The strong wind blew the big yellow flag. The turbulent waves of the river reflected the beast-shaped helmet. Shulot wore brightly patterned leather armor and a terrifying-shaped beast helmet, and carried a three-meter-high backpack on his back.
The command flag. Thousands of dazzling feathers flutter on the canopy of the flag, eye-catchingly announcing the position of supreme commander.
Surrounded by everyone, Shulot stood majestically on the bow of the ship, looking around like a tiger. The command flag was high and heavy. He was trying hard to fight against the strong wind and keep his body stable. And when he was carrying the commander on his back
flag, all the distracting thoughts were dispersed, leaving only the strong will and cold determination of the supreme commander.
On the south bank of the river, urgent black smoke rose continuously, accompanied by running messengers, spreading the news of the appearance of the Mexican army to all directions. The Mexican fleet went smoothly, but Tarasco's messenger could not keep up.
The speed of the army. As far as Xiulote could see, the farmers of Akambalo State on the south bank were still cultivating in the hills. They lowered their heads to clean the fields, sow seeds, and then raised their heads, looking at the huge fleet on the river in amazement and shock.
.
In the mountains and forests, the green smoke of burning weeds and trees also rises, mixing with the urgent black smoke, and together they change mysterious patterns in the sky. Further south, shrouded in the patterns, are several stone fortresses of Tarasco.
There are also many wooden camps. Fortresses and camps echo each other, forming a complete line of defense.
"The northern coast is far away from the Alliance, and the Tarascans are busy with spring plowing, so military preparations are not sufficient. There are about a few days for the advance army to establish a foothold."
Xiuluo nodded and thought to himself.
His initial plan was to go to Herotepec and meet with the northern commander Ocelor to discuss the loan of Otomi warriors and the recruitment of Chichimec dog descendants. But the messenger reported back that General Ocelor
He had just returned from collecting grain from Huastec, appointed the person in charge of spring plowing, and then hurriedly led his army to the northernmost border. He had already sent troops to sweep away the Chichimec dog descendants and had been there for at least two months.
Since he couldn't see him for the time being, Shulot sent an envoy to discuss recruiting dog descendants, and then led his army directly to the west. Regardless of whether General Ocelot deliberately avoided it, as long as the Northern Route Army gained sufficient strategic advantage, the attitudes of the lords everywhere would change.
changes happened.
Shulot looked to the north, his eyes resting on the long grass by the river, where there were vaguely raised mounds. This was the battlefield of the Battle of the Leman River, and after traveling one or two hundred miles further north through the mountains and forests, there was
The unusually strong mountain city of Otopan. A few dozen miles to the west is the mouth of Lake Quetseo and the river mouth fortress that controls this important road.
When Shulot looked around, he could clearly see the wooden castle in the mountains. This wooden castle was built under the supervision of Avitt and him personally. The scale of the building and the layout were all clear to him, so it was the first foothold chosen.
The flag of the Kingdom of Tarasco is flying on the wooden castle, and the flag has the symbols of the sun, the earth, and the moon at the same time. Outside the wooden castle, you can vaguely see the craftsmen and civilians who have evacuated in a hurry, and the mountains of masonry and wood.
Apparently, the Tarascans are fortifying this place.
"Soldiers are valuable and quick. We must obtain a stable stronghold before the Tarasco navy gathers."
Shulot made a decision. He shouted an order, and the mighty fleet moved to the north bank. The canoe had a very shallow draft and could get close to the river beach. Thousands of warriors jumped directly on the river beach, carrying long bows and sticks on their backs.
, rushing toward the shore.
Soon, the wooden castle not far away opened the door again, and a small group of twenty Tarasco warriors rushed out. They came to a nearby hillock, carefully staying fifty meters away from the landing army.
Then, they waved the bronze spears and shields in their hands, facing the flag of the Mexica commander, and shouted something loudly.
Xilot on the boat listened carefully. The language of the Tarascans was only partially similar to the Mexica. He vaguely heard "Leave!... God bless... Prepecha!... Mighty
...war!"
