Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Chapter 1395 - 950: The Only Concession

In early April, light drizzle fell over the Seaside Lands. Outside the villages surrounding Golden Bay City were vast expanses of lush and already harvested mixed bean fields.In the name of the Chief Divine’s guidance, under the direction of the Kingdom Priests, new agricultural innovations, accompanied by higher food production, were being systematically introduced to the villages around Golden Bay City. Meanwhile, the hearts of the tribes and flags at the Seaside grew more secure with the divine-like bounty!

"The priests have already checked the recent harvest... According to the water and heat conditions of the Seaside Lands, it is indeed possible to plant two seasons a year... A summer-autumn season with the ’Three Sisters’ as the staple crops, and an autumn-spring season with beans to enrich the fields. When cassava is fully propagated, it can also fill the barren mountain fields as regular food for the tribespeople..."

After breakfast, Xiulote, draped in a short robe, sat cross-legged in the grand hall, reviewing the latest reports from various places. His recent life was very routine: he would rise at dawn and practice martial arts with the Guard Commander. Then, after breakfast, he would begin reviewing kingdom documents, overseeing the affairs of the Seaside Alliance. Once seated for work, he would have a simple lunch at noon and stay busy until dusk.

Later, after an elaborate dinner, he would go to see ’Kitten’ Yilian, to savor some fresh, tender desserts. Then he would play around with the kitten, enjoying a blissful dream. Colima’s ’Kitten’, although a bit wild and likes to bite, is actually very cuddly and would contentedly hold on and ’purr’. When satisfied, ’Kitten’ would not fuss or cause trouble, just wide-eyed like a lynx, lying on him and looking at him naively.

Frankly speaking, the simple ’Kitten’ doesn’t have as many seductive tricks as the alluring Snake Woman, capable of turning one into a beast. However, she provides great comfort and can make one laugh out loud in relaxation. Xiulote could see through her at a glance, thus making the interaction notably easy, allowing him to sleep very soundly every night.

"Ah, leisurely days, they truly are a luxury!..."

Xiulote reminisced with a smile and began to flip through the documents on the desk. Occasionally, trusted aides would arrive in haste, delivering the latest verbal and written messages. Guard Commander Ecatl would organize and slightly rewrite these according to importance and respectfully place them on Xiulote’s desk for review.

"Hmm, Cloud Serpent Mountain City, Black Serpent Teuctli’s request? His garrisoned fortress in the rear mountain lacks salt and grain, and he wants to smuggle some from the kingdom’s besieging army?"

Upon seeing this report, Xiulote pondered for a long time, suddenly asking the Guard Commander.

"Ecatl! When did MeKate, Chiwaco, and the Dark Snake’s party first connect with Black Serpent Teuctli?"

"Family Head! At the Grand Festival of the New Year, the Head Warrior received the first document, indicating that Black Serpent had connected with Dark Snake... It’s early April now, exactly three months!"

"Three months? Black Serpent Teuctli hesitated for three months before sending a probing reply for the first time... It seems, in his heart, he doesn’t value this son, the Dark Snake, very much!... Indeed, if he valued him, he wouldn’t have abandoned his son and fled after the city fell... Regardless, a private communication has been established, which is a rare opportunity!..."

Xiulote contemplated for a moment longer and asked again.

"How long has Cloud Serpent Fortress been besieged? How long have they been without salt?"

"Family Head, in the Monkey Month of the Nine Flint Year (April 1488), King Aweit led a grand army to begin the siege of the three snake cities. At present, in the House Month of the Twelve Reed Year (April 1491), Cloud Serpent Mountain City has been under siege for three full years! A strict prohibition on salt has been in place for over two years. The salt within Cloud Serpent Fortress must have been depleted long ago, and they’ve probably been without it for at least a year!"

Guard Commander Ecatl thought for a moment and found an old military report.

"Your Highness, by the end of last year, civilians from Cloud Serpent Fortress were being driven down the mountain by the defending army. They appeared swollen and pallid, like walking corpses... According to their accounts, even salty stones and soil on the mountain were collected by the defending army, reserved for the stationed Divine Descendants and warriors to lick... As for ordinary city dwellers, even small nobility family members haven’t tasted salt for months..."

"Hmm, it’s been besieged for three years!... Even if there are still food supplies in Cloud Serpent Mountain City, the morale of the ordinary defending army is likely at rock bottom!... According to Black Serpent, Cloud Serpent Mountain City and the surrounding mountain camps initially had over ten thousand people! After three years of siege, only two fortresses on the front and rear mountains remain... Excluding those who died from illness, starvation, battle, or were driven down the mountains, there are now only two thousand warrior militias on the front mountain, and a thousand defending milites on the rear mountain, all relying on the mountain fields and springs of the front and rear mountains for sustenance..."

Upon reading this, Xiulote slightly lowered his eyes. From over ten thousand people in Cloud Serpent Mountain City to just three thousand now, the atrocities were imaginable. But surprisingly, the morale of the noble warriors suppressing Front Mountain was still relatively stable. Since the city constantly drove tribespeople down the mountain without large-scale cannibalism, it indicated that the city still had stable food production. Under such circumstances, continuing the siege to breach the city might take another year!

"Such resilient Cloud Serpent Tribes, such stubborn Cloud Serpent Divine Descendants!... Also, what a terrain like a heavenly barrier!..."

