The flags were flying, and the elite warriors climbed high and walked in silence, letting the mountain wind blow mightily and watching the sun rise into the sky. It wasn't until the king waved the flag that the guards stopped and rested at the top of the hill.
Shulot stood on the high point of the hill and looked around. Behind him, the shield guard Tels looked dull and still held the royal flag high.
Climbing high and looking into the distance, the world suddenly opens up, making the king's heart feel magnanimous. In the long wind, the hills rise and fall, like cascading giant waves, constantly rising to the high points of the mountains; under the sun, the earth gradually becomes bare, like the footsteps of gods walking by, shining with a faint golden light from time to time. There was only a meandering river that flowed, like a long and agile snake, tracing the way everyone came and converging towards the lowest-lying Qilahuon Lake.
"What a mountain! What a river! All these great rivers and mountains are in my hands!"
The king looked at it for a moment and sighed in admiration. He inspected the farm all the way, seeing the harvest land, and then climbed up the mountain to enjoy the vast mountains and rivers. At this time, he felt extremely happy! Then, the instinct of a military leader came to mind again and turned into a deep whisper.
"Chingampat, the gentle mountain...the terrain is so steep, easy to defend and difficult to attack, but it is not gentle at all!"
"Your Highness, it's obvious! Qingambat is a steep mountain range."
Ezpin touched the severed finger on his left hand and complimented with clear eyes.
"As for the description of gentleness, there is an ancient legend that corresponds to the ruins on the mountain. It is said that in the distant ancient times, this mountain range was once filled with roars and thick smoke. It was the mouth of demons that swallowed up mortals, leading to the underground. The kingdom of the dead.”
"The demons have been raging for thousands of years, and the smoke has been rising for thousands of years. Until a great descendant of the gods witnessed the evil here. He first used human sacrifice to attract the main god, and then resolutely sacrificed himself here. With a sound that shook the world There was a loud noise, and the divine descendant used his divine body to seal the passage to the underground. From then on, the mountains became gentle..."
"Later, the shameless Condor Royal Family learned of this legend, and claimed that the one who sealed this place was the ancient Condor Sage... However, only the power of the Supreme Lord God can do all this! The one who sealed this place should be the Lord God Descendants of gods!..."
"Well, that's a good point!...The smoking mouth of the demon? The calming sleeping volcano?"
Hearing this, Shulot asked thoughtfully and smiled.
"Ezpan, since this is the mouth of the demon, is there the Stone of the Dead?"
"Your Highness is wise! There are not only copper mines here, but also Stones of the Dead. The place of origin is high in the mountains. Most of the Stones of the Dead used for sacrifices in Qincongcan City come from here!"
"very good!"
Shulot nodded with satisfaction. There are nitrate-containing pools in the mountains to the east of the lake area, and adjacent sulfur production areas to the southwest. Then in the winter when saltpeter is removed, manpower can be organized again to carry out large-scale gunpowder production. And when the bronze cannon and gunpowder were ready... the king smiled confidently and looked down at the mountains and rivers again.
"Ezpan, this mountain rises in levels, and rivers flow down from the mountains. The terrain is majestic, and it has water sources. If you build a fortress or set up a camp here, it will be extremely difficult to break through!"
"Your Highness is wise! I have stayed in this mine for a long time. There are several abandoned bluestone fortresses near the mountains, which look strong and difficult to attack. Fortunately, Your Highness captured the false king of Tarasco in a battle. Otherwise, let him escape. At this point, as long as we stick to the camp, we can stop the conquering army and calmly integrate the southwest..."
Ezpin agreed with a smile, but also felt a little sad.
"I heard that the first puppet king of Tarasco once set up a camp here to guard against the remnants of Uriciu in the southwest and the Tekos barbarians scattered in the mountains. Later, with the rapid expansion of the kingdom, the remaining barbarians in the mountains were all destroyed. One by one, the southwestern border was pushed to the edge of the Colima Mountains, five hundred miles away, and the fortresses in these hinterlands were completely abandoned."
Hearing this, Shulot's expression changed. He looked at the warrior commander on the other side.
