Aztec Eternals

"Lord Nayan! Greetings to you, my lord... I am Amao, a herdboy from Aolaha's tribe, tending sheep for the lords of the tribe... May I ask which Tumen lord has sent you? Are you here to collect cattle and sheep, conscript soldiers, or are you merely passing through?..."

The Heilongjiang River flowed slowly, its churning waves wetting the black soil, and the lush grass fattened the herds. This was the best season on the grasslands, when cattle, sheep, and horses were at their plumpest and strongest. The herdboy Amao buried his head deep into the ground, smelling the earthy scent, not daring to look directly at the "Ulus" cavalrymen on horseback, so nervous he was about to wet himself.

The so-called "Aolaha" means "riverside tribe." "Aola" refers to "riverside," and "Hala" means "tribe." This is actually the Daur language of the Mongolian language family. In later generations, they are generally classified as the Daur ethnic group. But in this 15th-century Tatar era, they were undoubtedly regarded as part of the Mongolian tribes. Just like the Evenks who lived by the Sakhalin Ula River further northeast, hunting and fishing in the forests, were also considered part of the Jurchen tribes because they spoke the Tungusic language, like the wild Jurchens who moved south from the northern mountains.

"? ? ?... Agudai, what is he saying?"

"This isn't Jurchen, I don't understand it. Brother Ali?"

"High Priest, Brother Agudai, I don't understand either. He seems to be saying something about 'chieftains' and 'myriads'? He seems to think of us as a force sent by some myriad chieftain from the south? Well, the size of our armored force is indeed beyond what local tribes could muster. I'm afraid only the Three Guards of Doyan in the south, or the Oirat myriads in the northwest... only the direct subordinates of those powerful Mongolian myriads could assemble two hundred armored soldiers!"

Ali frowned, pondering. He only understood a little Mongolian, but the Daur language spoken by this herdboy could be seen as a dialect, making it difficult for him to understand.

"May the gods bear witness! This should be a Tatar herdboy, likely from a migrating Mongolian tribe? But no matter what, there must be someone in their tribe who speaks Jurchen. As long as we find their tribal camp, we can communicate! And even if the language is a barrier, trade is still possible..."

Ali wasn't in a hurry for the upcoming "trade." It was impossible for the nomadic tribes in this area not to have someone who spoke Jurchen. The wild Jurchens who moved south year after year had countless battles and marriages with the tribes here, and many had transformed from "Jurchen savages" into "Mongolian tribes." And even if they really didn't understand the language, as long as the knives in their hands were sharp enough, trade could still be conducted, just with a little more patience in gesturing... Yes, having knives in hand is what makes the other party patient.

"Roar! Stupid! Eat! Food!... We, want, food! Take us there!..."

At times like this, it was still necessary to let the U Xiong Udu Wen take the stage. The chieftain with the physique of a black bear gestured a couple of times and roared a few times, and the herdboy instantly understood. He trembled all over, knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly to the roaring "Black Bear Ulus," then pointed to a certain place to the north with his hand, stuttering.

"Lord, Ulus lord! The... the tribe's stockade is... is in that direction! When... when we get to the stockade, there... there will be food!..."

"Roar! Food? There?..."

"Yes! Yes... There! Food..."

Having determined the direction and location of the tribe, the next step was to meet and conduct peaceful or forceful "exchanges." And before meeting, being fully armored and armed was obviously a sign of respect for "friends" or "enemies."

"May the gods protect us! Put on your armor, adjust your bowstrings, and grab your weapons... Be prepared for battle!"

"Clang clang... Ding..."

Soon, the clanging of armor plates made the kneeling herdboy Amao terrified, his hands and feet trembling. He didn't know what was happening. Had he said something wrong just now? These lords from the south were too strange, speaking an unknown language and being fiercely barbaric! He wanted to say a few more words, but the bear-like warrior opposite him had already lost patience. U Xiong had no intention of continuing to talk with him, simply pointing in the direction of the stockade and roaring impatiently.

"Roar! You go! Lead the way! Food!!..."

"? ?... Yes! Yes! Food..."

