As the army moved westward, the Otomi people retreated. Three days later, when Shulot arrived at the third mountain camp, he saw a busy construction site in front of him.
Kuruka has occupied the camp and is directing the warriors to repair the damaged fence. When the Otomi people saw the vanguard warriors from a distance, they hurriedly evacuated, setting a fire in the camp before leaving.
Kuruca did not chase the fleeing militiamen. He arranged for the warriors to put out the fire quickly and then simply repair the damaged fence. Everything is in order, he is indeed a veteran in engineering. Of course, the reason why the fire can be put out quickly is because there is really nothing to burn in the camp.
"Priest Commander, when we arrived at the camp, it was already empty. There was nothing left. Not even a moldy tortilla was found! In this situation, even the rats in the warehouse would starve to death and shed tears."
Kuruka gave a wry smile and expressed his amazement at the Otomi people's foraging ability.
"No, there won't be any rats in the warehouse." Shulot looked around the warehouse and made a joke. "Because the rats were all caught and eaten by the Otomi!"
The young man became more and more certain that the Otomi people were in their most difficult moment. Hunger is torturing them all the time, at least for the Otomi militia.
After a brief inspection of the camp, Shulot asked Kuruka's vanguard to stop working and rest. In particular, the thousand warriors led by Barda must accumulate strength and prepare for a sudden attack in battle.
The young man thought for a moment, and then scattered the two hundred precious Holy City Jaguar warriors first to serve as scouts and vanguard soldiers in the forest. In military operations, the first task is to explore the fog of war and understand the enemy's intelligence. Detecting military intelligence is a top priority, and the most elite troops must be deployed.
He ordered these elite battle groups to be cautious and to work in teams of ten to cover each other. Prioritize your own protection, then spy on the intelligence of the second camp, and finally search for the three thousand scattered city-state warriors in the mountains and forests.
Then, Orosh led the warriors of Teotihuacan to simply repair the fence on the outermost edge of the camp. When Bertard's rear army arrived, Xiulote ordered the four thousand vanguard troops to set off immediately.
The young man handed over the complicated follow-up work to the experienced samurai captain. Let him continue to repair the camp, search for signs of friendly troops, arrange Bergire's militia, stockpile food and establish food routes.
Then, Shulot commanded more than 600 guards and Orosh's 3,000 troops, followed the forward and rushed towards the second camp.
The Chinese army marched all the way west for two days, and military sentiments gathered like water along the way. Scouts found traces of a large group of Otomi. Two thousand Otomi warriors and four thousand militiamen are under siege. The second camp in the west is still holding on, with an unknown number of troops in the camp.
Shulot then regained command of the vanguard and ordered the warriors to quickly tighten their formation and march in secret. When the sun rose to the middle, bright sunlight once again projected onto the forest path, and he heard the loud eagle cry again. Orosh next to him translated: "The enemy is in the west, less than half a day away, and the specific actions are unknown."
Shulot no longer hesitated. He had superior troops and should not fight a chaotic night battle. He immediately summoned Barda.
"Your thousand warriors unloaded all the marching supplies, rested for two quarters of an hour, and then quickly attacked to the west. The Jaguar warriors will give you guidance, don't stop, don't care about the miscellaneous soldiers, just stick to the opponent's warrior camp! Ku Lucca’s three thousand men will soon arrive.”
"Barda, you are a brave Mexica warrior, don't let me down!" Hulot looked majestically into Barda's eyes and held his hand tightly.
Barda blushed. He knelt down on one knee, letting the boy tower over him, bowed his head and made a loud promise.
Two quarters of an hour later, Barda carried a shield and a big stick on his back, and a thousand assault warriors set off immediately. Kuruca's three thousand warriors followed.
Shulot was certain that the Otomi people had already heard the news about the legion's westward march. They were now like prepared rabbits, fleeing into the mountains and forests at the first sign of trouble.
A thousand-sized commando team can hide as much as possible in the mountains and forests, get close enough to launch a charge, and drag down the enemy warriors. When the subsequent three thousand warriors arrive, the opponent will have no choice but to die in battle or surrender.
