Chapter 210 The Only Way

The wind of April set off from the ocean, rustling for thousands of miles, and arrived at the lake of Mikancho. Under the warm sunshine, a light mist rose from the edge of Lake Patzcuaro, and the air was moist. The pines and cypresses by the water fluttered in the wind, and the morning dew condensed on the tips of the leaves and flowed down the slender branches. The quiet time of early spring was silently soaked in the morning sun.

Xiuluot stood quietly by the lake, looking at the deep blue sky. The fresh wind blew, carrying the fragrance of unknown flowers, blowing away the rolling clouds. The sun fell on his face and around him, leaving a brilliant tranquility.

However, peace and tranquility are only temporary appearances, and war and fighting are the reality of the world. The breeze blew from the southwest, and the tip of the nose was the drifting fireworks, and there was a faint smell of blood.

Xiuluot sighed softly. Then, he suddenly looked back, and the burning flames were reflected in his pupils.

"The long rainy season is coming, and the loss of food will increase exponentially. The horn of spring plowing will sound at the end of the month, and the mobilized manpower will begin to become tight. The war must be rushed!"

A few dozen steps away, hundreds of guards wearing armor and holding bows stood silently behind His Highness. They were like solemn pottery figurines, waiting for the commander's order.

And in the farther south, a blazing fire rose in Ivachio. The flames leaped, connecting to the rising sun in the sky, reflecting the prosperous town in red. The sound of the wind blew, bringing distant sounds, and the shouts of fighting resounded through the sky. The temples of priests, the manors of nobles, the houses of big merchants, and wherever there was resistance, the Mexica Legion would be decisively slaughtered, and even ushered in the flames of destruction, until everything was silent.

After a few minutes, the sound of fighting gradually stopped. Toltec stepped on the sun and walked from the burning town. His battle clothes were bloody, his eyes were bloodshot red, and his face was full of cold murderous intent. Only when he came close to His Highness did he kneel on one knee and report respectfully.

"Your Highness, our army launched a surprise attack at dawn, and now Ivachio has been conquered by the army! The temple that resisted most fiercely was burned down, and the priests of the alien gods all went to the abyss. Most of the nobles of Tarasco died in the battle, and the rest became prisoners. The big merchants in the town resisted for a moment and surrendered. They sent out representatives to request negotiations with you. They said that as long as their respective properties were preserved, they would serve you, and then discuss the cost of the military service. It was really a fantasy!"

At the end, Toltec held the war stick in his hand and sneered coldly. In the eyes of the warriors, the victor gets everything. These conquered merchants are already sacrifices of the alliance captives and have no right to negotiate.

Xiuluo Te's face was calm. He raised his eyes and looked at the sky in the south. The royal army of Suangu was hiding somewhere within a hundred or two miles in the south, and the war could come suddenly at any time. So he shook his head and decided the fate of the captives.

"Toltec, I don't have much time to waste here. I only need miners to dig copper, craftsmen to make copperware, food to supply the legion, armaments for the battlefield, and the latest military information in the south! As for the wealth of the entire town, it will be rewarded to the warriors of the legion! I'll give you half a day to quickly solve everything, and then go out to scout!"

"I obey your will, thank you for your generosity!"

Hearing this, Toltec's face showed joy and he bowed to the ground. Then he got up and went back, striding quickly, like a black wolf chasing prey, and pounced on the prey promised by the leader.

Soon, the warriors in the town cheered and sang praises to His Highness's generosity. Then the warriors got busy. They screened the captives, searched for supplies, and then divided the looted feathers, gold, silver, gems and slaves equally in the camp. After a while, a shrill cry sounded, and then quickly stopped. The priests who accompanied the army chanted the hymn of the sun god, returned with blood-stained obsidian daggers, and all the noble captives were sacrificed.

Xulot remained calm and continued to ponder. A moment later, Ezepan came to him with a slightly fat prisoner.

"Your Highness, I interrogated the newly arrived merchant. This big merchant is from Trapanic and said he had important military intelligence to report. He saw traces of a large army in the south!"

Ezepan reported respectfully and then kicked hard. The prisoner felt a pain in his knee and fell forward on the grass, begging for mercy in panic.

