Chapter 212 The King’s Greetings
The gentle spring breeze blows through the soft earth, and the vast wilderness is covered with warm spring scenery. Yellow wildflowers bloom on the plains of the Lake District, and red birds chase and fly low in the sky. The interwoven streams sing gurgling songs, and the towering mountains rise and fall in the distant sky. The spring is beautiful, the grass is lush, and it is a quiet and peaceful time.
However, under the bright spring light, there is infinite murderous intent at this time! Shulot climbed onto the hill and looked ahead, seeing a mighty army coming from the end of his sight. Tarasco's royal army came in thousands and thousands of people, forming a strict queue and flowing like a torrent. The steps of the warriors were merciless. They trampled the blooming wild flowers, lowered their weapons, and frightened the birds in the sky.
Shulot stared for a moment, his pupils slightly contracted. The enemy troops marched in groups, but there was no confusion in the queue. Then, the royal army several miles away stopped and gradually spread out to the two wings. An inherited eagle flag was immediately revealed, standing high in the center of the military formation. The young commander's gaze rested on the ancient flag. The golden eagle spread its wings and was about to fly. It always reminded people of far away places and many things.
After a moment, Shulot's eyes moved down to the military formation under the flag, and he quickly frowned. He took a few breaths and turned his head to look at the warrior commander beside him.
"Is this the Bronze Ax Guard of Tarasco?"
Bertard stared ahead with his eagle eyes and nodded solemnly.
"Yes, Your Highness. This is the core of the Tarasco royal family's rule over the world, the most elite Bronze Ax Guard. It was specially selected by all the Tarasco kings in order to compete with the most noble Eagle Chapter of the Alliance. Formed. Unlike the noble warbands of the Alliance, the Bronze Ax Guards are purely elite warriors who are loyal to the royal family and do not have independent fiefdoms, so they can withstand higher battle losses. The Tacuaro Valley raided King Avite's loyal army and defeated two thousand Jaguars, forcing King Avite to flee eastward. The Union army was subsequently defeated, and the first western expedition failed."
Shulot nodded slightly and remained silent. Avit lost his military power after that battle and also lost his priority in inheriting the throne. There was a turmoil in the lake capital, and then with the support of the chief priests, Tisok succeeded to the throne.
Bertard withdrew his sharp gaze and looked at Xiulote solemnly.
"Your Highness, the king of Mexica cannot fail in the war. This guard wears a bronze helmet on its head, carries a bronze ax on its waist, and carries a new long bow on its back. You need to be careful."
Hearing this, Shulot clenched his hands slightly, but his face was full of confidence. He laughed loudly.
"Two years ago, I saw this guard once on the north bank of the Leman River. It was just across the river that I didn't actually fight with them. Today is a good day! Come, join my loyal warriors and defeat these guards with your own hands. The world-famous Imperial Guard captures the King of Tarasco alive!"
Hearing His Highness's heroic words, the surrounding pro-army troops also cheered together. Black Wolf's commanding flag was majestically erected on the hillock, and three thousand shooting regiments then garrisoned under the flag. The longbow warriors occupied the ground and stuck their arrows in the soil in front of them. The mighty melee army crossed the hill and formed an array in front of the commander's flag. The center army consists of 7,000 spear militiamen, the left wing consists of 3,000 religious warriors, and the right wing consists of 3,000 Holy City Legions. On the periphery of the warrior formation, there were two thousand patrolling longbow militiamen and one thousand elite scouts of the Northern Army.
As for the western city-state legions, they could not keep up with the speed of the legions, and suffered a lot of losses in the battle of Takuro Plains. The private army of the nobles was wandering and difficult to rely on. In this decisive battle, Shulot only recruited hundreds of elite warriors from the city-state nobles to join the Northern Army's scout team. The main force of the city-state army was stationed at Huayamo Fortress, maintaining the food route while maintaining pressure on Qincongcan City.
The army was arrayed, with the commander in the center. Shulot stood on a high place, gazing at the nearly 20,000 troops fully assembled, with fiery pride surging in his chest. He raised his head and looked at the vast blue sky. The misty clouds transformed into palaces in the sky, and the sun ascended to the throne of the sky. Under the eyes of the Lord God, the grand ceremony is about to begin!
"Tens of thousands of warriors from both armies and two divine commanders are just sacrifices to the Sun God. The rise and fall of the kingdom depends on this battle!"
