Chapter 165 Sandbox and Preparation
The rain in June is a rapid drumbeat, urging the busy work in the farmland. The corn has grown a foot long, the beans have stretched out their soft branches, and the pumpkins have sprouted new shoots and slowly extended on the ground. Sufficient rain nourishes the roots of crops, and warm sunshine gives plants the power to grow. So, when the scorching sun in July first appeared in the sky after the rain, the earth was already a scene of lush everything.
The hot sun shines on both sides of the Leman River. The Mexican warriors walked out of the narrow houses and happily prayed for the blessing of the sun god. They took out the clothes and cotton blankets that had been damp for a long time and hung them in various corners of the camp to let the sun dry them. The costumes of different grades are red, yellow, black and white, and the simple wooden castle suddenly turned into a colorful street. The quartermasters also took out the soaked corn tortillas and miscellaneous grains and spread them in the open space in the center of the wooden fort to minimize the loss of food during the rainy season. The somber wooden castle became the village valley community again.
Outside the empty wooden castle, there is an additional fence. Under the strict guard of the warriors, the gunpowder craftsmen accompanying the army set up wooden sheds to dry the damp gunpowder in the shade. The faint volcanic smell drifted away with the wind, and as the green grass swayed, many grass snakes hid away.
In the spacious wooden house in the center of the wooden castle, Shulot sat with his legs crossed and was carefully looking at the sand table in front of him. This was the result of several days of hard work.
The sand table is not large in size, one meter long and one meter wide. A "river" of fine sand runs from east to west and divides into a "lake" in the southwest. Between the river and the lake, there is a clay "fortress" with a small wooden door inlaid on it. There is a shallow river to the east, which is the river mouth fortress.
The young commander thought about it, and first carved out a camp on the flat land to the east of the "fortress", and then filled in the moat to the east. He gestured at the distance from the fortress wall to the river and frowned. Then, he created another camp in the open space south of the fortress. After thinking for a moment, he placed two more strongholds further south as a defense.
Shulot turned his attention to the west again, looking at the small wooden "water gate" and the narrow river and lake channels. He again relied on memory and corrected the positions of the lower river channel and the western wall of the fortress. Then, he placed a wooden boat on the passage, gestured the distance from the wall to the boat, and pondered silently.
After a while, he simulated the movement of the boat again. The wooden boat started from within shooting distance and slowly moved forward until it came to the water gate. He calculated a time in his mind, and then put in another boat, protecting Minato with the support of the city head, and confronting the first boat. The young commander calculated for a moment again and frowned deeply.
At this time, the guard's loud greeting came from outside the wooden house, and the same plain reply came.
"Brave Eagle Warrior Captain, Tels greets you!"
"Tels, there is no need to be polite. The sun god's light illuminates us at the same time! I have something to report to His Highness."
The wooden door opened with a creak, and the sunlight from outside the door poured in, illuminating the slightly dark house. A tall figure wearing leather armor and an animal helmet walked in.
Shulot raised his head and waved to Tels who was looking at him with a naive smile. The young Holy City warrior bowed his head seriously and closed the wooden door again. The boy he once was is now His Highness, and now he is a guard guarding the door for His Highness.
Then, the young commander looked at the fully armed Bertard with a smile.
"Bertard, the weather is so hot, take off this outfit quickly!"
The warrior commander nodded and took off his beast helmet, revealing his cut-off head and tattooed face, looking as awe-inspiring as a ferocious beast. Then, he took off his leather armor, revealing that the robe underneath was completely soaked with sweat.
"Your Highness, in the past two days, I have led a team of Jaguar noble warriors to the northern city of Otopan to conduct reconnaissance. The Otomi people's spring plowing has basically been completed, and they seem to be gathering troops and starting to mobilize the militia."
Shulot pondered for a moment and said slowly.
"The Otomi people had to be on guard, and the warriors had to be on strict alert. In this way, two envoys were sent again to condemn the Otomi people for their breach of trust. They accepted food from the alliance and promised a peace treaty, but they just made a show of it. .They didn't actually go south before the spring plowing and plunder the Tarascan villages!
At the same time, the city-state of Otopan was individually invited to join the conquest against the Tarascans. In addition to land, feathers, fine clothes, gold, silver, gems, slaves and goods can be promised to them, and even grain trade can be discussed.
Let me think about it, during the last peace talks, the army commander of Otopan City should be Giowa? Let the messenger pay him a visit in my personal name. In addition, the old priest Ort doesn't know whether he is in Guamare or Otopan. If he is in the mountain city of Otopan, you can also go and find out what he has to say. "
Bertard nodded and obeyed. He thought for a moment before speaking.
"Your Highness, I will arrange for envoys when I get back. It's just that the Otomi people are like weeds in the wind, swaying. They always make false promises to deal with the alliance. I'm afraid it will be difficult to reach a real agreement here. Even if an agreement is reached, the army cannot relax its vigilance at all. . They are like coyotes lurking in wait, ready to pounce and bite in a fatal position.”
The young commander laughed.
