Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 861 - 480: Exploration of the Kingdom of the Lake, Attack of the Sri!

Chapter 861: Chapter 480: Exploration of the Kingdom of the Lake, Attack of the Sri!

On the third day of landing on Bird Mountain Island, it was still peaceful. Seabirds spread their wings in the blue sky, and whales surfaced and submerged in the light blue waves. In the yellow-brown island interior, there were bouncing antelopes, while on the edges, there were crawling desert tortoises. This was a peaceful natural sanctuary, filled with the songs and tranquility of all creatures.

For hundreds of years, the Sri people regarded Bird Mountain Island as their ancestral land, yet they never built villages or left behind any large structures. Perhaps this also had to do with the lack of water sources on the island, which was perpetually dry.

The old Militia Chiwaco led the fleet from south to north, circling half of Bird Mountain Island. MeKate confirmed once again that the island was about one hundred li in length and about sixty li in width.

In just one day, giant fish in the sea continued to appear. They sprayed water and called beside the fleet, curiously eyeing the longship they had never seen before. The crew was in awe, praying to the Chief Divine, and then kneeling at the bow, showing their mortal respect to the massive sea creatures.

"Ah, so many sea creatures! ... Could it be that Bird Mountain Island is the end of the world?"

Chiwaco was somewhat surprised. He had never seen so many seabirds, nor had he seen so many giant fish. In fact, the sea near Tiburon Island was home to one-third of the world’s whale species and over eight hundred species of sea fish. The island itself housed over five hundred species of animals, mostly birds. This was a desolate place rarely touched by humans, yet a paradise for thousands of creatures to inhabit.

The fleet circled to the northeast side of the island and landed again for exploration, setting up sentries on a nearby mountain. Looking from the mountain, the shallow strait was right before their eyes, at its narrowest point only eight or nine hundred meters wide, easily swimmable. Beyond the strait, they could clearly see the Eastern Continent. The vast desert was dotted with sparse greenery, gradually turning into a desert toward the north.

One peaceful day passed without incident. By the fourth afternoon, the mountain sentries finally blew the warning horn again.

"Beep! Beep! Beep!..."

The horn echoed in the distance, and the exploration fleet immediately mobilized. The samurai donned their armor, raised their shields, and drew their prepared long spears and bows. By the time the sentry ran down from the mountain, he was faced with nearly two hundred ready-for-battle Kingdom warriors. He took a few deep breaths before anxiously reporting.

"The Sri people... they’re... coming!"

"How many? One hundred or two hundred?"

Huitu Puapu, holding the hilt of his dagger at his waist, asked angrily.

"At least five hundred! A huge crowd, all swarming over from the other side of the strait. And... there might be more behind them!"

"What! That many?"

The Huitu warrior abruptly turned pale. He whispered in disbelief.

"The desert tribes can only support a thousand or so people at most, how could there be so many warriors?"

"It must be more than just one tribe. I’m afraid this island holds a very special significance to the Sri people!"

Chiwaco shook his head, analyzing calmly, then waved his hand decisively.

"We’re retreating! Everyone, back to the ships!"

"Hmm..."

Puapu slightly nodded, releasing his hand from the dagger. The aggressive Huitu warrior said nothing and took the lead to run towards the ships.

In less than half a quarter, everyone boarded the fleet. A few quarters later, the advance scouts of the Sri people appeared on a nearby hill. They were still wet, looking in the direction of the fleet. Then, an old hunter blew a peculiar stone whistle, and a mournful howl drifted out across the sea and sky. Moments later, more and more Sri warriors appeared on the hill and then ran towards the shore near the fleet. Hundreds of them waved their short spears, shouting angrily at the three large ships.

From over a hundred paces away, Chiwaco meticulously observed the Sri tribal warriors. Most of them were bare-chested, wearing their hair long, holding short spears, with throwing spears or hunting bows on their backs. A few elite warriors had snake-like tattoos on their bodies. Some leaders wore feathered hats, and a few even wore cotton armor with clanging stones attached, loudly directing the surrounding tribal warriors.

"Hmm. Hunting or fishing, no forging. Stone weapons, simple hunting bows. Lacking cloth and pottery, and no gold or silver ornaments. Truly... both poor and fierce!"

As Chiwaco observed, he analyzed and gradually sketched out the image of the Sri people.

Puapu glanced at the shore for a moment. Those with feathers and cotton armor were undoubtedly the chieftains or heads of the tribes. He estimated the distance to the opposite side and observed the short hunting bows of the Sri people, showing a hint of ruthlessness on his face.

"Old Chi, we can move the ships closer! Once within sixty paces, the Sri people won’t be able to reach us with their bows, but we can reach them. Then, have ten skilled longbowmen aim and simultaneously take out a few chiefs! The tribal warriors usually need their leaders for direction. Once the leaders are down, the Sri people will fall into chaos. I’ll then lead the warriors for a charge, and we can slaughter them until they are blood-soaked and scatter like chickens!"

"Ah? Old Pu, you, you really are a... killer!"

