Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Upon thinking this, Xiulote had clarity in his heart and made a decision.

"Within two or three months, Black Wolf must secure a stable foothold on the Eastern Coast! With this foothold, the kingdom can build ships along the coast and send more samurai to the Eastern Maya and Cuba! And as for the foothold that needs to be captured..."

Xiulote extended his fingers, pondering and weighing between the Feathered Serpent Ancient City and Golden Bay City.

Which city-state's defense is weaker? Without a doubt, it's the Feathered Serpent Ancient City. The Feathered Serpent Ancient City is a religious city-state, attracting believers from various tribes and is an open market city-state. It has no walls, only simple wooden fences. On the other hand, Golden Bay City has low stone walls and is a central stronghold akin to Five Mountains City.

Which city-state has fewer troops? Again, it's the Feathered Serpent Ancient City. The number of tribes in each region should not differ greatly, but the Golden Bay City area is more affluent, with slightly superior tribes. Likewise, it is closer to the east and can garner more tribal reinforcements.

From a military perspective, the answer is clear. But in terms of sentiments, the Feathered Serpent Ancient City is the western holy land of the Totonac people, the legendary place where the Feathered Serpent City set sail eastward. Capturing it would mean that the Kingdom of the Lake and the divine descendant nobility of the Totonac, regardless of the east or west factions, would become bitter enemies!

Faced with thousands of fierce kingdom warriors, the western Totonac would have no choice but to endure silently. And if a few hundred strong expedition fleet were to return and stop in the eastern Totonac's city-states, then the hostile divine descendants from each state...

"Sigh! I wonder where exactly has the kingdom's expedition fleet reached? Over four months have passed, they should have already reached the Maya, but did they find Cuba?"

Within the tent, the divine smoke curled upwards, and moonlight streamed from above, making the night exceptionally bright. Xiulote stood up, gazing at the eastern sky, contemplating the seafaring expedition fleet as if thinking about a kite with a broken string. In this era, sailing always involved risking life and death. However, the Age of Exploration has already begun, aiming to connect the entire world!

"Great maritime exploration... Feathered Serpent Ancient City... Feathered Serpent Divine..."

Moments later, Xiulote realized something, his expression turned solemn. A murderous intent appeared in his eyes, and he turned back to his seat, striking his finger heavily on the Feathered Serpent Ancient City. Then, he picked up his pen to write, giving orders to Black Wolf in the simplest terms.

"Black Wolf, you have captured Five Mountains City and taken tens of thousands of prisoners, which makes me very pleased! When you return, you can ask for any reward you want. But you must continue to march east, within two months, push to the sea and capture the Feathered Serpent Ancient City! Do not leave any of those ancient Feathered Serpent Priests and divine descendant nobility alive!..."

At this point, Xiulote slightly lowered his eyes. This simple sentence announced the fall of thousands of heads. But the spread of beliefs is always accompanied by blood and fire, and unifying the world also means brutal martial prowess. Now marks the end of the Central American Warring States period and the beginning of the Age of Exploration.

"Go forth and execute, clean out the upper echelons of the Feathered Serpent Ancient City! I'll cover you with the alliance here. Once you capture the Feathered Serpent Ancient City, don't cause widespread destruction, preserve the temple and the citadel, and defend on the spot. You can counter-attack and continue to capture prisoners, but do not advance further into the Totonac's city-states, triggering full-scale mobilization of various tribes... King Aweit may very likely step in to mediate, as for the specifics, it will become clear when the envoy from the alliance arrives!"

"And if the captured prisoners number in the thousands, they don't all need to be transported back. Station your army locally, have the prisoners farm the land and gather timber— the kingdom's shipwrights will arrive from the east within two or three months. The kingdom will set up a new shipyard on the Eastern Sea shore, and build longships quickly."

After writing this, Xiulote pondered momentarily. He turned his gaze southwards, showing a hint of reluctance, yet continued writing.

"Black Wolf, you need to establish a stable foothold on the Eastern Coast, and manage it patiently for several months. The Eastern Coast is over six hundred li from Tree Snake City camp, and you have to rely on yourself for decision-making! If food supplies fall short, request support from the Silver Raven Tribe in Crow City to the north. After the autumn harvest, Bertade will lead troops east to replace you!..."

