Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

The dusk sky was tinged with crimson, the dying earth soaked in blood. The short and intense battle lasted two to three quarters, finally announcing the end of death with layers of fallen bodies on the open plains outside Golden Bay City.

"Chief Divine bless! This Totornak Alliance, ignorant and fearless, advanced like wild dogs gnashing their teeth, even forcing me to retreat and lure the enemy... Ha! The Tototanak people are indeed more daring to fight than I originally thought!"

Black Wolf's expression was cold and hard, as he forcefully pulled out the blood-stained Bronze Sword from the corpse of a strong warrior beneath his feet. A burst of bright red splashed instantly from the ruptured heart, spraying all over him. The dripping warmth slid down from his Leather Armor, pooling at his feet, outlining the damaged Shell Armor and the pierced lining.

Clearly, even the fierce Black Wolf was not completely unharmed in the recent urgent melee.

"Indeed! Fearless! A warrior worth remembering!"

Black Wolf lowered his head, gazing at the Tototanac Warrior he personally killed. That warrior wore a peculiar Long Wooden Helmet on his head, like a bent bamboo segment. The warrior's upper body was clad in a sleeveless Cotton Armor, engraved with blue patterns resembling water or snakes, symbolizing his prominent status. In the warrior's hand was a meticulously crafted Copper Spear over a meter long, with a sharp red spear tip.

"Wooden Helmet, short Cotton Armor, Red Copper weapon..."

Black Wolf's eyes lingered on the Tototanak warrior's equipment for a while, seemingly contemplating something. After a moment, he bent down again, lowered his Bronze Sword towards the neck of the corpse, paused briefly, and then let out a sharp cry.

"Cut!"

"Chief Divine bears witness! As the first Tototanac Warrior to chase and be acknowledged by me, I will grant you a warrior's honor, by collecting your head!"

The bright red turned to dark red, pooling into small puddles on the grass before seeping into the soil, giving life back to the earth. As the victors of the battle, a squad of Guajili warriors were clearing the battlefield of traces, executing the heavily wounded enemies and interrogating the lightly wounded captives.

This battlefield outside the city was over two miles from the walls of Golden Bay City. Layer upon layer of fallen bodies lay across the two hundred meters wide battleground, roughly forming a semicircle. Apparently, the audacious Totornak army had just been nearly surrounded and attacked on three sides. From the battlefield backward, leading up to the walls of Golden Bay City, a trail of bodies left in their wake. Most of the bodies lay head towards the city walls, back upward, wearing Tototanak's short War Clothes, showing no signs of resistance, precisely the one-sided slaughter during their escape.

At this moment, the Defending Army on the city walls shouted abuses, their eyes nearly tearing. They watched helplessly as the Red Hair hunters cheerfully cut off head after head of Tototanak warriors, yet no army emerged from the city to fight. Hundreds of scattering warriors from the Sacrificial Lake City tribe directly bypassed the city under the cover of hunter Archery from the wall, fleeing to the camps behind Golden Bay City, leaving only hurried backs moving away.

As darkness slowly descended, Black Wolf sat cross-legged by the campfire. He roasted corn cakes unhurriedly, while listening to the latest reports extracted from interrogating captives.

"Hmm? In this battle, we lost sixty of our local warriors, killed or captured over five hundred Tototanak Soldiers?"

Black Wolf frowned, his complexion growing unpleasant. Even if it had been six hundred of the surrendered Tototanak army, his eyebrows wouldn't twitch. But now, it was sixty of his Legion Warriors, including over a dozen loyal and brave trusted aides, making his heartache intensely.

"Yes, Great Chief! This battle came very suddenly, those responsible for scouting wore only light Leather Armor. As the Tototanak people swarmed out, pursuing us for two miles before the chaos unfolded. The Warriors of the Personal Guard had no time to don Copper Armor or even shoot arrows, which is why..."

Trusted aide Wuta lowered his head, carefully reporting the casualties. He glanced at the gloomy face of Black Wolf, the Great Chief, and hurriedly spoke again.

"Of course, once reinforcements arrived from both sides, the Tototanak people couldn't hold out and soon turned to flee. In the end, over a thousand Sacrificial Lake City tribe warriors, three hundred were killed, two hundred captured, with only half escaping! Most of their casualties occurred during the pursuit..."

"Hmm? Sacrificial Lake City tribe?"

"Yes! Witnessed by the Chief Divine, these over a thousand Totonac troops all come from the Sacrificial Lake City's warriors! The Great Black Wolf Chief, from Sacrificial Lake City, the chieftain Olo, is the Noble Chief who was just shot dead by your arrow on the city wall! The Totonac Warrior who fought against you desperately is the Head Warrior of Sacrificial Lake City, called Oyo Meina..."

