Chapter 291 Cicadas in May
The dog-born warriors went south, and the coalition scouts went north. They were close to each other for reconnaissance, and were destined to meet in the mountains and forests of the plateau. From Otto Pangbang to Pamsbang, the scouts fought continuously, and hundreds of warriors fell. The blood flowed with warmth, dyeing the lush green grass red, moistening the loess of the plateau, and soaking the wild forest outside the mountain city.
The situation in Otto Pangbang gradually became tense, and the figures of the dog-born became more and more common. Soon, a shocking news came to the mountain city.
The team of the Chaos Priest Saka was attacked on the way back to the fiefdom. The dangerous wild forest swallowed everything, and all the priests of Saka's lineage died in battle, and no one survived. The few surviving warriors fled into the mountain city and described the faces, attire and weapons of the attackers. The knowledgeable old priest Ort looked sad, and asked in person, confirming that it was undoubtedly the dog-born barbarians.
Hearing this unfortunate news, some of the tribal leaders in the mountain city were filled with righteous indignation, some were sad and afraid, some were shocked, and some went to the chief's longhouse overnight to swear allegiance to Giova.
Then, Giova personally led the warriors to the scene of the attack. He collected the bodies of the priests, held funeral prayers, and then cremated them in the wind with his own hands. The curling green smoke floated from the fire, taking away the souls of the deceased and the disputes of the past. After the funeral, the reputation of the new leader rose again, and the prestige of the old priest returned to its peak. Because the winners and losers, life and death, everything is a foregone conclusion.
A few days later, the kingdom's wolf flag was erected at the highest point of the city, and next to it was the black bird flag of the new leader. In the temple in the center of the city, the flags of the god of war and the ancestral god stood one after another and flew high. These changes were silent and reasonable. The once chaotic hearts of people in the mountain city were thus condensed into a whole.
The night went away with the wind, the day was filled with clouds and rain, and the ancestor god sighed and thundered. The smoke from burning fields rose from the fields, and the graceful singing floated in the sky. May fell from the singing surrounded by smoke, entangled with the first rain of spring.
Shulot stood on the wall of Ottopan City, looking at the flocks of birds flying in the mountains. A large group of migrating songbirds stayed around the mountain city and had not gone north for a long time. They seemed to regard this place as their new home and even began to build nests.
"Spring plowing is approaching, and the cold wave in the north has not yet dissipated. It seems that the Guakili dogs will never retreat."
"Your Highness is wise. The scouts reported that the Guakili dogs have built camps, occupied fertile land by the river, and settled in the Pams State. The eight large tribes are scattered, each occupying a warm valley. They captured mountain people who are good at farming, robbed enough seeds and grain, and are rushing to restore farmland in the north to prepare for the upcoming spring plowing. The ordinary tribes of a thousand people are scattered and looting everywhere. Five or six have invaded the northern border of Otto Pang State, and even a small team of dogs has approached the suburbs of the mountain city."
Speaking of this, Bertard looked at the Otomi warriors guarding in the distance and lowered his voice cautiously.
"Along with these ordinary tribes, there are also two groups of red-haired scouts from large tribes. They met our scouts, but there was no conflict, but instead a message was sent."
"Oh? A message from the Guakili dogs?"
Xuluot raised his eyebrows.
"What did they say?"
"Eight large tribes formed a preliminary tribal alliance. The leader of the alliance is Chichika of the 'Red Dog' tribe, and the deputy leader is Ottohua of the 'Red Fox' tribe. Ottohua is also an old tribal priest. When he heard that the Royal Guards were heading north, he sent scouts to pay respects to the brothers from 'Aztlan', the great chiefs of the Mexica."
"Chichika, chichi hound? Ottohua, oztohua fox?"
Xuluot muttered these two names and easily found similar meanings in the Mexica language. He frowned.
"They call us brothers from 'Aztlan'?"
"Yes, Your Highness. The language of the Guajili people is similar to that of the Otomi people, and is also very similar to ours. Of course, we Mexica people have no blood relationship with them. The ones who are truly of the same lineage as us are the mortal enemies of the alliance in the east, the Tlaxcalans."
Xuluot nodded. This language vocabulary contains the true history of ethnic migration thousands of years ago, but it is meaningless at this moment.
"What did the Guakili envoy say?"
"The Guakili people heard of the reputation of the alliance and knew the divinity of His Highness, and wanted to live in peace with us. They are willing to submit to the alliance in name, with the existing territory of the Palms State as the boundary, and to ensure the stability of the northern border and no longer go south to plunder. In addition, they received news from the Guamal dog descendants, requesting to trade with the alliance, using the looted people, gold and silver in exchange for food, salt, cotton cloth, and sacred red fur and dyes for survival. Finally, Otuwa has another proposal."
Bertard paused and looked around cautiously again.
"What proposal?"
Xiuluot became interested. From the words of the envoy, it can be seen that the Guakili people are not a barbaric tribe that can only fight like wild beasts and cannot communicate at all, at least the leaders of the tribe are not.
"Otuwa pays tribute to the great Chief Mexicali. Their Guakili tribe is willing to send troops and cooperate with the alliance to eliminate the remaining two states of the Otomi forces! After the demise of the Otomi people, they only need to feed the tribe with food and daily necessities, and they have no request for land and population, all of which will belong to the alliance!"
"Haha, sowing discord, such a simple strategy"
Hearing this, Xiu Luote laughed. There is no basis for mutual trust between the Alliance and the Guakili people, so naturally there is no possibility of cooperation. It's just that the proposal of the Guakili people hits people's greed directly. Land and population are exactly what the king wants, which makes him sigh again.
"What a cunning fox! As long as the Alliance has a little doubt and replies to the dog envoy, I'm afraid the rumors will spread everywhere and destroy our mutual trust with the Otomies."
The king shook his head. His eyes were bright and he said affirmatively.
"The Otomies are friends of the Alliance and the future people of the kingdom. The Guakili dogs are our enemies and the targets of this expedition. The strategy of the kingdom has been decided long ago, and there is no room for any wavering! Send a message to the scouts, and in the future, if you meet the Guakili envoys, you will be regarded as enemy warriors and killed directly!"
Bertard immediately took out a pen and paper and wrote down the royal order of His Highness. Then, he thought for a while and said in silence.
"Your Highness, should your royal order also be passed on to the Ottopan Corps? On the one hand, let General Giova know and calm the minds of the Ottomi people; on the other hand, it will also take advantage of the situation to bring the army of the mountain city under the command of the kingdom."
Xuluot pondered for a while and nodded in agreement. He smiled and ordered.
"Good suggestion, let's do it! Haha, Bertard, since Giova has become an independent leader of the Otomites, it is not appropriate to use the old title. He needs to be given due respect. From today on, inform all the generals that Giova has become the prince of the kingdom, and his seat is next to me! Well, send an envoy to the lake capital to report the latest news of the Otomites to King Avit. In addition, send a personal guard to invite Prince Giova to dinner with me."
"Giova has been very busy these days, constantly summoning tribal leaders and mobilizing warriors from all over the country. The only major events in the world are sacrifices, farming and war. Now that spring plowing is imminent, people's hearts are on the fields, and the harassment of the dog descendants has become frequent. It's time to sit down and discuss the major issues of farming and sending troops!"
The king's voice dissipated into the wind, and the cicadas chirped in a low voice. The cicadas chirped in May and the scorching heat flowed in July. The hot summer is coming, just like the wind and thunder in the rainy season, sounding the prelude to war.