"It seems these natives truly have no intention of immediately going to war. This deerskin should be a sign of friendship, but not of submission." Patrick said, estimating.
"Then what should we do?" Charles asked.
"Now is the time to send someone out to talk to them," Patrick replied immediately.
"Send someone out? Won't they ambush us when we open the gate?"
"They definitely won't! Actually, it would be better if they ambushed us. We have plenty of firearms and cannons. If they really dared to attack, we could certainly kill them all beneath the palisade," Patrick confidently replied.
"Then quickly send someone!" Charles nodded and made the decision.
As soon as he said this, Patrick and Antoine immediately fell silent.
Although there shouldn't be much danger in negotiating with the natives at this time, Antoine, as the military commander, certainly couldn't go. Patrick, as the mayor, naturally didn't want to step forward at this moment either. The best candidate in both their minds was Charles, the de facto supreme leader of Pittsburgh.
As soon as the two fell silent, Charles immediately understood their meaning.
He couldn't help but smile wryly. He was a very timid person and would certainly not do anything dangerous. Moreover, Charles had read some modern articles describing the American westward expansion, where the methods of retaliation between Americans and natives included not only dismembering bodies but also countless brutal tortures such as scalping people alive. It was absolutely impossible for him to go at this time.
"Patrick, you should still go and negotiate. From the natives' attire, they don't look like savages who haven't had contact with the outside world. There should indeed be room for discussion," Charles said in a low voice.
If this matter was handled well, it would naturally be a great achievement, but he dared not go, so he would let Patrick have this opportunity. Anyway, he already had plans to be a supreme overlord, and in this small plot of Pittsburgh, no matter how much prestige Patrick had, he would still have to act according to his wishes.
Upon hearing Charles' voice, Patrick was immediately startled and his face changed. He opened his mouth, wanting to refuse, but was too embarrassed to say that he dared not go in front of so many people.
"Antoine, send two young, brave militiamen who understand the native language to protect Mayor Patrick. This is a matter of honor for our town of Pittsburgh. If it succeeds, it will naturally benefit everyone in our town," Charles added loudly.
Hearing this, Patrick had no reason to refuse.
He forced a smile and said, "Everyone, rest assured, those natives should not be deliberately trying to trick us into coming out. This time, there must be some misunderstanding. I'll go out and clarify it, and everything will be fine. If they really intend to attack our town, then we will teach them a good lesson and let the natives know our power!"
"Hoo-oh…" The militiamen and nearby townspeople applauded and cheered.
In fact, no one wanted war, especially now when everyone had work and a comfortable life.
Patrick quickly got ready with the two young and brave militiamen. After gently kissing his wife goodbye and tipping his hat to the crowd behind him, Patrick resolutely spurred his horse and galloped towards the natives.
Charles watched from behind, somewhat impressed. This Patrick was indeed a capable talent, but it was a pity he wasn't his person. However, based on his brave performance today, as long as he didn't infringe upon his interests, he wouldn't actively oppose him in the future.
Exhaling softly, Charles began to watch Patrick negotiate with the natives from a distance.
This Patrick was actually quite cunning. He didn't ride directly to the native troops but stopped his horse between the town and the natives, waving to them, signaling them to come over for negotiations. His current position was chosen to be slightly out of range of the town's musketeers, yet just within the range of the town's cannons, which was a relatively safe distance that wouldn't easily cause the natives concern.
Those natives whispered among themselves for a while, and then a native wearing a feathered headdress and two native warriors covered in patterns rode over, leaving another feathered headdress native to continue leading the group.
After the two sides met at close range, there was a period of gesturing and arguing. Just as Charles and Antoine were getting a little nervous, the two sides gradually began to calm down, and one translator from each side began normal discussions.
It took as long as a formal Western meal for the negotiations to conclude. Afterward, both sides turned their horses and began to ride back to their respective sides.
Before the three of them reached the town gate, Charles had already ordered the gate to be opened and personally went to greet them.
"Welcome back safely, Patrick! You are the bravest hero of our Pittsburgh!"
"Thank you for your welcome, Charles!" Patrick unashamedly wiped the sweat from his forehead, then let out a long breath and said, "Fortunately, those natives really had no intention of attacking us."
"No intention of attacking us? Then why did they assume an attacking posture?" Antoine immediately interjected.
"Because of our town's attacking posture! If we hadn't been fortified, they were originally planning to enter the town directly to trade. But now they no longer dare to enter, fearing that we harbor ill intentions towards them and would kill them if they came in," Patrick said with a deliberate smile towards Antoine.
Antoine, as the commander, was to blame for this misunderstanding.
"But I still can't believe why so many people would suddenly come over for no reason. Even if it's for trade, only a few people need to come. They don't dare to come in now, and I don't dare to let them in either!" Antoine defended himself slightly for his dignity.
"Forget it. Since they are friendly, let's still trade with them. It's a business no matter what," Charles said with a smile, trying to smooth things over. "But Patrick, do you know what's going on with them? Why are they migrating as a whole tribe? They're not planning to settle down in our Pittsburgh, are they?"
"Haha! That's because they had a conflict with their own tribe," Patrick chuckled. "They are the Oneida and Tuscarora tribes, two of the six Iroquois tribes. Not long ago, some British came to the Iroquois, wanting to unite them to attack us.
The other four tribes were tempted by British money and land and agreed, but these two tribes stated that they should not participate in the fight between our Colonies and the British. As a result, they fell out, and they had to move away from the Great Lakes region, preparing to migrate to the uninhabited primeval forests in the northeast.
Because the journey is long and they must pass through the Ohio River, they came to Pittsburgh hoping to get our help. As for the reward, it's naturally intelligence on the other four Iroquois tribes." (There are also records stating that five tribes were anti-American, with only the Oneida not siding with the British army.)
At this, Charles and the people around him nodded in understanding. The natives were notoriously disunited, and before every major war, there would almost always be a war faction and a surrender faction. This time, Pittsburgh was lucky enough to encounter the surrender faction first.
Actually, once some things become clear, there are always clues. Firstly, although the natives were brave, it was unlikely they would bring women and children to war. Secondly, their speed was too slow; in a real war, speed is paramount, so how could they be a day slower than normal?
Charles and the others immediately treated the natives as enemies because they initially heard that the scouting natives were hostile. Conversely, the ordinary residents, who initially thought war was unlikely, immediately realized that this was a friendly group.
"Good!" Charles and Antoine both smiled.
It was good that they weren't coming to attack. As for the possibility of the other four tribes attacking, since they knew the news in advance, there was no need to worry too much. Their goodwill towards these two native tribes who were willing to help increased greatly. Charles even promised that during the trade, he could personally meet the two "enlightened" native chiefs.
When the Europeans first landed, the natives' first reaction was that these white-skinned people must have come from the sky. Then, they thought, "Okay, we can ally with these people to deal with our enemies."
Thus, under the eager invitations of the native tribes, the Europeans easily defeated them one by one, establishing a foothold on the East Coast of America. At the same time, the disunity of the natives led to another result: information was blocked between tribes.
Often, when one tribe was defeated, a nearby tribe would be completely unaware of their neighbors' fate and the character of their new white neighbors. They would still be overjoyed to see white people, still offer terms, and invite the white people to attack even more distant natives.
The Europeans were like a virus without immunity, wantonly devouring one native cell after another. Only a few wise tribes, such as the six Iroquois tribes, formed alliances within the native community and did not actively provoke trouble, thus escaping this moth-to-a-flame game and having the fortune to become one of the protagonists of the later red and white massacre. This time, however, they clearly did not take concerted action.