The sun is getting dusk and the sea is quiet. On the desolate and wide coast, the ancient small pyramid temple has stood for thousands of years, telling the vicissitudes and silence of history. However, at this moment, the long silence was broken by the shouts of the warriors on both sides.
Two hundred kingdom warriors, wearing armor and stomach, holding up their spears and big bows, faced off against more than six hundred Mayan elite warriors. The dust noble Puap's eyes were red as he stared at the descendant of the Serpent God, Prince Xiutul, who was hundreds of steps away and raised his shield.
Xiu Tuer, the prince of the Xiwu family, looked solemnly as he looked at the chief priest Tomat who rushed to the front of the formation. A few steps away was Usto, the Nahua translator of the Xiu clan and a remnant of the Toltecs.
"Chief Nava, Prince Maya, greetings! Trade gems, don't fight!..."
Usto, the Nava translator, was wearing a civilian robe, raised his hands in the air, couldn't help trembling, and shouted loudly to the priest opposite. He recognized the other party's attire at a glance. He was wearing a high feather crown, a robe with divine patterns, and a divine amulet around his neck. He was the respected plateau priest in the stories of his ancestors.
"Honored Priest! We trade gems!"
"Um?"
Priest Thomas pricked up his ears and tried to distinguish the other party's language. This Nahua language seems to be a fusion of many Mayan sounds and words, which is very difficult to identify. It is very different from the Nahua languages in various parts of the plateau, even more than the difference between Mexica and Prepecha. Of course, there is another possibility, that what is spoken on the other side is the orthodox ancient Toltec language.
"Blessed by the Lord God! We are an exploration fleet from the Mexica Alliance, the kingdom in the lake! Under the guidance of the Lord God, we sail all the way to the East China Sea, to the distant Snake Island! We have no hostility and accept fair gem trade. ..Which Mayan city-state’s army are you from?”
"Huh?...Is this...is this Toltec?"
After hearing the reply from the plateau priest, Nava translator Usto was stunned in place. He tried hard to identify the other party's words, racked his brains to complete them, and then turned around and shouted to Prince Xiutul who was dozens of steps away.
"Your Highness the Prince! They are from... the large tribe of Prickly Pear and the fleet of the small tribe of Great Lakes! Under the guidance of the God of Wealth, they went to the eastern sea to find the snake-shaped island... They have A little bit of hostility. They, they have a trade in gems. They ask us, where are we from?"
"...Um?"
Xiu Tuer frowned, confusion appearing on his face. He held up his shield and walked forward with his guards, coming to the opposite side of Priest Tomat. He looked at Tomat, who was dressed as a foreign priest, holding a scripture, and carrying a bronze ax, and nodded slightly in greeting. After a moment, his eyes fell on the Mayan businessman Tikalo who hurriedly arrived beside Priest Tomat.
"Hey! This familiar costume? This is..."
Xiu Tuer's eyes narrowed and his expression suddenly froze. The Mayan businessman opposite had no divine tattoos on his face, no nose ornaments and different teeth that symbolized his status. He was obviously an ordinary civilian. However, a humble commoner wears the classical robes of a Mayan noble. The "big" snake pattern on the robe vaguely gave him a very familiar impression, but for a moment, he couldn't remember it.
"Blessed by the Lord God! Dear Mayan leader, I send my greetings to you! Thank you God for guiding us to meet each other. I am the priest of the Lord God from the Kingdom of the Lake, Tomat!"
Priest Tomat observed the words and saw that the other party's translation was unreliable. He stretched out his hand, patted Ti Carlo's shoulder, and asked the Mayan merchant to translate for him.
"Which city-state are you from? Why did you bring so many warriors here?"
Mayan businessman Tikalo lowered his head and translated in a deep voice. He used his words carefully, only daring to be slightly vague in certain details. On the opposite side, Usto also stammered and translated with the same confusion.
"Father God's blessing! Greetings to you, Nava priest from the Western Plateau. I am the descendant of Father God Serpent, Shutur!"
Xiu Tuer put down the shield in his left hand, raised his head, and met the western plateau priest with the proud posture of a Mayan god. He looked directly into the eyes of Priest Thomas and said loudly.
"I am also the messenger of virtue incarnate, and I have come to the northern coast. I have a will from God the Father to trade a large number of gems with the fleet of your God of Wealth!"
"Um?"
Priest Tomat frowned as he listened to Tikalo's slightly modified and carefully translated translation. The other party's posture was arrogant and his tone was loud. He didn't answer where he came from. When he spoke, he was arrogant and wanted to exchange the fleet's gems. He looked around for a while, only to see hundreds of Mayan warriors on the opposite side, but not the goods used for trade, and he suddenly felt wary.
