"The beautiful causeway crosses the lake, and the high temple penetrates the clouds... That is the place in the lake of prickly pears and rocks, the immortal Tenochtitlan..."
As the night fell, the camp gradually became quiet. The Mayan merchant Tikalo coaxed the two children of the royal family to sleep. Then, he came to the swaying fire pit, groped in his arms for a while, took out the last roll of Mayan sacred smoke, and handed it to the old militiaman Chihuaco.
"Captain Qi, would you like a roll?"
"Um."
Chihuaco, an old militiaman, reached out and took the sacred smoke, placed it on the edge of the fire pit and lit it. Then he inserted the cigarette among the people sitting around. Several leaders of the fleet came forward together, their brows relaxed, and they breathed in the relaxing atmosphere.
"Captain Qi, I have a proposal that I would like to discuss with you..."
"Um?"
Mayan businessman Ti Carlo lowered his head and took a deep breath of smoke. Then, he looked at the old militiaman and asked sincerely.
"Tilan and Tidan are still young... sleeping in the open air, and there will be a storm soon... I'm afraid they won't be able to bear it..."
"They are the last hope of the Mayapan royal family, and they are also the hostages handed over to the alliance by the Cocom family... When the caravan ship comes tomorrow, let them leave with the ship, right?..."
"Captain Qi, please trust me...I will arrange the men and sneak them to the coast occupied by the kingdom, on the merchant ship of the caravan..."
Hearing Tikalo's words, the old militiaman Chihuaco raised his head and looked deeply into the other person's eyes, as if to see through the other person's mind. Then, he pursed his lips and did not reply immediately, but just asked in a deep voice.
"Ti Carlo, are you really sure that you can pass through the coast blocked by the Totonacs, pass through groups of vigilant patrol boats, and contact the kingdom's legions?"
Hearing this, Mayan businessman Tikalo remained silent. He knew what the old militiaman meant, and he also knew that the other party had seen through him. The proposal he just made was actually to let the two young children go to the area around Hidden Snake City and be taken care of by the caravan. That would at least have a sheltered house, clean well water, and plenty of food and fruit, which would be much better than here.
After a moment of silence, Ti Carlo raised his head and answered.
"If there are just one or two people...you can give it a try...there is a chance..."
"Praise the Lord God! If we can get in touch with the Kingdom's legions and get support, we can try to break through the Totonak people's blockade!"
After hearing the conversation between the two, the leader of the Prepecha warriors, Tavaru, became energetic and spoke excitedly. Since Huitu Puap stayed on Snake Island in Cuba, he has taken over the leadership position of the kingdom's warriors.
"When the storm comes, the rainfall will be heavy, and we can't see very far! Let's brave the rain and sail westward in the evening and night! Maybe the Totonac patrol fleet won't be able to find us at all! ... "
"Walking in the rain at night..."
Chihuaco, the old militiaman, thought for a moment and shook his head slightly.
"It's too dangerous...the Totonacs can't see us, and we can't see them...and once we encounter them at close range, they won't be able to escape, and they won't stop until they die..."
"Captain Qi, seriously, let the two children go first..."
Mayan businessman Tikalo gritted his teeth and spoke again.
"The stewards of the Mayan caravan are all members of the family. Even if they die, they will protect the two children and contact the kingdom!..."
"Actually, there is another way! You don't need to fight with the Totonak people, but you may encounter a storm..."
The divine priest Mecat suddenly spoke. He glanced at Ti Carlo indifferently, with obvious distrust in his eyes. For the benefit of the kingdom, he was unwilling to let the two children of the Mayapan royal family and two such important hostages leave the control of the fleet.
"Witness the Lord God! Our current latitude is around 18 degrees. And the latitude of the ancient city of Quetzalcoatl is around 20 degrees..."
"Strong winds come from the sea and blow from east to west. The fleet can sail into the depths of the sea and go directly to the kingdom coast in the west! In this way, we don't have to be confused by the complex hydrology, twists and turns of the coastline, and The Totonac patrol fleet is in trouble. Just raise the sails, take full advantage of the wind, and head west at full speed!"
Having said this, Priest Mecat held the sun amulet around his neck with firm fearlessness in his eyes.
"The Lord God will protect us! Raise the sails, face northwest, and sail into the sea at full speed. The speed of the ship will be two or three times as fast as it is now! If everything goes well, we can rely on it in only six or seven days, or even five or six days. shore!"
"This is too dangerous! When you sail into the deep sea, you will encounter stronger storms and unbearable waves!..."
Upon hearing Mecat's suggestion, Tikalo's eyes widened and he hurriedly retorted.
"What if we deviate from the direction... No, we will definitely deviate from the direction, and there is no way we can accurately reach the ancient city of Quetzalcoatl!..."
"The west is an extended coast, not an endless sea! Even if we deviate from the direction, as long as we go to the west, we will definitely be able to reach the shore!"
Priest Mecat looked serious and his tone was affirmative.
"Even if it's farther north, there's no problem if it blows to the coast of the Huastecs! That's still a vassal of the Alliance, and it's a place where we can supply supplies!"
"But...what if...there are...on our ship..."
"Praise the Lord! Captain Chihuaco, what do you think?"
Everyone's eyes were focused on the old militiaman, making his shoulders sink. After Priest Thomas left, he became the sole leader of the fleet and the final leader.
】
The old militiaman lowered his head and bent his waist, staring at the fire in front of him, without speaking for a long time. The balance of fate was swinging repeatedly in his heart. The road now is to choose between waiting and taking risks. Either keep waiting, wait for the opportunity to take risks, or take risks now...
"call…"
After a while, Chihuaco took a deep breath and spoke in a deep voice.
"hold on!…"
"Tikallo, you send an envoy from the caravan and try to contact the kingdom..."
"Mecat, you command the sailors to build a hut to protect the two children from the rain..."
"Tavaru, you take the warriors, organize their weapons and armor, and get ready for fighting and adventure..."
"Then the rest depends on what fate chooses..."
The old militiamen made a decision, and everyone accepted the choice. However, this time, unpredictable fate did not seem to favor them. Or, no matter what they choose, their fate has been waiting for a long time!
When the dark night passes, a new sun rises, and a new day arrives from the coastline. Today is another day for Mayan merchant ships to bring food. Everyone waited expectantly all morning, but the boat never came. It wasn't until the sun passed through the sky that the familiar Mayan galleys appeared at the mouth of the river in the north, slowly heading towards the lagoon upstream.
“After waiting for so long, it’s finally here!…”
The samurai captain Tavaru looked happy and looked at the swaying galley with eagerness.
"Hey! Look at it like this, the draft is very deep... The food shipped this time is probably much more than last time..."
"Lord God! What is that?"
At this moment, the expression of Scout Shanniao, who had the best eyesight, changed. He looked to the north, his mouth wide open in surprise, and pointed toward the back of the galley. Then, his surprised voice suddenly became shrill and turned into panic.
"Ah! It's a boat...a canoe! Lots of canoes!"
"It's the enemy, the Totonac!"
