Three Kingdoms Eschatology

But not long after sailing eastward from Turtle Island, Lin Tao and his crew were pleasantly surprised to find that there were still many small islands along the way.This relieved a lot of the fear that was suppressed in their hearts.These small islands are naturally the three largest "Nicaea" island groups in the South Pacific.Lin Tao is passing through them in sequence from the south.

What surprised Lin Tao and others even more was that there were still natives living on these small islands, and to Lin Tao's surprise, these natives were not black.

According to Lin Tao's observation, from Sawady Port all the way, the more southeast you go, the fewer Pyu people, Mon people, and Ma Luoyu natives, and the more black people.When we arrived at Turtle Island, only the black aborigines remained.

But on these islands so close to Turtle Island, the aborigines who call themselves Maori have brownish-yellow skin, which seems to be lighter than that of the Mon people and the Maurayu people.Moreover, their appearance is not only very different from the blacks, but also very different from the Moluoyu people and the Mon people. On the contrary, they are very similar to the Shanyue people of the Han and Wu kingdoms.

What surprised Lin Tao even more was that Lin Tao could understand some words in the Maori language!The pronunciation is similar to his Danjia dialect, and the meaning is the same.However, Lin Tao, who had a mission, didn't have time to investigate the mysteries. He just recorded these customs in his logbook.

After half a month of sailing, Lin Tao's fleet arrived at a small island inhabited by indigenous people. The Maori on the island called the island Fiji.Lin Tao used airships, heavy cavalry horses, long bows, and some pottery and metal products to easily conquer and buy off the natives of the island for his own use.In Fiji, Lin Tao established his first stronghold since leaving Turtle Island.

After resting in Fiji for half a month and leaving more than a dozen defenders to guard the stronghold, Lin Tao continued eastward.During the voyage away from Fiji, Lin Tao and the others could see fewer and fewer islands. From the second day on, all they could see was the sea, and even the seabirds that accompanied the sailboats every day were gone.The fear in the hearts of all sailors quietly returned.

By the third day, the five galleons continued to sail eastwards in the monsoon.Suddenly a black "wall" appeared in the sky, and the wind became more and more urgent.Lin Tao thumped in his heart and secretly thought it was not good.He immediately issued an order: "The storm is coming, so let the ships lower their sails urgently and prepare to cross the storm area. Keep the distance between the ships, neither too close nor too far, to prevent separation."

The soldiers quickly transmitted the signal on the mast. As soon as the ships lowered their sails and were ready to face the storm, the "black wall" quickly pressed down.Suddenly there was a strong wind and heavy rain on the sea.The five galleons jumped up and down in the wind and waves like small gourds, and the hulls made toothsome creaking and deforming sounds from time to time.

Lin Tao had never seen such a big storm. He yelled loudly on the deck that was tilted back and forth like a seesaw, and directed the sailors to stabilize.

Another wave as high as six or seven battles hit Lin Tao's hull.The entire hull almost capsized, and a piece of broken wood hit Lin Tao's head impartially, making his eyes go black, and he passed out immediately.

When Lin Tao woke up leisurely, the sky had cleared, the sky was blue, and there were endless white clouds in the blue sky.He sat up and confirmed that he was on the deck, but there was no one around him.Even more strangely, he felt that although he was on the boat, he was not on the sea.

Lin Tao rubbed his still swollen head, convinced that he was not in a dream.He jumped up from the deck at once, came to the side of the ship, and looked around.

The sandy beach and the endless jungle unfolded before his eyes.And this jungle is not the tropical rainforest he usually sees.The temperature here is also cool and pleasant.His ship was stranded on a beach, and several of his sailors were returning with a prey in the distance...

Chapter 338

"Boss, you're awake! See what we're going to fight back!" A sailor carrying prey saw Lin Tao on the beach and shouted excitedly.

Lin Tao didn't care what kind of prey they caught. The first thing he wanted to know was what happened after he was unconscious, so he didn't pay attention to what they were carrying.

Lin Tao jumped down from the deck onto the beach. Before he could stand still, he hurriedly asked, "Where are we? What happened after XX passed out? Are there other ships?"

Those soldiers put down their loads, and one of them said to Lin Tao: "Boss, don't worry, please let me explain to you slowly."