"Witness the Lord God! We shoulder the will of the Lord God and tell the prophecies of the prophets to various ministries. We also accept the trade of gems, but it needs to be fair!... Dear descendants of the Mayan gods, where are the goods you use for trade now? ?”
"Fair trade, traded goods?..."
Hearing the Nava priest's question, Xiu Tu was paused. He indeed came with hundreds of people and a large amount of goods. However, the roads in the rainforest are difficult to navigate, and the people carry heavy burdens and travel very slowly. The Nava fleet was moving extremely fast. He was worried about missing the fleet, so he rushed over with more than 600 warriors.
But now, two hundred Xiwu warriors were escorting hundreds of civilians who were in transit, and they were still in the stone carving city dozens of miles away. It would probably take another day before they really arrived at Oicun.
"Priest Nava! I came from afar, and the goods I traded are still in transit behind."
Shutur straightened his spine, raised his head slightly, and exposed his teeth filled with gems, showing the majesty of the god.
"Evening has come, Father God will submerge into the sea, and the mountains and forests will go dormant. Guests from the plateau, please rest for a day at the salt village by the sea. Wait until tomorrow morning, and our goods will arrive! Looking at your respect According to God’s will, for the sake of coming all the way, the transaction price will never be unfair to you!”
After saying this, Xiu Tuer raised his chin and looked directly at the Nava priest, waiting for the other party's thanks. As a prince of the Xiwu family, it was extremely difficult for him to say such gentle words. He was even kinder than when he faced the vassal Weiyu family.
"Father has repeatedly warned me not to be too arrogant. Well, during the trade tomorrow, give more rewards to these fleets!..."
"Evening is coming, the sun has set, and all the mountains and forests that have left will die! Small tribes from the plateau, you must rest for a day in the seaside village. Our goods will not arrive until tomorrow! You respect the Heavenly Snake Father God, come all the way to see me, and I will reward you for tomorrow’s transaction!”
Upon hearing Tikalo's translation, Priest Tomat frowned deeply. He lowered his face, looked directly at the other person's "god" face, and answered in a deep voice.
"Dear Maya gods! We come from the powerful lake kingdom and will not accept your threat! If you are willing to listen to the Lord God's revelation, the fleet can give you ten bags of lake gems. But we will not be in the seaside village. , stay for a day, waiting for your so-called cargo!...At most, we will rest on the ship for one night."
Not long ago, the kingdom's fleet encountered a large group of city-state warriors with ill intentions outside the Kanur clan's salt village. If they had really accepted the invitation and gone ashore to rest, they would have been eaten up and wiped clean by the Mayan warriors who kept coming.
On this coast far away from the influence of the Mexican Alliance, the fleet carries an eye-catching wealth. No matter how careful you are, it is not enough. Who knows if we can see the sun the next day after landing!
However, Priest Tomat's words still left some room for relaxation. As for these leeway, it is unclear whether Prince Hutul can know about it in the words conveyed by the two translators.
"What! You don't want to wait?! Reward me ten bags of gems? Are you rewarding the descendant of the Serpent?!... Priest Nava, I gave you good intentions, don't be ungrateful!"
Sure enough, Xiu Tuer was furious when he heard this. He raised his right hand and made a forward gesture. Following this action, hundreds of elite Xiwu warriors raised their weapons and came behind the leader, shouting threats.
Seeing this scene, Priest Thomas suddenly became alert. He pulled Ti Carlo and retreated dozens of steps to distance himself from him. The dust warrior Puap, holding his long bow tightly, rushed to the side of Priest Tomat and shouted excitedly.
"The Great Luo of All Worlds"
"Witness the Lord God! These Mayans are full of malice and ferocity! Priest Tomat, let me lead the warriors and defeat them in one fell swoop!"
"...No! Puap, the opponent has a large number of people. We don't want to stay any longer, and we don't want to take the initiative to attack! The supply of the fleet is almost completed. Now we should withdraw to the ship as soon as possible and leave the coast quickly!"
Priest Tomat stared closely at the leader of the other party. He saw that Xiu Tuer was just a deterrent and had not yet made up his mind to attack. The safest plan at the moment was to evacuate immediately.
"The warriors on both sides are facing each other in formation, and the distance is only about a hundred steps! How can they retreat safely at this time?"
Huitu Puap shook his head and retorted. He called the two sharpshooters beside him, Mountain Bird and Toad, and gave instructions in a low voice.
