Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Chapter 1881 1357: Amoxtli Farming, Ah Lan Charging Forward_2

"Chief Divine protect us! Before the cold front arrives, gather all the food, and hunt one last time... Then, at the Temple by Warrior Lake, let's hold a ceremony! The Chief Divine of the South is quite powerful, may He protect our Red Crow Tribe!""Exactly, exactly! Amo, it's been a long while since we had a celebratory gathering. With this batch of food, I feel much more at ease! This time, the entire tribe should have a good celebration... Hopefully, before winter comes, we can conceive children, so as not to delay next year's harvest!"

"Indeed... Having food at hand does bring peace of mind. A bit more celebration is good!"

Amoxtli nodded with a smile, smoothing his graying hair. After pondering for a while, he looked around before speaking.

"Moqi, regarding the recent two grain trades... do the newly allied Tribal Chiefs have any opinions?"

"Amo, don't you yet understand these barbarian children of the River Prairie? Their life on the prairie isn't much different from ours on the wilderness... Right now, handing over the tribes they can't sustain to the Beach Tribe and trading for food is much better than resorting to cannibalism! I would say their only concern is surreptitiously trading with the Beach Tribe, bypassing our Red Crow Main Department!"

"After all, a human only weighs around a hundred jin, often not even that, and mostly just bones, less than a deer... Yet trading them to the Beach Tribe yields a solid two hundred and fifty jin of grain, good for storage and long-lasting, enough to feed a warrior well for a year!"

"A profitable trade just by capturing some small tribes, which Northern Great Tribes wouldn't be green with envy looking at it? They must think the Beach Tribe has gone mad, exchanging so much food for people... Ah! Who knows how long such a good trade can last... And how the traded grain gets distributed is a pressing matter; just mentioning it gets everyone anxious!"

"Ha! Naturally, the Red Crow Main Department will handle the distribution! Ensuring each camp relies on us to get through winter. It's like a wolf pack with a Wolf King; only then won't there be chaos. Any chieftain who dares to meddle in this matter or secretly collude with the Beach Tribe is courting death! I'll cut off his head and feed it to the black vultures in front of everyone!"

Amoxtli's eyes turned sharp, gripping his copper spear and thumping it heavily on the ground. Only at this moment did he reveal the imposing aura of the Red Crow Chief, commanding over hundreds of thousands from the tribes!

After all, to keep such fierce Northern Tribes in check and secure his position as Red Crow Chief, he couldn't be a merciful character. The only one capable of softening his resolve is...

"Great Chief, the messenger to the North has returned with a message from Young Chief Ah Lan."

"Hmm?! Why didn't that girl come back herself? Haven't I told her? Come back for winter, come back for winter! I'm not going to find her a husband, as long as she stays put and stops waging wars, bringing back tribes that we can't sustain!"

"Uh..."

Messager Zucata rubbed his short hair, unsure of what to say. All along, besides the Great Chief, who in the tribe could control the spirited and archery-skilled Young Chief Ah Lan? Now it seems that even the Great Chief himself cannot hold her back! After a long while, he spoke in a muffled voice.

"Great Chief, Young Chief Ah Lan says... she won't return for winter. She's already discovered the legendary Firestone Coal Mine two thousand li north, upstream of the Great River! But she also encountered a formidable southward tribe and was ambushed, losing dozens of warriors... That southward tribe was clearly also after the Firestone Coal Mine, migrating south every fall and winter!"

"What! Ah Lan was ambushed? Was she hurt? I'll immediately send warriors to assist her!"

"Ah, Great Chief, Young Chief Ah Lan said she's fine! She's too far away and doesn't need the Red Crow Main Department to send reinforcements... She now leads twenty battalions, a total of two thousand warriors, already able to defeat the two thousand enemy tribes opposite. But she's concerned these troublesome foes will flee north and bring more troublesome tribes... So, now she's settled in a mountain camp, waiting for the enemy to winter... Then, she plans to raid the enemy's winter camp, eliminating their fighting force in one swoop, to completely sever future threats! Thus, she intends to secure the upstream Firestone Coal Mine for the Red Crow Alliance!"

"..."

Upon hearing Ah Lan's plan and the crucial information about the Firestone Coal Mine, Amoxtli pondered for a while, slowly nodding. The biggest challenge when fighting Northern tribes is their ever-changing locations, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Plus, there's often interconnected relations among the tribes, so once they hear of benefits, they gather like horseflies.

Therefore, when waging war on the Northern prairie, either strike swiftly, latching onto the opponent tightly until devouring the enemy's main tribe, or wait for an opportunity to encircle them. The best chance is indeed when winter comes with the cold front, and all tribes huddle together to overwinter!

"Ah! This Ah Lan girl, though a lass, is braver than all the men! She's consistently competitive, adventurous, and loves combat! She's nothing like me! I wonder, what kind of man could ever conquer her? That he doesn't end up being ridden and dragged around by her..."

Amoxtli sighed heavily, covering his forehead. Regarding his formidable warrior daughter, he indeed felt utterly troubled. Yet it was only because of her might that she could suppress the unruly tribe warriors below.

The nearby Moqi rubbed his nose, mumbling to himself. Ah Lan was picked up by Amoxtli, not born from the Great Chief. Besides, when Amoxtli was young, wasn't he equally courageous? During a raid, he nearly shot down Black Wolf! It's just that after becoming the Great Chief, Amoxtli grew more cautious each year, pondering each move, considering this and that...

"Ah Zu! Thank you for making this trip!"

Amoxtli sighed for a while, patting Zucata on the shoulder, offering a few reassuring words. Then, after a slight thought, he frowned and asked.

"By the way! What's the name of that stubborn southward tribe Ah Lan encountered? And do they have other tribes backing them, possibly any tribal alliance?"

"Great Chief, Young Chief mentioned, that the southward tribe seems to be called... what was it... oh! 'The Valiant Mountain Forest Tribe'! Mescalero (Mescalero), and they call themselves Inde (Inde)!"

Zucata scratched his head before squeezing out the awkward northern tribe name. After thinking for a moment, he added.

"However, in the upper Great River regions, among the Concho people's conversations, these swift pillaging Northern tribes are also called 'The Ferocious Foes from the Mountain Forests'... otherwise known as 'Mountain Apache'!"

"As for any tribal alliances backing this 'Mountain Apache' tribe... well, that's unknown! Only after defeating them and capturing some head leaders for interrogation could we clarify that... "

"May the Chief Divine, the Three Gods, and the Divinity of Heaven and Earth together protect the valiant Young Chief!"