A few miles away, Suangua, under the flag of the Eagle, looked excited. He looked around at his cronies, boosting the morale of the generals. When he saw the lineup of the Northern Army of Mexico today, his heart suddenly sank. The opponent's army is well-organized and their numbers far exceed ours. This battle will not be easy.
So the young king summoned his trusted generals and made a solemn promise for the last time.
"The temples of the three gods, the tombs of your ancestors, as well as your land, estates, and children must be protected by the sticks and axes in your hands! Go back and tell the warriors under your command: Kasong Chisuangua swears here that as long as this If you win the battle, and when you return to the capital, you will spend all your royal family's land and property to share the wealth with them! As long as you win this battle, no matter how many survivors there are, all the militiamen will be promoted to warriors, and all the warriors will be promoted to nobles!"
Upon hearing the king's promise, the officers of each battalion looked surprised and looked at each other silently for a moment. Among the loyal royal army, no one doubted the king's majesty. After a while, the officers who had reacted paid homage to the king one after another, thanked the king for his generosity, and then turned around and returned to their camps. Soon after, continuous cheers rang out from the legion.
Su Angua was silent. He stared at the black wolf flag opposite and thought carefully for a while, a strange look suddenly flashed in his eyes.
"I heard that the Mexican commander opposite is named Xiulote. He is young, less than twenty years old?"
The confidant beside him stepped forward and bowed his head to report.
"Your Majesty is wise. According to the intelligence, the chief and deputy marshals of the North Road are descendants of Isko Atl, a branch of the Mexica royal family. The deputy marshal is his father Shusoke, and the coach is his son Shulot. They are all pseudonyms from the inheritance of the god of death. . And Shulot is the nominal heir of the current Alliance King Avit. It is said that he is the reincarnation of a sage and has divine wisdom."
Su Angua shook his head slightly. To be able to command an army and achieve such a result, no matter how smart he is, he cannot be only fifteen years old. This is probably a deliberate bragging by the Mexicans. However, even if he is twenty years old, he is still young and must have insufficient experience in some aspects.
"Being from a branch, winning all the way, young and energetic"
The young king pondered for a while, and his thoughts became clearer. He summoned his confidants.
"In the name of the Royal Family of Tarasco, as my envoy, you invite His Highness Mexica to meet in front of the battle."
Then, Suangua waved to his confidant to take two steps forward and whispered in his ear.
"You hinted in your words that King Tarasco intends to surrender to His Highness Mexica. The king is willing to hand over the great capital and the rich southern territory, and only wants to be enfeoffed in the desolate southwest mountainous area and preserve the inheritance of the royal family. Specifically. The conditions can be discussed in person, but His Highness’s personal commitment is required.”
The confidants opened their eyes wide in disbelief and looked at the majestic king.
"Your Majesty, this, this"
"I have made up my mind, go and send the message!"
Su Angua's face was as dark as water and he shouted sternly. He watched as his confidant lowered his head and silently walked towards the front of the formation. Then he turned his head slightly and called for the general of his personal guard.
"Yuku, my loyal hound, you have always been brave and good at shooting. Are you already familiar with the new longbow?"
In the Prepecha language, Yuku means hound and coyote. In the Kingdom of Tarasco, this is a noble family that has been passed down for hundreds of years and has always been the bodyguard of the kingdom. Upon hearing the king's inquiry, a middle-aged warrior with a simple face took two steps forward silently. He knelt down on one knee like a statue and bowed his head solemnly in salute.
"Your Majesty, if you use a new long bow, you can shoot a flying bird within sixty steps."
"If the bird doesn't move, how far can you be sure?"
Yuku raised his head slightly, revealing his deep eyes. He followed the king's gaze, thought for a moment, and answered cautiously.
"Within one hundred and twenty steps, you can give it a try. Within one hundred steps, you will definitely hit the black wolf."
Su Angua nodded slightly and immediately gave the order.
"Yuku, quickly summon the ten best archers among the guards. Follow me later to meet with the commander of the Mexica people."
Then, he waved Yuku forward and whispered a few words in a low voice. He saluted with a serious look on his face, turned around, and strode away.
The young king thought for a while and spoke loudly again.
