Thousands of troops bowed their heads, and all the people fell silent. There was silence in the wooden village. His Highness's voice was like a call from the gods and earth, resounding in the ears of the warriors.
Upon hearing the call, a young warrior strode out from the team that was managing the tribesmen. He is about 20 years old, of medium build, with a tiger-like back and a wolf-like waist, eyebrows raised like swords, and eyes as bright as stars. In two or three steps, he arrived in front of Shulot, knelt down on one knee, and saluted loudly, with high spirits.
"Your Highness, the Toltecs of Tepanicapan salute you! May you fly high like a golden eagle and hunt the world!"
Hearing this, Shulot laughed loudly. Although he has gradually become more mature over the past year, the youthful spirit in his heart remains. At this time, he really liked this energetic demeanor among his followers.
After the young warrior finished saluting, Shulot stepped forward, lifted Toltec up personally, and laughed loudly.
"Toltec, my brave black wolf, how is the camp here?"
The young warrior held his head high and answered loudly.
"Your Highness, the camp is under my management. There are currently one thousand village hunters and two thousand tribal hunters! There are also eight hundred Longbow Battalion stationed here to assist in management."
Shulot nodded slightly, and the longbow battalion of the personal guard was only loyal to him, with the warrior commander as the battalion commander. Afterwards, the young man thought for a moment and asked in a deep voice.
"Toltec, you are responsible for recruiting soldiers. Why are there only a thousand village hunters but so many tribal hunters?"
Toltec lowered his head slightly and still responded loudly.
"Your Highness, the village hunters are useless, but the tribal hunters are excellent! According to your standards, a straw man's vitals can be hit within thirty steps. I searched all over the villages in the lake area, but only a thousand people were found. And I use a little more skill, fishing and hunting The mountain tribes came in groups, and there were many outstanding ones. According to the standards, I selected more than two thousand people, and you can select again!"
Shulot laughed loudly.
"You know what I mean. The Alliance's expedition is about to begin. As long as the archery skills are qualified, the more the better! Where do these tribal hunters come from, and why are they willing to submit?"
"Your Highness, there are more than 20 small fishing and hunting tribes here. Each tribe has as few as fifty or sixty qualified hunters and as many as more than a hundred people. Most of them come from the western mountains and are Tepanek and Otomi mountain people. , a small number of them come from the southern mountains and are Qiongtar mountain people.”
"The Alliance has been at war for two years, and there is no peace in the mountains. The Duanfa Guards Battalion once crusaded against the rebels in the mountains. The large Tepanek tribes with inheritance were all slaughtered, the mountain fields were burned, and the small tribes were scared and dispersed. The Otomi people After successive wars, many tribes moved into the mountains. The Qontar people were driven out of the valleys by the emerging southern city-states and also entered the mountains and forests."
Toltec was in high spirits and talked about fighting in the flames of war as if he were drinking fine wine.
Shulot was startled for a moment. These savage tribes in the mountains were all expelled by the Alliance and struggled to survive in the barren mountains and forests.
"The mountains and forests are barren and the prey is limited. How can they accommodate so many hunting tribes?"
"Your Highness is absolutely right. The mountains were originally barren, and the field yields were extremely low, and they were all supplemented by hunting and trade. Now that a large number of tribes have poured in, the mountains have begun to lack food, and they are fighting each other endlessly. Your Highness has implemented a luxury ban, and the warriors have strictly inspected the merchants. The feathers hunted by the mountain people could not be sold, and the price was extremely low. Military supplies were controlled, and the leather of birds and animals could not be sold. In addition, the alliance was about to raise troops, and a large amount of food was confiscated, and the surrounding villages had no food left... Within a few months, almost No corn could flow into the mountains, and the tribes began to run out of food and even preyed on each other.”
Toltec laughed loudly, his eyebrows twitching, showing a bit of ferocity like a wolf.
"In order to prevent the tribesmen from affecting the holy mountains and plundering the villages, the nobles here were originally planning to send hundreds of warriors to completely sweep the mountainous areas. But after I heard that His Highness was interested in recruiting, they temporarily postponed it. I have been stationed here for more than a month and got stuck. Live in mountain passes, arrest vendors along the way, and shoot mountain people who go out to collect salt. No salt or food is allowed to enter the mountains!
After the large salt mine was requisitioned by His Highness, salt was already in short supply and could be sold everywhere, so merchants were unwilling to take the risk of coming here. Although many tribes had food in store, they were deprived of salt for a month and were completely exhausted. At this time, I used salt and grain to appease them, and they all came out to submit! "
Toltec explained the tragic situation in the mountains in just a few words. He analyzed the reasons for the current situation and made effective responses. This clear thinking came from His Highness's previous teachings.
