Aztec Eternals

The flags fluttered, and the elite warriors climbed and walked in silence, letting the mountain wind blow mightily, watching the sun rise into the sky. It wasn't until the king waved the small flag that the guards stopped and rested on the top of the hill.

Shulot stood on the high point of the hill and looked around. Behind him, Shield Weiters looked dull, still holding the king's flag high.

Climbing high and looking far away, the world opens up for a moment, which makes the king's heart open. In the long wind, the hills undulate, like cascading waves, constantly pulling up to the high point of the mountain; under the sun, the land is gradually bare, like the footprints of the gods, with a faint golden light shining from time to time. Only a meandering river ding-dong flows like a long snake, tracing the way of the people and converging to Lake Zilahun, which is the lowest.

"What a mountain! What a river! This great river and mountain is all in my hands!"

The king looked at it for a moment, then let out admiration. He inspected the farm all the way, saw the harvested land, and then climbed the mountains to enjoy the mighty mountains and rivers. At this moment, he just felt extremely happy! Then, the instinct of a military leader came to mind again, turning into a deep whisper.

"Qinganbat, the gentle mountain is so steep, easy to defend and difficult to attack, but it is not gentle at all!"

"Your Highness sees clearly! Chingambat is a steep mountain."

Ezpan touched the severed finger on his left hand, and complimented him with clear eyes.

"As for the description of gentleness, there is an ancient legend, which corresponds to the ruins on the mountain. Legend has it that in the remote ancient times, this mountain was once full of voices and smoke, and it was the mouth of demons that swallowed mortals, leading to the underground The kingdom of the dead."

"The demons have been raging for thousands of years, and the smoke has also risen for thousands of years. Until a great descendant of the gods witnessed the evil here. He first used human sacrifices to attract the main god, and then resolutely sacrificed himself here. With a shocking sound With a loud noise, the descendants of the gods sealed the passage leading to the ground with their divine bodies, and since then this mountain has become gentle."

"Later, the shameless Condor royal family learned of this legend, and claimed that the one who sealed this place was the ancient Condor sage. However, only the mighty power of the Supreme God can do all this! The one who sealed this place should be the God of the Lord. descent!"

"Well, that's right! A smoking demon's mouth? A dormant volcano?"

Hearing this, Xiulot thought thoughtfully and asked with a smile.

"Ezpan, since this is the mouth of a demon, is there a Stone of the Dead?"

"Your Highness is wise! There are not only copper mines, but also stones of the dead, which are produced in the high mountains. Most of the stones of the dead used for sacrifices in the capital of Qincongcan come from here!"

"very good!"

Shulot nodded in satisfaction. In the east of the lake area, there are nitrate-containing ponds in the mountains, and in the southwest there are adjacent sulfur producing areas. Then in the winter of sweeping nitrate, people can be organized again to carry out large-scale gunpowder production. And when the copper cannon and gunpowder were ready, the king smiled confidently and looked down at the mountains and rivers again.

"Ezpan, the mountains are rising in layers, and the river flows down from the mountains. The terrain is majestic, and there are water sources. If you build a fort and set up a camp here, I'm afraid it will be extremely difficult to break through!"

"Your Highness is wise! I have stayed in this mine for a long time. Near the mountains, there are several abandoned bluestone fortresses, which look solid and difficult to attack. Fortunately, Your Highness captured the false king of Tarasco in the first battle. Otherwise, let him escape At this point, as long as we stick to the camp, we can stop the conquest army and calmly integrate the southwest."

Ezpan agreed with a smile, but was also a little bit embarrassed.

"I heard that the first puppet king of Tarasco set up a camp here to guard against the remnants of Urihiu in the southwest and the Tekos barbarians scattered in the mountains. Later, with the rapid expansion of the kingdom, the remnants of the barbarians in the mountains were all One by one. The southwestern border has been pushed to the edge of the Colima Mountains five hundred miles away, and the fortresses in these hinterlands have been completely abandoned."

Hearing this, Xiulot's expression changed. He looked at the samurai commander on the other side.

"Bothard, what is the situation of the remnants of Tarasco in the southwestern mountains? Has it surrendered?"

