Aztec Eternals

Changfeng is strong, blowing the yellow flag. The big river is surging, reflecting the beast-shaped helmet. Shulot was wearing brightly patterned leather armor, a terrifyingly shaped beast helmet, and a three-meter-tall command flag on his back. Thousands of dazzling feathers flutter on the canopy of the flag, conspicuously announcing the position of the Supreme Commander.

Surrounded by everyone, Xiulot stood majestically at the bow of the ship, looking around like a tiger. The command flag was high and heavy, and he was trying his best to fight against the strong wind, keeping his body stable. And when he carried the commander's banner, all distracting thoughts were dispelled, leaving only the strong will and cold determination as the supreme commander.

On the south bank of the great river, black smoke rose continuously, and along with the running messengers, the news of the appearance of the Mexica army was spread to all directions. The Mexica fleet went smoothly, but Tarasco's messengers were far behind the speed of the army. As far as Sholot could see, the farmers of Akanbaro State on the south bank were still farming among the hills. They lowered their heads to clear the fields, sowed the seeds, then raised their heads, looking at the huge fleet on the river in astonishment and shock.

In the mountains and forests, the blue smoke of burning weeds and trees also rises, mixing with the tense black smoke, and changing mysterious patterns in the sky together. Further south, under the pattern, are several Tarasco stone fortresses, and many wooden camps. Forts and camps echo each other to form a complete line of defense.

"The northern coast is far away from the alliance, and the Tarascos are busy with spring plowing, and their military preparations are not sufficient. There are about a few days for the advance army to gain a foothold."

Xiuluo nodded, thinking to himself.

His initial plan was to go to Hirotepec and meet with the Northern Commander Othelor to discuss the loan of Otomi warriors and the recruitment of Chichimek dog descendants. However, the messenger reported back that General Othelor had just returned from collecting grain from Vasthek, and after appointing the person in charge of spring plowing, he hurriedly led his army to the northernmost border. He has sent troops to wipe out the Chichimecs for at least two months.

Since he couldn't see him for the time being, Xiulot sent an envoy to discuss the recruitment of dog descendants, and then led the army directly to the west. Regardless of whether General Ocelor deliberately avoids it, as long as the Northern Route Army gains enough strategic advantage, the attitudes of the lords everywhere will change.

Shulot looked to the north, and his eyes stayed on the long grass by the river, where there were faintly raised mounds. This is the battlefield of the Battle of the Leman River, and after going northward through the mountains and forests for one or two hundred miles, there is the extremely strong Ottopan Mountain City. And tens of miles to the west, it is the estuary to Lake Queteo, and the estuary fortress that controls this main road.

Shulot looked around, and the wooden castle in the mountains was clearly visible. The wooden castle was built under the supervision of Avit and himself. The scale, layout and shape of the building are all clear, and it is the first foothold selected.

The flag of the Kingdom of Tarasco was fluttering on the wooden castle, and the flag had the marks of the sun, the earth, and the moon at the same time. Outside the wooden fort, one can vaguely see the craftsmen who hastily retreated in, and piles of masonry and wood. Apparently, the Tarascos are reinforcing this place.

"Soldiers are expensive, and you must obtain a solid stronghold before the Tarasco navy gathers."

Xiulot made a decision. He ordered loudly, and the mighty fleet approached the north bank. The draft of the canoe is very shallow, and it can be close to the river beach. Thousands of warriors jumped directly on the river beach, carrying longbows and sticks on their backs, and headed for the bank in a turbulent manner.

Soon, the wooden castle not far away opened the gate again, and a small group of twenty Tarasco warriors rushed out. They came to a nearby hill, carefully keeping fifty meters away from the landing army. Then, they waved the bronze spears and shields in their hands, and shouted loudly at the flag of the Mexica commander.

Shulot on the big boat listened attentively. The Tarasco language is only partially related to the Mexica. He faintly heard "Leave!.God bless Preepecha!.Mighty war!"

