Aztec Eternals

After most of May, the moist east wind blows from the distant great lake, warming the fertile land by the Leman River. A drizzle of rain fell from the overcast sky, soaking the corn-seed fields. This is the season for farmers to cultivate. The spring breeze blows warm, the drizzle is like oil, and everything you look at is full of green vitality.

In the field on the south bank of the river, a corn has sprouted thin shoots. The one-inch sprouts separate the two small leaves, and the slender stems are erected, stretching towards the hopeful sky.

A pair of bare feet full of calluses ran past in fear, and with a panic cry, they stepped the young sprouts into the dust and mud, and the growth of a season ended at this moment. Then, more pairs of bare feet panicked and fled. They stepped on the fields they had cultivated with their own hands, and with feeble cries and howls, they fled to the south full of fear.

After a while, countless pairs of straw sandals ran over the sprouting field again with vigorous steps. The low-hanging baton grazed the grass beside the road and across the land that was beginning to go barren. According to His Highness's order, the figure of straw sandals was not in a hurry to chase, nor did he kill needlessly. They just kept driving away farmers, setting fire to gathered villages, and creating wave after wave of fleeing people.

The figure of straw sandals went all the way south. It wasn't until the fortress of Qingshi was vaguely visible, the warriors with copper spears knocked on the shields on the wooden stronghold, and the sound of the conch horn sounded in the southern wilderness, the Mexica warriors retreated slowly and orderly amidst the enemies' shouts and curses.

On the big boat in the Leman River, Xiulot carried the commander's flag on his back and looked towards the south calmly.

Around him, 300 large boats lined up one after another, like beasts lined up, showing the Tarasco's huge strength, inviting the decisive battle between the two sailors. Thousands of small boats were divided into two parts. Half of them are patrolling and swimming at the outer end, like a flexible school of fish, constantly scouting and patrolling. The other half was full of warriors, shuttled back and forth constantly, mobilizing the north and south troops.

"Sow corn and beans in May, sow pumpkins in June, take a break in July, and harvest in August and October. The alliance provoked war at this time, dispatched unproductive direct warriors, and invaded the enemy's agricultural areas. The enemy's troops were insufficient. If it is difficult to defend, spring plowing must be abandoned and warriors and militias re-mobilized. This is Renhe, giving full play to the alliance's manpower advantage."

Shulot thought calmly, life began to become a simple number, and all actions were executed for victory. He watched the Tarasco camp, waiting for the reaction of the enemy commander.

Not long after gaining a foothold on the north bank, the Mexica advance army moved out in a big way, and the momentum was overwhelming. Although the advance army made the appearance of a large-scale invasion, in fact, only 2,000 warriors from the western city-states crossed the south and invaded. These warriors scattered into squads of hundreds of people and harassed the land of Akan Barobang everywhere. They burned down the settlements on the south bank of the great river, and drove the peasants of Tarasco south to the enemy's camp a dozen miles away.

Their mission is to sabotage, to test, and to lure: to destroy the enemy's spring plowing this year, to test the current situation of the enemy's mobilization, and to lure the enemy's warriors to attack.

Shulot's gaze stayed on the southern river bank, showing a confident smile.

At the beach on the south bank of the great river, five hundred jaguar warriors and one thousand temple guards waited leisurely. These elite warbands have a relaxed demeanor, are well-armed, and have undeniable combat prowess. At this time, they sat cross-legged on the ground to rest, ready to launch a surprise attack on the large group of enemies at any time.

On the big river, Shulot's fleet was fully loaded with the real main force, waiting in awe. The most elite 3,000 samurai longbows are strung, the quiver is slung across the body, and the fingers are worn tightly. They sat on the boat, consolidating their strength, ready to rain arrows on the enemy at any time, no matter the enemy came from the water or the shore. On the huge boat, there were an additional 2,000 stick shield warriors for possible boarding battles.

There are more than ten oarsmen in each big boat, and two or three people in a small boat. There are a total of 8,000 sailors and militiamen of the Mexica boat division, all of which are in a state of readiness.

Shulot raised his head to look at the sky, and wisps of drizzle slid past softly, creating circles of ripples on the water. The first rain has been falling for three days, from the first sporadic drops to the current silk rain like threads, it seems that it is about to rain heavily.

The young commander was expressionless, concentrating on his thoughts.

This was the last time the Mexica advance army lured the enemy, and it was also the last invitation for the navy to fight. All the 8,000 warriors of the main force were dispatched, and only 1,000 city-states and 1,000 directly subordinate warriors were left in the wooden castle on the north bank, guarding 8,000 captives scatteredly. Under the raincloth covering the big boat were bundles of rockets, and the longbow warriors re-stringed their bows.

