Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

The fall of Golden Bay City and the surrender of the Western and Eastern Totonac allied forces marked the end of a long decisive battle. As the defeated party, most of the Western Totonac tribes were defeated and surrendered, while the Eastern Totonac tribes lost more than half of their elite and could no longer organize a strong army. From then on, the Kingdom's eastward conquest of the Totonac Coast entered a whole new phase of conquest!

The obstacles of resistance disappeared suddenly, and the Kingdom's legions continued eastward. Black Wolf Torc, unable to wait, personally led a vanguard army of six thousand samurai, taking captured war boats across the wide Adobe River! He has already received a new royal decree to seize the opportunity following the great victory to conquer Conical House City and Coyote City, more than a hundred miles across the Great River.

The howls of the Dog Descendant warriors echoed in the jungle on the east bank of the Great River. The Totonac villages along the shore offered almost no resistance and surrendered to the scouts' squads. Three thousand Dog Descendants paved the way at the forefront, a thousand artillery camp soldiers with two thousand Cempoala defectors transported heavy copper cannons, advancing with difficulty towards Conical House City deep in the jungle.

And in the vanguard army, there was also a group of newly converted chieftains with the Chief Divine emblem imprinted on their foreheads. The war boats, loaded with samurai and supplies, crossed the rushing river. The great chieftain of Conical House City, Yoltzin, and the great chieftain of Coyote City, Forest Wolf Mayakun, both looked grim as they landed on the east bank of the Adobe River under the guard of the Dog Descendant warriors, in the extremely familiar land of Eastern Totonac. At this moment, they stood by the river, looking at each other, gazing at the dark red Sun Hummingbird on each other's foreheads, their expressions somewhat bleak.

"Beyond the river... is the land of Eastern Totonac...."

The great chieftain of Conical House City, Yoltzin, pursed his lips, looking towards the verdant jungle and marsh to the East. He was familiar with this route; a hundred miles further east was his tribe and city fort. Twice, during the battles with the Mexica, he returned to the city-state, bringing warriors of Conical House City along this road to rescue Golden Bay City. However, this return was unprecedentedly difficult, one might even say a betrayal...

"Forest Wolf, are we just going back like this? Bringing the Mexica's army, to persuade the city-state to surrender?"

"What else can we do? Yoltzin, do we even have a choice?"

The great chieftain of Coyote City, Forest Wolf Mayakun, raised his head, revealing a face with a mixture of a smile and a cry. He had eyes as narrow as a wolf's, but lacked the decisiveness of a wolf's fierceness. So, after being captured by the Mexica, he hesitated repeatedly, thinking of suicide several times, but ultimately chose to convert to the Chief Divine and surrender.

"Of course, you could also, like the great chieftain of Grass Altar City, Santu Tlaco, use a sacrificial obsidian dagger to cut your own throat!"

Upon hearing the name Santu Tlaco and thinking of the other's heroic death, Great Chieftain Yoltzin clenched his teeth and reached for the dagger at his waist... However, after a moment, he powerlessly dropped his hand and sighed.

"Ah! Chief Divine, forgive us! Since we did not take our own lives at the time of the blood oath conversion... there is even less need to mention it now... Not to mention, Tlaco's head ultimately became a collection of the Black Wolf's great chieftain..."

"Ha! Chief Divine, forgive us!"

Hearing Yoltzin's prayer, Forest Wolf Mayakun's lips curled as if mocking the other, or mocking himself. After a while, he shook his head, pointed to the tribal army landing behind them, and softly said.

"Yoltzin, facing hurricanes and thunderbolts, surrendering is also helpless. Look, what are those tribal defectors transporting?"

Upon hearing this, Great Chieftain Yoltzin turned his head to look, and immediately felt a chill. He saw more than a dozen golden copper beasts slowly being unloaded from the war boats and placed on oddly shaped wheeled carts. Then, a large group of samurai and militia exerted great effort to transport the golden copper beasts along a dirt road leading east through the forest. And at the end of this dirt road was Conical House City.

"The Mexica's copper beasts, divine punishment of thunderbolts!..."

Great Chieftain Yoltzin mumbled, lost in his thoughts for a moment, then lightly sighed.

"With such divine punishment of thunderbolts, especially those short and stout copper beasts... the tribe simply cannot hold the city-state! The only way for the Seaside Tribes is to escape deep into the forests and engage in guerrilla warfare with the Mexica in the woods!"

"Exactly! Only by hiding deep in the forest can we resist the hurricanes and thunderbolts... But abandoning the city-state and fields, abandoning the old, weak, women, and children, the price of guerrilla warfare is too high..."

Forest Wolf Mayakun nodded and responded in a low voice. He glanced around, noticing that the guarding Dog Descendant warriors were on the outer perimeter, talking to the transport captain, temporarily ignoring this place. In fact, the Dog Descendant warriors came from the wilderness and could not understand the local dialect they deliberately used.

