Aztec Eternals

Summer in the Mexican highlands is warm, even though the wind and rain are continuous, there is no trace of cold.

The rain formed a thread on the body. Sherlot was just wearing a cape and shorts. He stood by the river and watched thousands of boats, like migratory flocks of birds, oars from the heavy rain.

The boatmen were shirtless and unloading the grain. Then the fleet first carried away the city-state offerings that the king valued most, followed by various luxury tributes. Then came the human catapults that were disassembled into various wooden parts, and Shulot checked the details of the waterproofing treatment by the river, and finally the three thousand Otomi people who were escorted by the samurai.

Whether it is a **** stone, a tribute, a weapon, or a prisoner. They will all be transported up the Tempon River to the great lake city.

The Tempon River is the lifeblood of the army. A distance of two or three hundred kilometers, relying on the convenient river, only two or three thousand militiamen and boatmen are enough to maintain the supply of twenty legions. The corps to logistics ratio is eight to one.

For the same distance, if you rely on the dirt road on the plateau, there are no horse-drawn carts and ox-carts, and you can only carry them on your shoulders.

And if the dirt roads are replaced with mountain forests, the number of people who maintain the logistics will be doubled, and the army and logistics will be a terrible one to one.

As for the 200 to 300-kilometer tropical rainforest land route, with the technological level of any country in the world at this time, no matter how many people there are, the army's logistics line cannot be maintained. Because the people are on the road, they will use up the food they transport.

"River and sea transport are the lifeblood of ancient empires." Shilot thought, "It's a pity that the army will soon leave this lifeline."

The city-state of Hilotepec expressed its surrender to the greatest extent possible. The nobles of the city-state tried their best to loot the city and transport the supplies out of the city to meet all the demands of the Mexican army.

However, the stubborn nobles and priests did not dedicate the city, and the warriors and militias remained stationed on the walls. Because they have everything in the city, they will never give up easily until the mountains and rivers are exhausted.

King Tissok was satisfied with the surrender of Hilotepec, and had no interest in spending another ten months besieging the city, which had exhausted its wealth.

The next target of the army is the core of the loose alliance of the Western Otomi people, the city of Ottopan in the mountains, the legendary northern ancestral land of the Otomi people. As long as the city of Ottopan was captured, the Otomi people lost their political, cultural and military centers and could only submit to the Empire.

The troops of the six corps were kept in camp on the west bank of the Tempon River. Two direct regiments were responsible for maintaining the large battalion by the river. The food road will turn overland here, winding westward along the mountains and forests.

The remaining four city-state legions are monitoring the city-state of Hilotepec while maintaining the land supply route.

Then, on the first day of September, the king led more than 20,000 warriors directly under his command, 25,000 warriors directly under his village, 25,000 city-state warriors, and nearly 40,000 city-state militiamen, fourteen legions, a total of eleven Wan Dajun, like a vast ant colony, headed towards Ottopan, which is more than 200 kilometers away.

Rolling mountains, dark forests, continuous wind and rain, deer and wolves run away by the army, and the deserted Otomi village, this is the scenery along the way.

Shirott passed by the battlefield when he first fought again. Bertard was guarding him. The two stood on the commander's hill and looked at the vast forest under the drizzle together. On the land moistened by blood, the grass is already lush enough to cover all traces of the past, except for the memories in people's hearts.

The army is just passing by in a hurry.

Along the way, the commander-in-chief Totec set up four camps occupying the highlands, and turned the 40,000 city-state militia into logistics, responsible for transporting and guarding the food routes, and saving food consumption by the way.

In the end, after more than half a month of hard trekking, nearly 50,000 Mexica warriors, plus 25,000 soldiers from the village directly under their command, a total of nine legions, finally came to the city of Ottopan.

Although the number of people has been greatly reduced, the core combat strength of the Mexican army is still there. Among the fifty thousand Mexica warriors were nearly three thousand jaguars and eagles, and more than ten thousand fourth-level senior warriors.

King Tisok has the confidence to win.

Even if all the Otomi city-states united, mobilized thoroughly, and recruited a militia of a dozen or two hundred thousand, he would still be able to win in one battle.

The king longed for a hearty final battle, a splendid battle that could be engraved on the sacrificial plate. He was ready to carve an altar as great as the Aztec sun stone for his enthronement. It will be engraved with the great achievements of fifteen ancestors, and I am the sixteenth,

The name of the sacrificial plate is the "Tysok Stone", in order to establish the king's undisputed theocracy and throne.

