Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 1818 - 1306: Capture Alive!

"Roar! Everyone press forward! Samurai, raise your spears and charge! As long as we can break through the Shandan Armored Troops head-on, the Ishikari Clan can regroup, and we still have a chance to win!"

At this moment, the old general Shigeyasu Kudo roared in his heart. His beard was bristling, and his eyes were red, just like forty years ago, when he was a young Wakasa Takeda retainer, raising a great spear in his hands and following the young Takeda Nobuhiro into the Ezo army of Koshama In, crushing the enemy's main forces in one fell swoop!

"If it were forty years earlier! No, even twenty years earlier... I would have had no hesitation in leading my two hundred samurai, and we would charge decisively against these Shandan Armored Troops!"

However, when the old general Shigeyasu Kudo turned his head, he saw Kaozaki Yoshihiro, who was bewildered and trembling slightly, and all thoughts of a desperate fight drained from his heart in an instant.

If it were twenty years ago, he would not have hesitated for a second! Because no matter how heavy the casualties, as long as they could win, the family head Takeda Nobuhiro could lead them, these retainers, to make a name for themselves throughout Ezo land! Then, with the legendary fame and noble lineage of the family head, the Kaozaki Family would attract samurai from all martial families of Honshu's Wa Country to replenish all battle losses!

However, the legendary Lord Nobuhiro is already old and seriously ill, unable to hold on for much longer. At sixty years old, he is not at the age for charging into battle. At this moment, as the oldest chief retainer of the Kaozaki Family, he must consider the future of the main family: should they, in this distant Ezo land, wastefully expend the direct samurai of the Kaozaki Family in a meaningless blood battle with this unknown Shandan tribe...

"Damn it! Then after the family head passes away, how would the young master Kaozaki Yoshihiro defend the Twelve Halls of Ezo land, how would he suppress the scheming Matsumae Guardians, and the seemingly submissive Lower Country Guardian? It's possible that even the main family could fall apart, allowing the original branches of the Kaozaki to snatch the main lineage of the family!"

"Not to mention, swords and spears have no eyes... what if the young master Yoshihiro perishes here? Then the future of the main family... Damn it! Why would the careful arrangement of Lord Nobuhiro's Ezo tribute expedition turn out like this? Why did the elite Shandan Tribe suddenly appear from the north and join the weakest Northern Remaining Ezo?"

"Damn it! With so many Shandan Armored Troops, there must be a massive Shandan Great Tribe behind them, even if we kill this batch of enemies, it won't do any good!"

In the whirlwind thoughts of the moment, at this most critical juncture, the clan heritage politics ultimately overshadowed the military bravery of the samurai in Shigeyasu Kudo's heart! He forcefully shut his red eyes, and upon reopening them, they were filled with tears, trembling as he made the decision.

"Buddha! This must be your arrangement... and the only thing I can do is to repay the family head's kindness with a sacrificial rear guard!"

The old general Shigeyasu Kudo, with tears in his eyes, watched the last three fallen Ryu-Tetsu Horse Warriors as they were approached by the charging Kingdom's Warriors and quickly stabbed to the ground. He no longer hesitated, nor did he have time to hesitate. He had to retreat the main forces of the Kaozaki Family before the Ishikari Tribe on both wings completely collapsed and before the Shandan Samurai in front could entangle them! 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Young Master Yoshihiro!"

"Kudo Chief Retainer?"

"Ride my horse and lead a hundred seventy of the main family's warriors to withdraw! Do not stop along the way, retreat all the way back to the stronghold under Ezo Fuji! Then, request support from the family head, request support from the entire Wa-jin Land!"

"Ah? Chief Retainer! You intend to?"

"Go quickly! I will lead the rear guard, fighting and retreating! Quickly!... Go!!"

The old general Shigeyasu Kudo gave up his overly docile and quickly soothed old horse for Kaozaki Yoshihiro to mount. Then immediately, the Kaozaki retainers took the young master and the main forces of the Kaozaki Family and rapidly retreated to the rear. He himself personally led twenty elderly warriors of the Kaozaki Family, along with ten Matsumae Warriors supporting the Matsumae Guardian, resolutely raising their spears!