"Yoltzin, let me ask you, are you sincerely surrendering to the Mexica?"

"Uh?"

Upon hearing this, Chieftain Yoltzin's expression froze, revealing some unease on his face. He looked around and then examined Forest Wolf Mayakun's expression before lowering his voice to reply.

"Forest Wolf, before the Mexica arrived, we were the masters of the City-State, the masters of this land! And now, we are just prisoners, domesticated dogs!..."

"Indeed! Yoltzin, how can the Divine Descendant of the Tototanak people willingly submit to the Divine Descendants of the Highland like domestic dogs? The Priests of the Feathered Serpent say that the Mexica are not even Divine Descendants of the Highland, merely barbarians from Aztlan!"

"That's right! The warriors from the Seaside tribes will not sincerely swear allegiance to these highland barbarians! Even if they are strong, they do not possess the divinity of our ancestors... only the honored bloodline of the Sun and the Giant Serpent has the inherent right to rule over the Seaside Lands!..."

The two Chieftains lowered their voices, controlling their excitement, and swiftly exchanged their thoughts. It was not until the Dog Descendant Warriors had already gathered around them that a Red Hair Hunter, looking somewhat impatiently, gripping his Greatbow, walked toward the riverside where the two stood. Only then did Forest Wolf Mayakun lower his head and quickly leave a final warning.

"Yoltzin, for now, we should feign conversion and submit to the Mexica, protecting our tribes as much as possible, and wait for future opportunities!... The hurricane will pass, and the thunderbolt will also dissipate. No matter how strong the Mexica's legions are, they cannot possibly stay in these thousand miles of jungle indefinitely!..."

"Ah! You're right! Feign conversion, await the opportunity... May the Chief Divine bless us!..."

"..."

Just after they spoke the last sentence, Red Hair Hunter Mique carried his Greatbow and came before them. His expression was suspicious, scrutinizing the two Chieftains who kept their heads lowered and compliant. Then, he reached out and unceremoniously patted their cheeks. Only after did he open his eyes wide and, in clumsy Mexica Language, asked.

"Hey! You two, what were you whispering about just now? The leader has ordered, before taking over the City-State, you must not commit suicide!... If you dare to kill yourselves, I'll throw your bodies into the bottomless Volcano and Black Spring, so you won't be able to reach the Divine Kingdom after death!"

"Ah! This?... Brutal Mexica!..."

Upon hearing such threats, both Chieftains shivered simultaneously. In the shared legends of the Highland and Seaside tribes, beneath the volcano crater lies the bottomless Abyss, a dwelling place for demons and evil spirits. Meanwhile, the unique petroleum black spring of the Totonac Coast is also a place in myths that can cause a soul's downfall.

This threat of posthumous soul degradation is even more terrifying for many Seaside warriors and chieftains than having a dagger at their throats!

"Ha! The threats taught by the priests are indeed effective!... However, to be afraid of some soul degradation while being a strong warrior—how odd these Seaside tribes are!"

Seeing the reaction of the two chieftains, Red Hair Hunter Mique smirked, mocking them.

Sometimes, the Canine Descendants of the Wilderness also fear the threat after death. However, it's not due to soul degradation but the fear of being eaten and unable to return to the divine Earth. Nevertheless, the Wilderness lacks the belief in an afterlife; death is final. Returning to Earth merely fulfills the duty to the Earth Mother Goddess, and if one truly cannot return, it's simply unavoidable.

"Let's move! Quick on the road! Persuade the surrender of that Conical House City quickly, so back in camp, we can enjoy a few hot meals! Your surrendered warriors are so numerous, like thousands of chickens, almost eating up all the corn tortillas in camp. The leader plans to take us deeper into the jungle, leaving no time for more supplies. If the City-State lacks food, I'll have no choice but to eat the two of you!..."

Under the Red Hair Hunter's threats, the two former chieftains stumbled upon a familiar path home. The familiar jungle was lush green, with fresh new buds sprouting from treetops. The March spring breeze was reluctant to depart, while the April spring scene lay ahead. Following the May spring planting season would be the long rainy season. And at the peak of the rainy season, nothing could be done.

"The Mexica's legions are hastily advancing..."

In the jungle, Chieftain Yoltzin's footsteps grew steadier as he trudged along. He was familiar with the thick roots in the woods and the treacherous pits in the swamps. Even while walking beneath the dense canopy of trees that obscured the sun, he could still discern the directions, not getting confused by this green desert.

Thus, having traveled for three days, he had already surpassed several groups of Dog Descendant Warriors, appearing at the forefront of the Vanguard Army. Ahead of him, the jungle suddenly opened up, revealing a City-State atop a small hill to everyone's view. Those pointed wooden huts and thatched huts, those short and thick wooden and stone walls, those familiar faces and figures... everything spelled out a fact that he must confront.

The Conical House City had arrived, his tribe lay ahead. Next was the choice of destiny. To live or die depended on his choice, and also on the people of the City-State.