Chapter 561 The King's Killing

The heavy rain in August poured down, and a vast curtain of rain opened between the undulating mountains. The tears of the rain god turned into the river in the sky, and the roar of the fire god turned into a tide, entangled and descended from the sky, sweeping across the plateau. The sun was scorching and cloudy, hot and humid, and rainy. This was the vibrant midsummer, the Mexican plateau at the peak of the rainy season.

King Avit, holding the divine staff in his hand, climbed to the top of the Tree Snake City and looked at the Cloud Snake Mountain City in the north. He looked calm, with a faint smile, and a bit of unwillingness to do his best.

Looking around, the fields were green and everything was flourishing. Birds soared in the sky, and American vultures circled on the top of the mountain. The lush forests rose and fell at the end of the sky, dyeing the northern mountains with a layer of green. The fertile riverside fields were full of wild grass more than one meter high, which could even cover the traces of warriors.

In the midsummer, the Tlaxcala Basin was full of green vitality. However, beneath this apparent vitality, there is cold cruelty. In the vast basin, the prosperous population disappeared, the rich villages burned down, and the hope of continuation disappeared.

"The villages burned down, the young and strong died, and the fields were all barren. The northern Tlaxcala state will definitely be a famine this year! And the nearly 100,000 Tlaxcala remnants who fled into the mountains must be short of food, and they can only abandon the old and weak and eat each other."

Gilliam narrowed his eyes, looked at the mountains in the north, and pondered in silence. After the Eastern Expedition, the various states of Tlaxcala will be the fiefdom of the little prince. If the army can distribute food and lure the Tlaxcala remnants in the mountains to surrender, the vitality of the fiefdom can be preserved to a greater extent.

However, in order to capture the Tree Snake City as soon as possible, the northern army attacked day and night, and suffered great losses. The two royal legions that served as the main attack suffered casualties of 2,000 warriors and 2,000 militiamen. The casualties of the warriors even included more than 500 bronze-armored elites!

The three city-state legions suffered heavy casualties. Including the night attack, there were 3,000 warriors and 4,000 militiamen. All together, there were 11,000 casualties, nearly half of which were warriors! This short siege was even more tragic than the previous battle of Quetzalcoatl!

"There are so many casualties in the attack on the fortified city. The legions are full of murderous intentions. There is no way to plead for the Tlaxcalans."

Thinking of this, Gilliam shook his head. As the chief intelligence officer, he knew what the legions did. He also advocated making the best use of people and did not like unnecessary killing. However, the morale of the army was like this, and the king did not speak, so there was no way to restrain it.

The casualties of the northern army were so heavy that they naturally did not hold back after conquering the Tree Snake City. After the fall of the Tree Snake City with a population of more than 20,000, there were only more than 3,000 captured women and children, and one or two thousand descendants of gods and warriors as sacrifices. As for the remaining 5,000 warriors and more than 9,000 strong men, they were all turned into corpses. It is unknown whether they died in the siege or in the cleansing of the city after the city was broken.

At this point in the Eastern Expedition, two of the four snake cities were slaughtered, and seven or eight out of ten Tlaxcala tribes were killed. In the northern Tlaxcala state, there were 400,000 core tribes and 100,000 men who could fight, making it the leader of the four states in the north and south. But at this moment, the 400,000 tribes were either slaughtered, captured, or scattered and fled. More than 60,000 of the more than 100,000 men were killed, and nearly 30,000 were captured, becoming sacrifices for the great sacrifice soon.

Under the rough numbers, there is endless blood and complete conquest. After the Eastern Expedition, the name of the old enemy Tlaxcala will sink to the bottom of the Tlax River, buried by the turbid mud and sand, and gradually disappear from the world!

"Gillim."

Avit looked at the mountains in the north, without looking back or glancing at the weeds under his feet.

"Your Majesty."

Gillim bowed his head solemnly and put away his thoughts. He had seen the weeds under his feet, but the weeds would not remain in his heart.

"You said, did I conquer the Tlaxcalans in this eastward expedition?"

Avit narrowed his eyes, looked at the vaguely visible fortress in the mountains, and silently clenched the staff in his hand.

"Your Majesty. You conquered the Tlaxcalans! All the tribes that resisted to the end and refused to surrender have been wiped out by the army. And after the victory ceremony, the descendants of the Tlaxcalans will also disappear from the world!"

Gilliam saluted respectfully and answered affirmatively.

"Well. It's just that there are still two snake cities that have not been conquered."

Avit nodded slowly, his expression calm. There was not much joy on his face. His cold eyes looked to the east, as if to the endless lake.

"There are still the Totonacs in the east, the Mixtecs in the southeast, the Huastecs in the south, and the Mayans in the far east who have not been conquered!"

"Your Majesty."

Gilliam pursed his lips. He lowered his head, carefully organized his words, and gave a tactful admonition.

"The altar on the top of the sacred mountain is built with solid rocks, one by one. If it is rushed and empty, there is a danger of collapse. The current priority is to stabilize the alliance and control the priests in the capital."

"Please lead the main force of the royal family as soon as possible, return to the capital in the lake, and suppress the alliance! As for the remaining two mountain cities and hill cities, it is better to leave them to the warlike His Highness Shulot!"

"Yeah. You are right."

Avit nodded and exhaled faintly. Then he turned around and looked to the south, with a smile on his face.

