Vanguard Attacks the Camp, Part Four

"Your Highness, the Dog-kin in the forest have been utterly routed! Between the camp and the woodland, we took more than seven hundred heads in total, around sixty of them red-haired. The Guamare warriors suffered nearly five hundred casualties. The Jaguar Regiment had just over a dozen men lightly wounded, and no one killed."

A Jaguar Warrior knelt beneath the Royal Banner and reported loudly to the king.

"Most of the enemy fled to the rear camp. Should we continue the pursuit?"

"No need to pursue! Order the Jaguar Regiment to return to the Royal Banner and continue guarding the center army! Order the Guamare warriors back to the main camp, and reward them with wine and meat tonight! Order Giova's corps to move forward, and send two thousand Otopan Warriors to garrison the Red Deer camp!"

Xolotl raised his head, glanced at the sun slanting west, and continued giving orders.

"Send two more scout teams to keep watch along the edge of the mountain forest, and guard against a night raid as well!"

"As you command, Your Highness!"

Although they had successfully taken the Red Deer camp, the Guamare warriors had been ambushed in the forest and suffered losses that were far too heavy. These City-State Warriors possessed both the strengths and weaknesses of the wilderness tribes: nimble and fierce, brave and fearless, yet also impulsive, irritable, and lacking discipline. They belonged to a vassal corps, in truth made up of private troops led by individual tribal headmen or Otomi nobles, and were difficult to restrain directly.

Thinking of this, Xolotl looked toward the nominal commander of the Guamare regiment, the middle-aged great chieftain Chalki.

Chalki's face was ashen. He hesitated, then gritted his teeth and spoke in a trembling voice.

"How are the vanguard warriors' casualties? Where is