The clouds covered the sky and the earth, and the wind and rain covered the wilderness. The fleet made its way eastward, sailing against the current.
Shulot was sitting cross-legged on the bow of the boat, holding an obsidian dagger in his arms, which made him feel relaxed. He looked at the mighty river, the ups and downs of the mountains, the green mountains and forests, and the low-lying birds. The raindrops fell and wet his long hair. Water vapor blurs vision and makes the world seem distant.
He was once a passer-by who spanned thousands of years, walking alone and silently, wandering in the wild past. Like the lost wild geese, hovering in the unfamiliar sky. Just watching the passage of time, overlooking the majestic mountains and rivers, I feel a sense of freedom and distant alienation in my heart. That is the loneliness of a time traveler.
I don’t know when, maybe because I was tired from flying, the wild geese finally landed gently on the bow of the boat. The young man is no longer free and helpless, but has emotions and concerns in his heart. He has a father, a teacher, friends, followers, and a future wife. Only with a real home can you have a real self.
My hometown has passed away, and where the wild geese fall is my hometown. Only when a young man has a loved one can he have a world to protect. With a world to protect, there are enemies to kill. No matter whether the enemy is a brave warrior, a noble king, or a white-skinned colonist.
A year of changes in life and death, a year of fighting and fighting. The once soft and kind young traveler transformed into a resolute young warrior. The strength of a warrior comes from his contempt for death, but also from his love for life and the people he cares about.
During this drifting journey on the bow of the ship, Shulot hugged the long dagger tightly in his arms. He was extremely convinced: "I have integrated into this world."
He continued to look around at the mighty fleet. Thousands of boats were galloping towards the end of the plateau, like wolves galloping to hunt. The warriors were silently gestating murderous intentions, the archers were wiping their life-stealing weapons, Avitt and Akap were still discussing in a low voice, waiting for the arrival of the hunt!
The target of this hunt is a king who can threaten the lives of everyone and can also protect his own power. How should power be used? Shulot already had a clear answer.
Six days have passed since the fleet traveled eastward. During these six days of continuous marching, we started at dawn and stopped at dusk. The militiamen and warriors took turns rowing the boats. The army finally entered Tepanica Pampang, the western border of the Mexican Union.
Here, the plateau extends all the way up, and beyond that are the continuous mountains. That is the most difficult position for rowing against the current. After passing the high point of the river, you will reach the fertile and prosperous Mexica Valley.
The army disembarked here and headed northeast to the Xilotepec camp. The boat division returned to the west to pick up the 10,000 militiamen remaining in the territory of the Otomi people.
Avit sent out scouts who were good at running and ran all the way to distant villages, looking for the intelligence messenger they had been waiting for. Fourteen thousand warriors lined up in a marching formation, lightly armed and carrying only five days' worth of food, and headed northeast. Three thousand militiamen carried more food and grass and chased behind.
Shulot also walked quickly. After long-term exercise and adequate nutrition supply, his endurance is comparable to that of ordinary adult warriors. During the march, he still had enough energy to look at the surrounding farmland. Along the way, the north is the barren wilderness of the Otomi people, and the south is the sparse fields of the Tarasco people. As soon as we arrived at the territory of the Mexican city-state, we could see large stretches of connected corn fields.
August is coming to an end, and the corn has already grown as tall as a person. They receive ample rainfall, and there are slender corn cobs growing between the broad branches and leaves. This is the harvest season. Xiulote stopped to check. The soil fertility in the field was limited and the density of corn plants was not high. The corn at this time was smaller than that of later generations, and the grains were not full enough, but the harvest was still abundant, and the yield was higher than that of wheat commonly grown in Eurasia.
The soybeans are also fully grown. The pods poke their heads out from the yellowing branches and leaves, looking curiously at the harvest fields. They are also about to mature. And further down, are the remaining pumpkin leaves. The pumpkins had been harvested last month, and they were much smaller than they would later be. However, the small pumpkins support farmers through the most difficult season before harvest.
Seeing the stopped boy, Avitt came from behind. He wiped the rain off his face, wiped the mud off his straw sandals, and asked with a smile: "Xulot, what are you looking at?"