Orosh looked at Shulot and smiled happily. After a while, the three thousand warriors of the Chinese army took the forward's marching rations and supplies and headed west, also fully armed.
Half a day later it was evening, the sun was setting slightly in the west, smoke was rising from a distance, and the Otomi people were lighting a fire to cook. As usual, two thousand warriors gathered on the safer inside, while four thousand militiamen were scattered on the outside. Occasionally, loud eagle calls could be heard in the forest. The militiamen outside looked to the sky, but saw nothing.
The militiamen were not in the mood to observe carefully. Anyway, some sentries were arranged outside. They were worried about their daily food. The Mexica camp opposite was short of food, and the Otomi people here were also short of food.
It has been two weeks since the camp was besieged, and all the wild fruits, vegetables, rats, rabbits and insects nearby have been dug up and inspected by the militiamen. Now we can only suffer every day, waiting for the noble samurai masters to give us some grains and leaves to cook into gruel, so that everyone can barely survive.
Under the command of the Otomi warriors, the militiamen launched several attacks, but each time they were repelled by the three hundred Mexica warriors in the camp with thousands of militiamen. The attack suffered heavy casualties but had no obvious effect. After a trial and a dispute, Otomi's warriors ultimately did not go into battle in person, but simply sealed off the camp and waited for the Mexica to break out.
There was another loud eagle cry, and inside the camp, a Mexica warrior about thirty years old raised his head and stared at the eastern sky. The warrior has a handsome face, a pair of melancholy eyes, and a vague smile at the corner of his mouth.
He should be the warrior captain of the camp, with several warriors surrounding him. The warriors were simply dressed, and their faces were haggard and thin, with obvious signs of hunger.
"Paramo, what are you looking at? Alas, although there are many birds in the sky, we can't catch them, and we can't turn them into meat in our stomachs."
A middle-aged samurai was joking. Although he was hungry, he seemed to be in good spirits.
The melancholy warrior captain smiled slightly and recited in a poetic voice:
"I'm looking at that eagle. She's hiding in the sky a few hundred meters away. She's hiding in the clouds. She's hiding in a very, very far place. She can't be found. But I know that she's hiding in the woodland a few hundred meters away. Here, you have come quietly, on the ground, among the trees, bringing the sound of death."
The warriors gathered around sighed helplessly. The captain was probably starving, so he started talking about some poems that no one was interested in. No matter how many poems I read at this time, it will not be as satisfying as having a full meal.
After reading the poem, Paramo's face became serious and he loudly ordered: "The reinforcements have arrived! Launch the elite militia, and the warriors are ready to go out to fight at any time!"
The warriors looked at each other, then bowed their heads and obeyed the order, quickly mobilizing the militia in the camp.
After the eagle crows, another two quarters of an hour passed. The warriors murmured doubtfully, wondering if the captain had starved his brain. At this moment, groups of Mexican warriors suddenly rushed out from the forest. They held their shields high and their sticks low. Led by the sturdy Barda, they plunged into the group of Otomi's militiamen and pounced directly on the warriors who were eating.
Páramo also shouted an order, and the camp door suddenly opened wide. Surrounded by several warriors, he rushed towards Otomi's warriors from the other side, and three hundred emaciated Mexica warriors also attacked at the same time. Behind them were two thousand shouting Stone Spear militiamen, holding back the Otomi militiamen on the opposite side.
Encountering Barda's surprise attack, the 500 Otomi warriors on guard at the outermost edge quickly attacked. The 1,500 warriors began to prepare, and then were suddenly caught off guard by the 300 warriors of Baramo. Barda did not get into more trouble with the five hundred warriors who came to attack him. He divided 300 men to meet them, while the large group of warriors shifted slightly and crashed into the 1,500 chaotic main force of Otomi from the side.
The warriors of Mexica and Otomi soon fought together. Otomi's commander tried his best to regroup several times, but was interrupted by Barda's leading charge. This fierce warrior roared angrily, and when he saw a large group of Otomi warriors gathering, he led dozens of people to charge forward.