The king's confidence continued until the moment he saw the city of Ottopan. At that moment, his smile froze.

"God is above!" Shulot walked out of the forest with difficulty, and the first thing he saw when he looked up was the mountain city in the distance. "This is Ottopan City?!"

Shulot turned his head, looked at Avit next to him, and smiled wryly at the same time. I have long heard that Ottopan is easy to defend and difficult to attack, but I did not expect such a terrain. No wonder that even a hundred years later, the Spaniards could only maintain a semi-autonomous form of rule here.

The two of them were covered in fallen leaves and dust from their journey in the forest, and the guards beside them were helping them pack their bags. Behind them, is the same hard trek of the army.

The height of Ottopan Castle should be between the mountain castle and the mountain castle in Japan. Looking up, it is located on a platform in the mountains, and the relative height of the platform is about forty to fifty meters.

The north is the steepest, and it is vaguely connected to the nearby mountains, with a small stream running down. The slopes on the other three sides are slightly gentle, and there are simple roads left by people walking.

The city-state is estimated to be over five square kilometers in size. The city wall is built on the mountain, and it is about four or five meters high, including the entire platform. Shulot vaguely saw the figure shaking on the city wall on the top of the mountain, and the flag fluttered. It should be that he found the traces of the army.

"This city is not easy to fight. The terrain is dangerous, and there is no shortage of water. It is still the rainy season."

"It's very difficult to fight. It's no wonder that the Otomi people, although weak, were able to take root in the chaos of the north for more than two hundred years."

Familiar conversation, the two stared at each other silently.

After a while, the commander-in-chief Totec came hurriedly with a serious face. As soon as they met, he grabbed Shulot and said, "Shirot, can your trebuchet bomb the city on the mountain?"

Shulot shook his head: "The entire platform, from the edge to the bottom of the slope, is under the limit of the opponent's city wall, and the catapult rolling down from the top of the mountain can completely destroy the catapult. Even if long-range attacks are not considered, such a sloping hillside At this level, it is difficult to set up a trebuchet. In the end, even if you are lucky enough to set it up and shoot the city wall at a height of 20 to 30 meters, it will not have any power at all."

Totec frowned: "Is there no other way? Like using a wooden ladder, or the sharp metal headed car with wheels you mentioned last time?"

Shiroutte and Avette shook their heads at the same time.

"The elite warriors climbed forty or fifty meters up the mountain with wooden ladders on their shoulders. They had to be shot unilaterally by stones, wooden blocks, javelins, bows and arrows, and stone bullets on the city wall for nearly 30 minutes, which consumed huge physical strength, and then they had to forcibly climb the city. Combat. Especially in the rainy season. The casualties of the samurai will be too heavy, which is impossible." Avit said, his face lost the smile.

"Let's not talk about the difficulty of building a rushing car. With this kind of terrain alone, it is difficult for a rushing car to push onto the platform, and the opponent's rolling stones can completely destroy the rushing car." Sherlot said helplessly.

"Is there really no way?" Totec asked at the end, not giving up.

The two shook their heads again.

"Let's besiege the city," said Avit.

The city of Ottopan is a castle built in the mountains. In fact, in this era, there is a way to really fight. Xiulott thought, first use a large number of cannon fodder troops to consume the rolling stones and rolling woods in the city.

Next, with the large-caliber short-barreled cannons of the Spaniards, you can bombard the city wall until it collapses, or use the superior longbowmen to suppress the long-range attack of the defenders at the front of the city, and then push the rushing car to break open the city gate. Finally, rely on the elite assault troops to break into the melee from the gap or the city gate.

Either way, it requires long-range suppression of superiority, and a large number of elite casualties are unavoidable.

And now... "Let's besiege the city." Shulot also said.

Soon, the Mexican army of more than 70,000 camped on three sides of Ottopan, blocked the easy roads, built simple fortresses, and dispatched elite teams to patrol the dangerous north.

Totec tried various methods to provoke the defenders in the city. According to the last information, after gathering some reinforcements from Guamare and Pams, there are now more than 10,000 warriors, 30,000 militiamen, and 30,000 to 40,000 civilians in the city. The food can last up to a year.

Maybe he was scared by the last battle, or maybe he was determined to be a tortoise in its shell. No matter how tempted and provocative the Mexica warriors were, the Otomi just stood still and stood by Ottopan.

The long siege began.