Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Vines flourish, wild grasses abound. Migratory birds take flight northward, red cardinals chirp joyfully courting. The spring deepens, the highlands of Tlaxcala are suffused with vitality. Birds and beasts frolic in the sparsely populated basin, merrily journeying westward, singing gleefully. Until they encounter sprawling camps, meet the patrolling Mexica scouts, and the hunting bone arrows strike with precision, releasing a deathly cry, becoming the Samurai's fragrant evening feast.

"Great! The meat is crisp and tender, neither greasy nor gamey. Finely aromatic, distinct in flavor, the freshness lingers, a true gourmet wild game!"

Smoke rises from the Tree Snake City's large camp, it is dinner time. Xiulote sits cross-legged in the main tent, savoring the carefully roasted goose prepared by the chefs. He extends his chopsticks, takes a piece of goose meat, places it in his mouth, and chews slowly, showing satisfaction on his face.

This goose meat is very tender, similar to spring chicken, but with more chewiness and freshness. The prey was hunted by scouts at noon, desalted with spices in the afternoon, marinated with sea salt for flavor, then simmered on low heat in a copper pot, stir-fried with chili for aroma. It is then rushed to the King's table in the evening, ensuring optimal tenderness.

"The aroma of the goose meat, a delight that even immortals would long for."

The aroma fills the large tent, blended with the scent of tequila and fruit. Xiulote eats the tender goose meat, drinks a light tequila, then takes a bite of the soft corn steamed bread, and lightly tastes some sweet dried fruits. Finally, he exhales a satisfying breath, waves to have the dinner removed. A maidservant then brings refreshing flower tea and lights invigorating incense.

The scent of food dissipates from the ceiling, the comforting aroma of the incense rises again in the tent, signifying the end of a brief enjoyment. Xiulote sits cross-legged, straightens his back, and with a solemn expression, begins attending to the reports from various city-states.

"Great! Five days ago, the Black Wolf already captured Five Mountains City, took twenty thousand captives, and incorporated three thousand defectors!"

The first letter is a report from three to four hundred li eastward, a victory from Black Wolf Torc. Xiulote looks at the crooked characters and drawings on the letter, his lips curling. The Artillery Camp of the Imperial Guards, previously led by Camp Commander Tupa, is temporarily assigned to the Black Wolf Army. Tupa, originally a trusted aide of the Toltec, led the Artillery Camp to arrive less than ten days ago and successfully breached the Totonac's western stronghold, Five Mountains City.

"Over a few months, the Southern Army captured thirty thousand elderly and weak Tlaxcalans, and another thirty thousand able-bodied Totonacs. Adding the twenty thousand here, that makes eighty thousand people."

Xiulote retrieves the letter from Bertade a few days ago, glances at it briefly, and nods.

Outside Water Valley City, the military farm camp is already prepared, with the initial fifty to sixty thousand captives divided into camp units, managed by the Priest and the Samurai. The camp also retains two thousand Tlaxcalans from last year's farm training, to both appease the captives' hearts and serve as key personnel for the farm operations, facilitating organization and labor.

In short, the military farm camp is operating smoothly, with robust capacity. It opens its hungry maw, waiting for more captives!

"With the fall of Five Mountains City, the Totonacs have lost their western barrier, the affluent Seaside Lands open their gates. The coastal Totonac city-states will all be shaken! At this moment, likely envoys from the coastal states are on their way to the Lake Capital City, Tloquiditlan. And the Allied Forces from the states will truly assemble."

Xiulote unfolds the map, pointing eastward, from the plundered valley of Five Mountains City further east, through one to two hundred li of low hills, reaching the Totonac coast. Here, the Totonac tribes gather near various city-states, with populations numbering in the tens of thousands!

"From Five Mountains City heading east, one hundred fifty li straight east is the Holy Land, the Feathered Serpent Ancient City, over two hundred li southeast is the prosperous Golden Bay City... Black Wolf requests to continue sweeping eastward, to capture more population!"

Xiulote extends a finger, gently tracing on the unfolded map of the world. The eastern coast, never so close, now appears before him! This "unexpected" military action, happening very suddenly, quickly reached a climax.

"Nominally, the Totonacs are vassals of the Alliance. This campaign is a punishment for their acceptance of the Divine Descendant Nobility of Tlaxcala. After over two months of engagement, just one detachment of Black Wolf has captured the fortified Five Mountains City, sacrificed the divine and nobility within. With such shocking news, the Totonac city-states will certainly mobilize a large militia to defend, form allied forces, while sending envoys to the Lake Capital City seeking peace..."

Xiulote lightly taps the ebony desk, contemplating the situation's development. Two months ago, he reported the eastern border conflict to King Aweit. The King neither agreed nor disagreed, maintaining a tacit stance. However, according to some letters sent secretly, the next target of the Alliance's campaign is inevitably the directly rebellious Mistec and Zapotec people in the east.

"After all, the Alliance has many vassals, and the Totonacs haven't openly rebelled against the Alliance. To appease the hearts of the many vassal tribes, once the envoys from the Totonac city-states arrive at the Lake Capital City and beseech on their knees, promising more tribute... The King's decree for mediation might arrive in a month! And within two to three months, this 'unexpected' military campaign should appropriately conclude!"

"Recognize when enough is enough. It's impossible to truly rely on a single detachment to campaign a thousand li, to attack over 800,000 Totonac tribes... Oh, after the fall of Five Mountains City, the Totonac tribes should only number over 700,000."