It turned out that after Lin Tao was accidentally hit by debris on the deck and fell into a coma, the sailors on the ship tried their best to transfer him to the cabin.The wind and waves eventually separated Lin Tao's ship from other ships.To make matters worse, in order to prevent the sailboat from capsizing, one of the masts on the ship was temporarily removed, and unfortunately lost in the sea.When the weather cleared one day later, the whole ship could only sail south with the wind because of the lack of a sail.

Hearing this, Lin Tao was startled and said, "Then how many days has this been in a coma? How many days have we been drifting with the wind?"

"Boss, this is already the third day. We have been drifting south for three days and two nights. Along the way, we only saw the vast sea. You have been unconscious for a long time, and the brothers thought that you must die. Later we I found seabirds. Then I discovered this piece of land. When I docked, I didn’t expect that the tide here and other places are reversed, so the ship ran aground.”

After Lin Tao heard this, he glanced at the lush, endless mountains and forests. He didn't know if it was an island or a continent, and if it was an island, how big would it be?

The sailor seemed to see what he wanted to ask, and explained: "Of the 36 brothers on board, one fell into the sea in the storm and the other was slightly injured, and the rest were not injured. Now we have been divided into six groups, three of them The group heads to hunt, and the other three groups conduct terrain exploration. Check whether this is an island or a continent."

"Did we float to Oceania in the southwest?" Lin Tao shook his head, denying his guess.He quickly returned to the cabin that smelled of salt.In the messy cabin, he rummaged through boxes and cabinets, and finally found the rough sketch drawn by Feng Yu.

Lin Tao's finger moved southeast from Turtle Island, and finally found the one and only big island marked by text - New Zealand Island.

The outline of the island is only replaced by a symbolic ellipse, because it is impossible for Feng Yu to remember the outline of the island.But the size of the ellipse has shown that this New Zealand island is a large island of the same level as Sumatra, Java, and Turtle Island.

After figuring out his possible position, Lin Tao breathed a sigh of relief.At this moment, Fang Fang felt very hungry, and only then did he realize that he hadn't eaten for three days and two nights.He went back to the beach again, and said to the sailors who were building a stove, "Is there anything to eat? Hurry up and get it for us. I'm so hungry that I can't stand it."

One of the sailors said with a smile: "Boss, most of the food we stored on the ship was soaked in sea water. A few edible ones were taken away by those exploration teams. Just be patient for a while, the bird meat will be roasted soon." good!"

Lin Tao was puzzled when he heard it, and asked, "Bird meat? I just saw that you brought back a wild beast?"

Several sailors laughed in unison and said: "Boss, what we brought back just now is bird meat. If you don't believe me, look! I'm afraid you have never seen such a giant bird! One is enough for the few of us to eat for several days." .”

Lin Tao poked his head to check.Although the giant bird had been "cut into pieces" long ago, it was known only by the huge bird head left behind, the bird neck as thick as the arm of a strong man, and the thick bird legs about five feet long. How big is it.He also couldn't help shouting: "How can there be such a big bird!"

"Yeah, when we first saw this thing that was taller than a battle, we were really shocked. We thought it was very difficult to deal with. Unexpectedly, this thing just looks scary, but it is a coward. See Humans just run for themselves, and it runs very slowly, we easily caught up and cut its neck with a weapon."

Another sailor said: "This thing is not only huge, but also has a lot of meat. Look, this one has hundreds of catties of meat, most of which are lean."

Lin Tao nodded, thinking that this island must be isolated from the world for a long time, so there are some products that cannot be seen by the outside world.He said to the sailors: "We may stay on this island for a long time before we can find a way to leave. If we can get the eggs or chicks of this giant bird, we can get some and bring them back to the mainland. If this thing can be bred , it must be more cost-effective than raising pigs.”

In fact, the strange bird Lin Tao and others are talking about is called the moa, which only survives on the island of New Zealand and was not extinct until the eighteenth century.

When the sun was about to set on the sea, several other groups of people who went out to investigate the environment and hunt also returned one after another.The report of the pathfinder said that they did not find out whether this was a mainland or an island after traveling for dozens of miles, but they found that there were grasslands, lakes, and rivers on this land.There are also many types of animals. In addition to the giant bird that was hunted, some people even discovered a super-large giant eagle.

