Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

In the chilly and lifeless Trascal Basin of February, the farmlands are barren, villages abandoned, with no villagers in sight for miles, and the fields devoid of any human presence. However, new buds sprout on the wild grass, and fresh shoots extend from pine and cypress trees on the cold plains. Flocks of birds soar in the clear sky, while herds of animals wander in the desolate wilderness. On this lush tropical highland, where human presence suddenly recedes, nature's vitality surges like a tidal wave. The birds and beasts occupy the habitats of humans, flourishing freely until a sharp arrow suddenly shoots in!

"Whiz!"

A wild goose senses the threat and takes off. However, as it just made it halfway into the sky, it suddenly plummets to the ground. Red-haired Hunter Chabo grins, carrying his greatbow, and runs to the water's edge. He grabs the neck of the wild goose, weighs it slightly, and smiles broadly.

"Haha! What a fat bird! It must be at least ten pounds!"

"Wow! Such a large goose!"

Soon, red-haired Hunter Mique emerges from the lush tall grass. Looking at the just-shot wild goose, he grins widely, even drooling with laughter.

"Enough for the two of us to eat for two meals!"

"No! Enough for me alone to eat four meals!"

Red-haired Chabo, holding the wild goose, looked at Hunter Mique sideways and corrected him with a shake of his head.

"Over this past month, I've been running around every day, drilling through the forest, seeking out the Serpent People Tribe hiding like grass mice... I need a good meal to replenish myself!"

"...Chabo, my brother. You can't do that! Sharing half when meeting and sharing the prey with your brothers... it's an old tradition of the wilderness!"

Hunter Mique, with a cheeky face, edged closer. Over the past month, a thousand skilled Dog Clan Warriors have been dispatched into this eastern mountain forest. The birds and beasts in the forest have indeed fallen on hard times. As the game in the forest is limited, the deer and wolves soon disappear. In this situation, to obtain some meat, they can only rely on hunting birds.

"Ha! The wilderness tradition, sharing half when meeting?"

Hearing this, red-haired Chabo chuckled and shook his head.

"No, Mique, my brother. We are now warriors of the Cactus Black Wolf Tribe and must follow the tribe's rules. Thus, upon meeting, there's no share!... "

"...Chabo, this goose, just roasted, doesn't have much flavor."

Hunter Mique, pondering, pursed his lips. Then, he pulled out a small cloth bag from beneath his leather armor lining.

"Look, what's this?"

"Hmm?"

Red-haired Chabo sniffed, the subtle fragrance wafting, carrying the aroma of spices and herbs. His eyes instantly widened in surprise as he asked.

"Oh! This spice? Where did you get it? In the Southern Tribe, while it's delicious, it's not cheap..."

"Haha! This bag of spice was given to us when our squad patrolled eastward by those Totonac Tribes...!"

Hunter Mique boastfully pointed towards the east. Their current position is over two hundred miles east of Tree Snake City, and eighty miles further east is the major city of the Totonacs, Five Mountains City.

"Ha! 'Given' to you?"

Hearing this, red-haired Chabo's mouth twitched with a mocking smile.

"Wasn't it stolen or robbed? Oh, perhaps it wasn't stolen initially but turned into robbery..."

"Uh... Chabo, don't say that, you're no different!"

Hunter Mique scratched his head, posing a soul-searching question, rendering Chabo speechless.

"Chabo, let me tell you. The Serpent People Tribes hidden in the mountains are extremely poor and have nothing valuable. They dig holes everywhere like rats and barely ever use fire, making them hard to find. The Great Chief of Death ordered us to capture... no, persuade these tribes to surrender, which took a considerable effort to bring back just a handful of people..."

Hearing this, red-haired Chabo sighed and nodded in agreement, his expression weary. Spending all day drilling through the forest and searching for dozens of miles, even for the Dog Clan, it's becoming unbearable.

After returning from the southern Rainforest Tribe, the Guajili Legion rested for one or two months. Subsequently, the Great Chief tasked them to head north for a new mission, to persuade (capture) the remaining parts of Tlaxcala hidden in the mountain forest, then move them to Water Valley City to prepare for this year's spring planting.

As a Dog Clan Army known for swift raids, facing these small tribes lacking able-bodied men and weapons, they would easily capture them. However, the Northern Route Army's sweep was too ruthless. Most of the remnants in the Tlaxcala Valley scattered into small groups of dozens to hundreds, desperately hiding across the two to three hundred miles of forest. They even avoid making fires or building grass huts, choosing to dwell in man-deep burrows. The better-provisioned tribes fled even further, some even onto the Totonac lands.

The Guajili Legion spent two months, only bringing back five to six thousand nearly-starving old and weak. Providing for them to recover their health was necessary before they could even consider telling the Great Chief anything.

Red-haired Chabo thought for a moment, then spoke in a low voice.

"Mique, my brother, you're right. Those fleeing Serpent People Tribes have nothing and even consume our grain... I heard, last month, the Black Wolf Great Chief was furious when he saw the Serpent People tribes we brought back, so much so that he crushed a clay cup in anger!... The Camp Commanders now turn a blind eye, as long as you bring back able-bodied men, regardless of where they come from..."

"Exactly!"

Hearing this, Hunter Mique's eyes lit up. He leaned closer, stretching a hand to point eastward.

"Those Totonac villages to the east are very wealthy! They've got herbs, turkey, those shining shells, and beads... Our squad checked them out, their warriors are stronger than the southern mountain tribes but weaker than the Serpent People Tribes, primarily lacking Militia for archery... With just a Thousand-man Camp, attacking the eastern villages and towns is extremely easy!"

"Herbs, turkey, shining shells and beads? Eastern villages are so wealthy?"

