Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!-Chapter 603 - 299: Red Fox Valley

The continuous mountains undulated across the highland, shaping various forms as if crafted by the Earth Mother Goddess herself. The mountains altered the direction of the wind and also affected the flow of streams. When the cold northern breeze was blocked by the high mountains, the climate grew warm; when the mountain streams converged into small lakes in the valleys, the soil became moist. Where it is warm and moist, precious patches of fertile land would form. In the endless wilderness of the Northern Land, these were the dwelling places that Tribes fought and killed over.

Amoxtli and the Scouts ascended a narrow mountain path, reaching the top of a small hill two hundred meters high. Gazing out, he saw two mountain ranges hundreds of meters high extending parallel from the East to the West, converging in the North and South to form a valley about twenty or thirty miles long. A winding river followed the mountain’s range, meandering from the East. More streams joined the river in the valley, bringing the source of life to all things.

"What a wonderful place this is!"

Standing on high ground, Amoxtli gazed at the precious expanse of greenery beside the river, unable to help but voice his emotion.

"Awooo, this is Red Fox Valley, of course, it’s a great place! Our Red Fox Tribe is one of the strongest tribes, naturally, we occupy the best fertile land!"

Ivican grinned. In the entire Pamus State, the valley before them was the second-largest fertile land after the surroundings of Pamus City.

Naturally, such a desirable spot in the wilderness wouldn’t be vacant. Along the long river, there were hundreds of thatched huts and sheds, as well as farmlands close to the river. Before the southern invasion, as many as over twenty thousand Otomi people had settled here, even establishing a small Otomi City-State.

When the Canine Descendants moved south, they split into many groups, and this sizable fertile area was quickly eyed by the Otuwa of the Red Fox Tribe. Otuwa brought together the "Red Frog" and "Red Cat," which were at the bottom of the eight major Tribes. The three tribes joined forces and conquered this fertile land.

Next came the division of territory according to strength. The Red Fox Tribe took over the small town in the center of the valley, the Red Cat Tribe took the river entrance on the east side, and the Red Frog Tribe occupied the valley exit on the west. As for the local Otomi inhabitants, aside from three or four thousand people who escaped quickly, the rest were mostly slaughtered, leaving only two thousand able agricultural slaves.

"Awooo, the land to the south is very fertile, the crops are growing well! The pumpkins are already being harvested, it’s just that the corn has to wait one more month. This time Chief Otuwa asked us to plant more quick-ripening pumpkins and less late-ripening corn. The warriors were secretly complaining... but now it seems, the Fox Chief is an old fox after all, much smarter than us!"

In the center of the valley, vast areas of pumpkin were ready for harvest, and thousands of tribal folk and agricultural slaves were busy harvesting. Seeing this scene, Ivican laughed happily. His gaze then moved to the cornfields in the east and west of the valley, and he sneered.

"The Red Cat Chieftain is a dumb cat, the Red Frog Chieftain is nothing but a stupid toad! Right now, the Cactus Tribe’s large army is stationed just eighty miles to the southeast, and who knows when they will attack. Guarding such a huge patch of unripe cornfields, really puts them in a tough spot — if they want to fight, they can’t win; if they want to leave, they can’t escape!"

Hearing this, Amoxtli’s heart stirred. He moved closer to his friend, lowering his voice to ask.

"Ivican, you often go in and out of the Chieftain’s longhouse, reporting military intelligence to the Chief, you’re someone with insight! With the current situation, what exactly are the plans of the Chieftains of the three great Tribes?"

Flattered by his friend’s compliment, Ivican laughed proudly. Then he scratched his head somewhat distressfully.

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"We’ve been discussing this for many days, and I still don’t fully understand the Chieftains’ plans. The Jiowar leader ordered the Tribal Warriors to pack their belongings and be ready to retreat at any moment. But from what I’ve heard the three Chieftains discussing, it seems like they still want to face off against the south. Now with so many ordinary Tribes gathering here, with our numbers and the defensive advantage of the valley terrain, there’s a general feeling that we can still put up a fight, at least until we harvest the corn in the valley before we leave!"

Amoxtli thought for a moment and then nodded in agreement. He looked at the dozen tribal banners fluttering in the valley and the tens of thousands of tribal folk. The cacophony of voices filled the valley and reached his ears from here, inexplicably bolstering a bit of confidence.