While they were talking, Lin Tao interjected and asked, "Have you ever found an animal with upright legs, a huge tail, and a head like a roe mouse, jumping forward?"

Everyone shook their heads and said that they had never seen this kind of animal. At this time, Lin Tao had already decided that he was indeed on the island of New Zealand, because the animal named kangaroo that Liang Wang Feng Yu mentioned was bound to be seen on the Oceania continent.

Night fell.On the beach, people gather around the bonfire and eat roasted giant bird meat.Unexpectedly, this giant bird has a huge body, but the meat is very delicious, and the taste is also very smooth and tender.The three surviving Shire warhorses were also gnawing grass leisurely on the grass by the edge of the forest.Their rations also included a few barrels of horse feed snatched from the ship, so the horse feed was not damaged by the sea water.

After eating and drinking, everyone began to feel sad about the future.Lin Tao reassured everyone that the island is rich in products, and long-term survival is not a problem.Now there is only one mast on the boat, so we can only wait for the monsoon to turn before trying to sail back to Fiji Island.

At night, the sailors who had been busy all day fell asleep, but Lin Tao did not feel sleepy. He always faintly felt that there was something staring at himself and his group in the woods around the beach.But the whole night passed and nothing happened.

At dawn the next day, Lin Tao assigned tasks to more than 30 subordinates as usual. He still divided the personnel into several groups. Except for one group to count and organize the supplies on the ship, the rest of the groups went hunting nearby.The first task is to hunt "giant birds". Lin Tao is going to marinate enough bird meat to make full preparations for exploring the hinterland of the island in the future.

Chapter 339 Undefended Island

After two consecutive days of hunting, Lin Tao and others stockpiled a large amount of pickled moa bird meat.Lin Tao divided all the staff into three groups, one group was waiting for the boat, and the other group was exploring along the coastline, drawing the outline of the island's coastline.The last group, led by Lin Tao himself, will go deep into the heart of the island to explore.

Across the jungle along the coast, you can see the endless grasslands with gentle slopes.From time to time, the giant birds appeared on the grassland.In addition to these giant birds, there are also some small birds that have lost the ability to fly and have meat all over their bodies.Lin Tao lamented that it seemed that he had wasted a few days preparing food, and the meat resources on this island were so abundant that he could take it whenever he needed it.

Suddenly, there was a sharp eagle's howl, and a huge black shadow rushed to the ground.Lin Tao saw with his own eyes that, in the blink of an eye, before a moa had time to escape two or three steps, it was swooped down by a large eagle with a wingspan, and the sharp and huge eagle claws snapped off the moa's limbs. neck.

Lin Tao thought to himself, if this super big eagle was attacked so suddenly, he would definitely die.So Xin, along the way, no giant eagles of this kind have attacked them yet, probably because the moas have had enough of them to eat.

Two days later, Lin Tao crossed the highland in the center of the island and continued towards the west coast.But Lin Tao's feeling of being stared at was getting stronger and stronger.

When approaching the east coast, Lin Tao and others finally discovered a settlement consisting of more than a dozen houses.There are actually indigenous people living on this isolated island!Looking at the style of the house, this is obviously a Maori settlement.

Lin Tao didn't dare to take it lightly, he already knew a little about these tattooed Maori.They are warlike, and some tribes are also cannibals. To subdue them, they can only use force.He made a gesture, and the ten members of the team held weapons, lined up in a simple formation, and slowly approached the settlement.

Suddenly, hundreds of people came out of the settlement, but they didn't hold weapons in their hands. The leader was an old man with gray beard and hair.This was beyond Lin Tao's expectation. According to common sense, the Maori should first hold a spear and dance a frightening war dance, and then go into battle to fight.

But these Maori people in front of them are obviously not like this.Lin Tao heard the beeping of conch shells again.More and more Maori people poured out from the surrounding mountains and forests, surrounding Lin Tao and ten people from all directions.

Lin Tao began to panic. As for the Maori who were holding wooden sticks, spears and axes, eleven people like Lin Tao could deal with one hundred.But there are more than a hundred people surrounding them, and there are at least 1000 people.These people trampled to death even with bare hands.

The two longbowmen behind Lin Tao drew their bows to the full, and only waited for Lin Tao's order to shoot through the body of the old Maori chief opposite.

