The dawn was approaching, the bright moon sinking into the West Mountain, yet the morning sun hadn’t risen. It was the darkest mont of the day. Torches were lit on the walls of Snake City, campfires rose outside the xica encampnt, and between these two sources of light were the Tree Snake Samurai dashing through the shadows.
Telavito held a war club and, stepping through the shadows of the night, led five hundred elite warriors on a rapid charge! They had preserved their strength and prepared well, running with such speed. In but a quarter of an hour, the group reached within two hundred paces of the camp.
"滴!...滴!..."
At this distance, the firelight from the xica camp illuminated them, and the assault team could no longer hide. The patrolling xica Warrior squad was taken aback and imdiately blew a warning horn. The piercing horn sound echoed through the night sky, awakening all the sleeping warriors and militia from sweet dreams into a real nightmare.
"Go!"
Telavito pointed his war club, and a squad of twenty people split off to attack the patrolling warriors giving the alarm. Then, the brave Cloud Serpent Hunters pressed on, swiftly arriving at the xica legion’s encampnt.
The outermost part of the camp only had a crude fence and a camp gate where battle flags were hung. Further back were the open-air straw shelters of the City-State militia. Hearing the warning horn, the camp was already clamorous. Under the firelight at the camp gate, the gate-guarding xica Warriors gathered their spirits quickly. Their faces were full of tension and fatigue, yet they adeptly set up their spears, almost without thinking.
Telavito glanced at the xica Warriors at the gate and chose not to force through. The xica had only camped outside Snake City recently, and the outer fence was hastily built by the militia. Though it ford a circle, it was full of flaws. He circled the camp, running tens of ters, and spotted a crude wooden fence. Then, he gave a low shout, instructing his trusted aides.
"Bring the bronze axe, break open the fence!"
Two strong Tree Snake Samurai imdiately hefted the great axe, sprinting forward and hacking at the wooden fence vigorously. The rest took out agave ropes, tied them to the pillar’s stakes, and pulled with all their might. In just a few breaths, the crude wooden fence was tottering.
"Such sharp and durable great axes! ... In recent years, the xica’s weapons have beco increasingly fine, surpassing ours in many ways! Though the warriors of Cloud Serpent are brave, how much blood must be shed to bridge such a gap?..."
Telavito’s expression was complex as he lightly sighed. Then, he pressed his lips tightly, filled with murderous intent, and waited in silence.
The Tlaxcala Valley and the xican Valley were actually quite close, only separated by continuous high mountains, dwelling on either side of the Divine Mountain. There were nurous mountain paths, though impassable for large armies, they served for smuggling caravans. These sharp bronze great axes were purchased at high prices by the nobles of Snake City from the smugglers of the Alliance, and they were few in number.
As for why the Alliance’s controlled military supplies found their way into the hands of smugglers? ... One can only say that in any era, the business of trafficking military supplies will always exist. Severe punishnt and sacrifices to the Chief Divine can minimize such corruption, but cannot completely avoid it.
"咄! 咄!... Bang!"
The harsh sound of the wooden stakes snapping sharply rang out! The crude fence couldn’t withstand the chopping and tugging and finally broke open a gap. In the dim night, Telavito looked beyond the fence at the panic-stricken City-State militia and smiled with a wolf-like ferocity.
"Follow , kill them all! Cloud Serpent protects us!"
"Cloud Serpent protects! Kill!"
Telavito brandished the war club and leaped through the gap, slicing down a youthful militia mber in just two strokes. Five hundred Tree Snake Samurai let out chaotic roars and, like a pack of wolves, surged through the gap.
Those who participated in the night raid were all elite warriors of Tlaxcala. Their battle techniques were skillful, cutting horizontally and vertically, slaughtering the recently awakened and fleeing City-State militia like a tiger into a flock of chickens. Before long, soone picked up a burning log from the campfire and set the outer camp ablaze without hesitation!
Soon, large sheets of flas roared up, accompanied by shrill screams. Armored silhouettes danced before the firelight, viciously and brutally slaughtering the militia. This fierce night raid took advantage of precise timing, completely catching the Tzompantli legion off guard!
The vast outer camp was plunged into utter chaos. The dangerous chaos was rippling inward, like a pebble tossed into a pond, splattering into red waves.
"Ah!... Enemies! The Tlaxcala people!"
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Run!"
"No escape! Kill for !... Ugh... ho-ho..."
Telavito panted heavily, lowering his blood-stained war club, from which fresh red dripped. A Chieftain of a xica village militia lay at his feet, his neck spurting blood, soaking Telavito’s shoes.
