Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 930 - 540: The King’s Heart, Firm and Incomprehensible

Chapter 930: Chapter 540: The King’s Heart, Firm and Incomprehensible

The continuous layers of clouds rolled and unfolded, while the pattering raindrops fell. The moist and warm air current rose from the distant Caribbean Sea, majestically advancing westward, reaching the Mexican Plateau at an altitude of two thousand meters. The sea breeze from the East met the dry and cold mountain wind, heralding the onset of the long rainy season on the plateau, transforming into showers falling from the sky and scattered like stars on the King’s tent.

At this moment, the rainy season had just begun, barely over a month, and it was not yet the peak rainy period. The King’s tent was coated with a layer of rubber, not drenched by the rain. A gust from the tent’s top blew down, swaying the feather crowns of the two, bringing the heat and humidity of early summer.

Aweit looked at the cloudy sky, with traces of tears still at the corners of his eyes, yet he had stepped out from the sorrow. The heart of the King was indeed impenetrable, nor would it easily waver. At this moment, he harbored a grand ambition of world conquest within his chest, a burning fighting spirit in his heart, and an icy cold killing intent in his eyes!

After a long while, the King frowned, watching the rainwater dripping down between the tents, and murmured in a low voice.

"Gillim, the heavy rains of July are approaching. There are not many days left to siege the city!..."

Upon hearing this, Gillim’s expression turned serious, his heart vigilant. He was familiar with the climate of the Trascal Basin and naturally understood the unspoken intent of the King.

The Trascal Basin is adjacent to the Texcoco Lake District, with a similar climate, both located near the annual 1000 mm precipitation line, and the rainfall amount is similar to between the Yangtze River and Huai River in the Celestial Empire. The rainy season here concentrates most of the annual precipitation, starting from the spring plowing in May and continuing until October’s autumn harvest, which is entirely synchronized with the rain and heat.

During the entire hot and humid rainy season, if there were no dry stone granaries, stored food would easily spoil, and transportation losses would increase. The maintenance of the army’s supply line would become progressively costly and consume extensively. By the time of the peak period in July and August, the continuous rain would fall from the sky, turning the terrain into mud, with walls becoming slippery. Attacking and slaughtering would become extremely difficult, and bows and firearms could no longer be used...

In other words, the Northern Army only had over twenty days left to attack the Three Serpent Cities. Then, during the peak two months of the rainy season, no large-scale military operations could be undertaken by the Alliance, north or south. Each army would be best stationed in the city or in sturdy camps, with dedicated granaries for storing food. And by mid-September, when the rain gradually receded and sunny days increased, could they organize another siege.

"Your Majesty! The Telascallan stubbornly defend the three cities to the end. They occupy the city walls and advantageous terrains, with ample food supplies in the city, making it difficult to plot against them in a rush..."

Gillim solemnly saluted and earnestly advised. He planned day and night for the northern road’s war situation and had deep knowledge of the conditions in the Three Serpent Cities. As the Chief Intelligence Officer, he sat upright, narrating calmly, with complete planning already prepared.

"The Four States of Tlaxcala have a combined population of 400,000, with approximately over 100,000 surplus. And the Trascal State where the Four Serpent City is located is the most crucial, the core of the entire Four States Alliance. Facing the invasion of the Northern Army, the other three states have one to two thousand tribal warriors coming in support."

"The Alliance marched south from Hot Spring City, capturing Feathered Serpent City, capturing and killing over 10,000 guards and militia before and after. Then, four army corps were dispatched, clearing for a month, capturing 20,000 surplus, and killing 30,000 surplus, totaling over 50,000 surplus. Counting the Telaccala tribes fleeing to the wilds, the remaining three Serpent Cities have, at most, over 30,000 surplus!"

Upon hearing this, Aweit nodded slowly. Both were old hands in military affairs and familiar with the tribal alliance’s system. Although these numbers were estimates, they were roughly accurate to reality.

"Your Majesty, among the three cities, the Cloud Serpent Mountain City is the most perilous and smallest in area. Such a fortress mountain city cannot accommodate too many people. The mountain road for attack is narrow, requiring not many to defend. The Scouts have repeatedly spied and gathered some intelligence..."

Gillim pondered for a little, reached into his chest, drew out a roll of paper, carefully unfolded it in front of the King, revealing a sketch of the Cloud Serpent Mountain City.

"The Cloud Serpent Mountain City, along with several surrounding mountain camps, holds approximately five to six thousand people, half are warriors, and half are militia. Including the relatives and weak of the nobles and warriors, there should be slightly more than ten thousand. The southern side of the mountain city is the main mountain path, and the northern side has a few narrow animal trails leading into the vast mountains. There are also a few springs in the mountain city and some barren thin fields for growing pumpkins for sustenance... As for the grain stored in the mountain city, it should be sufficient for at least a year. And if they abandon the old and weak, they can sustain even longer..."

Upon hearing this, Aweit furrowed his brows, face as somber as water. He had seen the terrain of the Cloud Serpent Mountain City with his own eyes, truly perilous and elevated, not something humanly possible to conquer.

"Gillim, you just mentioned, the narrow animal trails on the north side..."

"Your Majesty, the Telascallans have been operating here long and have early preparations. These trails allow only one or two people to walk side by side, easy to descend but hard to climb."

Gillim shook his head and spoke sincerely.

"The Cloud Serpent Mountain City can only be besieged, not forcibly attacked... This mountain city is even more daunting than the Ototpan Mountain City!"

"Ototpan Mountain City... Brother Tizoc..."

