The wind in June comes from the great lake in the east. It crosses the undulating plateau and flies two thousand miles to the basin of Patzcuaro. Moist water vapor began to fill the air, and the rainy season in the land of lakes was about to arrive.
Shulot stood on the top floor of the Palace of Winds, looking at the surrounding mountains and fields. Conspicuous streaks of black smoke rose from the nearby fields, like ink rendered in the sky, leaving drifting marks. The young king looked deeply for a moment before turning around leisurely.
"This year's wildfires seem to be more intense than in previous years."
"The fields are extremely desolate, with more grass and trees than in previous years, and the smoke from burning fields will naturally be thicker. But if you look closely at the amount of smoke, you will find that the land in the lake is already as desolate as a saltwater lake, and it needs patient treatment. Thriving schools of fish are once again gathering.”
Avitt responded with a smile. He was wearing a breathable plain robe and was holding a wooden board in his hand to inspect. Quickly, he handed the board to Xilot and smiled softly.
"I heard that the royal capital has fallen. Akanbaro state on the south bank of the Leman River and northeast of Qincongcan has sent people to surrender. This is their surrender document."
Hulot took the board and looked at it carefully. I saw six long flags on it, and there were sixteen feathers on the long flags. There are three warrior villains and eight militia villains in the center. Under these pictures, there is a small figure kneeling down, with his head lowered, kneeling to the adult in front of him. On the adult's head is a blue-green hummingbird helmet, his body is radiating sun rays, and in his hand is the Lord God's iconic spear. Obviously, this is a symbol of the Mexican Union.
"At this time, Akambalo State can still have 3,000 warriors and 8,000 militiamen?"
Shulot was a little surprised.
"Haha, this is just the turkey's last coo before it's caught."
Avitt smiled.
"The intelligence officer has found out that many minor nobles in Prepecha have also surrendered to me. After your crusade all the way, Akambalo State still has about 1,500 warriors and 5,000 to 6,000 militiamen. Most of the militiamen are They were reinforcements sent from the Lake District to the northern fortress, but you went south too quickly, so they stayed there."
"Akanbarro's fortress is still strong, but the food and supplies are far from enough, and it has never been able to attack. Since the capital has fallen, the kingdom has been destroyed, and now it is the spring plowing season that cannot be delayed, surrender has become inevitable... The only difference lies in the terms of surrender.”
Having said this, Avitt pondered for a while. He kept the number of long flags unchanged, cut off half of the feathers, then raised his head and smiled.
"The six hereditary families will remain, but the number of big nobles will be reduced by half, and the quota will be negotiated by themselves. Let these families fight with each other for a while, and then Tepopolo will entrust them to control Akambalo State. In hand.”
Xiulote nodded. Then, he looked at the militia man on the wooden board, his eyes shining.
"Avit, since these militiamen are all strong men sent from the Patzcuaro Lake area, then as a condition of surrender, Akambaro State should be returned!"
"Well, come back? The war continues, and few nobles will be willing to hand over Ding Zhuang. But Akambalo State
There is an extreme shortage of food now. You bring out a batch of grain, and if I threaten you when I surrender, I can make them hand over half of it. As for the remaining half...that is Tepopolo's future fiefdom, and you must leave some for him. "
"Okay! Three thousand militiamen are not without some help. The small town of Patzcuaro in the southeast has surrendered to the legion. There is the military grain warehouse of the Kingdom of Tarasco. The food stored there can supply more than 100,000 people for a year. Eat. I am not short of food, just short of grain."
A smile appeared on Shulot's face.
"Oh? The small town of Patzcuaro... That should be the place where the Tarascos supply the southeastern defense line and the military ration storage place for the state of Sitacuaro... If Ding is missing... Tarasco's southeastern army is already here Sitacuaro surrendered to me. Apart from the thousands of wounded who were sacrificed, there are about 20,000 militiamen and 5,000 Tecos warriors left. These people consume a lot of food, and the guards also need thousands of warriors. If you can provide If you can control it, I can leave it all to you!"
Avitt reached out and patted Shulot on the shoulder. Then, a trace of indifference appeared on the king's face.
"If you don't want it, I will give it to the elders to be used as consumables for building the temple and as sacrifices for the capital's celebrations."
"Twenty-five thousand surrender troops!"
Upon hearing this number, Shulot's throat moved slightly and he swallowed. He carefully calculated the military power in his hands, and then struggled for a long time.
"Leave 20,000 militiamen to me. After collective conversion and reorganization, we should be able to control them. As for the Tekos warriors...these tribal armies can only be intimidated by force. They cannot understand the language, are tough and difficult to manage, and are internally self-contained. ..I just want a few dozen guides in the Colima Mountains!”