But Lin Tao used gestures to tell them not to be too nervous, because at this time the Maori chief was making gestures to Lin Tao non-stop.Lin Tao glanced at the Maori surrounding them again, and found that only half of them were young and strong, and the rest were male, female, old and young.Obviously, the opponent had no intention of using force at all.

Lin Tao ordered to the left and right: "Put away the weapons. If there are so many people on the other side, if they really want to attack and kill us, it won't be of much use if we resist with weapons." After speaking, he put the steel knife back into its sheath , with a calm face, striding towards the other party.

After a lot of gestures and gestures, I even guessed.Lin Tao finally understood the general meaning of the old chief.He asked Lin Tao not to use force, and if he had any needs, he could ask their tribe, and their tribe would try their best to satisfy them.

Lin Tao was very surprised. The opponent clearly had an absolute advantage. Now that the two sides have not fought a battle, the opponent is begging Lin Tao and others like the defeated side.At this time, the old chief had already made this gesture and welcomed Lin Tao into a rather spacious thatched hut.In the room, on the table made of several wooden boards, there is a table of fruits and barbecue.

After a long time of communication, Lin Tao probably knew the origin of this tribe.The old chiefs said their ancestors got lost in a storm and a houseboat made of canoes drifted to the island.Since then, their tribe has been multiplying and living here, and it has been more than a hundred years.They call themselves Moriori, but Lin Tao confirmed that they are a branch of Maori from the architectural style and language of the hut.

The whole clan is now divided into several tribes, but wars between the tribes are almost impossible because of their belief in non-violence and peace.Any disputes are resolved through negotiation, and if the negotiation cannot be resolved, they are resolved by rolling the dice and relying on luck.

Hearing this, Lin Tao said jokingly: "If we ask you to move out of this island, give us the whole island. Are you willing to negotiate."

The old chief nodded and said seriously: "We are willing to share this island with you. You should not need too much land. We will not pose any threat to you if we stay on this island. If we are allowed to leave, the four weeks will be It is the vast sea, when our ancestors came, they had already forgotten the way, so where can we go?"

Lin Tao still asked with the motive of mischief: "If we don't want to share with you, do we want to monopolize this island?"

The Moriori people present, regardless of age, men and women, looked at Lin Tao, and their faces were not angry, but worried.The old chief frowned and said: "I am willing to roll the dice with the guests and decide to stay. If the guests win, the island will belong to you. How about the guests?"

Lin Tao still said calmly: "No, I want to settle this island! I don't need to roll dice with you. If you don't agree, I can only fight with you."

At this time, Lin Tao just wanted to verify whether it was true what the old chief said. In fact, if the other party turned his face and became angry, Lin Tao would immediately point out that it was a joke and give the other party some gifts to calm the dispute.

Unexpectedly, the old chief was still neither angry nor angry. He just said in an embarrassed tone and gestured: "I can't decide such a big matter alone. Such a big decision must be discussed with the whole clan. Unless all members They would rather have a war than leave. We will not leave, otherwise we will move off the island in a few days."

Lin Tao was dumbfounded by what he said, and thought to himself: "Why are the people on this island like that giant bird, they are masters who have no defense ability and are bullied and slaughtered by others?"

Lin Tao started to laugh, and said to the old chief with gestures: "Old chief, I was just joking with you. How can we need such a big island with so few people. To be honest, we are here We will leave after staying on the island for a while, if you only need to do something for us, we will be grateful."

His words made all the Moriori present feel relaxed.

Chapter 340 The Maori of Samoa

Lin Tao stayed in this Moriori camp for three days. During these three days, another group of people exploring along the coast was found by the Moriori and came to meet them.

Due to limited time, this group of people only roughly drew an incomplete outline.Looking at this picture, Lin Tao found that the place they explored seemed to be a cape deep into the ocean, about a hundred miles wide.And they haven't got their hands on the real main part of the island.

Lin Tao quickly confirmed this in the population of Moriori, the main part of the island is very wide.A week and a month around the island would not be enough.In addition, he also learned that there is a larger island just to the south of this island.It is only separated from the main island by a narrow strait.Moriori called it the South Island.But the mountains on the South Island are covered with ice and snow all the year round.

During these three days, all the Moriori people mobilized and gathered what Lin Tao wanted.A dozen chicks of giant eagles and dozens of eggs were captured, and a batch of moa, chicks and eggs were also captured.