Aweit’s expression turned serious, heart trembling. Tizoc’s forceful assault on Ototpan Mountain City had cost him warriors, yet was unsuccessful. Then, after a prolonged siege, the army’s morale faltered, and withdrawal wasn’t pursued. Ultimately, the futile assault and lengthy siege bred discontent among tens of thousands of warriors, inciting dissent across the army corps, granting him a chance to gamble everything on a single throw!

"If the lynx ahead fell into a pitfall, then the tiger at the back must cautiously avoid it... Besieging the mountain city requires sufficient patience and time, but not necessarily many army corps..."

Gillim waited for a moment until the King finished pondering and gazed over. Only then did he continue speaking.

"Among the three cities, the White Snake Hill City is half mountainous and half on the plain, located atop a small hill. The plains south of Hill City are all farmlands, while the north, in the mountains, also holds several strategic camps. White Snake Hill City is slightly larger in area, including the defending army in the camps, estimated at eight to ten thousand, with warriors and militia each making up half. Including the elderly, weak, women, and children, Hill City is estimated to have 15,000 population, with food stores for a year."

"Hmm... White Snake Hill City, bows and catapults are not very useful there. However, the Divine Eagle Cannon, with the farthest range, can directly bombard the city walls!..."

Aweit pondered for a moment and asked in a deep voice.

"Gillim, how is the imitation of the Divine Eagle Cannon of the Kingdom of the Lake progressing? With several dozen Divine Eagle Cannons, White Snake Hill City wouldn’t be hard to capture!"

"Royal Family, the imitation of the Divine Eagle Cannon is difficult..."

Gillim pressed his lips together and prostrated himself in apology.

"The craftsmen in the capital city’s main camp have been testing for almost a year, with over a hundred clay molds, yet only four or five are usable... Perhaps another batch of Divine Eagle Cannons can be requisitioned from the Kingdom of the Lake..."

"Nearly a year and only four or five usable?"

Upon hearing this, Aweit’s expression showed slight anger, and he spoke in a deep voice.

"Cannon casting is a major affair for the Alliance! If any supervisor is incompetent or corruptly delays, they must be sacrificed to the Chief Divine!"

Afterwards, the King’s eyes moved, and he coldly asked.

"With so few cannons cast, could it be that the craftsman who came from the Kingdom to guide the casting meant to withhold secrets?"

"...There is no withholding of secrets. Even for the Kingdom of the Lake, cannon casting is similarly difficult, often with only one usable out of ten, which can be considered a blessing from the Chief Divine."

Gillim prostrated himself in salute, his thoughts racing, but he spoke no falsehoods on this matter. Before the King, to whom he was wholly loyal, he would never lie or conceal, which was why he had the King’s trust.

"Hmm... They must be strictly supervised, to ensure the main camp hastens the casting!"

Aweit lowered his gaze and nodded. He thought for a while, carefully instructing.

"The Kingdom of the Lake is far away, at a distance of a thousand miles. The Divine Eagle Cannons are very heavy and extremely difficult to transport; it’s likely that the requisition cannot be timely... Just have the capital city’s main camp send the newly cast Divine Eagle Cannons as quickly as possible. Even one more during the siege is good!"

"As you command!"

Gillim respectfully complied. Then, he looked southwest and spoke of the last towering Tree Snake City.

"Among the three cities, Tree Snake City is the most prosperous and vast, the strongest in power and highest in status among the Four Snake Cities. In some respects, it can also be seen as the capital of the Telascallans..."

"To the north, Tree Snake City faces the river, with fields on the other three sides, making it convenient for a siege. The defending army in the city is estimated at fifteen thousand, along with several thousand family members, bringing the total to about twenty thousand. As for grain storage, the nobility of Tree Snake City have invested heavily in planting and conducted spring planting, but they cannot leave the city for autumn harvest... It is estimated they have only a little over eight months of supplies, at most able to hold out until next spring."

"Hold out until next spring?"

Aweit’s mouth curved up as he shook his head and chuckled. Then, stroking his chin, he listened carefully to Gillim’s plans while deep in thought.

"Royal Family, to conquer the three mutually supporting cities, one cannot rush it! It should be done from hardest to easiest, attacking Tree Snake City first, then capturing White Snake City, and finally surrounding Cloud Serpent City."

Gillim took out a map and gestured at the three Snake Cities in succession, explaining his prudent strategy.

"The Northern Army will establish a strong camp outside the three cities, completely blocking surrounding passages and mountain paths. Each division will deploy in turn. As the September rainy season fades, the Southern Army will move north, and the siege can begin..."

"Drive the surrendered army and militia to expend the defending army’s stones, timber, ash jars, bows, and javelins. Use catapults, Divine Eagle Cannons, and crossbows to wear down the enemy’s elite warriors and lower the defenders’ morale. Then, deploy the City-State Warriors for combat until the Telascallans are exhausted of resources, their elite forces lost, morale depleted, and utterly worn out, at which point the Kingdom’s Armored Guards can storm the walls and capture it in a single assault!"...

Aweit squinted, his gaze icy as he listened to the Chief Intelligence Officer’s narration, staring at the map of the Trascal Basin. His mind was filled with various complex thoughts, not only of bloody battles but also of bloodless scheming and the kind of politics that become indifferent to bloodshed through constant exposure. After a long while, the ruthless King shook his head and replied soberly.

"No, Gillim, I can’t wait that long! Within twenty days, I want Tree Snake City captured and the Telascallan capital taken!"