Avitt stood solemnly on the hill on the north bank. He was condescending, staring intently at the enemy in front. Next to him, there were dozens of drummers, trumpeters and flag bearers delivering orders, waiting for the commander's orders.
This is the crossing of the narrow Leman River. Even in the rainy season when the river water rises, the width is only five or six hundred meters, and the narrowest point is less than three hundred meters.
The Tarascans crossed the river at the same time within a range of more than ten miles. Hundreds of canoes were loaded with warriors with spears in their hands. The boats moved like arrows and came northward almost instantly.
As soon as the commander gave the order, a low drum beat sounded on the river. A group of Mexica canoes also surged out. The paddlers increased their speed to the maximum, and the calmness lasted only a few breaths. The fleets of both sides became fierce.
Impact together.
Shulot felt that the world paused for a moment, and then there was thunder.
He saw two large boats, the bows of which collided with each other, and stopped moving forward with a crash. Then the boats shook violently, spun on the spot, and suddenly connected together. The sailors and militiamen on both sides had no time to wait for the boats to calm down.
They roared and waved their weapons, jumped onto the enemy ship, and fought together.
A Mexican militiaman held up a small shield with his left hand to block the stone spear that was being stabbed. Then he held out an obsidian short blade with his right hand, inserted it into the waist and abdomen of the enemy in front, and then stirred it clockwise. The sailor of Tarasco
With a scream, he fell back into the water, and the place where he fell into the water quickly turned red. As soon as the militiaman smiled, his chest suddenly felt cold, followed by a sharp pain, and he lost strength instantly. When he finally lowered his head, he could only see the bottom of the water.
A long spear.
The Tarasco spearman diagonally opposite cheered with a ferocious face, attracting attention not far away. He tried to pull out the spear, but couldn't. The thrust just now was too hard and too deep, and it got stuck in the ribs.
Up. Just as he was about to try again, a stone ax came from the side and rear, hitting the side of his neck fiercely.
The spearman's miserable howl was only half before the stone ax fell again. Then a thick bare foot kicked his chest, kicking his body with a tilted head into the running river, erasing all traces of his existence in the blink of an eye.
The big boats are touching each other. And the big boats are crushing each other against the small boats.
The young man saw more than a dozen rowers boosting their power at the same time, and the Mexica's big boat suddenly jumped up, like a hunting cheetah, and pounced straight on several small boats on the opposite side. One small boat had no time to avoid it, and was hit by the big boat.
It hit the side string. The boat was pushed up diagonally, lifted violently, and finally flipped over, completely overturning. Several people on the boat screamed and fell into the water. Before they could stretch out and swim, several stone spears were stabbed at them.
It penetrates into the brain like a melon.
The other small boat quickly deflected, spinning and barely avoiding it, and then spun again and connected with the big boat. Immediately on the big boat, more than a dozen warriors roared and rushed towards them, using more than a dozen weapons to fight against the smaller ones.
He stabbed several people on the boat into bloody gourds.
Continuous collisions finally caused the big boat to lose speed and float on the water for a short time. When dozens of small boats around found an opportunity, they swarmed in like a pack of wolves and surrounded the big boat. Militiamen rushed up from all directions and stabbed them with spears.
, the squeaking sound penetrated deeply into the flesh, and the blood immediately soaked the deck.
The battle on the water was particularly cruel. The warriors were entangled with each other, weapons came from all directions, and the feet were always shaky and slippery. Once they fell into the water, it often meant death.
While Xilot was distracted by the fierce water battle, he quickly ended the sacrificial ceremony blessed by the God of War. After praying to the patron saint Huitzilopochtli, the Mexica warriors finally had a "match" with the alien god.
"Evil Spirit Cultist" fights with confidence.
Only then could the young man take a closer look at the boats on the river. Both the Mexica and the Tarasco people here only had sailless canoes powered by oars.
The so-called canoe is to use the trunk of a tree as a complete keel, and then dig out the trunk to dig out the hull, and modify the bow and stern, corners and sides. In this era, Central American shipbuilding technology was limited, and there was no iron nail reinforcement or keel splicing.
The only way is to use a big tree as a boat, so it won't leak or fall apart.
Therefore, how long and thick the trunk is, the length and width of the canoe will be. Tall and wide birch and fir trees are often the first choice for canoes. Fortunately, Central America at this time was densely forested, and large trees hundreds of thousands of years old were everywhere.
It can be seen that there is no shortage of canoe materials.
Canoes on the battlefield can be divided into two categories: large and small. The large canoe is the core of water warfare, and its manufacture requires complete wood and complicated processes. It is at least fifteen meters long and three meters wide, allowing four people to sit side by side. Of course
, there is no height to speak of as the canoe is attached to the water. On both sides of the boat, many round shields are fixed with ropes to protect the oarsmen and warriors, and to guard against stones and bows and arrows.
