Chapter 160: Luring the Enemy and Inviting a Fight

May is halfway through, and the moist east wind blows from the distant lake, warming the fertile land by the Leman River. The drizzle falls from the gloomy sky, soaking the fields where corn seeds are sown. This is the season for farmers to cultivate. The spring breeze blows warmly, the drizzle is like oil, and the green vitality is everywhere.

In the fields on the south bank of the river, a corn has sprouted thin pointed buds. The one-inch new buds separate the two small leaves, stand up the slender tender stems, and stretch towards the sky full of hope.

A pair of bare feet full of calluses ran past in panic, accompanied by panic shouts, and suddenly stepped on the young new buds into the dust and mud, and a season of growth ended at this moment. Then, more bare feet ran away in panic. They stepped on the fields they cultivated with their own hands, with weak cries and howls, and fled to the south in fear.

After a while, countless pairs of straw sandals stepped vigorously and rolled over the sprouting fields again. The drooping war sticks brushed the green grass beside the road and crossed the land that was beginning to be barren. According to the order of His Highness, the figures of the straw sandals were not in a hurry to chase, nor did they kill in vain. They just kept driving away the farmers, setting fire to the gathered villages, and creating waves of fleeing people.

The figures of the straw sandals went all the way south. Until the bluestone fortress was vaguely in sight, the warriors with bronze spears knocked their shields on the wooden fortress, and the alarm conch shells resounded throughout the southern wilderness, the Mexica warriors slowly and orderly retreated amid the enemy's shouts and curses.

On the big boat in the Leman River, Xiu Luote carried the commander's flag and looked calmly to the south.

Around him, three hundred big boats were lined up one after another, like a line of beasts, showing their huge power to the Tarasco people and inviting a decisive battle between the two boat divisions. Thousands of small boats were divided into two parts. Half of them patrolled and swam at the outer end, like a flexible school of fish, constantly scouting and patrolling. The other half was loaded with warriors, shuttling back and forth constantly, mobilizing troops from the north and south.

"In May, corn and beans are planted, pumpkins are planted in June, July is idle, and August, September and October are harvested. The alliance provoked a war at this time of year, dispatched the direct warriors who were off work, and invaded the enemy's agricultural areas. The enemy's troops were insufficient and difficult to defend, so they had to give up spring plowing and re-mobilize the warriors and militia. This is the harmony of people, giving full play to the human advantages of the alliance."

Xuluot thought calmly, life began to become a simple number, and all actions were carried out for victory. He observed the Tarasco camp and waited for the enemy commander's response.

Not long after taking a foothold on the north bank, the Mexica advance army was dispatched in large numbers, with a thunderous momentum. Although the advance army made a posture of large-scale invasion, in fact, only two thousand warriors from the western city-states crossed the river to invade the south. These warriors were divided into teams of hundreds of people, harassing the land of Akambaro State everywhere. They burned the settlements on the south bank of the river and drove the farmers of Tarasco southward until they reached the enemy camp more than ten miles away.

Their mission was to destroy, test, and lure: to destroy the enemy's spring plowing this year, test the current situation of the enemy's mobilization, and lure the enemy warriors to attack.

Xuluot's eyes lingered on the southern river bank, revealing a confident smile.

On the beachhead on the south bank of the river, five hundred jaguar warriors and one thousand temple guards were waiting leisurely. These elite war groups were relaxed, well-equipped, and their combat effectiveness was unquestionable. At this time, they sat cross-legged on the ground to rest, ready to launch a surprise attack on the enemy at any time.

On the river, Xuluot's fleet was full of the real main force, waiting solemnly. The three thousand most elite warriors strung their longbows, slung their quivers across their shoulders, and wore their rings tightly. They sat comfortably on the boats, accumulating physical strength, ready to pour arrows on the enemy at any time, whether the enemy came from the water or the shore. The huge boats were also loaded with an additional 2,000 stick-shield warriors for possible boarding battles.

Each large boat had more than a dozen oarsmen, and the small boats had two or three. The Mexica fleet had a total of 8,000 sailors and militiamen, all in a state of readiness.

Xiu Luote looked up at the sky, and strands of drizzle slid softly, creating circles of ripples on the water. The first rain had been falling for three days, from the initial sporadic drops to the current drizzle, and it was about to rain heavily.

The young commander had a blank expression on his face, thinking intently.

This was the last time the Mexica advance army lured the enemy, and it was also the last time the navy invited the enemy to fight. The main 8,000 warriors were all dispatched, leaving only 1,000 city-states and 1,000 direct warriors in the wooden fort on the north bank, guarding 8,000 prisoners in a scattered manner. Under the tarpaulin covering the large boats were bundles of rockets, and the longbow warriors replaced the bowstrings.

