper organization.

Of course, since the weather is quite cold, you must light a fire to keep warm immediately after crossing the river, put on dry clothes, and preferably drink a large bowl of hot ginger tea to keep the cold away, and put a blanket on the soaked war horse to keep warm. A series of

I will be busy for most of the day.

After crossing the river on horseback, the most taboo thing is to gallop away immediately.

Not only will the horses get sick easily, but the people will also be unable to bear it. After a few minutes, their faces will turn pale from the cold, their upper and lower teeth will tremble uncontrollably, and they will even be unable to hold on to the horse's reins.

"How are the militia training and patrols organized in winter?" Looking at the situation in front of him, Richard asked with a frown.

The current commander of Fortress Omaha is Major General Tian Mantun. He has just taken up his new position for just over 4 months. However, as a senior commander, with a sense of responsibility and mission, he has already understood the situation in the fortress defense area very clearly, so he can answer clearly and neatly.

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“Reply to Your Majesty;

The city of Omaha and its surrounding towns have a population of 133,000, with a total of 38,500 young and middle-aged men. A total of 35,400 militia and reserve personnel are included. Including the troops affiliated with the Fortress Garrison Command, there are a total of more than 6,600 people, and the available force is 42,000.

Since Weichen took up his duties, he has comprehensively inspected weapons and equipment and organized militia training. At present, the army and militia have complete weapons and equipment, and the material reserves including tents and food are intact, which can support three and a half months of high-intensity fighting.

since winter

Without affecting normal social life and economic development, our ministry organizes militia and reserve personnel to conduct rotational training. The standard is that each person should take no less than three weeks.

so far

A total of 27,500 militiamen and reserve personnel have participated in four rounds of rotational training. It is expected that two more rounds of rotational training will be completed by the end of February.

During the rotation training, all militia and reserve personnel were equipped with two guns, one long and one short, and a short sword in accordance with actual combat requirements. They participated in security patrols along the river bank, cavalry patrols in the jurisdiction, etc., organized offensive and defensive drills, and organized long-distance raids for two days and one night.

, organize shooting and infantry drill subjects and implement them in strict accordance with the training outline.

Due to the large number of pastures in the area, more than two-thirds of the militia and reservists are cavalry, even if they provide their own horses and guns. Therefore, the consumption of food and grass is large, and the stock can only last for one and a half months.

Regarding the shortage of logistics materials, Wei Chen has telegraphed three times to the Army General Staff Headquarters, imploring the higher-ups to strengthen the allocation of refined materials, including black beans, to keep the horses from losing weight, which is the guarantee of the cavalry's combat effectiveness.

According to the call back received from Shangfeng, a special train will arrive this week to deliver the corresponding supplies and equipment that the fortress urgently needs to supplement the shortage."

"Um……"

Richard responded without comment, looking towards the other side of the river with his deep eyes, not knowing what he was thinking.