Free Web NovelChapter 2096: Chapter 1533: Coyote Accompanies the Prophet, The Dead Are Buried in the Earth
June, Central America, 18 degrees north latitude. The Mixteco Cloud Land, Mountain River City Valley.
The Mountain River City Valley of the Mixteco, stretching over a hundred miles north to south, tens of miles east to west, once gathered more than a hundred thousand Mountain River Tribes. This is one of the ancient origins, the most prosperous site among the Mixteco Valley Tribes and even the entire Mixteco Cloud.
The broad Río Mixteco runs from north to south, traversing the whole valley, providing the most precious irrigation water and nurturing tens of thousands of acres of farmland. The narrow Río Salado outside the valley in the mountains gathers into a natural salt lake, becoming a precious "salt" production site. With water and salt, it’s a naturally good place, with both fields and cities!
The sacred hill "Yucuñudahui" is located among the mountains on the eastern side of the valley. Below the hill lies the ancient City-State ruins buried in the soil. Over a thousand years ago, when the Mixteco Tribes were first rising, they had established the "Hill Ancient City" here. Now, only the solemn "All Gods Altar" and the military guarded fortress lookout stand on the hill.
"Swish! Swish!"
The Mexica Alliance flag flies afar on the "Sacred Hill." The Divine King’s royal tent is situated here, overlooking the entire Mountain River City Valley. Ten miles away, Mountain River City still hangs the last Mixteco Banner. But that flag leans east and west, long teetering and about to fall. The Mexica legion camps stretch across the hills, blocking the eastern entrance to Cloud Mountain City. From Mountain River City, the camps and flags on the eastern hill appear like sacrificial obsidian daggers, firmly pressed against the last throat of the Mixteco people!
"May the Chief Divine protect! Where is last night’s battlefield?"
"Respected Divine Revelation Prophet, the battlefield is just over twenty miles southwest. The leader of the Mixteco ’rebel army,’ the Mixteco Divine Race Chief Yun Chen, led thousands of elite warriors, dashed out of the city overnight, desperately breaking southward at the valley entrance... The Western Army camp was thrown into chaos; thousands of recruited militia were shattered..."
"Yet Prince Montezuma Xocoyotzin, alongside the Royal Family and the City-State’s Honorable Nobility, led personal soldiers and warriors, fought to the death, and didn’t let Leader Yun Chen escape... After a night and day of fierce battle, the thousands of breakout Mixteco warriors nearly perished entirely. Chief Yun Chen remains unaccounted for, but he most likely died in battle... As I came, the warriors were rushing to find Yun Chen’s corpse to offer it to the Supreme Divine King..."
"May the Chief Divine protect, granting the Western Army such an important victory! In this three-way siege of Mountain River City, the Divine King has issued a generous decree: Warriors capturing Leader Yun Chen, regardless of whether they belong to the Eastern, Middle, or Western army, regardless of their commoner origin, are directly promoted to Fourth Level Samurai, Second Level Nnobility, and granted hereditary noble titles!... And those who kill and obtain the head are promoted to First Level Nobility, granted a thousand acres of fief... allowed to enter the Short-haired Forbidden Guard, to serve as Guard Captain of the Divine King’s Imperial Guards, commanding two hundred-man team... As the Mixteco Divine Race’s most esteemed person, Yun Chen’s corpse must be found!" ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
"Yes! Yes!... Praise the Divine King, and praise you too!..."
Under the guidance of the Western Army Scouts, a group of revered priest envoys, wearing high feather crowns, descended from the royal tent camp on the hill, escorted by two hundred Tonsured Guard.
Along the way, the cornfields were overgrown with wild grass, local tribe villages had all turned into ruins. The white bones of the Mixteco people were seen everywhere, like immortal decoration amidst the wild grass. However, these corpses had been there merely one or two years, at most three years. Broken Obsidian War Clubs, Stone Spears, Javelin, Bone Arrow Stone Arrow, along with torn leather armor, were tangled with coyote-chewed human bones.
"Three years of Southern Expedition, the core Mountain River Valley of the Mixteco is so ravaged... Over a hundred thousand Mountain River Tribes of the Mixteco are probably trapped in Mountain River City, at most only a third remain..."
Xiulote, in solemn ceremonial dress, was not in a palanquin but trekking on foot through the grass. Since he did not sit in a palanquin, the other priests naturally could only walk. Soon, five or six red-eyed coyotes trailed the group from a distance, growling lowly.
"Woo... Woo!..."
"...? May the Chief Divine protect! Drive these coyotes away."
Xiulote frowned, glanced at the wolf pack behind, instructing the Tonsured Guard in the procession. The captain leading this guard seemed familiar, Xiulote thought he had seen him somewhere, but couldn’t recall at the moment.
"Ah? Yes! God of Death... His Highness the Prophet!..."
Archer Telavito nodded in response, his Mexica language carrying an unmistakable eastern accent. He took his greatbow from his back, deftly nocked an arrow, squinting one eye, made no excess movements, nor drew any attention with sound. And within moments came the muffled bowstring sound, and the desperate cries of an injured gray wolf several dozen steps away!
"Woo woo! Woo... woo..."
"Whoosh! Whoosh!..."
Archer Telavito’s shots were unfaltering; one arrow knocked the leading gray wolf to the ground. The wolf struggled and howled, only to be silenced by two more copper arrows that shot through its throat directly! The remaining gray wolves fled in terror, leaving only the dying lead wolf on the spot, bleeding uncontrollably, soon lifeless.
"Woo..." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
"Hmm? Impressive archery! Comparable to mine, perhaps even slightly better..."
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