Clouds covered the sky and the earth, and wind and rain obscured the wilderness. The fleet headed eastward, sailing against the current.
Xolotl was sitting cross-legged on the bow of the boat, holding a handful of Obsidian Long Dagger in his arms, which made him feel relaxed. He looked at the majesty of the Long River, at the ups and downs of the mountains, at the green mountains and forests, and at the birds returning low. The raindrops fell and wet his long hair. The water vapor blurred his vision and made the world become distant.
He was once a passer-by who spanned thousands of years, walking alone and silently, wandering in the wild past. Like the lost wild geese, hovering in the unfamiliar Sky Family. He just watched the passage of time, looked down at the majestic mountains and rivers, and felt a free and distant alienation in his heart. It was the loneliness of a traveler.
I don't know when, maybe because I was tired from flying, the wild geese finally landed softly on the bow of the boat. The young man was no longer free and helpless, but had emotions and concerns in his heart. He had a father, a teacher, friends, followers, and a future wife. Only with a real home can he have a real self.
My hometown is gone, and where the wild geese fall is my hometown. Only when a boy has a loved one can he have a world to protect. With a world to protect, there are enemies to kill. No matter whether this enemy is the brave Samurai, a noble king, or a fair-skinned colonist.
A year of changes in life and death, a year of fighting and fighting. The once soft and kind young traveler transformed into a resolute and determined young man Samurai. Samurai's strength comes from his contempt for death, but also from his love for life and the people he cares about.
During the drifting journey on the bow of the ship, Xolotl hugged Long Dagger tightly in his arms. He was extremely convinced. "I have integrated into this world."
He continued to look around at the mighty fleet. Thousands of boats were galloping towards the end of the plateau, like Wolf Packs galloping to hunt. The Samurais were silently gestating murderous intent. The archers were wiping their life-stealing weapons. Avet and Acap were still discussing in a low voice, waiting for the arrival of the hunt!
The target of this hunt is a king who can threaten the lives of everyone and can also protect his own power. How should power be used? Xolotl already has a clear answer.
It has been six days since the fleet traveled eastward. During these six days of continuous marching, starting at dawn and resting at dusk, both Militia and Samurai took turns rowing. The army finally entered the western border of the Mexica Alliance, Tepanecapan.
Here, the plateau extends all the way up, and beyond that are the continuous mountains. That is the most difficult position for boating against the current. After passing the high point of the river, going down is the fertile and prosperous Valley of Mexica.
The army disembarked here and headed northeast to the Xilotepec camp. The boat division then returned to the west to pick up the 10,000 Militia who stayed in the Otomi People territory.
Avet sent out scouts who were good at running, and ran all the way to the distant villages, looking for the intelligence messenger who had been waiting for a long time. Fourteen thousand Samurai lined up in a marching formation, lightly equipped and simple, carrying only five days of food, and hurried toward the northeast. Three thousand Militia carried more food and grass and chased behind.
Xolotl also walked quickly. After long-term exercise and sufficient nutrition supply, his endurance was comparable to that of ordinary adult Samurai. During the march, he still had enough energy to look at the surrounding farmland. Along the way, the north was It is a Otomi People desolate wilderness, and in the south are Tarasco fields with sparse people. Once you reach the territory of the Mexica city-state, you can see large areas of connected Corn fields.
August is coming to an end, and Corn has already grown tall, as tall as a person. They have received enough rain, and there are slender Corn sticks growing between the broad branches and leaves. This is the harvest season. Xolotl Stop A closer inspection showed that the soil fertility in the field was limited, and the density of Corn plants was not high. At this time, Corn was smaller than in later generations, and the grains were not full enough, but the harvest was still abundant, and it was much higher than the wheat commonly grown in Eurasia.
The kidney beans have also fully grown, and the pods poke their heads out from the yellowing branches and leaves. They look curiously at the harvest field, and they are about to mature. And underneath are the remaining pumpkin leaves. The pumpkins have been harvested not long ago, and they are much smaller than later generations. However, the small pumpkins support the farmers through the most difficult season before the harvest.
Seeing the stopped boy, Avet came from behind. He wiped the rain off his face, wiped the mud off his straw sandals, and asked with a smile, "Xolotl, what are you looking at?"
