Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Chapter 2099 - 1534: Montezuma II, You May Call Me

Xiulote’s expression was solemn as he gave stern instructions to Montezuma II. Montezuma’s face revealed some discontent, but facing Xiulote’s stern words, he could only bow his head in agreement."Yes! I understand! Xiulote Priest Elder!"

"Hmm... Under the protection of the Chief Divine! Once this corpse is erected beneath the Mountain River City, the last remnants of the Mixteco inside should completely surrender..."

"Haha! The last hero of the Mixteco is dead! As for those inside the city, they are just some lowly surrendering tribespeople, slaves conquered by us Mexica! As conquerors, why should we care about their public sentiment?..."

Hearing Montezuma II’s response, Xiulote frowned once more. Valuing the Divine Descendant warriors who died in battle while disparaging those who surrendered from the lower tribes is a typical trait of the old Mexica nobility! This younger brother’s position is truly both traditional and conservative...

"Witness the Chief Divine! Three years of Southern Expedition have long since exhausted the food in Mountain River City. Recently, reports of sacrificial cannibalism have been spreading among the Mixteco on their side. And Yun Chen leading the last Mixteco warriors in a breakout southward must be because they are out of food, forced to abandon the old and weak in the city, aiming to break through to the southern valley entrance, to detour to Zapotecs Coast..."

"Now that he is gone, we should preserve as many Mixteco tribespeople as possible within Mountain River City, converting them to become citizens of the Alliance. If we’re fast enough, before July, we can plant another season of beans and keep more people alive! And without the Cloud Divine Race, if the tribes can cultivate and harvest, the Mixteco people’s hearts will be attached to the Alliance..."

At the mention of the dire situation in Mountain River City, Xiulote paused, with a clear heaviness on his face, along with an indescribable silence. Because half a year ago, he proposed the cruel suggestions of "driving the tribes into the city", "securely guarding the three valley paths", "loose-on-the-outside, tight-on-the-inside siege", "forcing Yun Chen out for a decisive battle", "minimizing the loss of Alliance warriors" to the Divine King who was preparing to besiege Mountain River City!

Within Mountain River City, Yun Chen Leader gathered twenty thousand warriors and militia, confronting Giant Bear Stanley’s central army for nearly three years. His forces have fought for years, considered to be elite fighters! If the Alliance were to assault the city or engage in open battle, the Mixteco would resist desperately, causing alliance warrior losses of thousands if not tens of thousands, certainly not few. And in Xiulote’s view, Yun Chen’s biggest weakness was undoubtedly food!

Mountain River Valley’s food was already tight, barely supplemented by the farming of tens of thousands of tribes from the eastern and southern hinterlands. But once the Western Army broke through Mixteco Coast, reaching beneath the southern Puctitlan City, Yun Chen’s defense line expanded by another. He could no longer defend the southern hinterland, relying only on the narrow passage connecting Cloud Mountain City to the east for some food supply.

And half a year ago, when the Eastern Army annihilated the Sabotek Army, the unconquerable Cloud Mountain City surrendered, and the Eastern Army of the Alliance attacked from the eastern narrow passage’s end... The Alliance’s sacrificial dagger was held firmly against Yun Chen Leader’s throat! Yun Chen had to abandon Smoke Valley City in the south, abandon Red Soil Village in the north, holding firmly around Mountain River City’s surroundings for over ten miles, with no additional food supplies...

Subsequently, Aweit adopted Xiulote’s "loose-on-the-outside, tight-on-the-inside" siege suggestion and issued a formal military order! The central army held Red Soil Village, the Southern Army guarded Smoke Valley City, and the Eastern Army secured Cloud Mountain Valley’s entrance, leaving a few dozen miles of open space for the Mixteco. Then, small squads of Alliance warriors dispatched, driving Mixteco tribes from Smoke Valley City, driving Mixteco tribespeople farming in the valley, all to flee into Mountain River City!

This move precisely struck Yun Chen’s Achilles heel. If Cloud Mountain City faced such circumstances, they naturally could hold tight the city gates, ignoring the external tribes’ fate, just like before with the Otomi in Otapan City. But the situation within Mountain River City left Yun Chen without a choice! The forces gathered in his hands were too numerous and varied, too many and too complex in origin!

Among the full twenty thousand Mixteco warriors and militia from various tribes, only a quarter were from his own base in Mountain River City. Thus, he could not refuse the allegiance of warriors from other tribes, or it would surely lead to internal rebellion, a prior internal battle. Some tribes might even open the city gate directly to surrender to the Mexica army outside!

As a result, the Mexica Alliance’s three armies enclosed from three sides. Mountain River City housed many Mixteco tribes, not only having no external reinforcements, no farming fields, but also lacking internal food supplies, with no hope left! The Alliance army surrounded but did not attack, leaving a dozen miles of open land, only tightly holding the three valley paths. The army appeared to loosen the Mixteco’s rope, but was actually patiently waiting, watching for internal chaos in Yun Chen’s army amid the food shortage...

Ultimately, the result did not surprise Xiulote and Aweit. Or rather, within such challenging circumstances, Yun Chen appeased the tribes and persevered for nearly half a year, already proving himself a true Mixteco hero! As for this hero’s final struggle, he chose to abandon the secure city-state, leading the last Mixteco warriors to what seemed like the only path to survival, a night raid to break through the weak point of the Western Army!

But the Western Army had long received the Divine King’s strict orders, not daring to let Yun Chen move southward. Otherwise, after the valley dispersed earlier, Xiulote’s sacrificial offerings of several Alliance nobles would have also been their outcome! And after a fierce battle, four thousand Mixteco were killed, Montezuma II leading the Western Army suffered losses of two thousand royal branch warriors and militia from the Asar Lineage. Moreover, Xiulote knew that next the Divine King would, under the pretense of rewarding military achievements, recruit two hundred elite from the Western Army into the Tonsured Guard...

Witness the Chief Divine! Aweit’s grand political strategies not only suppress Xiulote but also make other royal princes and city-state nobles truly feel the bitterness! This is akin to having the Divine King forcibly press their heads, grinding out the essence bit by bit, relentlessly driving centralization!

And over the millennia, the loose political traditions of the Central American Tribal Alliance, within these ten-plus years of relentless war reforms, quickly centralized under Aweit’s hands, advancing past five hundred years of the Warring States period, beyond a hundred years of Northern Wei reforms...

"Montezuma Suomak, this battle, the Western Army performed well! Next, once Mountain River City surrenders, the Divine King will hold grand tributes! As for the Western Army warriors who claimed Yun Chen’s corpse, the Divine King will fulfill promises of hereditary noble status, inclusion into the Tonsured Guard!... Return now and prepare well!"

Upon completing the inspection, Chief Yun Chen’s corpse was covered again with white cloth, and the Tonsured Guards brought out a "stretcher," carrying this important "Cloud Divine Descendant." Xiulote straightened his Feather Crown and prepared to leave. But before he departed, Montezuma II suddenly stepped forward, thrusting out his armored chest, loudly questioning.

"Respected... Xiulote Priest Elder! You have been beside the Divine King, aware of the forthcoming military tributes... In this Southern Expedition, our Western Army first opened the way through various states and then attacked Mountain River Valley, finally eliminating Yun Chen’s elite forces, with thousands of warriors died, truly ’first in military achievements’!"

"But I’ve heard that the Divine King has other plans regarding the distribution of the Cloud fief, wanting to carve out half for your children, for those two newborns with yet incomplete fur?"...

"Witness the Chief Divine! Xiulote Priest Elder, tell me frankly! How will the Cloud fief truly be distributed? How much will my Asar Lineage royal family gain?"...