Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 747 - 405: The King’s Western Patrol: Apa Plain, A Thousand Miles of Fertile Fields Part One

Chapter 747: Chapter 405: The King’s Western Patrol: Apa Plain, A Thousand Miles of Fertile Fields Part One

The dry season’s sunlight was always bright, and the sacred breeze soared through the skies. Following the windy thirteenth day of the Wind Month, came the Eagle Month (Cuauhtli), symbolizing spirituality, control, movement, and fortune. Since the southward campaign, all plans and efforts had come to fruition.

A valiant Prepetcha warrior, bearing the head of the Tecos Noble Chief, entered Apa Military City and conveyed the King’s decree: surrender within three days without bloodshed. After three days, the army would storm the city and annihilate everyone!

The southwestern allies had already perished; Apa City remained a lone fortress devoid of any vitality. The defending army within the city had lost their last breath of resolve, visibly dispirited all day. Under the terrifying bombardment of the copper beasts, the nobility were mostly mentally shattered. They argued fiercely for two days, even breaking into minor skirmishes before coming to a decision.

By noon on the third day, the gates of Apa City were finally thrown open. The remaining people of the Palm Tribe laid down their weapons, exited the city, and pleaded with the Royal Army for mercy. They knelt down outside the city gate, allowing the Imperial Guard Warriors to tie them up, leaving their lives in others’ hands.

Following this, Bertade led three thousand Imperial Guards into the city to take inventory.

The military city wasn’t large and didn’t have many inhabitants, but it had a substantial amount of food reserves. The Royal Army captured six thousand able-bodied militiamen and four thousand women and children, totaling ten thousand rebels. In the city’s granary, astonishingly, there was food enough to sustain thirty thousand people for a year! These military provisions, surrendered by the defending army, were not burnt.

Xiulote did not enter the city. He simply stood calmly under the Royal Banner outside the city, watching the downfall of the Palm Glory Family. It was not until the Head Warrior came to report, informing him of the food reserves for thirty thousand people for a year, that he showed surprise and expressed his admiration.

"Mountainside allies, a fortified military city, and ample food reserves... So, this is the confidence behind Zotol, leader of the Palm Clan, in his rebellion!"

Upon saying this, Xiulote burst into hearty laughter.

"Haha! Zotol has been ambushed and killed, and the internal strife of the Tecos has led to their destruction. Apa Military City and its ten thousand tand of food reserves now belong to the Kingdom Army. These reserves will be used to recruit tens of thousands of displaced Tecos!"

With the King leading a grand army here, he was most concerned not with the mountainous enemies but with the logistical support of food supplies. The Imperial Guard Legion, Jingji Legion, Second Long Spear Legion, Guajili Legion... four entire Kingdom Legions were stationed in Zicao County, where local food was far from sufficient and had to be transported over more than two hundred li from the Lake Patzcuaro Region.

Due to the scarcity of food, the King had no choice but to scour the noble fiefs intensely, and had to send back half of the Jingji Legion, escorting tens of thousands of rebels northward. Even so, the tens of thousands of Tecos captives and refugees soon to arrive still brought him a significant food burden. But now, with the surrender of Apa City and a large cache of captured food, the Kingdom’s burden was alleviated considerably.

"Hmm, consuming one tan of the enemy’s food is worth transporting three tan over three hundred li. This is Xi’s strategy."

Xiulote made a joke. Then, with a stern face, he instructed Bertade.

"Within three days, have two thousand from the Long Spear Legion set out, escorting ten thousand rebels of Apa City back to the Jingji! These ten thousand will be demoted to agricultural slaves and distributed to warriors with military exploits!"

"At your command, Your Highness!"

Xiulote nodded slightly, with a smile on his face. Twenty thousand rebels from Zicao City and ten thousand rebels from Apa City were all made into agricultural slaves, filling the gap of thirty thousand slaves. As for the deficit of fifty thousand agricultural slaves, they would have to figure out a way to get them from various Tekos tribes... What, you ask about the shortfall in the fiefdoms for this southern campaign? That would have to wait for the next war to be filled...

The Black Wolf soared through the southwestern sky, riding the long wind. Three days later, twelve thousand people set off northward, significantly reducing the number of mouths to feed.

Xiulote left behind the last two thousand of his Long Spear Legion in Apa City and also left four thousand of his Imperial Guard Legion, including the Artillery Camp, to suppress various places and maintain the grain supply. Then, he led only three thousand armored members of his Personal Army to inspect the vast Apa Plain to the west of Apa City.

The Royal Banner of the Black Wolf slowly made its way southwest, with scouts sent out twenty miles ahead. The Apa Plain, abundant with streams, lush water grass, and dense forests, saw the King stopping from time to time to survey the surrounding terrain. It took the three thousand Imperial Guards four days to travel over a hundred miles, finally reaching the Grass Forest Village by the Emon River (present-day El Charapo).

Grass Forest Village was located at a mountain pass, surrounded by the fertile river basin, and had once been a large village of more than a thousand people. However, it had become dilapidated after enduring war and being looted twice by troops from the Tekos Tribe and the Canine Descendants Legion.

Xiulote looked at the thriving weeds in the farmland outside the village and pinched some fertile soil from the field, nodding in admiration.

Then, he climbed a nearby hill to look southward. The towering mountain range undulated and stretched three to four hundred miles until it reached the Pacific Ocean. According to the Tekos vanguard in the army, at the end of this mountain road lay a fishing village called Neshpa, surrounded by the largest beach area within hundreds of miles.

