Aztec Eternals

“Da da da…”

“Lü! Lü!…”

“Tengri, oh Heaven! There are actually two hundred armored men on the opposite side, two hundred armored Ulus wielding iron weapons?! Which southern Wanhu sent this team?”

“Damn it! The appearance of a large number of armored men is never a good thing. The tribute teams of those Wanhu are even more cruel and greedy… Quick! All men, mount your horses, grab your bows and arrows, and gather outside the stockade! There's no time, women, children, and the elderly stay behind, stay in the stockade and guard it!”

“Ah?!…”

“Quick!!”

“May the Chief God bear witness! Twenty, forty, sixty, eighty… ninety-six… Why are there even some riding small horses?…”

The Black River flows turbulently. Facing the approaching kingdom's forces, the gate of the Huli Ping stockade opened wide, seemingly without any defense. Immediately afterward, the cavalry from the Aolaha River's edge rushed out, eventually totaling a hundred riders!

“They are all cavalry with bows, mostly without armor, and almost no metal weapons… Their horsemanship is amazing, very amazing, as if they were born on horseback!…”

Zu Walo squinted, holding the Divine Eye Mirror, observing these nomadic tribal archer cavalry he was seeing for the first time. These hundred tribal cavalry were clearly divided into two categories, with obvious differences from attire to mounts.

The first category was the elite archer cavalry wearing leather armor and leather hats, probably the "Ulus" warriors, numbering about twenty, or about twenty percent. They generally rode tall warhorses, holding horn bows in their hands, sitting on the horses only with their legs. Their saddles had leather quivers and waterskins hanging on both sides, and behind the saddles were bone spears, stone spears, and even precious iron spears of varying lengths, obviously for close combat and charging.

Compared to the common shock cavalry of the Jurchen tribes, these Ulus archer cavalry seemed more skilled in mounted archery, with some close combat capabilities. However, looking at the bone arrows and stone arrows they were loosely nocking, they probably couldn't penetrate the armor of the kingdom's Jurchen warriors at all, and could only aim for the vital points of the throat and eyes. But if the Jurchen cavalry were to chase them, it would also be a difficult task. They might not be able to injure the armored warriors, but shooting the warhorses under the warriors would certainly not be a problem.

Following closely, the second category of cavalry, the most numerous, were the herdsmen archer cavalry who looked "poor" from head to toe. They were surrounded by elite warriors, seemingly having a certain affiliation, obeying the orders of certain elite headmen, accounting for about eighty percent of the total number. They rode warhorses or packhorses of varying heights, wearing only ragged leather robes, holding uneven riding bows in their hands, and carrying stone knives, stone axes, bone knives, bone hammers, and even some with lasso poles?

The characteristics of these herdsmen cavalry highlighted a word: "poor", and a word: "light". They were both poor and light, like fluttering leaves, seemingly easily torn apart. But the prerequisite was that you had to be able to catch up with them first, or be able to shoot them.

“Ali, what does this grazing tribe mean? Seeing us coming, why have their able-bodied men all come out on horseback?… Is this to scare us, to start a war? But why don't they let the able-bodied men guard the stockade? They actually only left children, women, and the elderly to defend this stockade that looks so solid, left behind by the Great Ming?”

Zu Walo watched for a moment, put down the Divine Eye Mirror, and his face showed full of doubt. He raised his palm, and the kingdom's two hundred armored soldiers also stopped in unison. The Jurchen heavy archers raised their large bows, looking towards the stockade and archer cavalry hundreds of meters away. The cold light of the iron armor and the sharp arrowheads reflected towards the opposite tribal archer cavalry, and many tribal people's faces instantly showed fear and dread.

“!! Heavy bows and iron arrows? Tengri! Their range is farther than ours… Scatter! Scatter quickly, retreat further back!”

With the kingdom's forces raising their bows, the cavalry that came out of the stockade, like a flock of frightened birds, quickly retreated and scattered a bit. But they still maintained their bow-holding posture, with the horses under them facing northwest, half-sideways to the uninvited guests hundreds of meters away, seemingly ready to flee on horseback at any time.

