In August, there were heavy rains, dark clouds shrouded the fields, and the world was in a state of chaos. This was not the time for fighting, so the fighting stopped for a while. Both the Mexican Federation and the Kingdom of Tarasco were mobilizing their troops and preparing for a more brutal war.
The rainy season is still here, and the new batch of gunpowder weapons can still only be placed in the innermost layer of the warehouse and cannot be used. They are wrapped in layers, placed in sealed clay pots, and stored carefully. The soil salt in the gunpowder has water-absorbing properties and will
When the air is humid, it absorbs water and reduces the performance of the gunpowder, so it is necessary to dry the gunpowder frequently. And these soil nitrates are easily soluble in water. Once washed away by heavy rain, the gunpowder will lose its power.
Hulot stood on the watchtower of the wooden castle and once again said goodbye to the main force of the navy returning eastward. In this rainy season, gunpowder weapons were difficult to use, and the alliance's navy had no obvious advantage in going to a decisive battle with the Tarasco navy.
.The young commander asked Annatri to return east again and bring more reinforcements to the capital.
On the gorgeous boat, Annatri still stood tall in the rain. She was full of energy and saluted farewell to the commander's flag. Then, her eyes moved and fell on Bertard behind the young commander, her eyes burning fiercely.
His fighting spirit was revealed, and his expression showed unabashed admiration.
It was windy and rainy, and the navy's fleet only rested for a few days before setting sail east again. Shulot looked at the huge fleet going upstream, and the female warriors on the big boat gradually moved away. He then turned his head
Come, look at the warrior commander with a smile.
"Bertard, I heard that last time we saw you off, you and Annatri had a competition. Who won in the end? You seemed to have come back very late that day."
The silent warrior commander raised his head and stared at His Highness silently for a moment before answering in a low voice.
"We have competed twice, but there is no winner... Your Highness, it's time for us to head north to negotiate with the Otomi people."
Shulot smiled softly and nodded.
"Let the new reinforcements garrison the fortress. Bring the rested 10,000 advance troops, and we will set off to march north tomorrow!"
Early on the next morning, the rain stopped. Ten thousand Mexica warriors gathered in the main fortress, armed with a forest of war clubs and longbows. They were fully equipped and prepared for a long time, ready to go into battle at any time. After a long garrison, early in the morning
Let the warriors be eager to fight.
Shulot handed over the defense of the main castle to his father. Immediately, he carried the battle flag, waved his hand, the marching bamboo flute sounded, and the army slowly set off.
The Mexica army surged forward, with scouts released for ten miles, and the troops pointed all the way north. Ten thousand warriors marched through the rolling dense mountain forests, through sparsely populated mountain villages, until they reached the vast expanse of land dozens of miles south of the city of Otopan.
Fields. Milpa farmland has begun to gather here, and the fields are full of vibrant new seedlings. This is the hope of the Otomi people in the new year.
The farmers in the fields were frightened by the army and fled north in terror, leaving behind the fields they had worked hard for for months. A year ago, the Mexica invasion was still vivid in their minds and unforgettable. Otomi's scouts watched from afar,
Disturbing news is delivered one after another.
Shulot ordered the warriors to avoid farmland, choose suitable terrain to camp, and prepare for war. The heavy rain fell again, and the young commander waited calmly in the newly built camp.
It took another two days for Otomi's negotiation team to arrive in a hurry, accompanied by only a few hundred warriors.
Shulot did not come out of the camp to greet him. He was dressed in solemn commander-in-chief attire, with a high-flying bright feather crown on his head, and a golden sun amulet around his neck. He sat high in the tent of the camp. He was on the land of the Otomi people,
As a host, welcome guests staying here.
Shulot, who was sitting on the stone seat, looked at the envoys who entered the tent with an expressionless face.
The envoy of the Otomi people was still an old acquaintance. After nearly a year, the young commander saw the old priest Ort again. He was already pale and haggard, without the power of the roar of the groundhog. In the old priest's body
Next to him is General Otopan Giowa, who is also the commander of the samurai corps in the city.
The old priest raised his all-white head and carefully looked at Shulot above him, his pupils shrinking slightly. Shulot looked at him calmly, looking at his unusually old face and his still clear eyes.
Giowa's majestic body stood upright. He stared at the young commander in the middle with his narrow and sharp eyes, like a glaring coyote. His hands were free, and his thick knuckles were clenched, still giving people a
Strong oppression. Bertard frowned, feeling the strong hostility, and then clenched the war stick in his hand.
The two sides looked at each other silently for a moment. Shulot spoke first.
"In the name of the supreme god Huitzilopochtli! I come with the warrior's war club and the feather of peace. Otomi, my patience is limited and I cannot wait too long. Don't let the feather fall from my hands!"
Hearing the obvious threat, anger rose in Giowa's eyes, he clenched his hands and made a sound, but remained silent.
