Thousands of troops bowed their heads, and all the people made silence. There was silence in the wooden village. His Highness's voice was like a call from heaven and earth, resounding in the ears of all the warriors.
Upon hearing the call, a young warrior strode out of the team that was managing the tribesmen. He was about 20 years old, of medium height, with a tiger's back and a wolf's waist, eyebrows raised like swords, and eyes as bright as stars. He took two or three steps.
In an instant, he came to Shulot, knelt down on one knee, and saluted loudly, with high spirits.
"Your Highness, the Toltecs of Tepanicapan salute you! May you fly high like a golden eagle and hunt the world!"
Hearing this, Shulot laughed loudly. Although he has gradually become more and more mature over the past year, the youthful spirit in his heart is still the same. At this time, seeing this energetic demeanor among his followers, he really likes it very much.
After the young warrior finished saluting, Shulot stepped forward, lifted up Toltec himself, and laughed loudly.
"Toltec, my brave black wolf, how is the camp here?"
The young warrior held his head high and answered loudly.
"Your Highness, the camp is under my management like an arm and a finger. There are currently one thousand village hunters and two thousand tribal hunters! There are also eight hundred Longbow Battalion stationed here to assist in management."
Shulot nodded slightly, and the Longbow Battalion of the personal guard was only loyal to him, with the warrior commander as the battalion commander. Then, the young man thought for a moment and asked in a deep voice.
"Toltec, you are responsible for recruiting soldiers. Why are there only a thousand village hunters but so many tribal hunters?"
Toltec lowered his head slightly and still responded loudly.
"Your Highness, the village hunters are useless, but the tribal hunters are excellent! According to your standards, a straw man's vitals can be hit within thirty steps. I searched all over the villages in the lake area, but only a thousand people were found. But I used some tricks, fishing and hunting
The mountain people tribes came in groups, and there were many outstanding ones. According to the standards, I selected more than two thousand people, and you can select them again!"
Shulot laughed loudly.
"You know what I mean. The Alliance's expedition is about to begin. As long as the archery skills are qualified, the more the better! Where do these tribal hunters come from, and why are they willing to submit?"
"Your Highness, there are more than twenty small fishing and hunting tribes here. Each tribe has as few as fifty or sixty qualified hunters and as many as more than a hundred people. Most of them come from the western mountainous areas and are Tepanek and Otomi mountain people.
, a small number of them come from the southern mountains and are Qiongtar mountain people.”
"The Alliance has been at war for two years, and there is no peace in the mountains. The Broken Hair Guards Battalion once fought against the rebels in the mountains. The large Tepanek tribes with inheritance were all slaughtered, the mountains and fields were burned, and the small tribes dispersed in fear. The Otomi people
After successive wars, many tribes moved into the mountains. The Qiongtar people were driven out of the valleys by the emerging southern city-states and also entered the mountains and forests."
Toltec was in high spirits and talked about fighting in the fire of war as if he was drinking fine wine.
Shulot was startled for a moment. These savage tribes in the mountains were all expelled by the Alliance and struggled to survive in the barren mountains and forests.
"The mountains and forests are barren and the prey is limited. How can they accommodate so many hunting tribes?"
"What Your Highness said is absolutely true. The mountains were originally barren, and the field yields were extremely low, relying entirely on hunting and trade. Now that a large number of tribes have poured in, the mountains have begun to lack food, and they are fighting each other endlessly. Your Highness has implemented a ban on luxury, and the warriors have strictly inspected merchants.
The feathers hunted by the mountain people could not be sold, and the price was extremely low. Military supplies were controlled, and the leather of birds and animals could not be sold. In addition, the alliance was about to raise troops, and a large amount of food was confiscated, and the surrounding villages had no food left... In a few months, almost
No corn could flow into the mountains, and the tribes began to run out of food and even preyed on each other."
Shulot's face was solemn. He looked at Bertard, and the warrior commander also nodded seriously.
