The rain in May is gentle, like the prelude to a drum beat, leaving a long pause. And when June arrives with the wind, the drumbeat of raindrops becomes more urgent. The sun sits high behind the dark clouds, and only occasionally lowers its ruthless gaze, admiring the wars in the world and waiting for the gift of life.
Shulot stood on the wall of the wooden castle. The rainwater pattered on the flag behind him and flowed into the river in front of him. In the swaying wind and rain, he stared at the navy's hundreds of large boats. The continuous fleet stretched for several miles, with armored warriors standing on the bows. Then, the young commander saw something and nodded with a smile.
Annatri, commander of the naval division, stood on the boat and turned to look at the camp. This vigorous female warrior holds a three-meter flag spear, wears a dark red cloak, and carries a one-foot long dagger at her waist. She is an expert in fighting on the water. Then, she lowered her head, her short hair hanging low, and gave a final salute to the commander's flag.
After the salute, Anatri raised the flag of the spear, and the warrior leaders of the fleet waved their weapons and shouted loudly. After hearing the order, the militiamen checked the ropes of the captives one last time, then shook the oars, loaded with tens of thousands of terrified Tarasco men, and sailed back to the powerful Mexica Alliance.
Shulot watched the fleet slowly go eastward against the current, watched the large boats and small boats move away in an orderly manner, and nodded again in affirmation.
"Anatri is always reassuring when doing things. Returning eastward from the Leman River against the wind and current, the fleet travels slowly. It will be at least July until she returns with food and support. The main force of the navy is not here during this period. The wooden fort needs to be redoubled vigilance, and the remaining boats must be patrolled day and night to prevent the Tarascans from crossing north."
Hearing this, Bertard said with a smile.
"The commander of the Anapari Corps comes from the alliance's navy family, originating from the distant tribal era. They are passed down through the maternal line, and they have been in charge of Mexica's navy from generation to generation, and have always remained neutral in the alliance. 'Anatri' The name is also an inherited name, meaning 'source of rivers, mother of lakes'. If it comes to fighting on the water without a bow and arrow, I'm afraid I won't be her opponent..."
"His Highness abandoned two remote wooden forts, and the remaining three wooden forts supported each other. There were ten thousand warriors stationed there, all of whom were loyal elites. After sending away these prisoners, the food and grass stored was enough for three months. Important The fort walls have also been fortified. If the Tarascans attack north, they will be beaten to death in front of the longbow and wooden fort!"
Hearing this, Shulotran laughed out loud with high-spirited confidence. Then, he looked at the continuous heavy rain and smiled again.
"The rainy season has arrived, and construction and marching have become difficult. These strong men who have converted on the surface cannot be trusted. They have nothing to do in the camp, but are a huge hidden danger. The navy was about to return east, so they sent They were all transported away and sent to Teotihuacan as working serfs, which just replaced the warriors and militiamen in the Holy City from their busy farming schedule. Our Northern Route Army needs more support!"
Having said this, the young commander looked at the warrior commander seriously, staring at his weathered face.
"Bertard, you have always been close to civilian warriors and understand the underlying conditions. How is the morale of the army now?"
The warrior commander lowered his head in salute, thought for a moment, and answered frankly.
"Your Highness has won a series of small victories, captured many prisoners, and suffered minimal losses. The morale of the warriors is quite high. The alliance has always attached great importance to the military exploits of Tarasco and Tlaxcala. A fourth-level senior warrior, as long as he captures Five Tarasco warriors can be promoted to the military nobility and officially become a member of the minor nobility. After this battle, the alliance will definitely have many new nobles, but it will also require large land rewards and financial rewards! .”
Shulot laughed. he said with a smile.
"As long as we conquer Qin Congcan and occupy the prosperous and fertile Lake Patzcuaro area, land and property will not be a problem. The Alliance can only rely on the enfeoffed warrior nobles to firmly control the newly conquered land!"
Bertard nodded and continued his report.
"Indeed, priests at all levels are the link that maintains the alliance, and noble warriors are the foundation of the alliance's rule. His Highness has just held a promotion ceremony for warriors at all levels, and the effect is good. Of course, if there are sufficient financial rewards, the morale of the army will be better Go up a level. Now, the civilian warriors are gearing up, eager to fight and capture prisoners. They are looking forward to being promoted to senior level, and even joining the battle group to become the military nobles of the alliance!"
