Continuous drizzle fell from the sky, wetting the high-erected flags and falling on the solid bluestone fortress. The bluestone has been washed away and has become slippery. The raindrops meandered downwards, then merged into the flowing Leman River, passing by the boats on the river.
In front of the river mouth fortress of Tarasco, five or six Mexican boats were swaying and peering at a distance of a hundred meters. This is a routine daily reconnaissance by the enemy in the north, and the defenders of the fortress have long been accustomed to it.
Shulot stood on the bow of the boat and carefully observed the shape of the river mouth fortress.
Since we were conducting the investigation in person, of course we couldn't carry the commander's flag or ride in a large boat. The young commander wore a simple civilian warrior uniform, carried his usual Mexican long bow, and wore an obsidian dagger that never left his body. He was like an ordinary young samurai, energetically conducting reconnaissance with the ship. Behind him, the tall warrior captain also carried a long bow and stood steadily in the center of the boat.
Shulot looked at it for a long time, his expression gradually becoming serious. He straightened his arm, crossed his thumb, and gestured with his fingers for a while, then frowned deeply.
The height of the walls of the Hekou Fortress is an astonishing six meters. At this height, the defenders' rolling stones and bows and arrows were extremely lethal. Judging from the number of defenders lined up side by side, the width of the top of the fort wall is also five or six meters, and the width of the bottom is at least ** meters. The exterior of the fortress is covered with bricks, and the bluestone base is exposed on the top. The thick walls are carved with deep and complex yellow patterns, revealing traces of ancient vicissitudes.
Xiulote briefly recognized it. This was a mysterious symbol carved by the priest of Tarasco. It represented the blessing of the Mother Earth Goddess Kweravaperi, and meant to use the power of the earth to strengthen this vital fortress. It seems that the Kingdom of Tarasco has been operating the river mouth fortress for a long time and attaches great importance to its defense.
The young commander thought for a moment, and then he whispered an order to the warrior commander behind him.
"Half a circle around the fortress along the Leman River. I want to see the specific terrain!"
Bertard nodded slightly without saluting to avoid exposing Hulott's identity. Soon, five or six small boats set up their oars and circled around the fortress like swimming fish.
After looking back and forth twice, Shulot took a deep breath. Although he had already heard about it from the scouts, seeing the terrain with his own eyes still made him feel cold. The Hekou Fortress is surrounded by rivers on three sides and land on one side, making it truly easy to defend but difficult to attack.
The fortress is bounded by the wide Leman River to the north and Lake Quetseo to the west. The estuary channel between the river and the lake is only thirty to forty meters long and hundreds of meters long, completely within the attack range of the fortress city head. The fortress does not have a north gate. There is a water gate in the west, which is connected to Lake Quiceo. The defenders can attack from here at any time and cut off the channels of the river and lake.
The east side of the fortress is land on the river bank, but there is a natural moat, which is also five or six meters wide. Similarly, in order to facilitate defense, the fortress did not have an east gate, but only a vaguely visible south gate to facilitate the passage of large groups of warriors. Outside the south gate, there are two circles of wooden fences used for blocking, both of which are within the range of long-range strikes from the city head.
The young commander silently calculated in his mind. The Hekou Fortress is two to three miles east to west and two to three miles north to south. The area is about two square kilometers. It is actually a small city. This kind of military city can station 10,000 to 20,000 people, and relying on the natural terrain and acquired fortresses, it is really difficult to capture. If we storm the city by force, we don't know how many casualties there will be.
Shulot raised his head again and carefully observed the city. Rolled logs and stones were piled on the city walls, and tall watchtowers were erected. There are also thick shields on the top of the wall to protect the archers who shoot. The remaining militiamen, holding bronze spears, gathered into a group and were looking at the boats on the river.
"Although the Tarascans only have ordinary single bows, they have a large number of armor-piercing copper arrows. They can kill leather-armored warriors at a distance of twenty meters."
Shulot thought secretly, feeling heavy. He looked at the flags flying at the top of the city. One was the divine flag of the sun, moon and stars, the other was the "Ukuscha" flag symbolizing the royal family, that is, the eagle flag with wings spread, and the last one was the flag of the local nobles, the family crest. It's "Ospie", the green crocodile.
The meaning of these flags is that the local "crocodile" nobles actually control the fortress here under the dual jurisdiction of gods and kings.
"The king's flag can be planted on the fiefdom of the border nobles. It seems that the degree of centralization of the Kingdom of Tarasco is indeed higher than that of the Mexican Federation. If a mighty crocodile can be used as the family crest, the enfeoffment here must be a A true nobleman."
Shulot looked at the flag and analyzed it for a while, then observed the strong fortress again. He looked at it for a moment, thoughtfully, and many classic battle examples flashed through his mind. Finally, the young commander turned his head and said to the warrior captain.
