NOVPUB"Ah, ah!..."
Fear mixed with pain, the slightly plump merchant let out two short howls, before being pushed back into the grass again. Like Ezpan, he had lost the little finger of his left hand forever.
"Where are the enemies? What banner? How many people? Speak the truth, one lie, one finger!"
Ezpan released his grip and repeated the question, while once again raising his dagger.
"Your Highness, spare...my life! I’ll speak, I’ll speak!..." In terror, the merchant’s eyes widened, and he begged loudly through his pain.
"Nine heavens, no, ten days ago, I passed through the state of Apachigan from the south, and encountered fleeing local merchants... A Mexica legion had landed at the ferry crossing on the north bank of the Tarsas River, and had immediately defeated the towns nearby. They executed a group of the nobility and merchants, levied enough supplies from the towns, and then began marching north. I quickly fled here before they arrived, only to still be caught in this plight..."
"What, are you certain that it was the Mexica legion that appeared in the south?"
Xiulote looked surprised. He thought he would hear of Tarasco Kingdom’s army movements, but to his surprise, he received information about allied forces.
"Definitely the Mexica legion! As witnessed with my own eyes by a local merchant familiar to me, they were holding high the banner of the Sun God, along with the flag of the falling moon."
The falling evil moon... there was only one Mexica Commander-in-Chief who bore this emblem, and that was...
"The Moon of Apocalypse, Iskali, it’s the Southern Army!"
Xiulote murmured to himself, his face lighting up with excitement. The emergence of such a fresh force in the nearby south would bring a more favorable turn to the situation. If this information was true, Su’angua wouldn’t be able to take a detour from the south. The only path of retreat to the west would thus be completely cut off!
"How many people are in the Southern Army? Where was their last known location? What about the local merchant you knew?"
Xiulote asked solemnly and earnestly.
The merchant from Tlapanec’s eyes flickered again. He answered haltingly.
"The army in the south... thousands... just north of Apachigan... with the army’s arrival, it was chaos everywhere, I got separated from the local merchant in the escape..."
Xiulote looked down again, shaking his head slightly. With a stern shout, Ezpan chopped down with his dagger once more, then spoke indifferently.
"One lie, one finger. Three lies, and you die!" n𝚘𝚟𝚙𝚞𝚋.𝚌o𝚖
The plump merchant cried out miserably, tears welling up in his eyes from the pain. He wept softly, speaking in fear.
"Ah, ah! I...I don’t know! A large army appeared in the south, we merchants were too late to escape, how could we have approached to look closely. As for the local merchant... he fled in a hurry, didn’t hire any samurai for escort, just a few servants, and he was loaded with gemstones and precious goods... I encountered him out in the wild, and in this time of confusion when no one would know... I, naturally, killed him and gladly took his wealth, the servants too were sent to the Divine Kingdom... Your Highness, every word I’ve said is true, I haven’t lied!"
Xiulote watched for a moment, then nodded his head.
In this era, merchants were not always good Samaritans. Great merchants kept samurai, colluded with tribal chiefs or nobility, and often engaged in smuggling and private trading. In strict towns, merchants could be law-abiding gentlemen. But in desolate wilderness and weak villages, if they had the upper hand, they would reveal their ferocious fangs, abiding by the law of the jungle.
"Bandage his wounds and lock him up. Send out elite scouts, take this merchant’s servants, and head south to establish contact with Iskali’s army!"
"Inform Iskali to lead his troops north with haste and rendezvous with my Northern Army. Be wary, as Su’angua’s legion is somewhere not far to the south. Should the enemy’s trace appear, notify each other promptly and then strike together in a pincer move!"
"At your command! Your Highness, may your radiance shine upon heaven and earth!"
Ezpan paid his respects and then, dragging the captive merchant, quickly left without looking back.
Suddenly, more than a dozen Scout teams hurriedly headed south. They carried different military orders, the most important of which was to search for the Tarasco Kingdom’s Royal Army.
