Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 841 - 465: Alliance, Kingdom and the Sea_2

Chapter 841: Chapter 465: Alliance, Kingdom and the Sea_2

Xiulote pondered wistfully, his face full of longing, and his body filled with strength. Afterwards, he had lunch with an avocado and saw the kingdom envoys depart from the camp. The envoys bowed their heads to the king at a distance and headed north.

The wind rose, stirring the autumn leaves. The group carried the royal decree, crossing mountains and ridges, steadily running without almost any pause.

They passed by the edge of the lake capital city and saw thousands of alliance warriors gathering from all city-states. They went by the villages on the shore of Lake Texcoco and saw millions of civilians carrying the autumn harvest to the granaries in the north and south. They boarded the kingdom’s oar-sail ships and sailed west along the Lerma River for five hundred miles to the Rivermouth County in the north of the kingdom. Along the way, the banks were mobilizing villages, and militias were marching in groups through the empty fields towards the east. On the convenient river channel, countless canoes carried warriors from the western city-states and tributes from various states, heading in a grand procession to gather at Lake Texcoco.

Tlaxcala clans were old enemies of the alliance, with nearly a century of bloody enmity deeply engraved in the hearts of the nobles of each state. Almost all the great nobles from every city-state had relatives who died at the hands of the Telascallans. On this eastward expedition, all the states of the alliance were fully mobilized, deploying warriors and militias en masse! The goal of the war was not just to subjugate the enemy; it was to utterly annihilate the divine descendants of the God of the Hunt from the face of the earth!

The envoys continued westward and disembarked north of the River Mouth Fortress. Black Wolf Torc, clad in armor and leading the Guajili Legion, had been waiting at the riverbank for a long time. He took the royal decree for the eastward expedition, read it through, and then laughed aloud!

"Haha, the eastward expedition has finally started! Brave warriors, valiant fighters, raise your long spears and follow me eastward! Kill all the Telascallan nobles, seize all their wealth and women, and capture a batch of agricultural slaves for the kingdom!... I, Black Wolf, swear to the Chief Divine that I will fairly record achievements without stealing anyone’s credit! Military merits grant fields, military merits grant titles, killing enemies shall be rewarded! Awwooo! Kill, kill, kill!"

"Awwooo! Kill, kill, kill!"

Hearing their commander’s rally cry, thousands of canine descendants howled excitedly, their killing intent boiling, gone mad with battle fervor. The wolf howls echoed far and wide across the vast land, reaching the nearby River Mouth Fortress. On the fortress walls, Monkey Kuluka suddenly stood up, watching Black Wolf and the kingdom envoys by the river, with a look of envy and yearning in his eyes.

"Let’s go! General Balda, the royal decree is about to arrive, we must go out of the city to greet them!"

Eagle Warrior Balda, standing beside him, listened to the wolf howls of the canine descendants, frowning slightly. Then he nodded in agreement.

"Right! Kuluka, I will send someone to gather four thousand imperial guard warriors to prepare for boarding... The eastward expedition is long, and when the prince’s great army returns victorious, we shall drink together!"

"Good! With the blessing of the Chief Divine, the eastward expedition will surely be victorious!"

Kuluka’s eyes sparkled, he replied with a smile. Having been in charge of an area for many years, he was no longer the ordinary commoner warrior of the past. Among the six marshals of the Kingdom of the Lake, he was the most approachable, befriending all the generals.

"With the blessing of the Chief Divine, the eastward expedition will surely be victorious!"

Balda nodded solemnly and strode out. The prince’s invincibility in attack and battle was indisputable. As long as the prince led, victory for the eastward expedition was assured!

Moments later, four thousand elite imperial guard warriors gathered from the fortress barracks. These seasoned warriors moved with efficiency, their expressions indifferent, long accustomed to life and death. Unlike the canine warriors, their killing intent was not overt but was declared through their weapons!

The envoys split into two groups, passing on the royal decree, then continued southward. They crossed vast plains, passed through vibrant villages, and arrived at the capital city just as the dawn light broke, with the sound of early prayers rolling like thunder.

Carrying the royal decree, two of them entered the city from the north gate. One went to the residence of the Chief Minister and Sage, Jatili; the other went to the barracks within the city to inform the Jingji Legion Commander, Jaguar Olosh. The rest of the group continued south, treading the harvested fields towards Apal and Zicao counties. Upon reaching the military city of Patzcuaro, one member set off directly for the nearby military settlement.

