Aztec Eternals

August in the Changbai Mountains is the heart of the humid rainy season. Three months of summer rainfall have the entire Heilongjiang river system swollen to overflowing. Spring ice melt, summer floods, winter freeze – the navigation conditions on the Heilongjiang River have never been good. Besides the terrible navigation, travel through the dense forests of Outer Manchuria is extremely difficult. Rainwater forms puddles and marshes everywhere, and it’s easy to get your feet stuck.

Without a doubt, the forest sea of Outer Manchuria at this time is a muddy land where transportation is difficult. The forest sea seems to have countless paths, but in reality, only the sparse woodlands along the rivers and the animal trails through the swamps are the best choices for the various tribes to hunt, fish, and travel long distances on horseback.

However, the best choice is often not the safest. Because the wolves, leopards, and tigers in the forest sea are not the most terrifying. The most terrifying are the other tribes in the forest sea who are like wild beasts, who take the same paths but are automatically hostile upon meeting!

“Damn it! This rain is drizzling and the whole forest is damp, the bowstrings are as soft as noodles! It’s hard enough to shoot a bird in the daytime, and at night we can’t even find dry firewood to start a fire… Bah! Where did the deer herd we saw on the mountain before run off to?”

Uduwen, the chieftain of the Doer Tribe, was burly, like a wild beast of the forest. At this moment, he was wrapped in a fur robe, carrying a heavy bow, and leading a mountain horse, wading barefoot through the forest path by the river. Behind him followed more than thirty strong men of the tribe, all wrapped in fur robes and carrying hunting bows and arrows.

A hunting party of this size is actually a bit too large; it would be more efficient to split into two teams. But in recent years, the forest has not been safe, and they often run into tribes moving south. If the numbers are too small, they’ll be eaten clean. It’s better to stick together; that way, if they encounter a small tribe, they can turn around and swallow them whole.

“Where are the dogs?! Let the dogs sniff again; where did that deer herd run off to?!”

“Chieftain… it just rained, the dogs can’t smell anything. We still have to stick close to the river; the deer herd will always need to drink, we’ll run into them eventually.”

“Run into them my ass! Damn deer herd, we’ve been searching for six or seven days. The footprints we found the day before yesterday were clearly heading in this direction, so why can’t we see them? Could it be that they encountered a tiger or wolf pack wandering by and were driven away in fright?…”

Chieftain Uduwen frowned, his face full of annoyance, like an unhappy brown bear. In fact, in Manchu, “Uduwen” means “male bear.” As the chieftain of a Jurchen tribe, he was clearly the strongest warrior in the tribe. Although he couldn’t hunt Manchurian tigers, he could hunt a black bear alone.

Unfortunately, in this vast forest sea, hunting is both a skill and a matter of luck, and it also depends on the weather. Hunting parties often spend nine out of ten days hungry, tracking the prey. But deer herds don’t move slowly, and they are very clever. Finding these prey tracks is the most difficult part of hunting.

Generally speaking, tracking prey relies mainly on the dog’s sense of smell and hearing, followed by experienced hunters observing the direction of the footprints and the freshness of the droppings. Therefore, the most feared thing in hunting is rain; once it rains, the dogs can’t smell anything and are useless. What hunters like most is the snow in early winter. Footprints after the snow will leave the prey with nowhere to hide. The cold also makes it easier to preserve the captured prey, allowing the meat to be stored longer.

So, for the fishing and hunting Jurchen tribes in the forest sea, August, although warm, is not a good time. Only October with the first snow is the best hunting season! And by the time it gets to the deep winter of November, when piss turns to ice, it’s too cold. Ordinary tribal fur robes simply can’t withstand it, and they can only huddle together in the camp, enduring the hardship.

“Chieftain, there are bean vines in this forest! Let’s stop for a while and cut some to feed the horses! The horses are hungry… People can eat some too, cooked with mushrooms…”

“Eat, eat, eat! All you know is eating! Just like the Nurhaci in the mountains…”

Chieftain Uduwen cursed a few times, and his own stomach also growled. This feast or famine lifestyle of hunting is really hard to bear. He really hoped to encounter a bear or tiger that wouldn’t run away; even if the men were injured or even lost a hunter, it would be worth it to get back four or five hundred pounds of meat. Unfortunately, the tigers in the mountains had long learned to avoid groups of hunters; only the blind bears could sometimes be encountered.