Chiwaco scratched his head, holding back for a while before finally spitting out a suitable word.

In terms of pure combat, Puapu’s idea was very correct. With the advantage of long-range attacks, a surprising and precise decapitation strike to throw the enemy into chaos. Then, well-equipped warriors would seize the moment and launch a fierce charge to crush the disorganized enemy. This tactic was very simple and effective against unorganized tribal armies and had been repeatedly successful.

"But, Old Pu. Think about it, do the Sri people necessarily have to be our enemies? Killing them and slaughtering many warriors, what good is there in that? The warriors would definitely suffer unnecessary casualties. I feel like there must be some sort of misunderstanding between us... We should find a way to talk to them, resolve the misunderstanding, rather than letting it turn into an unresolvable blood feud..."

The tribal warriors at the shore had already gathered more than four hundred. At some point, several feathered leaders had lit a fire and started a war dance, the stones on their bodies jingling. Then, hundreds of tribal warriors joined in the dance, singing towards the sea!

"... tazo, coocj, capxa... tazo, Kuk, Kapusa... Hante, Tintika, Entaho! ... Quiyatavpu? ... comcáac, Pak, Yuzka. ... Tintika, Hante, Z, Iquii, Min! ... Ita, quih! ..."

"Uh... what?"

Chiwaco listened attentively for a while, completely puzzled. He tugged at his hair, asking the nearby Bird Mountain.

"What are they doing? Why did they suddenly start singing?"

"Captain, uh... This is the Sri people’s way of intimidating their enemies. They dance the war dance and sing the war song, indicating they are prepared to fight to the death with their enemies."

Bird Mountain pressed his lips together, showing a hint of worry in his eyes. He had never experienced a large-scale tribal war. The Sri people were fearless, and the fleet was at a numerical disadvantage...

"What?! Why did it suddenly escalate to a fight to the death? What are the Sri people thinking?"

Chiwaco shook his head and sighed. The exploration team had boarded the ships, so there was no need to fear. It was just the extreme attitude of the Sri people that was confusing and worrisome. He thought for a moment and asked again.

"Bird Mountain, what are they singing?"

"Uh, I’ll listen more carefully... One, two, three large ships... leave our ancestral land! Who has arrived? ... Unwelcome guests have come. ... They must go somewhere else! ... Kill them until they are dead! ..."

Bird Mountain stuttered as he translated, his face growing paler.

"Hmm..."

Chiwaco fell silent. The Sri people were showing complete hostility. He had originally planned to send an envoy with some gifts to show goodwill. But judging by the situation, sending an envoy would be like sending fresh meat to the coyote, surely a one-way trip.

"Captain! The enemy fleet is approaching!"

The Sri people’s war song wasn’t even finished before a large number of small boats appeared on the other side of the sea, rowing swiftly like arrows.

"Everyone, prepare for battle!"

Chiwaco immediately abandoned all thoughts and shouted sternly.

"Warriors, pick up your longbows, raise the shields along the ship’s sides! Paddlers, be ready to ram at all times!"

The combat tactics of large oar-sail ships were somewhat similar to those of large war canoes. They either shot arrows from dozens of paces away, engaged in boarding combat, or accelerated for a sudden ramming attack. In sea battles, the number and bravery of warriors were no longer the keys to victory. Instead, it was the performance and size of the ships.

Large ships defeated small ships, large cannons defeated small cannons, more ships defeated fewer ships, and more cannons defeated fewer cannons. These were ranked in order, with large ships being the primary factor.

A quarter of an hour later, the Sri fleet was within a few hundred paces. Under the sunlight on the sea, Puapu squinted his eyes, examined closely for a moment, then laughed heartily.

"Haha! It’s just small canoes with five or six people! Even though there are fifty or sixty of them, they are just like scurrying fire ants. Our large ships are like mighty anteaters that can squash those tiny boats with a single slap!"

Then, the Huitu warrior licked his lips and once again placed his hand on the bronze dagger.

"Old Chi, stop hesitating, give the order! The fleet should move closer, fire two volleys of arrows, then charge! Use the bronze rams on our ship bows to smash their small boats to pieces!"

"Hmm!"

Chiwaco nodded. The enemy was moments away, and when it came down to a fight, there was no room for mercy. No longer hesitating, he pushed all other thoughts aside and commanded loudly.

"Wave the red flag! Order all ships to maintain alignment. Close in on the enemy fleet, fire two volleys, then charge! ... Praise be to the Chief Divine, we shall win this battle!"

"Praise be to the Chief Divine, we shall win this battle!"

The sailors shouted in unison, then buried their heads in rowing. The warriors stood at the bow, raising their shields and readying their longbows. The two fleets drew closer and closer, and within the time it took to drink a cup of water, they were within a hundred paces.

The Sri people rowed their small boats, waving their short spears and shouting furiously. The Kingdom fleet steadily advanced, the warriors gripping their longbows, silently exuding a murderous aura. Above the blue sky, seabirds watched below, emitting sharp cries. A great clash between the two-legged beings was imminent, and the light blue sea was about to be stained red!