Chapter 34
Texcalla, Huexotzinco and Cholula, 16 K
(Puebla-Tlaxcalla Valley, Mexico, 1384)
Padraig and the Antelopes arrived within days of the departure of the Cormorants. I could hear them long before I could see them. Padraig had the men marching to the sound of his pipe instruments. Fortunately, they stopped before getting close enough to spook our horses. As he drew near, it appeared that he was very introspective and that something was troubling him. Not wishing to pry, I welcomed him warmly and expressed gratitude that his tumen had been sent since we had some difficult mountain terrain ahead of us. He smiled wanly and assured me his men were up to any challenge. We rode together in awkward silence toward the camp I had set up at the base of the mountains. Once in camp, I asked him into my tent and showed him the maps of our route up to the plateau. A little life came back into him as he studied the maps, but only a little. Finally, I had to ask.
“What is wrong, Padraig? Is all your family well?”
“Yes.” He nodded. “They were all well when I left. But tell me, how well do you know our new Khan?”
“Not well at all. He is not his father, but he does seem to be decisive. Why do you ask?”
“Ogedai is up to something with the Salmon Ordu and Kuyuk approves, but won’t tell me what it is and, in fact, forbade me from making any contact with the Salmon Ordu. He said it was too far away for me to lead adequately, and so he was putting it completely under Ogedai’s command.”
“But most of the Ordu are independent, and you always did give Ogedai a lot of latitude. Do you see this as a demotion?”
“No, not at all. I was only to advise Ogedai since he was inexperienced. But even from the beginning, I thought there was an excessive amount of dispatch sending between Kuyuk and Ogedai, even for father and son. Now, that Kuyuk is Khan, the dispatches have been replaced by wagons carrying sealed goods between them. It is, of course, none of my business—but why the secrecy? Why does no one know or admit knowing what is going on?”
“Goods? You don’t suppose he is trading with the old land?”
“No, I thought of that. We have nothing they would want, and I can’t imagine what we need from them. Anyway, the boats of the Northwest tribes are seaworthy, but I doubt they could travel that far, or carry enough goods to make the trip worthwhile. Besides, we are Mongols and left the old land because we had no future there.”
“That is all true, but the Hanjen would trade with anybody, and so would the Koryo. We have some gold and silver and they have silk. It wouldn’t take much of a ship to transport such non bulky items.”
“Silk! But we don’t need silk. The local cotton is wonderful, much better than the Hanjen cotton. But anyway I haven’t seen much silk around. If he were getting it, wouldn’t he wear it?”
“As to needing silk, trade has nothing to do with need and everything to do with want. As for not seeing any, he could be hoarding it. Not long after Smoking Mirror’s father started trading with the Owl Ordu, Kuyuk’s old command, gold ornaments appeared in profusion, and silk began to disappear. Paula mentioned it to me, but I never gave it much thought before.”
“But even if he is trading with the Middle Kingdom, why the secrecy? I had thought we were leaving all the intrigue behind us.”
“I don’t know, unless it is because he knows most of us realize his father would not have approved. But perhaps I’m beginning to understand the reason for this campaign.”
“Have you been sending gold back to Kuyuk?”
“I have sent any plunder salvaged from the destroyed towns. That is the custom. It has included quite a bit of gold so far.”
“So, then, you are on a plundering expedition?”
“Plunder is only part of my mission. I suspect he will want me to conquer all of the large cities in this land. It could take years.”
“There is no want of those wishing to participate. All the tumen are excited about joining the campaign. Kuyuk has assured them that they will all get the opportunity.”
“All of the tumen?”
“So he told them.”
“But there are at least thirty of them. Only nine have come so far.”
“Thirty-two. At least four more are on the way to you now. They should be here by the time you finish with the cities on the first plateau.”
“Then we will be here for years!”
“Probably.”
I called in Smoking Mirror to share Padraig’s information. He was not at all surprised, since he had already suggested as much, but was too polite to be smug. In fact, he seemed more sad than anything else. I told him he was far more perceptive than I, but that did not cheer him at all.
“I have finally come to know,” he said, “who planted the idea for all this conquest in Kuyuk’s heart. It was my father, Tlacuectli. If we are ordered to leave his town alone, it will be certain.”
“His town?” I asked.
“Chalco,” he said. “It was subjugated by Huexotzinco some years ago and lately has been engaged in a long war with the Tepanecas. We have already been ordered to take Huexotzinco along with the other cities that share its plateau. I suspect we will next be instructed to take every town in the great valley called Anahuac except Chalco. If we are, I will know it is all Tlacuectli’s work. This will bring me shame. It is one thing to avenge wrongs or invite people to join you in peace, it is another to conquer them simply because they are between you and your real objective. As I told you before, we were justified to some extent in the Huaxteca campaign since we had to reach a town in the south and the northern towns would not permit us to pass. The Totonacs did nothing to deserve our attack, except for being obnoxious. And now we attack the people of the plateau. They are a proud and brave people. Many will die before they surrender. They deserve a better fate. So do some of the other towns farther along our path. But to think that the instigator of all this destruction was my own father.”