“Chief God! Why are they slanting their bodies, with their horse's rear facing us? This posture?”

“Chief Priest! That's their posture for turning their heads to shoot arrows! The Mongols are good at mounted archery, shooting arrows while running forward and turning their heads, always maintaining a distance, very… um, cunning and vicious. The cavalry chasing behind are often easily hit by this hanging shot, but it's difficult to hit the ones fleeing in front…”

“Maintaining a distance, running away on horseback while turning their heads to shoot arrows? This strange tactic is very similar to the circling and shooting of the Wa people's cavalry! But their horses are obviously much better, it's just that the arrowheads are not good, they are bone… Aguda, are you confident in defeating this group of mounted Mongol archer cavalry?…”

“. Chief, there is no absolute advantage or disadvantage in battle, it depends on how you fight. These lightly armed archer cavalry in leather armor and leather robes would be easily dealt with if they charged towards us and entered the range of the heavy archers. Even if these people charge in close combat on horseback, I can hit them one by one with my heavy hammer, one person can fight five of them… But if they turn around and run, then we can only let them go! They are too light, we can't catch up. If we keep chasing on horseback, not only will we not catch up, but we might also have our warhorses shot dead… That would be too heartbreaking!…”

Maha Aguda stared, sizing up the lightly armed archer cavalry opposite. It was also the first time he had encountered this kind of nomadic archer cavalry, but he had experienced many battles and could quickly estimate the tactics and situation of both sides in his mind when fighting, and finally come to a conclusion.

“If they charge head-on, they will die, they will definitely lose. We will not have any casualties, but we may not be able to keep many horses. If they turn around and run, then they can escape. We can't catch up with them, but the cattle and sheep in the stockade are our spoils of war!”

“Chief God! What's the use of cattle and sheep to us? These slow four-legged animals can't be taken back before winter at all… What we want are their horses, horses that can move quickly! Whether we "buy" them with bows and spears, or "buy" them with goods… Why are these guys more timid than rabbits? They are so far away, why don't they send someone to contact us? Logically speaking, since we raised the banner of the Mongol great tribe, they should take the initiative to approach us!…”

“Chief Priest, they are observing us, wondering what our intentions are, whether we are friends or enemies. If we are enemies, whether they can resist us. This is the fighting habit of the Mongol Tatar tribes! This must be a nomadic tribe that migrated from the Mongolian plateau, has experienced many cruel battles, and has no kinship with the southern great tribes, their relationship is very distant… Among the large and small Mongol tribes, fighting for pasture and vendettas against tribal enemies are very common. They will not be as close as we familiar Jurchen guard posts are… So, they are especially careful and vigilant!”

“Ali, according to your statement… does that mean that as soon as they meet, before they have judged whether we are friend or foe, they are ready to run away? That's too strange! When facing enemies, wouldn't these Mongol tribes defend this solid stockade like the Jurchen tribes?”

“Yes, that's right! They must prepare to escape in advance, otherwise, once the enemies on the grassland show their fangs and charge on horseback in an instant, they will not have time to escape. They have never had the habit of defending, they are neither good at attacking cities nor good at defending them, they only fight in the open plains. Look at the bows and arrows in their hands, they are basically composite riding bows with shorter ranges, smaller than our heavy bows… In the current situation, this tribe is indeed ready to abandon the stockade and escape on horseback!”

“? Then what about the children and women of their tribe in this stockade? They will abandon them if they have to?”

“May the Chief God of the Eastern Sea bear witness! If we show the intention to attack, and the Mongol chieftain judges that he cannot win… they will run away directly! More hesitation and delay will only cause his tribe to lose more!… As for the stockade and the women and children, they will probably abandon them if they have to. As long as they retain their manpower, they can rob other tribes at any time.”

“Ah?! These Mongol tribes are actually like foxes and wolves?…”

“Yes, swift as the wind, cunning as a fox, ruthless as a wolf… This is the Mongol!”