The young commander smiled lightly. He ordered in a low voice, and the commander's flag waved forward. Hundreds of Mexica warriors landed, armed with batons, and rushed towards the hill fiercely. The Tarasco warriors took a brief look, then turned around and ran towards the mountain camp.

Bertard asked in a low voice.

"Your Highness, do you want to shoot?"

Shulot shook his head.

"There's no rush for now."

While speaking, a jaguar warrior was running at the forefront of the pursuit. As he ran bent over, he took the spear from his back and held it high. Then, he accelerated and approached sharply, and made another hard throw. A sharp throwing spear flew out suddenly, with a "buzzing" sound, and shot at the Tarasco warrior more than ten meters away.

The fast-moving target was really hard to hit, and the spear grazed the leather cap of the young warrior at the end, and then plunged into the soil with a puff. The samurai at the end blinked, subconsciously dodging the imaginary attack behind him. His steps faltered, and he fell to the ground with a thud. When he was trying to get up, his back suddenly hurt, and then he was hit hard on the head. While dizzy, a pair of thick hands grabbed his neck.

Two sticks subdued the Tarasco warrior in front, and the jaguar warrior laughed loudly. He leaned against the prisoner's back with one knee, and pinched his neck hard. The prisoner was like a dehydrated fish, thumping desperately a few times before collapsing with his eyes turning white. Only then did the jaguar warrior let go, and took off the captive's weapon and cotton armor in twos and threes to ensure that the other party was not a threat. Then he took out the rope that he carried with him, tied the captive's hands tightly, and let the prisoner gasp for breath. After skillfully tying him up, he slapped him awake with two backhand palms, pointed at the river bank with his big finger, and nodded fearfully at the convenient eyes.

The strong jaguar warrior smiled with satisfaction, and just like that, he released and dragged the spoils, and headed for the command flag.

The chasing Mexica warriors came all the way to the wooden fort, facing the rain of stones and arrows that had been prepared for a long time. The Tarascos stood on the three-meter-high wall and shot at the Mexica warriors. At a distance of a hundred steps, the Tlaxcala bows in their hands could not break the warrior's cotton armor. The Mexica warriors deliberately slowed down, waiting for the gate to open, looking for an opportunity to seize the gate.

The fleeing Tarasco team bypassed the main entrance. They stuck to the wall of the village, and under the protection of archers and slingshot militiamen, they walked all the way to the rear until they came to the half-open side door, where they quickly retreated into the camp. The Mexica warriors were scruples about the shooting at the wall, and they couldn't catch up, so they had to return angrily.

A few moments later, three samurai battalions landed one after another. Xiulot waved the command flag again, and the three warrior battalions were neatly deployed on the river bank, ready for battle. The scouts spread out in all directions, exploring the nearby forests. The landing of the army was orderly, and it was not until the six warrior battalions landed that Shulot moved the banner and led the guards to land on the north bank. Four thousand warriors and thousands of sailors were left in the navy, on standby.

The first batch of scouts had returned and reported that no ambush was found within a dozen miles. The forward jaguar warrior also reported the information obtained from the interrogation just now.

"According to the report of the captives, the spring plowing has come, and manpower is insufficient. Each of the five nearby wooden fort camps has only two hundred Tarasco warriors, one thousand militiamen, and nearly a thousand civilian men who have built them."

Shulot nodded slightly. He waved the flag again, and the attack drums sounded. The six warrior battalions gradually spread out according to the directions pointed by the command flags, enclosing three sides of the wooden fort. The central army is the Guards Longbow Battalion, Temple Guard and Jaguar Battalion, and there is a Longbow Warrior Battalion and Stick Shield Warrior Battalion on the left and right flanks.

Not long after, the battalions were deployed in place. Shulot observed the three-meter-high wall, the outer wooden fence, and some walls covered with bricks, thinking secretly. While ordering the craftsmen to build wooden ladders, he summoned Berthard and ordered in a low voice. The warrior leader bowed his head and saluted, and left with hundreds of warriors with longbows.

Soon, the captured Tarascos were guarded by two Mexica warriors with shields. They tremblingly came to the camp and surrendered loudly in the Tarasco dialect.

