Chapter 1235: Divine Miracle
Napoleon listened to the Native American's heavily accented French as he followed him around a stream between two small hills.
As he turned, the view ahead opened up dramatically, revealing a small town nestled in the middle of a vast plain.
In truth, this "town" was little more than a haphazard perimeter of wooden palisades, enclosing a sprawl of ramshackle wooden huts and even a few thatched shacks.
Still, Napoleon's gaze immediately fell upon a towering bell tower, crowned with a Cross—clearly a church.
On his journey here, he had heard that most Native Americans, upon arriving in Saint-Louisiane, had converted to Catholicism.
This was hardly unusual; Spanish missionaries had also garnered many adherents in the past, though none had achieved the success of Father Vigne.
Napoleon gestured towards the church, asking Rocal with a hint of mockery, "Do you truly believe in God's existence? Or is it simply that by putting on a show at church, the priests will provide you with technology and weapons...?"
He was no devout believer; in his eyes, the Church had always been merely a tool.
To his surprise, the Native American Patrol Team members abruptly reined in their horses, glaring at him with hostile expressions, as if poised to draw their weapons.
"If you question our faith, it will be considered a grave insult."
Napoleon hadn't anticipated such a strong reaction. He quickly waved a dismissive hand. "No, you've misunderstood. I have always considered you the most devout Christians."
He swallowed his pride and explained himself at length to the natives before Rocal and the others finally relaxed.
Napoleon then asked, his curiosity piqued, "The 'divine miracle' you mentioned earlier, does it refer to something like Mass?"
"No, that was God revealing a true divine miracle," Carol replied, a holy light seeming to gleam in his eyes as he spoke. "Every Cherokee, Creek, and Iroquois person lives peacefully in this world, free from evil, only because of the Lord's blessing.
"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
The other Native Americans immediately followed suit, making the sign of the Cross and murmuring, "Amen."
Napoleon felt a pang of bewilderment. These natives seemed a hundred times more devout than any Europeans he knew.
His curiosity grew. "Could you tell me what kind of divine miracle it was?"
"Of course. Everyone has a duty to spread God's gospel." Carol pulled down his sleeve, revealing a scar on his upper arm. "Look, it's this."
Napoleon blinked. "What is that?"
He had been exiled quite early, before the French medical authorities had fully developed Cowpox vaccination technology. Though he had read about it in newspapers, he had never seen it in person.
"It's God's blessing, naturally," Carol stated matter-of-factly. "It keeps people safe from Beelzebub's curse."
Beelzebub was, in Catholic lore, the demon believed to spread plagues.
Napoleon asked cautiously, "Is it... effective?"
"Of course!" Carol's voice turned several shades colder, clearly displeased with this white man's skepticism toward a divine miracle. "Smallpox can no longer harm those who have received the blessing.
"The Cherokee tribe hasn't seen smallpox in a long time. In fact, even cholera and other fevers have significantly decreased."
Indeed, Cowpox wouldn't prevent cholera or similar illnesses. However, at the insistence of Father Vigne and other missionaries, the tribes had ceased drinking untreated water from the wilderness. They had also learned simple preventative measures, such as isolating the sick and properly burying waste.
These measures significantly reduced the incidence of disease outbreaks among the Native American tribes—all of which was attributed to the "divine miracle."
Hearing "smallpox," Napoleon immediately recalled. He pointed to the scar on Carol's arm. "Cowpox vaccination?"
Carol, clearly unfamiliar with the term, patiently inquired, "Have you not received the blessing? Are you not a believer?"
"Oh, no, of course I am," Napoleon quickly assured him.
"Then it's fine. You can go to the Grand Cathedral in Opelousas during the first three days of each month to pray there. If Deacon Long Flame deems you devout enough, you may receive God's blessing."
Napoleon was a clever man; he understood immediately upon hearing this.
So Father Vigne was using this method to spread the faith. No wonder the Native Americans were so devout.
In fact, once Cowpox vaccination technology matured, Father Vigne immediately sought to introduce it to North America. Smallpox was the primary killer of Native Americans; each major outbreak could see mortality rates exceed 60%, severely curbing the population growth of Native American tribes.
After Joseph received his application, he recalled Father Vigne mentioning last year that many Native Americans, despite converting to a "modified" version of Catholicism, were merely going through the motions. They wouldn't attend Mass, for instance, or even bother to pray.
"The Indian Gospel" was intended as a core means to unify the various Native American tribes, and such superficial adherence wouldn't meet Joseph's objectives.
Thus, Joseph conceived the idea of linking Cowpox vaccination to divine miracles.
The results were nothing short of astonishing.
After North America's most recent smallpox epidemic, the Native Americans who had received "God's blessing" scarcely knew an outbreak had occurred, had they not witnessed countless tribesmen succumb to the disease in the western and northern territories.
Their casualties were virtually zero!
This curse, which had tormented all Native Americans for centuries, was suddenly vanquished. What could it be but a divine miracle?!
Both the Creek and Cherokee tribes instantly plunged into a fervor of Catholicism.
Thereafter, the churches bustled daily, Masses were overflowing, and religious festivals were celebrated with even greater grandeur.
Father Vigne and the other missionaries became the most revered "prophets" among the Native Americans, their words carrying even more weight than those of the tribal chiefs.
Once the news spread, even distant Native American tribes like the Comanche and Navajo, residing near the Rocky Mountains, willingly trekked thousands of kilometers to the Mississippi River region to convert to Catholicism.
Of course, to enter the towns of the French colony, they first had to swear allegiance to the laws of Saint-Louisiane.
Faced with a choice between life and death, no one would refuse.
Thus, nearly all tribes east of the Rocky Mountains automatically integrated into the Saint-Louisiane system, or at the very least, declared their full cooperation with the colonial government.
As Napoleon conversed with Carol, they entered the palisade surrounding Guasita Town.
Along the rammed-earth streets, several vendors loudly hawked pumpkins and beef in their native tongues.
In front of the surrounding log cabins, Native American women, busy drying meat, conversed softly, their eyes darting towards the approaching group of white men.
Carol, having learned Napoleon was here to recruit soldiers, personally led him toward the chief's dwelling. "It's just ahead," he said, "the largest house there."
He had barely finished speaking when, from the swirling dust in the distance, a round ball wrapped in deerskin suddenly whizzed through the air, striking Napoleon squarely on the shoulder.
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