Hearing the military intelligence, Xulot was slightly moved. He waved his hand and signaled the prisoner to be quiet. Ezepan knelt on one knee and pressed the merchant's head into the grass, forcing him to be silent.

"Did you find traces of a large group of enemies? When, where, what flag, and how many people?"

Your Highness asked. Ezepan then repeated it again in the southern dialect of the kingdom. Hearing this, the merchant stopped shouting. His eyes flashed and he put on his usual smile.

"Your Majesty the Mexica. I am a merchant from the Trapanic tribe. We Trapanic people have always been submissive to the powerful Mexica Alliance and paid tribute to the Alliance on time. In the war between the Alliance and the Kingdom, we also firmly support the Alliance that believes in the Sun God and the Rain God. I am willing to use the latest intelligence in exchange for your blessing on my property and a small reward."

Xuluot lowered his eyes slightly and spoke in a low voice.

"The military situation is urgent, and we must keep it accurate."

Ezpan nodded, his expression cold. Then, he suddenly raised his knee and hit the merchant completely. Then he pressed the opponent's left hand to the ground and took out a sharp dagger. In the opponent's terrified eyes, he swung the blade and cut it without hesitation.

"Ah, ah!"

Fear and pain caused the slightly fat businessman to let out two short howls before being pushed into the grass again. Like Ezpin, he permanently lost the little finger on his left hand.

"Where is the enemy? What flag? How many people are there? Tell the truth, one lie, one finger!"

Ezpin let go and repeated the question. At the same time, he raised the dagger again.

"Your Highness, spare your life! I say, I say!" The businessman opened his eyes wide in horror, begging for mercy loudly and full of pain.

"Nine days, no, ten days ago, I passed through Apachingan State in the south and met local merchants who were fleeing. A Mexica army landed from the ferry on the north bank of the Tulsas River and immediately defeated the nearby towns. They executed a group of nobles and merchants, confiscated enough supplies from the towns, and then began to march north. I quickly escaped here before they arrived, but I didn't expect to escape this incident."

"What, are you sure it's the Mexican Legion that appears in the south?"

Shulot looked surprised. He originally thought he could hear the traces of King Tarasco's army, but unexpectedly he heard the intelligence of friendly forces.

"It must be the Mexican Legion! I saw it with my own eyes from local merchants who are familiar with me. They held high the flag of the Sun God and also hung the flag of the fallen moon."

Fallen Evil Moon. There is only one Mexica commander with this emblem, and that is.

"The Last Moon, Iskali, is the South Route Army!"

Shulot whispered to himself in a low voice, with an excited expression on his face. The appearance of such a new force in the nearby south will bring more favorable developments to the situation. If this is true, Suangua will not be able to detour from the south. The only way to retreat westward will be completely cut off!

"How many people are there in the Southern Army? Where is the last position? Where are the local businessmen you know?"

Shulot asked seriously with a serious expression.

Trapanik's businessman's eyes flickered again. He answered intermittently.

"There are thousands of troops from the south. The troops arrived slightly north of Apachingan State, causing chaos everywhere. I and the local businessmen fled."

Shulot lowered his eyes again and shook his head slightly. Ezpin shouted sharply, cut off the dagger again, and then spoke coldly.

"One lie, one finger. Three lies, and you die!"

The slightly fat businessman howled miserably, with tears in his eyes. He cried softly and spoke in fear.

"Ah, ah! I don't know! A large army appeared in the south. We merchants had no time to escape, so how could we get closer and take a closer look? As for the local merchant, he fled in a hurry and did not hire any warriors to protect him. There were only a few servants, and I met him in the wild with a lot of gems and treasures. No one knew about me in this chaotic time, so I naturally killed him, accepted the property with a smile, and sent several servants to the Kingdom of God. Your Highness, I told the truth and I didn’t lie!”

Shulot watched for a moment and nodded.

In this era, businessmen are not good at anything. Big businessmen raised warriors, colluded with tribal leaders or local nobles, and often engaged in smuggling and private trade. In tight towns, businessmen can be good, law-abiding gentlemen. In the desolate wilderness and weak villages, as long as they have the upper hand, they will reveal their ferocious minions and obey the laws of the jungle.

"Bandage his wounds and imprison him. Send out elite scouts and take the merchant's servants to the south to establish contact with Iskali's legion!"