"Bertard, you are right. After the spring plowing is completed, it is unbelievable that the Otomi people have the ability to mobilize for war. I just have to wait for two weeks, hold on to the wooden castle, and wait for the return of the fleet returning eastward. , bringing a large number of reinforcements from the Holy City.
Once Anatelli's navy returns, it will be difficult for the Tarasco people to attack from the north and attack from both sides of the Leman River. When the new legion arrives, the alliance will have an advantage in military strength, and the autumn harvest will be just around the corner. At this time, the army can be used to threaten the Otomi people's autumn harvest, forcing them to use practical actions to prove their sincerity in peace with the alliance! "
Bertard smiled knowingly, and the tattoos on both sides of his face trembled with a bit of solemnity. Then, he looked at the window facing south and continued.
"The Tarasco navy in the south is very frequent. Their scouts have repeatedly appeared around the three wooden forts, and often made provocative and offensive gestures. The warriors in the wooden forts are full of fighting spirit and some are unbearable. "
Xuluot thought for a while and nodded slightly.
"After the rumor of the blessing of the sun god spread, the warriors were excited and eager to fight. This fighting spirit cannot be suppressed, but can only be guided. The current strategy is to hold on and not to move south.
In this way, send out several different teams of 100 people every day to fight with Tarasco's scouts. There is no need to capture prisoners in scout battles, and the merit is only based on the heads they bring back! Then, evaluate all the teams participating in the fight, reward the front teams, and give them the honorary title of good fighters!
Well, this is to find some psychological sustenance for the warriors. Maybe I should improve the rules of the court so that everyone can have some daily entertainment activities. "
At this point, the young commander took out a pen and paper and wrote down the words "basketball" and "football". He thought about it, and added "wrestling" and "tug of war", plus the existing javelin throwing, archery and fighting, which is the Mexica heptathlon.
Bertard nodded and accepted the order. He looked at the sand table on the ground, and his admiration flashed again. Sometimes, he would sincerely thank the sun god for giving the Mexica such a divinely inspired king, with wisdom and all-encompassing inventions.
"Your Highness, the estuary fortress has a water gate on the west, and the west wall controls the estuary, blocking the southward movement of the fleet. This fortress cannot be besieged. It can get a steady stream of military support and food supplies from the shores of Lake Quetzao."
Looking at the sand table, the warrior leader slowly analyzed. He waited for the visionary strategy of His Highness.
Xuluote nodded in agreement.
"Indeed! The estuary fortress can only be attacked by force, not besieged. If you attack by force, you must attack quickly, the faster the better. The fortress here is crisscrossed by rivers, with soft soil and abundant groundwater. The army cannot dig tunnels or blow up walls with gunpowder. Of course, we don't have miners who are good at digging. "
Faced with the new concept of tactics, Bertard seemed to have some understanding. He often accompanies His Highness, and can constantly learn and improve, keep up with the boy's thinking, and make suggestions at the right time.
"Digging tunnels, blowing up walls with gunpowder, Your Highness, the experienced miners in Tarasco will dig underground copper mines, and Ezpan is an experienced miner. When the army goes deep into the Patzcuaro Lake area, we can search for the people, gather experienced elderly miners, and improve Your Highness's tunnel tactics. "
Hearing the suggestion, Xiu Luote laughed, and his thoughts drifted away for a short time. Then, he continued to return to the topic.
"Before the strong attack, there are three necessary preparations. The first is to find opportunities to severely damage the main force of the Tarasco Navy and destroy as many enemy ships as possible. "
At this point, the young commander paused, and his thoughts became clearer. He did not elaborate for the time being and continued to speak.
"The second is to concentrate troops, establish sufficient advantages, and make a breakthrough as soon as possible. Autumn harvest is a critical node. We cannot delay it until after the autumn harvest, which will give the enemy a chance to gather in large numbers. Well, I will send an envoy to the northern general Ocelor again to ask for reinforcements. The troops in the capital must also be transported as soon as possible. The fleet takes a month to go back and forth, and can transport tens of thousands of warriors and three months of food for ten thousand people. I have to carefully plan the transportation plan. "
Xuluot planned in his mind, wrote down the word "transportation" on the paper, and then smiled slightly.
"The third is equipment preparation, to create suitable siege equipment. Bertard, how are the three kinds of equipment I ordered before being made?"
The warrior leader thought for a while, recalled what he saw and heard at the craftsman before the patrol, and nodded slowly.
"Your Highness, the light trebuchet that is easy to move has been studied for nearly a month, and the trial production has just been completed. There is no time to test the load and range of ammunition. The light shield car that covers the archers is relatively simple and can be put into the battlefield now. As for the seven-meter wooden water gate that was required to be built after the reconnaissance, the craftsmen only restored part of it, and it will take a long time to process it later. "
Hearing this, Xiu Luote laughed with satisfaction.
"Very good! The light catapult throws paper fireballs wrapped in gunpowder, and the load and range requirements are not high. The light shield car can be as simple as possible, the key is mass production. The water gate does not need to be fully restored, I just want to test how effectively it can be destroyed!"
Speaking of this, the young commander stood up. He patted the samurai leader on the shoulder affectionately and laughed loudly.
"Today is sunny and it is a rare auspicious day. Come with me to see these siege weapons!"