The rain in June is a rapid drumbeat, urging the busy work in the farmland. The corn has grown a foot long, the beans have stretched out their soft branches, and the pumpkins have sprouted new shoots and slowly extended on the ground. Sufficient rain nourishes the roots of crops, and warm sunshine gives plants the power to grow. So, when the scorching sun in July first appeared in the sky after the rain, the earth was already a scene of lush everything.
The hot sun shines on both sides of the Leman River. The Mexican warriors walked out of the narrow houses and happily prayed for the blessing of the sun god. They took out the clothes and cotton blankets that had been damp for a long time and hung them in various corners of the camp to let the sun dry them. The costumes of different grades are red, yellow and black, and the simple wooden castle suddenly turned into a colorful street. The quartermasters also took out the soaked corn cakes and miscellaneous grains and spread them in the open space in the center of the wooden fort to minimize the loss of food during the rainy season. The somber wooden castle became the village valley community again.
Outside the empty wooden castle, there is an additional fence. Under the tight guard of the warriors, the gunpowder craftsmen accompanying the army were drying wet gunpowder here. The faint volcanic smell drifted away with the wind, and as the green grass swayed, many grass snakes fled away.
In the spacious wooden house in the center of the wooden castle, Shulot sat with his legs crossed and was carefully looking at the sand table in front of him. This was the result of several days of hard work.
The sand table is not large in size, one meter long and one meter wide. A "river" of fine sand runs from east to west and divides into a "lake" in the southwest. Between the river and the lake, there is a clay "fortress" with a small wooden door inlaid on it. There is a shallow river to the east, which is the river mouth fortress.
The young commander thought about it and first carved out a camp on the flat land to the east of the "fortress", and then filled in the moat to the east. He gestured at the distance from the fortress wall to the river and frowned. Then, he created another camp in the open space south of the fortress. After thinking for a moment, he placed two more strongholds further south as a defense.
Shulot turned his attention to the west again, looking at the small wooden "Water Gate" and the narrow river and lake channels. Based on his memory, he once again corrected the distance from the west wall of the fortress. Then, he placed a wooden boat on the passage, gestured the distance from the wall to the boat, and pondered silently.
After a while, he simulated the movement of the boat again. The wooden boat started from within shooting distance and slowly moved forward until it came to the water gate. He calculated a time in his mind, and then put in another boat, protecting Minato with the support of the city head, and confronting the first boat. The young commander calculated for a moment again and frowned deeply.
At this time, the guard's loud greeting and the same plain reply came from outside the wooden house.
"The heroic Holy Eagle Warrior Captain, Tels greets you!"
"Tels, there is no need to be polite. The sun god's light illuminates us at the same time! I have something to report to His Highness."
The wooden door opened with a creak, and the sunlight from outside the door poured in, illuminating the slightly dark house. A tall figure wearing leather armor and an animal helmet walked in.
Shulot raised his head and waved to Tels who was looking at him with a naive smile. The young Holy City warrior bowed his head seriously, saluted, and closed the wooden door again. The boy he once was is now His Highness, and he is now His Highness's gatekeeper.
Then, the young commander looked at the fully armed Bertard with a smile.
"Bertard, the weather is so hot, take off this outfit quickly!"
The warrior commander nodded and took off his beast helmet, revealing his cut-off head and tattooed face, looking as awe-inspiring as a ferocious beast. Then, he took off his leather armor, revealing that the robe underneath was completely soaked with sweat.
"Your Highness, in the past two days, I have led a team of Jaguar noble warriors to the northern city of Otopan to conduct reconnaissance. The Otomi people's spring plowing has basically been completed, and they seem to be gathering troops and starting to mobilize the militia."
Shulot pondered for a moment and said slowly.
"The Otomi people have to be on guard, and the warriors must be on strict alert. In this way, two envoys were sent again to condemn the Otomi people for their breach of trust. They accepted food from the alliance and promised a peace treaty, but they just made a show of it. , did not really go south before the spring plowing, and plunder the villages of the Tarascans. See what they say.
At the same time, the city-state of Otopan was individually invited to join the conquest against the Tarascans. In addition to land, feathers, fine clothes, gold, silver, gems, slaves and goods can be promised to them, and even grain trade can be discussed.
Let me think about it, during the last peace talks, the army commander of Otopan City should be Giowa? Let the messenger pay him a visit in my personal name. In addition, the old priest Alter doesn't know whether he is in Guamare or Otopan. If he is in the mountain city, you can also go and find out what he has to say. "
Bertard nodded and obeyed. He thought for a moment before speaking.
"Your Highness, I will arrange for envoys when I get back. It's just that the Otomi people are like weeds in the wind, swaying. They always make false promises to deal with the alliance. I'm afraid it will be difficult to reach a real agreement here. Even if an agreement is reached, the army cannot relax its vigilance at all. . They are like coyotes lurking in wait, ready to pounce and bite in a fatal position."
The young commander laughed.
"Bertard, you are right. After the spring plowing is completed, the Otomi people have the ability to mobilize for war, which is unbelievable. I just have to wait for two weeks, hold on to the wooden castle, and wait for the return of the fleet returning eastward. , bringing a large number of reinforcements from the Holy City.
