"Oh! Land grants for military achievents are full of hope..."
The sparse drizzle gradually stopped, and the flas in Ke Shi City also died down. However, the fires ignited in despair by the defending army still contained so black oil from the Temple. These fiercely burning flas were not extinguished by the drizzle but were buried by the civilians with bags of earth. Surveying the city, the broken axes and spears, the shattered longbows, the broken feathered arrows, the fallen corpses, and the flowing blood were all half-buried by the earth, silently decaying...
War is a matter of life and death, and both sides of the conflict continually learn from each other, prioritizing all resources and wisdom into the art of war. In these two years of slaughter, the Totonac Eastern Alliance has learned the longbow of the xica Alliance and the Kingdom. The eastern expedition army also understood the usage of black oil.
The Dog Descendant Warriors in the legion quickly learned to wrap grass ropes soaked in black oil around feathered arrows, igniting them as the cheapest fire arrows! And the simplest way to extinguish oil fires, which are resistant to water, is to bury them with soil.
Black Wolf Torc carried a longbow, sniffed the pungent scent of black oil in the air, and couldn’t help but think of the demon flas in mythology.
Sulfur from the Stone of the Dead, saltpeter from the frost of the earth, gunpowder from volcanic force, and the black oil from the endless abyss... this series of "demon" flas have almost beco the most notable mark of the Kingdom Legion, and even the Alliance Army!
"The army of volcanic demons... the god of death resurrected from the depths... these rumors spreading across the world! Haha! Those who fear us, slander us, our enemies! They are destined to die by my hands!..."
Black Wolf Torc pondered these chaotic thoughts for a mont before brushing them away. Then, he looked at the equally pensive Mu Xi, grinning as he asked.
"Chief Divine witness! Mu Xi, there was already such a rule of land grants for military rit two years ago when the army advanced east! I even personally granted land to you in the Serpent City... So, back then, your morale couldn’t be boosted?"
"Uh... Black Wolf Leader... back then..."
Upon hearing this, Mu Xi’s expression froze, he tugged at his hair and lowered his voice, answering truthfully.
"Chief Divine witness! Back then, we all thought that the Kingdom’s great army would just co to conquer, like the Alliance decades ago... Break a few city-states, kill a batch of Divine Descendant Nobility, and make the tribes submit and pay tribute, then they would go back..."
"And for us Samurai who surrendered, even if we were granted land or so title... it was useless! Once the Kingdom’s army left, the city-states would bite back... The divine bloodline stained on our hands... that would lead to our sacrificial end!..."
"Oh? So, back then, you didn’t believe what I said? But now you believe what His Highness says?..."
Black Wolf Torc raised his eyebrows, staring into Mu Xi’s eyes. Mu Xi imdiately felt a chill in his heart and respectfully lowered his head.
"Black Wolf Leader, we did believe what you said!... We’ve followed you and never hesitated to kill! But back then, distrust between surrendering armies from different tribes was an issue, and there was always concern about rebellion from others. I figured that to stabilize the Seaside Lands, we had to follow you and eliminate all those small and big nobles first!..."
"And after His Majesty arrived, he established a Seaside Alliance. The great nobles died or fled, the small nobles surrendered, and the tribespeople began farming and harvesting... We each gained our positions, and the surrendered armies felt more at ease... Everyone felt this montum could succeed! So... naturally, it succeeded!..."
"Hmm, so that’s how it is!... Chief Divine bless! The words of the Kingdom, the decrees issued, which were not believed before, are now believed. The great montum of conquering the Seaside Lands, everyone feels it can succeed, and naturally it does... What is this called?... It should be what His Majesty ntioned, the people’s hearts return, the people’s hearts are united... oh no, the people’s hearts attach, the people’s hearts oscillate?..."
Black Wolf Torc rubbed his chin, pondering the logic among it. He had fought many military battles, no matter how perilous, he had faced them without fear. But political battles, only after arriving at the Seaside Lands did he slowly begin to engage, gradually gaining so insight.
