NOVPUBThe June wind came from the Great Lake in the East. It traveled over the undulating highlands and journeyed two thousand miles to the basin of Patzcuaro. The air began to fill with moist vapor, signaling the imminent arrival of the rainy season to the lands by the lake.
Xiulote stood atop the Palace of Wind, gazing at the surrounding mountains, rivers, and fields. Plumes of conspicuous black smoke rose from the nearby plains, spreading like ink across the sky, leaving lingering traces. The young king watched intently for a moment before slowly turning around.
"The slash-and-burn fires this year seem more intense than in previous years."
"Fields laid fallow are severe, and there’s more vegetation than in the past, so naturally, the smoke from burning them is thicker. But if you look closely at the amount of smoke, you’ll realize that the lands around the lake have become desolate like saline lakes, in need of patient rehabilitation before they can once again teem with prosperous schools of fish."
Aweit responded with a smile. Dressed in a breathable plain robe, he was inspecting a wooden board in his hands. Soon, he passed the board to Xiulote with a light chuckle.
"I heard that the Capital City has fallen and Akanbaro State, to the northeast of Qinchongcan along the southern bank of the Lerma River, has sent people to surrender. This is their submission document and pictographic record."
Xiulote took the board and examined it closely. He saw six banners, each bearing sixteen feathers. In the center, there were three Samurai figures and eight Militia figures. Below these illustrations, there was a figure kneeling, head bowed, genuflecting before a larger figure. The larger figure wore a blue-green Hummingbird helmet, radiated with sunbeams, and held the characteristic Javelin of the Chief Divine. Clearly, this was a symbol of the Mexica Alliance.
"At this point, Akanbaro State still has three thousand Samurai and eight thousand Militia?"
Xiulote was somewhat surprised.
"Haha, that’s just the last gobble of a turkey before it’s caught."
Aweit laughed.
"The Intelligence Officer has already conducted a thorough investigation. Many of the minor Nobility from Prepetcha have also pledged their allegiance to me. After being pursued by you all along the way, Akanbaro State now has about one thousand five hundred Samurai and five or six thousand Militia. Most of the Militia were reinforcements sent from the Lake Region to the northern fortresses, but your march southward was too swift, so they stayed where they were."
"The fortresses of Akanbaro are still relatively strong, but lacking in provisions and supplies, they’ve never had the capability to launch an attack. Now that the Capital City has fallen and the Kingdom has perished, and with the crucial time for spring cultivation upon us, surrender has become inevitable... The difference lies only in the terms of surrender."
As he spoke, Aweit pondered for a while. He kept the number of banners unchanged, crossed out half of the feathers, and then looked up with a smile.
"All six hereditary families will be retained, but the number of Great Nobility must be halved, and they will decide among themselves who stays. Let these families fight amongst themselves for a while, and then let Tepopolo take fief over them, which is the best way to keep Akanbaro State firmly in hand."
Xiulote nodded. Then, he looked at the figure of the Militia on the board, a glint forming in his eyes.
"Aweit, since these Militia are all sturdy men sent out by the Patzcuaro Lake Region, as a condition of their surrender, they should be returned from Akanbaro State!"
"Ah, returned? Amidst ongoing conflicts, few Nobility would be willing to give up their sturdy men. However, Akanbaro State is severely short of grain now. If you provide a batch of grain, I can use it to intimidate them during the surrender, which could make them hand over half. As for the remaining half... that will be Tepopolo’s future fief, and you need to leave him something."
"Good! Three thousand Militia are not an insignificant enhancement. The small city of Patzcuaro to the southeast has already surrendered to the Legion, and there’s a Tarasco Kingdom military granary there. The stored grain can feed more than one hundred thousand people for a year. I don’t lack grain at the moment, just sturdy men."
A smile formed on Xiulote’s face.
"Oh? The small city of Patzcuaro... that must be the Tarascan supply depot for the southeastern front, for Xitaqualo State... If it’s sturdy men you lack... the southeastern Legion of Tarasco has already surrendered to me in Xitaqualo. Apart from the few thousand sacrificed wounded, there are about twenty thousand Militia left, and five thousand Tekos Samurai. These people consume a lot of grain, and guarding them requires thousands of Samurai. If you can afford to feed them and keep them under control, they can all be handed over to you!"
Aweit stretched out his hand and patted Xiulote’s shoulder. Then, a hint of indifference surfaced on the king’s face.
"If you don’t want them, I can hand them over to the elders, to be used as supplies for building the Temple and as Sacrifices for the Capital City festivities."
"Twenty-five thousand Surrendered Army!"
Upon hearing this number, Xiulote’s throat twitched, and he swallowed. He carefully calculated his military forces at hand and then struggled to say.
"Give me the twenty thousand Militia for collective conversion and reorganization, and I should be able to keep them under control. As for the Tekos Samurai... these tribal forces can only be subdued with overwhelming power. The language barrier makes them difficult to govern, and they are fiercely independent... I only need a few dozen guides from the Colima Mountain Region, that’s all!"
"Then it’s settled. I’ll send out an Envoy today; you prepare the grain supply for the journey."
In a light-hearted conversation, the two of them decided the fate of tens of thousands. Aweit smiled faintly, once again looking at his student, with a touch of examination on his face.
"Xiulote, you’ve been tallying the population these days. Now how many troops, sturdy men, and people do you control?"
The young king thought for a while, took out a scroll he always carried with him from his garment, and opened it to look through in detail.
"I’ve been moving southward from the north of the Lerma River. In the battles on the Lake and the siege on the fortresses, I’ve taken about five thousand surrendered Tarasco; then I captured the Huayamo Fortress and fought a major battle with the Chapala Legion, taking another seven or eight thousand, of which more than two thousand Tekos were handed over to Xilotepec City as part of the exchange for the Canine Descendants. Of the remaining more than five thousand, there are over two thousand warriors from the Sky families and more than two thousand archers. That makes a total of ten thousand combat-ready surrendered troops."