"Witness Hachiman Mahasattva! As samurai of the Northern Country, the time for desperate battle has come! We must hold the rear route until everyone dies here!"

"If you die here, each of your families will receive compensation, and your sons will inherit your samurai status! But if you flee... your whole family will be implicated, your children will suffer the wrath of the family head, and you will be degraded to the status of the filthy many!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh!..."

A fierce rain of arrows came first, carrying the distinctive whistle of bone arrows, clearly Shandan people's intimidating sound arrows. Among the thirty Wa People Warriors in the rear guard, some showed expressions of determination to die, some were expressionless, and more were trembling in fear. But amid the personal encouragement from Shigeyasu Kudo and the severe threat, no one actually fled.

"Buddha bear witness, retreat with me a hundred steps to the small hill behind, and then defend it to the death!... Otherwise, you will endure a fate worse than death in battle!"

The Wa People Warriors trembled in silence, following the old general Shigeyasu Kudo to the defensible small hill. This was not only inspired by the commander-general's leadership and intimidated by the chief retainer's long-standing prestige, but also because of the incredibly realistic threat!

If Kudo Chief Retainer dies here, and they turn and flee, they genuinely risk being degraded by the infuriated Lord Nobuhiro, dragging their entire families down with them into the status of the filthy many! In this era of the Wa Country, the consequences of falling from samurai to the status of the non-human filthy many are completely unbearable for their families or even their clans behind them...

"Ah ha! The Shandan Samurai are charging up! Come! Raise your spears and join me in battle!"

The old general Shigeyasu Kudo laughed heartily, raising the spear in his hand. The Samurai Chief Tamikusa leading the charge frowned, panting heavily, looking perplexed at the enemy on the small hill in front. Wearing heavy double armor, he had already trotted several hundred steps, ready for a decisive battle. But suddenly the Wa People split their forces into two, with the main force retreating, leaving only thirty warriors entrenched on the hill, apparently intending to fight to the last!

"Hu! Hu... Chief Divine! These Wa People Warriors are truly incomprehensible! To call them brave, they remain inactive, and finally, they even directly withdrew the main forces. To call them cowardly, yet they left behind thirty warriors to fight a rear-guard battle to the very end!"

The armor was heavy, making it difficult to keep running. Warrior Chief Tamikusa, along with over a hundred heavy armored warriors, paused for breath after surrounding the hillside. As he watched the main force of the Wa people retreating past the hillside, he dangerously eyed their opponents across. The Wa warriors at the rear were also tensely and wearily panting, staring at them with fixed gazes. Next would be a battle to the death, relentless and unyielding...

"Oh Chief Divine, wait!... Huff! Wait!..."

Just as Warrior Chief Tamikusa was about to give the order to charge, a messenger from Zuwaro hurriedly arrived, interrupting the Kingdom's Warriors' assault.

"Respected Warrior Chief Tamikusa! The High Priest of Zuwaro has given orders and sent me to relay a message! He says..."

"The outcome of the battlefield is decided, there is no rush at this moment! The Wa people's main force has hastily retreated together with their mounted Wa Great Chief. Their retreat was urgent, with the Wa Great Chief fleeing at the forefront, definitely not a trap or a ploy..."

"Chief Divine bears witness! The Wa people's main force appears quite organized and has not scattered in retreat! The Kingdom's Warriors are all clad in heavy armor; if relying only on the Bei Yu Clan allies, it would be difficult to pursue and inflict casualties... Thus, there is no rush at this moment! These thirty blocking warriors, instead of fighting them head-on and suffering losses to kill them... it would be better to encircle them gradually, shooting arrows for capture and taking them alive!..."

"..."

"Swish! Swish!"

After a moment of silence, Warrior Chief Tamikusa saw that the feathered arrows of Lu Bu archers had already killed four enemies. He turned his head, took a look at the Ishikari Clan Family who had turned tails and fled, already in collapse, and the Bei Yu Clan, whose morale was soaring, pursuing like wolves and leopards, only then confirming the situation on the battlefield was indeed as settled as it seemed.