If the Tarasco navy goes to battle, the Mexica navy will give them an unforgettable "surprise", and from then on, they will have an absolute advantage on the Leman River.

Xiuluot looked at the southwest estuary again. The tall estuary fortress was in sight, but there were only a few small Tarasco boats on the water. These boats were spying from a distance, passing through the fortress from time to time to report military intelligence. The main force of the Tarasco navy was hidden in Lake Quetzeau. Under the strict protection of the estuary fortress, it was unknown whether they had assembled.

"If the rain intensifies again in a few days, the rainy season will really come. At that time, gunpowder weapons will no longer be used, and the power of longbows will be greatly weakened. Under the weather, the Mexica navy will lose its absolute long-range advantage, and it will no longer be a good opportunity for a war."

Xiuluot was thinking about the weather of the war, and suddenly heard the report from the scout.

"Your Highness, a large group of enemies appeared ten miles southeast, with at least 5,000 people!"

After hearing this, Shulot climbed onto the high platform of the big boat and looked southeast. Ten miles is almost the limit of visual distance from flat ground, and there are several groups of small dots running faintly to the southeast. And behind the small dots, there are large groups of black dots, and birds that startle when the black dots pass by.

Shulot was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. He once again glanced at the scattered enemy ships on the southwest river. There was no call for naval forces to be dispatched. After some thought, the young commander ordered two thousand warriors with sticks and shields to land, and the elite battle group on the beach prepared for battle. Then, three lines of black smoke were lit on the south bank, gathering the scattered city-state warriors.

A few more quarters of an hour later, the two thousand warriors had landed. The enemy troops in the distance were clearly visible, and the patches of bronze spears shone coldly. Three to four hundred Mexica warriors blew their bone whistles as they fled to the river. Seeing the huge size of the fleet on the river and the Mexica warriors preparing for battle, Tarasco's pursuit slowed down significantly.

Shulot listened carefully for a while and could only distinguish two repeated syllables. The young commander thought for a moment, then decisively gave up thinking and asked the warrior commander beside him.

"Bertard, what does this whistle mean?"

Bertard had been listening for a long time. He smiled slightly and answered calmly.

"Your Highness, the meaning is: be careful, there are many enemies."

Shulot was speechless for a moment. When he saw that the pursuers on the south bank had stopped and seemed ready to retreat, he no longer hesitated and waved the battle flag fiercely.

The sound of attacking trumpets suddenly sounded. A thousand temple guards shouted the name of the god feverishly, their sound shaking the sky. They lowered their shields and raised their war clubs, charging towards the Tarasco warriors at the front. Afterwards, the warriors exchanged shields and collided with each other, splashing mud and water all over their bodies.

The temple guards swung their war clubs and hit the enemy on the head, denting the leather caps and bones. The warrior Tarasco thrust out a bronze spear, penetrated the guard's cotton armor, and penetrated deeply into the soft heart. The frontal battle became fierce in an instant. The warriors on both sides continued to struggle and fell, and the blood gradually dyed the ground red.

The two thousand direct warriors were divided into two groups and attacked the enemy's left and right sides respectively. They were faced by groups of bronze spears, and their opponents were civilian militiamen without shields. The direct samurai are skilled and experienced. They held their shields high and shouted to extend to the flanks, forcing the militiamen on the opposite side to gradually disperse. Then, the leading senior warriors roared loudly and bravely rushed in through the gaps in the enemy's formation. They used their skilled combat skills to knock down the militiamen holding spears one by one while striking closely.

The five-hundred Jaguar battle group deflected slightly, like agile cheetahs, around the enemy's rear. They howled in terror and threw two rounds of spears, creating two gaps in the enemy's formation. Immediately, the elite battle group broke into the scattered and wavering militia and slaughtered them wantonly. The ferocious beast-shaped helmet carried an intimidating power, like a charging beast, making the militiamen tremble with fear. Skilled war sticks are even more deadly. With continuous blows, the attacked enemy will fall to the ground like cornstalks, with blood splattered on the spot.

Shulot stared at the south bank, calmly observing the battle situation. As the two sides engaged in battle, the battle lines of the samurai and militiamen spread out to the two wings, and the group of enemies slowly expanded into a long line. Only then did he fully see the specific composition of the enemy army.