"After breaking Cloud Serpent Mountain City, should this impregnable fortress be utterly destroyed?.. Perhaps, I can leave a Priesthood and several hundred Temple Warriors there, occupying this absolute fortress... Yes, under the pretense of building a temple to suppress the Cloud Serpent Divine!..."

Xiulote pondered for quite a while, then looked at the Guard Commander prepared with paper and ink and gave his order solemnly.

"Royal Decree! The surrender negotiations for Cloud Serpent Fortress will be fully entrusted to the Head Warrior to decide with discretion! Additionally, smuggle the requested salt to Black Serpent Teuctli from the besieging legion! Besides that, provide him with a month’s supply of food for eight hundred people!"

"Ah? Family Head! To give Black Serpent at Cloud Serpent Fortress salt, and to provide him with food?... O Chief Divine! Why is this?..."

Upon hearing this, Guard Commander Ecatl’s face showed surprise. He looked puzzled, gazing at Xiuluo, waiting for the wise Family Head to guide him through the maze.

"Ha! Ecatl, you fellow!..."

Seeing this, Xiuluo laughed heartily and shook his head. Regardless of whether the Guard Commander truly didn’t understand or pretended not to, he thoroughly enjoyed the process of providing direction and naturally proceeded to do so.

"The Black Serpent was once the Lord of Water Valley City and a Divine Descendant of the Telascallan. Although he fled to Cloud Serpent Mountain City, maintaining his identity, he had lost his foundation and could not command many warriors in the city. Therefore, if he truly wishes to surrender, he indeed needs a batch of grain and salt, from which he can prove to some of the city’s Defending Army his connection with the outside! Yes, to convince those people to follow him and surrender!..."

"Of course, requesting grain and salt from the besieging Kingdom Legion is also a way of testing! If we don’t even give him these things, how can he trust my promises to him? Ultimately, he doesn’t trust me! He has been hesitating about whether or not to surrender..."

"However, if he really accepts the Kingdom’s grain and salt... then whether or not to surrender is not up to him! After all, this kind of collaboration with arch-enemies is very deadly! As long as it is leaked to the Cloud Serpent Divine Descendants in the city, even if the common warriors can accept it, Cloud Snake City Lord Tepectl will absolutely not accept any explanation! He will only immediately kill the Black Serpent!..."

At this point, Xiuluo’s expression turned poignant, with an indescribable sense of melancholy.

"Regardless of whether Black Serpent Teuctli is truly surrendering or deceptively doing so... as long as he can obtain supplies from the foot of the mountain, it will undermine Cloud Snake City Lord Tepectl’s control over the whole fortress... and at this juncture of life and death, anyone who threatens to weaken the city lord’s authority becomes a mortal enemy!... If the Cloud Snake City Lord lacked such awareness, he could not have held out until today!..."

"Ah! So that’s how it is! Wise Family Head!"

Guard Commander Ecatl knelt respectfully, his face showing admiration. A few moments later, his genuine admiration turned into sincere joy.

"May the Chief Divine bless! It seems that at last, the impenetrable Cloud Serpent Fortress is about to fall into your hands!..."

"Haha! May the Chief Divine bless! Once we breach Cloud Serpent Fortress, and the Hidden Serpent Holy City falls... this over-three-year-long eastward campaign will finally come to full fruition!..."

"Indeed! Family Head! You have consecutively conquered cities and destroyed countries, accomplishing feats never before seen in the history of the Alliance!..."

At this point, Guard Commander Ecatl pursed his lips, nonchalantly, he again naturally advised.

"Praise the Chief Divine! Your guidance just now truly left me filled with both reverence and deep unease!... As long as a threat weakens authority, it creates mortal enemies... Family Head! Regarding the envoys recently sent by the Alliance... and the King’s demands, you cannot always concede..."

"May the Chief Divine bear witness! Ecatl, say no more!... I’m fully aware of my choices... going forward, I will only concede this once more..."

Xiuluo glanced at the prostrate Ecatl, rubbed his aching brow, and lightly sighed.

"The King has sent several waves of envoys, and I am very clear about the meaning between the lines of what they say, as well as his intentions! The Alliance must not erupt into a civil war at this time... So, I have promised the King’s envoys that once the eastward campaign is concluded, I will return to Lake Capital City to attend the sacred Grand Festival!..."

"Lake Capital City will be a splendid cage, a cage Aweit has prepared for me. I will enter the cage myself, but I will not stay there for long. As long as my prophecy comes true, and the large ships of the White-skinned Demons arrive... Aweit will face a greater threat and enemy and will avert his attention from me. He will believe my previous promises, understand my reasons for requesting the Seaside Lands..."

At this point, Xiuluo paused, his face showing rare hesitation. In truth, after experiencing all of this, his trust in King Aweit had become very thin. What truly made him willing to take the risk of returning to Lake Capital City, aside from the grand endeavor of the Alliance, the future of the Kingdom, his father, and his son... was only his wife, Alisa!

"Alisa, I trust her!... My cloud sprite, she has never let me down... I will entrust my life to her once... as if it’s..." Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on NoveI-Fire.ɴet

Xiuluo pursed his lips, recalling that lovely silhouette in white, recalling the letter from the golden eagle, took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, waved his hand, and kept the final quiet murmur deep in his heart.

"As if it’s... my debt to you... my wife, Alisa..."

"As long as you are there, I will never engage in a power-struggled civil war with Aweit!... I will endure and wait... and this, too, is a promise I made to you! Written in the hand-drawn letter where you held onto me, and also onto your father, from the story’s beginning, will reach the story’s end..."