Aztec Eternals

The sun was scorching hot, and Shulot, wearing a light robe, walked across the drying path and headed for the north gate of the wooden castle. Berthard put on his leather armor again, called Coles and other guards, and followed His Highness closely. Along the way, the warriors saluted one after another, shouting "Your Highness" and "Holy Eagle Warrior Commander".

The area of ​​the wooden fort was limited, so the young commander set up a new camp outside the north gate, which was used for the research and development of siege equipment and also as a support for defense. When he stepped into the camp, the busy craftsmen saluted together and showed the latest progress one by one.

The height of the light trebuchet is about 2.5 meters, and the rotating gun tip is correspondingly shortened. Its bottom is a triangular stable support with a width of less than two meters and a length of just over two meters. In general, it is a scaled-down version of the first type of human trebuchet, and its overall weight is only one fourth or one fifth of the original. Therefore, it can be carried by several peasants, and it can also be easily loaded on a large boat and transported to the other side of the Leman River.

Shulot stood by and watched. The craftsmen quickly fixed the light trebuchet on the ground in less than a quarter of an hour. Then, they put a pumpkin-sized paper ball on the bullet pocket of the long axis of the gun tip, filled with ten catties of sand. Then, six or seven gunners took their positions, holding the rope connecting the short shaft with both hands, and looked at His Highness not far away.

His Highness waved his hand and gave an order. The gunners shouted in unison and pulled hard. The top of the cannon tip rose, and the paper ball reached a height of four meters in an instant, and then it was thrown out at a slightly oblique angle, crossed an elongated parabola, and landed beyond the 120-step mark.

Xiu Luote went to check it himself, remembered where the paper ball fell, and then ordered everyone to continue. The paper ball weighing more than 10 jins crossed changing arcs, and the shooting range was stable between one hundred and ten steps to one hundred and forty steps. The young commander pondered for a while, then drew a parabola on the ground with a wooden stick, and calculated the flying height of the paper ball.

After a while, Shulot wiped the picture on the soil with his feet, and nodded with satisfaction. As long as the light trebuchet is approached within ninety steps of the city wall, the paper fireball can be thrown on the city wall of six meters. At this distance, as long as the operator is wearing strong leather armor and helmet, the enemy's stone bow and arrow cannot cause serious damage. The only problem is that the accuracy cannot be grasped, and the placement depends entirely on God's blessing.

The commander-in-chief of the youth praised a few words and ordered the craftsmen to speed up the production. He then looked at the light shield vehicle.

The front end of the light shield car is a thick wooden board used as a shield, the middle is a small wooden platform for archers to stand and shoot, the rear end is a long wooden handle for people to push, and the bottom is two simple wooden wheels. The large wooden shield at the front is as thick as a finger, about two meters wide, and about one person high. There are three shooting openings on the upper part of the wooden shield, that is to protect three longbow warriors from shooting at the same time. There are four long wooden handles, and two people can push the shield car forward with a half-bend.

Overall, this light shield cart is a two-wheeled cart loaded with shields.

The shield chariot is a siege weapon that has been around for a long time. Even after a hundred years, heavy shield vehicles can still perform well in the face of light artillery fire. The Tarascos had no heavy crossbows or firearms, and the fronts of light shield vehicles did not need to be reinforced with leather or metal, nor filled with bulletproof mud.

Xiulot took out his longbow and shot several times from forty steps away. Afterwards, he carefully checked the depth of the war arrow's penetration into the wood, and nodded.

"Manufacture shield vehicles in large quantities. The shields don't need to be so thick. They can be simplified a little. I will send a group of captured civilians over, and at least two hundred vehicles will be produced within a month!"

Hearing this, the craftsman leader knelt down and nodded yes.

Schlott checked the imitation watergate one last time. The wooden water gate is only half finished, and the thickness is thickened according to the general shape. He first asked the warriors to slash with their copper axes head-on, and then there was a dull "pushing" sound. After a while, the boy shook his head slightly. Then, he asked the warriors to take out stone chisels and stone hammers to destroy key nodes, counting the time in his mind, but still shaking his head.

The young commander thought for a moment, then called the gunpowder manager to give some instructions. Soon, the gunpowder craftsmen took over a hundred catties of well-preserved gunpowder, sealed it next to the water gate, carefully ignited the long fuse, and ran away quickly.

