Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 950 - 555: Unexpected Good News

Chapter 950: Chapter 555: Unexpected Good News

The sun slightly leaned to the west, casting a glow in the cloud-filled sky. The cheers of the samurai faded atop the towering pyramid and echoed throughout the city alongside the northward inspection of the Royal Banner.

King Aweit’s expression was stern as he first inspected the Pyramid Temple and the sacrifices of the Divine Descendants, and then headed north to the granary to examine the food storage within the Tree Snake City.

The scale of Tree Snake City wasn’t very large, but the granary’s area was indeed quite spacious, even exceeding that of typical noble residences. The grey granary was constructed with bricks and stones, with only two to three meters of its above-ground portion visible, while its underground main structure was three times the height of the ground part!

"Hmm? The entire granary is built with volcanic rocks, reinforced with corn mortar?"

"Exactly, Majesty! The entire granary has been dug quite deep, including the cellar part, all paved with rock bricks and moisture-proofed for the rainy season. In such a dry, low-temperature granary, dried corn and jerky can even be stored for several years... I have asked the elderly craftsmen in the city. Over the years, Tree Snake City has expanded its granaries several times, always preparing for war. And the food storage in the city has always been a priority concern of successive City Lords."

Chief Intelligence Officer Gillim saluted respectfully, reporting in detail. Upon the fall of Tree Snake City, he immediately dispatched personnel to control the granary in the city and personally checked it twice.

In fact, within this Telascallan city-state, he cared most not for the temple, nor the Divine Descendants, but for the granary and food. The storage of food is vital for the survival of the allied army on the expedition, warranted careful and constant attention.

"Hmm, truly a military city built with meticulous care!"

Aweit reached out a hand and touched the solid outer wall of the granary, expressing the sentiment of a victor. Next, he noticed the surface of the granary wall had traces of flame scorching. The king’s expression suddenly became grave.

"Gillim, how much food did the army specifically capture within Tree Snake City?"

"Majesty, Tree Snake City originally had a population and family of twenty thousand, with a stored food supply for twenty thousand people for a year."

Gillim’s expression was serious and he spoke at length.

"The alliance besieged the city for half a month, attacked it for nearly a month, plus several days of city cleansing. Now it’s already the end of July, the start of August. When the city fell earlier, some Telascallan defending troops set fire to the granary. But with divine protection, heavy rain promptly followed, and only a portion of the food was burnt...excluding the consumption and burning by the defending troops, the granary still contains enough food to support forty thousand troops for four months!"

"Hmm. The delayed heavy rain gave the alliance more time to assault the city and extinguished the fire within the city, surely divine protection!"

Aweit smiled. He then heard Gillim’s reported figures, and the smile turned into a look of delight.

"Who would have thought there could be food for forty thousand people for four months? Gillim, did you check it?"

"Majesty, I led the Secret Guard and checked twice personally. The food supply in the granary should not differ much from this figure."

Gillim likewise broke into a rare smile.

"The Telascallan did indeed prepare well for this war. However, with divine protection! These reserves now benefit the alliance. The rainy season is at its peak, making food transportation difficult. With this batch of captured food, the logistical pressure on the alliance is greatly reduced."

"Indeed! In Feathered Serpent City, there is still food for four thousand people for over two months, plus this batch of captured food...after I lead the Royal Legion away, more than half can be left for the Southbound Army heading north!"

Aweit nodded with a smile. He and Gillim coincidentally used the figure of forty thousand people to estimate food consumption.

The reason being that after two brutal siege battles, the main force of the Northern Route Army, initially seven full military corps nearing sixty thousand, was reduced to about forty thousand. Of course, among these casualties, over sixty percent were cheap militia, and only forty percent were the samurai who required pensions. And among the eight thousand fallen samurai, city-state warriors accounted for six to seven tenths of them. This disparity in casualties naturally ties in closely with the arrangements made by the king since the eastern expedition.

"Divine protection for the alliance!"