"Bertard, let's get closer and take a closer look at Minato!..."
The boy's voice drifted in the wind and gradually became inaudible until it reached the top of the river mouth fortress. Under the three fluttering flags and among the surrounding warriors, two Tarascan nobles in battle uniforms sat cross-legged on a cotton blanket and were discussing matters opposite each other.
"General Cucuna, the main force of the Mexica navy has left, and the kingdom's navy has also been assembled. It's time to send out a large army to teach the enemies on the north coast a lesson!"
A majestic round-faced nobleman said loudly, with a majestic and commanding expression. He is surrounded by a delicate bronze necklace and wears a dark gray crocodile leather hat inlaid with purple red copper, which shows his noble status at a glance.
"Dear Commander of the Russian Regiment, now is indeed a good opportunity for the navy to dispatch. However, the mobilization of the legion is insufficient, and the southern camp has just been ambushed by the Mexicans, resulting in the loss of 700 warriors and 3,000 militiamen... I'm afraid It’s difficult to send a large army northward.”
General Kukuna bowed his head slightly and greeted the round-faced noble. He has a respectful expression, is not tall, is relatively plainly dressed, and has a conspicuous hooked nose, or, in the eyes of the Prepecha people, a "turkey nose."
Yes, in the Prepecha language, the word "Kukuna" means turkey, just as "Ospa" means crocodile. In this era, the names of nobles often came from animals, ancestors, myths or gods, and they often had corresponding responsibilities. The name "Ospai" means the heritage of the navy, while "Kukuna" is obviously just the commander of a militia group or low-level warriors.
It is worth mentioning that in the Nahua language, the name for turkey is "Kokoro", which is very similar to the Prepecha language "Kukuna". This similarity in pronunciation proves that the Mexica and Prepecha people actually have very similar ancestral origins, and both should be descended from migrating dogs in the far northwest.
In the Yucatan Mayan language, the name for turkey is "Urum" or "Daz", which is completely different from the Mexica tribes.
Hearing General "Turkey"'s words, the round-faced noble glared at him dissatisfied and shouted loudly.
"Those nobles in the southern fortress are all land turtles who cannot bear to fight in the wild. They only dare to hide behind the camp and let the ferocious Mexica people wreak havoc and plunder the people of the kingdom! The river mouth fortress is controlled by my navy, so it should be Have the courage to attack and bite like a crocodile!”
"Cucuna, it is precisely because you lack the courage to fight that you lost the wooden fort on the north bank so quickly, without even setting a fire, allowing the Mexica to easily gain a foothold! Fortunately, You still have three hundred warriors, thousands of militiamen, and a chance to make up for your mistakes."
After hearing the instructions from the leader of the Russian faction, Kukuna lowered his head and remained silent.
"I have gathered 20,000 sailor militia, 3,000 elite warriors, plus more than 2,000 warriors from the southern fort, and can raid the three wooden forts on the north bank at any time. As long as His Majesty Suangua's royal capital army arrives, Or if support from Lake Chapala arrives, we can cross the river and go north, completely driving the Mexica people from the north!”
Hearing this, Kukuna was shocked. he finally admonished.
"Dear Commander of the Ospai, Your Majesty will give you three thousand warriors and tens of thousands of militiamen, so that you can firmly garrison the river mouth fortress. It controls the passage of Lake Quetseo and also protects the hinterland of the kingdom along the lake. You must not make any mistakes!”
"Mexicans have always been good at fighting, and their infantry are elite and powerful. Now, they have a powerful bow that can kill warriors more than a hundred meters away. The rapid fall of the wooden fortress on the north shore was precisely because of these large bows. Caused by the bow!”
The round-faced nobleman originally showed disdain, but after hearing this, he became interested.
"Cucuna, I heard it from the warriors who came back, but I just didn't believe it. Now you say the same thing... Do the Mexicans really have a big bow that can shoot from a hundred meters away and penetrate the warrior's leather armor? What does that look like?”
Kukuna tried to remember and described intermittently.
"A very big and long bow, like a curved wooden pick. It is estimated to be two meters long and can be stretched to one meter... When the big bow shoots, the arrows are like meteors, as fast as lightning, and they are unstoppable... Russia Send a regiment leader. With these longbows for defense, although the three wooden forts on the north bank are short, they cannot be broken by 20,000 or 30,000 people!"
Ospie shook his head and chuckled, picked up the tequila water wine on the cotton blanket, and drank it in a big gulp. He only regarded it as an excuse for the loser and ignored Kukuna's nonsense.
Kukuna was worried, but his words could not convince the leader. He looked around, and his eyes were suddenly attracted to five or six small boats on the river. He watched the boats getting closer and closer until they were only about fifty meters away from the water gate on the west side. Several warriors on the ship, risking being shot by bows and arrows, were spying on the details of the fortress.