In just a few dozen breaths, the first batch of veteran hunters finished shooting, followed by the second batch, and then the third batch. The tribal hunters who finished shooting returned to the outside, knelt down anxiously, waiting for the fateful result.
Shulot looked at the grass target with a solemn expression. The skills of the following groups of hunters gradually declined, but they all hit the target steadily, many of them hitting vital points. Looking at the head and heart of the grass target, densely packed with arrows, the young man's
There is both excitement and joy in my heart, but also a hint of worry.
These tribal hunters can shoot birds and hares in the mountains and forests. The bow skills they have practiced for years or even decades are really terrifying. They do not have enough technology and metal tools to make longbows, so they can only wait helplessly in front of the armored warriors.
Slaughter. And once they truly know the secret of the longbow, will they become a new threat to the alliance?
Shulot thought for a moment and then felt relieved. These mountain tribes did not have enough productivity to make weapons, nor did they have enough numbers to form a scale. Even if they obtained some longbows, they would not be able to resist the large-scale and well-organized alliance legion. Their existence
, will only inject new high-quality fuel into the alliance's war machine!
After thinking about this, Shulot laughed loudly again. He looked at the energetic Toltec and patted the young warrior on the shoulder.
"Toltec, these tribal hunters are good, you have done a good job! Bring up the supplies you promised, and I will reward them double!"
Toltec was startled for a moment, and His Highness personally gave the reward to the humble mountain people... Obedience and reverence made him say nothing, and he immediately went down to give orders. Not long after, the grain and salt were transported to the side of the field. In front of thousands of tribal hunters, Toltec was stunned for a moment.
Under the ardent gaze and in the sincere cheers of the winning tribe, these supplies were personally awarded to the most outstanding hunter tribe by His Highness. Outstanding hunters from other tribes would also be given a bag of grain and salt.
Then, His Highness made a generous announcement.
"All tribal hunters will be recruited by the great alliance, and you will fight for the alliance! And all tribesmen will become subjects of the great alliance. From now on, your tribes will move into the rich lands of the alliance and be protected by the supreme god.
Now you don’t have to worry about food and salt anymore!”
The expected cheers did not sound. The tribal hunters looked at each other. They were vaguely rejected by the alliance's rule and had doubts about their future life. Under the intimidation and scolding of the longbow warriors, they were forced to lower their heads and cheered unevenly.
Then he showed a sad face that he couldn't hide.
Looking at the performance of the tribe's hunters, Shulot lowered his eyes slightly. He was determined to reuse these hunters and accept them as his direct subordinates. It is easy to give both kindness and power, but it is the most difficult to win the trust of the people. Fortunately, there is a long way to go. Let's control the mountain tribes first, and then slow down.
Slowly conquer and naturalize.
Next, the village hunters also came forward one after another to demonstrate their archery skills to His Highness. Their archery skills were only average. They could barely hit a twenty-step straw target, and only a few of them could stably hit the target.
Shulot didn't say much. He turned his head, looked at the young warrior, and smiled lightly.
"Toltec, it's your turn, let me see your shooting skills!"
Toltec was stunned for a moment, and then he promised in a loud voice and confidently walked to the shooting range. He took out his longbow and asked his fellow warriors to move the target farther away until they were seventy paces away. Then, he pulled the target with three fingers.
The string is on the inside of the arrow nock. The hand holding the string is slightly loose, the wrist is kept straight, and the string is pulled to the corner of the mouth. At this distance, the head of the target is just a faint dot. The young warrior aims carefully for a few breaths, and then releases it instantly.
.
The moment after releasing the arrow, Toltec shouted loudly, the sound was like thunder.
"Zhongtou!"
The moment he let go, he could already determine the location where the arrow was about to hit based on the feel of countless shots.
There was only a shuddering sound, and the war arrow was like lightning, and the light flew by in an instant. Then, the war arrow hit the head of the grass target with a bang, penetrated back and forth, exploded a canopy of withered grass, and shot straight into the soil in the distance.
