The night was long and long, with layers of clouds and no lights, and no stars or moon could be seen. The Mixtec raids began from the north of the river bank and emerged to the west of the camp. Wave after wave of fighting took place in the darkness. First there was the sound of arrows being fired, then the sound of running footsteps, then the shouts of struggle, the wails of injuries, the moans of dying, and the sound of struggling falling into the water.
Chihuaco and Puap boarded the longboat, looking into the indistinguishable distance and listening to the sounds wafting in the wind. The two clenched their weapons, gathered the members of the expedition team, and waited patiently on the ship. In a fight like this at night, having more people is not necessarily a good thing.
"Well, it looks like the other party doesn't have many people."
Chihuaco raised his palms and put them on his ears, frowning and listening for a long time.
"As long as the camp on the shore is not in chaos, there won't be many casualties in such a night attack..."
"Kill! Bless the Rain God!"
"Ah! Supreme Cloud Snake!..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of urgent shouts of killing suddenly broke out near the camp where the Tlaxcala prisoners were held. Then, in less than half a quarter of an hour, sporadic hurried shouts of death turned into bursts of panicked exclamations.
The strong men of the Tlaxcala brandished stone spears indiscriminately, running in chaos between the darkness and the bonfire, and even colliding with each other. Then, the miserable howl of injury sounded continuously, high and low, like the cry of a wounded and desperate wild deer, reaching all the way to the river.
"...Ding Zhuang's camp is in chaos. An enemy has entered."
Puap's eyelids twitched. He wanted to reach out his hand and cover the old militiaman's mouth tightly.
"I wonder, old man! Can you please shut up your stinking mouth that was kissed by the Doomsday Salamander?!"
In traditional mythology, the incarnation of Shulotel, the god of death, is a black dog with a red tongue. However, she also transformed into a newt to escape the sun's sacrifice. The salamander heralded the death of the gods, also known as doom.
"Huh? Doomsday Salamander? Puap, you are also speaking ill of His Majesty... Besides, His Majesty is kissing a princess..."
The night raid, fighting and chaos lasted the whole night. The shouts and howls are like the croaking of frogs in the rainforest, constantly disturbing people's minds. Fortunately, the team of Prepecha warriors has never been in chaos.
Battalion Commander Pimon led a large group of warriors, while struggling with the Mixtec elites who attacked at night, while suppressing the fleeing Tlaxcala Dinzhuang. It wasn't until the morning light lit up the sky and the enemies who attacked at night retreated that the long-lost silence descended on the river bank.
The sky gradually brightened, and Battalion Commander Pimen pursed his lips and climbed onto the hill on the shore. He looked around at the messy camp, at the burly bodies lying on the river bank, and at the Tlaxcala prisoners fleeing in all directions, with anger burning in his chest.
"Asshole! There are eight hundred stupid turkeys! Go, Prepecha eagles, catch all these running turkeys for me!"
Two hours later, the "turkeys" returned to the camp on the shore again. However, there are only more than 600 left. The rest were either dead or escaped. Battalion Commander Pi Meng had a gloomy face and stood for a long time under the trembling eyes of the young men. He tightened his grip on the bronze spear several times, and swallowed the cold words as they came to his lips.
"The courage of these turkeys has been frightened. If we kill a few more, I'm afraid they will collapse at the first touch... Damn it! When marching to fight, it is better to take teammates who are like turkeys without them!... "
However, "turkeys" also have a role. When the morning sun rose into the sky, hundreds of young men, with low morale, dragged the long boats by the river and stepped into the northwest tributary. In order to speed up the process, two hundred sailors from the expedition also joined the fiber-drawing team. As for the remaining hundreds of warriors, they were wearing armor and holding soldiers, fully equipped, and guarding the other side of the long river.
On the other side of the river, a proud smile appeared on Yun Shikawa's face. He still carried the feather bundle on his back and led hundreds of tribal warriors, looking across the river.
"Haha! It turns out there are two hundred eagles, two hundred tigers, and eight hundred grass rats!..."
"Exactly, the leader is right."
Ear Qiaoao came forward. There was still blood on his body, and his face was glowing with excitement.
"I led the hunters and harassed them all night. The armored warriors are difficult to fight, and the archers who shoot arrows are also difficult to fight. Only the militiamen carrying spears collapsed after two charges!"
Having said this, Qiao Ao paused and grinned.
"Chief, are the hunters still going tonight?"
"Of course!"
Yun Shikava touched his chin and raised the corners of his mouth.
"Facing the tiger men in the north, many of the tribal elders in the city are extremely afraid!... If I can defeat this team and capture the sacred ship, my reputation among the tribes in the lowlands will... Hahahaha! "
The excited laughter echoed along the long flowing river, reminding people of a proud lynx. When night falls and another long dark night arrives, the night attack team encounters trouble.
"Huh? Where have all those strong men carrying stone spears gone?"
Er Qiaoao looked puzzled. He looked at the heavily guarded warrior camp on the river bank, but could no longer find any trace of the "grass rats".
"It seems? In the boat?"
Another senior hunter, Suo Yin, squinted his eyes and looked at the densely packed figures on the boat two hundred steps away through the faint moonlight.
"There are many people on the big ship, many, many people. There are militiamen with spears and archers with bows."
"...Damn it!"
Er Qiaoao frowned and cursed angrily.
"Sooner or later, the rain god will send down heavy rain, set off a flash flood, and sink them all to the bottom of the river!"
"How about we try again, attack the warriors on the shore, and then sneak aboard the ship?"
"..."
Er Qiaoao hesitated for a long time before nodding.
"Then try again!"