The young commander smiled softly. He gave an order in a low voice, and the commander's flag was waved forward. Hundreds of Mexica warriors who landed were armed with war clubs and fiercely rushed towards the hill. The Tarasco warriors observed briefly.
, immediately 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 yet."
While he was talking, a jaguar warrior ran at the forefront of the pursuit. As he leaned forward and ran, he took off the throwing spear from behind, and then raised it high. Then, he accelerated quickly and approached, and then threw it with all his strength. A sharp throwing spear
The spear suddenly flew out, with a "buzzing" sound, and shot at the Tarasco warriors more than ten meters away.
It was difficult to hit the fast-moving target. The spear grazed the leather cap of the young warrior at the end, and then plunged into the soil with a pop. The vision of the warrior at the end was blurred, and he subconsciously avoided the imaginary attack behind him. His steps were chaotic, and then he fell with a thud.
He fell to the ground. When he tried to get up, he felt a sharp pain on his back, and then received a heavy blow on his head. While he was dizzy, a pair of thick hands strangled his neck.
Two sticks subdued the Tarasco warrior in front, and the Jaguar warrior laughed loudly. He put one knee on the prisoner's back and pinched his neck hard. The prisoner was like a dehydrated fish. After a few desperate flops, his eyes turned white.
Collapsed. The Jaguar warrior then let go and took off the prisoner's weapons and cotton armor in twos and twos to ensure that the other party was not a threat. Then he took out the rope he carried with him, tied the prisoner's hands tightly, and let the prisoner gasp for breath. Skilled
After tying him up, he slapped the other person awake with two backhand slaps, pointed his big finger at the river bank, and the other person nodded with fear in his eyes.
The strong jaguar warrior smiled with satisfaction, then released the prisoner, dragged the trophy, and headed towards the command flag.
The pursuing Mexica warriors came all the way to the wooden fort, and were faced with a rain of stones and arrows that had been prepared for them. The Tarascans stood on the three-meter-high wall and tried their best to shoot at the Mexica warriors.
Within a few steps, the Tlaxcala bows in their hands could not break the warriors' cotton armor. The Mexican warriors deliberately slowed down and waited for the village gate to open, looking for opportunities to take advantage of the situation.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The fleeing Tarasco team bypassed the main entrance. They clung to the wall, protected by archers and stone-throwing militiamen, and circled all the way to the rear until
They came to the half-open side gate and quickly retreated into the camp. The Mexica warriors were worried about the shooting at the camp wall and could not catch up, so they had to return in frustration.
A few moments later, three warrior battalions landed one after another. Shulot waved the command flag again, and the three warrior battalions spread out neatly on the river bank, ready for battle. The scouts spread out in all directions, exploring the nearby mountains and forests. The army landed
In an orderly manner, it was not until six warrior battalions landed that Shulot moved the flag and led the guards to land on the north bank. Four thousand warriors and thousands of sailors were left in the navy to be on alert.
The first batch of scouts have returned and reported that no ambush was found within more than ten miles. The Jaguar warriors in the van also reported the intelligence obtained from the interrogation just now.
"According to reports from the prisoners, spring plowing has arrived and there is a shortage of manpower. Each of the five nearby wooden fort camps has only two hundred Tarasco warriors, one thousand militiamen, and nearly a thousand construction workers."
Shulot nodded slightly. He waved the command flag again, and the drums of the attack sounded. The six warrior battalions gradually spread out according to the direction the command flag pointed, and surrounded the wooden castle on three sides. The central army was the Guards Longbow Battalion.
, the Temple Guard and the Jaguar Chapter, with a longbow warrior battalion and a stick and shield warrior battalion on the left and right wings.
Not long after, each camp was deployed in place. Xiulote observed the three-meter-high village wall, the outer wooden fence, and some of the brick walls, and thought secretly. While he ordered the craftsmen to build wooden ladders, he summoned the uncle to
Tad, gave the order in a low voice. The warrior chief bowed his head and saluted, then left with hundreds of longbow warriors.