". Thirty thousand Mexica troops have arrived. The Tarasco Legion couldn't save them. The villages on the south bank were burned and returned quickly. The militia bypassed their lives and sent them back to their hometown."

Following the announcement of the persuasion to surrender, there was a wave of people's hearts shaking on the walls of the village, and there were many discussions. The Tarasco warriors and militiamen looked at the endless Mexica warriors under the wooden castle and the huge fleet on the Leman River, and no longer doubted the scale of the invading army. In the spring plowing season, when mobilization is difficult, and with a war of this scale, there is absolutely no possibility of surviving the isolated camps in the north.

While the defenders were in turmoil, a warrior carrying the banner of the battalion commander climbed onto the wall of the village. He waited and watched the size of the enemy, and the will to die suddenly appeared on his face. Afterwards, he yelled loudly, waved the copper spear, and seemed to be promising something, and the wall gradually calmed down.

Berthard confirmed his identity and waved suddenly. One hundred and twenty paces away, hundreds of longbow warriors took arrows at the same time, and then there was a scream of "咻, 咻, 咻", and the continuous arrows just pierced through the air.

The rain of arrows hit in no time, and the leader carrying the flag could not avoid it, with a look of extreme pain on his face. His movements froze for an instant, and then he staggered and fell sideways. Blood gushed out like a fountain, and his body was covered with arrows. The surrounding soldiers also fell down suddenly, and the warriors and militiamen in the camp were panic-stricken. They fell to the ground one after another, avoiding the sharp arrows shot from such a long distance.

Xiulot continued to wave the flag, and the instruction was to shoot accurately and aim freely. The Longbow Warrior Battalion on the right then stepped forward and dispersed. These elite longbow warriors fired continuously, and gradually approached to stand still within sixty steps, then aimed at the archers and militiamen heading towards the city, and shot them at fixed points.

The warriors and militiamen at the top of the city tried to throw stones and shoot arrows, but they couldn't break the cotton armor and rattan helmets of the longbow warriors. Berthard took aim with his own arrow, paused for a while, and raised his hand to shoot an arrow. A Tarasco warrior who was shooting at each other covered his throat, the single bow in his hand fell, turned over and fell over the wall. Without pausing, the samurai commander shot at another samurai guarding the fort.

The shooting lasted for a few quarters of an hour before it turned into a one-sided massacre. Only a dozen of the Mexica warriors were injured, and hundreds of people in the camp had died. Under the long-range advantage of the longbow warriors, more than a thousand defenders crouched on the wall of the village, unable to fight back, and their morale plummeted.

Shulot watched the battle calmly. He continued to wait for three or four quarters of an hour, until more than a dozen simple three-meter wooden ladders were ready, and then he waved the battle flag again and ordered the stick-shield warriors on the left to prepare. These wooden ladders can be built so quickly, thanks to the wood piled up outside the wooden castle.

Afterwards, the longbow warrior approached thirty steps away, aiming and firing arrows from time to time, suppressing the city. After a while, the low sound of war drums sounded, accompanied by the battle flag pointing forward. Five hundred Mexica warriors obeyed the order and trotted towards the outermost wooden fence of the wooden castle, smashing and destroying it.

Seeing that the Mexica began to destroy the first layer of barriers, the commander of the temporary wooden fort shouted loudly, and the archers and slingers on the wall began to shoot sporadically. At this distance of less than thirty steps, the Tlaxcala bow is enough to pose a threat to the life of a warrior. More than a dozen Mexica warriors fell to the ground one after another, life and death unknown.

A thousand longbow warriors once again hunted at close range, and the Tarascos who probed were scattered like fallen leaves, and soon there was no sound. The interim commander was in a hurry. He leaned forward to shoot himself, shouted loudly, and then got his wish, was shot into a hedgehog, and went to the kingdom of the dead of the moon goddess Haratana.

Seeing that the wooden fence was broken, Xiulot waved the flag again. The sound of war drums suddenly rose rapidly, resounding through the heavens and the earth.