In addition, they also provided Lin Tao with a large amount of sweet potatoes as food reserves.The sweet potato, according to the Moriori, is extremely easy to grow and yields a great deal.About one mu of land can produce more than 2000 catties of sweet potatoes.

However, Lin Tao is still unable to return to Fiji. Although the trees on the island are dense, they are relatively short and cannot make masts.Lin Tao noticed the canoes of the Moriori people, and thought that since their ancestors were able to drive this kind of boat from the Northern Islands to come here, they must be able to drive the same boat back to Fiji.

So Lin Tao told the Moriori chief about this idea.The other party stroked his beard and said, "It should be possible, but we have lived on this island for more than ten generations, and the route to the outside world has been completely forgotten."

When Lin Tao was disappointed, the chief added: "However, some time ago, a person similar to us drifted to this island in a boat and was rescued by us. After he recovered from his injuries, he left in a canoe by himself. , and returned north. This man also said that he came from the archipelago of countless small islands in the north. We advised him not to risk sailing alone, but he said that there was no danger in sailing home. From this point of view, from here to there Nor is the Northern Isles very difficult."

Lin Tao unfolded the map Feng Yu gave him, and estimated the distance from New Zealand to Fiji, which was at least 3000 miles.The man the chief said sailed north to Fiji in a canoe without a sextant and a compass was inconceivable.

If it were him himself, even relying on the sextant and compass to paddle the canoe to Fiji by manpower, he would not have the confidence.Lin Tao had no choice but to give up this idea and wait patiently for the change of monsoon wind direction.

He bid farewell to the chief, and led the people back to the place where the ship ran aground on the beach on the east coast of the cape.On the beach there, simple camps have been built with branches and canvas.A dozen sailors guarding the camp also organized the remaining supplies on board in an orderly manner.

There are still two ballistas that are not damaged, one airship can still be used, and dozens of naphtha incendiary bombs have been found.The two small Viking ships used as lifeboats on the deck were damaged in the wind and waves, but they have now been repaired by a sailor named Ma Luoyu who was a shipwright.

Lin Tao felt that waiting for the monsoon to change direction in this camp would be idle, so he might as well take this opportunity to draw the outline map of the entire New Zealand island, so after making arrangements for the camp, he took enough food and water and boarded a vigil The Beijing ship is going to do another complete round-the-island voyage.

On this day, the Viking ship was approaching the northwest end of the headland.The expressions of the sailors on the ship became relaxed and comfortable.Because before that, the Viking ships were sailing against the wind, they could only lower the sails and sail entirely by manpower.Once they rounded the northwest corner of the headland and turned their sails, they would naturally sail with the wind, which would be much easier.

At this time, a sailor who was lying on the mast observing and mapping suddenly exclaimed: "Ship! There are many ships coming from the northeast!".After hearing this, Lin Tao climbed up the mast and looked northeast.

Sure enough, on the skyline, densely packed ships were approaching the island of New Zealand.These boats are all Maori canoes without sails.Some are sailing alone, and more are two canoes straddling a wooden board, and then a thatched shed is built on the wooden board.Lin Tao felt that this was very similar to his Danhu family's boat, except that the Danhu family's boat was not a canoe that could only be rowed by manpower.

Lin Tao immediately ordered: "Quick! Go to the shore and hide. We must first find out who these people are and where the ships come from?"

……

Among the many canoes, a shirtless man with a hair-wrinkled face stood at the bow, with his hands crossed on his chest.With the outline of New Zealand in front of him, a grim smile formed the corners of his mouth.

His name was Kupu, and he was the son of a Maori tribal chief.Their tribe is from an archipelago called Samoa in the northeast.More than two months ago, he had a dream. In the dream, the god told him that in the southwest, there was a continent with abundant products.

After waking up from the dream, he prepared to sail away to complete this epic feat.This move was immediately supported by his father and his clan.In fact, even if he does not have an oracle, according to the rules of the tribe, he has to complete a sea expedition alone to explore those unknown islands.This is a rule passed down from generation to generation in their tribe.

Almost all Maori tribes have this rule. A man's rite of passage is to participate in a war, cut off at least three enemies' heads, or go on a sea expedition for more than a month to explore islands that are still unknown to the tribe.

