The bright moon rises from the eastern sea, illuminating the vast bay. The abundant rivers in the lowlands come from the jungles in the upper reaches of the southwest and converge here, forming a coastal lagoon that stretches from east to west and is more than a hundred miles long. At the intersection of the lagoon and the bay, there is a wide inlet and a low fishing village of Totonac, which supports a small tribe of hundreds of people relying on the abundant catches in the lagoon.
This is Baisha Village, more than a hundred miles east and north of Coyote Department, and the mouth of the lower reaches of the long river outside Coyote City. At this moment, more than thirty Totonak canoes were hidden at the mouth of the fishing village. They looked very inconspicuous, but they were obviously beyond the size of the tribe. Looking around from the mouth of the sea, around the silted lagoon, there are large swamps and tall mangroves that are difficult to pass through, almost completely hiding the traces of the village.
With such a complex terrain, it is difficult to travel by land without a local guide who is familiar with the geography. And even if an enemy attacks, the time it takes to trek through the swamp is enough for the tribe's canoes to escape. In other words, even under the front of the Mexica, and in front of the legion scouts advancing in all directions, this is a very safe hiding place.
The night was bright and the moonlight was floating on the lake. A small boat came silently from the upper reaches of the south, causing the moon in the lake to break into starlight. Soon, the boat docked among the reeds on the shore. The three tribal warriors jumped ashore skillfully. Two of them dragged the boat and hid it. The leader hurriedly walked straight to the largest hut in the village.
The moonlight is like water, passing through the quiet village. Two tribal warriors are holding spears and guarding in front of the hut. When they saw the person coming, they bowed their heads respectfully.
"Blessed by Quetzalcoatl! Chief Chuchut!"
"Bah! Bless you! The Quetzalcoatl in the west is gone, and the current Sun God doesn't know how long it can last..."
The Chuchut leader spat and hurriedly opened the door. A man wearing a sacrificial robe was lying on a straw bed. He just heard the movement outside the door and suddenly sat up from the bed.
"You're back?! How was it?"
"Coyote City is broken! It couldn't last more than two days in front of the Aztecs' thunder!"
Speaking of "Thunder", fear and awe appeared on the face of the Chuchut leader. However, upon hearing such shocking news, the man on the straw bed was not moved at all. With a look on his face, he reached out his hand, grabbed Chu Chute's shoulder, and asked.
"Is there a fire?"
"get up!"
"Did you see it with your own eyes?"
"I saw it with my own eyes! The fire was so big that thick smoke could be seen ten miles away, and half of the sky was bright!"
"The food is burned?"
"It must have burned! Half of the city has burned! Yin Erwei listened to your suggestion and prepared so much black oil. As long as the black oil burns, it cannot be extinguished!"
"Good! Great! Praise Quetzalcoatl! Praise the Sun God!"
Hearing this, the man in sacrificial robes looked happy. He held the amulet around his neck and praised and prayed repeatedly.
"Praise the gods! Burning the food in Coyote City will hold off the Mexican Legion for at least two months, and maybe even longer! Chief Yin Erwei of the Fire Rat is really a pious and fearless chief! He fights for the glory of the gods. , after sacrificing himself and his tribe, he will definitely go to the beautiful kingdom of God after death in battle!..."
Hearing the praise from the man in the sacrificial robe, the Chuchut leader raised his eyebrows and remained silent. After escaping along the way, the so-called glory of the gods, like the majesty of the priests, has almost dissipated. Compared with the weak Totonac gods, the Aztec god of war with thunder is even more powerful.
"Okay! After burning Coyote City, we can leave! Go back to Hidden Snake Holy City and report back to the priests in the city and report our achievements..."
The man in the sacrificial robe was agitated for a moment and then calmed down. Then, he looked uncertain, touched his chin, pondered for a moment, and asked softly.
"Chuchute, after the fall of Coyote City... did any priests from Hidden Snake City escape?"
"Priest of Hidden Serpent City? Priest Papu, the Aztec Army came very quickly. Only you sensed the danger in advance and took us away secretly. The priests of Hidden Serpent City, on the other hand, only want to hold on to the city and inspire the people in the city. Morale is like a nest of grass rats, not a single one has escaped!... However, there should be someone hiding among the surrendered tribes, waiting for the Aztec army to pass, and then escaping back to the Holy City..."
