NOVPUB"Black Wolf" felt the surge of anger and, with a backhand, gave Ospia two slaps, scolding furiously,
"You rat-fish bluffer! Putting on the airs of a hero, yet you can’t even slit your own neck after all this time!"
Ospia whimpered in pain, seeing stars, his face marked with the swelling imprint of a palm. He truly had resolved himself, but the thought of his family, which had endured for a century, facing extinction filled his mind with chaos, and he couldn’t compose any final verses as he faced death...
Thrilled to unleash his anger, Toltec immediately grabbed Ospia by the collar and burst into laughter.
"I, Toltec, have captured the enemy Marshal!"
"Black Wolf" drew the hemp rope from his waist and tied up Ospia like a crocodile, dragging him straight to the rooftop. Then, with one hand waving the broken enemy’s flag and the other pulling Ospia from the ground, he used all his strength to bellow,
"I, Toltec, have captured the enemy Marshal!"
At the passageway below the South City wall, thousands of Tarasco samurai and militia were still resisting desperately but suddenly heard the thunderous roar from the high tower. The defenders, both atop and below the city walls, looked up only to see the broken "Crocodile" flag and the captive Marshal in his finery.
In that instant, the Tarasco defending army’s resistance came to an abrupt halt, and a look of utter despair appeared in their eyes. Moments later, as if the waterfalls had broken, their meaningless shouts erupted, and the defending army of the fortress finally disintegrated in a crash!
Dozens of nobility, with their trusted aides, fled in all directions, seeking what they believed to be escape routes. Over a hundred samurai assembled in a spear formation to make a last stand but were immediately shot dead by a concentrated volley from archers. Five thousand militia simply fell to the ground and surrendered, crying out as they knelt and begged for mercy!
The lengthy siege had lasted half a day, the tangled slaughter went on for quarters, yet the complete rout happened in an instant. In just two quarters more, there was no longer any force within the city capable of resistance.
A messenger hurried out of the city and loudly reported back to Xiulote,
"Your Highness, Toltec has captured the enemy Marshal! The Rivermouth Fortress has fallen!"
As the sun set in the west, facing the fallen fortress, the Young Commander laughed heartily. He laughed with unfettered joy, laughed so heartily that it shook the heavens and the earth!
The contagious laughter drifted far, reaching the ears of his trusted aides, touching the hearts of the samurai, and indeed stirring the spirits of all who heard it.
After half a year of standoff and two months of siege, the Mexica Northern Army had finally captured the Rivermouth Fortress. It was the strongest and most formidable bulwark of the Tarasco people, never before taken by a foreign force. With its fall, it was as if the hard shell of a boiled turkey egg had been cracked. What lay ahead was the soft, vulnerable egg white of the southern shore of Cuitzeo Lake and the fertile Patzcuaro Lake region, the very heart of the egg yolk of the Kingdom, a feast now just within reach!
Xiulote’s chest swelled with pride as he strode towards the fortress. As soon as he entered, "Black Wolf" Toltec came dragging Ospia along. At this moment, the "Crocodile" nobleman’s hair was disheveled, his face ashen, the very picture of desolation and defeat.
"Your Highness, I salute you! I, Toltec, offer you the enemy Marshal, a great victory in this battle!"
Full of elation, Toltec knelt on one knee, looked up, and shouted.
The Young Commander laughed out loud. He took two steps forward, lifted "Black Wolf" Toltec, then gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder.
"Well done, truly worthy of being my Black Wolf! Capturing the enemy Marshal, this battle will surely be accredited as the greatest merit!"
Then Xiulote’s lips curled in a half-smile, half-smirk. He approached the kneeling "Crocodile" noble, appraising his battered old adversary with a brooding chuckle,
"Ospia, I’ve heard you once swore to take Bertade and me as your subordinates?"
The face of the "Crocodile" nobleman blushed and turned pale in succession. He lifted his head slightly, revealing a last defiant stance.
"Your Highness, kill me if you must. A Divine Descendant of the Crocodile will not endure humiliation!"
Hearing this, Toltec immediately stood up, grabbed Ospia by the collar, and delivered a fierce punch in the ribs. The "Crocodile" nobleman let out a pained scream and then curled up like a shrimp.
"You rat-fish! You failed to die from disemboweling yourself half the day, yet here you still try to imitate the defiance of a swan!"
Hearing Toltec’s words, something stirred in Xiulote’s heart. He took another look at Ospia’s expression, and then said,
"Black Wolf, drag him with you to the Fortress Touring City, and awe the surrendering enemy Samurai and Militia! But be careful to spare his life!"
Toltec solemnly accepted the command, exerting force in his hand, and dragged Ospaway.
Next, Xiulote ascended to the top of the city wall, glanced at the traces of smoke and fire, and looked again at the flames ignited somewhere in the fortress that had been waiting for a long time, and called for the veteran Etalik.