“That would explain why Kuyuk seems to know so much about this area,” I said. “We will know soon enough, I suppose. But, if you do not want to take part in this campaign, I will be glad to give you some other duty.”
“No, my friend.” He shook his head sadly. “I made my choice a long time ago. One does not leave his tribe because he dislikes the new chief. I know I am helpful to you and will stay as long as you want me. After all, you have not changed at all. I’ve come to understand you completely, even when I don’t agree with you. Also, the next Khan will likely be better.”
I thanked him for his loyalty, for he was invaluable. Once all the Antelopes had had a chance to rest up from their long journey, we started up the mountain passes. Our path was along the well-used merchant trail, but it was not easy. Often we had to dismount to get up the steeper parts. There were a few losses of horses and men on this trek. Visible for much of the trip was a huge mountain (it was called Citlaltepetl locally) to the south, its peak covered with snow, even now in the summer. It was revered as the first part of the land to be touched by the rising sun. There were a few small towns along the trail, but these offered no resistance and agreed to recognize the Khan as their ruler. I had the feeling they would have agreed as much to any passing army. The trail continued to climb into the rugged mountain range and eventually, after several days, brought us to a rocky, almost treeless pass. The wind whipped around us driving clouds past us like a misty blizzard. Once through the pass we debauched into a bleak volcanic plateau. A few shrinking lakes broke up the severe landscape. It took almost three days to cross this plateau. On the second day, we passed a quiet volcano standing like a sentinel before the largest lake. Again there were only a few small villages on the plateau whose people also pledged eternal loyalty to the Khan with as much sincerity as had the people in the mountains. Needless to say, I didn’t leave any governor with them.
The merchant trail led us into another pass, which brought us to a town called Zautla. The town was not inclined to resist us and readily accepted a governor and a small garrison. The town’s name meant “jar” in Nahual, and there was quite a pottery industry there filling the air with smoke from kilns. The people were only partially Nahual speaking, mostly the ruling classes. The rest spoke another tongue we had encountered before and had began to encounter more and more as we went along, Otomi. I engaged H’donwe, a young man who spoke both languages, to go with us as an interpreter. He insisted that the Otomi speakers were the original inhabitants and the Nahual speakers the upstart invaders. Smoking Mirror was not amused by the assertion, although I noticed he didn’t actually refute it.
Beyond Zautla the trail led us through a jagged, rough series of ravines. This slowed our progress considerably, but we eventually reached a town on the far side called Ixtacamaxtitlan. It was situated on very high cliffs choking off the narrow valley through which we were traveling. These people proved to be willing to let us pass on unmolested as long as we didn’t make any demands on them. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do that. I explained to them that we could hardly leave such a position behind us if it was hostile, so they would either have to join us or we would have to destroy them. They pointed out that their town would prove most difficult to take. I had the men send up a few rockets into the town and had some of the men quickly scramble up the nearby cliffs and haul a few cannon up with them. Once these began to lob rounds into the town, the surrender was quick. I garrisoned the town strongly, even leaving a few cannon. I then ordered the town’s army to go with us, to prevent any treachery.
We followed a small river upstream to our target plateau. I waited a few days so that all our train could catch up and we could rest up a bit. I sent a few scouts out to look over the land and see if we would be opposed. They soon came back to report a small force encamped nearby. I sent one of the Ixtacamaxtitlan auxiliaries to them to demand their surrender. He returned bearing a few of their weapons. This was their way of declaring war. I set up sentries and sent the scouts out again to make sure this group wasn’t part of a trap. They reported that the small force was unsupported, but a larger force was encamped on a large open plain a day’s ride away. While they were watching it, more warriors were joining it, but they weren’t sending any out. They didn’t seem to be too interested in posting sentries either. A few of the scouts remained to keep an eye on the camp. Meanwhile, I sent the Antelopes on a wide sweep that would bring them behind the large camp, and I took the Cranes directly to the nearby group.
They, too, were in a large open spot surrounded by forest, and as we came through the trees into their view, they formed up into a massed front and waited for us to get into position. We quickly rode around them, surrounding them. This puzzled them and they began to form a confused circle facing outward toward us. With a yell, they rushed at us. Most wore the quilted cotton “armor” colored yellow or white and were armed with the obsidian-lined club, although a few used bows and some even used slings. These last were the only ones that did any damage, since their missiles alone reached our lines. The rest were cut down in a merciless rain of arrows. I sent in the auxiliaries to finish off the wounded, gather up our arrows and, at Smoking Mirror’s insistence, burn the dead. We continued on most of the way to the large encampment. The next morning, we filed into the plain on the side opposite the camp. With much drumming and horn and whistle blowing, they began to form up in massed ranks behind banners sporting a golden eagle with wings stretched out. Meanwhile, I set up my cannon in front of each of the massed ranks. Once they were ready, they sent one of their leaders up to present us with the ceremonial weapons. Smoking Mirror and I accepted in full “god” regalia. Our appearance and the presence of the horses made a deep impression on the presenter, but he swallowed back his fear and handed us the weapons wordlessly. We took the weapons, cut them in half with our swords, and handed them back to him. He accepted the pieces and hurried back to his lines.
