The sun sets in the west, and the rays of light fall down, dyeing the camp in the mountains red. The magnificent red penetrated through the side curtains of the big tent, dyeing the simple plain tent with a splendor and printing a bit of light.
"The brilliance reflects the sunset..."
Shulot sat cross-legged in the big tent, put down the brush in his hand, and looked at the wonderful scenery on the horizon. With a smile on his face, he recited half of a poem, but could not find a satisfactory follow-up.
"Well...the next step should be..."
"Your Highness, are you tired? Please let the shadow slave come and give you a massage to relax your spirit..."
Naxiu was wearing leather armor and warrior attire, and was studying ink beside her. Seeing Shulot's actions, she stood up and came to the king's back. Then, the graceful female warrior knelt on the ground, carefully holding the back of His Highness's neck and resting it on her soft thighs. A pair of flexible plain hands quickly touched the king's cheek and stroked it gently.
"call..."
Shulot closed his eyes, smelled the familiar body fragrance, and took a long, comfortable breath.
Since the expedition in December, his hands have been full of complicated military and civilian affairs. Reports from all over the army were gathered, and he was required to make decisions, making it almost impossible to rest for a day. Behind these decisions is actually the power of the South Route Army, which cannot be easily handed over to others.
Hulot originally thought of having his father serve as deputy marshal to handle complex logistical matters, just like he did during the Western Expedition. But his father smiled and refused, and just followed the king closely to the Northern Route Army for the expedition.
"I don't know what the progress of my father's Northern Route Army is at this time? Did it break through the God's Pass and break into the hinterland of Wesochinco State? After the king suppressed the Huastecs, did he divide his troops again and besiege Tlaxcala State? In the north, Feathered Serpent City, one of the Four Serpent Cities?..."
Shulot closed his eyes and meditated, and the entire situation of the Eastern Expedition was reflected in his mind. During this Eastern Expedition, the Alliance mobilized heavily, and almost all city-states sent legions, vowing to wipe out their old enemies, the Tlaxcalans! And the strength of the troops sent out by the north and the south is enough to shock the world!
The Northern Route Army, led by King Avite himself, attacked the two most dangerous northern states of the Tlaxcalans from the mountain passes in the northern part of the Valley of Mexico.
The frontal strength of the Northern Route Army was a full 80,000 people. Among them, the main five warrior regiments and an elite militia regiment totaled 48,000 people, all from the Texcoco Lake area directly under the king's jurisdiction. In order to defeat the old enemy, almost all the warriors in the lake area were mobilized. Then, the four northern states of the alliance each mobilized a group of 8,000 people, totaling 32,000 people, of which about half were city-state warriors.
Behind the 80,000 regiments on the North Road are about 40,000 conscripted militiamen to transport food and supply supplies. The legion's food route starts from the capital city in the lake, goes to Atotonilke State in the northeast, and then transfers hundreds of miles to the front line. Although there are no convenient waterways and they have to cross mountains, the transportation distance is very short, only more than 200 miles in total.
In fact, the territories of the Alliance and the Tlaxcalans, separated only by the rugged eastern mountains, were almost within easy reach and could be counted as a provincial battle for the Celestial Empire.
The frontal strength of the Southern Route Army was 50,000. The Kingdom of the Lake sent out 8,000 Guajili legions, 7,000 Guards corps, and 5,000 Tekos troops, totaling 20,000 people. A royal regiment emerged from the Texcoco Lake area, with an actual number of six thousand warriors. The three southern states in the alliance each have a group of 8,000 people, of which the number of city-state warriors is probably less than half.
Obviously, the main force of the Southern Route Army is the Kingdom Legion, and the auxiliary force is the Royal Legion. The legions of each city-state can only be responsible for some corner directions and cooperate with the main attack.
As for the food route of the Southern Route Army, it also starts from the capital city in the lake, passes through the southeastern Wactepec State, and then transfers 200 miles to the front line, totaling about 400 miles. This grain road is slightly longer, also in the mountains, until the Tlaxcala people's mountain pass fortress group, the Talsas River can transport grain. In order to maintain the logistics of the Southern Route Army, about 40,000 conscripted militiamen were also needed.