This rule is closely related to the living environment of the Maori people.Tribes inhabit small islands with a small area. If the population is in a positive growth state, they must discover new land or plunder land and resources from others.

The only exception is the Moriori who believe in peaceful coexistence and sharing.On that day, Kupp, who had run out of food, could only rely on fishing to satisfy his hunger, and was attacked by a shark in the sea. Although he escaped by chance, he was already seriously injured.

In this moment of desperation, he spotted a seabird alighting on the bow of the boat.Then he saw the outlines of land.That piece of land looked larger than any island he had ever seen, and seemed endless. This should be the first time he had seen a real "continent".

Then, he came across the Moriori.When he saw these Moriori who spoke a language similar to his own, he was terrified and thought that they would kill him without hesitation like other Maori, or even roast him and eat him.

But things were completely unexpected to Coop, these Moriori not only did not eat him, but also rescued him...

Chapter 341 The white-eyed wolf and a group of sheep

Kupp lived in the Moriori settlement for many days, and he just learned that these Moriori really have no concept of war.

The Moriori people really did as they said, all disputes were resolved through negotiation, and if the negotiation failed, the decision was made by rolling dice and luck.Even if there is a huge disparity in strength between the two sides in the dispute, the stronger side will follow this rule.

Not to mention war, Coop found that even in daily life, these Moriori never fought, and the chiefs had to decide even the most serious matters.Even when the chief's verdict was clearly unfair, the loser had no complaints, at least in words.

Kupp believes that such tribes are marine fish caught ashore and slaughtered by others.They may not even know the concept of war.

Then, Kupp discovered that this land is rich in products, including huge meat birds that are easy to catch, and sweet potatoes that can be harvested with eyes closed.The mild temperature on the island makes people feel comfortable and comfortable.

Kupp, who was eager to return home, just recovered from his injury, so he left in a hurry and left in a canoe.He couldn't wait to tell his people about this land of long white clouds, a blessed place on earth.

When Kupu's father, the Samoan Maori chief, heard the discovery, he immediately decided to move his family to this paradise.For those who have only seen small islands in their lives, this land can be said to be boundless and vast.Their whole family migrated here, and they will no longer be troubled by the lack of land for generations.

So, after a period of preparation, all members of the family, under the leadership of Cooper, sailed to New Zealand in a canoe.

After more than an hour, the canoes of the Maori people in Samoa docked one after another.The Maori with wooden spears and stone axes jumped off the boat and waded ashore. Everyone looked around this vast "New World" excitedly.

Kupu roared like howling, not howling, and the Maori who had landed immediately gathered around him, dancing the Maori war dance.These hair-wrinkled, upper-body Maori are staring open their mouths and sticking out their tongues, deliberately pretending to be menacing, and from time to time they make all kinds of creepy screams.

As more and more Maori landed, the scale of the Maori war dance became larger and larger.Until nearly [-] men, women, and children of Maori landed on the shore, the whole war dance reached its peak.

Lin Tao and the others who were hiding in the grass knew in their hearts that the Maori danced this kind of war dance, which was the rhythm of their war.And now on the island of New Zealand, there is only one tribe, the Moriori, and they must be going to slaughter the Moriori next!

Lin Tao whispered to the sailors beside him: "There is no hesitation. We divide into three groups and continue to monitor these Maori along the way. Take the boat all the way back to the camp on the east bank and inform the rest of the brothers to bring all the necessary equipment to catch up with them. To the Moriori camp. Overland all the way across the headland to inform the chief of the Moriori tribe! Get them ready."

Lin Tao's speed is naturally faster than the [-] Maori with their families and children.He arrived at the Moriori camp before dark, and as soon as he saw the old chief, he used both hands and words to tell him about the attack of the Maori from the outer islands.Unexpectedly, the other party smiled indifferently.

Lin Tao thought that he spoke too quickly, or that his Maori language was not fluent enough for the other party to understand.

When Lin Tao was anxious about how to make the other party understand what he meant, the old chief said slowly in short sentences: "Guests don't have to worry. These people come here just to survive on this island. We Moriori people are willing to cooperate with them." They negotiated to share the island. Our scouts had actually spotted the visitors before they came. The tribe had already negotiated how to welcome them and offered them a share of the island."