NOVPUBThe sunlight held a warmth, bestowing vitality upon the earth. As spring plowing approached, wild fires of burning fields raged in the mountains and forests, sending up layers of thick smoke. Smoke transformed and drifted afar in the sky, like a passage to the Divine Kingdom, foretelling the samurai’s destined return.
Hundreds of samurai, scouts, and envoys, clad in war clothes of different colors, marched through the smoke-shrouded southern hinterlands. Bearing different missions, they startled towns and villages along the way, shattering the last peace in the southern parts of the Kingdom. Three legions, from north to south, sought each other out in the fog of war, drawing nearer, preparing for a spirited slaughter.
Intelligence from all directions converged, with King Su’angua holding the home-ground advantage, being the first to discern the battlefield’s entirety.
The northern Mexica legion, centered around Ihuatzio City, numbered between ten and twenty thousand, half of which were armored samurai with sticks, and the other half comprised longbow-armed militia. The southern Mexica vanguard, after pillaging in the state of Apachigan, began moving north with about five thousand elite samurai. It seemed the two legions had established contact, drawing closer to each other. They were merely over two hundred li apart, and given a week, they could unite into an army difficult to defeat.
Su’angua had ten thousand elites at hand, seven thousand of which were loyal direct-subordinate samurai, and three thousand were reliable longbow militia. The two enemy forces were no more than a hundred li away; the moment the Royal Army moved, it would be impossible to conceal its tracks, and the enemy would soon pursue.
"There’s not much time left, defeating the enemies in the south won’t aid our overall situation. The only path is to crush the northern Mexica main force before they converge! I trust in the loyal and brave Imperial Guard Legion! Defeat the enemy in the north, and the Great Army can return to the Capital, to support the Royal Family and House of Hummingbird, and to regroup the Kingdom’s strength. Then, the road to retreat to the Colima Mountain Region will be open again, and there still exists hope!"
After pondering for a moment, Su’angua lowered his head, standing solemnly before the inherited Eagle Banner, silently praying to the sacred flag.
"Holy winds envelop the Divine Descendant of the eagle, the light of the three gods bestows upon the War God’s legion. May the ancestors bless us, victory or defeat hinges on this one move!"
The young King then summoned his confidant, asking in a grave voice.
"Has the Envoy sent to the Capital arrived?"
"Your Highness, the accompanying scouts have confirmed, the Envoy has entered the Capital City. A response from the chief of the Hummingbird is surely on its way."
"Good! Dispatch a squad of scouts around to the East, harass the northern enemy, and create an illusion of the Royal Army’s presence. The rest of the samurai will feast for a day, prepared to march at any moment!"
The long wind swept through, the fluttering Eagle Banner billowing. The golden sun turned to blood red, descending in the western sky. As night deepened, an Envoy finally arrived from the Northern Capital in haste, bringing the anticipated response. The young King no longer hesitated. At dawn the next day, ten thousand warriors from the Tarasco Kingdom emerged from their concealed forest manor. They were well-rested and high-spirited, surging towards the Ihuatzio City over a hundred li north.
The tender sunlight twinkled on the tips of the long grass, these were pure morning dewdrops. Upon spying the enemy’s traces, Black Wolf Toltec suddenly stood up from his hiding spot in the grass. He raised his longbow, three consecutive arrows felling three Tarasco scouts in a hurry. His Hunter squad behind him loosed a flurry of arrows, slaying the remaining seven enemies, staining the dewdrops a glaring red.
Toltec nodded, contented, and climbed atop a mound. He looked towards the southern horizon, then his eyes widened in shock.
"By the Chief Divine above, this... this is the Tarasco’s most elite Royal Army!"
On the southern fields, tens of thousands of Tarasco samurai were arrayed in tight marching formation, moving silently and swiftly. Eight hundred strong per battalion, neatly organized into twelve columns, they advanced without pause. Below the battalions, four squads of two hundred samurai each, each led by a Warrior Captain. The leading captain wore an Eagle Helmet adorned with two blue feathers, with a bright small flag fluttering behind him.
At the army’s vanguard flanks, hundreds of elite scouts spread out, each holding a longbow and dressed in the Royal Family’s yellow War Clothes. And in the very center of the legion, Imperial Guards with copper helmets and bronze axes, carrying longbows on their backs, surrounded by a large flag. The flag, held high at four to five meters, with its nearly two-meter banner rippling in the wind, showed an eagle poised for flight, facing the northward direction to pounce!
"The Tarasco Royal Family’s inherited Eagle Banner! That’s the Tarasco King! Su’angua is there!"
Toltec shouted in surprise. He scrutinized the warriors beneath the Royal Banner, ultimately his gaze settled on a conspicuous young king. Clad in gemstone-inlaid Gilded Armor, wielding a golden Bronze Divine Staff, emitting myriad brilliant rays in the morning sun, he was dazzling to behold.