"Then it's settled. I will send an envoy today, and you prepare food supplies along the way."
In a light conversation, the two decided the fate of tens of thousands of people. Avitt smiled faintly and looked at his students again, with a hint of examination on his face.
"Xulot, you have been counting the population these days. Now, how many troops, how many men, and how many people do you control?"
The young king thought for a while, then took out a book he carried with him from his lapel, opened it and read it in detail.
"I went all the way south from the north of the Leman River. In the battle of the lake and the siege of the fortress, I surrendered about 5,000 Tarasco troops; then I captured the Huayamo fortress, fought with the Chapala Army, and surrendered again. Among the more than 5,000 people left, there were more than 2,000 Sky Family warriors and More than two thousand archers. This is a surrender army of ten thousand capable of fighting."
"Then there was a fierce battle with the Royal Army of Tarasco. Most of the more than 3,000 prisoners were wounded. After sacrificing the more seriously injured, only 2,000 were gathered. The capital was captured and nearly 15,000 surrendered. Half of the troops are ordinary Tekos tribesmen. Including the towns in the lake area that surrendered, there are a total of 30,000 surrendered troops."
Having said this, Shulot sighed.
"These 30,000 surrendered troops can also be counted as the young men of the Prepecha people. In the fiefdom area I control, there are 60,000 civilians in Qincongcan City, including 20,000 young men. And there are only ten men and women in the areas along the lake. There are tens of thousands of old and weak people. The north of Lake Patzcuaro is in ruins, and only the lake area to the west is slightly better. According to my estimate, there are about 100,000 people, or about 10,000 people. The south of Lake Patzcuaro is slightly better, with the main Apa Chingan State is well preserved, but it is estimated that there will be no more than 200,000 people and 40,000 strong men.”
"Avit, I haven't had time to sort out the south. Although Apatchengan State has surrendered, most of it still maintains its autonomy...Rough calculation, you gave me such a large fiefdom, but there are less than five One hundred thousand people, one hundred thousand strong men. But what is really in my hands is more than three hundred thousand people, sixty thousand strong men."
Hearing Shulot's complaint, Avitt burst into laughter. He touched the young king's head. Shulot subconsciously wanted to dodge, but then stopped. Avitt shook the boy's hair and smiled again.
"Xulot, there are more than 300,000 people and 60,000 men. What else are you dissatisfied with? When the 20,000 surrendered militiamen arrive, you will have 80,000 men, most of whom have fought in battles. A warrior! You will not encounter any opponent in the west of this world!"
At this point, Avitt's eyes became profound. He said still smiling.
"The intelligence officer has reported to me a long time ago. The Apachingan State, the fiefdom of Tepopolo, has a sparse population and dense mountains and forests, with only 70,000 to 80,000 people. The Sitacuaro State of Iskali has a difficult terrain. The hills are undulating, and there are also only 60,000 to 70,000 people. As for the mountain copper area south of the Alsace River, Wetamau State... Although it is vast and has a population of more than 100,000, the mountain people have always been tough and difficult to control, and the terrain Divided and broken, it is far inferior to what you have here!"
Listening to Avitt's description, Shulot quickly added the population information in the surrounding areas on the map in his mind. Although these figures are only rough calculations, even barely estimated based on the number of warriors and the consumption of salt, they are the most rare secrets of this era. In the entire world, only the King of Mexica, who valued intelligence and had many scouts, could know the situation of each state in detail.
After a while, Shulot sighed.
"Your Majesty, I am very satisfied with the current fiefdom... I am just a little emotional. The fiefdom you gave me is the essence of the Kingdom of Tarasco, the entire Lake Patzcuaro area. When it was prosperous a few years ago, Even just last year, there were still one million people here, with two to three hundred thousand adults. But in just one year of war, the population was reduced by half, and six out of ten adults. If it continues for another two years... The Western Expedition and the National War The brutality of the victory and the difficulty of the alliance’s victory can be clearly seen from here!”
Hearing this, Avitt was startled. He put his hands behind his back, walked to the balcony, and looked at the vast world to the east. The smoking peaks of Mount Sacred Mountain seemed far away, and the mountain fortress of Sitacuaro came to mind again.
"Yes, crossing hundreds of mountains, flying through hundreds of miles of forests, golden eagles and kestrels fighting to the death, the Western Expedition was so difficult!"
"In this year's campaign, the Southern Army lost nearly 15,000 warriors and more than 20,000 militiamen. Nearly 40,000 warriors were lost in the lake. It will take several years or even ten years of training to barely make up for it. And the consumption There are hundreds of thousands of catties of grain and grass, the capital's treasury is completely empty, and the squeeze on vassals has reached its limit. Food supplies will also need to be accumulated for several more years!"