"Chief Divine bless! Praise the Chief Divine!... Believe implicitly in our god Huitzilopochtli! His power is infinite, supre!... Offer to the Chief Divine, blood oath conversion!..."
The devout and solemn hymns sounded outside Ke Shi City. The accompanying War Priests lit the Sacred Fire, marking out a square for conversion. Hundreds of Divine Descendants and Nobility from city-states were selected and sacrificed on the spot, their blood turned into blood wine.
One group after another of tribal captives from Ke Shi City, either terrified or numb, were escorted to the lit fire pits. Awaiting them was the soul-binding blood oath, haircut, blood wine, conversion... And after this entire grand conversion, the loyalty of the tribespeople was minimally assured, allowing them to migrate inland.
"Mu Xi, your vanguard perford well! With the spoils of war later, whether people or goods, you can choose first!"
Black Wolf Torc promised, and Mu Xi’s face lit up with joy. Black Wolf pondered for a mont, then instructed again.
"With efficient logistical transportation, army provisions are quite adequate, enabling more main forces to advance east... After capturing Ke Shi City, you leave a thousand tribal vanguard, and I’ll leave two thousand surrendered Defectors. That’s three thousand people, enough to control the surroundings of Ke Shi City! Your morale is good, so within Ke Shi City, I won’t leave my own Samurai; everything will be handed over to your control. And in the White Bay Village’s logistics camp, there are my thousand troops, two thousand surrendered army, which can support each other!..."
Upon hearing this, Mu Xi nodded respectfully. He thought for a mont and asked.
"Black Wolf Leader, between Ke Shi City and White Bay Village, it’s all swamps and jungles on the land route... Transporting provisions, it’s easier by water... We have to leave a group of naval forces and ships for transporting provisions here!"
"Hmm... Then leave five hundred people, over fifty ships! After capturing the Lake Sacrifice City, leave another group of naval forces, and finally capture the Hidden Serpent Holy City!"
Black Wolf looked towards the north, and in the nearby Seaside, the densely packed fleet of naval ships could be clearly seen. Most of the fleet consisted of Totonac naval forces and warriors, while only around the flagship were Prepetcha Naval Warriors.
As for the fierce Navy Captain Nu Hu Yu, she stood nacingly at the bow of the flagship. She held a spear nearly three ters long, adorned with bright red feathers, her gaze fixed on the bloody grand conversion, full of so piety and focus. This ti, it was precisely because of the encirclent by the naval fleet that none of the city-state Divine Descendants escaped.
"Leader, what about the Third Ancient City fifty-odd li to the southeast? Although it’s just a ruin, it’s an ancient sacred site, still controlled by the rebel Eastern Alliance... There’s also a Divine Stele there, thousands of years old!"
"Hmm?... The Third Ancient City of the Olc people, an ancient sacred place... the ancient Divine Stele of lineage?..."
Black Wolf Torc withdrew his gaze, pondering for a mont. He rembered the instructions from His Highness before departure and quickly made a decision. This Third Ancient City is the Olc Era’s Tres Zapotes. Legend has it that the Olc Divine King descended from the sky, establishing this ancient city-state!
At the center of this city-state, there is an exceptionally ancient long calendar stele, with a jaguar, ruler, and earth on the front representing the Divine King back then, while the back is filled with strings of dots and bars, graphic epic narratives of the calendar. The top records the stele’s completion date as 7.16.3.2.13, equivalent to 36 BC, over fifteen hundred years ago!
"Since there’s a Divine Stele, then occupy this ancient city, and leave a thousand surrendered Defectors to guard it!"
Suddenly thinking of sothing, Black Wolf Torc grinned, his face showing excitent.
"Haha! After capturing the Hidden Serpent Holy City and sacrificing the Priesthood in the Serpent City, I will personally go to the Divine Stele there!..."
"Then, at the end of the Divine Stele, engrave the stone with achievents! Etch my na and deeds!..."
"Haha! Chief Divine bless! The thought of this makes a bit impatient!..."
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