The herdboy Amao staggered, barefoot and empty-handed, running towards the tribe. The herding whip had long been lost somewhere, and there was no time to care about the dozens of sheep by the river. If he didn't serve this group of fierce and barbaric "Ulus lords" who had emerged from the south well, it was estimated that their Aolaha, with more than four hundred people and occupying a strong stockade, the strongest in this area, might be breached and slaughtered by the other party! The lords from the southern tribes were all so unreasonable...

"Ali, you just said... this herdboy's behavior might be because he thinks of us as a force sent by a large Mongolian tribe from the south?..."

"Yes! Probably because of our armor... The imperial court has embargoed ironware to the Mongolian tribes, and each tribe lacks armor... There are many tribes that can muster two hundred warriors, but only those large tribes with thousands or tens of thousands of cavalry can muster two hundred armored warriors! Just like the powerful Three Guards of Doyan..."

"May the gods protect us! What do the large Mongolian tribes in the south usually do when they send people to these small tribes in the north? Is it to collect tribute?..."

"It depends on the situation! They will definitely collect livestock as tribute, and they will also conscript soldiers. Especially when the autumn is high and the horses are fat, and the Three Guards want to go south to plunder and harass the borders of the Great Ming... these strong men from the northern tribes are just cannon fodder to be pulled in to fight and be consumed. They are not part of the Three Guards' main force, so no one cares how many die!"

"The reason for this is probably because there will always be new wild tribes moving south, or small Mongolian tribes migrating east, filling the gap in this northern grassland. Directly occupying this place and facing the constantly southward-raiding savages is too much trouble. So, this is actually a no-man's-land, neither the Oirat myriads nor the Three Guards of Doyan care about it..."

"And the Three Guards only need to come over every few years to conscript soldiers to go south and plunder the borders of the Great Ming! Whatever they plunder is considered a harvest, and if they die in battle, they don't have to consume food. The grassland is like this, unlike the forest, where there is no possibility of hiding at all, and there is no danger to large cavalry forces. This is also a kind of consumption, to prevent any powerful tribes from truly rising in this northern intersection and threatening them..."

The two rode on horseback, following the footsteps of the herdsman, slowly moving forward. The sternness of the two hundred warriors chased after startled birds, gradually raising dust. The grassland and the forest were always different; a team of this size would inevitably raise dust unless they moved on rainy days.

"May the Chief God bear witness! Mongols bringing warriors to the border of the Great Ming to die regularly, just like an agreement… Doesn't that sound a bit like a 'Flower War'?"

"Ah? What is a 'Flower War'?"

"Well, it's for the honor of the gods, letting warriors engage in endless slaughter, also allowing life to return to the earth, praying for a bountiful harvest next year…"

"Haha! Ancestral Priest, Mongols don't farm, they only herd. They don't have bountiful harvests, they only fear the white disaster… However, maybe it really is the cold Tengri sky that makes the Mongols head south? If they can't plunder things from the Great Ming, it's estimated that these Mongol tribes would start slaughtering each other, eating themselves…"

"Oh! Just like your Jianzhou Jurchen and Haixi Jurchen tribes?"

"Uh! Ancestral Priest."

The warhorses ambled forward, the herdsman stumbled as he ran, and the armored team followed in silence. Zu Wuluo inquired while pondering. After a moment, he suddenly spoke.

"Ali! You said that since there are the 'Three Guards of Doyan' in the south, then there are at least three major chieftains in charge. But these small tribes in the north come and go, constantly changing, springing up like grass… Would they really recognize the leaders of those large tribes in the south?…"

"Probably not?… Ah! Ancestral Priest, are you suggesting?…"

"That's right! I was just thinking… Can our team impersonate a large Mongol tribe from the south? These small tribes in the north shouldn't dare to resist the large Mongol tribes from the south, right? If we use the banner of a large tribe from the south to demand horses and food, and casually give them some salt bags, gold, silver, and ironware… Wouldn't we be able to set any price we want, and they wouldn't dare to refuse or bargain?…"

"Ah? Impersonating the Three Guards of Doyan, forcibly requisitioning horses and food?…"

"Not forcibly requisitioning… Trading! Business! A transaction that both parties are willing to make!…"

"This? This!…"

Hearing Zu Wuluo's words, Ali's forehead instantly broke out in sweat. The Ancestral Priest was truly audacious. What if this attracted the cavalry of the Three Guards? However, the Three Guards were indeed very chaotic, and the scattered small tribes in the north couldn't distinguish them at all… Ali's lips felt a little dry, and after a long while, he hesitantly said.