“Rest on the spot! You, you, and you, a few of you, take the horses to the river to drink. Yezhu, take a few more people and cut these bean vines, and pick some wild vegetables and mushrooms. And a few more sharpshooters, come with me to shoot a couple of birds, we’ll stew them in a stone pot later. Also, the ones leading the dogs, spread out and go to the woods on both sides to be on guard!…”

Chieftain Uduwen gave a series of instructions, and the hunting party of more than thirty people busied themselves in an orderly manner. Eight people fed the horses, fifteen were busy in the forest, five people looked up into the trees with bows and arrows. The remaining six scouts leading the dogs split into two teams and walked along the river to the east and west. But as they walked, the hunting dog on the east side suddenly stopped, first barking a few short barks, and then howling wildly!

“Awoo!… Awoo-awoo-awoo!!…”

“!! Prey? No! This bark… someone? Many people! Many enemies! Right in the forest!!”

Chieftain Uduwen suddenly turned his head, his bear-like eyes widened, and he pulled open his bow, looking towards the east. However, another series of rapid dog barks came, and the dog on the west side also barked wildly.

“Awoo-awoo-awoo!!…”

“Ancestors, there are enemies behind us too?!”

“Swish, swish, swish!”

“Awoo… woof…”

A burst of accurate arrow rain came, although it was also a bit soft, it nailed four Khitan hounds into the mud. The arrowheads were actually made of iron! The remaining two hounds howled and rushed into the forest, but were quickly struck in the head by a figure appearing from the forest with a wave of their arm!

“Crack!…”

The heavy iron mace hit the dog’s head, and the two hunting dogs didn’t even make a sound before they died. Then, a familiar Manchu voice came from the forest ahead, full of the tone of hunting, but the prey was this group of hunters!

“Nushu! Charge! Capture prisoners!”

“…!!“

In Chief Uduwen’s angry and terrified gaze, a full forty or fifty fierce, tall warriors rushed out from the forest in front! And when he turned his head to look, the same number of short, stocky warriors also rushed out from the forest behind, shouting in a language he couldn’t understand at all.

“May the Lord God protect us! Capture prisoners, take them alive!…”

These warriors all wore leather helmets and thick fur robes, making them look a circle fatter. They half-raised long-handled blunt weapons with iron heads, carried iron axes for close combat, and wore rare leather boots on their feet, clearly equipped with excellent gear. They weren’t running fast, and there wasn’t much excitement on their faces, only the indifference of those accustomed to fighting and a somewhat frightening faint smile.

“Clang… clang… clang…”

“What is this sound? This is…?!”

Uduwen froze for a moment, and a real fear suddenly appeared on his face. He could actually hear the sound of metal colliding from these rushing warriors, from under those bulging fur robes, just like the most precious iron armor in the village!

“These are armored men? How could they be armored men?! So many armored men, could they be the legendary Ming army?”

Uduwen trembled, utterly in disbelief. He wasn't some ignorant North Mountain barbarian who had just come south; he was the chieftain of a tribe with a heritage. Was the combat strength of an armored warrior the same as that of an ordinary warrior? The difference between them was even greater than that between a brown bear and a black bear! Thinking of this, he strained to draw his damp, heavy bow and fired an arrow at the burly warrior charging towards him.

"Whoosh!"

"Bang!"

This arrow was obviously a bit weak, but the force was still considerable. The bone arrow struck heavily against his chest, pierced through the leather robe covering it, and half-penetrated the iron armor underneath. The burly warrior at the front stumbled violently, the force carrying him backwards into the mud. But after only a few breaths, he flipped over with effort and climbed to his feet again.

"Damn it! Roar!"

"Roar! Damn armored people!"

Chieftain Uduwen roared wildly, stone hammer flailing, his arms as powerful as a bear's, and he swung an armored man who charged at him to the ground. That man spat out a mouthful of blood, the armor on his chest caved in. But more armored men recognized his identity and rushed towards him with their iron-headed blunt weapons, wanting to capture him alive. Finally, he had no more illusions and turned to run towards the horses by the river.

"Mount up! Quickly, mount up! Go! Escape quickly!..."

"Neigh! Neigh!..."

Chieftain Uduwen moved swiftly, ran to the river, and jumped onto a horse. The few hunters feeding the horses also mounted up and quickly turned their horses' heads.

Iron armor against leather robes, more than a hundred against thirty, a prepared ambush against the unprepared... This battle was impossible to fight, it was simply being hunted! Right now, the only option was to find a gap in the enemy's encirclement, ride out and escape, saving whoever could be saved. And only by escaping back to the village as soon as possible, and leading the entire tribe away, could they avoid being completely devoured by this armored tribe that had appeared from nowhere!

"Clatter... clatter clatter!..."

However, just as Uduwen was leading a few men, abandoning the struggling and resisting tribal hunters, and about to ride away, the sound of hooves suddenly rang out from behind. He turned his head and despair immediately arose on his face!