Deep in the southwestern mountains from Apa Plain to the Pacific coast, there were two common mountain paths. One path followed the Kan River, passing through Kan River Village, to Hand Snake City, and then to the seaside. The Black Wolf had swept through this path. The other more treacherous route followed the Emon River, cutting through deep mountains from Grass Forest Village, to reach Neshpa by the coast. In other words, Kan River Village and Grass Forest Village were the two key valley mouths that divided the Apa Plain from the southern mountains, dominating the passageways into the southern mountainous regions!

He then looked northward, where the vast Apa Plain unfolded before his eyes. Surrounded by mountains, the Apa Plain was extensive and fertile, featuring exceptionally flat terrain, a warm and pleasant climate, free from drought or flood.

Upon closer inspection, the plain was crisscrossed with streams, lush forests, fertile fields, herds of deer running around, and troops of howling monkeys. In the vast fertile fields, villages of the Prepetcha people alternated sparsely with tribes of the Tekos people, with cultivated riverbank farmlands covering less than one twelfth of the entire plain.

"Flat terrain, suitable temperature, abundant water, and interlacing streams. The Apa Plain is indeed a rich land of plenty under the tropical sun!"

Xiulote looked at this fertile land, his heart surging with emotion and deep in thought. In future generations, the Apa Plain would become one of the most important grain storage areas in central Mexico. The arable land here would far surpass that of the Patzcuaro Lake Region, a truly immense fertile land! With this in mind, many past plans flashed through his mind, but he needed to complete his inspection before making any final decisions.

A day later, the three thousand Imperial Guards moved westward again, traveling over seventy miles in three days, reaching Kan River Village by the river. Ezpan left behind two thousand Long Spear Legion in this place to guard the rear. Tens of thousands of Tekos captives were escorted by the samurai from the mountains, batch by batch, heading down to Apa City.

The Black Wolf’s flag flew high, and three thousand armored Imperial Guards passed by, with all the Tekos captives showing expressions of fear. Xiulote stood under the Royal Banner, watching patiently for a long time.

In front of him, the long procession of captives stretched for dozens of miles, divided into different batches. Each batch ranged from hundreds to a thousand people, linked in groups of twenty and guarded by small teams of Royal Army samurai along the way. Most of these Tekos captives were young men and women, all with sallow complexions and haggard expressions. Disheveled and bearing signs of hunger, they struggled along the riverbank.

A new batch of Tekos captives soon arrived at Kan River Village, totaling around a thousand. The commander of the Long Spear Camp shouted loudly as he dispatched two hundred samurai wielding copper spears, and then produced several barrels filled with food. The aroma of the grains wafted through the air, causing a stir among the captives, which was soon suppressed by the whip-cracking samurais.

Under the stern orders of the samurais, the captives lined up, holding out their hands in turns to receive their food for the day. After receiving their food, they immediately squatted around the perimeter, buried their heads in their hands, and ate their fill in a few quick bites. Their daily food rations were extremely limited; if they didn’t finish quickly while under the watchful eyes of the guarding samurais, others might steal their food come evening. Those who tried to get more were promptly pulled out by the samurais and mercilessly whipped ten times.

In short, despite the chaos, the captives maintained a basic order under the harsh control of the samurais,

Xiulote observed for a moment but couldn’t make out anything clearly from his distance. He pondered briefly and then spoke to Bertade.

"Have the person in charge here come over."

"At once."

The Head Warrior strode away. Soon, a robust and fierce-looking samurai, as ferocious as a wolf or tiger, arrived beneath the Royal Banner. The samurai respectfully knelt down, struggling to force a friendly smile.

"Chief Divine bless! Your Majesty, I am Pimeng, a seasoned samurai of the Second Long Spear Legion from Patzcuaro, at your service!"

Xiulote nodded slightly and looked calmly at Pimeng before asking.

"Chief Divine bless! What are the captives eating?"

"Your Majesty, they are eating grain dumplings."

"Oh? Fetch me two from the barrel to try."

"Ah! This? This..."

Pimeng looked up in astonishment, at a loss for words.

"Go! Take them from the captives’ barrel!"

"...At once."

Upon hearing the King’s command, Pimeng gritted his teeth and headed to the barrel. He carefully selected a moment and picked out two barely decent-looking grain dumplings, wrapping them cautiously in his garment before returning to the King’s presence.

"Your Majesty, these are the grain dumplings the captives eat. You are a distinguished King, and such food..."

Xiulote took a dumpling, held it in his hand, and examined it closely. The dumpling was about the size of a fist, oddly green in color. It felt cold, having been made a while ago, and though it lacked any bad smell, there was a pleasing scent of palm leaves.

Xiulote stared at the green grain dumpling, hesitated for a moment, then prepared to take a bite. Seeing the King’s action, Bertade quickly reached out, snatching the dumpling.

"Your Highness, I’m hungry, please allow me to take the first bite."

"...Very well, thank you for your effort."

Xiulote nodded slowly. The Head Warrior unflinchingly took two bites in front of a shocked Pimeng.

"Hmm, it’s cooked just right; there’s old pumpkin, fresh wild greens, and half-cooked sweet potatoes. And there’s...uh..."

Bertade paused for a moment, his face turning from pale to purple. After a while, he swallowed quietly, gave Pimeng a cold look, and spoke calmly.

"There are some insects, a tender taste similar to Giant Wing ants, coupled with a bit of palm flavor."

"Ah! Respected Eagle Warrior, you truly are knowledgeable!"

Camp Commander Pimeng, sweating coldly, managed to pay a compliment.

"Indeed, indeed! These dumplings contain Giant Wing ants, freshly harvested a few days ago and soaked in salt water; they were wrapped in the dumplings today. As for the taste of palm, it comes from the palm weevils on the palm trees, plump and juicy, freshly collected by the warriors from the trees just yesterday..."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Xiulote’s face twitched, and Bertade struggled to remain calm. The two exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss for words.