The old priest Alt nodded, took a deep breath, and replied loudly.
"In the name of Ometeotel, the original god! I come with greetings from my friends. Mexica, the two sides have already ceased war and entered into a peace treaty witnessed by the gods. Now, in this busy and beautiful season, you
By coming with a large army, do you want to violate the sacred peace treaty?!"
Shulot replied without changing his expression.
"Otomi people, the sacred peace treaty is always valid, and you are the one who violated the peace treaty! You accepted the terms of the alliance, obtained the last batch of food, and promised to send troops to harass the Tarascans in the south. However, you did not keep your promise.
You are just showing off! When the army came west, I saw with my own eyes that the spring plowing of the Tarasco people was normal without any interference. Now, I need an explanation, and even more, a compensation!"
Alter lowered his head slightly, suppressing his powerless anger. He closed his eyes and opened them again, speaking in a calm voice.
"Mexicans, we have raided the southern coast, and the warriors have shed blood. But as you can see, the southern coast is heavily guarded and densely covered with stone forts and wooden forts. The blood of the warriors cannot be shed in vain there... We are willing to deliver a
A large sum of gold, silver and gems as a sincerity for peace between both parties!"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Hulot looked at it for a moment. The old priest looked calm and Giowa looked angry. Then, he shook his head calmly and got to the point.
"The eyes of the Lord God watch everything, and nothing can be hidden. Wise Ort priest, you should understand all this. As the commander-in-chief of the Northern Route Army, I cannot tolerate this potential tacit understanding between you and the Tarascans!"
Hearing this, the old priest looked solemn, looked at the majestic young commander, and sighed secretly.
"The wishes of the Otomi people have never been concealed. They are only for peace and cultivation. Merciful His Highness Xiulote, we do not want to participate in the struggle between the Mexica Alliance and the Kingdom of Tarasco. The original god has witnessed that we will not
Go either way!"
Shulot looked into Alter's eyes, smiled slightly, and continued to shake his head ruthlessly.
"Priest Ort, I can believe in your sincerity, but I cannot believe in the Otomi people. It is impossible for the Northern Route Army to go south in large numbers and leave you behind, taking undetermined huge risks. You must show your attitude. When deciding the world
In the war, should we be the allies of the Mexica? Or the enemy of the Mexica? Choose, Otomi people, survival or destruction!"
Hearing the undisguised threat, General Giowa couldn't bear it anymore, and he roared angrily.
"The war-like Mexica people and the Otomi people are never afraid of war! The mountain city of Otopan is as strong as a meteorite falling from the sky. Even if you give it an era, you will not be able to break it! If you insist on war, you will be destroyed.
Own!"
The old priest did not stop him. He allowed General Giowa to speak, but stared at Xilot's expression.
Shulot's eyes were slightly lowered. He was silent for a moment and announced calmly.
"If you are unwilling to join the alliance to fight, the Northern Route Army will stop moving south and move north. Starting from the end of the month, we will destroy your autumn harvest! Within a month, all the farming will be reduced to ashes, and the hard work of the first season will be in vain.
, you can’t even harvest the seeds. Another year without a harvest, and by this time next year, you will endure a famine that will destroy your homeland!”
Hearing such a cruel announcement, Giowa roared like an erupting volcano.
"First we want to destroy the spring plowing, and now we want to destroy the autumn harvest. Destroy the autumn harvest, evil Mexica! There are only more than ten thousand of you here. As long as we agree to the envoy of the Tarascans, we can work together to expel you and drive you away.
Into the mighty Leman River!”
Upon hearing Tarasco's envoy, Hulot's eyes narrowed. Then, he responded with a serious expression and an indifferent expression.
"Face the reality, Otomi people! Two Mexica armies are pressing on the border, and the southern front is the main force of the attack. One hundred thousand Mexica warriors attack day and night, Sitacuaro State is crumbling, and the Tarascans themselves cannot protect themselves.
! They will not risk going north to besiege the strong wooden fort. Their main naval force is not here, and they cannot cross the river!"
Then, Shulot smiled confidently.
"A new batch of reinforcements has arrived. The Northern Route Army now has 20,000 warriors, and the following armies are also coming in a steady stream. This is a force you cannot resist! What's more, the times are changing, new weapons have appeared, and Otopan Mountain City will
I can no longer protect you!"
Hearing the words of new weapons, the old priest Ort's expression changed. He thought for a moment, then raised his hand to stop Giowa's roar.
"Dear Your Highness Hulot, I heard from the scouts that when you attacked the wooden castle on the north bank of the Leman River, you used a powerful longbow. I wonder if you can show me something?"
Hearing the old priest's sudden request, Xurot was slightly startled. He thought about it for a while, thinking of the capture of the Tarascans, and finally nodded.
