Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 746 - 404: Holy Omen_2

Chapter 746: Chapter 404: Holy Omen_2

After the assassination in Medina, the security level in the Royal Tent significantly increased. Ordinary envoys not only had to be thoroughly checked but also had to report from ten steps away from the King under the close supervision of a trusted aide.

"O Great Chieftain, God of Death! Four days ago, under the command of Chief Ezpan, Chieftain Red Frog crushed the Tekos Allied Forces, breached Hand Snake City, and annihilated the Great Tribe of Shields! The army slaughtered all the Noble Chiefs, Priests, and Chieftains of Tekos, capturing nearly four thousand Tribal Warriors and more than ten thousand women and children from nearby Tribes!"

The red-haired trusted aide Miwa knelt and bowed deeply before handing over several bamboo baskets. The aides inspected them briefly, and a strong scent of blood permeated the tent.

Sensing the smell of blood, Xiulote’s eyebrows lifted, and he understood. He glanced at the bamboo baskets and spoke with a smile.

"Praise the Chief Divine! Praise Him for granting us victory! Miwa, you did very well. Cut to the chase. Whose heads are in there?"

"Ah! Great Chief, the heads of the Tekos Noble Chiefs are all in here, about twenty or thirty of them."

The red-haired trusted aide Miwa approached the largest bamboo basket, his face bearing a simple smile. He reached in, blindly feeling around for a moment, then suddenly yanked out a middle-aged head, eyes closed.

"This is Chieftain Kimari of the Shields!"

"Oh? Kimari is dead? Excellent! Very excellent! Ezpan and Keka did very well!"

Xiulote looked at the head and admired it with a smile. He had always been worried that the highly esteemed Great Chieftain Kimari might escape to the mountains with his people and engage in guerrilla warfare against the Kingdom Legion, supported by the southwestern Colima Tribe.

"Praise the Chief Divine! Praise the Great Chief!"

Hearing the Great Chief’s praise, the red-haired trusted aide Miwa beamed. He reached in again, grabbing another middle-aged head by the hair, eyes closed. On closer inspection, the face resembled the previous one.

"Great Chief, this is the Herbs Elder Malina, Kimari’s younger brother, and it was he who personally killed Kimari."

"Very good!"

Xiulote looked over the head and nodded. It sounded like an internal conflict had erupted within the Tekos Tribe. In fact, he was completely unaware of the negotiations in the southwestern mountains. Ezpan had secretly negotiated, promising hereditary nobility titles, which of course, he never intended to honor.

"May the Chief Divine protect us!"

The red-haired trusted aide Miwa prayed with a smile, then pulled out the last middle-aged head, eyes open. The man had short hair, and his face bore tattoos symbolizing bravery.

"Great Chief, this is the Hunting Elder Topupan. He killed Malina, and there was great chaos within the city. Chief Ezpan seized the opportunity, crushed the enemy in one fell swoop, and killed him as well. As for the other Tekos Noble Chiefs, they were all killed outright, their heads are all here!"

"Oh? So you mean to say, Chieftain Kimari, Herbs Elder Malina, Hunting Elder Topupan... They all killed each other, and in the end, their heads ended up here?"

"Yes, exactly. Great Chief, the Tekos people in the southwest devoured each other, their morale utterly broken. After this battle, none in the southwest dared resist. When I left, Chief Ezpan had already ordered a large raid across three hundred miles of the southwest, capturing Tekos people running low on supplies, all the way to the endless Great Lake!"

Hearing this, Xiulote pondered silently, frowning slightly. With such a formidable enemy in front, the Tekos wouldn’t have recklessly engaged in internal conflict... He could vaguely guess there was a hidden agenda, and Ezpan must have interfered. As for slaughtering all the Tekos Noble Chiefs, it was probably to silence them, burying the past into oblivion. On this note, he was certain Ezpan left no loose ends.

Ezpan was a Surrendered General by origin. To gain trust from the King, he would even endure the pain of cutting off his little finger. His style of combat was both flexible and ruthless. He used to be the deputy to the Monkey, acquiring flexible tactics from the Monkey’s teachings. The ruthless style was inherent in his bones. After his victorious campaign to the west, his purge of the old nobility in Tarasco was even more thorough than that of Mexica commanders.

And the red-haired Miwa, hailing from the Wilderness Tribes, was even less likely to show mercy. What these two could accomplish together was evident.

"Well... too much clarity leaves no room for fish to swim. Let’s straighten things out when he returns."

After thinking for a moment, Xiulote nodded. He gave a faint smile, looking at Miwa, who awaited orders with his head bowed.

"Miwa, Ezpan sent you here, is there anything else to say?"

"Great Chief, Chief Ezpan requests that you send as much grain as possible to the south!"

Red-haired trusted aide Miwa raised his head and respectfully replied.

"Great Chief, Black Wolf suddenly attacked the mountain areas, a fire scorched all the Tekos’ grain! According to the captured Tekos, Black Wolf has already reached the Seaside. Thousands from the legion plundered southeastward, completely sweeping through the southwestern Tribes and created nearly one hundred thousand Tekos refugees!"

"Chief Ezpan has confirmed that the Tekos refugees will soon fall into famine and cannot stay in the mountains for long. As long as there is sufficient follow-up grain, the legion could either recruit or capture most of the Tekos refugees and bring them back to the Northern Kingdom as slaves!"

"Black Wolf continues the invasion? One hundred thousand Tekos refugees?"

Hearing this, Xiulote’s eyes widened in surprise, and he abruptly stood up. He paced back and forth, thought for a moment, then loudly agreed.

"Very well, tell Ezpan to act freely! I will levy the grain of the southern nobility and supply him fully!"

"The southwestern mountain region is too remote and the environment is complex, hard to govern directly. Tell him, I only want the population! As long as he captures enough people, no matter what methods he has used before, I will not hold them against him! And if he can get a hundred thousand people, he will be the most meritorious in the southern campaign! At that time, I will richly reward him and provide his legion with a thousand Copper Armor! And Keka’s Red Frog Battle Group will also receive a rich reward!"

"Ah! By your command! Praise you, Great Chief!"

Red-haired trusted aide Miwa prostrated himself, his face beaming with joy.

"Also tell him to secure the rear, and be wary of the Colima Tribes! Since the southwestern mountain region cannot support ten thousand legions, have a portion of the legions return with the captured population to settle in Zicao County first. Also, tell Ezpan and Keka to be kinder to the ordinary Tekos refugees! Only those Tribes who resisted the Royal Army will be demoted to agricultural slaves, others will be enrolled into the flag teams to reclaim land in Zicao County."

"As you command, Great Chief!"

Miwa bowed again. His face was bright with a warlike eagerness, like a hound waiting for a hunt.

Xiulote issued a few more instructions, then waved his hand for Miwa to leave. Next, the King studied the three parallel heads closely and inexplicably felt an arrangement of fate, yet, there seemed to be some slight discord.

"Bertade!"

Xiulote looked on for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

"Your Highness?"

"Close the eyes of the last head."

"By your command."

Head Warrior immediately complied, closing the eyes of Topupan. Now, the three heads stood in a row, all with eyes closed, arriving in the Northern Kingdom to meet the Northern King.

"Yes, just like that."

Xiulote nodded, looked on for a while longer, and felt much more at ease. He clapped his hands and ordered indifferently,

"Send these three heads, along with these few bamboo baskets, into Apa City! Let the Palm Family have a good look at the fate of their allies!"

"As you wish!"

Bertade stood up saluting, smiling toward the north. As the heads entered the desperate Apa City, no more hope remained. And the holy omen would once again come to pass.