**Chapter 70**
Conquering the Comanche (4)
When Potsnakwahiphu's band failed in their raid, it wasn't a problem for the entire tribe. In fact, they often mocked him.
"I never thought the situation would worsen to this point in just three months."
After their raids were blocked, their food supply rapidly deteriorated. It wasn't just his band.
"Chief, Mufi'tsuku'pu's (Mufitskupu) band also failed in their raid, and over 300 people died."
A warrior reported news from another band. This was becoming the norm these days.
"Did the Mexican Empire cavalry chase them again this time?"
"Yes, that's right. It's the same pattern."
The Comanche tribe mainly attacked east and south, towards Texas and Mexico. The settlements in California were clustered in the west, so they were too far away to be targeted often.
Mufi'tsuku'pu's band had unusually announced that they were heading towards California. And towards the northwest.
It was the first time they had gone that far. But they were stopped.
"...They've completely blocked us."
It seemed like the Mexicans were determined to completely seal off the Comanche tribe.
"How many troops did they bring?"
Puhiwi'kwasu'u felt fear at the power of the Mexican Empire. There were dozens of villages bordering their tribal territory.
They hadn't been able to break through a single one of those villages in the past three months.
Even villages that were too small to be considered raid targets in the past were now prepared for their raids, and their defense forces were sufficient.
They resisted with cannons, delaying them, and soon cavalry would appear.
Click-
Puhiwi'kwasu'u fiddled with the pistol they called "revolver."
Even in this situation where they were being hunted, their skilled warriors could retaliate, killing a few. The Mexicans recovered the bodies and weapons of their comrades, but luckily, he found one that had fallen to the ground.
Clank-
He spun the empty cylinder, remembering that the Mexican Empire cavalryman had fired all six shots before dying.
"How long can we hold out like this?"
He needed to find a way to break through. That was the role of the chief.
While he was pondering, the tribe became noisy.
"What's going on?"
"The warriors who were captured by the Mexican Empire guys are back!"
Many warriors had gone on raids, been trapped in the sealed villages, and couldn't escape. They had been relentless in their pursuit of revenge for past grievances.
Puhiwi'kwasu'u listened to their story.
"How did you escape?"
People were asking various questions out of curiosity. Where did they get the horses? Was the guard lax? And so on.
The returning warrior said,
"...We didn't escape. They released us."
Murmurs-
"They released you? Why? What about the others?"
"The others are still captured. ...And they released me to deliver a surrender offer."
The murmurs grew louder. Puhiwi'kwasu'u stepped forward, listening to the story.
"Tell me in detail."
"They said that if we surrender, they would only punish the warriors and allow the rest of us to live with land. They also promised that the warriors would be spared execution."
As he continued, the mood of the tribesmen became ominous. The released man felt the tension and added in a panic,
"I don't agree with this offer! I just relayed what they said because they asked me to tell them in detail!"
Puhiwi'kwasu'u didn't care about such explanations and asked what he was curious about.
"Did you confirm how many troops they have?"
Puhiwi'kwasu'u wanted to find out as much as possible about the Mexican situation, but he couldn't get any useful information.
The prisoner was simply locked up in a prison, told to relay a few words to someone who could speak Comanche, and then kicked out with a horse and a blanket.
"...There's nothing we can do. Go rest."
The tribesmen were very negative about the offer brought by the released warrior.
"They want us to live by farming?"
The Comanche tribe before horses and the Comanche tribe with horses had completely different ways of life.
They had become nomads, no longer farming or even gathering much, and now only raiding and hunting sustained the Comanche tribe.
They were accustomed to a life of taking what they gathered or farmed by force. Being told to live that way now was an insult.
"It's crazy. Raiding is a little harder, but they don't have a way to catch us."
The tribesmen were negative, but Puhiwi'kwasu'u thought differently.
"If we continue like this, there's no future."
But we can't win either. Should we surrender? Or should we leave for the American side?
It was a matter of the fate of his band.
A week passed while he couldn't make a decision.
A warrior from another band arrived.
"The Mexicans are gathering their army! They've confirmed that thousands of troops have assembled!"
"Thousands? We just need to avoid them."
A warrior who heard the news said that. Puhiwi'kwasu'u agreed.
"It's good for us if they come into our territory. They're getting cocky after blocking us a few times."
"Finally, we can show them what we're made of."
The warriors also spoke confidently. It was a strategy that always worked. Even an army made up entirely of cavalry couldn't catch the Comanche.
