Night falls, and deep darkness pours in from the sky, covering the cactus at the foot of the mountain. The sound of crows surrounds the rugged mountains, and the simple campsites are illuminated by bonfires that never sleep, making people feel even more desolate.
Ozoma stood alone on the watchtower of the camp. The balance in his heart swayed back and forth, just like the fire in his eyes.
"Big boss!"
Chief Red Monkey sighed.
In the past few days, the offensive of the Southern Allied Forces has been blocked by the dangerous front camp. Hundreds of Otomi warriors were lost at Taniguchi's camp, and more than a dozen enemy nobles died in battle!
The chief of Chichika was very excited and sent an envoy to praise Ozoma and sent the first batch of one thousand reinforcements on time. The big leader himself summoned all the tribes in the valley to recruit Dingkou while preparing for the big sacrifice.
According to the plan, the chiefs of each tribe must swear allegiance in blood at the grand ceremony and promise to their ancestors never to surrender! According to the message from the messenger, preparations for the blood sacrifice have been completed, and the grand sacrifice will be held soon in these two days.
"The chief of Chichika is brave and strong, his rewards and punishments are fair, and he keeps his word. If under the leadership of the chief, all the tribes unite and resist to the end, will they be able to hold on to the valley?"
Ozoma thought for a long time and couldn't make up his mind. He looked at the base of the camp again, where the stone-throwing wooden beasts built by the Mexicans spread out, which was unsettling.
"The Death Chief has deep and mysterious powers. If he summons heavenly fire and emits thunder, will the soldiers be able to stabilize their morale and defend the camp?"
Chief Red Monkey thought for another quarter of an hour, but still couldn't make a decision. He couldn't help but laugh at himself in a low voice.
"Red Monkey, Red Monkey, you have always been smart, but when faced with a life-or-death decision, you think about things and can't make up your mind at all! If you don't make a decision, you have no courage. You can only rely on the strong in this life."
The watchtower of the camp is nothing more than a hastily constructed one. Although it is called a building, it is actually just a shack built on a big tree, with a ten-meter-long rope ladder hanging to the ground. A gust of autumn wind blew by, causing the shack of the watchtower to sway in the air, and Ozoma's body trembled along with it. He lowered his head, looked at the ground eight or nine meters away, and shook his head.
"The shack in the sky is crumbling in the wind, how can we stay longer in the dangerous situation?... Big leader, if you had retreated earlier, my loyalty would not have wavered!"
After saying that, Ozoma climbed down the rope ladder as nimbly as an ape, landing on his feet in a moment. He jumped twice on the spot, felt the solid touch on the soles of his feet, and then quickly returned to the main tent.
The main tent is actually still a shed, but it is closed on all sides and has a slightly larger area. The roof of the shed is open to the air, with a firepit in the middle. Chief Red Monkey sat cross-legged in front of the fire pit, watching the flickering flames and continuing to ponder the situation.
The Red Monkey tribe now has more than 3,000 warriors, occupying the front camp on the high ground at the mouth of the valley, facing the front of the Mexica. A few miles behind the front camp is the Red Dog Main Camp. Chief Chichika has more than 4,000 elite warriors in his hands, and he is still recruiting valley tribes. A few miles further back, near Palms City, is the back camp of the Red Crow Tribe. In the rear camp, there are more than 2,000 defeated troops from various ministries who have gathered together and are currently regrouping.
The front camp on the high ground, the main camp at the mouth of the valley, and the back camp in the valley depended on each other, forming a regular triangle. Although the mouth of Palms Valley is open, the front camp is stuck on the key high ground. If the Southern Allied Forces did not capture the front camp, they would not be able to penetrate deeply with peace of mind. When the Southern Allied Forces besieged the dangerous front camp, the troops from the rear camp and the main camp could continuously attack the flanks of the allied forces.
In short, the Taniguchi defense line was carefully arranged by the big leader. Although it looks rough and crude, it is not weak.
"It's just that our Red Monkey Tribe is stuck here as a stone blocking the road. There is no way to retreat! ... No, that's not necessarily the case."
Thinking of this, Ozoma raised his head and ordered the guards around him.
"Zukata, has Zukata come back? Let him come and see me!"
The personal guard went out of the tent to check for a while, then returned to report.
"Chief, Zukata went out this morning to send the warrior from the Red Frog tribe back south, but he hasn't returned yet."
"Huh? You won't be run into by Amosi's attack team, right?...Although Zukata is dull on the surface, he has always been meticulous and steady in his work, so he won't make such a mistake."
Ozoma frowned, thought for a moment, and then shouted in a deep voice.
"Let the scouts patrolling the perimeter today come to see me!"
Within a quarter of an hour, a red-haired scout came in a hurry. Ozoma asked a few questions, then stood up in shock and grabbed the scout's collar.
"What did you say?! After Zukata came back, he left the camp north again!"
"Ah? Chief, don't you know?"
The scout looked at the chief with surprise and fear.
"Captain Zucata said that he received your order to contact the Red Deer tribe in the north. He also brought several spear guards... Just this afternoon, not long after Chief Amosi's attack team passed by... "
"...Damn it! Call me the Lance Guards!"