Between the north and south roads, there are continuous mountains blocking the road. There are only a few passes in the mountains that can be climbed into the heart of the Tlaxcalans. King Avite did not let go of these dangerous passages, and ordered the Iskali guards and Tepopolo to lead four thousand warriors to break in from the middle and plunder and harass everywhere.
"There are mountains to the north, mountains to the south, and mountains to the west... The Tlaxcala people hide in the Tlaxcala Valley, surrounded by mountains on three sides, and with large rivers flowing. Only to the east are they connected with the Totonac people At the junction, the terrain is slightly flat, but also hilly... If you want to completely conquer the old enemy, the Tlaxcala people, you must attack the four states in the mountain from the north and the south, and wipe out the tribal settlements in the mountain! Finally, attack the mountain city, Capture the Four Snakes City in Tlaxcala and completely occupy the enemy's ancestral land!..."
Shulot looked serious and closed his eyes in deep thought. The army had been on an expedition for more than three months. He saw with his own eyes the dangerous terrain occupied by the Tlaxcalans, and a little worry came to his mind.
"Besieging a fortified mountain city and wiping out the settlements in the mountains... I'm afraid it won't be accomplished in one day! And if it is delayed for a long time, the reactions of all the ministries in the world..."
Na Xiu stroked her gently, but His Highness's expression remained serious. Her beautiful eyes turned moist as she looked at the young man's handsome and strong face.
"No...I can't do this. Your Highness is still fighting and needs to conserve energy..."
Thinking of this, Naxiu gritted her teeth and suppressed the desire in her heart. Then, she looked away and looked at the book in front of His Highness, only seeing a few faint handwritings.
"Migration...outpost...food...ship?"
"Your Highness!"
The warrior captain Bertard stood outside the tent and replied in a deep voice.
"Black Wolf has sent an envoy to report the military situation to you!"
"oh?!"
Hearing this, Shulot became energetic. He opened his eyes suddenly, left Naxiu's service, and sat upright in the tent.
"Let him in!"
After a while, a red-haired hunter hurried over and stepped into the tent. With a happy face, he glanced at the situation in the tent, knelt down directly in front of the king, and shouted loudly.
"The brave Death Chief! Just when you conquered the female warriors, Chief Black Wolf captured the Water Valley Tribe! At this moment, all the women of the Water Valley Tribe will crawl at your feet and let you conquer them! "
"..."
After hearing the messenger's words, Shulot was stunned for a few breaths, unable to react for a moment. After a while, he was overjoyed and jumped up.
"Okay! Okay! Black Wolf did not disappoint me! Shuigu City is finally broken!!"
Hearing this, a smile appeared on the warrior commander's calm face.
"Your Highness, once Shuigu City is defeated, the two southern states of the Tlaxcala people will completely expose their hinterland and allow the southern legions to attack and plunder!"
"That's right! The two southern states will be free to attack and plunder! We can even seize the time to join forces with the Northern Route Army in advance to lay siege to the four Snake Cities!"
Shulot felt happy and nodded with satisfaction. He couldn't wait and unfolded the Tlaxcala map. Then, a bright look appeared in the king's eyes. He looked fifty miles behind Shuigu City, stretched out his hand and pressed hard, but he poked a hole.
"Next...the holy city, Cholula!"
At the end of March, Water Valley City, an important southern town of the Tlaxcala Alliance, fell. All the people in the world were shocked by it. The glorious nobleman, the water snake Akotel, was beheaded by the black wolf formation and his head was hanging on the city wall. The Lord of Water Valley City, Black Snake Turcotte escaped by boat and headed north.
In Water Valley City, most of the more than 6,000 Tlaxcala warriors died in battle, more than 10,000 tribal militiamen surrendered, and the rest dispersed to the northern hinterland. The two southern states of Tlaxcala were thus opened, and the holy city of Cholula, a Nava religion, was exposed in front of the southern army!
