Dark clouds emerged on the horizon, like the omen of a storm. Bonfires burned in the camp, reducing brushwood to ash. Thousands of Imperial Guard warriors wore faces full of grim killing intent, armored and ready, sleeping on their spears till dawn. They were Jaguars on leashes, waiting for the royal order to be loosed, to choose men and devour them in slaughter!
The voices in the tent gradually sank low, like the growl of a wounded tiger. Only after several quarter-hours did the king emerge from the tent in armor. When they saw the king come out, shock appeared on everyone's faces.
Xolotl wore a face-covering Bronze Helmet, hiding the expression on his face and revealing only a pair of blood-red eyes, while his hand gripped the High Priest's Divine Staff tight. Then he raised the Divine Staff upright, swept his gaze over the commanders outside the tent, opened his tightly pressed lips, and barked out word by word, cold and hoarse.
"Royal order: send out messengers! The eight thousand men of the Feather Goose Legion will march north, move to the north of Cholula, seal off the northern roads of the city, and cut off the retreat within! The eight thousand men of the Guachichil Legion will come west, hunt around Cholula, seal off the eastern plains, and capture all fugitives in the wilds! The eight thousand men of the Flower Tree Legion will take over for Black Wolf and garrison Mountain Peak City. The ten thousand men of the Coiled Python Legion will garrison Shuigu City. The seven thousand men of the Imperial Guard Legion will campaign north, attack Cholula, and annihilate the priestly families!"
"The whole army sets out at once! Before sunset today, I want to arrive beneath the walls of Cholula! If any Cholulan