Chapter 2008: Chapter 1468: The Bizarre Yongning Temple

"Chief Divine! These Wild Man Tribes, they’re really like wild boars! When they see something, they want to bite it first, not caring if it jabs their throat!"

"Haha! Ancestor! As long as they can snatch good stuff, they don’t care about the dead! You should know, in our tribes’ eyes, wild boars are fierce totems! At least, they’re much braver than the cunning wolves!"...

The setting sun fell, and the longship turned its head, swiftly sailing down the Great River with the rushing Heilongjiang River water. The dark forests on both sides appeared as the backdrop to the fleet, resembling a vast ink-wash landscape painting. This expansive northern Forest Sea, which nurtured numerous tribes, also resembles this deep-colored "Heilongjiang" in its cold and indifferent struggle between life and death.

"Ow!~ Ow roar!~"

The sun sets, the moon rises, and the September wind has brought a hint of autumn. The roars of beasts echo from the depths of the Forest Sea, mixed with the shouts of humans and dogs. As the cold season draws near, the jungle beasts begin their last hunt and frenzy before winter. Of course, the fiercest overlords of the forest are always the Wild Man Tribes. And the most brutal battles only happen between the tribes.

"Chief Divine bears witness! These Wild Man Tribes along the Great River are in dire need of ironware, salt, and food! They are poor, brave, and warlike, making them excellent targets for trade and recruitment by the Kingdom!"...

"However, trading with these Wild Man Tribes and opening up this vast Great River route is not easy! Even with allies like the Maha tribe, we must always be cautious and maintain sufficient military strength! Building enough mutual trust, spreading Chief Divine’s faith, and sharing the story of the Gummy People requires more contact and much longer time!"...

Zuwaro stands at the ship’s bow, watching the river water rush north to the downstream rivermouth. Nurgan, where the Maha tribe is located, is just north of Harman Guard, over three hundred li away. This means that this southward exploration only covered a journey of over three hundred li before encountering the chaotic battles of the Wild Man tribes and witnessing a glimpse of the chaotic battles in the South. Subsequently, the fleet exchanged over a hundred captives from the Shushu Jurchen tribes and then returned.

The downstream section of this Heilongjiang has a very fast flow. Previously, the fleet struggled upriver, managing only thirty to forty li per day, requiring nine to ten days to reach. Now, moving downstream, if not restraining the speed, it’s estimated that a hundred li could be covered in a day, taking only three days to return.

"Spring brings floods, winter brings ice floods. The flow in summer and autumn is very fast, and the river course is winding and twisting... This tumultuous Huntong River is truly not a suitable Great River for navigation! And the Kingdom’s exploration southward on this reportedly thousands-of-li Great River has only just begun!"

Thinking about the poor navigational conditions of this river, along with the complex battles between tribes along the way, Zuwaro shakes his head, feeling pessimistic. If it weren’t for such dual difficulties, the Ming Dynasty would not have completely abandoned the area, leaving both sides of the Great River in chaos.

Currently, in the mountain forests on either bank of the Great River, the Wild Man Jurchen tribes, fierce and migrating like herds, are pervasive, creating immense pressure. This marks the second recorded Great Chaos period in the vast Outer Northeast Forest since the rise of various tribes. The previous Great Chaos period dates back a thousand years, coinciding with the beginning of a Little Ice Age... 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Of course, the greatest gain from this southward journey wasn’t the over one hundred strong tribesmen... but that braided Chieftain, the Ming Commanding Chieftain!"...

Thinking of the Shushu Jurchen chieftain imprisoned in the cabin, Zuwaro’s lips curl slightly. He extends his hand and takes a relatively new Copper Seal from Xiong Da’s backpack, examining it carefully.

"Harman Guard Deputy Commander... Fourteenth Year of Chenghua... Chenghua? This marks a new era, perhaps similar to the Kingdom’s House Year, Rabbit Year, Reed Year... Judging by the seal’s shiny condition, it shouldn’t be many years old."...

"Chief Divine bears witness! It’s not yet time for interrogation, and the crowded conditions on the ship make it impossible to converse properly. It’s better to let him stew for a few days, let him imagine things, so when the time comes, he’ll speak truthfully. Soon! In a few more days, once the fleet reaches the Maha tribe, we can organize better..."

Four days passed swiftly, and the Kingdom Fleet of three longships finally docked on the shore, reaching the Nurgan Maha Division. This journey downstream was rapid, the river turbulent, the course winding and twisting, with numerous shoals and hidden reefs. The fleet had to always restrain its speed, not daring to sail at full power. Even so, the fleet ran aground once, requiring captives to help tow the ships. Fortunately, the fleet’s vessels were flat-bottomed and not "giant ships," otherwise towing would be impossible! After all, the name of this Great River is the roaring "Heilongjiang"...

"Holy Emperor! Where is this? How can the Wild Man Tribes have such a large village? Could it be that this is? Could it be that this is?"

Chief Ali of the Harman tribe trembled all over as he crawled out of the crowded cabin, immediately spotting a large village. The scale of this village was twice that of the Harman tribe, and it even had a section of earthen and stone village walls, with fields encased within!

But when Ali wiped his tired, hungry eyes and took a proper look, he suddenly realized that most of the "village" was collapsed beyond recognition. Even the surrounding village walls were intermittent, patched up with fences. And when he looked further at the collapsed pagoda temple, with its uncommon northern pagoda body, Ali suddenly understood, shouting in a tremor.