"Be prepared and aim at the leader of the gods on the opposite side! If there is a fight later, no matter what else, shoot the feathered leader to death!"
"At your command, Captain!"
The mountain bird Cavado and the toad nodded happily and saluted at the same time. They held long bows, took out the bronze arrows and held them in their hands, and even their breathing became long.
The sun slanted to the west, casting slender shadows. The kingdom's warriors in the front row held longbows, and the back row raised their bronze spears in preparation. The Mayan warriors in the front row raised their spears and the back row raised their stone spears. The two sides faced each other in formation, and the battle seemed about to break out.
"Damn it!..."
Xiu Tuer's brows jumped, his heart was full of anger, and he wanted to order an attack. But he recalled his father Xiupan's advice before leaving, and suppressed his anger. The prince lowered his head and gave a few instructions. Usto, the Nava translator, stepped forward again, facing the dense bows and arrows, and shouted tremblingly.
"Respected Chief Nava! The respected descendant of the Serpent God, Prince Xiutul, is willing to make concessions! Please don't leave! You can rest assured on the ship, we have no hostility. Wait until tomorrow..."
"Cuck-clack-cluck! Cuck-clack-cluck!..."
The clear and melodious call of the partridge suddenly sounded again in the jungle in the southeast, but it was much closer. Hearing the cry, Ti Carlo's eyes suddenly lit up. Without any further hesitation or giving Nava the interpreter a chance to speak, he took out a short bone whistle from his pocket, put it in his mouth and blew it hard.
"Gududu! Gududu!..."
A harsh and unpleasant whistle suddenly sounded in front of the military formation, shrilling into the distance. Both sides looked at the Mayan businessman in gorgeous clothes at the same time.
Priest Tomat was closest to the Gray Earth Warrior, and he subconsciously covered his ears with a look of surprise on his face.
"Tikallo! What are you doing..."
"Blessed by the Serpent God! Revenge for the royal family of Cocom and the undead souls of Mayapan!..."
In an instant, shouts filled with hatred exploded in the jungle in the southeast! Hundreds of Mayan warriors without armor and simple weapons suddenly appeared behind the Xiu family. They chanted slogans of revenge, risking their own lives and launched a desperate raid!
"Attack from both front and back! Don't let the cunning snakes of the Xiwu family escape and ascend to heaven!"
"Cocom royal family, revenge? Attack from both sides?!"
Hearing the shouts from behind, Xiu Tuer suddenly turned around and looked at the attacking Maya tribe. With his eyes widened, he saw that the dozens of warriors in front were all wearing shabby battle clothes. And on those battle clothes, there is a "big" shaped snake pattern painted on them.
"This! This is!... Cocom's family crest, the remnants of Mayapan!"
Xiu Tuer's thoughts were spinning, and he finally remembered this taboo symbol that had disappeared for decades and was completely erased by the family. He turned around again and saw Ti Carlo blowing a bone whistle, and he suddenly realized.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn the Nahuas! How dare you collude with the remnants of Mayapan!"
Xiu Tuer gritted his teeth, with undisguised murderous intention on his face. For the Xiwu family, the remnants of Mayapan who fled into the jungle were a real blood feud with no room for compromise!
"Blessed by the Serpent God! Heroic Xiwu warriors, split up and attack! Kill the enemies in front of you! Kill, kill!..."
"With the blessing of the Serpent God, kill the enemy!"
The elite Xiwu warriors shouted and immediately divided into two teams, front and rear. The rear group of more than two hundred people met the tribal ambush with crude weapons. Nearly four hundred elite warriors, holding spears and stone spears high, rushed towards the kingdom warriors a hundred steps away.
"Ah! Lord God! Is this?!..."
Priest Tomat's eyes widened, looking at the changes in front of him, and he stood stunned for a moment. From the time Tikalo blew his bone whistle, to the ambush from behind, to the Mayan warriors rushing towards him from the opposite side, it only took a short moment! He instinctively felt that something was wrong, so he raised his kick and kicked down Ti Carlo who was laughing wildly "Haha". Then, he held up the talisman of the Lord God and shouted urgently in Nahua language.
"Don't be impulsive! Misunderstanding!..."
"What a misunderstanding!"
Puap, the dust warrior, was filled with excitement and could no longer bear it. With a blush on his neck, he waved his big hand and gave stern orders to the kingdom's warriors who were always ready to fight.
"God bless you! Kill the enemy! Shoot! Shoot!...Kill!"
"