After a long moment, under the tense attention of everyone, there was a sudden "bang" explosion, and the shattered pieces of wood and soil were flying. Blazing flames rose from the burst water gate, and black smoke wafted out of the sky. The heat wave swept over, with a pungent smell, everyone had to step back and stay away. The bursting burning lasted for a full quarter of an hour before the fire gradually diminished.

Two quarters of an hour later, Shulot called five brave warriors and asked them to wear water-soaked cotton armor and come forward with huge stone hammers. The loud "bang bang" sound was accompanied by the "crack" sound of breaking, and the burning wooden door suddenly broke completely, and then shattered to the ground.

Seeing this, Xiuluo laughed loudly. He watched the scorched pieces of wood flying and the sparks scattered in all directions, and he finally had some confidence in his heart! Behind him, Bertard also showed a happy smile.

The five warriors immediately reported back. Their faces were blackened by the smoke, and even their hair was singed off by the flames. The young commander praised a few words loudly, and let the warriors go to the wooden castle in the south to rest. Then, he turned around and looked towards the south bank of the estuary fortress, his thoughts drifting into the distance.

"There are still two weeks before the sailors can return. They will bring reinforcements and food, as well as the latest information about the capital. The South Route Army must have already set off. I don't know what's going on now."

Shulot's eyes kept going south, across the mighty Leman River, across the unknown lake area, and to the center of the southern kingdom.

The golden sun shines from the sky, and the lake of Patzcuaro is shining with brilliant waves. On the beautiful big lake, thousands of canoes came from villages all over the lake area, continuously transporting the collected food and militia. Subsequently, the huge boat group was divided into two teams, one team went north and the other went south.

The sun fell on people's faces, shining different expressions. The Tarasco warrior in charge reprimanded loudly, urging the sailors and militiamen to move faster, with a serious and indifferent expression. Hearing the order, the rowing sailors rowed their oars vigorously, their faces full of exhaustion that could not be concealed. They were recruited by the kingdom, and they have been busy for a whole month, carrying an army of tens of thousands of people, as well as accompanying food and supplies.

The militiamen on the ship held the newly issued bronze spears, their faces were full of uneasiness about the unknown war and worries about the future of the village. The kingdom issued a strict call-up order, and the lake area near the capital was mobilized urgently. They had to abandon the fields that had just been sown, follow the fierce warriors, and board a boat that was going nowhere.

"Tell me, where are we going to fight? When will we be able to go home?" Wei Ziti, who was wearing a turban, asked in a low voice while the guarding warrior was not paying attention.

On the swaying boat, the young militiamen showed confusion together. Chivaco, an old militiaman in his forties, took out a yellowed cloth bag, took a deep breath of the aroma of herbs with his nose, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. Immediately, his expression became calm, and he answered with the same deep voice.

"Let's go to the north to fight against the Mexica. There are not many enemies there, and the stone fortress is very hard, which is stronger than going to the south. As for returning, it will take a year at the earliest!"

"One year?!" Wezti, who was wearing a turban, exclaimed, attracting fierce gazes from the supervising warriors. All the militiamen bowed their heads and shut up at the same time, like obedient turkeys. After a long while, the samurai's gaze shifted, and Wezti spoke again in a low voice.

"In more than a month, the pumpkins will be harvested, and there will be corn and kidney beans behind. It's not enough to rely on the women and children at home. Are you really going to go out for a year this time?"

The old militiaman Chihuaco sneered, took another sip of the herbal medicine, and then spoke slowly.

"Are you still thinking about the fields and harvests at home? Let's talk about surviving first! Militiamen like us are firewood on the battlefield. Warriors don't care whether the militiamen live or die. place. If you are captured by a cruel Mexican jaguar, you will be cut open and sacrificed to the gods!"

The young militiamen trembled when they heard the name of the Mexican jaguar. Those terrifying figures wearing animal helmets and yellow leather armor have been circulating in the kingdom for a long time, and their images are equivalent to the legendary demons in the western volcanoes.

After a while, Wezti asked in a trembling low voice.

"We have the common protection of the Lord Sun God, Mother Earth Goddess and Moon Goddess! This battle should be won, right?"

Many young militiamen looked at Chihuaco. He was the only old militiaman in the village who survived the previous war.