A full thirty cavalrymen appeared from the sparse woods, clearly having been lying in ambush. These silent fellow tribesmen, each holding a blunt weapon designed for capture, gradually increased their speed and charged towards them!

"Ancestors!!..."

The newest novel is first published at 6\\_9\\_book\\_city.

Chieftain Uduwen was filled with despair, and his face showed grief and indignation. More than a hundred armored men attacking their hunting party of thirty, and they still needed an ambush? An ambush was already bad enough, but there were also thirty cavalrymen lying in wait? They were not giving them any chance of survival!...

"Clatter... clatter!..."

"Damn it! Damn it! Roar! Faster! Faster!..."

Chieftain Uduwen rode away, but this horse had not been fed enough, and the riverbank was muddy, so he couldn't shake off the pursuing enemies. And as the speed of the horses under them decreased, the ferocious enemies behind them caught up, laughing loudly as they vigorously raised their maces, knocking the tribal hunters off their horses one by one. The leading cavalryman laughed heartily, and even smashed hard at a horse's head, knocking the horse to the ground with a whinny!

"Neigh!... Neigh!..."

"Wushu! You blockhead! You're hitting the horses again?!..."

"Ah! Agudai, I... I got carried away..."

"Get lost! Go to the front and stop that chieftain with me!..."

"Okay!..."

"Clatter clatter clatter!"

Chieftain Uduwen turned his head in exasperation, only to see the two most ferocious cavalrymen leaving the formation, one on the left and one on the right, accelerating towards him. He squeezed his horse's belly hard, but the horse had already run a sweat and couldn't go any faster. But the other party's horses were still accelerating, they must have been rested and fed grain, not like this starving horse could run. Right now, he probably had no chance of escaping...

"Roar! I am the chieftain of the Duo'er tribe! If you are a warrior, fight me one-on-one!..."

Between life and death, Chieftain Uduwen stopped running, suddenly turned his horse around, and let out a roar like a giant bear. He faced the two ferocious cavalrymen charging towards him, looking at the more imposing "Agudai" chieftain, and shouted loudly with his head held high.

"The ancestors are my witness! You ambushed me, you are not a hero! If you are a warrior, fight me one-on-one!..."

"If you are a warrior, fight you one-on-one?..."

"That's right!"

"Then how do we settle it if I win, and how do we settle it if I lose?"

"If you win, you let us go! If I lose, I... I will be your prisoner!..."

"Haha! Stupid! You are already my prisoner, why would I let you go?!"

Mahaha Agudai laughed and suddenly accelerated his horse, charging towards Uduwen like a running tiger. Uduwen quickly raised his stone hammer, but a long-handled wolf's tooth club, using the force of the galloping horse, swung down with the force of a thousand pounds.

"Thud!..."

This heavy club struck hard, smashing against the stone hammer, causing Uduwen on horseback to feel a numbness in both hands, and his whole body shook violently. The horse under him also let out a painful whinny. But before he could catch his breath, the second sweeping club came diagonally, knocking him directly off his horse! Shock cavalry combat on horseback, relying on the horsepower exceeding human strength, was this swift. Victory or defeat was only a matter of one exchange!

"Ah!..."

Chieftain Uduwen cried out in pain, falling off his horse. Mahaha Agudai suddenly pulled on his warhorse and jumped down as well. Then, he strode forward and kicked Uduwen hard in the back, knocking down the opponent who was dizzy from the fall and had just gotten up. Then, Agudai's pair of iron-clamp-like hands suddenly grabbed Uduwen's struggling arms and shouted to Wushu who was coming.

"Wushu! Give me the rope to tie people up that my brother-in-law gave me!..."

"The rope for capturing Ding? Here!..."

Mahaha Wushu felt behind the horse and pulled out a kingdom's rope for capturing prisoners, which was the strongest sisal. Mahaha Agudai laughed, tied Uduwen's hands and feet randomly, threw him horizontally onto the horse's back, and turned back towards the battlefield by the river. Before leaving, he did not forget to point to Uduwen's skinny horse and scolded Wushu.

"Take this horse back too! If you break another horse, I'll skin you alive!..."

"Ah? Yes! Chieftain!..."

Mahaha Wushu shuddered and lowered his head in fear. And when he raised his head again, Mahaha Agudai had already ridden far away. From afar, he could only hear the bear-like Uduwen, howling angrily and unwillingly on the horse's back, and shouting that he wanted to "fight one-on-one if you are a warrior!". And further away by the river, the sounds of the Kingdom's capture battle had completely subsided, only the cheers and prayers drifting from afar, like an ancient and wild hymn, praising the sun watching from the sky.