Then, shouts exploded across the sky and the earth.
"Medium chest! Mid-arm! Mid-leg! Center!"
After several shouts, the human-shaped grass target in the distance had exploded with five arrow holes, and then gradually collapsed. The fluttering withered grass fell to the ground, accompanied by everyone's amazed gazes.
Toltec raised his head and looked in all directions. His eyebrows were like an inverted sword, and his eyes were like lightning. All the hunters he stabbed bent down and fell silent. It was not until he saw His Highness who was smiling that he fell to his knees with a plop and shouted loudly.
report.
"Your Highness, Toltec has lived up to his command!"
Shulot laughed loudly. He took a step forward, helped Toltec up, and praised loudly.
"Toltec, you are my bravest black wolf! You are the black feathers on the wings of the eagle!"
"Your Highness, I am willing to capture stags and hunt bear bears for you, and I am also willing to ride the wind and fly for you and spread my wings all over the world!"
Toltec shouted loudly again, looking at His Highness expectantly.
Shulot appreciated it in his heart and deliberately cultivated it. He asked with a smile.
"Toltec, the foundation of a martial arts family lies in martial arts. Your archery skills are really extraordinary, but how do you use a war stick?"
Toltec thought for a moment and then replied confidently.
"Your Highness, I can defeat five elite warriors!"
Shulot was slightly surprised. After looking at Toltec's confident face for a while, he decided to let loose a little and find some weak opponents for him.
"Very good! Come here, select five tribal leaders and fight the Toltecs at the same time. The loser will not be punished, and the winner will be rewarded!"
His Highness gave the order, and within a moment, five middle-aged tribal leaders were pushed forward. They held their usual stone spears and gathered together. On the other side, there were shields in one hand and no blades in the other.
Young warrior with war stick.
The tribal leaders gathered cautiously and approached, but they saw Toltec striding straight towards him, like a galloping cheetah. As the two sides got closer, the tribal leaders thrust out their stone spears at the same time. In an instant, the young warrior stamped his feet and moved diagonally to the right.
He took a step forward. Then, he used the shield on his left side to block the force and used the tip of his old spear. Then he turned sideways and swung hard, hitting a leader on the side with a bang. He heard a scream, and the leader fell down.
land.
Then, taking advantage of the moment of confusion caused by his opponent's fall to the ground, Toltec struck the second leader on the shoulder with a diagonal slash. The opponent let go in pain, and the stone spear fell to the ground. Another powerful strike
With a side attack, the second leader also fell to the ground.
Seeing this, Shulot knew that the situation was decided. He turned his head, recalling Toltec's shooting technique just now, and asked with some doubts.
"Bertard, did Toltec learn the three-finger shooting technique from you?"
The warrior commander responded calmly.
"Yes, Your Highness. You once asked me to teach them the art of bowing. The new shooting method is more stable, the hand can be released very quickly, and it can effectively improve the accuracy."
Shulot thought of his archery skills, and his face blushed slightly. Then he changed the topic.
"The new longbow used by Toltec has changed its shape."
Bertard nodded and explained seriously,
"It's true. The old-style longbow is as tall as a person, and the top and bottom are evenly spaced. When shooting with an arrow in the center, only tall warriors with long arms can fully draw it, while others can only shoot diagonally, which is quite inconvenient. The height of the new longbow
Although it remains unchanged, the nocking point is lower and the top is longer and the bottom is shorter, making it more suitable for ordinary warriors who are not tall."
Shulot nodded slowly. The new modified longbow is more similar to a bow, with the upper arc accounting for almost two-thirds of the total bow length. This shape will interfere with the shooting balance and further increase the difficulty of shooting, but it also increases the
Usable shooting track. There is no way, this is the trouble of the short people. Before there was a compound bow, this was the only way.
