Chapter 159: Foothold

The wind was strong, blowing the yellow flag. The river was surging, reflecting the beast-shaped helmet. Xiuluot was wearing leather armor with bright patterns, a terrifying beast helmet, and a three-meter-high command flag on his back. Thousands of dazzling feathers fluttered on the umbrella of the flag, prominently announcing the position of the supreme commander.

Surrounded by the crowd, Xiuluot stood majestically at the bow, looking around like a tiger. The command flag was high and heavy, and he was trying hard to fight against the strong wind and keep his body stable. When he carried the commander's flag, all the distractions were dispelled, leaving only the strong will and cold determination as the supreme commander.

On the south bank of the river, urgent black smoke rose continuously, accompanied by the running messengers, spreading the news of the appearance of the Mexica army to all directions. The Mexica fleet had a smooth sailing, and the messengers of Tarasco could not keep up with the speed of the army. As far as Xiuluot could see, the farmers of Acamparo on the south bank were still farming in the hills. They lowered their heads to clean the fields and sow seeds, then raised their heads and looked at the huge fleet on the river in astonishment and shock.

In the mountains and forests, the green smoke from burning weeds and trees also rose, mixed with the urgent black smoke, and together transformed into a mysterious pattern in the sky. Further south, covered by the pattern, were several stone fortresses of Tarasco and many wooden camps. The fortresses and camps echoed each other to form a complete line of defense.

"The northern coast is far away from the alliance, and the Tarasco people are busy with spring plowing, so the military preparations are not sufficient. There are about a few days for the advance army to gain a foothold."

Xuluot nodded and pondered secretly.

His initial plan was to go to Xirotepec and meet with the northern commander Ocelol to discuss the borrowing of Otomi warriors and the recruitment of Chichimec dog descendants. But the messenger reported that General Ocelol had just returned from Huastec to collect grain, and after appointing the person in charge of spring plowing, he hurriedly led his army to the northernmost border. He has sent troops to wipe out the Chichimec dogs, and will be gone for at least two months.

Since he could not meet them for the time being, Shulot sent envoys to discuss recruiting dogs, and then led the army directly to the west. Whether General Ocelor deliberately avoided it or not, as long as the northern army gained enough strategic advantages, the attitudes of the lords of various places would change.

Shulot looked to the north, his eyes lingering on the long grass by the river, where there were vaguely raised mounds. This was the battlefield of the Battle of the Leman River. After passing through the mountains and forests for a hundred or two hundred miles to the north, it was the extremely solid Otopan Mountain City. And a few dozen miles to the west was the estuary to Lake Quetzao and the estuary fortress that controlled this important road.

Shulot looked around, and the wooden fortress in the mountains was clearly visible. This wooden fort was built by Avit and him personally, and the scale and layout of the building were all clear in mind. It was the first foothold chosen.

The flag of the Kingdom of Tarasco was flying on the wooden fort, and the flag had the symbols of the sun, the earth and the moon at the same time. Outside the wooden fort, one could vaguely see the craftsmen and civilians who had hurriedly retreated, and the piles of bricks, stones and wood. Obviously, the Tarasco people were reinforcing the place.

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war. We must obtain a stable foothold before the Tarasco navy gathers."

Xiuluot made a decision. He gave a loud order, and the mighty fleet approached the north bank. The canoe had a very shallow draft and could get close to the river beach. Thousands of warriors jumped directly on the river beach, carrying longbows and war clubs, and rushed to the shore.

Soon, the wooden fort not far away opened its gate again, and a small team of twenty Tarasco warriors rushed out quickly. They came to a nearby hillock and carefully stayed fifty meters away from the landing army. Then, they waved their bronze spears and shields, shouted something loudly at the flag of the Mexica commander.

Xiuluot on the big boat listened attentively. The language of the Tarasco people was only partially similar to that of the Mexica people. He vaguely heard "Leave! God bless Purépecha! Mighty war!"

