The summer in the Mexican plateau is warm, and even though it is windy and rainy, there is not a trace of cold.
The rainwater formed a thread on my body. Shulot was just wearing a cloak and shorts. He stood by the river and watched thousands of small boats, like migrating birds, rocking out of the heavy rain.
The boatmen were shirtless and unloading grain while cheering. Then the fleet first transported away the city-state sacrificial plate that the king valued most, followed by various luxury goods and tributes. Then came the man-made trebuchet dismantled into various wooden parts. Shulot was checking the details of the waterproofing treatment by the river. Finally, there were the three thousand Otomi people escorted by the warriors.
Whether it's sacred stones, tributes, weapons, or prisoners. They would all be transported up the Tampen River to the great lake capital.
The Tampen River was the lifeline of the army. With a distance of two to three hundred kilometers and relying on convenient rivers, only twenty to thirty thousand militiamen and boatmen were enough to maintain the supplies of twenty legions. The ratio of corps to logistics was eight to one.
For the same distance, if we rely on dirt roads on the plateau, without horse-drawn carriages or ox-carts, and can only carry it manually on our shoulders, the number of civilians required will quadruple, and the ratio of legions to logistics will be two to one.
And if the dirt roads are replaced by mountain forests, the number of civilians maintaining logistics will double, and the ratio between legion and logistics will be terrible.
As for the two to three hundred kilometers of tropical rain forest land route, with the technological level of any country in the world at this time, no matter how many civilians there are, the logistics line of the army cannot be maintained. Because the peasants will consume all the transported food when they are on the road.
"River transportation and sea transportation were the lifeline of the ancient empire." Shulot thought, "It's a pity that the army will soon leave this lifeline."
The city-state of Hilotepec expressed its surrender to the greatest extent. The nobles of the city-state tried their best to plunder the city and transport supplies out of the city to meet all the requirements of the Mexica army.
However, the stubborn nobles and priests did not surrender the city, and warriors and militiamen were still stationed on the city walls. Because they have everything in the city, and they will never give up easily until they are exhausted.
King Tisok was satisfied with Xilotepec's surrender and had no interest in spending another ten months besieging the city, which had depleted its wealth.
The next target of the army is the core of the loose alliance of the Western Otomi people, the mountain city of Otopan, the legendary northern ancestral land of the Otomi people. As long as the city of Otopan is captured, the Otomi people will lose their political, cultural and military center and can only surrender to the empire.
Six legions of troops were left in camp on the west bank of the Tampen River. Two direct regiments were responsible for maintaining the main camp on the river. The grain road will turn overland here, winding along the mountains and forests to the west.
The remaining four city-state legions monitored the city-state of Xilotepec while maintaining food routes on land.
Then, on the first day of September, the king led more than 20,000 direct warriors, 25,000 direct village warriors, 25,000 city-state warriors, and nearly 40,000 city-state militiamen, fourteen legions, a total of eleven Tens of thousands of troops, like a vast swarm of ants, marched towards Otopan, more than two hundred kilometers away.
Rolling mountains, dark forests, continuous wind and rain, deer and wolves frightened away by the army, and deserted Otomi villages, this is the scenery along the way.
Shulot passed by the battlefield of the first formation again, with Bertard guarding him. The two stood on the commander's hill, looking at the vast forest under the drizzle. On the land moistened by blood, the grass is lush enough to cover all traces of the past, except for the memories in people's hearts.
The army is just a passing visitor.
Along the march, the commander-in-chief Totec set up four camps occupying the highlands, and transferred 40,000 city-state militiamen to logistics, responsible for transporting and guarding food routes, and also saving food consumption.
Finally, after more than half a month of arduous trek, nearly 50,000 Mexica warriors, plus 25,000 direct village warriors, a total of nine legions, finally arrived at the city of Otopan.
Although the number of troops has been greatly reduced, the core combat effectiveness of the Mexican army is still there. Among the 50,000 Mexican warriors, there are nearly 3,000 Jaguar and Eagle Chapters, and more than 10,000 fourth-level senior warriors.
King Tisok was confident of victory.
Even if all the Otomi city-states unite, mobilize completely, and recruit more than ten or two hundred thousand militiamen, he can still win in one battle.
The king longed for a hearty decisive battle, a glorious battle that could be engraved on the sacrificial plate. He was ready to carve a sacrificial plate as great as the Aztec Sun Stone for his ascension. It will be engraved with the great achievements of fifteen ancestors, and I am the sixteenth.
