NOVPUBThe night wind traveled from the Capital City southward, sweeping across fifty li of open fields, before pausing briefly in Patzcuaro City. When dawn lit up the sky and earth, the envoy from the Capital City hurriedly set out on their journey, continuing southeast. Over a dozen samurai with the Hummingbird House crest guarded two cloaked envoys, quietly traversing the prairies past the large militia escorting provisions.
Avoiding the desolate villages and crossing the uninhabited knolls, they arrived at a sparse woodland. The shallow trees of the tropical highland blushed with cherry hues of tender new branches that had just sprouted in the spring breeze. Grass up to a meter high blanketed the wilds, swaying in the wind to create waves, the delicate tips adorned with slightly blue spindles, like an ocean of lavender.
Soft, verdant Rosy Maple Moth flowers intertwined among the branches, forming layer upon layer of pink buds waiting for the season of bloom. Their flowering season was long, beginning with April’s first rain and lasting until the end of October’s rainy season. The trumpet-shaped blossoms would flourish and fade in the stormy winds, accompanied by the songs of lakeside people busy with farm work—a beauty of the water region etched in the heart of every Tarasco.
"When the Rosy Maple Moth flowers blossom, and the Heavenly Divine’s tears fall, the Mexica’s supply routes will become treacherous. The Kingdom’s fate lies with the flowers; can we endure until the end of the rainy season?"
Seeing the familiar flowers and smelling the fresh scent in the wind, the envoy slowed their pace momentarily, pausing in their stride. Heavy with a secret message, aware of the entire picture of the war, their expression carried shades of desolation.
Suddenly, amidst the distant woods, several reflections of light flickered. The envoy stiffened for a moment, then alarm bells sounded within—Obsidian!
"To arms!..."
Dozens of hidden Hunters rose swiftly, instantly surrounding the small party of messengers. Their clothing was plastered with long grass, appearing like spirits sprung from the flora, with only the tall leader dressed in green leather armor of a samurai. Without hesitation, the Hunters drew longbows, releasing a chorus of sustaining hums. "Swoosh, swoosh," a torrent of arrows came, penetrating the Tarasco samurai completely, felling them to the ground amidst cries that echoed instantly through the woods.
The samurai leader concentrated and aimed briefly before erupting with a roar.
"Aim for the legs!"
A feathered arrow flew like lightning, accompanied by the whistling wind, and fiercely lodged into the thigh of the central envoy. The envoy immediately became unsteady and fell under the vibrant shallow trees. The accompanying Envoy trembled and crouched before the fallen envoy, struggling to lift him up.
The Toltec leader roared and released four arrows in quick succession, felling all the standing enemy samurai. Then, he drew his War Club from his waist, giving it a powerful swing, and led the surrounding Militia Tribes towards the fallen envoys.
The envoy managed to sit up and surveyed the area. The samurai lay on the ground around him, some gravely injured, others dead. He turned to look at the young deputy beside him. Shaken by the sudden turn of events, the deputy trembled as he struggled to draw his Long Dagger but failed to steady his grip.
The envoy took another look at the approaching Mexica, and forcefully swallowed his saliva. He closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, they were filled with ferocity.
"Come closer."
The envoy reached for his waist with his right hand and with difficulty beckoned the deputy with his left.
Upon hearing the call, the young deputy shuddered yet again before hurriedly bending down to draw close.
"We cannot escape. For the sake of our most exalted King, the message must not leak. So..."
With a twisted expression and a face full of brutality, the envoy extended his left hand, grabbed the deputy, and then with his right hand wielding the Dagger, he made a swift, forceful slice across the deputy’s neck, causing blood to spray instantly.
The deputy’s eyes widened abruptly, his neck feeling the cold pain, and his mind flooded with the shock of impending death. He opened his mouth to utter an indistinct "uu-uu" sound, then slumped onto the envoy, weakly awaiting death’s arrival.
Startled by this sudden act, Toltec bellowed in anger and charged forward, quickly closing the distance to within ten paces of the envoy.
The envoy gritted his teeth fiercely. His right hand suddenly exerted force, "pu-chi" went the Dagger as he plunged it into his own left chest, burying it to the hilt. Then, the severe pain caused his pupils to constrict rapidly, and the draining blood left him utterly drained of strength. He fell silently back, his eyes fixed on the unopened Rosy Maple Moth flowers overhead, his mouth opening and shutting for a moment before falling silent.
Toltec leaned over anxiously, checking the two Envoys lying on the ground, then stood up with frustration. He went to inspect the Samurai with the Hummingbird crest, pressing the wounded survivor for information, and found out they were Messengers from the Capital City, heading to the King’s camp to the southeast.
"Damn it! What message could possibly make these Envoys so fiercely determined?"
Toltec furrowed his brows, searching the Messengers’ bodies again, finding only wooden plaques painted with hummingbirds and a jade Token. He stood up, looked at them for a while, then waved his hand to call over a trusted Samurai.
"Did these Hummingbird Samurai reveal any useful information?"
"Boss, his Highness’s grand army and the Chapala Legion have clashed on the western plains. Thirty thousand enemies wiped out in a day. Bless his Highness! A true great victory!"
The confidant exclaimed with a face full of joy.
Upon hearing this, Toltec’s brows lifted, his eyes shone, and he swung his War Club, roaring loudly.
"Good, very good! Blessed by the Heavenly Divine, I, Toltec, am delighted! Gather the scattered squads, tonight we return to drink and celebrate, and drain all the looted wine! You, act as my Envoy, return to the Huayamo Fortress tomorrow, congratulate his Highness, and then report the latest military intelligence!"
"Thanks, Boss!" The confidant laughed out loud. Then, his face turned troubled as he counted on his fingers.
"What military intelligence should I report? Over the past month or two, we’ve attacked five, six, seven grain transport teams, intercepted two, three, four Messengers. Then we took down two patrolling Samurai squads, plundered over a dozen Nobility manors, and sacrificed hundreds of Nobles and Samurai... Can I say it like that?"
"Idiot, a real idiot!" Toltec knocked on the confidant’s head, exasperatedly saying.
"What use is babbling all that! I told you to read more books, fight less, but you never took it to heart. Remember, tell his Highness: First, under the attacks of our Black Wolf corps, grain transportation from Patzcuaro has halved, and we have dispersed thousands of Militia. Second, recently, there are an increasing number of Messengers from the Capital City to the southeast, likely carrying urgent military intelligence, details unknown. Third..."
Toltec scratched his head, thought for a while, and asked the confidant.
"Have we discovered anything new these past few days?"
"New discoveries? Oh yes, the number of people in the Tarasco grain transport teams has been increasing, but the amount of grain clearly decreased."
"Grain decreased? With so many enemies in the southeast, their daily grain consumption is fixed. With our harassment, they should be transporting even more supplies to maintain an ample supply and compensate for losses along the way. Why would it decrease?"
Toltec mused, continuing to speak.
"Third, the enemy’s grain transport to the frontline has decreased, which could mean they are running low on food, or there must be an imminent change on the southeast frontline. Please advise his Highness to dispatch the army, head south as quickly as possible."
The confidant nodded, committing all this to memory. Then, with a cheeky smile, he joked.
"Boss, with all that you’ve said, it’s hard for me to remember it all. Why not take out pen and paper, write it down for me?"
"Scram!!"
Toltec barked angrily, knocking the confidant’s head forcefully. Then he turned and strode away without looking back. Laughter echoed into the distance, leaving behind only the blood-stained grass and the soon-to-blossom red cicada flowers.