"Ancestor! That’s Yongning Temple! This is the Nurgan Metropolitan Authority?! It’s the abandoned Nurgan Metropolitan Authority!"

"Holy Emperor above! How can this Wild Man Tribe set up camp here? How many tribes are they, to dare occupy this crucial point at the rivermouth, the key location for all tribes’ passage?!... Are they not afraid that the Holy Emperor will issue a decree to send troops?..."

Chief Ali of the Harman tribe’s lips trembled, muttering a few words under his breath. He carefully observed the size of this settlement and roughly calculated there were five to six hundred Wild Man tribes, plus the two hundred from the ship, totaling seven to eight hundred people? No, there were also more than a hundred of his tribesmen captured, adding up to nearly a thousand...

However, could even a thousand people from the Wild Man Tribe dare to occupy the Nurgan Metropolitan Authority? Such a small number, can they really hold Nurgan Metropolitan Authority? Ah, their large ships, their iron armor, and even the iron pots and iron axes they can exchange are different from ordinary Wild Man Tribes...

Could it be that behind these people is actually some Thousand Households Tribe of Mongolia? No way! How could the Mongolians be willing to exchange their precious ironwares for useless manpower?...

"Damn! Where on earth did this Wild Man Tribe come from? How could there be such a strange Wild Man Tribe?!..."

Thinking about these inexplicable mysteries, Ali had a splitting headache, unable to think of any reliable answer. His previous judgment, the supposed collusion between the Wild Men and Mongolians, had long been overturned by his own observations along the way.

His Harman Tribe had been rooted in the lower reaches north of the Great River since they were granted titles during the Yongle Period. Every generation of Harman Chief would pay tribute to the Great Ming, receiving enfeoffments from Taizong, Renzong, Yingzong, Xuanzong, Emperor Xianzong, Xiaozong — a full six generations of Ming emperors! These enfeoffments are all recorded in the Ming History Records. The Harman Tribe is truly familiar with the conditions upstream and downstream of the Great River, a genuine local tyrant! Ahem, although their strength is somewhat weak...

Now, this suddenly emerged Maha Tribe, most of the tribespeople, including the look of this camp, are unmistakably of Wild Man Jurchen style, this point is beyond doubt, Ali had already confirmed this through observation! But how could the Wild Men from the North coming southward have large ships? And why would they have so many ironwares? Even the Duoyan Sanwei to the west, the Wuliangha Thousand Households to the northwest... these large Mongolian Tribes to the west, even if they could produce tens of thousands of herdsmen cavalry, would not generously exchange ironwares for manpower like this Wild Man Tribe!

"Something’s off, the appearance of these ironwares, large ships, and Tiger Squat Cannons is truly out of place! Could it really be some Shaman in the forest exchanging evil human sacrifices for them?"...

Thinking of this, Ali’s heart trembled slightly. Like the Mongolians, the various Tungusic Jurchen tribes are very familiar with live sacrifices. These sacrificial rites differ only in scale, not in existence. However, now, those likely to be sacrificed are his last remaining Harman tribesmen, possibly even himself...

"...! What are you doing! Where are you taking me?!"...

As the Harman Chief was still pondering, his two arms suddenly tightened, and his feet were lifted off the ground. In his terrified gaze, two sturdy but short armored warriors carried him towards the collapsed temples and shrines. And at the door of the temples and shrines, the plaque of "Yongning Temple" seemed to have been freshly scrubbed, the character "Temple" at the back was scraped off, and a mysterious and complex variant character was written in an eerie red paint...

"Yong-Ning... Thunder... Bird... God..?"

The Harman Chief’s eyes widened, looking at the three parts of the variant character, seemingly representing "Thunder," "Bird," and "God," and all were ancient graphic-like words, seemingly containing some kind of special mystery. And when he was being carried into the half-collapsed temple, he was faced with a bloodstained stone altar, and on the altar was an even more abstract mural, depicting a strange and abstract...

"Ancestor! What is this? An eagle growing in the sun?..."

The Harman Chief’s gaze moved away from the obvious traces of blood on the altar, and he shivered all over! His gaze passed a row of fierce tribal warriors, and was fixed intently on two shamans wearing vibrant feather crowns with enigmatic expressions. One of the shamans, whom he had previously encountered closely, was the very Shaman in the Forest who had tricked him onto the ship!...

"Chief of the Harman Tribe! We meet again!..."

Priest Kui Huo lit the divine smoke, sprinkled a handful of sulfur, causing the flames to emit an eerie blue light. In the pungent and suffocating smoke, Zuwaro smiled quietly and stretched out his fingers, touched Ali’s wrinkled forehead as if performing some evil ritual.

"Ugh!... Respected Shaman in the Forest..."

The elderly Chief Ali stiffened, then heard strange-sounding Man Language, hissing like snakes, permeating into his ears.

"The Chief Divine witnesses! I said before that I would protect your tribe and save your tribespeople..."

"Now, Chief of the Harman Tribe! My promise has been fulfilled... It’s time for you to provide your recompense, to pay your price..."

"Shaman in the forest... What price do you still want? Now, my tribespeople, including my life, all are in your hands! Whatever you want to take, just take it!"...

"Aha! What I want cannot be taken by myself, it requires your consent! For example... your soul!..."

In the half-collapsed temple, the ghostly voice floated up. Then, the wooden door slammed shut, fires flickered uncertainly, divine smoke billowed, and the shamans’ low chanting echoed. Then, a shrill scream abruptly pierced through the somber darkness! The sound came with immense terror, erupting suddenly then gradually turning into wails, finally vanishing in the icy mountain forest...