While the two were discussing, they heard a burst of cheers from the warriors. Xilot looked at the field and saw that Toltec had knocked down all the leaders, leaving them lying at their feet groaning. The young warrior once again commanded all directions,
The tribal hunters were afraid to surrender, and then he turned around and approached, kneeling down to salute His Highness.
"Your Highness, Toltec has lived up to his command!"
Shulot laughed heartily. He pulled Toltec up and said with a smile,
"Not bad! Very good! Toltec, I have one last test. Carve your name on the ground with your war stick!"
Hearing this, Toltec's energetic face suddenly felt bitter. He opened his eyes wide and looked at His Highness, his smile froze silently, and he said in a final voice.
"Ah, this, Your Highness..."
"Write!"
Toltec shrank his neck and lowered his head obediently. He picked up the war stick and first carved the word "tuo" normally, then he was dumbfounded and only carved the word "木" for a long time. Then he skipped the second one
I slowly carved out the word "big". Finally, after a while, I carved out the word "brother" dejectedly.
Xiulote took a look, and immediately couldn't laugh or cry, "Brother Tomu". It was hard to say anything directly in front of the generals. He sighed in his heart, reached for the wooden stick, and carved "Toltec" word by word.
"Four words. Then, the young man looked at it for a moment, remembered a great writer, and whispered in a serious voice.
"Toltec, do you know the origin of your name?"
Toltec's eyes lit up. He raised his head, stood up, and answered loudly.
"Your Highness, I know! You said that this comes from Toltec, the heroic ancestor of the Mexica people, and means painter and craftsman!" Since rewriting history, the Toltec people have become the Mexica people.
ancestor.
Hearing this, Xiuluo nodded and pretended to be angry.
"Yes, the name Toltec comes from Toltec. He is an outstanding painter, a skilled craftsman, and the light of civilization! Toltec, why can't you learn to write!"
Hearing this, Toltec smiled confidently. Faced with His Highness's question, he was well prepared and shouted loudly like thunder.
"Your Highness, I am a painter and a craftsman. I use war sticks as brushes and paint with the blood of the enemy! I use feather arrows as wooden beams and use the enemy's bones to build towers! You are the flame, and I am the torch that burns for you.
All the weeds in the world have been burned! Your Highness, I am a warrior loyal to you, and your will is my truth. Why study? Sticks and bows and arrows are far better than books!"
With the majestic cry of Toltec, the warrior's declaration echoed in the camp. The eight hundred longbow warriors felt the same. They had practiced many times and shouted in unison.
"Your Highness, we are loyal to you and obey your will! Why study? Sticks and bows and arrows are far better than books!"
The mighty shouts resounded throughout the world, carrying with them rolling murderous intent and determination to sweep everything away.
The hunters looked at the warriors who were shouting wildly, and listened to the roars changing into neat wolf howls, like the black wolves of death descending on the world. Amid the terrifying howls and fierce eyes of the warriors, they fell to the ground, their two bodies fighting.
, and soon his whole body became sore and weak, and he completely lost his strength.
Amidst the chorus of shouts from his followers, Shulot laughed and shook his head. He raised his hands in the air, walked among the crowd, and for the first time let up his voice, howling like a wolf.
"Ouch~~~ow~~~!"
Seeing His Highness's actions, the followers raised their hands at the same time and shouted even more excitedly.
"Ouch~~~ow~~~!"
In this desolate and secluded mountain forest, a high-pitched howl rose into the sky. Shuloter, the god of death, turned into a howling black wolf, singing loudly through the mountain forest, startling the birds in the sky.
After a long time, Shulot stopped laughing. He slowly put down his hands, and the followers also stopped and looked at His Highness to wait. His Highness took a breath, laughed, and ordered in a hoarse voice.
"Good guy! Toltec, you have the talent for change and the ferocity. You are my best black wolf! I will leave these three thousand longbow militia to you. Go ahead, build the altar, and let
They swore allegiance!"
Toltec was overjoyed. He knelt down on his knees and kowtowed respectfully, feeling satisfied.