"This glare is blinding and throbbing to the eyes, impossible to see clearly what it looks like!"
The golden light was so dazzling that the Toltec turned his head, only able to sneak glances with the corner of his eye. He saw the young king looking up, then raising his divine staff, pointing directly at him!
The scattered scouts momentarily hesitated. Then, like yellow jackets commanded to attack, they fiercely pounced on the small Mexica scouting party ahead. The elite warriors, once within a hundred steps, drew their longbows in unison, emitting a buzzing akin to a swarm of bees.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
"Winds are fierce, pull back!"
Seeing disaster loom, the Black Wolf Toltec turned on his heel and ran, shouting the secret scout code taught by His Highness as he went. Hundreds of arrows fell like lightning, blanketing the hillocks and instantly killing over a dozen militia hunters. The remaining dozens immediately turned and fled northward too.
The Tarasco scout warriors relentlessly pursued them. They were prepared to annihilate the enemy and keep the royal army’s movements secret as much as possible. These royal elite had formidable strength and experience, maintaining an effortless, steady jog, chasing for over twenty li. If the militia hunters showed even a hint of flagging or paused to catch their breath, they would instantly be overwhelmed by the "swarm," their final screams filling the air.
Toltec ran wildly, with the "swoosh" of arrows raining behind him. It was only after more and more Mexica scouting teams were drawn to the fracas, engaging in combat with the kingdom’s scout warriors, that the hunted Black Wolf finally saw a sliver of survival. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of his war clothes and cursed softly under his breath.
"Blessings of the Chief Divine! Chasing the tail of an elk in the forest, only to have it turn into a leopard on me! The royal army of Tarasco is indeed fierce! Their formations are neat, their marches tens of li without disorder; their commands are strict, their assaults as swift as the wind. No, I must hasten back to Ihuatzio and report to His Highness. Victory or defeat hinges on this battle; we must prepare thoroughly and gather all our strength for the fight!"
The fleet-footed Toltec took a brief rest before continuing his sprint northward. He ran through fields of burning wild grass, crossed shallow streams of the spring season, climbed over gently sloping hillocks, and finally arrived outside the smokeless city of Ihuatzio under the deep night sky. The profound darkness was pierced by continuous campfires flickering like starlight, resembling a vast Milky Way sprawled upon the ground.
As a trusted commander of His Highness, Toltec passed through unobstructed. Led by Bertade, he was once again in front of His Highness’ tent, where he knelt on one knee and reported the urgent military intelligence.
Xiulote sat cross-legged in front of the campfire, the bright firelight reflecting his resolute face. The young commander, dressed in a black war outfit and holding a finely crafted longbow, had been ready for battle for a long time. Upon hearing the intelligence on the royal army, he rose to his full height and laughed heartily.
"Chasing the deer under heaven, finally the white deer appears! Victory or defeat in this single move. The grand trend of the world will be decided in this battle!"
Afterward, Xiulote’s expression became serious, and he gave forth the order.
"Gather all the warriors in the city, tomorrow the entire army will head south to confront the Tarasco royal army! Call together all commanders, mobilize every camp officer, and prepare for the decisive battle! Lastly, gather the priests accompanying the army. I want to personally conduct the pre-battle sacrificial rite and pray to the War God for victory!"
Early the next morning, the grand ceremony was swiftly carried out. With the Chief Divine as witness, the priests chanted and danced beside the Sacred Fire. Using gleaming obsidians and sturdy seashells for divination, they extracted from their cracks the prophecy of certain victory in this battle!
Subsequently, Xiulote stood on the divine altar, loudly reciting the divine prophecy of victory, informing every warrior. Then, to the warriors, he announced, "If this battle is won, he will grant ranks and rewards according to military merits. Prominent militia will be elevated to samurai, exceptional samurai will advance to veterans, and a hundred veterans will be promoted to become nobility of the Alliance, awarded fertile land in the Lake Region of Tarasco!"
Under His Highness’ generous promises, tens of thousands of warriors and militia let out fervent cheers that shook the earth and heavens of the Patzcuaro Lake region. Thereafter, the entire Mexica northern army assembled and left the unwalled city of Ihuatzio, marching southward to face the suddenly emergent Tarasco royal army.
The two great armies approached each other, with scouts on the perimeter engaging in fierce combat, each side’s movements fully exposed to the opponent. Two days later, on the southern plains of the Patzcuaro Lake region, the two elite legions finally stood face to face, visible in each other’s sight. The dust from the march rose into the sky and was dispersed by the mighty northerly winds, revealing the somber traces of the warriors.
Xiulote, dressed in lavish war clothes and wearing a tall feather crown, with the Commander-in-Chief’s banner behind him, strode up the hill and gazed at the Tarasco royal banner in the southern fields. The legions were vast, warriors stood opposed, flags fluttered in the wind, the eagle soared northward, and the Black Wolf pounced southward. The two armies were within a stone’s throw of each other, ready for the decisive battle of today!