Once Annatri's navy returned and cut off both sides of the Leman River, it would be difficult for the Tarascans to move northward to attack. When the new legion arrives, the alliance will have an advantage in military strength, and the autumn harvest is just around the corner. At this time, we can use the army to threaten the Otomi people's autumn harvest and force them to use practical actions to prove their sincerity in peace with the alliance! "
Bertard smiled knowingly, and the tattoos on his sides trembled with a hint of solemnity. Then, he looked at the window facing south and continued.
"The Tarasco Navy in the south has been dispatched very frequently. Their scouts have repeatedly appeared around the three wooden forts, and they often make provocative and attacking gestures. The warriors in the wooden forts are very high-spirited and a little unbearable. .”
Shulot thought for a while and nodded slightly.
"After the rumors of the Sun God's blessing spread, the warriors were inspired and eager to fight. This fighting spirit cannot be suppressed, but can only be guided. The current strategy is to stick to the main position and should not take the initiative to go south...
In this way, several different squads of hundreds were sent out every day to fight with Tarasco's scouts. There is no need to capture prisoners in the scout battle, the battle merit only depends on how many heads they bring back. Then, evaluate the merits of all participating teams, reward the team at the top, and give them the title of good at fighting!
This is to find some psychological sustenance for the samurai. Maybe I should improve the rules of the stadium and allow everyone to have some daily entertainment activities. "
Having said this, the young commander took out a pen and paper and wrote down the words basketball and football. He thought for a while, then added horn wrestling and tug-of-war, plus the existing spear throwing, archery and martial arts, and it became the Mexica Heptathlon.
Bertard nodded and accepted the order. He looked at the sand table on the ground, and his admiration flashed through him again. Sometimes, he would sincerely thank the Sun God for giving the Mexica people such a divine king with omnipotent wisdom and all-encompassing inventions.
"Your Highness, the fortress at the mouth of the river has a water gate on the west, and the west wall controls the mouth of the river, blocking the boatmen from going south. This fortress cannot be besieged. It can receive a steady stream of troops and food from the shores of Lake Quetseo."
Looking at the sand table, the warrior chief spoke, waiting for His Highness's vision and strategy.
Shulot nodded in agreement.
"That's true! The river mouth fortress can only be attacked by force, not besieged. If you attack by force, attack quickly, the faster the better. The fortress here is crisscrossed by rivers, the soil is soft, and the groundwater is rich. The army cannot dig tunnels, cannot use gunpowder to blow up walls, and of course it is not good at it. Miners digging.”
Faced with the new concept, Bertard had some enlightenment. He is always with His Highness, able to continuously learn and improve, keep up with the young man's thinking, and make timely suggestions.
"Dig tunnels, blast walls with gunpowder... Your Highness, the senior miners of Tarasco will dig underground copper mines, and Ezpan is a senior miner. When the army penetrates deep into the Patzcuaro Lake area, they can recruit civilians and gather senior The elderly miners have perfected His Highness’s authentic fighting methods.”
Hearing this, Shulot laughed and his thoughts briefly drifted away. Then he returned to the topic.
"Before a strong attack, there are three necessary preparations. The first is to look for opportunities to severely damage the main force of the Tarasco Navy and destroy as many of their ships as possible."
Having said this, the young commander paused and his thoughts became clearer. He did not elaborate for the time being and continued to speak.
"The second is to concentrate our forces, establish enough advantages, and achieve a breakthrough as soon as possible. The autumn harvest is a key node, and it cannot be delayed until after the harvest to give the enemy a chance to gather on a large scale. Well, I will send an envoy to Northern General Ocelot again , asking for reinforcements. The troops from the capital must also be transported as soon as possible. The fleet takes a month to go back and forth, and can transport tens of thousands of warriors and three months of food and grass for ten thousand people. I need to carefully plan the transportation plan. "
Shulot made a plan in his mind, wrote down the word "transportation" on the paper, and then smiled slightly.
"The third is to prepare equipment and build suitable siege equipment. Bertard, how are the three tools I ordered before made?"
The warrior commander thought for a moment, recalled what he saw at the craftsman's office before the patrol, and nodded slowly.
"Your Highness, we have been researching a light catapult that is easy to move for nearly a month. It has just been trial-produced. We haven't had time to test the load and range of the ammunition. The light shield vehicle that covers the archers is relatively simple and can be put into the battlefield now. As for the construction required after the reconnaissance, The craftsmen have only restored part of the seven-meter wooden water gate, and the subsequent processing will take a long time."
Hearing this, Shulot laughed with satisfaction.
"Very good! The light catapult throws paper fireballs wrapped with gunpowder, and the load and range requirements are not high. The light shield vehicle can be as simple as possible, the key is mass production. Minato does not need to be completely restored, I just want to test how effective it can be destroy!"
Having said this, the young commander stood up. He patted the warrior commander on the shoulder affectionately and laughed loudly.
"The sun is shining brightly today, which is a rare auspicious day. Come with me to see these powerful weapons for siege!"