"Huff!..."

In the silence, Warrior Chief Tamikusa let out a long breath. Not engaging in a true close battle always left this blood-earned merit nobility feeling incomplete. He shook his head, waved his large hand, and shouted to the surrounding armored warriors.

"Chief Divine protects us! Encircle them, establish a spear formation... capture, take them alive!"

"By the way! Dispatch a unit to retrieve those few warhorses that scattered away from the cavalry warriors! Particularly that exceptionally tall horse, the one on which the Wa chieftain fled!"

"Yes, Leader!"

A few Kingdom's Warriors soon hurried off. Meanwhile, the sound of arrows, accompanied by the cries of Koyozaki warriors, continued echoing on the hillside. Until an elderly and desolate voice began to loudly recite a poetic elegy in a language no one could understand, preparing to leave this world.

"The Northern Tsugaru Strait! I crossed it, leaving my homeland's Peach Garden, arriving at the cold Ezo land! And I shall die here, my corpse devoured by millet fields, waiting for the Northern Country's great snow to fall, transforming into a skeleton, pure white like the fingers of Buddha..."

"Ah! What are you doing! Damned Shandan savages! My blade, let me die here... Ugh! Ugh ugh!..."

Warrior Chief Tamikusa shook his head, sighing in regret. He didn't understand the other's poetry but greatly admired the courage in facing death. Yet, the warrior coinciding with the Nava people's aesthetics attempting seppuku was interrupted directly by the more pragmatic Lu Bu archers.

Under the slanting setting sun, thirty Wa people warriors lay scattered, each riddled with arrows, blood flowing down the hillside. Half died grievously, with the other half captured as prisoners. And two divine shooter Lu Bu Shandan Hunters were merrily tying up the arms of the old General Shigeyasu Kudo, wrapping his pierced right hand in circles. That skilled tying technique clearly showed their expertise in deer hunting!

"Huff, quite the old stag! Surely a chieftain leader, but cannot simply die here... With the battle reaching this point, the Kingdom has bared enough fangs. Next, to navigate relations with the Southern Wa tribes properly, these leaders and prisoners will be needed to knock on the door!"

Zuwaro smiled calmly, putting down the divine eye glasses in his hand. Meanwhile, all around, the Northern Excess Tribes gazed at him with reverence, observing the Thousand Islands Tribe Shaman "who could summon thunderbolts."

"Formidable heavy armored warriors, thunderbolt-summoning shamans... even the fierce Wa people were defeated by them! Are they truly the Ainu Clans?... Forget it, this question is unimportant. Regardless of past identity, from now on they certainly are... ideally, allowing both bloodlines to merge seamlessly..."

The Great Chief Bei Yu Hebin of the Hanbin Faction remained silent, his eyes deeply moved. He surveyed the battlefield strewn with corpses, observing the territory the tribe defended with difficulty, his voice turning hoarse, his expression sorrowful. Unlike the Cold Swamp Tribe, the Northern Remaining Cold Shore Division faced more direct dangers from the Wa people and other clans in this perilous Southern region, necessitating reliable allies more than ever...

Moments later, Bei Yu Hebin took a deep breath, glancing at the "Great Shaman Chief" Zuwaro before moving to soothe the tribe post-battle, instructing his closest kin.

"Go! Summon my daughter Qingquan to come! Have her present precious mouth-chewed wine to the courageous Great Chief of the Thousand Islands Tribe..."

"Thunderbolt Divine Might of the Northern Thousand Islands! As long as you can protect us, whatever the cost, the tribe will accept!... Even allowing a Shandan person's Great Chief to become the Bei Yu Clan's Alliance Hierarch..."

The sunset gradually disappeared, the afterglow reflecting the Red Sea and the blood-drenched fields and hills. The Ainu people's harp softly flowed, like streaming life, merging with death and rebirth in the millet fields. As two distinct bloodlines, akin to blood flow, blended peacefully~