Chapter 1090: Setting the Stage
Little Turtle sighed. "You are right. We no longer deserve to be called warriors, but there truly was no other way..."
Three Fires muttered, "We had only a little over a thousand warriors left, and we were surrounded on all sides by the American army. Otherwise, we never would have signed that treaty!"
Last year, after the American military crushed the Northwest Indian Confederacy, they forced the latter to sign the Treaty of Greenville.
The treaty dictated that the United States government would "purchase" 250,000 square kilometers of land from six Indian tribes for twenty thousand dollars, leaving the Indians with only a small plot of land in northwestern Ohio to live on. At the same time, the trade of all Indian tribes had to be supervised by the American government. In practice, this meant they were forced to sell their produce to the Americans at low prices.
Bettina waved his hand and spoke loudly, "No, every Indian is a born warrior! And a generous lord is willing to provide weapons to help you take your revenge against the Americans!"
Little Turtle's eyes brightened for a moment, but he quickly slumped back in dejection. "This... let's just forget it. Our kinsmen are all trapped in this narrow 'cage.'
"The moment we launch an attack against the Americans, they will immediately slaughter the women and children of our tribes."
The reservations were extremely cramped and surrounded by American towns. It could be said that if the Indians showed even the slightest sign of movement, they would face total annihilation.
Bettina smiled slightly and stated the primary purpose of his trip. "What if you could move your people to another place? For instance, to the west bank of the Mississippi River. If you did that, would you be able to fight the Americans without restraint?"
He immediately said with firm conviction, "No, the Miami people will never submit to any white man!"
The leaders of the other major tribes followed suit. "The Ottawa will not submit to white men either!"
"Nor will the Delaware..."
Bettina motioned for them to calm down. "You need not submit to anyone. As long as you do not violate the laws of Saint-Louisiane, no one will interfere with your lives.
"At least until you reclaim your ancestral lands in the Ohio and Indiana regions."
Little Turtle and the others looked at each other in surprise. A tall man with three scars on his face stepped forward and thumped his chest toward Bettina. "The Shawnee are willing to go there, but I want two hundred flintlock muskets. I will agree to any conditions."
"You must be Chief Blue Jacket?" Bettina asked. The Shawnee, led by Blue Jacket, were the only ones in the Northwest Confederacy who had refused to sign the Treaty of Greenville, but under the pressure of the American military, they had no choice but to retreat into the reservations.
The scarred man nodded. "Yes, that is me."
Bettina smiled. "How many warriors do you have?"
"Four hundred at most."
"Very well. Once the Shawnee begin their migration, you will receive four hundred of the finest flintlock muskets."
The Northwest Indian Confederacy was the Indian force that had resisted the Americans most resolutely in the past. They were experienced in combat and had over thirty thousand tribesmen, making them an Indian power that Joseph had to win over.
By moving their tribes to Saint-Louisiane, the Shawnee could continue to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Americans from the Ohio reservation.
At the same time, people like Little Turtle and Three Fires could be trained as officers. They had once defeated an equal number of American militiamen using primitive weapons, which showed their incredible talent for command. If they received formal military training, they would surely become a nightmare for the American army in the future.
Furthermore, although the Northwest tribes were not as Westernized as the Creek, they held great influence over the Iroquois Confederacy, the most advanced among the Indians. After the Iroquois were driven from the eastern coast to the Ohio region by the Americans, their population had dwindled to fewer than four thousand, forcing them to depend on the Northwest Confederacy for survival.
The Iroquois Confederacy had spent the longest time learning from the British and Americans. Whether it was planting cotton, raising cattle and horses, or even administrative management, they had reached at least eighty percent of the American level of proficiency.
Before they were driven from their lands, they had even established a parliament, forming the embryonic structure of a state.
If the Northwest Confederacy moved to Saint-Louisiane, the Iroquois Confederacy would certainly follow. They could provide significant assistance in the development of the Indian settlements.
Because their language and customs differed greatly from the Creek, no missionaries had been sent to these Indians previously. However, once they became neighbors with the Creek, they would surely accept the Indian Gospel quickly.
In fact, word of the "Alabama Miracle" had already reached them.
Blue Jacket placed his hand over his heart and bowed to Bettina. "The Shawnee will forever remember your help."
Little Turtle no longer hesitated and added, "The Miami are also willing to go to the west bank of the Mississippi."
"As are the Ottawa..."
"The Potawatomi are also willing to go..."
...
Upper Mississippi River.
Nebraska region.
Father Vigne heard the "Ululu" cries from ahead, interspersed with the sound of gunshots, and the fatigue in his body suddenly felt less heavy.
After more than half a month of trekking, he had finally found the settlement of the Sioux.
This tribe, the largest in the north-central part of the North American continent, had a population of nearly sixty thousand and made their living by herding horses and hunting bison.
Their territory used to border the British colony of Newfoundland to the north—which later became Canada—and extended east to the Great Lakes, where they met the Miami tribe.
But in recent years, under the constant encroachment of the British and Americans, they had retreated to the areas of Nebraska and South Dakota.
Coincidentally, these places all fell within the boundaries of the Saint-Louisiane colony.
Of course, Vigne had not come this time to declare sovereignty over the Sioux, but to preach.
In reality, although Nebraska was a plain, it was located in the famous "Tornado Alley." Summers often brought extreme heat, frequent thunderstorms, and hail, making the climate conditions terrible.
As a result, the Sioux had now completely abandoned farming, and their standard of living was steadily declining.
Father Vigne saw the Sioux hunting party from a distance. He first lowered his head and whispered "May the Lord forgive me" several times before stepping forward quickly. With a face full of piety, he said to the lead Sioux man, "Do you know of the prophecy and the 'Alabama Miracle'?"
By now, he no longer felt much psychological burden when speaking of this "unconventional" Bible.
In less than a month, the Sioux were filled with Indian-style Catholics everywhere.
The chief, Red Horse, also agreed to move to the middle reaches of the Mississippi River and abide by the laws of Saint-Louisiane.
They would receive twenty-five million acres of land, where the natural conditions were far better than those in Nebraska.
At the same time, other members of Vigne's missionary team were striking out in Minnesota, Kansas, and other places, leading a large number of small tribes to convert to Indian-style Catholicism.
More than half of them decided to go live on the west bank of the Mississippi.
By the end of 1796, more than 160,000 Indians had gathered in this area. With the help of the Governor's Mansion of Saint Louisiana, they built simple towns.
And even more Indians were still arriving in a steady stream.
Comments