Hearing this, Shulot showed approval at first, and the lesson he taught his followers was not in vain. Then, he looked around at the two thousand kneeling tribal hunters, observing their generally thin cheeks, slightly swollen bodies, dull eyes, and fear coming from the bone marrow... After a moment, the young man felt heavy and his face He nodded calmly.
"Very good. Toltec, you have the wisdom of a wolf! How are these hunters' shooting skills? I want to test them!"
"Your Highness, please watch the shooting!"
Toltec saluted respectfully. Then, he turned around, with a cold look in his eyes, and shouted at the hunters.
"Why don't you come forward quickly and demonstrate your archery skills to His Highness? Ten people from each tribe will compete, and each person will shoot five arrows. The tribe with the best archery will be rewarded with a bag of salt and ten bags of grain! The unqualified tribe will be expelled Here, go back to the mountains and wait for death!”
Hearing Senran's cold words, the tribal hunters became commotion. There are several times the number of tribal relatives behind them, and standing here is the hope of life. After a brief and rapid quarrel, hunter representatives from each tribe came out one after another. They knelt on the ground in fear, clumsily saluting His Highness, then took out their hunting bows and aimed at the human-shaped grass target thirty meters away.
Xuelot first waved his hand, indicating that Bertard did not need to use a shield to protect him. At this distance, tribal hunting bows and wooden arrows could not break through the warrior's cotton armor unless they hit the neck and eyes. After watching for a moment, the young man's pupils shrank. His face was expressionless, and he moved two steps silently, so that he was under the cover of the warrior commander.
I saw the skilled old hunters raising their small hunting bows and slightly tilting their heads to aim. They used the most primitive release method to pinch the tail of the arrow, pull the string through most of their arms, and then release it cleanly and naturally. The slight sound of arrows continued, and the simple arrows only traced different trajectories, accurately hitting the head of the grass target, and inserting feebly around the eyes and neck.
Shulot observed carefully that all five arrows of the first batch of old hunters were hit in the head, and at least two arrows were in the eyes and neck. He was shocked beyond words, these old hunters had such strong bow skills! The reason why they only shoot at 30-meter grass targets is not because of their limited shooting skills, but because the stable and effective range of their simple hunting bows is only 30 meters!
"If they are equipped with high-quality longbows and copper arrows, and it takes them a few months to familiarize themselves with the use of the new weapons...even the samurai may not be able to dodge a precise arrow at close range..."
Shulot's face was solemn. He looked at Bertard, and the warrior commander also nodded seriously.
In just a few dozen breaths, the first group of old hunters finished shooting, followed by the second group and the third group. The tribal hunters who finished shooting returned to the outside, knelt down anxiously, waiting for the fateful result.
Shulot looked at the straw target with a solemn expression. The skills of the subsequent batches of hunters gradually declined, but they all hit the target steadily, many of them hitting vital points. Looking at the densely packed arrows on the target's head and heart, the young man's heart was filled with excitement and joy but also a hint of worry.
These tribal hunters can shoot birds and hares in the mountains and forests, and the bow skills they have practiced for years or even decades are truly terrifying. They did not have enough technology or metal tools to make longbows, so they could only wait helplessly in front of the armored warriors. And once they truly know the secret of the longbow, will they become a new threat to the alliance?
Shulot thought for a moment and then felt relieved. These mountain tribes did not have enough productivity to make weapons, nor did they have enough numbers to form a large scale. Even if they obtained some longbows, they would not be able to defend themselves against the large and well-organized Alliance legions. Their existence will only inject new high-quality fuel into the alliance's war machine!
After thinking about this, Shulot laughed out loud again. He looked at the energetic Toltec and patted the young warrior on the shoulder.
"Toltec, this group of tribal hunters is good, you did a good job! Bring up the supplies you promised, and I will reward them double!"
Toltec was startled for a moment, and His Highness personally gave the reward to the humble mountain man... Obedience and reverence made him say nothing, and he immediately went down to give instructions. Not long after, the grain and salt were transported to the sidelines. Under the ardent gaze of thousands of tribal hunters, and amid the sincere cheers of the winning tribe, these supplies were personally awarded to the most outstanding hunter tribe by His Highness. Outstanding hunters from other tribes will also be given a bag of grain and salt.
Then, His Highness made a generous announcement.
"All tribal hunters will be recruited by the great alliance, and you will fight for the alliance! And all tribesmen will become subjects of the great alliance. From now on, your tribes will move into the fertile lands of the alliance, and will be protected by the supreme god. Under this, you no longer have to worry about food and salt!”