Mentioning the military nobles, Bertard smiled faintly, with a smile that had experienced the vicissitudes of life.
Shulot's face froze at first. Encouraging technological research and development has spent all his money. If you want to reward your subordinates, it's okay to have honors and promotions, but as for what kind of property you don't have. This can only hope to capture the important town of Tarasco and seize a wave of Tarasco's great nobles who have been passed down for many years.
Then, the young commander nodded in agreement and fell into deep thought.
Counting from the capture of the capital of Topanec and the formation of the Three-City Alliance, the true rise of the Mexicans only lasted more than fifty years. With the effective military merit system, the alliance is filled with strong fighting spirit and vitality, and the warriors are full of the desire to conquer and meritorious service. This is the root of the alliance's strength.
Similarly, before the Mexican Union had a legal system, the concubine of a noble could inherit the title by virtue of military merit, while the incompetent concubine would be reduced to a commoner. There is no unbridgeable gap between civilian warriors and minor nobles, and they do not need to kneel to the nobles. All social strata are flowing with each other, far from being solidified, and have distinct tribal characteristics. Everything in the alliance is based on the supremacy of force and religious integration, which is very similar to the nomadic empire on the grasslands of Eurasia.
After thinking for a moment, the young commander retracted his thoughts and looked towards the south bank of the Leman River again. The villages and farmland along the coast for more than ten miles have been abandoned, and distant fortresses rise among the hills, controlling all river mouths and channels. Tarasco's legions were stationed behind stone forts and wooden forts, and their naval forces were hidden in Lake Quetseo. The information about the enemy's main force is always like a fog, which is difficult to find out and makes people always uneasy.
“It’s really the fog of war!”
Shulot looked at it for a long time and sighed softly.
"Bertard, at this time I hope that Tarasco's army can come out of the turtle shell. It is best to cross the river in the rain, come out by land and water, and surround the camp on the north bank. Then all the situation will be clear! Now they can mobilize The army is limited, with a maximum of 10,000 warriors and 20,000 militiamen. It is impossible to capture the wooden castle in a short period of time. As long as the advance army holds on for more than a month and waits for the fleet to return with reinforcements, it will be another great victory!"
Bertard nodded in agreement. He looked toward the river mouth fortress in the southwest with a solemn expression.
"Your Highness, the Southern Route Army should have suppressed the south by now, and the Tarascans must be heavily guarded. Compared to the limited mobilization of warriors, I am more worried about the Tarascan navy. On both sides of the vast Leman River, With the advantage of the navy, we can take the initiative in the war. When the alliance's navy is here, we can take advantage of mobility, gather troops, and attack south at any location. As you said: 'Face the right enemy on the right battlefield. .’ And now that the navy has returned eastward, we can only camp in the wooden fort, stop attacking, and wait for reinforcements.”
Hulot looked at Bertard with admiration. The rivers in Central America never freeze. In the basins crisscrossed by large rivers, the navy is the cavalry that takes the initiative in tactics! The samurai commander can understand the key points of mobile warfare from the use of the navy, which shows that his influence is indeed effective.
The young commander then patted the warrior commander on the shoulder affectionately and joked shamelessly.
"Bertard, you have learned the essence of my inherited tactics! You must take good care of yourself. In the future, I will have a force as fast as the wind for you to control!"
Hearing this, the warrior commander looked puzzled: How could he be as fast as the wind? You can't fly like a bird with wings.
Shulot didn't explain. He just mentioned it casually and continued to analyze the military situation.
"The enemy navy has been unable to retreat and cannot figure out the details of the mobilization. They may be transporting food, grass and troops, they may be waiting for support from the Chapala Lake District, or they may have already gathered. The Chapala Lake District is quite independent. We are busy with spring plowing at this time, and support should not be until after the harvest in October. Even if we cannot find a good opportunity to fight, we cannot just wait for the situation to develop... Bertard, is there any news about the messenger who contacted the Tekos people in the north? "
The warrior commander recalled the latest information and shook his head slightly.