"Etalik, your contribution in capturing the city is commendable, but it can only rank third! I will keep your merits in my heart. Now, hasten to gather the grain and fodder within the city, dispatch the Temple Guards to garrison, and then extinguish the flames inside the city. Additionally, allocate a portion of the seized provisions to comfort the heavily wounded Chichimeca Canine Descendants.
An army traveling hundreds of miles, with a difficult supply route, gaining a load of grain from the enemy can reduce the Capital’s burden by three loads!"
"Your Highness, as the future Family Head, I follow all your commands! With this grand victory, the sun at its zenith, your fame will spread all over the world!"
Hearing this, Etalik didn’t mind at all, and respectfully nodded his head in acceptance. Then, with a sincere compliment, he turned and went about his business.
Xiulote nodded slightly, the family’s veterans were always reliable. Next, he looked down at the passage below the city wall, where most of the vanguard of the Divine Blessing Legion were covered in blood, and the Samurai had likely suffered significant losses.
At this moment, these devout Otomi Warriors were seething with murderous intent. With one hand they held the Chief Divine’s amulet, with the other they gripped prisoners on the ground, forcing the Tarasco Militia to convert. If anyone dared to refuse praying to the Chief Divine, they would be met with a blow to the head and killed on the spot.
Seeing the genuine devotion from the Divine Blessing Legion, Xiulote nodded inwardly. He thought for a moment and summoned Natali, whose leather armor was bright red, and his eyes just as red.
"Devout Legion Commander Natali, the Divine Blessing Legion was the vanguard to storm the fortress, this victory shall be regarded as the second merit!"
Natali closed his eyes, silently prayed for a moment to calm his emotions from the slaughter. Only after a while did he steadily open his eyes and, like a statue, slowly nodded.
"Thank you for your grace, Your Highness. Praise to the Chief Divine! We conquer mighty fortresses for Him, we spread His glory!"
"Praise to the Chief Divine!"
Xiulote gave a respectful salute, then spoke.
"Natali, the Divine Blessing Legion has suffered no small number of casualties. What reward would you ask for?"
The young Legion Commander’s expression was solemn. After pondering for a moment, he spoke firmly.
"Please, your Highness, perform a sacrificial rite for the fallen Divine Blessing warriors, to lead them to the Divine Kingdom. Please rescue and care for the wounded comrades of the legion, and have them convalesce at the Wooden Fort in the North. Lastly, please let us participate in the conversion ceremony of the Tarasco people to spread the Chief Divine’s glory!"
Hearing these requests, devoid of any selfishness, Xiulote nodded in satisfaction and laughed heartily.
"Good, the Divine Blessing Legion is my loyal subject, and it’s right for them to be so! You and the Priests go ignite the Sacred Fire, prepare the Blood Wine, the conversion ceremony shall take place immediately!"
Last, the Young Commander surveyed his surroundings. The splattered fortress was littered with damaged buildings, solidified bloodstains, and fallen corpses. The air was thick with the stench of blood, blended with the smoke. Only the firm blue-stone city walls stood resiliently at the crucial Lerma Rivermouth, exerting their renewed defensive power!
Xiulote climbed the Watchtower, as the bustling fortress gradually calmed. Behind the city walls, the Tarasco Militia were filled with fear and trepidation, kneeling down to form a sea of people, at least five thousand in number. Inside and outside the city walls, tens of thousands of Mexica Samurai held strategic points, their faces full of fierce bravery.
The Young Commander smiled slightly, raised his arm. Tens of thousands of people simultaneously raised their arms, waving their weapons, and let out thunderous cheers—a victory army indeed!
In the midst of earth-shaking cheers, Xiulote looked to the south. There, the rivers, lakes were vast, plains stretched far, villages were densely scattered, and towns thrived. Traveling south from Cuitzeo Lake, past the isolated Huayamo Fortress, lies the Capital of the Tarasco people!
Thinking of this, the Young Commander laughed heartily, with a clear path ahead! His heart surged with emotion as he recited aloud, and the guards kneeling beside him recorded his words.
"I came to the lakeside, I saw the smoke of settlement, I conquered the Kingdom!"
At the end of December, the Mexica Northern Route Army captured the Rivermouth Fortress, breaking through Tarasco’s northern defenses, henceforth left unguarded. After resting the army for no more than three days, Xiulote once again assembled the Naval Forces, transported the main force of the Northern Army, and launched a major landing on the southern shore of Cuitzeo Lake.
Tens of thousands of Mexica forces immediately advanced directly, non-stop, while the remaining local Militia fled at the sight of them. On the first day of the new year, the Northern Army finally reached the Huayamo Fortress, entered the Patzcuaro Lake Region, and were just over a hundred miles from the Copper Capital Qinchongcan. Upon receiving such startling news, the Tarasco Kingdom was completely shaken, with its survival hanging by a thread!