"Your Highness, most of the remnants of the Southwest handed in surrender forms. The lords from all over the country also sent envoys to send tribute, and they surrendered to the new Lake Kingdom in name. But in fact, they still maintained the tradition of self-government in the region, firmly Control everything on the fief."

Berthard thought for a while, then nodded slightly, then shook his head slowly. He silently pointed his finger to the southwest.

"Your Highness, please see that the terrain in the southwest is very divided and complicated. The criss-crossing mountains converge to form lower basins in the middle, and scattered towns and villages are located in them. Between the mountains are a series of narrow passes, only a few troops It takes a lot of effort to break through the defense."

"The mountain people here are closed and grouped together, rebellious and unruly, and it is difficult to collect taxes. The local nobles are also stubborn and arrogant, and they value the land above everything else. Once the central government forcibly assigns people to manage it, it will easily cause joint riots between the mountain people and the nobles. And hundreds of miles southwest of the mountainous area, there are no more than 100,000 residents, scattered everywhere like hedgehogs. The people here are fierce and brave, the terrain is steep and difficult to navigate, and the land is very barren. It is very difficult to conquer, and nothing can be looted property."

"In general, the cost of directly governing the southwest far exceeds the benefits after directly governing! The center of the kingdom has no will, and it is difficult to establish direct rule. During the Tarakos period, the way to govern here was to entrust military nobles and confer obedience The chieftain, while intimidating by military power, at the same time wins over business."

Hearing this, Shulot frowned. He looked towards the undulating south, and his thoughts drifted away.

The Pacific Rim and American plates collided, forming a chain of volcanic mountains along the western edge of America. And with the long-term volcanic movement, the rich mineral deposits in the ground have also been brought to the surface mountains. In Mesoamerica, plates collided to form the towering Sierra Madre del Sur. The Sierra Madre del Sur extends all the way, dividing the southwestern part of the world into two halves that are difficult to communicate. The southwestern mountainous area of ​​the feudal country is the branch of the Sierra Madre del Sur.

If you want to conquer the distant Colima Mountains from the Patzcuaro Lake District, there are only two routes across the mountains, the north and the south. The northern route needs to form a fleet, go west along the Leman River for 500 miles, and after conquering the Chapala Lake District, turn to the southwest along the tributaries for 400 miles. The southern route is to follow the aperture in the mountain, travel four hundred miles southwest, and then turn to the northwest two hundred miles.

In general, although the northern route is long, it can carry tens of thousands of troops by water. The southern route saves one-third of the distance, but only a small number of elite legions can pass through the mountains.

"This situation is really similar to the southwest of the Celestial Dynasty!"

Xiulot looked calm and laughed at himself.

"The iron ore in the Colima Mountains is like a carrot in front of a donkey. You can always see it but you can't eat it! Even in Colima, it is very difficult to dig deep iron ore. Maybe I should go to North America. method, the U.S.-Mexico border in future generations is an extremely rich mine belt.”

The king pondered for a while, then asked again.

"Botard, where is the southwestern border that the feudal country can really send officials to effectively control?"

The warrior commander stood on tiptoe, looked at the nearest basin in the southwest, flexed his fingers for a while, and then answered cautiously.

"Your Highness, the farthest controlled area in the southwest of Fengguo is the city of Urapani, 150 miles southwest of the capital. This is an important town in the west of Zicao County. The meaning of Urapani is that flowering and fruiting occur at the same time. plants, so it is also known as the 'Flower and Fruit City' in the mountains!"

"Flower and fruit city in the mountains?!"

Shulot was stunned, with a strange twitch on his face. he asked subconsciously.

"Are there a lot of monkeys there?"

"Your Highness is very knowledgeable! The mountains in the southwest are indeed rich in long-haired howler monkeys. They have a fierce temperament and like to roar. Oh, and there are also pineapples that howler monkeys love to eat."

Ezpan stepped forward and continued to admire with a smile.

"Um."

The king nodded stiffly. He controlled his expression before asking seriously.

"In this way, beyond the Baili Plain in the south of the lake area, Fengguo only controls the mountainous area of ​​more than 50 miles. Berthard, the southwest mountainous area is a full four to five hundred miles! Even if the mountain road is difficult, Fengguo should not Only control such a small area. How can the scattered nobles in the southwestern mountains resist the tens of thousands of kingdom legions?"

