Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 879 - 497: Slaughter, Capturing Prisoners and Trading

Chapter 879: Chapter 497: Slaughter, Capturing Prisoners and Trading

"Ah, this?!..."

Seeing the exalted Highness’ anger, Coiled Python Moyahualo trembled all over. With a "thud," he fell to his knees, anxiously explaining repeatedly.

"By the Chief Divine as witness! Highness, the Coiled Python Army fought day and night, losing three thousand militiamen, to kill ten thousand Tlaxcala warriors. These Tlaxcala able-bodied men are not any good; they’re all enemies of our Mexica Alliance! They’ve been our foes in battles for decades, the blood feud is inexorable!..."

"Against such archenemies, according to the Alliance’s decree, all males should be slaughtered, and any taller than a short spear must be killed! Then, leave the women to reproduce, sending the children to the community military school to be raised, completely changing the population! Only then will this truly become the land of us Mexica people!"

"Indeed, the Coiled Python Commander speaks rightly! Highness, this is the Holy War of the East! It’s the supreme King who announced the Alliance’s eastward holy war, a Divine War declared jointly by the Eternal Sun and the exalted High Priest!"

Huashu Huochiku’a’s chubby face twitched, and he too knelt down. Watching the Highness’ expression, he cautiously spoke, though his words were still full of murderous intent.

"The Tlaxcala are proud and unruly; every single person is a soldier. The tribe’s men are all skilled with bow and arrow, and they have the mountain forest as cover! Once the army advances north, the food supply route will pass through this basin. If we don’t kill them all, how can we ensure the safety of the supply route? If the enemy ambushes, how many forces will it divert? For the sake of victory in this Divine War, we have no choice but to do this!..."

"Precisely! Esteemed Highness, please calm your anger."

Yuyan Mihuoti surveyed the situation in the tent and slowly knelt on one knee, still holding his back straight. The Yuyan Legion hailed from the southwestern Raziko State, situated farthest from the Tlaxcala people, therefore the hatred had not run deep. The samurais disdained killing commoners for war merits; thus, their spoils were minimal. Mihuoti had a clear conscience, but having to proceed along with the other two City-State Commanders, he came forward to offer advice.

"Highness, when facing archenemies in a Divine War, the wicked Tlaxcala, how could you show mercy? Given the chance, they would kill us Mexica with equally ruthless means!..."

"... fighting for land leads to war, and bloodshed fills the fields... Cities and nations are destroyed in an instant; such is the Warring States Period..."

Upon hearing the defense of the three commanders, Xiulote’s gaze lowered. Many past memories surged into his heart, some starting to blur. His once tender heart seemed distant and nearly unreachable.

Central America is only about a million square kilometers, yet there are at least tens of millions of people. Compared to the two thousand million people during the Celestial Empire’s Warring States Period, the states’ populations are even more crowded. Tribes fight incessantly and have even developed the cruel tradition of human sacrifice.

The Eastward Holy War is a war of annihilation, targeting the archenemy Tlaxcala people. When the various state armies engage, they will show no mercy. The Northern Route Army’s campaign will be even more brutal. In reality, if given a chance, the Tlaxcala would also show no mercy. In later years, when they followed the Spaniards and took the Lake Capital City and Texcoco Lake District, they killed for months, almost exterminating the Mexica men in the Lake Region. The slaughter was so horrific that even the usually cruel conquerors were shocked.

"Phew!..."

After contemplating for a long time, Xiulote finally let out a deep sigh. His visage returned to calm; he gazed at the three kneeling commanders in a line and asked in a deep voice,

"Are all the heads you’ve taken of men?"

"Yes, Highness."

The three exchanged glances and responded affirmatively. Captured young women, capable of weaving, working, and bearing children, were usually considered part of the wealth. They weren’t far from the southern states either, so the captured women could be taken back to the states to be given as rewards to the warriors. Only the able-bodied men, who could take up arms and fight, were to be completely eliminated...

"Phew... you may all rise now!"

Xiulote’s expression remained unchanged; he did not reproach them further, only shook his head gently. Then, with a composed demeanor, he conveyed information unknown to the three commanders.

"... according to the High Priesthood’s estimate, the Tepeyacak State has about four hundred thousand Tlaxcala people. Among them, less than one hundred thousand are in the eastern Tepeyacak City, which is the area around Mountain Peak City. In this fertile basin of two hundred li, there are more than three hundred thousand people."

Tepeyacak, in the Navajo language, is spelled Tepeyacac. "Tepe" is a shortened form of "tepetl," meaning "mountain," and "yacac" is a variant of "yacatl," meaning "mountaintop" or "nose tip." Combined, it means "mountaintop." Thus, Tepeyacak State’s Tepeyacak City is the mountainous state’s Mountain Peak City. The name indicates the terrain: towering mountains on either side surrounding a basin.