"To go to the northern Tecos, you need to pass through the Lake Chapala area. The Tarasco nobles there have begun to prepare for war and have blocked the main rivers and roads. It is not easy for the envoy to pass there. According to the business travel report intercepted last month , the Tesk people in the north were suppressed in the mountainous areas of the northwest, and have only been fighting guerrillas in the mountains and forests. With their dispersed military strength and guerrilla characteristics, they will never take the initiative to attract the main force in the Chapala Lake area for the alliance. "
Shulot thought for a while and agreed with a smile.
"Bertard, you are right! The Tesk in the north are hyenas waiting for their prey. They will only pounce when their prey is weak. They cannot be relied on. We need to defeat the Chapala reinforcements head-on and weaken the western Talas We will use the power of the Co nobles, and then encourage the Tesk people to attack... So, what are the movements of the Guamar dog descendants in the north?"
Bertard thought for a moment and replied.
"Your Highness, we sent three groups of envoys, but they were all attacked by the barbaric Guamar dog descendants and robbed the gifts they carried. They were scattered into many tribes, without a clear leader, and it was difficult to negotiate."
Shulot thought for a moment, recalled the communication methods between the Celestial Empire and the plateau tribes, and asked.
"What supplies do they need in particular? For example, tea... No, should it be spices, cocoa or salt? Of course, it cannot be food. The eternal shortage of food is the biggest driving force for them to go south!"
The samurai commander thought about the reports from the envoys who escaped and analyzed the intelligence intercepted by the merchants before speaking for a while.
"Some large tribes occupy the rare salt fields in the desert. Many small tribes are short of salt, so they are more friendly to caravans carrying salt. The large tribes do not have the habit of drinking sacred cocoa, and they probably never have the opportunity to drink it. Dog descendants There is a lack of medical supplies and cotton cloth, and only simple yucca plants are used for treatment... Oh, they have the custom of cremating after death, and burying the ashes with the wind, calling themselves 'Children of the Wind'. They are also used to dyeing their hair with various dyes, Draw tattoos on your face to pay tribute to different gods!”
"Cremation and ashes, son of the wind, hair and face dyed?"
Shulot was stunned for a moment, his mind wandering to distant memories. After a while, he nodded with a smile and ordered in a deep voice.
"Then send a group of caravans with a hundred guard warriors. The caravans will carry enough salt to bribe the small tribes, and use a small amount of cocoa and cotton cloth to give to the chiefs. Let the caravans describe the prosperity of the Chapala Lake area to these tribes and weak, encourage them to go south as soon as possible... By the way, select two more brave priests and raise the priesthood level! Let them bring Mayan blue dye to baptize the dog descendants, learn the local language, understand the customs, and then find An opportunity to spread the faith of the Lord God!”
"When we conquer the Kingdom of Tarasco, these canine descendants are our potential allies. When the Kingdom of Tarasco is conquered, they will be the next target to conquer!"
In the howling wind and rain, Shulot shouted an order. The young commander's gaze is not limited to his immediate eyes, he has already opened his eyes to look at the world.
Bertard bowed and accepted the order. What he admired the most was the young commander's foresight, which was like a bird flying in the sky, never sticking to the inherent ideas of the times. Later, the samurai commander returned to reality and once again mentioned going south.
"Your Highness, when the follow-up troops arrive, the army will continue to move south. It is not wise to attack the southern fortress. The river mouth fortress controls the estuary channel and blocks the entrance to Lake Quiceo. The Tarascan navy is always hidden deep in Quiceo. Inside Aohu Lake, it is like a poisonous snake that can poke its head out at any time. Once the army falls into the fortress group on the southern line, it will definitely be attacked by the enemy's fleet and take a severe bite. "
Shulot looked west again, staring in the direction of the river mouth. After a long time, he nodded slowly.
"The fortress at the mouth of the river must be removed! As long as this node is opened, we can go directly south from Lake Quiceo, bypassing most of the fortresses on the south bank, and penetrate directly into the hinterland of the Kingdom of Tarasco!"
Then, Shulot took two steps, his expression changing. He looked at the non-stop rain and the ever-dark sky, and finally made a decision.
"The army can rest and recuperate, but the commander must plan. Bertard, be prepared. Tomorrow I will go to the mouth of the river to conduct a personal reconnaissance and observe the geographical advantages there!"
The wind blew, the young commander's orders were scattered in the wind, and the tall and bright flags on his back were fluttering in the wind.