"Bertard, what's the situation with the remnants of Tarasco in the southwest mountains? Have they surrendered?"
"Your Highness, most of the remnants in the southwest have submitted submissions. Lords from various places have also sent envoys to send tribute, and nominally submitted to the new Lake Kingdom. But in fact, they still maintain the tradition of autonomy in the region and firmly The land controls everything on the fiefdom.”
Bertard thought for a while, nodded gently, and then shook his head slowly. He pointed quietly to the southwest.
"Please see, Your Highness, the terrain in the southwest is very fragmented and complex. The staggered mountains converge to form lower basins in the middle, where scattered towns and villages are located. There are a series of narrow passes between the mountains, and only a few troops can If you defend it, it will take a lot of effort to break it."
"The mountain people here are closed and clinging together, rebellious, and difficult to collect taxes. The local nobles are also stubborn and arrogant, and value the land more than anything else. Once the central government forcibly sends people to manage it, it will easily cause a joint riot between the mountain people and the nobles. However, there are less than 100,000 residents in the southwest mountainous area. The people are fierce and brave, the terrain is steep and difficult to navigate, and the land output is very poor. It is very difficult to conquer, and little property can be plundered..."
"In general, the cost of direct administration of the southwest far exceeds the benefits of direct administration! The center of the kingdom has no will, and it is difficult to establish direct rule. During the Tarakos period, the way to govern here was to enfeoff military nobles and confer obedient The native chiefs, on the one hand, deterred them with military power, and on the other hand, they attracted them through trade.”
Hearing this, Shulot frowned. He looked towards the undulating south, his thoughts drifting away.
The Pacific Plate and the American Plate collided, forming a series of volcanic mountains on the western edge of the Americas. With the long-term volcanic movement, rich mineral deposits from the underground have been brought to the surface mountains. In Central America, plate collisions formed the towering Sierra Madre del Sur mountains. The Sierra Madre del Sur extends all the way, dividing the southwest of the world into two incommunicable halves. The southwestern mountainous area of the feudal country is an extended branch of the Sierra Madre del Sur.
If you want to conquer the remote Colima Mountains from the Patzcuaro Lake area, there are only two routes, north and south, across the mountains. For the northern route, a fleet should be formed to go west along the Leman River for five hundred miles. After conquering the Chapala Lake area, it should be turned four hundred miles southwest along the tributaries. The southern route will follow the aperture in the mountains, go four hundred miles to the southwest, and then turn to the northwest for two hundred miles.
In general, the northern route, although long, could carry tens of thousands of troops by water. The southern route saves one-third of the distance, but only a small number of elite regiments can pass through the mountains.
"This situation is really similar to the southwest of China!"
Shulot looked calm and laughed at himself.
"The iron ore in the Colima Mountains is like the carrot in front of the donkey. You can always see it but can't eat it! Even in Colima, it is very difficult to dig deep iron ore... Maybe I should go there North America should think of some ways. The US-Mexico border will be an extremely wealthy mineral belt in future generations..."
The king pondered for a while and asked again.
"Bertard, where is the southwest border that the feudal country can really send officials to effectively control?"
The warrior commander stood on tiptoe, looked at the nearest basin to the southwest, and then flexed his fingers to calculate for a while before replying cautiously.
"Your Highness, the farthest controlled area in the southwest of the feudal kingdom is Ulapani City, one hundred and fifty miles southwest of the capital. This is an important town in the west of Lithospermum County. The meaning of Ulapani is that flowering and fruiting occur at the same time. of plants, so it is also called the 'Flower and Fruit City' in the mountains!"
"Flower and Fruit City in the Mountains?!"
Shulot was stunned for a moment, with some strange twitching on his face. He asked subconsciously.
“Are monkeys abundant there?”
"Your Highness is knowledgeable! The mountainous areas in the southwest are indeed rich in long-haired howler monkeys... and the pineapples that howler monkeys love to eat."
Ezpin took a step forward and continued to smile and praise.
"Um."
The king nodded stiffly. He controlled his expression for a moment before asking seriously.