"The thirty thousand plus Tlaxcala people, calculated with three able-bodied men for every ten people, amount to just over ninety thousand able-bodied men, among whom only a little over ten thousand are warriors. The Southern Army, adding your spoils, has killed forty to fifty thousand able-bodied men and captured over twenty thousand! Considering unrecorded ambush killings, plunder, those who starved, and those who fled into the mountains... the remaining Tlaxcala tribes in this area are at most ten thousand able-bodied men, and no more than one hundred thousand women, children, and elderly..."

At this point, Xiulote gave the three commanders a profound look. The path of the army was blood-soaked. After three months of campaigns, the "Mountain Peak State" of four hundred thousand has at most only half its population left, and nineteen out of twenty able-bodied men are gone. This year’s great battle means farming is impossible. During next spring’s famine, thousands more will die...

Ephemeral thoughts flashed by. Xiulote gripped the scepter in his hand, issuing a faint command.

"As the army crosses this area, the slaughter is already extreme. The remaining Tlaxcala tribes are no longer a threat. Return and inform your city-state armies to cease the killings!"

"Ah? Highness, these wicked Tlaxcala..."

Coiled Python Moyahualo wanted to speak further, but Huashu Huochiku’a squinted, subtly pulling him back. Coiled Python was still too straightforward, why confront the esteemed Highness face-to-face? Once the armies disperse, each pacifying different regions, how they specifically act would depend on the commanders’ decisions.

Yuyan Mihuoti lowered his head slightly, no longer speaking. The three city-state commanders rose, bowed to the Highness, and remained silent. A tense silence enveloped the tent.

Xiulote, with a stern face, looked at Coiled Python Moyahualo for a moment. His gaze seemed almost tangible, as if wanting to completely see through the other.

The Coiled Python Army hailed from the Vats teppek State, meaning "on the high mountain," thereby also called the Highland State.

The Mexica Highland State and the Tlaxcala Mountain Peak State directly shared the same mountain range, closely connected. Their conflicts had lasted nearly half a century, indicating profoundly deep hatred.

"The Kingdom of the Lake was recently established; the warriors possess land but lack agricultural slaves and concubines. The Tlaxcala speak a similar language to us; they are a good addition."

Xiulote pondered for a moment, softening his tone.

"Here’s what we’ll do! The Eastward Holy War will last a long time. The state armies’ warriors, if they capture Tlaxcala prisoners, can bring them to the central camp to trade with the Kingdom of the Lake... and for every adult male Tlaxcala warrior, the kingdom is willing to give one quachtli in exchange, with no limit on the quantity!"

"Highness, is that true?! An adult warrior can be exchanged for one quachtli? No limit on quantity?!"

Huashu Huochiku’a’s chubby face twitched, his voice slightly trembling, utterly incredulous.

Quachtli, a type of fabric standardized across the Alliance, was similar in size to a bolt of cloth from the Celestial Empire. The price of one quachtli ranged from 65 to 300 cocoa beans, averaging 200 cocoa beans. The purchasing power of cocoa beans was roughly three cocoa beans for a turkey egg or one tortilla. Ordinary common warriors had only two meals a day, each consisting of two tortillas. As for the price of one jin of gold dust, it was under 400 cocoa beans, usually no more than two bolts of cloth.

An adult warrior exchanged for one quachtli equaled half a jin of gold dust!

Even in the high-priced Lake Capital City, a serving female slave could only fetch two or three bolts of cloth, and demand for them was very limited. When war starts and large numbers of prisoners flood the capital, slave prices plummet, sometimes even lower than one quachtli. If unsold, slave owners had to bear the daily food cost for the slaves. If they starved to death, the owners wouldn’t recoup any costs; they might even lose money.

Now, with the Eastward Holy War, Tlaxcala people were everywhere. City-state warriors could spend just two days capturing prisoners and bring them to the central camp to exchange for tangible wealth! There was virtually no risk, no need to provide food, and only immense benefits. For the state commanders, selling prisoners at this price was hugely profitable!

Hearing such a promise, Coiled Python Moyahualo’s eyes widened as he looked at the generous Highness. His eyes sparkled with greed.

"If prisoners could be sold for profit, the hatred between the state and the Tlaxcala could be set aside... after all, the Tlaxcala would be enslaved in the Kingdom of the Lake, with no chance to become enemies with the state again. The state has been in hardship for too long..."

"Yes! With this deal, it’s entirely possible to recruit several thousand additional militiamen from the state to capture prisoners and sell them..."