The young man smiled slightly, pointed to the harvested fields and said, "The autumn harvest is around the corner. I'm looking at this year's harvest. It's such a good year! This is the foundation of the Mexica Alliance, the great cause of dominating the world."
In the era of the classical empire, agriculture was everything, especially Mesoamerica, which was unable to import food.
After listening, Avet also opened a pod, put the black beans into his mouth and tasted it.
"Yes, the black beans are plump and the Corn ears are full. It is indeed a good year. Although the war has been going on for more than a year, none of the city-states have excessively collected Militia and delayed the spring plowing. When this year's autumn harvest is completed and the war stops, the food consumed in this war can be replenished. After another year's autumn harvest, we can send out troops again."
Xolotl nodded. This war has consumed Mexica People too much food. Even with Lake Texcoco Region's abundance and the looting of Xilotepec city, the city-state's inventory has been consumed for five years. Food transportation away from the river is simply a bottomless pit of loss.
"For our next expedition, we must choose an offensive route supported by rivers. I have a perfect target in my mind. Its land has both north and south waterways." The young man looked at his friend seriously.
Avet nodded in agreement. "It's as I thought. They have no allies to call, so they are the best opponents. It's time for me to settle with my old friends."
After that, the two looked at each other and smiled, regaining their original tacit understanding.
The Eagle Regiments with spread wings pounced on the grass rats in the mountain forest, but their eyes were already looking to the future.
After marching for half a day, the scouts finally got on the line with the intelligence personnel. The latest news is that the reinforcements sent to the Xilotepec camp from the three cities of the capital include 8,000 Samurai and 16,000 Militia. Now it is only one day away from the army and two days away from the Xilotepec city.
This is almost the largest mobilization of Four States directly under the government. In the huge capital area, there are only two thousand Samurai left in Lake Capital, and another thousand Samurai are stationed in Texcoco and Tlacopan.
At this time, night was approaching, and the army set up camp to rest. Samurai were recovering their strength and waiting for tomorrow's attack. Xolotl and Avet gathered together, and the two carefully calculated the important military forces nearby.
The 50,000 Samurai directly subordinate to the royal family were scattered everywhere at this time.
There are 12,000 Atotonilco in the northeast, guarding against Tlaxcalan, and it will be difficult to return for a while. There are also three City-State Legion there, with 24,000 people, half of which are City-State Warriors. Although this force is huge, it is far away and will not have much impact on the overall situation.
Four thousand people are directly under Xilotepec City. After the Otomi People attack, it is unknown how many of their casualties there were. There was also a City-State Legion stationed together. The riverside camp and food here are very critical.
Ten thousand people are directly in the hands of Avet, and are now completely under control. They are followed by four thousand City-State Warriors and three thousand Militia. The army only has five days of food and grass.
There are still 10,000 direct subordinates in the hands of Tizoc, who have been evacuated from Otopan City. They are accompanied by 20,000 City-State Warriors and 5,000 Militia. They are currently suffering from supply line interruptions, rainy season marches in the mountains and forests, and Otomi People The torture of Brigade General is trudging on the dirt road in the mountains and forests back, and I don't know the specific situation.
Four thousand Teotihuacan Samurai led by Xoloc will follow the king, and the armies of other city-states are likely to retreat on their own.
Between Otopan and Xilotepec, there are four camps in the mountains and forests for more than two weeks, where more than 30,000 Militia who transport food are stationed. There will be a certain amount of food in the camps there, and the king who is short of food will definitely lead his army to the camp to replenish food and grass.
Three thousand directly subordinate Samurai have been killed in the war against Otomi People, and there are still three thousand left to guard the three cities of the capital. Although the three cities of the capital can mobilize tens of thousands of Militia at any time, they are also far away and have little impact on the overall situation.
The last eight thousand directly subordinate to Samurai are on their way to support the Xilotepec camp, with sixteen thousand Militia. Among them, there are already two thousand Samurai from Avet's family. This unit is the key to changing the situation. It is right in front of you and can be obtained at your fingertips.
After the discussion, everyone understood. The commander punched the freehand wooden map, which was the direction of the northeast.
"Start early tomorrow morning and speed up the march. We must seize this unit before sunset in the afternoon!"
Please give me a recommendation, thank you!