To effectively drive a large canoe, at least ten rowers are needed. In addition to the rowers, a large canoe can carry up to thirty warriors while maintaining enough space for the warriors to wield their weapons. The large canoe is also used for transportation
Tools for large items, such as the sacrificial plates from the city of Chilotepec, were transported back to the capital of Mexico by large boats.
Small canoes are the most numerous ant colony, and are much simpler and easier to make. They are generally no more than eight meters long and only one and a half meters wide, and can be used by two people side by side. Only two paddlers are needed to effectively drive a canoe, sometimes alone.
People can do it too. It can accommodate six warriors, or an equal volume of supplies. This is also the most commonly used transport ship by fishermen and merchants.
Shulot knew that the Nahuas and Mayans in the East also had a "giant boat" that traveled along the coast. The giant boat required certain skills and rare giant trees. It was thirty meters long and three to four meters wide.
Method, the width of the canoe is strictly limited by the width of the tree.
This kind of giant boat that can sail on the sea is a paddle-sail boat, with a mast and a large rectangular sail installed in the center. The sail is made of animal skins, cotton cloth or even linen mats. The sail is used as power.
, the boat requires at least sixteen oarsmen.
The Nahuas and Mayans drove giant boats across the boundless lakes, trading precious spices, gems, feathers and sacred smoke. The Mayans even sailed to distant islands to trade tobacco with the Taino tribe.
and cotton. Although they are primitive, they are already densely populated Caribbean islands.
Hulot shook his head and thought no more. He silently estimated the number of Tarascan ships.
Avitt told him that this time the Mexican navy mobilized on a large scale, and a total of 200 large boats and 600 small boats came from Lake Texcoco. However, the boats did not carry all the navy, and
Half of the space was used to load grain and grass, so the total number of the Marine Corps was about 8,000.
The Tarascans on the opposite side have about a hundred large boats and 800 small boats, all fully loaded. The total number is about 11,000 people, including 5,000 spear militiamen on board. Although the Tarascans
They are lake people, but Lake Patzcuaro in the core area is not connected to the Leman River, and they cannot gather enough large ships.
In river warfare, big ships are better than small ships, and more ships are better than fewer ships, especially when there are no crossbows, slings, or artillery. The young man considered the classic fire attack tactic, and Avitt was also tempted. He just searched around,
The two men regretfully discovered that they could not improvise much oil here. Because animal fats and oils were scarce, vegetable oils were expensive, and high-yielding oil crops had not yet been introduced to the Americas.
"When can we go to Texas or Venezuela to dig for oil? Greek fire is a powerful weapon in water warfare, although the specific recipe is not yet clear." Shulott was a little yearning, but also a little self-deprecating.
"It seems that California has a lot of oil, and the climate is warm and suitable. It is better than the cold wave-ridden north and the rainforest miasma in the south. As long as the shipbuilding technology allows, colonizing California is a good choice."
In addition to fire attack and long-range, in the era of galleys, it was also possible to install a ramming horn on the bow. The ferocious impact of the big boat could easily tear the small boat apart. However, the Mexicans did not have enough metal, and the Tarascans probably did not think of it.
As a result, the water battle on the river turned into a brutal hand-to-hand battle. Soldiers from both sides were fighting desperately. From time to time, some militiamen fell into the water screaming, and a layer of spreading light red quickly appeared on the river.
In just two-quarters of an hour, both sides suffered thousands of casualties each. If they were on land, the militiamen would have collapsed long ago. But the chaotic and brutal water battle increased the tolerance of both sides. Either everyone in the boat would die, or everyone in the boat would survive.
The surviving boatmen still have enough morale.
"The situation seems not good." The young man quickly calculated the casualties of both sides. The numbers did not lie.
Avitt frowned. Relying on the advantage of the large ship, the Mexican navy made some advantages in the initial collision. But once it entered a large-scale boarding battle, the numerical disadvantage became apparent.
"The Tarascan spearmen have killed and wounded many of our militiamen. If they continue to consume us, we will be defeated first." The commander quickly confirmed the battle situation.
"Should we let the samurai or militiamen board the ship?" the young man suggested.
"There is no need to fight them on the water. The casualty ratio is too uneconomical. Send their spearmen up first, and then eat them in one bite."
As he spoke, Avitt clenched his fist confidently, as if he had grasped the enemy on the river in his palm.
He immediately ordered, and the sharp conch horns sounded across both sides of the river. The Mexica boats began to retreat and slowly broke away from contact. The 10,000 direct warriors behind the commander also arranged their weapons and were ready to fight at any time.
The Tarascan fleet did not pursue, and crossing the river was always the first priority. The oarsmen accelerated forward, quickly unloaded large groups of spear militiamen on the tidal flats of the river bank, and then quickly returned to the south bank to transport the next unit.
Nearly five thousand pikemen immediately gathered in small groups to form more than a dozen circular formations. They traded their lives for time, waiting for the arrival of the next batch of reinforcements.
On the hills not far away, the Mexican warriors were already excitedly holding shields and sticks, ready for a hearty fight.