Balamo found an advantage and brought more than a hundred warriors with him, closely following Barda, breaking up the Otomi people time and time again, preventing them from forming a battle formation and separating their front and rear ranks.
Militiamen from both sides also fought together. The hungry militiamen fought more gently than the samurai. The militiamen gathered in large groups and shouted to each other. They waved stone spears and wooden spears, slowly approaching each other, and then pricking bloody holes in the soft bodies on the opposite side, until one party could no longer bear it, scattered backwards, and suddenly collapsed. Another group of militiamen moved over to take over the fighting position, and the two sides struggled again.
The fighting between the militiamen was not fierce, but because there was no armor, the casualties on both sides were considerable. The battle lasted less than two-quarters of an hour. Three to four hundred militiamen on each side were injured, and the teams were in disarray.
The warriors on both sides lost hundreds of warriors each. With the efforts of Commander Otomi, the chaotic 1,500 warriors finally formed three phalanxes of 500 warriors. One phalanx barely blocked Barda, while a thousand warriors from the other two phalanxes were ready to encircle and concentrate their forces to quickly eat the 300 people from Paramo first.
Seeing the Otomi people surrounded on all sides, the Mexica warriors roared and prepared to fight to the death. Amid the roaring, there was faintly dissonant low recitation.
Paramo sighed softly. Seeing that something was not going well, he stood melancholy in the middle of the military formation, protected by the shields of the warriors, looking at the setting sun in the west.
"We passed the fields where the corn had fallen, we passed the setting sun, and we walked slowly to the destination without the urging of others... The battlefield made me tremble and chill, because my clothes were just gauze, how could I resist, The coldness of approaching death..."
Fortunately, powerful bows and arrows were not yet widely available on the battlefields of Mesoamerica. Páramo need not worry, as he was set on fire by numerous bows and arrows during his poetic chants. He waited quietly, and then a continuous roar came from the east, as well as the exciting cheers of the Mexica warriors.
Kuruka's three thousand direct warriors finally appeared at the edge of the forest, and then rushed towards the interlaced battle formations in the middle without hesitation. The commander of Otomi slightly estimated the number of Mexica reinforcements, and then sighed helplessly.
The thousand warriors who surrounded Paramo quickly moved and withdrew directly to the mountains and forests to the west. Then the sharp conch sound sounded, and the morale of the other thousand Otomi warriors in the battle was shaken, and they gradually retreated while fighting. The battle has entered a new stage of chasing death and chasing north.
Parramo sighed helplessly. Before he finished reading his poem, his melancholy mood suddenly disappeared, and he no longer had any inspiration. He had no choice but to wave his war stick to the west, and three hundred warriors bit the tail of the retreating Otomis and pursued them.
No one paid attention to Otomi's militia for the time being. The recruited village warriors looked at each other and fled in all directions. Before leaving, the militiamen did not forget to take away as much food as possible from the camp. Next, they will definitely not return to the Western army, but will embark on a long journey home to find their families who are still alive. If they are lucky enough to find family members, they can think about how to survive the famine winter.
The Mexica militiamen did not pursue the Otomi militiamen. They gathered into small groups and used crude stone spears to try to capture the living armored Otomi warriors. As long as they can capture a real samurai alive, the militiamen will be rewarded with food and cotton cloth. If they are strong and brave enough, they will have the opportunity to be promoted to the most basic young warriors, thus opening up channels for class advancement. This is also the only opportunity for farmers in Mexico to change their destiny!
When Kuruka's three thousand direct warriors joined the battle, the one thousand Otomi warriors who had retreated with difficulty quickly collapsed. The tight formation was scattered, and then they were instantly submerged in the wave of Mexica warriors. The other thousand Otomi warriors who had originally retreated in an orderly manner no longer hesitated. They dropped the two hundred tails entangled in Paramo, threw away their heavy war clubs and wooden shields, and quickly disappeared into the forest with only the short blades they carried.
