Aztec Eternals

In October 1489, in the south of the Iberian Peninsula, the Emirate of Granada.

The long Granada War has entered its eighth year. The continuous flames of war are still burning between the mountains and the coast in the south of the peninsula. From Malaga to Granada and then to Barcelona, ​​the land of Granada, which was once extremely rich, has been almost wiped out by brutal killings and looting.

So far, the Moors have been building for more than 700 years, and the proud farms, orchards, and canals have all been destroyed by war. In the fertile mountain valleys of the south, there are burned and destroyed villages and markets everywhere, looted workshops and mines everywhere, abandoned fields and pastures everywhere, and there are also people wearing cross cloaks and shouting Jihad slogans, knights and retinues who charge and kill fanatically.

"Praise the Lord! After traveling in the wild for six or seven days, I finally captured a decent Moorish prisoner!"

The sound of trampling horseshoes came from the end of the valley. Soon, more than a dozen cavalrymen wearing cross armor, one man and two horses, appeared from behind the hillside with a faint cloud of smoke.

The leading knight was young, with a slightly elongated face, sharp features, and an excited look on his face. He wore a set of polished and compact half plate armor, which was lighter than full plate armor and was convenient for long-distance raids. In this era when plate armor has not yet been mass-produced, the price of this set of refined plate armor is equal to a dozen sets of chain mail shirts on the Iberian Peninsula, or a set of real estate in Seville.

The horse under the knight's crotch is wearing a protective horse coat with the family crest engraved on it. Looking carefully, the pattern on the badge is actually a winged flying lion, the San Marco flying lion. There is no doubt that the knight's family comes from the Republic of Venice.

"Blessed by the Lord! This time, King Fernando of Aragon led tens of thousands of crusaders south. The Moors showed their decline and could only hide in the castle. Giovanni, they can't hold on for long!"

Beside the young plate armor knight was another older plate armor knight with graying hair. With a calm demeanor, he was talking with the young knight while observing the situation ahead. His movements are concise and effective, and when galloping the horse, it is as if he was born on the horse's back, obviously he is a seasoned veteran. His war horse is also covered with protective horse clothes, but there is no family coat of arms.

"Lorenzo, why do you say the Moors won't last long?"

The young knight Giovanni turned his head and looked curiously at the old knight Lorenzo. He blinked and said with a smile.

"You have seen this way. The Moors built forts everywhere in the mountains. These stone fortresses are extremely strong and have an advantage in terrain. If I were to fight, I would just withdraw my troops. I feel that they I can guard these mountain castles until I die of old age!"

"The mountain forts of the Moors are indeed well-defended. If they were placed more than two hundred years ago, when Governor Enrico presided over the Fourth Crusade, each of these fortresses would have to be surrounded for several years. For an unfallen city like Constantinople, without the civil strife of the Byzantines and the support of Prince Alexis IV, we would not have been able to defeat it.”

The old knight Lorenzo's expression remained unchanged. He nodded in affirmation first, and talked about the old story of the Fourth Eastern Expedition and the sacking of Constantinople before putting forward his own opinion.

"It's just that the times are different after all! More than 40 years ago, Constantinople was captured by the Ottomans, relying on unheard of cannons. And two years ago, King Fernando captured the seaside Fort Málaga (Málaga), Dozens of large mortars were also dispatched. In the face of the terrifying artillery, the once fortified fortress is likely to fall."

"Ha! Artillery. That heavy, slow stuff, only for sea and siege."

Hearing this, the young knight Giovanni curled his lips with displeasure on his face. He had seen the warships of Venice with cannons, and the power of cannons when they attacked the city. It's just that the glory of knights still hangs over his heart, which makes him instinctively dislike this kind of powerful firearm that treats people equally and ignores the difference between knights and militiamen.

"The Lord is witness! So what if there are cannons? King Fernando led the army to set up a crusader camp and besieged the mountain city of Baza. They have been besieged for almost half a year, and the supplies can hardly keep up. The mountain city is still stable. Very good!"

"Well, the mountain city of Bassa is, after all, the strongest mountain fortress in the northeast of Granada. This city is built on a flat mountain, and the terrain is really dangerous. If you want to attack the city, you can only attack upwards along the mountain roads with ravines. The artillery in the battalion cannot hit the towering mountain city in this terrain, but even if the artillery is not used, the Moors will not be able to defend this fortified mountain city for long."

"Oh? Lorenzo, are you sure?"

Hearing the old knight's judgment, the young knight Giovanni raised his eyebrows. He turned his head, looked into the eyes of the old knight, and asked in a deep voice.

"The Lord bears witness! If the mountain city of Basa is really about to fall, why do you still suggest that I come out with my subordinates and seek credit in this wilderness?"

"God bless! The siege has been going on for a long time, and the army's supplies are insufficient. The Castilian army in the camp is demoralized and irritable. You can also see the atmosphere. The crusader knights have nothing to do, and some gamble in private , Some competed everywhere, some boasted, how many heretics they killed, and how they killed them.”

Facing the young knight's questioning, the old knight's expression remained unchanged, with a smile on the corner of his mouth.

"Giovanni, staying in the camp won't do you any good. It's better to go out and patrol. The Moors have already shrunk, and the possibility of encountering a large group of Moorish cavalry is already very small."

"Lorenzo, while you are saying that the mountain city of Bassa is about to fall, you are also saying that the morale of the troops in the battalion is not good."

The young knight Giovanni frowned, feeling somewhat incomprehensible.

"It's a mess! Since the besieging army can't do it, how can we capture Basa mountain city?"

"Haha! Giovanni, to capture a fortress, you have to look at the attacking side on the one hand, and the guarding side on the other."

The old knight smiled, not minding the offense of Giovanni's words. After all, from a certain point of view, Chevalier Giovanni, who will inherit his father's title and parliamentary status in the future, can be regarded as his future lord. He stretched out his hand, pointed to the knights behind with a smile, and said confidently to a Moorish captive who was tied up immediately.

"The Lord testifies! There is a village in front of us, there should be a well in it. After running for so long, we might as well rest there for half a day. Feed the horses some water and beans, eat something, and torture the captured Moorish nobles by the way. Maybe, you will believe what I say!"

"Okay! Hurry up then!"

Hearing this, the young knight Giovanni nodded. As soon as he clamped the horse's belly with his legs, he galloped towards the Moorish village in the valley. More than a dozen knights and followers followed closely, and in the desolate hinterland of Granada, a cloud of smoke and dust was raised, and they were gone in a short while.