Aztec Immortals The Rise of an Empire

Two full weeks had passed since that unforgettable mobilization, and at last, the Teotihuacan City-State's legion was fully assembled. The dry season had ended, the rainy season had not yet begun, and the once-refreshing breeze had grown noticeably humid, though the warm sunlight remained just as pleasant.

A large military camp had been set up to the south of the city. During this time, Xiulot watched his father, Xusok, meet with one noble after another—men who held hereditary titles and would take part in the upcoming war. There were greetings, polite conversation, group meals, promises exchanged, and the mutual giving of gifts. Xiulot also observed him clasp fists in greeting with elite warriors, embracing them, boasting, offering praise, sparring, and finally drinking tequila together until they were all thoroughly inebriated.

From time to time, Xusok also had to receive representatives of the village levies, settle disputes, and display his authority. Slowly, a military leadership circle formed around Xusok, and this newly established eight-thousand-man formation—called the Xiquipilli—could more or less be commanded in a unified manner.

In Aztec military organization, the fundamental unit was the twenty-man squad, each led by a single squad captain. Squads would then be grouped in multiples of twenty—200, 400, 800—until reaching the ultimate formation of eight thousand warriors, the Xiquipilli, recognized across all city-states as the apex military unit.

Thanks to Xiulot's persistent suggestions, Xusok finally divided the legion into ten camps, each roughly 800 men strong. As for precise numbers, no one here—aside from Xiulot—could keep track of them all.

Among these ten camps, five were elite battalions drawn from the city's urban communities, mostly comprising warriors who had received proper training. Seasoned fourth-rank warriors—Eagle Warriors and Jaguar Warriors—were consolidated into a single veteran battalion. These men had the skill to wield atlatls (spear-throwers), forming the core combat strength of the legion. Naturally, the commander of this veteran battalion was the most trusted top warrior, Aoloxi.

The other five were commoner battalions, formed from conscripted militiamen of outlying villages. Most of these militiamen had only basic training. A portion of them had some experience hunting with slings, and they were all placed into a specialized sling battalion, while the remaining four became close-combat units.

On this day, with the reorganization complete, the entire legion gathered on the camp's parade grounds. Priests raised high the banners of the gods, while nobles of every rank helped keep order. Warriors clustered by battalion, forming circular arrays of varying sizes.

Resplendent in ornate battle attire, Xusok stood in the most prominent spot, surrounded by the noble officers of each battalion. Together, they radiated a sense of high spirits and self-assuredness—surveying their "great army" with bold ambition while voicing their eagerness for battle.

Xiulot, meanwhile, was moving among the camps with Akapu—the newly appointed bodyguard and assistant his grandfather had sent—under the guise of priestly duties.

The First Battalion was the veterans' battalion. These seasoned warriors wore yellow or green leather armor, draped in red-and-yellow cloaks, and wore beast-shaped helmets on their heads. Each held a shield in one hand and a macuahuitl-like war club in the other, its razor-sharp obsidian blades glinting coldly in the sun. Most of them carried a spear on their back and had an atlatl tucked at their waist.

The veterans stood at ease, spontaneously arranging themselves into an open combat formation. Their expressions were relaxed, displaying the calm composure of men who had faced life and death many times. Their callused right hands swung their war clubs with casual familiarity, showing the refinement born of countless battles. Circling twice around them, Xiulot counted over two hundred awe-inspiring Eagle and Jaguar Warriors.

"So we only have about two hundred Jaguar and Eagle Warriors," Xiulot sighed in mild disappointment. "That's a far cry from the legion I'd imagined—I was hoping for an entire legion made up of just Jaguar and Eagle Warriors!"

"Eight thousand Jaguar Warriors?!" Akapu chuckled. "All the combined Mexica city-states probably wouldn't reach that number. The Triple Cities of the capital might be able to field around two thousand Jaguar and Eagle Warriors, plus over five hundred 'Shorn Ones.' That alone is enough for any king to overawe the rest of the city-states. Remember, both Jaguar and Eagle warrior groups hold first-rank noble titles within the alliance."

"All right, then. Eagle Warriors, Jaguar Warriors…they'll come in time," Xiulot muttered inwardly as he jotted down mental notes. "Veteran Battalion: the trump card—macuahuitl-and-shield infantry, with atlatls included. Leather armor or heavier. High morale, moderate discipline, capable of intimidating regular troops. An excellent assault force." Borrowing a certain "familiar rating system," he found it helped him quickly gauge the unit's capabilities.

The Second through Fifth Battalions were the remaining elite forces. Depending on their wealth, the warriors wore leather armor or war attire—some even sported cloaks. Most of these newer warriors wore conical caps, carried the same kind of obsidian-bladed clubs, and bore round shields covered in hide. Their faces were lit by excitement and imagination about the battles to come.

Within these somewhat disorganized ranks, Xiulot spotted two familiar faces—one offering him a warm smile, the other a stiff grin.

"Elite battalions," Xiulot mentally classified. "Good troops—macuahuitl-and-shield infantry, partial leather armor. Morale is fair, discipline is poor. Standard line infantry with limited armor coverage…but still acceptable."