"Ha! Hiding among the surrendered tribes and escaping back to the Holy City later? Impossible, they won't survive!"
Hearing this, Priest Papu laughed. He was a little gloating, even a little proud.
"Those idiots from Hidden Serpent City have eyes on their foreheads and have no idea how powerful the Mexica people are! I was able to escape all the way from Quetzalcoatl City and experienced so many dangers. How can I be the "grass" they call me? "Rat"? I have carefully studied the methods of the Mexicans and figured out the characteristics of different commanders!..."
"The Black Wolf Commander is the most cruel and will never show mercy. According to the habits of the Black Wolf Legion, after breaking the city, he will definitely change the blood oath of the surrendering tribes, search and kill the most stubborn resisters, and execute the most stubborn resisters! And in Coyote City After burning the food, this search and killing will be unprecedentedly severe!...Haha! If these Hidden Snake Priests can't hide it, they will definitely die!"
Hearing this, the leader of Chuchute felt a chill in his heart. He remembered looking from a distance outside Coyote City. It seemed that all the tribes had been driven out of the city, and faint cries could be heard far away. Next, the fate of these tens of thousands of coyote tribes can be known without asking. In the past two years, he followed Priest Papu and led the tribe to move eastward. It was just right every time, avoiding the front lines of the Mexican troops, and even avoiding the fierce battles in the Golden Bay City area...
Thinking of this, Chuchute lowered his eyes and felt more sincere respect for the former feathered serpent priest in front of him. He licked his dry lips and asked carefully.
"Priest Papu, how should we go next? Row directly along the coast and return to the Holy City of Hidden Snake? Or should we go to the Stone Carving City first and remind the noble chiefs and priests in the city..."
"Chuchute, Coyote City is over, and the battle in the west is like this! It is impossible for the Mexica people to travel through another two hundred miles of jungle to attack Stone Carving City without food... It is useless for us to go to Stone Carving City. , but he might be detained and take the credit for burning the city..."
Priest Pappu touched his chin, thought for a moment, and then made a decision.
"Let's go directly and row back to the Hidden Snake Holy City! Let's first see the Snake Lake Department where you settled outside the city, and then report back to the priests in the city! I think at this time, the priests and elders need a piece of good news to boost their spirits. The morale of all departments!..."
"Haha! All the idiots from Hidden Snake City are dead. No matter how unwilling the elders are, this rare achievement can only be left to us!..."
"Okay! Then I will tell the warriors of the tribe to prepare overnight and set off early tomorrow morning!"
When he heard that he was going back, the Chuchut leader nodded repeatedly and turned around to leave. However, Priest Pap reached out his hand, grabbed his arm again, and said in a deep voice.
"Chuchute, don't worry! You've seen the Mexica legion from a distance, what do you think?"
"...Huh? How about it? It's still the same! They are fierce and powerful, and they look like they are not afraid of anything..."
"I'm asking, do you think the warriors from the Eastern tribes can stop the Mexica army?"
Hearing this question, the Chuchut leader fell silent for an instant. He pursed his lips, frowned, and didn't speak for a long time. After a long while, he spoke with some difficulty and hesitation.
"Pap, Hidden Snake City is still four hundred miles away from here in the jungle!... With such a long distance and such a difficult journey, the Aztec army can't just turn into hummingbirds and fly over, right? "
"Oh? They can't fly over, but they can fight through the city-states and villages in the forest one by one. Jinwan City has fallen, and more than 20,000 Eastern Allied troops are gone! At present, all the large tribes in the East have lost Most of the leaders and warriors who led the army will not be able to recover from this in a year or two. Neither will the Mexicans. Give them so much time..."
Priest Papu's expression was gloomy, with a different meaning flashing in his eyes. It's just that the night is too dark, and even with the sharp eyesight of the Chuchut leader, he can't see clearly. He could only clearly hear the deep words of Priest Pap.
】
"What's more, the Mexicans still have boats, very long and big boats! With the fleet, marching along the sea route, the four hundred miles of difficult jungle, there will be no obstacles... Chuchute, you Do you remember? A year or two ago, there was a Mexica fleet mixed with the Mayan caravans, carrying a large amount of gems, and sailed to the Mayan tribes in the east..."
"And now, this fleet heading east of us is back again!..."