Aweit uttered a prayer and showed slight concern. With such ample food supply in Tree Snake City, the yet-to-be-captured White Snake Hill City and Cloud Serpent Mountain City should likewise have abundant food supplies. Next, if Xiuluo wants to capture these two cities and completely eradicate the Telascallan, it may take quite some time and be far from easy.

"Gillim, during these days of the alliance’s assaults, have there been any movements from the other two snake cities?"

"Majesty, Cloud Serpent Mountain City is built within the mountains, making it difficult for the army to enter, and likewise hard for the warriors inside to come out. The Mountain Corps blocked the mountain pass, the Telascallan warriors in the mountains attempted a few harassment attacks but with little effect, and it ended inconclusively."

This kind of mountain city built in the mountains is perilous but often has little impact on the overall strategic situation. This is because the attackers do not need much troop strength to block the mountain pass, cutting off the mountain city’s channel for deploying forces. And once these channels are severed, a besieged mountain city becomes a dead city that will eventually run out of food and fall.

"As for White Snake Hill City, located at the rear side of the army..."

The Chief Intelligence Officer paused, then his expression became stern.

"The warriors in the city have come out to attack, repeatedly raiding the army’s grain paths, harming several hundred alliance militia, and also burning some food supplies."

The army’s grain path is not stable, which is why the Chief Intelligence Officer always prioritized military food supplies.

"Hmm...White Snake Hill City..."

Aweit squinted his eyes, looking towards the northeast, a murderous intent rose in his heart. After thinking for a moment, he then lowered his eyes, shaking his head.

"No. The rainy season is at its peak, not a time for city assault. I also don’t have much time to linger here aimlessly. The royal main force must return quickly and hold the capital city. I also need to conduct the grand priestly rites to appease the alliance’s hearts!"

Gillim slightly raised his head, observing the king’s expression. He then nodded secretly, knowing that the king had already made a decision, and said no more.

"Gillim, a royal decree: dispatch envoys to the Southern Army!"

Aweit pondered for a while and issued the latest royal decree while gazing at the solid granary.

"There are five important matters for the envoys heading south! First, the High Priest goes to the Divine Kingdom, letting Xiuxoke write a letter to comfort Xiulote...Second, inform him of the Northern Route Army’s progress. Tree Snake City has already fallen, and the main force of the Royal Legion needs to quickly return to the capital...Third, inquire about the situation of the Southern Army, let him extract at least twenty thousand from the army corps and personally lead them to sit in Tree Snake City! I will await him for a month’s time for an in-person handover and strategic guidance...Fourth, have him select one thousand third-level warriors from various corps of the Southern Army to expand the Tonsured Guard Camp."

"As for the last matter..."

At this point, Aweit’s face showed an unprecedented brilliant smile. Today he was so joyful not just because of the conquest of Tree Snake City, but also mainly due to receiving this good news!

"Haha! Tell Xiulote that the messenger from the capital city brought the good news of divine blessing! Ten days ago, while warriors were battling atop Tree Snake City, the Chief Divine bestowed sacred blessings, granting prosperity to the royal family!"

Upon hearing this, the Chief Intelligence Officer’s forehead jumped, his body shook, losing his customary solemnity.

He had already guessed what this news might be! Calculating the days, it indeed fell within this month. Judging by the king’s expression, there should be no surprise. However, whether it’s male or female remains unknown...on this matter, the king had arranged another group isolated from all news, independently responsible to him. Even the Secret Guard monitoring the alliance had no authority to inquire or understand any details. Of course, he dared not defy the king on this matter, not even to the slightest extent.

"Haha!"

Aweit laughed heartily, his eyes bent into crescent moons. His face rid of the usual coldness and sternness, even carried a touch of benevolence. He laughed as he declared, just like declaring victory from the eastern expedition, filled with heartfelt joy.

"Tell him, divine blessing for the royal family!...Ten days ago, he became a father! And I, became a grandfather!"