The obverse shows a thousand Tarascan warriors. They resisted the fanatical attack of the temple guards and were temporarily at a disadvantage. The two wings engaged, and Tarasco's army resisted for a moment, then retreated loosely. This should be a trained militia. And when the Jaguar warriors who surrounded the rear launched an assault, Tarasco's army suddenly slumped inward, the flags were crooked, and it quickly disintegrated. The rear must be ordinary militiamen.

The more than 300 city-state warriors who fled only rested for a quarter of an hour. By the time they entered the battlefield again, Tarasco's army was about to collapse. Under the instructions of the commander's flag, the city-state warriors formed an arrow and broke in again through the gap in the flank. Tarasco's army was like a taut silk thread that was suddenly cut into two pieces when lightly scratched by a sharp blade, and then collapsed.

Thousands of militiamen threw away the bronze spears in their hands, let out a loud and meaningless shout, turned around and fled south. As soon as the Mexica warriors blocked it, groups of militiamen knelt down and surrendered. The direct warriors on both wings began to pursue southward, while the city-state warriors were almost exhausted and were in charge of the surrendered militiamen.

The noble Jaguar Chapter disdained to hunt down the militiamen. They roared again and attacked the Tarascan warriors from behind. This kind of attack from behind is the most deadly and can completely destroy the rhythm of the defense. In less than half an hour, a thousand warriors with bronze spears disintegrated, turned around and fled to the south. The temple guards enthusiastically praised the name of the god, thanked the Lord God for the victory, and then strode away in pursuit.

Seeing the victory coming so quickly, Shulotran laughed out loud and shared the joy of the battle with the generals. Then, he lowered his eyes and thought secretly.

Tarasco's army only had a thousand warriors, and the remaining four to five thousand were militiamen. The expected battle did not come, and the enemy's navy did not dispatch. Now, the main force of the Tarascans is hidden behind a series of camps and fortresses, firmly controlling the southern defense line. He could not find out the details of the enemy's mobilization, nor was he sure about the opponent's troop distribution. He could only continue to test carefully and be wary of potential dangers.

The strong wind blew, bringing distant thunder. Soon, the rain in the sky became heavier and heavier, soaking the raincloth on the boat and the prepared rockets.

Shulot raised his head, letting the raindrops hit his face, savoring the slight pain, as if listening to the will of God.

Soon, Barda came back to report again. In this battle, two hundred Tarasco warriors were killed and five hundred were captured. Hundreds of militiamen were killed and more than two thousand were captured. More than three thousand long and short bronze spears were seized. The casualties of the Mexica were only more than one hundred warriors, mostly in the front battlefield where the warriors fought. At this time, a large number of warriors were still in pursuit.

The young commander nodded majestically and praised the warriors' bravery. As long as the warriors did not run out of energy, did not flee in disarray, or were completely surrounded, there would not be too many casualties in the frontal battle. Once the militiamen were dispersed, they could often run faster than the warriors, and such a target was not worth the risk of pursuing.

After thinking for a moment, Shulot gave a deep voice.

"Very good. Barda, you fought well! The next order is: recall the pursuing warriors and treat our wounded. Classify the prisoners and ask for details of the enemy!"

Barda bowed proudly and left.

Soon, dozens of heralds ran around, spreading the order to withdraw troops. Then, groups of captives were unloaded of their equipment, escorted to the boats, and transported to the north bank in batches. The warriors put away their weapons, carried the spoils from the battlefield, eagerly discussed the battle just now, and boarded the big boat with high spirits.

The wind was howling, the battle flags were flying, and the continuous rain was falling in all directions. The rain diluted the blood-soaked soil and washed the bodies that were simply buried.

Xiu Luote rejected the proposal to build a Jingguan. In the warm rainy season, the bodies should be buried as soon as possible to prevent the occurrence of epidemics. And with the official arrival of the rainy season, the enticement and invitation to fight came to an end. He did not want to over-stimulate the enemy and fight hard in the heavy rain.

The young commander finally looked at the river mouth fortress in the southwest. The enemy's boats were still moving, sending the news of the defeat on the river bank back to the south. They were the eyes of the Tarasco people, and the fortress at the river mouth was the key to carrying the eyes.

Xiuluot watched for a long time, and had some ideas in his contemplation. Then, the commander's flag pointed north, the conch shells of the withdrawal sounded loudly, the battalion leaders responded loudly, and the sailors rowed again.

Soon, thousands of boats swayed, and the people returned north, and the dim sky covered everything. The Mexica navy, loaded with the spoils of victory, sailed to the solid stronghold on the north bank, leaving only the blue smoke gradually extinguished in the drizzle.

Note: There is a detailed map of the Tarasco strategy at the end of the chapter, covering the land of Mikanque.

I was busy all day looking up information and drawing maps. Please support!