Chivako sighed, and carefully put away the herbal package in his hand. This is his treasure, it can keep him calm in the battlefield and find the most suitable escape route. The old militiaman stood up, looked at the vast fleet of ships north and south, then at the clear sky, and sighed deeply again.

"Hey! The pumpkins have only been planted, and the masters have mobilized so many militias that they can't even take care of this year's harvest. Look at the expressions of these warriors, it's no different from death. This battle, I think hang!"

The sighs of the militiamen scattered into the wind, and the sound gradually became inaudible. But the breeze never stops, it floats across the busy Patzcuaro Lake, and enters the rich and strong copper city of Chin Tsong Chan. It blew past thousands of weapon-making craftsmen, thousands of warriors holding copper axes, and then hundreds of nobles who whispered, and finally came to the religious center of the city, the magnificent circular pyramid, "Wind of the Wind" House" Yakata.

The five circular Yakata pyramids are each tens of meters high. They are made of granite of different sizes and glued together with corn mortar, like sacred mountains standing in the world. The arrangement of the five pyramids is roughly in the shape of a keyhole, and the rear end of them is a stepped pyramid platform, which is connected by stone steps to facilitate the priests to walk back and forth.

These platforms extend and converge to form a simple and solemn platform. On the upper and lower sides of the large platform are complex stone longhouses, which are the sanctuary where the kingdom's priests live.

Each pyramid has a core stone mound in the center, which is then thickened layer by layer on the outside. The outermost layer is decorated with spiral, circular, square and other different stone slabs, and the stone slabs are carved with exquisite murals of gods and spirits. The upper end of the pyramid is painted with the marks of different gods, surrounded by bright patterns, paying tribute to the five gods who rule the world.

The three Yaka Towers in the center are the tallest and most magnificent. Together with the base of the mound, they are forty or fifty meters high, symbolizing the seat of the three main gods in the world. They respectively represent the supreme and bright Sun God Kulikaveri, the benevolent and protective Mother Earth Kwelavaperi, and the Moon Goddess Haratana who is in charge of life and death.

Above the Yakata, there are temples dedicated to the gods, and there are statues made of pure gold, similar to the great temple in the capital city in the lake. But different from the great temples, there are many relics of the former kings and nobles in these temples, and there are even some dried remains, like tombs on the ground, praying for eternal life after death. This is somewhat similar to ancient Egypt.

At this moment, huge bonfires were lit in front of the five temples on Yakata. Day and night, the sacred flames blazed and could be seen in ninety-one towns and villages in the Patzcuaro Lake District, which represented the highest mobilization for war!

Under the magnificent temple, hundreds of priests of all levels are busy in front of the circular pyramid, building a solemn altar. They will hold a large prayer ceremony, use captured Mexica sacrifices, seek divine prophecies from the gods, and pray for victory in the war.

Near the sacred "House of Winds" Yakata is the lofty royal palace, the "Palace of Winds" Yakatas built on the hills. Yakatas is several stories high, surrounded by a dozen connected stone buildings. Loyal royal warriors were stationed in these stone buildings, and tributes from various city-states were also stored. There is also a trophy hut on the outermost side, which stores the heads of enemies killed in battle and the side weapons of these brave opponents. In the corner of the hut, several black short knives flickered coldly.

From a distance, the Palace of Winds, which symbolizes royal power, has been expanded many times, and now it is as high as the House of Winds, which symbolizes theocracy. And on the volley viewing platform in front of the palace, King Suangwa of Tarasco is wearing a yellow costume, a heavy feather crown, surrounded by gold and bronze ornaments, like the messenger of the gods in the world.

The supreme king lowered his head slightly, with a thoughtful light in his eyes. He didn't pay attention to the comforting prayers of the priests, but looked solemnly at the several Mexica longbows in front of him and the matching copper arrows scattered on the ground.

These astonishingly powerful weapons were seized from the battlefields of the north and the south at the same time. They are like the messengers of the goddess of the moon, making it easy for the brave warriors of the kingdom to die!

The last day at the end of the year was quite busy, and I also checked some foreign language materials on the Qin Congcan site. The author here wishes everyone a happy New Year's Day, all wishes come true, peace and health! 2020 is finally over, the new year will have a new start, come on!