Soon, the captured Tarascans were guarded by two Mexica warriors holding shields. They came to the camp tremblingly and shouted in the Tarascan dialect to surrender.
"... Thirty thousand Mexica troops have arrived... The Legion of Tarasco can't save them... The villages on the south bank are burned... Return quickly... Save their lives... The militiamen are sent back to their hometown...
.”
As the announcement of persuasion to surrender came, people on the wall swayed, and there were a lot of discussions. The Tarasco warriors and militiamen looked at the endless Mexica warriors under the wooden fort, saw the huge fleet on the Leman River, and expressed their opinions.
There is no longer any doubt about the scale of the invading army. It is difficult to mobilize during the spring plowing season, and in a war of this scale, the isolated camps in the north have no chance of surviving.
While the morale of the defenders was in turmoil, a warrior carrying the battalion commander's flag climbed onto the wall. He looked at the size of the enemy, and a look of death suddenly appeared on his face. Then, he shouted loudly, waved his bronze spear, and seemed to be
Promising something, the walls of the village gradually calmed down.
Bertard confirmed his identity and suddenly waved his hand. One hundred and twenty steps away, hundreds of longbow warriors fired arrows at the same time, and then with a scream of "Boom, boom, boom...", a series of arrows shot through the air.
.
The arrow rain hit only a moment later, and the leader carrying the flag could not escape, with a look of extreme pain on his face. His movements froze for an instant, and then he staggered and fell, blood gushing out like a fountain, and his body was covered with arrows. The people around him
The soldiers also fell suddenly, and the warriors and militiamen in the camp were panicked. They fell down one after another to avoid the sharp arrows shot from such a long distance.
Shulot continued to wave the flag, and the order was to shoot accurately and aim freely. The battalion of longbow warriors on the right wing immediately moved forward and dispersed. These elite longbow warriors fired continuously, gradually approaching to stand within sixty steps, and then aimed at
The archers and militiamen at the top of the city were shot at targeted locations.
The warriors and militiamen at the top of the city tried throwing stones and shooting arrows, but they were unable to break through the cotton armor and rattan helmets of the longbow warriors. Bertard took aim with the arrow himself, paused briefly, raised his hand and fired an arrow. Tara was shooting at him.
The Sko warrior covered his throat, and the single bow in his hand fell. He turned over and fell from the wall of the village. The warrior commander did not pause and shot at another warrior guarding the fort.
The exchange of fire lasted for several quarters of an hour, and turned into a one-sided massacre. Only a dozen of the Mexica warriors were injured, and hundreds of people were killed in the camp. With the advantage of the longbow warriors' long-range advantage, more than a thousand defenders lay in wait.
Up and down the wall, they could no longer fight back, and their morale dropped rapidly.
Shulot watched the battle situation calmly. He continued to wait for three to four quarters of an hour, until more than a dozen crude three-meter wooden ladders were prepared, then waved the battle flag again and ordered the stick and shield warriors on the left wing to prepare. These wooden ladders can
The construction was so fast thanks to the wood piled outside the wooden castle.
Afterwards, the longbow warriors approached thirty steps away, aiming and firing arrows from time to time to suppress the city. After a while, the low sound of war drums sounded, accompanied by the war flag pointing forward. Five hundred Mexica warriors obeyed the order
Go forward, trot towards the outermost wooden fence of the wooden castle, and start to smash and destroy it.
Seeing that the Mexicans began to destroy the first barrier, the temporary wooden fort commander shouted loudly, and the archers and slinging militiamen on the wall began to shoot sporadically. At this distance of less than thirty steps, the special
The Lascala bow was powerful enough to pose a life threat to the warriors. More than a dozen Mexican warriors fell to the ground one after another, not knowing whether they were alive or dead.
Thousands of longbow warriors once again hunted at close range. The Tarascans who probed were falling like fallen leaves, and soon there was no sound. The temporary commander was worried. He personally leaned forward to shoot, shouted loudly, and then got his wish.
