October is the end of the rainy season, and the sun finally shines generously on the earth, lighting up the way back.
October is also the season when the harvest is completed, which is the joy of farmers to obtain food. At this time, Shulot was standing on the hill, looking south from a distance.
There is the edge of the Mexica Valley. The fields are already covered with yellow corn stalks. Farmers can be vaguely seen busy in the fields, picking up the lost grain. The monsoon carries the unique fragrance of grains, which is the smell of harvest. That's Mexica land.
In the Mexican highlands, the fall corn harvest often begins in mid-September and is completed by the end of September. This will be the most important ration for farmers throughout the year and determines their life or death.
And when he turned around and continued heading north, he saw only stretches of barren fields in front of him, a wilderness already full of withered grass, a village that had been reduced to ashes by the Otomi guerrillas, and faint bones between the villages.
These Otomi villages were doomed in the war. If they did not accept the Otomi guerrillas, they would be destroyed as enemies. And once accepted, Mexica punishment will follow. In this way, during the long battle, this land turned into a ghost land without human habitation.
"White bones are exposed in the wild, and there are no roosters crowing for thousands of miles. This is the land of the Otomi people." The young man sighed quietly.
And close to the army, hundreds of fresh, skinny and hunched corpses were lying scattered. The warriors in the vanguard are replacing worn obsidian sharp blades.
Just now, the forward of the army was suddenly attacked by a group of Otomi guerrillas.
Two to three hundred half-clothed Otomi militiamen, armed with stone spears and wooden sticks, roared wildly and suddenly rushed out of the mountains and forests. Driven by a dozen Otomi warriors, they bumped into the front line of Jaguar warriors and subordinate warriors. They were then mercilessly beaten by battle sticks and turned into warm corpses on the ground without causing even a trace of damage.
Like harmless moths dropped into a campfire, they crackle and turn to ash.
The militiamen had just engaged in battle with the Mexican warriors. The warriors hiding at the back turned and fled into the forest without stopping. They had accomplished their mission of driving militiamen to their deaths.
The howling of wild dogs echoed through the mountains and forests. Their eyes were red and they had already eaten corpses. At this time, they were attracted by the large-scale army and hung far behind. Based on the experience of their barren lives, these dangerous bipedal beasts will fight each other and then bring them new food, just like the battle that has just ended.
Shulot wears a helmet that hides his face, a hyena priest costume, and holds a topaz scepter. He stepped on the ground in front of him. The soil had dried slightly and hardened in the sun. Compared with the soft muddy ground in the rainy season, this kind of ground is much more comfortable to walk on, and it is also more suitable for warriors to fight.
"This kind of attack is meaningless! The trees are sparse, the ground is dry and hard, and the weather is sunny and rainless. The militiamen have no advantage of the terrain and their numbers are not enough. They cannot cause any harm to the warriors of Mexica. The Otomi people Totally crazy!”
The young man looked at the militiamen who were as thin as reed sticks. These peasants cannot even be called soldiers. They were just weak, hungry victims.
"Farmers must be having a very difficult time this year. With the war's rapid consumption of food, coupled with a year of famine, at least three out of ten farmers will die before the New Year, and the rest will be on the verge of death."
Bertard sighed. The vicissitudes of the samurai chief was born into the common people and sympathized with the sufferings of the peasants.
"Even so, for the sake of the war, the nobles of Otomi will still take away the last rations from the farmers and let more people starve to death. They want to fill the empty warehouses due to the siege, as well as their own dining tables."
"So." Xiulote frowned a little, "If we leave the city of Herotepec, not only will they not help the local farmers, but they will plunder desperately to fill their own granaries?"
"Of course! The city of Herotepec was also besieged by us for four months, and later we were forced to hand over thirty years of tribute. Because of the siege, their autumn harvest last year was not completed.
I did some plowing this spring and just harvested some pumpkins and soybeans in the first two months, but it was just a drop in the bucket. The corn was not harvested, and the priests and nobles seized the opportunity to rebel and fight against us again. Now the two armies were facing each other, and the fields were either deserted or burned. There is at least four months of food left in the city of Xilotepec!
If we don’t confiscate the farmers’ rations, what will happen if our army besieges the city again? For their own survival, the nobles will let the peasants die without mercy!
This is also the time when they least care about casualties. The Otomi people's crazy guerrilla activities are intended to reduce the number of militiamen. Rather than letting the militiamen consume food or starve to death in vain, it is better to let them cause some harm to us, and prevent the hungry people from starting riots. This is the principle of nobility! "
Bertard's eyes were filled with quiet, deep anger.