"Tels, shoot an arrow outside the big tent, and then go and show them the real thing."
After hearing the order, the guards opened the tent door, and the fresh wind blew in their faces, bringing moist vapor, which cheered everyone up.
Then, Ters, the guard responsible for guarding, gave a simple smile. He turned around, held a long bow in his hand, took out a copper arrow, and prepared it. The simple warrior's eyes moved slightly and stopped at fifty meters away.
It was a wooden box used by the Otomi people to deliver gifts. He aimed slightly, and the long bow buzzed, and he let go of an arrow. The copper arrow passed through the open door like lightning, and was nailed to the wooden box with a bang.
Trembling constantly.
Giowa's expression was solemn. He strode forward, pulled out the copper arrow from the wooden box, and stood there for a moment. Then, he silently came to the old priest and whispered a few words, and the old priest looked solemn.
Tels, holding a big bow, also walked to the old priest.
The old priest Alter took a step closer and bowed down. He opened his old eyes, his gaze was like a torch, and he carefully looked at every detail.
He looked at the sturdy long bow, gestured with the length of the bow body, then pinched the hardness of the wood with his nails, and frowned. This kind of strong wood was extremely difficult to process, and rare copper tools had to be used, which took a long time to process.
Then, he stroked the wrapped silk bow string, observed the connection between the bow body and the bow string, and analyzed the specific technical details.
Then, he took the copper fletched arrow handed over by Giowa and looked closely at the approximately cylindrical wooden arrow shaft. He tested the hardness of the arrow shaft again with his fingernails and frowned. This kind of arrow shaft consumes so much energy.
More labor is required. Copper arrowheads, strong arrow shafts, and expensive feathers are all costs that the Otomi people cannot afford.
Finally, he looked at the slope-shaped bone wrench on Teres' hand and let out a sigh.
"Mexicans, you are indeed extremely powerful and rich. If you can equip a large number of such hard long bows and consume a large number of such expensive arrows, you must have thousands of craftsmen!"
After a moment of emotion, Alter changed his tone and looked closely at Shulot's face.
"However, His Highness Hulot, using this kind of weapon to threaten Otopan Mountain City is still just a delusion! You cannot bear the loss of the warriors who attack the city. Unless, what other preparations do you have?..."
Shulot smiled confidently. He looked calm and did not answer. He just spoke.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Priest of Alter, the Alliance only needs you to send troops south to plunder the land of the Tarascans! We will help you cross the river and help you leave. We don't need
The harvest of the plunder and all the property will belong to you. Similarly, this time, you do not need to attack the fortress-dense Akambalo state. The Otomi warriors can freely choose to go west and plunder Saka opposite Guamare.
Pu Bang, and even plundered the wealthy Lake Chapala area!"
Having said this, Shulot paused for a moment and looked at the old priest solemnly.
"Priest Ort, you were born in Guamare State, and you know the surrounding situation better than I do. There is an Otomi tribe that you are familiar with there. I believe you can find a suitable target!"
Alter thought for a moment and asked about the most important key.
"Your Highness Hulot, you ask us to join the war against Tarasco, but allow us to form an independent army and choose our own targets?"
Xiuluo nodded and answered calmly.
"Exactly. Priest of Alter, we need more actions to establish mutual trust, and it is not suitable to directly form a coalition. However, I will send a small team of warriors to follow your army and report regularly. You must truly communicate with Tara
The Sko people fight, otherwise...the alliance will never tolerate another breach of contract!"
After hearing these words, the old priest Alter fell into a long silence. Giowa first looked at the Mexica men fiercely. Then, he touched his hair restlessly, waiting for the old priest's wise final decision.
.
The bonfire crackled in the big tent, the wind whistled and whimpered outside the big tent, and people in the silent big tent were struggling. After a long while, Alter looked hard at the commander of the Mexica people, the familiar young His Highness.
"Your Highness Hulot, we signed the last covenant. As agreed, you provided the city of Otopan with food for five months and helped us through the most difficult moment. I don't believe in the Mexica Alliance, but
I believe in you and am only willing to swear an oath with you!"
There was a strange look in the old priest's eyes. He stared at His Highness on the stone throne, and finally roared loudly, shocking everyone.
"The peace treaty of the gods has ended! If you want us to join the war in Tarasco, you must do it in the name of your noble ancestors! Cut off your hair, cut your palms, and sign a lifelong blood contract with the Otomi people in the witness of all the generals.
Make an oath and engrave all your promises on the immortal stone slab!"
Shulot was silent for a long time, and then nodded slowly with a complicated expression.
"Priest Ort, thank you for your trust. Who will swear an oath with me, is it you?"
The old priest Alter shook his head firmly. He turned around and pointed at Giowa, who was shocked and pale.
"No! My life is about to come to an end. He will be the one who signs a lifelong blood oath with you!"