The brilliant sunset reflected the final struggle on the battlefield. Soon, the darkness took away the afterglow of the sunset, and also took away the killings in the world. The warriors in the vanguard raised bonfires, opened the gates of the camp, and welcomed the commander of the Chinese army.
Shulot wore a helmet and calmly faced the generals who greeted him.
Kuruka knelt down respectfully: "Dear priest commander, under your command, we won a brilliant victory, leaving behind a total of 1,200 Otomi warriors, including more than 900 prisoners. ! In addition, more than 600 Otomi militiamen were captured. About 150 warriors of our army were killed and about 300 to 400 were injured."
Shulot smiled and expressed that he was very satisfied with the result of this battle. He patted Kuruca's shoulder affectionately, and then lifted him off the ground with both hands.
Kuruca stood up, bowed his head in salute, and then reported: "Priest Commander, I just checked the rations of the Otomi warriors. They eat sweet potatoes and pumpkins that are easy to hunger. It seems that there are no tortillas to eat. "
Xiuluo nodded, as expected. He praised Kuruca by saying "really meticulous!". Then he looked at Barda next to him.
Barda stood tall and proud, his face full of pride. In this battle, he attacked five or six times, and suffered seven or eight small wounds on his body. He undertook the most difficult tasks, suffered the most casualties, and achieved the greatest results. Under his assault, the Otomi people were constantly scattered and fought independently, unable to establish effective command at all. They have also been unable to form a formation and advance and retreat in an orderly manner.
Shulot laughed. He recalled the heroic stories in his memory and praised loudly: "Balda, you are a true warrior and the courage of us Mexicans!"
Then the young man stepped forward in person, took Barda's hand, and gave him an obsidian dagger inlaid with gems. Speaking of which, this dagger was one of the extra gifts given to him by the Otomi envoy during the siege of Xilotepec. Now it's just given to Barda.
Barda happily accepted the gift and formally saluted Shulot. Then he directly put the exquisite dagger on his waist and showed it to everyone carelessly.
Shulot smiled slightly and continued to look at Paramo who was kneeling on one knee.
"Are you the warrior captain of the camp? What is the current situation in the camp?"
"Yes! Dear Commander-in-Chief, I am Paramo, the warrior captain of the camp. I am willing to serve you! There are currently three hundred warriors, nearly three thousand militiamen, and five days of food for three thousand people in the camp."
Paramo raised his head, revealing a thin and handsome face.
It seems that the camp is indeed on the verge of running out of food. If there is no rescue, these warriors and militiamen will be buried here.
"Paramo, do you have any news about the first camp Kasar?"
"The Otomi people's blockade is too tight, but judging from the intensity of the attack on our camp, Commander Kasar is still holding on. He collected food from the second camp three weeks ago, and he should be able to hold on for another ten days! "
Xiulote nodded in approval. He is proficient in numbers and understands military affairs. He is a good talent. Immediately, he carefully looked at the warrior in front of him. Although the warrior was neatly dressed in armor and carrying weapons on his back, he always seemed to have the temperament of a poet.
"This time you left the camp in time and entangled Otomi's samurai group, which made a great contribution! Is there anything you want?"
Paramo's eyes were bright and twinkling. He looked at Shulot's priestly attire, the boy's stature, and the beast helmet that covered his face, then peeked at the respectful postures of the generals, and finally glanced at the warrior legions coming from behind.
"I am a civilian warrior and I don't have a surname yet. Please give me a surname, Commander-in-Chief!"
Shulote's face was calm, but his heart was stunned. He looked at Paramo's melancholy eyes again. This kind of poet's temperament appeared in a warrior, which seemed very special. This warrior has a quick mind and is quite decisive. You can take him with you to observe.
"You said your name is Paramo? A desolate plateau without trees?"
"Yes! The commander is knowledgeable."
The young man pondered slightly, Paramo, and the memories of the past came to mind again. After standing in silence for a long time, he said with emotion: "Your last name should be Rulfo! A true Mexica poet!"