If the Navy of the Tarascos goes to battle, the Mexica Navy will give them an unforgettable "surprise", and thus establish an absolute advantage on the Leman River.

Shulot looked to the southwest estuary again. The tall estuary fortress was in the distance, but there were only scattered Tarasco boats on the water. These small boats were probing far away, passing through the fort from time to time, reporting back on the military situation. The main force of Tarasco's navy is hidden in Lake Queteo, and under the strict protection of the estuary fortress, it is not known whether the assembly has been completed.

"If the rain intensifies again in a few days, the rainy season will really come. At that time, gunpowder weapons will no longer be usable, and the power of the longbow will be greatly weakened. Under the weather, the Mexica navy will lose its absolute long-range If there is no advantage, it is no longer a good opportunity for a big war.”

When Shulot was thinking about the weather of the war, he suddenly heard the scout's report.

"Your Highness, a large group of enemies has appeared ten miles to the southeast, at least five thousand in number!"

Hearing this, Xiu Luote boarded the high platform of the big boat and looked far to the southeast. Ten miles is almost the limit distance for sight on flat ground, and several groups of small dots are faintly fleeing in the southeast. And after the small dots, there are a large group of black dots, and the flying birds are startled by the black dots.

Shulot was taken aback for a moment, and then his face showed joy. He glanced at the scattered enemy ships on the southwest river again, and there was no call from any navy. After a little thought, the young commander ordered two thousand stick shield warriors to land, and the elite battle group on the beach was ready to fight. Then, the south bank ignited three streams of black smoke to gather the scattered city-state warriors.

After another few quarters of an hour, the two thousand warriors landed, and the enemy army in the distance was clearly in sight, and the bronze spears shone coldly. Three or four hundred Mexica warriors fled to the river while blowing bone whistles. Seeing the huge size of the fleet by the river and seeing the entire army of Mexica warriors ready to fight, Tarasco's pursuit slowed down significantly.

Shulot listened attentively for a while, only distinguishing the repeated two syllables. The young commander thought for a while, then decisively gave up thinking, and asked the samurai commander beside him.

"What does this whistle mean, Bertard?"

Bertard had listened for a long time. He smiled and answered quietly.

"Your Highness, the meaning is: be careful, there are many enemies."

Shulot was speechless for a moment. Seeing that the pursuers on the south bank had stopped and seemed about to retreat, he stopped hesitating and waved the battle flag violently.

The trumpet of the attack suddenly sounded. A thousand temple guards shouted the name of the god fanatically, and the sound shook the sky. They lowered their shields, raised their battle clubs, and rushed to the frontmost Tarasco warrior. Afterwards, the warriors exchanged shields, their bodies collided, splashing muddy water all over their bodies.

The temple guards swung their batons and struck the enemy's head, denting the leather cap and bones. The Tarasco warrior thrust out his bronze spear, piercing through the cotton armor of the guards, and piercing deep into the soft lungs. The frontal battle became intense in an instant, and the warriors on both sides kept entangled and fell down, and the blood gradually stained the ground.

The 2,000 directly subordinate warriors were divided into two groups, attacking the left and right sides of the enemy respectively. There were groups of bronze spears attacking head-on, and the opponents were civilian militiamen without shields. The warriors directly under him are skilled and experienced. Holding their shields high, they shouted and extended to the flanks, forcing the militia on the opposite side to gradually disperse. Then, the senior warriors in the lead let out repeated roars of anger, and rushed bravely through the gaps in the enemy formation. While swinging close to the body, they used their skilled combat skills to knock down the militiamen holding spears one by one.

The five hundred jaguar battle group deflected slightly, like agile cheetahs, circled to the rear of the enemy. Howling menacingly, they hurled two rounds of spears, creating two gaps in the enemy's formation. Immediately, the elite battle group broke into the scattered and shaken militia, killing wantonly. The ferocious animal-shaped helmet carried a breathtaking power, like a rushing beast, which made the militiamen tremble with fear. A skilled baton is even more deadly. During continuous blows, the enemy who was attacked will fall to the ground like a corn stalk, and blood will be splashed on the spot.

Shulot stared at the south bank, calmly observing the situation of the battle. As the two sides engaged in battle, the battle lines of the samurai and the militia spread out to the two wings, and the grouped enemies slowly stretched into long lines. Only then did he fully see the specific composition of the enemy army.

On the front is a thousand Tarasco warriors. They resisted the fanatical attack of the temple guards and were temporarily at a disadvantage. When the two wings met, Tarasco's army resisted for a while, then retreated loosely. This should be a trained militia. And when the jaguar warriors who circled behind launched an assault, Tarasco's army suddenly sunk inward, the flag was skewed, and it quickly collapsed. There must be ordinary militia behind.

