Eastern Expedition South, Shuigu City's Flames

The daylight was bright, the earth golden. The wind was thick with the acrid stink of gunpowder smoke, mixed with the shouts of Mexica Warriors.

"Fireballs ready!"

"Yes! The Main God bless us!"

"Loose!"

"Bzz!... Bang!"

More than a dozen burning fireballs rose from the small catapults with a buzzing sound, like shining meteors. They arced over a distance of more than a hundred paces and slammed into the six- or seven-meter-high southern wall with several booming crashes. Soon, even more blazing flames ignited above and below the brick-and-stone wall, giving off choking, poisonous smoke that scorched the blue-gray stone black.

One burning fireball landed squarely atop the wall, bringing flames of death. Several Tlaxcalan warriors let out shrill screams in an instant, turning into blazing balls of fire as they fell from the high wall.

"Ah!... Bang!"

"Fireballs ready!"

A Mexica captain's face was expressionless as he gave the order in a cold, loud voice.

"Yes! The Main God bless us!"

Dozens of Purepecha Warriors hurried about nervously, quickly loading the flammable paper fireballs, then carefully lighting them.

"Loose!"

"Bzz!... Bang!"

More than a dozen fireballs packed with sulfur rose again, roaring as they shot into the city. Before long, great clouds of poisonous smoke from the burning sulfur spread behind the wall, making the enemy warriors held in reserve there cough as if their lungs were being torn out.

"Cough, cough... cough, cough! God of the Hunt, it's that damned demon stench again! Cough, cough!!"

"Quick! Quick! Have the militiamen dump earth and wet sand! Cough, cough!"

After five rounds of fireballs, the inside and outside of the southern city were filled with flames and poisonous smoke. Behind the wall, two hundred Tlaxcalan warriors roared tensely, urging nearly a thousand militiamen to rush back and forth for their