, was shot into a hedgehog, and then went to the kingdom of the dead in the moon goddess Haratana.
Seeing that the wooden fence was broken, Shulot waved the flag again. The sound of war drums suddenly became louder and resounded throughout the world.
Barda personally led five hundred warriors to attack first. Wearing double armor and an animal helmet, holding the bronze battle ax awarded by His Highness, he rushed to the front of the siege team. Half a quarter of an hour later, the first wooden ladder was set up.
After reaching the wall, Barda was the first to climb up. In just a few breaths, he climbed to the top of the wall, then roared and swung his ax fiercely, killing the nearby Tarascans. Behind him
, are more and more Mexican warriors.
With the support of the longbowmen, more than a dozen wooden ladders were set up on the wall of the camp one after another, and the Mexica warriors climbed up. When the number of warriors exceeded two hundred, the camp announced that it had changed hands. The Tarasco people finally resisted feebly.
After a while, seeing that the situation was over, they dropped their weapons and fell to the ground to surrender.
Seeing the fall of the wooden fort, Shulot looked calm. In just one day, the stronghold was easily captured. This victory was just an insignificant first step in the Western Expedition. The young commander waited for a moment until the gate of the fort opened.
, Barda returned to report. Then he smiled and praised the brave eagle warrior.
Shulot moved the central army, and the commander's flag 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 look and found that there were about 1,500 prisoners and 200 talas.
Most of the Ko warriors died in battle, mostly from precise close-range shooting. Hundreds of militiamen on the wall also died in battle, while the civilians hiding under the wall suffered only minor casualties.
The young commander ordered in a deep voice.
"Check the conditions of the prisoners. Those who are seriously injured and cannot move will be sacrificed. Those who are slightly injured and can work will be kept as laborers to repair the camps and strengthen the city defenses. The warriors will be tortured for information about their surroundings. Those who are willing to surrender will be converted, and those who will not surrender will be executed!"
The priests obeyed the order and built the altar. The blazing holy fire burned, and sacrifices and conversions were performed at the same time. Mysterious and solemn chants echoed in the wooden castle, accompanied by the blue flames of the Tarasco people's awe. The priests
They wore feathered crowns and robes, waved sacrificial obsidian daggers mercilessly, and piously praised the name of the god Huitzilopochtli, introducing the faith of the Lord God to the Kingdom of Tarasco for the first time.
Shulot did not preside over this small sacrificial ceremony. He sat high in the largest wooden house, analyzing the information obtained from the prisoners, listening to the responses from the scouts after their exploration, and deciding the next move of the advance army.
The next day, the Mexican army divided into two groups and besieged two nearby wooden forts. They marched for one day and besieged for another day. In two days, they broke into the stronghold and killed three hundred warriors of Tarasco and captured the militiamen.
Close to three thousand.
The Leman River rushes westward, naturally dividing the north and the south. Facing the sudden arrival of the Mexican army, the Tarascans finally began to mobilize their troops. The remaining two wooden forts on the north bank were abandoned, and the Tarascan warriors were the first to evacuate.
, and suffered hundreds of losses in the pursuit of the Mexican vanguard. The remaining militiamen and civilians fled in all directions, and at least two thousand people surrendered.
The fighting on the north coast temporarily stopped. The Kingdom of Tarasco lost five wooden forts built by the Mexicans, seven hundred noble warriors, and nearly 10,000 weed-like militiamen. The Mexican advance army was on the north coast.
A solid stronghold was established. The alliance's army suffered only a hundred casualties and consumed tens of thousands of arrows, but it gained 8,000 newly converted prisoners.
As the war situation became clear, the Tarascans began to mobilize on the south coast. They recruited warrior militia, filled fortresses, assembled naval ships, and sent scout boats north to join the Mexica fleet patrolling the Leman River.
There were sporadic battles. Farther north, Otomi scouts were looming in the mountains and forests, secretly watching the battle by the river.
The fighting in the hot field has come to an end, and the dark clouds from the east have arrived. The real war is brewing, just like the first rain of the rainy season.