Balda personally led five hundred warriors to ascend first. Wearing double armor, wearing a beast helmet, and holding the bronze battle ax rewarded by His Royal Highness, he rushed to the forefront of the siege team. Half a quarter of an hour later, the first wooden ladder climbed up the wall, and Barda was the first to climb up. In just a few breaths, he climbed onto the wall, roared, and swung his tomahawk fiercely, beheading the nearby Tarascos to death. Behind him, there are more and more Mexica warriors.

Under the support of the longbowman, more than a dozen wooden ladders were successively put up on the wall of the village, and the Mexica warriors climbed up. When more than two hundred warriors surged up, the camp was declared to have changed hands. The Tarascos resisted powerlessly for a moment at last. Seeing that the general situation was over, they dropped their weapons and surrendered one after another.

Seeing the fall of the wooden castle, Xiu Luote looked calm. But in one day, the foothold is easily taken. This victory is only the first insignificant step in the Western Expedition. The young commander waited for a while until the gate of the village was opened, and Barda returned to report. Only then did he smile and praised the brave eagle warrior.

Shulot moved the central army, and the commander's banner entered the wooden castle. The warriors completely controlled the inside and outside of the wooden castle, and the prisoners were escorted out. The young commander took a quick look and found that there were about 1,500 prisoners. More than half of the two hundred Tarasco warriors were killed, mostly from accurate point-blank shooting. Hundreds of militiamen on the wall also died in battle, while the civilian men hiding under the wall suffered little casualties.

The young commander ordered in a deep voice.

"Check the situation of the captives. Those who are seriously injured and cannot move will be sacrificed. Those who are slightly injured can be used as labor to repair the camp and strengthen the city defense. Torture the information on the surrounding warriors. Those who are willing to surrender will be converted, and those who will not surrender will be executed!"

The priests obeyed and built the altar. The blazing holy fire burned, and the sacrifice and conversion took place simultaneously. Mysterious and solemn chants echoed in the wooden castle, accompanied by the awe-inspiring blue flames of the Tarascos. The priests wore feather crowns and robes, ruthlessly waved the sacrificial obsidian daggers, and reverently praised the name of Vitzilopochtli, introducing the faith of the Lord God to the kingdom of the Tarascos for the first time.

Xiulot did not preside over this small sacrificial ceremony. He sat high in the largest wooden house, analyzed the information he got from the captives, listened to the replies from the scouts after the exploration, and decided the next step of the advance army.

The next day, the Mexica army divided into two groups and besieged two nearby wooden forts. Marched for one day, besieged for one day, broke through the stronghold in two days, killed 300 Tarasco warriors, and captured nearly 3,000 militiamen and civilians.

The Leman River gallops westward, dividing the north and south naturally. Facing the sudden arrival of the Mexica army, the Tarascos finally began to mobilize their forces. The remaining two wooden forts on the north bank were abandoned, and the Tarasco warriors were the first to evacuate, losing hundreds in pursuit of the Mexica vanguard. The remaining militiamen and civilians fled in all directions, and at least 2,000 surrendered.

The fighting on the north bank has temporarily stopped. The Kingdom of Tarasco lost five wooden forts built by the Mexica, lost seven hundred noble warriors, and nearly ten thousand weed-like militiamen. The Mexica advance army established a solid stronghold on the north bank. The alliance's army only suffered hundreds of casualties and consumed tens of thousands of arrows, but there were 8,000 more captives who had just converted.

As the battle situation became clear, the Tarascos began to mobilize on the south bank. They recruited samurai militia, filled the fortress, assembled the navy boats, and sent scout boats northward to fight sporadically with the Mexica fleet patrolling the Leman River. In the farther north, the scouts of the Otomi loomed in the mountains and forests, secretly watching the battle situation by the river.

The fighting in the hot field has come to an end, and the dark clouds in the east have arrived. A real war is brewing like the first rains of the rainy season.

There was some issue with the internet at home and it took two hours to reconnect. This chapter is from yesterday. Thank you all again for your advice these two days. best wishes~