The morning sun rose to mid-sky, illuminating the simple encampment. Old militia member Chiwaco sat cross-legged, hunched over, pressing a long spear under himself, happily munching on a corn cake outside the camp kitchen. This year’s harvest was good, and the granaries were full. The military settlers had paid their tribute and had enough stored grain, finally allowing them to grind some cornmeal to make cakes.

Chiwaco carefully chewed the cake, not letting a crumb fall. After a while, he finished a piece, his whole body relaxed, and his old face beamed like a flower.

"Ah! Eating corn cakes and enjoying peaceful times, life... is bliss!"

"Uncle, I’ve been looking for you everywhere, and here you are!"

Wei Zi, with a headscarf and hands tucked in as he hurried over, saw his uncle and father-in-law, his face breaking into a smile, looking as happy as a wooden flower.

"Woodhead, what do you want? Rushing around like a thief, no proper demeanor."

Chiwaco glanced up, eyed Wei Zi disdainfully, and pursed his lips.

"In a couple of days, I’ll give you a break. You should tidy yourself up, look sharp, and go home to see Luwei. I have to stay in the camp, can’t leave. You need to work hard, and give our family a descendant soon!"

"What? Another break? If I go out every other day, how will my brothers view me? Besides, having children is up to the divine’s blessing..."

"You fool! If it doesn’t work once, try twice, if not twice, then ten times, eventually, it’ll happen! And in the garrison camp, all we do is farming for the lords, just to make a living. Why bother with other things?... We hardly get peace, don’t tell me you want to pick up a long spear and lead men to war again?... Hmm? I’ll beat you to death!"

Chiwaco raised his eyebrows, reaching out as if to strike.

"Uh, uncle, don’t hit me! I won’t go to war... I won’t."

Wei Zi jumped in fright, retreating two steps. Then, he scratched his head, looked around to ensure no one was nearby, and proudly fished out half of a roasted spiny rat from his bosom.

"Hey, uncle, look! Last night, I set some stone traps with corn kernels. This morning, I found two spiny rats! Got two ’rat pancakes’!"

The so-called stone traps involved placing a heavy stone slab tilted on fine wooden props with a trigger underneath and some corn kernels under the slab. When the greedy spiny rat tried to eat the kernels, it would topple the wooden props, and the heavy stone slab would fall down, smashing the rat into a flat ’rat pancake’.

"Hmm? Two roasted rat pancakes, you ate one and a half, leaving me half?!"

Chiwaco feigned anger with a stern face.

"No, I only ate half a piece. The other whole piece, I dried it and kept it for Luwei. She loves meat the most..."

"Hmm... At least that’s something sensible to say."

With this, both faces lit up with smiles. Wei Zi sat closer, and Chiwaco chewed on the rat pancake. The morning sunlight warmed them a bit.

However, such leisurely times did not last long. Only a moment later, a young militia member came running from outside in a panic.

"Uncle! Uncle! Something terrible has happened!"

"What?!"

Chiwaco sprang up, a sense of foreboding. Wei Zi hadn’t seen it clearly, but his uncle already had a long spear in his hand. Then Chiwaco, with a stern expression, said in a deep voice.

"Little Ayuli, what happened? Speak clearly!"

"At the camp gate... Outside the camp gate, there is a kingdom envoy!"

"Ah, so it’s a kingdom envoy. What’s the big deal?"

Hearing this, old militia Chiwaco let out a sigh of relief.

"Tell me, why did the envoy come? Is it to requisition grain or labor for canal repairs?"

"Neither... neither!"

Ayuli took a few deep breaths before speaking.

"Uncle, he said... He said... he wants to recruit you! The king wants you to board a ship, to some great lake in the west, to find some bird dung-colored island!"

"What! Recruiting me?!"

Chiwaco was thunderstruck, standing there stunned. The long spear in his hand dropped with a "clank" to the ground, bouncing a few times, making a clear, crisp sound like the waves of the sea.

"My Heavenly Divine... you must be blind once more..."

After a while, Chiwaco’s face fell, letting out a helpless sigh.

"Damned! This day has finally come!"