General Turkey looked carefully and was attracted by the tall warrior at the head. The warrior looked majestic and stood solemnly, with a Mexica longbow behind him. The young warrior standing in front of him also had a long bow. The six surrounding guards also had rare longbows in their hands.
Kukuna shouted eagerly.
"Commander of the Russian team! Look, that's the Mexican reconnaissance fleet!"
Ospai glanced at it and said casually.
"Mexican reconnaissance fleets come every day, only five or six at a time. Kukuna, as a warrior, you should learn to be calm and composed... don't speak, listen to me!"
The round-faced nobleman pondered, with a serious look on his face.
"Kukuna, I just had an idea. You have been stationed in the north for several months, and you and the Otomi people have not disturbed each other, so you have some tacit understanding. In this way, when you go to Otopan City as an envoy, no matter whether it is food or bronze soldiers, , the kingdom can promise it to them. I only want the Otomi people to send troops quickly and attack the Mexica people together with the kingdom! By the way, after the wooden fort on the north bank is recovered, they can also be returned to them, and the two countries will be separated from each other. The river is the boundary!”
Kukuna's face froze. He didn't care about talking about the long bow and said in surprise.
"Commander of the Russian delegation, how dare I give up the land on the north bank of the Leman River during negotiations without His Majesty's permission!"
Ospie shook his head, his tone was calm, with a touch of sarcasm.
"Cucuna, you have proven with your own record that the wooden fortress on the north bank cannot be defended. The kingdom's control there is just a waste of troops. What's more, the top priority now is to defeat the Mexica forward. , to prevent the enemy from gathering more and more! As for the promise made at this time, of course we have to wait until the war is over before deciding whether to honor it or not."
Kukuna thought about this proposal and felt that it was somewhat feasible. The regiment commander's willingness to send troops seemed to become more and more determined. He was anxious, pointed at the Mexica boat in front of the water gate, and shouted loudly.
"Commander, look, that's the Mexica longbow!"
Ospai was slightly startled. He turned his head and stared with big eyes, carefully observing the Mexica's boat. The round-faced noble's eyes passed over the young man looking at the bow of the boat, and stayed on the tall and calm vicissitudes of the warrior, and then looked at the huge long bow behind him.
"Is there really such a big bow?! I don't know how powerful it is!"
Based on the height of the warrior and the length of the boat, Ospai gestured with his fingers. Immediately, he looked at the most conspicuous vicissitudes of life warrior, his eyes gleaming.
"This warrior has a calm figure. He can stand motionless while standing on a rocking boat. He must be a warrior with strong martial arts skills! He is dressed in civilian clothes and has no family crest. He does not seem to be a noble. He can be surrendered. He has leather armor and a big bow. He is well-equipped and has a calm momentum. , I guess he is the battalion commander of a civilian warrior!"
The round-faced aristocrat showed warlike excitement. His majestic body suddenly stood up and strode away, leaving behind a casual instruction.
"Kukuna, guard the water gate. I'll be right back! I haven't been in battle for a long time. Today I have to stretch my muscles and capture this samurai. Ask what's happening on the north bank and see what the power of this longbow is! "
Bertard stood solemnly in the middle of the boat. He carefully watched Lake Quetseo and the Leman River, watching out for the possible appearance of Tarasco's fleet in the distance. As long as the enemy navy approaches within two miles, he will return with His Highness without hesitation.
Shulot looked at the top of the fortress. A round-faced warrior suddenly stood up, looked down for a moment, and then disappeared. The young commander didn't pay attention and continued to observe Minato, who was more than fifty meters away.
The water gate is quite large in shape, with a width of seven to eight meters and a height of about three to four meters. Below is a waterway that is also seven or eight meters wide, allowing two three-meter-wide canoes to go out side by side. The waterway stretches all the way, and it is unclear where it leads to the fortress, and it is unclear how the internal defense is. This water gate is really a wide marching channel...
While Shulot was thinking, the sound of "creaking" wood rubbing suddenly came to his ears. The young commander was stunned. The water gate that had been closed all day suddenly opened wide in front of him, and hundreds of enemies poured out with murderous intent on their faces.
More than a dozen small boats were approaching like arrows, and they were in front of us in the blink of an eye. It was fully loaded with two sailors and six warriors, and the shining bronze spear was raised, ready to stab. Then came two parallel boats, each carrying ten sailors and thirty warriors. One of the large boats was particularly gorgeous, with a crocodile-head seat built on it. A majestic round-faced warrior was sitting on it, with a spear flag in his hand pointed at His Highness's boat.
Bertard was horrified. He reacted the fastest and pushed His Highness into the boat. He turned around and shouted urgently to the rowing guards.
"Go, go quickly!"