The familiar Jurchen Ali looked emotional, looking at the Huli Ping stockade with its gates wide open, looking at the hundred tribal cavalry gathered outside the stockade in a scattered formation, and at the hundreds of elderly, weak, and herders with frightened and uneasy faces on the stockade wall. The elderly, weak, women, and children guard the camp, and can be abandoned without hesitation, while the strong ride horses outside, ready to escape at any time… This is the characteristic of the Mongol Tatar tribes!

"The main god of the East Sea is my witness! With just one hundred armored Ming border soldiers, we could easily break through the Tartar-occupied Huli Plain寨, slaughter those old, weak, women, and children who have no horses to escape, and reclaim this place! However, taking it is easy; the trouble begins with holding it!…"

"Alas! After Taizong's death, the imperial court found it difficult to control the Three Guards, only treating them as alien hunting dogs to be driven, without extending both grace and authority. The Three Guards eventually completely rebelled, siding with the Mongol tribes, which also relieved the worries of the Wala Chief Esen about attacking southward… And with the rebellion of the Three Guards, these garrison strongholds further north into the grassland, including this Huli Plain寨, could no longer be maintained and were all abandoned…"

The mature Jurchen woman, Ali, muttered to herself. The history of this Huli Plain寨 on the Hei River, spanning more than half a century, has changed with the struggles between the Mongols and the Ming. In the hands of the former Ming, this寨 controlled the confluence of the Heilongjiang and Jingqili Rivers, making it one of the most important strongholds in the midstream of the Heilongjiang! But now, for these nomadic Tartars who migrate不定 and chase water and grass, this Huli Plain寨 left by the Ming is just a wooden tent that provides shelter from the wind and rain without needing to be built.

If they really encounter an irresistible enemy, it's only natural for the tribe to abandon the寨, even abandon the old, weak, women, and children, and flee, according to nomadic traditions.

So at this moment, facing an armored army of two hundred people with unclear intentions, the chief of the Riverside Tribe, Aohala, gathered the herdsmen within a few quarters of an hour after the scouts discovered them, preparing to fight and retreat.

The Riverside Tribe was able to react so quickly mainly because they had recently had serious border conflicts with another large tribe migrating south, the Sudule Forest Tribe, over the pastures in the northeast. In nomadic tribes, the size of the pasture determines the number of sheep, the number of sheep determines the food supply, and the food supply determines the tribe's survival!

Such border conflicts, without the strong mediation of a large tribe, are impossible to end peacefully. Both sides will inevitably gather their forces and fight before the winter snow arrives; people must die! Even if they eventually fight to a draw, they can reduce the pressure on the tribe to survive the winter through this kind of fighting. And if they can achieve victory and completely destroy the other tribe, that would of course be the best…

"Tengri啊! Where did these armored people come from? So many armored Ulus, could they have been sent by the Tumen Wanhu from the south to collect livestock? Huh! This blue eagle banner? Although I don't recognize it, it seems to be the banner that only those noble, large tribes can display! Ordinary small tribes are not qualified to draw an eagle on their banners…"

"Brother! We only migrated here two years ago and have already been levied once. Our sheep are already few, our pastures are limited, and the Forest Tribe is also migrating south to抢 us. We don't know if there will be a white disaster this year… Where would we have extra livestock to pay tribute again? It would be better to conscript soldiers to go south and plunder than to levy livestock…"

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"Hey! Bule, my brother! If it's really a tribute collection team sent by the Wanhu from the south, then no matter what, we have to squeeze out something, especially to bribe the Nayan leader of the tribute collection team… Those large tribes that can field thousands or thousands of cavalry are not something our Riverside Tribe can resist. If we anger the Wanhus, they can easily slaughter us with a cavalry force, and we won't even be able to escape! Even this armored group right now can easily break our寨; we can't defeat them… Strange! Strange! Why do I feel like something is not right with this armored group? Although their equipment is精良, why are there so few cavalry?…"

Surrounded by twenty or so Ulus cavalry, Chief Aohala rode on the tallest warhorse, looking at the armored队伍 not far to the south. His face was full of vigilance, but after watching for a while, his eyes showed doubt. The armored people opposite were silent and肃杀, each with a fierce expression, obviously true warriors who had rolled out of a sea of blood. Several strong Nayan leaders rode on their horses, heads held high, seemingly waiting for the Riverside Tribe chief to pay his respects. This aloof, strength-respecting demeanor really resembled a tribute collection team sent by some Wanhu large tribe.