"Calculate the time, the messenger sent should have arrived!"

The king's eyes seemed to cross hundreds of miles, through the vast and desolate Tlaxcala Basin, through the burned and ruined Holy City of Cholula, to the cold and towering Yanfeng Sacred Mountain, and came to the Shuigu City camp where people were constantly living.

Outside the camp of Shuigu City, there are endless green fields. Tens of thousands of Mexica warriors are stationed here, and hundreds of thousands of Tlaxcala farmers are busy.

The farmland in August is full of vitality. The tall corn has already sprouted male ears. It is the season with the fastest growth, the largest growth, and the most fertilizer and water. The land after the battle is always extra fertile. The priests who manage the settlements also brought new composting technology. The good growth of corn this season surprised the old farmers in Tlaxcala who were farming. Many people began to pray to the Lord God for a good harvest in autumn.

At this moment, the king's flag of the Black Wolf is still standing high in Shuigu City. Xiuluot sat cross-legged in the hall, staring at the map in front of him.

However, after more than two months of not seeing each other, time has left traces of change on the young man's face. In his eyes, there are fewer passionate smiles and more calm depth. His face was less youthful and more calm.

Separation and death are unforgettable. There are always people who are willing to use their lives to make you grow up. There is always love that makes you mature after losing it. There will always be some partings that make the romantic youth go away forever.

Xiu Luote stretched out his hand and slowly moved south along the mark on the map. In his eyes, there was a hint of murderous intent and the coldness of a mature commander.

"Bertard, where did the Black Wolf's army fight?"

Hearing this, Bertard spoke calmly, stretched out his hand and pointed lightly at the bottom of the Flower Village.

"Your Highness, the Guakili Army of the Black Wolf has captured the Flower Village and captured more than 4,000 people. The Guakili Army and the Tlaxcala surrendered barracks are repairing in the Flower Village. And the vanguard dog-born team is less than a hundred miles away from the northern town of the Mixtecs, the God Stone City Tehuacan!"

The God Stone City Tehuacan is the "Tehuacán" of later generations. In Nahua language, this word means "land of gods" or "land of stone". In the words of the Mixtec people, this place is called "ancient land where gods live, fertile valley where temples stand".

The valley where the God Stone City is located is the Tehuacan Valley. In this valley, there is not only the ancient God Stone City, but also a large number of ancestors' ruins and many small pyramid temples. In fact, this is one of the earliest areas where corn was domesticated. The corn grain samples unearthed in later generations can be traced back to 3600 BC.

In this era, the God Stone City is the most important city-state in the north of the Mixtec people. And the Tehuacan Valley is a rich valley where tens of thousands of Mixtec tribes gather.

"Very good!"

Xiu Luote nodded with satisfaction. Then, he thought for a while and asked in a deep voice.

"The rainy season is difficult, and it's not easy to go on the expedition. Bertard, tell me the truth! How many casualties did the Black Wolf army suffer in the capture of Huacong Village?"

"Your Highness, after two months of expedition, the Guajili Legion's casualties were indeed only 500 people, and they have been replenished from the surrendered soldiers."

At this point, Bertard paused and bowed his head slightly.

"But the 5,000 Tlaxcala surrendered soldiers in his hands have been almost consumed."

Hearing this, Xiuluot's eyebrows jumped and his expression changed suddenly. He pursed his lips and did not speak. After a moment of silence, his emotions gradually calmed down and his eyes became indifferent.

"Select another 5,000 people from the captured Tlaxcalan Latin warriors and send them to the Black Wolf! Give priority to warriors with combat experience. Tell him that now is the busy farming season, and the Mixtecs can't spare too many militiamen to continue to go south to besiege the God Stone City and burn the Tehuacan Valley!"

"Yes, Your Highness. Obey your will!"

Bertard bowed and promised, and immediately summoned his personal guards to arrange for the messenger.

Xiu Luote looked calm and continued to look at the map in front of him. His sight moved westward and stopped at the location of Xiaoliu Village, a hundred miles south of Daolu City. After a moment, he stretched out his hand and pressed it, and gave another stern order.

"Order, let the Yuyan Corps keep a close eye on the thousands of Mixtec warriors in Xiaoliu Village! When the peak of the rainy season is over, the Royal Guard Corps will be dispatched to completely remove this nail behind! Then, the three legions will go south from two directions at the same time and capture the Mixtec Shanhe City in one fell swoop!"

Speaking of this, Xiu Luote's eyes became sharp, and the murderous intent burned like a flame.

"Since the Mixtec people want to play with fire, I will burn their Xidu ancestral land with a fire!"

"Your Highness."

Looking at the murderous intent in his Highness's eyes, Bertard pursed his lips and hesitated to speak. In the past two months, his Highness's murderous nature has obviously increased a lot. After a few breaths, the loyal warrior leader sighed secretly and bowed his head to obey.

"I will obey your will!"

With just a few words, the strategy of the southern army was finalized. Xiuluot continued to look at the map, while Bertard stood by. Both of them were a little absent-minded, and the hall became quiet.

When you are in a high position, the quiet time is always short. Many decisions are concentrated on the highest power, just like water flows to the lower place. After a few minutes, the shield guard Tels came from outside the hall, knelt on the ground, and reported loudly.

"Your Highness, there is a messenger from the king, coming from the north!"

I wish you all a happy Dragon Boat Festival! Let's eat zongzi.