"Tell Iskali to lead the army north quickly and join my northern army. Be careful, Suangua's army is somewhere not far to the south. If there are traces of the enemy, inform each other in time, and then join together. Army attack!"

"Yes! Your Highness, may your light shine on the heaven and earth!"

Ezpin paid homage. Then, he grabbed the merchant captive and left quickly without looking back.

Not long after, more than a dozen teams of scouts hurried south. They have different military orders, the most important one is to find the King of Tarasco's army.

Shulot looked into the distance. The sun rises high, and the light shines on the earth, making all shadows unable to hide. The young commander muttered to himself.

"Suangwa, the army has blocked the southwest road. Where can you go?"

The sun rises and sets, and one day passes in a blink of an eye. The bright sunshine shines hundreds of miles to the southeast, reflecting the green mountains and forests. In a undulating forest valley, the stream flows quietly, passing several neighboring noble manors. This is a woodland where nobles show off their martial prowess and hunt in autumn. Commoners have always been prohibited from entering and exiting, and it is always desolate in spring and summer.

However, at this moment, if someone can pass through the hidden sentries and walk into the seemingly peaceful forest manor, they will find thousands of strong warriors. They held bronze axes and big bows, wore bronze helmets and leather armor, and maintained a neat military appearance. Tarasco's most elite royal army is currently stationed in the hidden valley, waiting for the king's decision.

King Suangua was wearing a war suit and standing on the high ground of the manor with his hands behind his back. He was silent, looking at the northwest sky, and then sighed quietly for a long time.

"When the fire breaks out, the wind should stay away. Let the wildfire sweep across and burn up the weeds, corn and even cocoa outside the city. As long as the sacred wind is still there, new seeds will always be sown!"

The King of Tarasco whispered metaphorical words. This was the secret letter from Chief Minister Zinzini a few months ago, and he had already memorized it by heart.

"Chief Hummingbird, did you predict today's situation a few months ago? In just one year, the kingdom that has been inherited for two hundred years will be in danger. Where is my way forward, and where is the kingdom's turning point? Woolen cloth?"

The young king looked heavy-hearted. Since retreating from the southern line, the royal army has been secretly marching south along a remote path, and quickly heading west along the river in the forest. Relying on his status as a king, the army used the nobles' manors as bases and obtained supplies from the great nobles in the south. For safety reasons, he brought the sons of these nobles with him, pretending to trust and win them over, but in fact, as hostages, he never let the news of the march leak out.

Along the way, military intelligence from all over the place continued to gather, and the king's plan was constantly changing. When leaving the southern line, he was ready to lead his army back to the capital, reorganize the army and hold on, waiting for reinforcements from the Tlaxcalans. Soon after, he encountered a large number of Mexica scouts and learned that the area around the capital was already under the control of the Mexica Northern Army.

The most reliable northern route was defeated in succession. Although Suanga scolded Ospai and Penguari, he never dared to underestimate the young Mexica Highness. The royal army was not dominant, and once it encountered an enemy in the wild, the outcome was really unpredictable. So, he turned southwest, preparing to go south to the city of Ivachio in the hinterland. On the one hand, he would get supplies there, and on the other hand, he would support the capital in the north.

The young king made up his mind and made two preparations. Once the capital was surrounded and could not be rescued, or the people were demoralized and could not be stationed, he would lead the royal family and the chief family to the south and retreat to the Colima Mountains in the southwest. The Kingdom of Tarasco has conquered the mountain tribes for many years and is well aware of the advantages of mountain terrain. Defense and defense in dangerous places, guerrilla warfare to avoid the real and attack the virtual, are all suitable strategies to use the weak to defeat the strong and wait for the right time.

However, the scouts in the south soon sent intelligence that a Mexica army of about 5,000 people landed in Apachengampong, only more than 100 miles away from the royal army.

"What's more fatal is."

Suanga turned around and looked at the scouts kneeling on the ground. The loyal scouts ran a hundred miles a day and brought the latest bad news.

"The Mexica northern army quickly moved south, captured the city of Ivachio, and blocked the passage to the west. The enemy scouts advanced nearly a hundred miles and were very close to the royal army!"

The young king waved his hand calmly and asked the scouts to retreat and rest. Then, with a firm face, he looked at the royal eagle flag that was erected again.

"At this point, there is only one way!"