"The king's ambitions fly like an eagle, with his eyes watching the whole world. Population and food cannot grow overnight, but can only let the years pass by, and the eagle grows old!"
Avitt looked at the falcons flying in the sky, took a long breath, and shook his head slightly.
Hearing this, Shulot was a little silent. He opened the bright red mark on the book he carried with him again, and sighed after a while.
"The casualties of the Northern Army were also heavy. Over the past year, I took advantage of weapons and tried to surprise the enemy in the field. I also lost 10,000 warriors, 7,000 militiamen, and many wounded. I recruited from the north. We recruited many Otomi warriors and canine mercenaries and used them on the front line of the siege, thus minimizing the casualties of the Mexica warriors..."
"After this Western Expedition, the alliance lost a full quarter of its military strength, and the royal family's direct forces suffered heavy losses. Within a few years, it is indeed impossible to raise more troops on a large scale. And the Kingdom of Tarasco has been destroyed. Once the alliance is eliminated, my next focus will be on integrating and assimilating the Prepecha people.”
Hearing this, Avitt nodded. He turned sideways and looked at the murals in the Palace of Winds hall that had not yet been covered. Condors soar in the sky, flanked by hummingbirds. On the ground, a group of people came from the northwest along the river, settled by the lake, built houses and towns, and the tribe multiplied and grew stronger. On the east side of the mural, a sun is rising.
"The painting is great! The painter's skills are superb, not inferior to those of the capital city in the lake."
King Avit smiled and praised, and then spoke quietly.
"Xulot, my student, you have done a good job! The Chichimec descendants from the north have moved south in large numbers, and the Northern Tekos tribe is also making trouble. The Chapala Lake area has suffered heavy losses, plus the battle losses from the Western Expedition , Dingkou will probably be reduced by half. I have received their messenger. The new Feather Prince intends to surrender to the alliance, and will soon send someone to present a map and tribute."
"Prince of Feathers Peng Guali? The one who fought against me? Did he send people to offer pictures as tribute?"
Shulot thought of Marshal Feather who had turned into Rufeng, and was a little surprised.
"Yes, he can be considered a character! After the failed battle with the Northern Army, he successfully returned with the main force of the family, and also controlled the head of the Baiyin family. In just half a year, he purged the Sky family and married the legitimate daughter of the Baiyin family. , and then unified the entire Lake Chapala area, claiming to be a prince and claiming to be a descendant of the condor."
Speaking of the descendants of the condor, Avitt laughed again.
"Now Pengguari has basically inherited the inheritance of the northwest of the Kingdom of Tarasco. He controls 300,000 people and 67,000 to 70,000 people. The core of his rule is in Tisapang State, which is still 500 miles away from the capital of Qin Congcan. It is even further away from the capital city in the lake. In a short period of time, the alliance has no will, let alone the manpower and material resources, to launch a large-scale expedition thousands of miles away, so it will accept his surrender."
Avitt's eyes shone like burning flames. He looked at Shulot, his expression becoming serious.
"Xulot, my student! The Tlaxcala wolfdog is barking in the east. I won't stay here for long. I will return east in a few days. Let me say a few final words to you."
"After this Western Expedition, the Kingdom of Tarasco, with a population of more than 1.6 million, only has about one million people left. The bones of these 600,000 people are the price for the rise of the sun god! It cannot be controlled by No matter how many casualties there are in the hands of the alliance, there is no need to worry about the ethnic groups. The civilians will always grow like weeds, and only the land and lakes are the foundation of everything!"
"You have to rest patiently for a few years, conquer the hearts of the people in the lake area, and train Prepecha to be strong. Then take control of Apatchingan in the south, and then attack Sacap State in the west, and the Chapala Lake area further west. And the southwest , there are also a large number of Tecos tribes, and the Colima Mountains that you will never forget.”
"Xulot, after I return to the east, I will leave all the affairs in the west to you. From now on, whether the ministries will attack or appease depends on your own decision. I only want the stability of the west and not affect the Texcoco Lake area. . After a few more years of saving up food and grass and training a new group of warriors, it will be time to come and make a complete settlement with the Tlaxcala people!"
The long wind blew by, raising the black hair of the kings and revealing their ambitious black eyes. The wind chimes at the top of the Palace of Winds flutter in the wind, making a crisp ringing sound. The ringtone fell in the hearts of the kings, drawing out the smiles on their lips, and it was like the praise of heaven and earth.