"I see! The chieftain from Sacrificial Lake City was shot dead by me with one arrow, no wonder the Totonac Warriors that rushed from the city pursued me like mad dogs... Hmm, after the chieftain fell in battle, the other tribes in the city simply couldn't restrain the warriors from Sacrificial Lake City... It seems, the so-called Totonac Allied Forces are actually fighting separately and there is no real Great Chief controlling all the tribes!"

Black Wolf touched his chin, pondering for a while before coming to his senses.

"By the way, Wuta, this Sacrificial Lake City division, I've never heard of it, where exactly is it? Sacrificial Lake City sounds like a city-state by a lake, probably with quite a few people."

"Uh! Boss, the Sacrificial Lake City division is to the east of the Great River, as for how far exactly... I'll go ask right away!"

The moon rises, the wolves lie low, the moon sets, and the camp becomes noisy again. Black Wolf donned his Copper Armor, pulled on his Copper Helmet, and gazed at Golden Bay City several miles away. He clutched the Bronze Sword at his waist, murmuring silently, with a glint of killing intent in his eyes.

The legion rested for a night, and more detailed intelligence gathered from all directions. Sacrificial Lake City's location is in the East of Golden Bay City, a full three hundred miles away. Further east from Sacrificial Lake City, a two hundred-mile journey leads to the Eastern Holy Land, Hidden Serpent City, of the Totonac tribes.

The Sacrificial Lake City chieftain Olo personally led troops to support Golden Bay City on the western bank of the Great River, precisely in response to the call of the Priest Elder Council from Hidden Serpent City. These revered elders of the Eastern Holy Land watched the eastern invasion by the Mexicas from afar, only fully mobilizing the Eastern Totonac tribes after the Feathered Serpent Ancient City of the Western Holy Land fell.

"Two thousand warriors from Hidden Serpent City, led by the Great Chief Quetzal Coatl, are the nominal leaders of the Eastern Totonac Alliance. Then, from west to east, Sacrificial Lake City, Rabbit Hill City, Coyote City, and Conical House City, four large city-state tribes, each sent over a thousand warriors!"

Upon calculating this, Black Wolf Torc raised an eyebrow. Except for casualties from the Sacrificial Lake City division, the Eastern Alliance has at least six to seven thousand tribal warriors, all already arrived at the western bank of the Earthen Great River. As for the militias drafted from each tribe, numbers are uncountable, estimated at least ten thousand.

These militias mainly come from a hundred miles away, primarily the Coyote City division and Conical House City division, responsible for food transport on both banks of the Great River. At this moment, more reinforcements from small tribes are crossing westward from the lower reaches of the Great River to support the battlefield near Golden Bay City.

"Meanwhile, the local Western Totonac Alliance is led by the Great Chief Chichini of Golden Bay, mobilizing three thousand tribal warriors and seven to eight thousand militia. Coupled with the two thousand warriors from two hundred miles southwest, from Earth River City division and Feather Bird City division... it's a total of five to six thousand warriors and over seven thousand militia!"

In the local Totonac dialect, 'Chichini' means 'Great Sun'. And Chichini Chieftain can also be called the Great Sun Chief. As for the name 'Chichini', upon first hearing it, Black Wolf thought of the Great Chief Guajili during the northern expedition, "Chichika".

"The Totonac tribes still retain much of the color of the wilderness. Their combat effectiveness should not surpass the steadfast Wilderness Dog Descendants..."

Black Wolf's thoughts drifted far, recalling the fierce battle at the mouth of Red Fox Valley, the first time he fell injured. It was also after that battle that he gradually grew from a brave vanguard into the Commander-in-Chief of the great army.

"After that battle, His Highness taught me: 'Weapons too sharp are easily broken; corn too tall bears little fruit. The same applies to military strategy; ferocity and softness must be balanced. Fighting should consider timing and situation, and should not be rushed.'..."

"At this moment, the Eastern and Western Totonac Allied Forces have combined and occupied city strongholds for defense. Around Golden Bay City, strongholds within dozens of square miles have gathered about eleven thousand warriors and at least eighteen thousand militia! Combined, they form a tribal army of a full thirty thousand people! And behind these thirty thousand, reinforcements are continuously arriving on the way!"

Black Wolf focusedly closed his eyes, sinking into prolonged contemplation. A vague map of the entire Golden Bay region emerged from his mind. Though the eastern side of the map remains unclear, the general outline of the battlefield situation has already taken shape in his mind.

At this moment, within this fifty-mile radius region, tens of thousands of troops on both sides are already confronting, engaging, and fighting each other. This war against the rebellious Totonac people has gradually expanded unbeknownst to any, evolving into the Kingdom of the Lake's war of conquest against the Totonac Alliance, a war of annihilation.

"Ah! The great battle of fifty or sixty thousand people is right ahead... Chief Divine bless! I must carefully consider, the timing and situation, advantages and disadvantages, offense and defense, and how to achieve the final victory!"