The young commander smiled softly. He gave a low order, and the commander's flag waved forward. Hundreds of Mexica warriors who had landed rushed fiercely to the hill with war clubs in their hands. The Tarasco warriors observed briefly, then immediately turned around and ran to the mountain camp.

Bertard asked in a low voice.

"Your Highness, should we shoot?"

Xiu Luote shook his head.

"No hurry for now."

As he spoke, a jaguar warrior ran at the forefront of the pursuit. He took out the javelin from his back while running while leaning forward, and then raised it high. Then, he suddenly accelerated and approached, and threw it with all his strength. A sharp javelin suddenly flew out, with a "buzzing" sound, and shot at the Tarasco warrior more than ten meters away.

The rapidly moving target was really difficult to hit. The javelin brushed the fur hat of the young warrior at the end, and then plunged into the soil with a puff. The warrior at the end had a flash in front of his eyes, and subconsciously dodged the imagined attack behind him. His steps were disordered, and then he fell to the ground with a thud. When he tried to get up, he felt a sudden pain in his back, and then he was hit hard on the head. While he was dizzy, a pair of strong hands grabbed his neck.

The jaguar warrior subdued the Tarasco warrior in front of him with two sticks, and laughed loudly. He put one knee on the prisoner's back and pinched his neck hard. The other party was like a dehydrated fish, struggling desperately for a few times, and then collapsed with white eyes. The jaguar warrior let go, and took off the prisoner's weapons and cotton armor in a few seconds to ensure that the other party was no threat. Then he took out the rope he carried with him, tied the prisoner's hands tightly, and let the other party breathe heavily. After tying it skillfully, he slapped the other party with two slaps on his backhand to wake him up, pointed his thumb at the river bank, and the other party nodded with fear in his eyes.

The strong jaguar warrior smiled with satisfaction, and just untied and dragged the spoils towards the command flag.

The pursuing Mexica warriors came all the way to the wooden fort, and were met with the prepared slings and arrows. The Tarasco people stood on the three-meter-high wall and shot at the Mexica warriors. At a distance of a hundred steps, the Tlaxcala bows in their hands could not break the warriors' cotton armor. The Mexica warriors deliberately slowed down their pace, waiting for the gate to open, looking for an opportunity to seize the gate.

The fleeing Tarasco team bypassed the main gate. They stuck to the wall of the village, under the protection of archers and slingers, and went all the way to the back until they came to the half-open side door, where they quickly retreated into the camp. The Mexica warriors were worried about the shooting from the wall, and they could not catch up, so they had to return in disappointment.

A few moments later, the three warrior camps landed one after another. Xiuluote waved the flag again, and the three warrior camps were neatly deployed on the river bank, ready for battle. The scouts spread out in all directions to explore the nearby mountains and forests. The landing of the army was orderly. It was not until six warrior camps landed that Xiuluot moved the flag and led the guards to land on the north bank. Four thousand warriors and thousands of sailors were left in the navy to be on guard and stand by.

The first batch of scouts had returned and reported that no ambush was found within a dozen miles. The Jaguar warriors in the vanguard also reported the intelligence just obtained from the interrogation.

"According to the prisoners' report, spring plowing has arrived and there is a shortage of manpower. There are only two hundred Tarasco warriors, one thousand militiamen, and nearly a thousand civilians in each of the five nearby wooden forts."

Xiuluot nodded slightly. He waved the flag again, and the drums of attack sounded. The six warrior camps gradually spread out according to the direction pointed by the flag, surrounding the three sides of the wooden fort. The central army is the longbow battalion of the personal guards, the temple guards and the Jaguar regiment, and there is a longbow warrior battalion and a stick shield warrior battalion on the left and right wings.

Soon, each camp was deployed in place. Xiuluot observed the three-meter-high wall, the outer wooden fence, and some of the brick-lined walls, and thought secretly. While ordering the craftsmen to build wooden ladders, he summoned Bertard and whispered an order. The warrior leader bowed his head and saluted, and left with hundreds of longbow warriors.

Soon, the captured Tarasco people were guarded by two shield-bearing Mexica warriors. They came to the camp tremblingly and shouted in the Tarasco dialect to surrender.