Moving on to the Sixth through Ninth Battalions, which consisted of commoner militiamen from the villages, Xiulot saw much simpler gear. Most men were bare-chested, with only a few wearing any sort of battle garb. Stone spears, wooden spears, stone clubs—an assortment of mismatched weapons. Even shields were not widespread; only some of the local leaders had standard war clubs and shields.

The villagers were excitedly chattering among themselves, making for a rowdy camp. Perhaps they, too, felt eager for battle, yet this untrained enthusiasm would soon wear down in the face of enemies or harsh conditions.

"Commoner battalions: average at best—short-spear infantry, cloth garments, low morale, nonexistent discipline." Xiulot pressed a hand to his forehead. "What can this sort of hastily armed labor force do? Serve as front-line cannon fodder? Without standing together in a large mass, they won't hold at all. Maybe once we improve discipline, we can consider them as long-spear 'ashigaru'-style troops?"

The Tenth Battalion—the Sling Battalion—gave Xiulot a few new insights.

These seasoned hunTetlsi each held a long sling, gripping both ends of the cord with two fingers. They swung the cord in powerful rotations, accelerating the stone projectile in the sling's center until it whirred through the air with a whooshing sound. Then, trusting in feel and experience, they let go with one finger at the right angle, flinging the rounded stone forward with a hiss, sending up bursts of dust where they landed across the parade ground.

Although their accuracy was questionable, massed volleys had decent effect—especially against lightly or unarmored foes. Unfortunately, while slings themselves were simple tools, becoming proficient took at least a year or two of practice.

"Sling Battalion: average—slingers, cloth garments, low morale, no discipline. A ranged unit that requires suitable terrain, mainly to disrupt enemy morale." Xiulot resigned himself to simply accepting this solitary ranged force. As for the handful of hunTetlsi armed with crude single-piece bows, Xiulot tried firing several wooden arrows himself, only to find both range and power hopelessly inadequate.

"Why are our archers so weak?" Xiulot asked, perplexed.

"Bows are weak to begin with. Only feeble tribal folks would use such powerless weapons," Akapu answered as though it were obvious. "Well, that's not entirely correct. The Tlaxcalans have single-piece bows almost as tall as a person, with copper arrowheads that can pierce one layer of padded cotton armor at about fifty paces. Our warriors have been ambushed plenty of times by those cunning Tlaxcalans."

"Fifty paces of penetration through cotton padding? That sounds promising. We could also build an archery corps like that. A capable ranged unit is extremely useful in certain terrains."

"But using ranged attacks to ambush people—how is that the warrior's way? And how would you capture prisoners like that? Without captives, there's no path to promotion. That's why Mexica warriors prefer close combat and dislike using bows," Akapu said with a laugh.

"Of course, there's also the fact that ordinary craftsmen lack the skill to make bows. And we don't have sufficient raw materials—particularly for the bowstrings. Some leaders might own a single decorative bow, but assembling a force would be out of the question. Besides, Tlaxcalan bows still aren't as lethal as atlatls against a warrior in leather armor, so the damage they do is limited."

"Where do the Tlaxcalans get their raw materials and skills, then?" Xiulot pressed, fixated on the technology. He believed that archers—and cavalry, if it were possible—were essential components of any army, each with an irreplaceable tactical role. Cavalry was off the table for now, but archers were something he still wanted to develop.

"Who knows what techniques they use? They revere the Hunting God Mixcoatl, so they've always had quite a few dedicated bowmakers. Most of their bowstring materials probably come from trade with the Nahua near the coast or possibly with the Maya. Those Maya merchants have all kinds of sources. No matter—it's not like we need bows to sweep across the world anyway. Our warriors have already conquered it," Akapu replied confidently.

"Conquered the world so far—yes, for now. But someday, the world might well conquer us," Xiulot thought with a wry smile.

Spears, bows, leather armor—Xiulot pondered the legion's weaknesses and possible improvements. Overall, the political structure of the Mexica city-states reminded him of early Greek city-states or perhaps the many vassal states of the Western Zhou era. Their military equipment and organizational level were comparable to the time of the Spring and Autumn period when Wu fought against Yue. Yet, their mobilization capacity somehow reached a scale akin to the Warring States' Qin Dynasty.

"No cavalry, no archers, no heavy infantry—this is centuries behind a Roman legion or the Great Qin's military formations. Europe's already using matchlock muskets and plate armor," Xiulot thought, gazing skyward. Next to him, Akapu also glanced at the sky, looking for whatever curiosity Xiulot was staring at.

"Metals…we only have copper ore. Copper spears, copper armor, heavily armed infantry, a Macedonian phalanx—" Xiulot's eyes briefly lit up before dimming again as he recalled that the only known copper mine was in Tarasco territory.

"So much work left to do," Xiulot murmured words no one else could understand. "But fortunately, I still have time."

At that moment, a messenger came rushing in from the southern gate, bringing fresh news: "His Majesty's army has already departed from the capital!"