"In this way, across the hundred-mile plain south of the lake area, the feudal state only controls more than fifty miles of mountainous areas. Bertard, the southwest mountainous area is a full four to five hundred miles! Even if the mountain road is difficult to travel, the feudal state should not They only control such a small area. How can the large nobles scattered in the southwestern mountains resist the tens of thousands of royal regiments?"
"Your Highness, if you are willing to pay thousands of casualties, the old nobles in the southwest mountainous area will indeed be unable to resist the legion, and the kingdom's ruling area can be extended another two hundred miles to the southwest. However, the crusade against the mountainous area will not bring any benefits, and it will not be possible in a short time. Establish effective rule. Once the army withdraws, the mountain people will inevitably launch another rebellion with the support of caring people. If the army is stationed in the mountainous area, the food consumed will double as the mountain road is extended, and the mountain people will also encounter of repeated guerrilla attacks.”
Hearing this, Shulot was silent. Ezpin perked up. He volunteered and came forward to ask for help.
"Your Highness is merciful! I don't want the warriors to suffer too many casualties. I am familiar with the terrain here and can lead Prepecha's new army of spears to pacify this place for Your Highness! In a frontal battle, the mountain people are actually vulnerable. As long as we send troops before the autumn harvest A crusade, a year of garrisoning, and then destroying the mountain people's spring plowing in the second year, their food will be exhausted. And without food, the mountain people will have no choice but to surrender to the real sun!"
"Destroying the autumn harvest and spring plowing... Well, Ezpan, I see your loyalty, and I will have more important tasks for you!"
Shulot looked at Ezpin calmly, patted him on the shoulder affectionately, and praised him softly. The other party immediately looked excited and bowed. Then, the king frowned and looked at the warrior commander.
"Bertard, you just said, support from 'people who care'? Could it be that it's from the south..."
"Exactly, Your Highness."
The warrior commander nodded affirmatively.
"The scouts have been reporting back one after another. In the past few months, there have been some changes in Zicao County in the south. The old nobles who returned have continued to meet and seem to have formed a loose alliance of mutual assistance. They also frequently send envoys to communicate with the nobles in the southwest mountainous area. They exchanged conspiracies.”
"These nobles who have argued with each other and have been in conflict for generations can put down their conflicts only to resist the pressure from the central government. Once the royal regiment falls into the quagmire of the mountainous area, the southern nobles will definitely support the mountain people secretly to divert His Highness's attention. Also try to consume the strength of the central government..."
"Well, the old nobles of the South..."
Shulot asked calmly with no expression on his face.
"Are they ready to rebel?"
"The Western Expedition has just ended, and the alliance's martial arts are still impressive. If we don't push them to a dead end, I'm afraid they won't have the courage to rebel."
"Where is their bottom line?"
"land."
The samurai commander replied briefly.
"Land... land... I will give them another chance to choose. Although the Lord God is the God of War, he also has mercy."
The king's expression was calm, and he had already made a decision in his heart. Even if the setting sun is like blood and fills the dusk sky, the sun will always bring light!
"I'm done, let's keep walking!"
The marching bugle sounded loudly and echoed across the vast heaven and earth. The elite warriors once again formed a march.
When the sun set slightly to the west, the huge mountain mine finally appeared in front of everyone. A wooden fence hastily surrounded it, dividing the copper veins and the mine. The gilded copper mines have drawn patterns on the ground, the piles of earth and rocks have accumulated into hills, and black smoke is rising from the simple furnaces.
Groups of miners were poorly dressed and stooped and lean. With their heads lowered and baskets on their backs, they were busy inside and outside the mine, numbering more than a thousand. Groups of Mexican warriors were scattered at key points of mining traffic and on high ground. The warriors were wearing armor and holding shields, some even holding long bows, and were closely monitoring the operation of the mine. As the most important copper mine in the feudal country, a whole brigade of two hundred elite warriors is stationed here.
Seeing Wang Qi approaching from a distance, a fully equipped warrior captain strode out of the mine. He walked in front of the king, revealed a strong and familiar face, and knelt down like a mountain.
"Your Highness, I greet you! I am the feather of the condor, following you to the end of heaven and earth!"