".30,000 Mexica troops have arrived. The Tarasco Corps can't save them in time. The villages on the south bank were burned down and surrendered quickly. Spare your life and let the militia go back to your hometown."

As the announcement of surrender came, people on the wall were shaken and talked about it. The Tarasco warriors and militia looked at the endless Mexica warriors under the wooden fort and the huge fleet on the Leman River. They no longer doubted the scale of the invading army. It was difficult to mobilize during the spring plowing season, and it was a war of this scale. The isolated northern camp had no chance of survival.

The morale of the defenders was in turmoil when a warrior carrying the flag of the battalion commander climbed up the wall of the stockade. He looked at the size of the enemy and a death determination suddenly appeared on his face. Then, he shouted loudly, waved his bronze spear, and seemed to promise something, and the situation on the stockade wall gradually calmed down.

Bertard confirmed his identity and waved his hand suddenly. One hundred and twenty steps away, hundreds of longbow warriors put their arrows on at the same time, and then a series of arrows broke through the air with a sharp whistle of "Boo, boo, call out".

The rain of arrows came in an instant, and the leader carrying the flag had no way to avoid it, and his face showed extreme pain. His movements froze in an instant, and then he staggered and fell crookedly, blood gushing out like a fountain, and his body was full of arrows. The surrounding personal soldiers also fell down suddenly, and the warriors and militiamen in the stockade were panicked. They fell to the ground one after another to avoid the sharp arrows shot from such a long distance.

Xiuluot continued to wave the flag, and the order was to shoot accurately and aim freely. The longbow warrior camp on the right wing then moved forward and dispersed. These elite longbow warriors fired continuously, gradually approaching and standing within sixty steps, then aimed at the archers and militiamen on the top of the city and shot them at fixed points.

The warriors and militiamen on the top of the city tried to throw stones and shoot arrows, but they could not break the cotton armor and rattan helmets of the longbow warriors. Bertard personally aimed the arrows, paused for a moment, and raised his hand to shoot an arrow. A Tarasco warrior who was shooting back covered his throat, the single bow in his hand fell, and he turned over and fell from the wall of the village. The warrior leader did not stop and shot at another warrior guarding the fort.

The shooting lasted for several quarters of an hour, and it turned into a one-sided massacre. Only a dozen Mexica warriors were injured, and hundreds of people in the camp had died. Under the advantage of the longbow warriors at a long distance, more than a thousand defenders were lying on the wall of the village, unable to fight back, and their morale dropped rapidly.

Xiuluot watched the battle calmly. He continued to wait for three or four quarters of an hour, until more than a dozen crude three-meter wooden ladders were ready, and then he waved the battle flag again and ordered the stick shield warriors on the left wing to prepare. These wooden ladders were built so quickly, thanks to the wood piled outside the wooden fort.

Then, the longbow warriors approached thirty steps away, aiming and shooting arrows from time to time to suppress the top of the city. After a while, the low sound of war drums sounded, accompanied by the battle flag pointing forward. Five hundred Mexica warriors followed the order and advanced, trotting towards the outermost wooden fence of the wooden fort and began to smash and destroy it.

Seeing that the Mexica people began to destroy the first layer of barriers, the temporary commander of the wooden fort shouted loudly, and the archers and stone-throwing militia on the wall began to shoot sporadically. At this distance of less than thirty steps, the Tlaxcala bow was enough to pose a threat to the warriors' lives. More than a dozen Mexica warriors fell to the ground one after another, and their lives and deaths were unknown.

A thousand longbow warriors hunted at close range again, and the Tarasco people who poked their heads out drifted like fallen leaves, and soon there was no sound. The temporary commander was very anxious. He leaned forward to shoot and shouted loudly, and then he got what he wanted and was shot into a hedgehog, and went to the kingdom of the dead of the moon goddess Haratanna.

Seeing the wooden fence being broken, Shulotte waved the flag again. The sound of war drums suddenly became urgent and resounded through the world.

