NOVPUBIn the golden autumn of October, flocks of geese arrived from the north, alighting upon the shimmering waters. Clouds drifted away with the gentle breeze, dissolving into the clear blue sky. Sunshine cascaded down, birds and beasts donned their autumn fur, and the fragrance of ripe fruit filled the air. After the final goodbye of a light drizzle, the rainy season withdrew quietly, and the harvest of corn had already begun.
By the banks of Lerma River, warning bonfires were lit anew, and the fleet-footed loyal envoy dashed out from the fortress at the rivermouth. He raced southward from Akanbaro State, through the brief gap soon to be encircled by the Mexica, sprinting across the weed-infested fields of the north, his vision filled with desolate omens of slaughter. He ran without cessation, passing through densely clustered villages in the Patzcuaro Lake region. All around, women and the elderly, distressed, toiled in the vast fields where youth and strength had long since been conscripted.
The messenger continued southward in silence, finally arriving at the capital of the kingdom, "Hummingbird City," Copper Capital Qinchongcan.
Outside the city, able-bodied men still labored in the fields, and a vast fleet of transport ships navigated the lake, as ruthless grain requisition squads dispersed from the city gates and spread across the region. He entered the city, passing through the barely thriving capital market, and walked past the huge craftsmen’s workshops for weapon forging, casting a reverent glance at the "House of Wind" Akatla, where priests danced and chanted frenziedly in endless complex rituals atop the sacred pyramid.
The messenger presented the token from the northern marshal and finally reached the heart of the kingdom, the supreme "Palace of Wind" Akatlas. In front of the solemn Chief Minister, he knelt exhaustedly, articulating the marshal’s message word by word.
"Respected Chief Minister, naval battle, the Mexica, burning fire arrows, Chapala Legion, fleeing without fighting, northern marshal, total military defeat,"
With that, the messenger prostrated himself entirely, not daring to gaze upon the Chief Minister’s stormy countenance. Catching his breath, he pleaded loudly.
"Chief, the northern marshal requests aid from the supreme King! The Mexica advance swiftly as the wind, a massive army of twenty thousand will arrive within days, and they have completely surrounded the fortress at the rivermouth. Mexica ships have breached the rivermouth, blocking the water gate, cutting off all support to the fortress..."
Upon hearing this, Chief Minister Jinjinni furrowed his eyebrows deeply, eventually unable to refrain from violently questioning.
"The channel at the rivermouth is narrow and long, no more than thirty meters at its narrowest, and barricaded by merely seven or eight large boats. The fortress walls soar high at the rivermouth, with its west wall standing right on the riverbank. Archers and stone-throwers positioned on the high walls can easily dominate the channel. With a few hundred elite naval forces blocking the channel, and thousands of archers raining stones from the ramparts, even if ten thousand Mexica die, they cannot break through the defense! How could the west water gate be sealed?!"
Facing the Chief’s reproach, the messenger bowed deeper again. Distraught and fearful, he explained in a low voice.
"The marshal was disastrously defeated in the naval battle... such a defeat that... he barely escaped with his life. The main strength of the naval forces was completely annihilated, losing all the large boats, leaving only over three hundred small boats. The enemy’s large boats, equipped with arrow-resistant wooden shields and canopies, carrying longbows with extreme range, and fire arrows to ignite ships... These three hundred small boats merely held them off for a day before the enemy flotilla dispersed them..."
Hearing this, Jinjinni’s chest tightened in pain as if being sliced by a knife. The mighty and vast naval forces of the kingdom were reduced to mere remnants! These were the strong naval forces built up over decades, even nearly a century!
The Chief Minister’s face was as still as water, and he remained silent, making a fierce resolution in his mind.
"The naval forces that doomed the kingdom, ought to kill Osthpa! Once this battle concludes, split the ’Crocodile’s’ body into five parts, sacrifice to the gods, and the ’Crocodile’s’ fief shall become directly managed land!"
The messenger sneaked a glance at the Chief. He dared not detail how the enemy had acquired those large boats equipped with wooden shields and canopies. He simply continued to lie prostrate, carefully reporting back.
"Dozens of enemy large boats endured the barrage from the city and forced their way through the rivermouth channel into Cuitzeo Lake. Afterwards, the besieging enemies moved to the southwest of the fortress, establishing a stronghold by Cuitzeo Lake to supply this flotilla. The Mexica then used this location as a base to scout the shores of Cuitzeo Lake, severing all naval support to the rivermouth fortress!"
Jinjinni slightly closed his eyes, calming his emotions. Then, he asked sternly.
"Look at me! How many samurai are currently in the rivermouth fortress? How many militia? What about the provisions? How long does the marshal expect to hold?"
Only then did the messenger look up, meeting the Chief Minister’s fierce gaze, and shivered involuntarily. He answered truthfully, not daring to conceal anything.
"The Mexica advance tremendously fast, and only a third of the samurai from the northern defense line made it into the fortress in time. Now, the marshal has two hundred household samurai, General Kukuna has three hundred, and the local nobility of Akanbaro State have a thousand, totaling one thousand five hundred!"
"As for the militia, at the time of deployment, the fortress was garrisoned by three thousand Chapala militia, five thousand newly supported militia from the Lake Region. Two thousand beaten troops fled back during the battle, and three thousand militia were urgently called in from nearby, totaling thirteen thousand!"
"...After supporting the fortress, many of the northern forts are depleted of soldiers. Now, there are only less than two thousand local samurai and twelve thousand militia! The samurai and militia have suffered heavy losses, but the originally stored food is plentiful. Each fort has at least half a year’s provisions, and the rivermouth fortress has a full year’s supply!" 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝔬𝔪
The messenger was clearly a trusted envoy of the northern marshal, intimately acquainted with military details. Now, he recounted every matter meticulously, revealing the complete situation in the north. Finally, he bowed deeply, shouting loudly.