From afar, Xiulote gazed into the distance. The sun rose high, its light shining brightly across the land, leaving no shadow with a place to hide. The Young Commander muttered to himself.
"Su’angua, with your legion blocking the paths to the southwest, where can you go now?"
The sun rose and set in an instant, and the day was gone. The brilliant sunlight shone for a hundred miles to the southeast, casting a glow over the lush mountaintops. In a valley amid undulating forests where streams flowed in tranquility and passed through several noble Manors nearby, this land was where Nobility demonstrated their valor during autumn hunts. It was strictly off-limits to commoners, desolate during spring and summer.
However, now, if one could evade the hidden sentries and enter the seemingly peaceful forested Manor, they would discover thousands of robust Samurai holding Bronze Axes and Greatbows, donned in Copper Helmets and Leather Armor, maintaining strict military discipline. The most elite soldiers of the Tarasco Royal Army were currently encamped in the hidden valley, awaiting the King’s decision.
King Su’angua, clad in War Clothes with hands clasped behind his back, stood atop the Manor’s high ground. He stared silently at the northwestern sky, finally letting out a deep sigh after a long while.
"When the great Fire blazes, the wind must keep its distance. Let the wildfire sweep through, burning the grass outside the city, the corn, and even the cocoa, for as long as the sacred wind persists, it will always sow new seeds!"
The King of Tarasco quietly recited this metaphorical verse. These were the cryptic words of Jinjinni, the Chief Minister, from a secret letter months ago, now deeply memorized by him.
"O Hummingbird Chief, could it be that you foresaw today’s situation months ago? Within a single year, the two-hundred-year-old Kingdom perilously teeters. Where lies my path forward, and where is the turning point for the Kingdom?"
The young King’s expression was heavy. Since the retreat from the southern line, the Royal Legion had been secretly moving south along secluded paths, swiftly heading west along the rivers through the forests. Leveraging his identity as King, he used the nobles’ Manors as strongholds and obtained supplies from the Great Nobility of the south. For safety, he kept their offspring close, feigning deep trust to win them over, while actually holding them as hostages to prevent the marching news from leaking.
As they traveled, military reports from various locations kept coming in, and the King’s plans were continually changing. When leaving the southern line, he planned to lead his troops back to the Capital City, fortify and hold out, awaiting reinforcements from Tlaxcala. Soon after, he encountered a vast number of Mexica Scouts and learned that the area around the Capital City was already under the control of the Mexica Northern Army.
With the safest Northern route ending in defeat after defeat, Su’angua, despite cursing Ospe and Pengguari, dared not underestimate the young Mexica prince any longer. The Royal Legion held no advantage, and if they were to encounter the enemy in the open field, the outcome would be unpredictable. In response, he turned southwest, planning to take a detour to the south, towards the heartland, Ihuatzio City. On one hand, he would obtain supplies there, and on the other, he would coordinate with the Capital City to the north.
The young King steeled his heart and made preparations on two fronts. If the Capital City was surrounded and beyond relief, or if morale was too scattered to hold, he would command the Royal Family and Chief families to retreat to the southwest, into the Colima Mountain Region. The Tarasco Kingdom had campaigned through the mountainous tribes for many years and was well aware of the terrain’s advantage. Defending from strategic points and waging guerrilla warfare were appropriate strategies when facing a stronger foe, biding time for an opportune moment.
However, the southern Scouts quickly brought back intelligence; a Mexica legion of around five thousand had landed in Apachigan, only a little over a hundred miles from the Royal Army.
"What’s more fatal is..."
Su’angua turned around to look at the kneeling Scout. The loyal Scout had traveled a hundred miles in a single day and brought the latest terrible news.
"The Mexica Northern Army is rapidly moving south, having taken Ihuatzio City and blocked the passage westward. The enemy’s Scouts have advanced nearly a hundred miles, closing in on the Royal Legion!"
The young King calmly waved his hand, telling the Scout to stand down and rest. Then, with a resolute expression, he looked towards the re-erected Eagle Banner of the Royal Family.
"Now, there is only one path left!"