"Come here, order the priests to light up the holy fire, hold a ceremony in front of the battle, and pray to the three gods! Then bring over the bronze armor and the sturdy bronze helmet donated by the Ivacchio coppersmiths!"
The murderous military formation spread out sonorously, and the burning flames crackled. The priests of Tarasco built a altar, poured in baskets of incense and burned the pleasant divine smoke. In the smoke, Suangua narrowed his eyes. He looked at the trusted envoy, watching the envoy walk out of the military formation, towards the enemy, and then walked to the hilltop until he was in front of the black wolf's flag.
The black wolf, symbolizing death, flutters high on the flag, looking up to the sky and howling at the reborn sun. Under the flag, the young commander looked surprised as he looked at the enemy envoy who was kneeling in front of him.
"King of Tarasco, Cassonchi of the Prepechas, Eagle of the Land of the Lakes, His Majesty Suangua, to His Highness the Mexica, Divine Enlightenment of the Tenochtitlan, The black wolf in the capital of the gods, Marshal Shulot, solemnly pays his respects. For the glory of the gods, the two great alliances fight to the death, and the sacred blood flows freely. At this moment, the earth is flooded with bright red, and the world has reached the end of the divine war. .The kings met under the gaze of the gods and left an immortal announcement."
"The supreme sun god rose into the sky, and the moon hung behind the mountain. The eagle on the lake was willing to land on the cactus, letting the sharp thorns pierce its wings. It lowered its head, cried softly to the mighty black wolf, and offered Patz The fattest fish on Lake Quaro. From now on, the flying eagle will enter the cave in the southwest, where it will guard the frontier for the sun."
Shulot skipped the ritualized preface, pondered over the metaphorical words, and then asked in surprise.
"You mean, in front of the two armies, Suangua is willing to surrender to the alliance and offer the Patzcuaro Lake area? Southwest, garrison. He wants to keep a fief in the southwest?"
The messenger pursed his lips and nodded silently. There was a trace of despair in his expression, but also the final stubbornness.
"No, your noble Majesty did not say so. He just asked His Highness Mexica to stand in front of the battle for a while. According to the noble etiquette of the Tula people, before the official war, the two divine royal families should meet each other. Salute. This battle is destined to be spread all over the world and become an immortal chapter in the poet's mouth. The two kings should meet before the battle and their names will be passed down in the epic!"
Seeing the envoy's expression, Shulot smiled slightly.
"You are a good messenger, please step back and wait!"
Then, two personal warriors came forward and took the enemy's envoy away. Shulot looked at the enemy king's flag facing him from a distance and fell into deep thought. After a while, he looked at the most trustworthy samurai commander.
"Bertard, the battle between the two armies is imminent, and the world will be decided in one battle. At this time, Suangua invited me to have a talk in front of the battle. What is his intention?"
Bertard thought for a while and answered calmly.
"Your Highness, Suanga either surrendered sincerely or had bad intentions. He may hope to persuade Your Highness and find an opportunity; or he may just delay time and wait for reinforcements. But in fact, his thoughts are not important. What is important is your plan. Do you want Suanga to surrender?"
Hearing the question from the chief warrior, Xu Luote laughed.
"Of course! The outcome of this battle is still unknown. Although our army has the advantage in numbers, the enemy is all elite."
The young commander looked across. Tens of thousands of Tarasco King's troops were in strict formation and well-equipped, and they lined up steadily in front of the Mexica Legion. The warm breeze blew, bringing the enemy's faint cheers, and there was a scent of spices in the wind. The priests of Tarasco danced wildly on the altar around the holy fire, boosting the morale of the army.
"The Royal Army is different from the Chapala Army. They are united and determined to fight to the death. The Northern Army in this battle is all my reliable direct line. Even if we win the bloody battle, I don't know how many warriors will be lost. If we can surrender the Tarasco King's Army after just a short meeting, it will be like a merciful gift from the Lord God! If Qin Congcan surrenders without a fight, the lake area can even catch up with this year's spring plowing!"
A smile appeared on Xiu Luote's face. He hopes to preserve the vitality of the land in the lake, whether it is civilians or warriors. Because, in his heart, there is a broad future and too many grand plans.
Bertard looked at the young commander and saw the bright light in his eyes. The samurai leader was silent for a while, and then he spoke slowly and ruthlessly.
"Then, my highness, can you accept Suangwa's surrender?"