"Your Highness, if you are willing to pay thousands of casualties, the old aristocrats in the southwestern mountainous area will indeed be unable to resist the legion, and the kingdom's ruled area can extend another two hundred miles to the southwest. However, the crusade against the mountainous area will not bring much benefit, and it will not be able to in a short time." Establish an effective rule. Once the army withdraws, the mountain people will inevitably launch a rebellion with the support of those who are interested. If the army is stationed in the mountain area, the food consumed will double with the extension of the mountain road, and the mountain people will also be encountered. repeated guerrilla attacks."

Hearing this, Shulot fell silent. Ezpan perked up. He volunteered and stepped forward to ask for orders.

"Your Highness is merciful! I don't want the warriors to suffer too many casualties. I am familiar with the terrain here, and I can lead Prepecha's new spear army to pacify this place for Your Highness! In a frontal battle, the mountain people are actually vulnerable. As long as you send troops before the autumn harvest Crusade, garrison for one year, and then destroying the spring plowing of the mountain people in the second year, their food will be exhausted. Without food, the mountain people can only surrender to the real sun!"

"Destroying the autumn harvest and spring plowing. Well, Ezpan, I appreciate your loyalty, and I will entrust you with more important tasks!"

Shulot glanced at Ezpan calmly, patted him on the shoulder affectionately, and praised him softly. The other party immediately looked excited and bowed to salute. Then, the king frowned and looked at the warrior commander.

"Berthard, you just said, the support of 'people with a heart'? Could it be the south side."

"Exactly, Your Highness."

The warrior commander nodded affirmatively.

"The scouts have reported back one after another. In the past few months, there have been some changes in Zicao County in the south. The old nobles who have surrendered continue to meet, and they seem to have formed a loose alliance of mutual assistance. They also frequently send envoys to communicate with the nobles in the southwest mountainous area. Let's exchange plots."

"These aristocrats who have disputes with each other and have conflicts from generation to generation can let go of their conflicts, only to resist the pressure from the central government. Once the Kingdom Legion falls into the quagmire of the mountains, the southern aristocrats will definitely support the mountain people secretly to divert His Highness's attention. Consume the strength of the central government"

"Well, if you want to pacify the southwest, you must first fix the south. The old nobles in the south"

Xiulot asked calmly with a blank face.

"Are they preparing to rebel?"

"The Western Expedition has just ended, and the alliance's martial arts are still impressive. If they are not driven to a dead end, I am afraid they will not have the courage to rebel."

"Where is their bottom line?"

"land."

The samurai commander replied briefly.

"Land. Land. I will give them another chance to choose. Although the Lord God is the God of War, he also has mercy."

The king looked calm, and had already made a decision in his heart. Even if the setting sun is like blood, reflecting the sky at dusk, the sun will always bring light!

"I'm optimistic, let's go!"

The marching trumpet sounded loud and clear, echoing in the vast world. The elite warriors once again unfolded into a marching column.

When the sun slanted slightly to the west, the huge mountain mine finally appeared in front of everyone. A circle of wooden fences hastily surrounded it, separating the copper vein and the mine. Gilded copper mines streaked the land, mounds of earth and rock piled up into hills, and crude furnaces billowed black smoke.

Crowds of miners are poorly dressed, stooped and lean. With their heads down and baskets on their backs, they are busy inside and outside the mine, and the number is more than a thousand. And in the points of mine traffic and on the high ground, there are groups of Mexica warriors scattered. The warriors wore armor and shields, and some held longbows, and were closely monitoring the operation of the mine. As the most important copper mine in the feudal kingdom, a whole brigade of two hundred elite warriors was stationed here.

Seeing Wang Qi approaching from a distance, a warrior captain in full gear strode out of the mine. He walked in front of the king, showing a sturdy and familiar face, and knelt down on the ground like a mountain.

"Your Highness, I salute you! I am the feather of the eagle, and I will follow you to the end of the world!"

Note: Uruapani, in the city of Uruapan in the state of Micancho, Mexico today.