Behind him were dozens of fallen corpses and the blazing flas. In front of him, dozens of mostly unclothed City-State Militia scrambled frantically like frightened chickens, even abandoning all their weapons.
"Haha! The xica militia on the outskirts, despite numbering in the thousands, are utterly useless!"
Telavito glanced around, his eyes fierce and sharp, with a smirk on his lips. Within no more than a quarter, he had already slain ten n, breaching through the outer camp where the militia gathered, reaching the warrior camp inside. After the City-State Militia scattered, most fled in all directions, not really impacting the inner warrior camp.
"The true target of this night raid is the thousands of Tzompantli Warriors in the inner layer!"
The Cloud Serpent Hunter stiffened his expression, watched for a mont, then swung his war club, continuing to charge into the inner layer.
The warrior camp in the inner layer was obviously much more secure. Various camps and grass huts were spaced apart, while flags of the City State Nobles fluttered before the tents. So of the warriors from different families scattered in the night raid, while others gathered closer to their respective nobility, forming Noble Battle Groups of varying numbers.
"Chrrr!..."
Telavito fiercely slashed sideways, tearing apart a noble’s cotton armor before him, inflicting a dreadful wound, spraying warm splashes. Underneath the family’s traditional Red Tree banner, a middle-aged Great Nobility of xica perished in battle! Then, Telavito discarded his worn-edged war club, reached out with both hands to grasp the blood-stained family flag, and snapped it forcefully.
"Crunch!...Bang!"
The Red Tree banner fell into the pool of blood, dyed even redder. A hereditary noble of dozens of warriors was wiped out in the brutal night raid, and more than ten elite Tree Snake warriors were lost. Telavito took off the longbow from his back, with a hand axe and arrows on his waist, resting briefly. He gasped for breath to recover his rapidly depleted stamina while squinting to observe the surrounding battle.
After several quarters of fierce combat, the xica people’s militia was completely fragnted, yet the warriors gradually recovered from chaos. They organized quickly into small teams nearby, engaging in lee with the attacking Tree Snake warriors. Both sides swung at each other, engaging in close combat where life and death hung by a thread. Occasionally, warriors emitted injured screams or fell silently. Around him, most of the five hundred Tree Snake warriors dispersed, with only over a hundred continuing to follow.
"Between the outskirts and the inner layer of the xica camp, there’s a separation of several dozen ters. The outer bonfire can’t burn into the inside for now..."
Telavito furrowed his brow, pondering quietly. He leveraged the flaming light to gaze at the fiercely battling camp, seeking truly valuable targets.
"Militia are like leaves, impossible to kill them all. Warriors are like branches, breaking them is strenuous... But the truly noble and vital are the core pillars, the trunk that commands the legion, the honorable nobility, the leaders of the xica people! He’s right there!"
The Cloud Serpent Hunter watched for a mont, finally spotting the tallest banner! Positioned in the center and rear of the camp, the banner was two hundred paces away. Several hundred elite Tzompantli warriors were hurrying from surrounding tents, gathering hastily under the grand flag.
"Cloud Serpent’s shelter! Tree Snake Warriors, follow to charge over, offering the xica Leader to the Supre Divine!"
Telavito let out a low roar, gripping the longbow in one hand and wielding the bronze axe in the other, charging fiercely.
"Cloud Serpent’s shelter, offer to the Divine!"
The surrounding Tree Snake warriors, red-eyed, roared, following in Telavito’s footsteps, charging towards the tallest Tzompantli flag.
Under the grand flag, bonfires were ablaze, illuminating everyone’s features. The elder Tzompantli Legion Commander, Xochitl, appeared grim, like clouds in the rainy season. Dressed in elaborate armor and wearing a light leather cap, he stood before the bonfire, looking distantly at the camp’s grim situation.
"Damn King Aweit! Using siege tactics to drain the Tzompantli legion warriors, then forcing to encircle the camp here, without providing sufficient troops!..."
Facing the unexpected night raid from the Tlaxcalans, Xochitl’s rage burned. He felt both the pang from the legion’s loss and resentnt towards the king. But the most critical task now was to gather the City’s warriors, eliminate the chaotic fighting, and form a tight, stable battle formation!
Thinking of this, Xochitl raised the scepter in his hand and shouted sternly:
"Chief Divine bears witness! Brave Tzompantli warriors, do not panic, do not scatter! I stand right here, all rally to my flag! Raise the spear, lift the war club, form the battle formation, slaughter the night-raiding Tlaxcalans..."
"Whoosh!"
The Tzompantli Legion Commander shouted, beard and hair stretched wide. A fierce copper arrow streaked forth like lightning! The lightning sliced through the dull night, shot hastily from dozens of steps away, piercing his chest in an instant!
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