"Ancestral Priest, impersonating a large Mongol tribe from the south would indeed give us an absolute advantage in trading with these small tribes… But we don't even know the Mongol language, only Jurchen, and we don't even have a Mongol banner, so how can we impersonate them?…"

"Not knowing the Mongol tribal language, only knowing Jurchen, is indeed a problem… Hmm… Then let's do this! Say we are a 'Jurchen Guard Post' newly affiliated with the Three Guards in the south, a newly joined vassal tribe! This way, it would make sense that we lack horses and have come to the north to collect horses. Anyway, just wave the banner of the Three Guards to scare people, and act fierce and tyrannical… Which of these small tribes would dare to really question us?… As for the Mongol banner, don't we have one? Ali, have you forgotten? It's that powerful one!"

Zu Wuluo thought for a moment, slapped his thigh, and said to the Tiger Slave, who was walking in armor beside him.

"Tiger Slave! Where is that box I told you to always carry? Take it out! It's that Mongol military flag that the Han merchant gave us!"

Although the blue eagle flag was tattered, it symbolized the glory of the Golden Family and the most prosperous era of the Great Yuan unifying the north. Chieftain Ali's fingers trembled as he looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar eagle flag before him, his eyes twitching, unable to speak fluently.

"Ancestral Priest… This… This is the banner of the Mongol Golden Family! This cannot be waved around carelessly! This military flag… If it is seen by the Ming army…"

"Ali, there are no Ming soldiers here! We are impersonating a large Mongol tribe, isn't this banner perfect? These small tribes in the north probably can't tell the difference."

"But… This… This flag?…"

"May the Chief God protect us! As long as it can play a role and give us an advantage, we'll wave this flag! Anyway, after forcibly buying the horses, we'll drill into the eastern forest… Even if the large Mongol tribes in the south get the news afterward and send people to look for us, it will be too late to catch us… Although we don't have much with us, since there are two hundred people, we must bring back at least two hundred horses! Haha!"

"Right! Two hundred horses! Ahahaha!…"

"."

Zu Wuluo smiled, Agudai also grinned, and Ali gave a wry smile, speechless. After a moment, the blue eagle flag was finally tied to a spear and placed in the hands of the most honest Wu Xiong.

"Wu Xiong, you hold this flag! If anyone asks you anything, just roar!…"

"Roar! I understand! Erzhen! Roar!!…"

"Don't call me Erzhen, call me what, 'Noyan'!…"

"Yes! Erzhen… Noyan! Roar!!"

"Very good! That's how you should be, fierce and spirited!"

The herdsman A Mao shivered as he looked back, but saw the warrior on horseback shake his bow and arrow, scaring him into continuing to lead the way to the village. The group continued forward, and after another quarter of an hour, several patrolling tribal cavalrymen suddenly appeared ahead. These tribal cavalrymen were all shocked when they saw the large team appear. And when they saw the reflection of the iron armor, they were even more shocked and turned around to run, blowing the warning horn.

"Woo! Woo woo! Woo woo woo!…"

"Wait… Wait a minute!… They're from the south… Chiliarch Noyan…"

"Woo woo woo!!"

The tribal scouts blew their horns, constantly patrolling in front, never getting close. And the herdsman A Mao was anxious to shout, but no one paid any attention to him, even Wu Xiong didn't care about him anymore.

Because, in everyone's sight, a not-small village with fences, earthen walls, and even a watchtower, had already appeared by the river. And the cavalrymen pouring out of the village, each carrying a riding bow and wearing a queue, had gathered seventy or eighty riders in the blink of an eye.

"Cavalry! So many cavalry! Those are all horses… This tribe is really not small!…"

"Oh, the Chief God of the Eastern Sea! This is the style of the Ming army's border fort, this must be the Huli Ping Village! Huli Ping Village on the Heilong River, we have finally arrived!…"

Striving to update, asking for monthly tickets at the end of the month!