After decades of fighting, he had long been accustomed to seeing the life and death of warriors, but he could not forgive the cruelty of the nobles and the hardship of the common people. He wants change to happen. Thinking of hope, the warrior commander silently glanced at Shulot and stopped talking.
The young man frowned in thought. He remembered the calculation before the decisive battle. Avitt taught him what the commander's perspective was. In the commander's mind, life is just a calculated number.
According to his and Avitt's original plan, the army would negotiate with the Otomi people, rescue Kasar, who was in charge of the rear, and three thousand direct warriors, and then exchange food and the Otomi people for prisoners. After the peace talks, the entire army went south, evacuated the Otomi land, quickly entered the capital, and formally inherited the throne in the capital.
Finally, control the capital's food supply and subdue Atotonilco's 30,000-strong army.
But now it seems that he still needs to think carefully about what to do with the city of Xilotepec. This city-state has fallen into its weakest moment and its final madness.
Walking in a hurry, the two of them passed by the cold corpses of the militiamen. The warriors spent no time burying their enemies, and showed no interest in the odds and ends that might be on the militiamen.
The group of warriors had just passed by when a group of wild dogs swarmed behind them. They have been waiting impatiently for a long time. But this time, they didn't need to dig out the body from the soil.
After thinking silently for a long time, the young man asked again.
"Since there is a shortage of food, why do the nobles of Hilotepec City rush to launch a rebellion? Are they really willing to sacrifice themselves for Otopan City?"
Bertard looked towards the mountains and forests to the west, which was the direction of Otopan City. He considered what was known.
"The main reason is hatred. The priests hate the Mexica legions deeply, and so do the nobles and warriors."
The young man thought of the sacrificial plate that was dragged away, and the priests who cut their faces and swore an oath. There were also a large pile of confiscated tributes, many of which were engraved with the family crests of the nobles. Finally, there were the sacrifices of three thousand men, and their relatives who followed them crying.
"In addition, the city of Otopan and the Tarascalans must have made certain promises to them. Such as food supplies and military support. If the Mexica army withdraws, they can also get help from nearby farmers and savages. Among the tribesmen, they plundered three or four months’ worth of food without leaving any chance of survival.”
The young man recalled the countless burning villages and fields under the city of Otopan, as well as the cruelty of tens of thousands of civilians dying that night. These were experiences he could not forget.
"Is there any extra food in Otopan City? They almost ran out of food." The young man obviously didn't believe it.
"How can the city-state's promises count? The city of Otopan was desperate at that time, so it would naturally try its best to deceive and make promises. Now, they must be trying their best to plunder the farmers in their territory, consume their own militia, and guard against the Mexica people Or the Tarascan offense.
As for the people of Tlaxcala, let’s not say whether they are willing. Before Atotonilkobon was opened, it was impossible for them to transport food to the Otomi people. "
The young man nodded in agreement. Although the long siege war brought down the Mexica, the huge gap in national power and the complete destruction of agricultural production also left the Otomi people at this time. The city of Herotepec could not count on the promised support.
"Since the city of Otopan and the city of Herotepec are not of the same mind, there is a lot to be done here. Let's deal with them separately!"
The civil war in Mexico has just ended, but the foreign war in Otomi continues. As the situation in the world changes, everything will also change. It just depends on how those who adapt to the situation do it.
After three days of hurried march, the mountain camp finally appeared in front of Shulot again. Under the magnificent sunset, the young man's command flag was raised high, carrying the king's body and the staff, and the morale of the four thousand troops was high.
But before their eyes, the size of the mountain camp expanded again. The densely packed camps expanded, and the flags of different city-states were flying between the camps.
Tens of thousands of city-state warriors are stationed outside. They were sallow and skinny, tired from the journey, but still as capable as warriors. At this time, they were making a fire and cooking full of hope. Smoke rises from the camp, reflecting the evening glow, heralding a sunny tomorrow.
"It seems that the 20,000 warriors from the surrounding city-states have surrendered. Food is the lifeblood of the army. Whoever controls the food controls the power of war!" The young man couldn't help but smile.
Seeing the returning army, the warriors along the way stepped forward one after another. They saluted respectfully to the coyote priest and legion commander, and peeked at the king's body with awe, as well as the shining topaz scepter in the young man's hand.
Shulot nodded in response with a confident smile of a victor.
"Now, our strength has grown again! The warriors of Mexica will once again be united under the royal banner, making all enemies tremble."