The more than 300 city-state warriors who fled only rested for a quarter of an hour. When they entered the battlefield again, Tarasco's army was about to collapse. Under the instruction of the commander's order flag, the warriors of the city-state formed arrows and broke in again from the gap in the flank. Tarasco's army was like a taut silk thread, which was snapped in two by a sharp knife, and then collapsed.

Thousands of militiamen threw away their bronze spears, uttered a loud meaningless cry, and turned and fled south. As soon as the Mexica warriors stopped them, groups of militiamen knelt down and surrendered. The warriors directly under the two wings began to pursue southward, while the warriors of the city-state were exhausted, and they were in charge of the surrendered militia.

The noble Jaguar Chapter disdained to hunt down militiamen. They roared again, charging at the struggling Tarasco warriors from behind. This kind of attack from behind is the deadliest and can completely disrupt the rhythm of the defense. In less than a quarter of an hour, the thousand bronze spear warriors collapsed and turned around to flee to the south. The temple guards enthusiastically praised the name of the god, thanked the main god for the victory, and then strode away in pursuit.

Seeing the victory come so quickly, Xiu Luotrang laughed and shared the joy of the battle with the generals. Immediately, he lowered his eyes and thought secretly.

This army of Tarasco consisted of only one thousand warriors, and the remaining four or five thousand were militiamen. The expected battle did not come, and the enemy navy did not dispatch. Now, the main force of the Tarascos is hiding behind the contiguous camps and fortresses, firmly controlling the southern line of defense. He couldn't find out the details of the enemy's mobilization, nor was he sure about the distribution of the opponent's forces, so he could only keep probing carefully and guarding against potential dangers.

The strong wind blows, bringing distant thunder. Soon, the rain in the sky became heavier, soaking the raincloth on the big boat and soaking the prepared rocket.

Shulot raised his head and let the raindrops hit his face, savoring the slight pain, as if listening to the will of the gods.

Soon, Balda came to report again. In this battle, two hundred Tarasco warriors were killed and five hundred were captured. Killed hundreds of militiamen and captured more than 2,000 people. There were more than 3,000 long and short bronze spears seized. The casualties of the Mexica were no more than a hundred warriors, most of which occurred on the frontal battlefield where the warriors fought. At this time, a large number of warriors are still in pursuit.

The young commander nodded solemnly, praising the bravery of the warriors. As long as the warriors didn't exhaust their energy, didn't collapse and flee, or were completely surrounded, the casualties in the frontal battle would not be too many. And once the militiamen are broken up, they can often run faster than the warriors. This kind of target is not worth the risky pursuit.

After thinking for a moment, Shulot ordered in a deep voice.

"Very good. Barda, you fought well! The next order is: recall the chasing warriors and treat our wounded. Dispose of the prisoners by category and ask the enemy for details!"

Balda saluted proudly, and then he was ordered to leave.

After a while, dozens of heralds ran in all directions, spreading the order to withdraw troops to all directions. Then, groups of captives were unloaded from their equipment, escorted onto boats back and forth, and transported to the north bank in batches. The samurai put away their weapons, carrying the captured battles in their arms, eagerly discussing the battle just now, and boarded the big boat with high spirits.

The strong wind was blowing, the battle flag was fluttering, and the continuous rain was floating in all directions. The rain dilutes the blood-soaked soil and washes away the simply buried bodies.

Xiu Luote rejected the proposal to build a Jingguan. During the warm rainy season, the corpses should be buried as soon as possible to prevent the occurrence of diseases. And with the official arrival of the rainy season, the lure and invitation to fight came to an end. He didn't want to over-stimulate the enemy and fight hard in the rainy season.

The young commander finally looked to the southwest fortress at the mouth of the river. The enemy's boats were still sailing, sending news of the defeat on the river bank back south. These were the eyes of the Tarascos, and the estuary forts were the key to carrying the eyes.

Xiulot stared at it for a long time, and had some thoughts in his contemplation. Afterwards, the commander's command flag pointed north, and the conch horn sounded loudly to withdraw the troops. The battalion captains promised loudly, and the sailors rowed the oars again.

Soon, thousands of boats swayed, thousands of people returned to the north, and the dark sky covered everything. Loaded with the spoils of victory, the Mexica navy sailed to the strong north shore stronghold, leaving only the dying smoke in the drizzle.

Note: At the end of the chapter, there is a detailed map of the Raiders of Tarasco, covering the land of Mikencho.

I have been busy all day looking up information and drawing maps. Ask for support!