When the pursuit dragged on, their supplies would start to run out. That's when it began. They could target their supply lines, bypass them and raid undefended villages, or follow behind the exhausted ones.
It's something that the Mexican Empire, as well as the Texans and countless other tribes, including the Apache, have experienced firsthand.
As the tense atmosphere that had lasted for three months began to lift and the warriors smiled, the messenger said,
"This time, it might be different. The direction they're moving..."
The messenger trailed off.
It was unlike a Comanche warrior, who valued manliness above all else.
Puhiwi'kwasu'u pressed him, and the destination of the Mexican Empire guys was shocking.
"...I need to call a tribal council."
"Yes, I was about to suggest that."
The Comanche tribe, with a population of 40,000, is scattered across various bands.
A tribal council is only called when there's a matter of the tribe's fate, such as war.
"Let's leave immediately."
***
The extensive use of scouts and the integration of the electric telegraph system worked as I planned.
Quick information acquisition led to quick information transmission and quick troop movement.
"I should build a canned food factory soon."
There were drawbacks, but the raids themselves were successfully blocked. The movements of the Comanche cavalry were detected in real-time, villages in those directions were put on high alert, and troops were moved.
The cavalry continued reconnaissance, and when the target villages for raids were confirmed, they gathered nearby cavalry and attacked the Comanche cavalry.
"They must think our defense force is 50,000."
A major general said, looking at the operational status with me.
"If the Comanche guys had used all their forces to carry out simultaneous raids, they might have been caught."
Even with 10,000 troops, if they were divided into 30 villages, it's only 300 per village. With that number, it would have been difficult to stop the raids, and they might have realized the weaknesses of our strategy.
"They're not crazy enough to deploy their troops so recklessly. They don't have a unified command structure."
"That's true."
Many Comanche bands share information with each other, but a unified command structure doesn't form until a "war chief" is elected through a tribal council during a crisis.
"Their dependence on buffalo herds is probably deepening."
Regardless of whether it's the Old World or the New World, nomadic peoples' food supply is mainly obtained through hunting, raiding, livestock raising, and trade.
These proportions vary depending on the environment, climate, and available resources of their region. The Comanche tribe relied heavily on raiding and hunting, while livestock raising and trade were relatively weak.
This was because their defense against raids was relatively weak, so the spoils of raiding were abundant, and they had the natural element of buffalo herds.
"You're saying it's time to move to the next stage."
"Yes."
The reason for the decline of the Comanche tribe in the original history was not only military conflicts caused by the US's westward expansion policy but also the severe decline in the buffalo population.
Americans moved west and hunted buffalo indiscriminately, resulting in their near extinction.
The Comanche tribe no longer had the strength to obtain food through raiding, so the decline in the buffalo population meant their doom.
"We don't need to kill all the buffalo like the Americans. Just controlling the area around them will cause them to die out."
This is the Comanche tribe's weakness.
Buffalo herds tend to move in large groups, so there's no need to control a vast territory.
"Gather the cavalry."
"Yes, Your Highness."
A week later.
A total of 7,000 cavalry assembled, including 5,000 from the central army, as well as cavalry from the local armies of California, Chihuahua, and Texas.
We left behind 1,000 cavalry for infantry, artillery, and reconnaissance. The Comanche tribe might try to raid by flanking.
"March!"
"March!"
The departure of the 7,000 assembled cavalry raised a huge cloud of dust.
"Your Highness, I'll chase away the scouts appropriately."
"Do so."
As we entered the Comanche tribe's territory, the frequency of enemy scouts appearing increased.
The Comanche scouts, who were filled with terror and fear, fled when some of our cavalry charged towards them.
As we were watching, the news we were waiting for arrived.
"Your Highness! We've confirmed the location of the buffalo herd. It's about 60 miles from here... No, about 95 kilometers."
"I see. Let's head that way."
As we approached the location of the buffalo herd, we could feel the ground trembling.
Thump-thump-thump-
Everyone's gaze was fixed on the sound coming from afar.
A huge buffalo herd was moving leisurely across the vast plains, and its majestic size overwhelmed everyone.
Our eyes were captivated by the awe-inspiring sight, but I noticed something new.
"There's a group of Comanche tribesmen hunting buffalo over there."
"We'll take care of them."
"Yes. This buffalo herd is ours now."
The Comanche tribe, having lost both raiding and buffalo, had only one option left.