Upon hearing this, red-haired Chabo licked his lips, his eyes gleaming as he glanced at the eastern horizon. The Dog Clan doesn't fear fighting or hard work, just enemies who are impoverished, leading to hard work without any gain.

"In my opinion, instead of endlessly drilling through the forest, we might as well rally the other squads and launch a big raid on the east!"

Hunter Mique's eyes sparkled, and he squeezed the cloth bag so tightly that the spices almost spilled out.

"Gathering five to six hundred men could raid a thousand-member Great Tribe, then bring back the able-bodied men and women along with the spoils!... Just like in the southern mountain tribes!"

"Ah! Let's do it!"

Red-haired Chabo tightened his grip around the wild goose's neck and waved vigorously, pacing back and forth in excitement. Moments later, he hesitated a bit.

"Mique, if we attack the Totonac, what should we do? Quickly, tell me!"

"Haha! I've thought of a good plan!"

"Oh? What's the plan? Quickly, tell me!"

"Haha! We drive a small group of a few dozen from the Serpent People Tribe and force them to the Totonac villages!"

Hunter Mique snickered, pointing to the east. Their position is already more than two hundred miles east of Tree Snake City, and another eighty miles to the east is the large city of the Tototanak, Five Mountains City.

"Ha! You were 'given' it?"

Hearing this, red-haired Chabo's mouth turned up, mocking.

"Surely it wasn't stolen or robbed? Oh, maybe you couldn't steal it initially, so it became stolen..."

"Uh... Chabo, don't just say me, you're no different, right?"

Hunter Mique scratched his head, posing a soul-searching question, leaving Chabo momentarily speechless.

"Chabo, let me tell you. The Serpent People Tribes hidden in the mountains are all so impoverished, without a drop of oil. They're like rats, digging holes everywhere, rarely starting fires, making them hard to find. The Great Chief of the God of Death ordered us to capture... oh, no, to get them to surrender. It took quite some effort, and we only managed a handful of them back..."

Hearing this, red-haired Chabo sighed and nodded in agreement, his expression tired. Spending all day in the forest, searching tens of miles, even for the Dog Clan, it was beginning to be overwhelming.

After the Guajili Legion returned from the southern Rainforest Tribe, they rested for two months. Then, the Great Chief transferred them north for a new mission: to recruit (capture) the remnants of Trascalala hiding in the mountain forests and move them to Water Valley City to prepare for spring planting this year.

As the Dog Clan Army, skilled in swift raids, facing these small tribes that lack able-bodied men and weapons, is surely a walk in the park. However, the Northern Route Army's sweep was too ruthless, and most of the remaining tribes in the Tlaxcala Valley scattered into small groups of dozens to hundreds, desperately hiding in the two to three hundred miles of mountain forest. They even abstain from any flames or building shelters, choosing to live in person-deep burrows. The more food-sufficient tribes fled further, some even crossing into the Totonac people's land.

Guajili Legion spent two months and only managed to bring back five to six thousand nearly-starved elderly and weak, who needed to be fed first before they could even explain things to the Great Chief.

Red-haired Chabo thought for a moment, lowering his voice.

"Mique, my brother, you're right. Those fleeing Serpent People Tribes have nothing and still eat our food... I heard that last month, the Black Wolf Great Chief was furious after seeing the Serpent People Tribe we brought back, to the point where he crushed a clay cup in anger!... The Camp Commanders now turn a blind eye, as long as you bring back able-bodied men, regardless of where they come from..."

"Right!"

Hearing this, Hunter Mique's eyes lit up, and he leaned forward, one hand pointing eastward.

"Those Totonac villages to the east are very wealthy! Not only do they have herbs, but also turkeys and those shiny shells and beads... With just a Thousand-man Camp, attacking the eastern villages and towns is very easy!"

"Herbs, turkey, and shells?"

Hearing this, red-haired Chabo licked his lips, his eyes gleaming as he gazed at the eastern horizon. The Dog Clan doesn't fear fighting or hard work, but only against enemies who have little, leading to hard work for little gain. The North Route Army swept too hard, and the remaining tribes in the Tlaxcala Valley mostly scattered into small bands of a few dozen to a hundred people, hiding desperately across the two to three hundred miles of mountain forest. They would even avoid lighting fires and building huts, opting to dig human-sized holes to live in. And those tribes with more food would escape further, some even into Totonac territory.

After two months of labor, the Guajili Legion had only brought back five to six thousand near-starved elders and weaklings who needed to be nursed before they could even start farming, posing a challenge for the Great Chief to account for.

Red-haired Chabo pondered this for a moment, then spoke quietly, showing agreement with a weary look. Wandering in the forest all day, searching for dozens of miles, even for the Dog Clan, it was becoming unbearable.

"Mique, I heard that the Cactus Black Wolf Great Chief was infuriated when he saw the Serpent People Tribe we brought back last month, furious enough to crush a clay cup in anger!... The Camp Commanders now turn a blind eye as long as you bring back able-bodied men, regardless of their origin..."

"Yes!"

Hearing this, Hunter Mique scratched his head, squatted down, and then spoke with a sly smirk.

"Haha! I've thought of a good idea!"

"Ah? What idea? Quick, tell me, tell me!"

Upon hearing this, red-haired Chabo's mouth curled up as he ran towards the mountains to the west, clutching the neck of the wild goose tightly.

"I'll go find the other team leaders!"

Hunter Mique chased after him, calling out from behind.

"Run slower, Chabo. That fat goose in your hand..."

"I'll treat you and the other team leaders tonight with it. Your spice will be included too."

The two red-haired hunters, one in front and the other behind, gradually disappeared into the forest's edge. Meanwhile, the Totonac villages to the east remained, unsuspectingly resting under the eastern horizon. Little did anyone know, unexpected events awaited at the eastern Totonac villages in the near future.