The young man smiled slightly, pointed to the harvested fields and said, "The autumn harvest is around the corner. I'm looking at this year's harvest. It's such a good year! This is the foundation of the Mexica Alliance, the great cause of dominating the world."
In the era of classical empires, agriculture was everything, especially in Mesoamerica, where food could not be imported.
After listening, Avitt also opened a pod, put the black beans into his mouth and tasted it.
"Yes, the black beans are full and the ears of corn are full. It is indeed a good year. Although the war has been going on for more than a year, the city-states have not excessively recruited militiamen to delay the spring plowing. When this year's autumn harvest is completed and the war stops, the food consumed by this war will also It can be replenished. After another autumn harvest, we can send out troops again."
Xiulote nodded. This war has consumed too much food for the Mexican people. Even with the fertility of the Texcoco Lake District and the plundering of Xilotepec City, the city-state's inventory was consumed for as much as five years. Food transportation away from rivers is simply a bottomless pit of loss.
"For the next expedition, we must choose an offensive route supported by rivers. I have a perfect target in my mind. There are two waterways in the north and south on its land." The young man looked at his friend seriously.
Avitt nodded in agreement: "It's just as I thought. They have no allies to call, so they are the best opponents. It's time for me to settle with my old friends."
After that, the two looked at each other and smiled, regaining their original tacit understanding.
The eagles with spread wings pounce on the grass rats in the mountains and forests, but their eyes are already looking to the future.
After half a day of rushing, the scout finally got on the line with the intelligence personnel. According to recent news, the reinforcements sent by the three capital cities to the Xilotepec camp include 8,000 warriors and 16,000 militiamen. It was now only one day's journey from the army and two days from the city of Xilotepec.
This is almost the largest mobilization of the four directly affiliated states. In the huge capital area, there are only two thousand warriors left to guard the lake capital, and another thousand warriors are stationed in Texcoco and Tlacopan.
At this time, night was approaching, and the army set up camp to rest. The warriors regained their strength and waited for tomorrow's attack. Shulot and Avitt gathered together, and the two carefully calculated the important military forces nearby.
The 50,000 direct warriors of the royal family were scattered everywhere.
Twelve thousand were in Atotonilco in the northeast to guard against the Tlaxcalans, and it was difficult to return for a while. There are also three city-state legions there, with 24,000 people, half of whom are city-state warriors. Although this force is huge, it is far away and will not have much impact on the overall situation.
Four thousand were directly under the city of Herotepec. It is unknown how many casualties they suffered after the Otomi attack. Also stationed together was a city-state legion. Riverside campsites and food are critical here.
Ten thousand is directly in the hands of Avitt and is now completely under control. Four thousand city-state warriors and three thousand militiamen followed, and the army only had five days of food and grass.
There are still 10,000 people directly in the hands of Tisok, who have been evacuated from the city of Otopan. He was accompanied by 20,000 city-state warriors and 5,000 militiamen. They are currently suffering from supply line interruptions, rainy season marches in the mountains and forests, and Otomi guerrillas. They are trudging back on the dirt road in the mountains and forests without knowing the specific situation.
Four thousand Teotihuacan warriors led by Shousok would follow the king, and the armies of other city-states would likely retreat on their own.
Between Otopan and Hirotepec, there were four camps in the mountains and forests for more than two weeks, housing more than 30,000 militiamen transporting food. There will be a certain amount of food in the camp there, and the king who is short of food will definitely lead his army to the camp to replenish food.
Three thousand direct samurai have been killed in the war against the Otomi people, and there are still three thousand left to guard the three cities in the capital. Although tens of thousands of militiamen can be mobilized in the three cities of the capital at any time, they are also far away and have little impact on the overall situation.
The last eight thousand direct warriors are on their way to support the Herotepec camp, with sixteen thousand militiamen. Among them are already two thousand family warriors from Avit. This unit is the key to changing the situation. It is right in front of you and at your fingertips.
After the discussion, everyone understood. The commander punched hard on the freehand wooden map, which was the direction to the northeast.
"Start early tomorrow morning and speed up the march. We must capture this unit before sunset in the afternoon!"
