Chapter 1381: Chapter 936: The Ancient Sacrificial Lake, the Spirit-Communicating Sorcery Lake
"The main force of the army will rest in Ke Shi City for three days, then continue the march! The next target is Lake Sacrifice City, over a hundred li away along the lake! Once that city-state is taken down, Hidden Serpent City will be within reach!..."
"May the Chief Divine protect us! Haha! During the early January New Year grand ceremony, I want to spend the New Year in Lake Sacrifice City!..."
The December sun was bright and clear, as the marching army moved grandly along the coast. Four thousand Totonac vanguard and six thousand Dog Descendant Warriors trekked along the coast, passing through seaside marshes and jungles, moving all the way towards the East. Thousands of tribes’ surrendering troops carried long yokes and heavy bamboo baskets, struggling behind them as they served as auxiliary troops carrying supplies and equipment.
Along the coast, hundreds of catamarans and monohulls were operated by the East Sea Navy, transporting truly large quantities of food and military supplies. In the rear, at White Bay Village and Conical House City, there were also dozens to hundreds of transportation boats shuttling back and forth continuously. To maintain the frontline supply for more than ten thousand of the legion, the jungle terrain on the road was too difficult. Hence, coastal transport boats gradually became the mainstay of logistics, the lifeline of the army.
In early January, Black Wolf led the legion and finally arrived beneath Lake Sacrifice City. The ancient brick walls over four meters high, the tall pyramid temple, the conspicuous stone head statues on the plains, the ubiquitous Olmec ruins, and the vast sacrificial great lake, all came into Black Wolf’s view!
Seeing the arrival of the Kingdom’s legion, the city walls of Lake Sacrifice City were filled with guards and militia. They shouted curses from the city walls, provoking those outside, but no army dared to sally out for a field battle.
In the bloody conflicts of the past two or three years, the Totonac tribes had long understood a bloody reality. Even if the Eastern Allied Forces had more than double the troop advantage, they couldn’t defeat a Kingdom legion with thousands of soldiers head-on. Moreover, even the surrendered tribal army, given a few hundred Kingdom warriors guarding them, couldn’t win a one-on-one field battle.
Therefore, with the army at the gates, Lake Sacrifice City’s choice was still to take all the food and able-bodied men into the city, then hold on without sallies. This city-state is located where the modern Catemaco town in Veracruz State, Mexico, is.
This ancient city-state has been passed down for over a thousand years. The most prominent features around it are the Olmec era ruins and the vast Catemaco Sacrificial Lake. The Catemaco Sacrificial Lake spans about 72 square kilometers, one of the largest lakes within two hundred li around! The Olmecs once conducted countless holy rituals and sacrifices on this ancient and magnificent lake. After the Totonac occupied the seaside, they too frequently held rituals.
Therefore, many bones and treasures are buried at the bottom of this lake, gradually unearthed in later generations. Due to the ancient famed sacrificial activities, the Catemaco town also gradually became the "Sorcery Town" of later generations. Every February, this "Sorcery Town" hosts a grand "Sorcery Festival"! The ancient Catemaco Sacrificial Lake has become the "Mystic Lake", the "Sorcery Lake of Spirit Communication", attracting "wizards" from all over the world and tourists. Even the word "Catemaco" has become synonymous with "sorcery" and "supernatural"!
"Lake Sacrifice City’s south and east are close to the great lake, and boats from the Eastern Alliance are patrolling on the lake, continuously delivering supplies. Only the west and north are suitable for the siege... No! The west has a great river flowing, splitting the terrain outside the West City, and the riverbank is marshy and muddy, making it hard to deploy troops. Damn it! Only the northern side is suitable for a siege!"
Black Wolf Torc took hundreds of trusted aides, spent half a day swaggering around the steadfast Lake Sacrifice City under the watchful eyes of the defending army. Despite the harsh curses from the city walls, no army was drawn out.
"Chief Divine bear witness! The remaining Totonac tribes have lost their courage, but the former chieftain of Lake Sacrifice City died in Golden Bay City. Currently, the Divine Descendants and Priests inside the city refuse to surrender. Surrendering means death... This city, which seems tough to crack, must be taken head-on!..."
After contemplating for a while, Black Wolf shook his head coldly and immediately arranged preparations to attack Lake Sacrifice City.
"Unload the deconstructed equipment from the naval forces’ boats. Build sturdy shield carts! Build ladders with hooks! ...Where are the Copper Beasts? Have the Copper Beasts been transported here?"
"Leader, in this Lake Sacrifice City area, the Totonac’s fleet is quite formidable... The kingdom’s naval forces have been fighting intensely with the enemy’s large and small ships... The coastline hasn’t been controlled, boats are continually being sunk. The legion’s Copper Beasts are too precious, so they didn’t traverse the water route but are instead being carried by the tribal militia! ...By now, they are likely still pushing through the muddy forests behind, taking eight or nine days at least to arrive!"
Red-haired Hunter Wuta, covered in mud, reported to Black Wolf Leader with a worried face. The further east they went, the more rivers, lakes, swamps, and muddy lands there were along the way.
He was usually excellent at running, yet in this rainforest terrain, he couldn’t move fast at all, even slower than the local warriors in the Totonac Vanguard Camp. Now thinking back, fighting on the Mexican Plateau was much more comfortable. These seaside lands were utterly terrible terrains to cover, only covering ten or twenty li a day...
"However, Leader, the Vanguard Camp brought one to two hundred Divine Power Globes. As long as the vanguard sets up the ladders, the fearless warriors can charge and toss them! The walls here aren’t high, and the lakeside terrain is low... If the Divine Power Globes are thrown accurately, wouldn’t they be more effective than Copper Beasts?"
"You’re smart! Get lost! ...Go and pass the order again! Have all the wolf packs in each camp move! Also, select three thousand surrendering troops’ wolf pups to sweep the surrounding thirty li area! If there are any tribes that haven’t fled, capture them for me!"
"Alright, Leader!"
Red-haired Hunter Wuta expertly rolled on the ground, covering himself with another layer of mud, then quickly vanished from sight.
"The Totonac fleet, blocking and fighting with the kingdom’s East Sea Navy... large ships and small boats... Hmm? The Totonac always used small boats, where did the large ships come from?!"
Upon thinking this, Black Wolf Torc became uneasy. After fighting so many battles, the army’s siege tactics had been honed enough that they could proceed systematically without his command. Although Lake Sacrifice City seemed troublesome, under the kingdom’s superior long-range suppression and strong assault, it likely wouldn’t hold out for long as long as there was enough time...
But the army’s logistics depend mostly on the naval forces. If there was a problem with the naval forces and they couldn’t transport enough food... then he would have to immediately order the majority of the tribal troops and the vanguard to retreat!
"Chief Divine protect us! Go! Hurry up! Have all the red-haired hunters carry their greatbows and follow me to the north, a dozen li away, to see the coastal battle situation!"