With the northward move of the Cactus Tribe, many Guajili Tribes retreated northward, gradually gathering. Now, within the Pamus State, surrounding the fertile lands, two major tribal centers have emerged.

One is located a hundred miles northeast in Pamus City, with the strongest Red Dog Tribe at the helm, comprising five large tribes and dozens of ordinary ones, numbering more than sixty thousand tribal people. The other is the current Red Fox Valley, headed by the second strongest Red Fox Tribe, with three large tribes and over a dozen ordinary tribes, amounting to at least thirty thousand people.

"Hmm, if all the tribes of the valley mobilize, we should be able to muster over ten thousand fighting men, and the robust women can help with the defense. With this advantageous terrain, as long as each tribe guards the valley entrance well, we should be able to hold out until the corn harvest!"

Amoxtli comforted himself while looking around. The valley’s north and south were lined with continuous mountains, with only a few narrow mountain paths like the one beneath his feet, which were virtually impassable for large armies. The valley had two steep entrances to the southeast and northwest, barely allowing two hundred people to pass side by side. As long as they could use the terrain to their advantage and defend these entrances well, they might stand a chance, right?

Both men, weighed down by their thoughts, gazed at the valley below, desperately cobbling together some semblance of confidence. They had both seen the Cactus Tribe in combat up close. Although the enemy’s archery was formidable, attacking uphill at the valley entrance would reduce its power due to the terrain, and the thick-skinned Samurai could be countered with powerful stone-throwing.

After a while, Amoxtli managed a forced smile.

"Ivican, the scouting report hasn’t changed much since a few days ago. The Cactus Tribe’s legion is still resting eighty miles away to the southeast. I wager their food supply won’t be that plentiful either, so it’s not certain they can afford to fight... If there’s nothing urgent, I’ll head back to the tribe!"

"Alright then, I’ll report back to the Chieftain first. Later tonight, if you’re free, let’s eat meat together! Aww, and bring your daughter with the exceptional Archery skills! I still have some stockpiled hedgehog meat, which roasted and eaten with fresh pumpkin is especially delicious!"

"Sure! Aran’s Archery has already surpassed mine; you’re the only one who can give her some pointers now!"

"Great! Aww, in another couple of years, Aran will be able to dye her hair red! I’m really envious of you!"

The two men pounded each other’s chests in farewell. Ivican led the Red Fox Scouts back towards the valley center, traversing the narrow mountain path and over a small hill to the north. Amoxtli, along with several tribal Scouts, went west along the mountains, heading to the northwestern valley entrance.

The group proceeded westward, moving away from the densely populated center of the fertile valley. Amoxtli’s tribe, as a vassal of the Great Red Fox Tribe, naturally could not settle in the fertile valley. They were allocated just outside the northwestern valley entrance, relying on mountains that turned northward, a position further to the north.

This area was downstream of the river, where the small river was already drying up, only moistening a small patch of fertile soil along its banks. The soil had been cultivated into farmland, planted with patches of pumpkins and corn, where hundreds of tribal people were working hard in the fields, harvesting pumpkins. A row of low thatched huts had been set up along the edge of the farmland, close to the nearby hills. At the base of the hills, a number of semi-subterranean dwellings had been dug for habitation to save on the wood and grass needed for the huts.

A sparse wooden fence surrounded the farmland and hills, outlining a typical tribal camp. Over a hundred Tribal Warriors stood guard in the camp, and at the gate fluttered a red crow flag.

The "Red Crow" Tribe—this was Amoxtli’s home. Seeing this barren camp, he exhaled a breath of relief. He led the Scouts down to the camp gate, where the Tribal Warriors guarding it bowed their heads in salute to him.

Amoxtli nodded indifferently, maintaining the dignity of a red-haired warrior. Just as he was about to head for the tribe’s central longhouse, he spotted a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old Canine Descendant girl dashing towards him.

The girl ran with determination, her body was strong, her movements as agile as a cheetah. She wore a tight-fitting short-sleeved gambeson and carried a small cedar Hunting Bow on her back, with a rare Obsidian Dagger at her waist. Carved on the exquisitely handled dagger were three enigmatic square symbols and a mysterious black wolf’s head.