"Ancestors protect us! Bule, my brother. This armored group hasn't directly attacked, so they don't seem too brutal… Go and offer their Nayan leader a precious gift and see their reaction!"

"Brother, the tribe migrated east and is terribly poor… What precious gift can we offer? Warhorses? Bows and arrows? Or furs?…"

"Forget warhorses and bows and arrows. We don't have any good horses or bows, and they probably won't like them… Offer the few sable pelts we hunted last time! Hmm, don't go to offer the gift yourself; let your little daughter born to the Han slave woman, the prettiest one… Yes! Let the unmarried Azhu go over!…"

"Ah? This… Brother! Are you going to send… send?…"

"Ancestors啊! Bule, the life and death of the tribe is in the moment of套马, there's no room for hesitation! Hurry up! If the armored people opposite break the寨, Azhu will be taken away by them anyway!…"

"I understand…"

Bule sighed, spurred his horse, and hurried back to the寨. He rode quickly, and only half a quarter of an hour later, he brought his young daughter and a bundle of snow-white sable pelts to the front of the armored队伍. Then, he jumped off his horse, spread his hands to show that he had no weapons, and then shouted to the armored people's队伍.

"Tengri protect! Powerful armored Ulus from the south, I am the brother of the Riverside Tribe chief… I have come to pay my respects to your Nayan leader and offer the Riverside Tribe's tribute!…"

Bule shouted three times, and the armored people opposite finally responded, but it was Mongolian with a very strange accent and very simple words.

"Tengri protect! Come over and offer the gift!…"

"Yes!…"

Bule lowered his head, led his horse, and carefully walked into the ranks of the armored people. The girl Azhu on horseback opened her eyes, as clean as a lake, holding the sable fur, which was whiter than herself, and looked at the several leaders riding horses opposite her. Everything was so sudden, but the fate of a grassland girl was originally like this. The more beautiful the Sea East Pearl, the sooner it was destined to be occupied by some powerful warrior or Nayan…

"Uh? Why did these Mongol tribes suddenly bring a girl out?…"

"Ancestor priest, we are pretending to be a队伍 sent by a large tribe… The sable pelt in this girl's hand should be the tribute from this Riverside Tribe to the large tribe! Hmm, no, she herself should also be part of the tribute, for the leader of the队伍."

"Ah? This, this isn't good, right? I've already promised He Nu that I won't marry any other wives…"

Zu瓦罗 hesitated a little, but looking at the pearl-like beautiful girl opposite him, blinked his eyes, and his expression was not so firm anymore.

"Main god啊! Ali, if we refuse the tribute of these Mongol tribes, wouldn't that be a serious humiliation? We want to buy horses, we always have to express some goodwill, right? If we can establish inter-tribal marriages, even if our identity is exposed later, maybe we can still buy horses for a long time?… Hey! It's all for the sake of dedicating ourselves to the main god, sometimes we have to… Hmm? Uh?! What is she doing? How did she just go over there?!…"

In Zu瓦罗's stunned gaze, Bule, who was leading the horse, directly skipped him, and the girl on the horse also shifted her gaze, looking at the taller, stronger, more majestic, and colder man. Then, Bule stopped in front of Mahaha骨打, looked with some awe at this Nayan leader who had a body like a tiger, eyes like an eagle, and aura like a bear, "who looked like a Batel warrior at first glance", knelt down and said loudly.

"Strong and brave Nayan leader! I offer you the tribe's most precious fur and my beautiful daughter, Pearl!…"