Barda personally led 500 warriors to climb first. He was wearing double armor, wearing an animal helmet, holding the bronze battle axe awarded by His Highness, and rushed to the front of the siege team. Half a quarter of an hour later, the first wooden ladder was put on the wall of the village, and Barda was the first to climb up. But in just a few breaths, he climbed to the top of the wall, then roared and roared, fiercely swung the battle axe, and killed the nearby Tarasco people. Behind him, there were more and more Mexica warriors.

With the support of the longbowmen, more than a dozen wooden ladders were put on the wall of the village one after another, and the Mexica warriors climbed up. When more than 200 warriors rushed up, the camp was declared to have changed hands. The Tarasco people finally resisted helplessly for a moment, and seeing that the situation was over, they dropped their weapons and surrendered one after another.

Seeing the fall of the wooden fort, Shulotte's face was calm. In just one day, the foothold was easily taken. This victory was only the first insignificant step in the Western Expedition. The young commander waited for a moment until the gate of the village opened and Barda returned to report. He smiled and praised the brave Eagle Warrior.

Shulot moved the central army and the commander's flag into the wooden fort. The warriors completely controlled the inside and outside of the wooden fort, and the captives were escorted out. The young commander took a quick look and found that there were about 1,500 captives. Most of the 200 Tarasco warriors were killed, mostly by accurate close-range shooting. Hundreds of militiamen on the wall also died in battle, while the civilians hiding under the village wall suffered few casualties.

The young commander gave an order in a deep voice.

"Check the situation of the captives, and sacrifice those who are seriously injured and cannot move. Those who are slightly injured and can work will be kept as laborers to repair the camp and strengthen the city defense. Interrogate the warriors for information about the surrounding areas, and convert those who are willing to surrender, and those who do not surrender will be executed!"

The priests obeyed the order and built the altar. The blazing holy fire burned, and sacrifice and conversion were carried out at the same time. Mysterious and solemn chanting echoed in the wooden fort, accompanied by the blue flames that the Tarasco people revered. The priests wore feather crowns and robes, ruthlessly waved the obsidian daggers for sacrifice, and devoutly praised the name of Huitzilopochtli, bringing the faith of the Lord God to the Tarasco kingdom for the first time.

Xiuluot did not preside over this small sacrificial ceremony. He sat high in the largest wooden house, analyzing the intelligence obtained from the captives, listening to the replies after the scouts' exploration, and deciding the next move of the advance army.

The next day, the Mexican army divided into two groups and besieged two nearby wooden forts. One day of marching, one day of siege, and in two days, they broke into the camp, killed 300 Tarasco warriors, and captured nearly 3,000 militiamen and civilians.

The Leman River rushed westward, naturally dividing the north and the south. Faced with the sudden arrival of the Mexican army, the Tarasco people finally began to mobilize their forces. The remaining two wooden forts on the north bank were abandoned, and the Tarasco warriors were the first to evacuate, losing hundreds of men in the pursuit of the Mexica vanguard. The remaining militiamen and civilians fled in all directions, and at least two thousand surrendered.

The fighting on the north bank was temporarily suspended. The Tarasco Kingdom lost five wooden forts built by the Mexica, lost seven hundred noble warriors, and nearly ten thousand weed-like militiamen and civilians. The Mexica vanguard established a solid stronghold on the north bank. The alliance army suffered only a hundred casualties and consumed tens of thousands of arrows, but gained eight thousand newly converted captives.

As the war situation became clear, the Tarasco began to mobilize on the south bank. They recruited warrior militia, filled the fortresses, assembled naval ships, and sent scout boats north to fight sporadically with the Mexica fleet patrolling on the Leman River. And further north, the Otomi scouts were looming in the mountains and forests, secretly paying attention to the battle on the riverside.

The hot battle has come to an end, and the dark clouds in the east have arrived. The real war is brewing, just like the first rain in the rainy season.

There was some problem with the network at home, and it took two hours to reconnect. This chapter is from yesterday. Thank you again for your suggestions over the past two days. Best wishes~