The expected cheers did not ring out. The tribal hunters looked at each other. They are vaguely repelled by the alliance's rule and have doubts about their future life. Under the intimidation and scolding of the longbow warriors, they were forced to lower their heads, cheered unevenly, and then showed unconcealable sadness.
Seeing the performance of the tribal hunters, Shulot lowered his eyes slightly. He was determined to reuse these hunters and make them his direct subordinates. It is actually easy to apply kindness and power at the same time, but it is the most difficult to win the trust of the people. Fortunately, there is only a long time to come. First, we can control the mountain tribes, and then slowly conquer and naturalize them.
Next, the village hunters also stepped forward to demonstrate their archery skills to His Highness. Their archery skills were only average. They could barely hit a thirty-meter grass target, and only a few could hit the target stably.
Shulot didn't say much. He turned his head, looked at the young warrior, and smiled lightly.
"Toltec, it's your turn, let me see your shooting skills!"
Toltec was stunned for a moment, then agreed in a loud voice and confidently walked onto the shooting range. He took out his longbow and asked his fellow warriors to move the target farther away until they were a hundred meters away. Then, he used three fingers to pull the string, with the arrow on the inside. His gripping hand was slightly loose, his wrist kept straight, and the string was pulled to the corner of his mouth. At this distance, the target's head was just a faint dot. The young warrior aimed carefully for a few breaths, and then released them instantly.
The moment after releasing the arrow, Toltec shouted loudly, the sound was like thunder.
"In the middle!"
The moment he let go, he could already determine the location where the arrow was about to hit based on the feel of countless shots.
There was only a trembling sound of "咻", and the war arrows were like lightning, and the light flew by in an instant. Then, the war arrow hit the head of the grass target with a bang, penetrated back and forth, exploded a canopy of dead grass, and shot straight into the soil in the distance.
Then, shouts exploded across the sky and the earth.
"Middle chest! Middle arm! Middle leg! Center!"
After several shouts, the human-shaped straw target in the distance had exploded with five arrow holes, and then gradually collapsed. The fluttering dead grass fell to the ground, accompanied by everyone's eyes in amazement.
Toltec raised his head and looked around. His eyebrows were like an inverted sword, and his eyes were like lightning. All the hunters he stabbed bowed down and fell silent. It wasn't until he saw His Highness smiling that he fell to his knees with a plop and reported loudly.
"Your Highness, Toltec has lived up to his command!"
Shulot laughed. He stepped forward, helped Toltec up, and praised loudly.
"Toltec, you are my bravest black wolf! You are the black feathers on the wings of the eagle!"
"Your Highness, I am willing to capture stags and hunt bear bears for you. I am also willing to ride on the wind and fly for you and spread my wings all over the world!"
Toltec shouted loudly again, looking at His Highness expectantly.
Shulot appreciated it in his heart and cultivated it intentionally. he asked with a smile.
"Toltec, the foundation of a warrior's career lies in martial arts. Your bow skills are really extraordinary. How about using a war stick?"
Toltec thought for a moment and then replied confidently.
"Your Highness, I can defeat five elite warriors!"
Shulot was slightly surprised. He looked at Toltec's confident face for a while and decided to let him go a little bit and find opponents with some weaknesses for him.
"Very good! Come here, select five tribal leaders and fight Toltec at the same time. The loser will not be punished, and the winner will be rewarded!"
His Highness gave the order, and within a moment, five middle-aged tribal leaders were elected forward. They held their usual stone spears and gathered together in coordination. On the other side, there is a young warrior holding a shield in one hand and a bladeless war stick in the other.
The tribal leaders gathered cautiously and approached, only to see Toltec striding straight towards them, like a galloping cheetah. The two sides got closer and closer, and the tribal leaders thrust out stone spears at the same time. In an instant, the young warrior suddenly stepped forward and took a step to the right. Then, he used the shield on his left side to block the force and used the tip of his old spear, and then swung hard sideways, hitting the side of a leader with a bang. Just hearing a scream, the leader fell to the ground.
Then, taking advantage of the moment of chaos caused by his opponent's fall to the ground, Toltec struck the second leader on the shoulder with a diagonal slash. The opponent let go in pain, and the stone spear fell to the ground. Another powerful side attack, and the second leader also fell to the ground.
Seeing this, Shulot knew that the situation was decided. He turned his head sideways, recalling Toltec's shooting technique just now, and asked with some confusion.
"Bertard, did Toltec learn the three-finger shooting technique from you?"
The warrior commander responded calmly.
"Yes, Your Highness. You once asked me to teach them the art of bowing. The new shooting method is more stable, releases the hand very quickly, and can effectively improve accuracy."
Shulot thought of his bow skills, and his face blushed slightly. Then he changed the subject.
"The new longbow used by Toltec has changed its shape."