The name of the sacrificial plate is "The Stone of Tisoke" to establish the king's undisputed divine power and throne.
The king's confidence lasted until the moment he saw the city of Otopan. At that moment, his smile froze.
"By God!" Shulot walked out of the forest with difficulty, and the first thing he saw when he raised his head was the mountain city in the distance. "This is Otopan City?!"
Shulot turned his head, looked at Avitt beside him, and smiled bitterly at the same time. I had long heard that Otopan was easy to defend but difficult to attack, but I didn't expect the terrain to be like this. No wonder, even a hundred years later, the Spaniards could only maintain a semi-autonomous form of rule here.
Their bodies were covered with fallen leaves and dust from their trek in the forest, and the guards beside them were helping them pack their bags. Behind them was an army that was also trekking hard.
The height of Otopan Castle should be between Japan's mountain castles and flat mountain castles. Looking up, it is located on a platform in the mountains. The relative height of the platform is about forty to fifty meters.
The north side is the steepest, vaguely connected to the nearby mountains, and has a faint stream flowing down it. The slopes on the other three sides are slightly gentle, and there are simple roads left by people walking on them.
The city-state's area is estimated to be over five square kilometers. The city wall was built against the mountain. It was about four or five meters high and included the entire platform. Shulot could vaguely see figures swaying on the city wall on the top of the mountain, and flags fluttering. He must have found traces of the army.
"This city is difficult to conquer. The terrain is difficult and there is no shortage of water. It is still the rainy season."
"It's very difficult to fight. No wonder the Otomi people, although weak, have been able to take root in the chaos of the north for more than two hundred years."
Familiar conversation, the two looked at each other speechless.
After a while, the commander-in-chief Totec came in a hurry, his face was serious. As soon as they met, he grabbed Hulot and said, "Xullot, can your trebuchet hit the city on the mountain?"
Shulot shook his head: "The entire platform, from the edge to the bottom of the slope, is within the extreme shooting range of the opponent's city wall. The stones rolling down from the top of the mountain can completely destroy the trebuchet. Even if long-range attacks are not considered, such a sloping hillside Even if the trebuchet is successfully set up by chance, shooting up the city wall twenty or thirty meters high will not have any power at all."
Totec frowned: "Isn't there any other way? For example, using a wooden ladder, or the sharp metal-headed wheeled car you mentioned last time?"
Shulot and Avitt shook their heads at the same time.
"The elite warriors carried wooden ladders and climbed up the mountain forty or fifty meters. They had to be shot one-sidedly by stones, wood blocks, javelins, bows and arrows, and stone bullets on the city wall for nearly thirty minutes, which consumed a huge amount of physical strength, and then they had to forcefully climb the city. Fighting, let alone in the rainy season. The casualties among the samurai will be too heavy, this is impossible." Avitt said, losing the smile on his face.
"Let's not talk about the difficulty of building a charging car. In this kind of terrain, it is difficult to push the charging car onto the platform, and the opponent's rolling rocks can completely destroy the charging car." Shulot said helplessly.
"Is there really nothing we can do?" Totec asked at the end without giving up.
The two shook their heads again.
"Besiege the city," Avitt said.
The city of Otopan is a castle built in the mountains. In fact, in this era, there are ways to fight if you really want to. Shulot thought, first use a large number of cannon fodder troops to consume the rolling stones and logs in the city.
Next, use the Spanish's large-caliber short-barreled cannon to bombard the city wall until it collapses, or use the superior longbowmen to suppress the long-range attacks of the city defenders, and then push the ram to break through the city gate. Finally, rely on elite assault troops to break in from gaps or city gates and engage in close combat.
Either way, superior long-range suppression is required, and a large number of elite casualties are inevitable.
And now... "Let's besiege the city." Shulot also said.
Soon, more than 70,000 Mexican troops camped on three sides of Otopan, blocking the easy roads, building simple forts, and then sent out elite squads to patrol the steep north.
Totec tried various methods to provoke the defenders in the city. According to the final intelligence, after gathering some reinforcements from Guamare and Parmus, there are now more than 10,000 warriors, 30,000 militiamen, and 30,000 to 40,000 civilians in the city. The food can last for up to a year.
Maybe he was frightened by the last battle, or maybe he was determined to be a turtle that retreated into its shell. No matter how tempting and provocative the Mexica warriors were, the Otomi people just remained motionless and defended Otopan.
The long siege began.