Xiulote finished writing the letter, stamped it with the seal, and handed it to Guard Commander Ecatl. Ecatl skillfully sealed the royal decree and personally gave the letter to a swift runner from the trusted aides. The runner concealed the letter within his war clothes and, accompanied by a twenty-person guard escort, set out eastwards overnight. They would cover eighty li a day and reach the outskirts of Five Mountains City within five days. This was already the kingdom's fastest messenger!

"With the current level of communication, beyond four to five hundred li, taking ten plus days for a round trip, authority must be delegated... If the distance is further, eight to nine hundred li, each region would have to self-govern! As for three thousand li away Maya, five thousand li away Cuba..."

Xiulote's thoughts drifted far, his expression became pensive. A moment later, he snapped back to thoughts of the wilderness a thousand li away.

At this moment, Qingqiu County established by the Otomi Pamus State, is under the autonomy of the poet County Magistrate Balamo, taking a full two months for one round of communication. According to Balamo's latest correspondence, he has already organized an eight-thousand-strong tribal army, launching attacks all over the wilderness, subduing the southward migrating canine descendant tribes. He also dispatched two thousand tribal warriors, led by Chieftain Red Cat Mizili, to quietly head east and join the Red Crow Tribe's looting squad, heading south to plunder the northern factions of the Vastek people.

However, Qingqiu County lacks food, the land is barren, and its development is very low, unable to sustain too many full-time warriors and must secure support from the southern kingdom.

After the New Year, Poet Balamo sent four to five thousand impoverished canine descendant tribes south to Rivermouth County, exchanging them from Monkey Kuluka for a large batch of food, along with several hundred sets of armor and thousands of long spears. Monkey then integrated these four to five thousand canine descendants into various flag teams and dispatched over a thousand tribal warriors, all fully equipped, and incorporated them into the canine descendant militia.

At the beginning of February, Monkey Kuluka dispatched four thousand pike warriors, conscripted eight thousand canine descendant militia, and in grand procession headed downstream to pillage the Chapala Lake Region. While the northern Guamal canine descendants dispatched twenty thousand tribal warriors, launching a major southward offensive. Advancing from the north and east, they rampaged in a joint pincer attack, executing massive plunder, their fierce flames rolling in waves. Feather Prince was forced to completely retreat southwest, abandoning the northern and eastern regions of Chapala Great Lake, only relying on the rivers and lakes for arduous defense.

The newly arrived correspondence is Monkey Kuluka's war report, indicating that combined raids of the troop and trades with the Guamal Canine Descendants have captured another twenty thousand healthy Prepetcha men and women, prepared to be settled in the county for farming.

"Exalted Highness! Despite continuous warfare, Rivermouth County has instead prospered and thrived, with a population of 280,000 to 290,000. At this pace, it will soon return to the peak population of 300,000 before the western expedition in just a few years. And the continuous war spoils keep flowing from both eastern and western battlefields into towns and villages, enriching the canine descendant flag teams. If you were to return to Rivermouth County, you would surely be astonished!..."

After reading Monkey's letter, Xiulote smiled. The prosperity of Rivermouth County was naturally built on the decline of the Chapala Lake Region. Monkey Kuluka's repeated western raids in collaboration with the Guamal people left Feather Prince struggling, unable to cope. Over the years, despite no major battles, the Chapala Lake Region had become like a barren tree, stripped and chopped down to its last trunk.

"The kingdom just needs to mobilize three armies to march along the Lerma River and completely conquer the ripe fruit that is the Chapala Lake Region! However, such a monumental conquest I cannot delegate to anyone else, I must personally lead it!"

Xiulote looked at the kingdom's map and fell into deep thought. Conquering the Chapala Lake Region was easy, but establishing the kingdom's rule across a distance of six hundred li was more challenging than war and required immense human and material resources!

"Sigh, a thousand li of northern wilderness, the distant eastern seaside, the lower reaches of the western Lerma River, and the southern Tarsas River Mouth... the kingdom's reach has already spread too far, too wide to clench into a fist. And am I being too greedy, too impatient?"

Reflecting upon himself, Xiulote's gaze once again turned towards the kingdom's south. The fertile Apa Plain extending two thousand li via the Tarsas waterways was the kingdom's priority for focused cultivation. And at this moment, to solidify internal stability and establish quicker connections to secure long-term governance for the kingdom... A new construction plan was soon vividly outlined at his fingertips!