Bertard nodded and explained seriously,
"That's true. The old longbow is as tall as a person, with the top and bottom equal. When shooting with an arrow in the center, only warriors with tall height and long arms can fully draw it. Others can only shoot diagonally, which is quite inconvenient. The height of the new longbow Although it remains unchanged, the nocking point is lower and the top is longer and the bottom is shorter, making it more suitable for ordinary warriors who are not tall."
Shulot nodded slowly. The new modified longbow is more similar to a bow, with the upper arc accounting for almost two-thirds of the total bow length. This shape will interfere with the shooting balance and further increase the difficulty of shooting, but it also increases the available shooting trajectory. There is no way, this is the trouble of short people. Before there was no compound bow, they had to do this.
While the two were discussing, they heard a burst of cheers from the warriors. Shulot looked at the field. Toltec had knocked down all the leaders, leaving them lying at their feet groaning. The young warrior once again commanded all directions, and the tribal hunters were afraid to surrender. Then he turned around and approached, knelt down and saluted His Highness.
"Your Highness, Toltec has lived up to his command!"
Shulot laughed heartily. He pulled Toltec up and said with a smile,
"Not bad! Very good! Toltec, I have one last test. Carve your name on the ground with your war stick!"
Hearing this, Toltec's cheerful face suddenly felt bitter. He opened his eyes wide and looked at His Highness, his smile froze silently, and said in a final voice.
"Ah, this, Your Highness..."
"Write!"
Toltec shrank his neck and lowered his head in submission. He picked up the war stick and first carved the word "tuo" normally, then he was dumbfounded and only carved the word "木" for a long time. Then he skipped the second word and slowly carved "big". Finally, after a long while, he wrote the word "brother" dejectedly.
When Shulot took a look, he immediately couldn't laugh or cry, "Brother Tuomu". It's hard to say anything directly in front of the generals. He sighed in his heart, reached for the wooden stick, and carved the words "Toltec" one by one. Then, the young man looked at it for a moment, remembered a great writer, and whispered in a serious voice.
"Toltec, do you know the origin of your name?"
Toltec's eyes lit up. He raised his head and straightened up, and answered loudly.
"Your Highness, I know! You said that this comes from Toltec, the heroic ancestor of the Mexica people, and means painter and craftsman!" Since rewriting history, the Toltec people have become the Mexica people. ancestor.
Hearing this, Xiuluo nodded and pretended to be angry.
"Yes, the name Toltec comes from Toltec. He is an outstanding painter, a skilled craftsman, and the light of civilization! Toltec, why can't you learn to write!"
Hearing this, Toltec smiled confidently. Facing His Highness's question, he was well prepared and shouted loudly like thunder.
"Your Highness, I am a painter and a craftsman. I use war sticks as brushes and paint with the blood of the enemy! I use feather arrows as wooden beams and use the enemy's bones to build towers! You are the flame, and I am the torch that burns for you. All the weeds in the world have been burned! Your Highness, I am a warrior loyal to you, and your will is my truth. Why study? Sticks and bows and arrows are far better than books!"
With Toltec's majestic cry, the warrior's declaration echoed in the camp. The eight hundred longbow warriors felt the same way. They practiced it many times and shouted in unison.
"Your Highness, we are loyal to you and obey your will! Why study? Sticks and bows and arrows are far better than books!"
The mighty shouts resounded throughout the world, carrying with them rolling murderous intent and determination to sweep everything away.
The hunters looked at the warriors who were shouting heartily, and listened to the roars change into neat wolf howls, like the black wolf of death coming to the world. Amid the horrifying howls and fierce gazes of the warriors, they fell to the ground, fighting with each other, and soon their whole bodies were sore and weak, and they completely lost their strength.
As his followers shouted in unison, Shulott laughed and shook his head. He raised his hands high, walked among the crowd, let go of his voice for the first time, and let out a wolf howl.
"Ouch~~~Ouch~~~!"
Seeing His Highness's actions, the followers raised their hands at the same time and shouted even more excitedly.
"Ouch~~~Ouch~~~!"
In this desolate and secluded mountain forest, high-pitched howls rose into the sky. Shuloter, the god of death, turned into a howling black wolf, singing loudly through the mountains and forests, startling the birds in the sky.
After a long time, Shulot stopped laughing. He slowly lowered his hands, and his followers also stopped and looked at His Highness to wait. His Highness took a breath, laughed, and ordered in a hoarse voice.
"Good guy! Toltec, you have the talent for change and the fierceness. You are my best black wolf! I will leave these three thousand longbow militia to you. Go, build the altar, and let They swore allegiance!”
Toltec was overjoyed. He knelt down and kowtowed respectfully, feeling satisfied.
"Your Highness, follow your will!"