Facts have proved that without the drag of "grass rats", Prepecha's eagle will be difficult to deal with. When the morning sun rose, the "Lynx" who attacked at night left more than thirty corpses, while the samurai opposite suffered more than a dozen casualties. In the entire tribe, there are very few hunters who are well-nourished, physically strong, and able to see and fight at night, and they simply cannot withstand such consumption.
"...What is this strong, thick layer of skin made of?"
On the bank of the river, Yun Shikawa looked solemn. In his hand, he held a pair of damaged bronze cloth-covered armor, turning it over and over and touching it for a long time. There are more than ten stab marks on the front of this cloth-covered armor. But these stabs only pierced the cloth surface, but did not break the hard piece inside. On the entire middle armor, there was only one fatal breach on the weak side and back.
"...We took advantage of the darkness to surround a small team. As a result, we killed six elite hunters in a row, and then killed the armored team leader before the enemy's reinforcement team arrived."
Qiaoao pursed his lips, with sadness and anger on his face.
"Suo Yin stabbed the opponent three times in a row! However, the enemy ignored him and hacked him to death with an axe!... Leader, let me take more soldiers to avenge Suo Yin!"
"...O supreme rain god!"
Yun Shikawa looked across the river bank, counting silently in his mind. There are more than forty Yingman warriors who are also wearing armor. The current position has reached deep into the upper reaches of the northwest, and is only one day away from Linshui Village, the outpost occupied by the tiger people. He pursed his lips and remained silent for a long time before sighing lowly.
"I Have a Picture Book of Ghosts and Gods"
"Let's retreat!...Back to Yeguo City!"
One day later, the expedition fleet arrived at Linshui Village along the long river. This is a Tlaxcala village that has been abandoned and is now occupied by the South Route Army as the outpost of the mountain pass fortress group.
The small village was built on high ground by the river, surrounded by a new fence. A group of two hundred Mexican warriors were stationed here, as well as twice the number of garrison militia.
The expedition team repaired for a day in Linshui Village, replenished some water, and then set off again. Here, the tributaries of the big water river turn into small water rivers. The Xiaoshui River is only three meters deep, but it is deep enough for boating. And along the river, continue to go up against the current, first go north for fifty miles, then turn northeast and go for thirty miles, before arriving at the important town for the food transshipment of the South Route Army Corps, where thousands of legions are stationed in the mountain fortress group.
At this point, the terrain flattens out and the water slows down. The fleet does not need to be stretched and can already sail against the current. Battalion Commander Pimon was here, saying goodbye to Chihuaco and the other two.
"God bless you! You two captains, follow the river from here to the northeast for eighty or ninety miles, and you will reach the camp of Shuigu City where Your Majesty is!... I will return to Babai Town as soon as possible, and we will say goodbye here. Now. May the eagle of Prepecha fly high in the western sky!"
"Haha! The eagle spreads its wings, not only flying in the west, but also flying to the east and south!"
Puap laughed loudly, clenched his fists on his chest, and patted his chest hard.
"When I meet His Majesty, I will definitely tell you about your loyalty and bravery in front of the King!"
"Okay, thank you very much! May the Lord God bless us!"
“May the Lord God bless us and the kingdom!”
The three of them prayed together and said goodbye. The longship continued its journey, covering twenty miles every day. After four or five days, they finally arrived at an open and fertile valley.
The wide river flows slowly in the valley, crisscrossing it. And the boundless farmland suddenly unfolded before our eyes, unfolding a picture of a bumper harvest. Tens of thousands of young and strong tribesmen are working hard in the fields with their heads bent, carrying bamboo baskets and straw baskets, and carrying stone sickles. After waiting for five months, these hundreds of thousands of acres of corn fields finally received a bumper harvest!
"It's so beautiful!"
The old militiamen stood at the bow of the boat in a daze, looking at the harvest scene as if they were seeing the most beautiful dream. This is the strongest desire deep in his heart. No matter the waves are dangerous or thousands of miles away from home, it is deeply entangled in his heart and appears in his dreams.
"It's so beautiful!"
The old militiaman murmured and repeated it again. Then, he lowered his head and was silent for a long time. Memories of the past few years flashed through his mind, changing his mind little by little. Like a pea, it slowly took root and sprouted deep in his heart.
"This blind majesty can finally do good things... Huh~~"
The old militiaman took a long breath. Then, he stretched out his old hand and groped in his arms for a long time, and finally found a shriveled pea...
The long wind blows, and the fragrance spreads thousands of miles away. The old militiaman looked at the beans in his hand with his clear old eyes and smiled with relief. Then, he stretched out his hand, looked at the golden fields, faced the evening sunset, and gently threw the pea that had been left for a long time into the fields on the shore.
The young man An She pursed his lips and tightened his clothes. He looked at this land that he had grown up with and was once very familiar with, but now felt a little strange, and his eyes gradually became moist. Then, he turned his head, looked at the old captain whose eyes were also moist, and spoke cautiously.
"Dad Qi...what are you...doing?"
"...I am farming!"
Chihuaco smiled happily, like an old farmer who was most common in the countryside. After going through so many waves, he has never changed from beginning to end.
"Dark Snake, let me tell you... my farming skills are really good!~"
In early October, the Kingdom's expedition fleet finally arrived at Shuigu City by the river. From the mouth of Tulsas on the Pacific Ocean to the Xiaoshui River outside Shuigu City, the fleet sailed for several months, covering a long road of nearly two thousand miles, meeting countless tribes, and witnessing countless mountains and mountains. Waves!
"Along the way, if such a long river can be completely opened, what kind of changes will it make to the entire world?"
No one can answer this question, not even His Highness Shenqi. Because at this moment, he was already wearing armor and carrying a big bow, standing at the foot of the towering and dangerous Yunshe City.
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