Ozoma's face turned livid and he pushed the scout away. An ominous premonition arose in his heart. It seemed like an invisible hand was forcing him to make a choice.
After a while, the spear guards formed a formation in front of the tent. Chief Red Monkey took a quick inventory and found that all the few guards from the Condor Tribe were missing. He asked the soldiers of the lower guard again, and heard that each of these men carried a small package, saying it was a gift for Chief Red Deer, and his heart suddenly sank.
"Zukata, Zukata!... I regard you as a close confidant, and I value you so much, but you betrayed me!"
Ozoma roared in his heart, furious. He silently clenched his war stick, his expression like a gloomy sky. However, when the anger subsided a little, an uncontrollable fear surged into his heart.
"Where will Zukata go? He knows the secret communication between me and the Mexica people, and was recruited by the chief. If he reports to the chief of Chichica..."
Thinking of the big leader's anger, Chief Red Monkey couldn't help but shudder. I don't know since when, the majesty of the great leader has been deeply buried in his heart and is indestructible.
Ozoma closed his eyes in pain. At this moment, countless thoughts were surging in his mind, and countless emotions were rising and falling in his chest. He was angry, he was afraid, he regretted, he was confused, he was in pain... He made a decision!
"A great leader like a wolf king!... I know that you will never tolerate betrayal... So, I can only choose betrayal..."
After a long time, Ozoma took a long breath and sighed. Then, he seemed to be relieved of the burden of choice and gained a long-lost sense of relief. Now that the matter has come to this, there is no other way but to survive along the way. Chief Red Monkey's mind became active again and he became a smart red monkey again.
"Lance Guards, go to the camp gate to guard! Guards, bring over the two rattan baskets I have prepared! Yes, the two heaviest ones."
Ozoma ordered in a deep voice. Then, he looked at a closed shed behind the camp that was closely guarded.
"Invite our southern guests here again!"
The guards followed orders. After a while, led by two red-haired warriors, the poet Paramo came wearing the traditional costume of the dog descendant with a melancholy expression.
"Ozoma, my distant friend."
Baramo lowered his head slightly, stretched out his arms, and performed the courtesy in the wilderness. He then recited a poetic greeting, seemingly without any discomfort at being under house arrest.
"In the whisper of dawn, I come with a lofty vision. I follow the guidance of the Lord God and want to swim with you in the wilderness. The evening wind in this valley is full of the fragrance of promise...The future is like this Guangming, why have you been avoiding me and not wanting to see me?"
"Uh...haha!"
Looking at Balamo's bright eyes, Ozoma's face twitched and he didn't know how to answer. He reluctantly laughed twice, took a step forward, and took the poet's arm affectionately.
"My friend, the flowers of the cactus always have to wait, and the gestation of the fruits takes time. Now, I am willing to travel in the wilderness with you like brothers! In order to show my sincerity and for the sake of the friendship between brothers, I I have prepared a gift for you a long time ago!"
As he said that, Ozoma waved his hand cheerfully. The two guards worked together to carry a heavy rattan basket, which was heavily placed in front of the poet's eyes.
"I heard that the tribes in the south like this white metal. Haha, my brother, there are a hundred pounds here, and they are all yours!"
"One...one hundred pounds of silver?!"
Even though he was well-informed, Paramo's face was twitching at this moment, and his heart was shocked. He quickly stretched out his hand, grabbed a roughly refined round piece, took it in his mouth and bit it, and it tasted a special light sweetness. Although the refinement of these round blocks is extremely rough, they are real silver.
"Huh...huh!"
After a while, the poet regained his composure and suddenly grabbed Ozoma's hand.
"Ozoma, my good brother! Your sincerity is enough! Let us talk about a bright future!"
"Okay! Good brother! I also have a basket of white metal here with red gems as a gift to His Highness..."
Seeing the poet's performance, Ozoma sneered in his heart, but he also held the poet's hand. It was just a hundred pounds of useless white metal that could neither be eaten nor worn. The Mexica envoy was so shocked. You know, in the wasteland of Satskas, the home base of Guakili's tribes, white metal ore is piled up into hills, and no one cares about it at all!
In fact, there are extremely large silver deposits on the Satskars Wasteland. The world's largest silver deposit, Fresnillo, is located here. The reason why the Spanish launched the Chichimec War and continued to conquer the wilderness for fifty years was because of this unparalleled silver mining area.
In the more than four hundred years since its discovery, the Fresnillo Silver Mine has mined a total of 100,000 tons of silver, producing nearly one-tenth of the world's silver! Until 2013, this silver mining area still produced more than 700 tons per year, second only to Australia's Cannington Silver Mine. The world's largest silver mining company is named after Fresnillo. All in all, the silver mines in the Satoskas Wilderness were a wealth that could change the world's currency circulation, and also created the reputation of Mexico's Eagle Ocean in later generations!
The bonfire swayed and reflected on the baskets of silver, reflecting a moving shining white light. The two people in the light held hands and looked at each other, with the same sincerity and the same smile on their faces. In the silver light, they whispered in low voices, discussing the bright future, which also affected the belonging of the North.