There was a heated discussion on his return, but nothing came of it. Just as they started the din before their charge, the Antelopes began driving through their camp behind them and wiping out all their rear guard and camp followers. They had already started to rush us, however, before any of them became aware of the attack in their rear. As soon as they were close enough, we began tearing large gaps in their ranks with the cannon. The shock left them milling around in confusion long enough to get a second round. This shattered the attack, and they turned to flee only to find the Antelopes cutting off their retreat and arrows pouring into them from front and rear. Only a few were allowed to escape; all the rest were cut down where they stood or as they ran. I deliberately hadn’t completely surrounded them, so that the survivors would spread panic and make the task easier for us.
I looked over the battlefield. The oddest thing about it was all the feathers. It was as if we had slaughtered a huge flock of very gaudy birds rather than an army. Otherwise, those still recognizable as human wore the eagle and ocelotl costumes we had seen before or other complicated costuming or more often just the quilted cotton. Again, Smoking Mirror prevailed on me to burn the dead warriors in a large pyre. This delayed us a while since there were so many, but it meant a lot to him. He mentioned that they would also have appreciated a piece of jade in their mouths, but he thought that practice was not as important since they had died in battle. I decided I didn’t want to know about what all that was.
Again I sent the scouts out and they reported back that much of the more open countryside had been abandoned. The roads and pathways were clogged with people fleeing us. Many of them were heading to one or another of the large cities on the plateau, but others were hiding in the woods around the periphery of the plateau or hurrying across the mountains to the great central plateau called Anahuac. The first major town we came to was named Texcalla. It was not abandoned, and we quickly surrounded it. The scouts reported no army marching to its relief, and, in fact, no army was marching anywhere on the plateau. Everyone was holed up in the larger cities and towns. There did seem to be a lot of courier activity around the strongest city on the plateau, Huexotzinco, some distance to the southwest. Once we were in position around Texcalla, a delegation came out from the city. It consisted of an elaborately garbed man flanked by two older men and escorted by a small group of guards. As Smoking Mirror and I went toward them with an equal guard, he explained that the man was their chief and the older men were his advisors. He and I were in full regalia, and they found our appearance quite unsettling. The three principles left the guard behind for the final approach. We dismounted and approached them.
“It is true then,” the chief began, “that Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca have ended their feud and come from the north and the east riding large shaggy deer to conquer the center of the One World? Our seers did not foresee your reconciliation or your return, or we would not have dared to oppose you. Perhaps a suitable sacrifice and gifts for all your warriors would turn away your wrath.”
“You seem to persist in misunderstanding our purpose,” I replied. “We are not interested in sacrifices or gifts. The Khanate of the Blue Sky is expanding to encompass your plateau and all the cities and towns on it. If you do not submit and accept a governor to rule until you prove yourselves to be loyal, we will destroy you all and your city.”
“Would it be presumptuous,” one of the older men interjected, “to ask what the Khanate of the Blue Sky is?”
“It is an understandable question,” I had to admit, “and one not yet asked of me during this campaign. A Khanate is an empire ruled by a Khan. A Khan is the title of a Mongol ruler. The Khanate is called the Blue Sky because the Mongol god, Tengri, is symbolized by the blue sky.”
“Might one further inquire,” the other older man wheezed, “who the Mongols might be and whence they have come.”
“The Mongols are ‘the brave,’” I snapped. “They come from many tribes in many lands. If you prove worthy, you too may become Mongols.”
“Enough questions.” The chief silenced his advisors. “We cannot resist your forces in battle. We accept your directives without question. Appoint your governor, and we will honor him in my place and obey him without question. I only ask that you accept us into your ‘Mongols’ and end the war between us. I place my own fate in your hands.”
“Your fate and that of your city depends on you,” I replied. “If, indeed, your people obey and respect our governor, they may become Mongols, you may regain your position as head of your city, and we will withdraw our governor and his garrison. If there is any treachery or disobedience, you will all die horribly and your city will be totally destroyed. Do you still choose to submit?”
“We do,” the chief said.
I appointed Michikinikwa, a Twanhtwanh to be governor. He had been part of my entourage for some time and had always shown courage and good judgment. He needed both for this job, and he did not let me down. I gave him a few hundred men as a garrison and as usual had the Texcalla army (or what was left of it) join me as auxiliaries. At this point, I dismissed the Totonaca auxiliaries, but kept the rest. The chief pressed us to visit the town so that we could see “our” temples. The town had a rather new look about it, and it turned out it had been founded only several years before. “Our” temples proved to be subordinate to that of Mixcoatl, the main deity in the city. Otherwise, they were the usual charnel houses attended by the usual disgustingly filthy and bloody priests. We did not tarry. We quickly subdued a few smaller towns near Texcalla, then marched toward the main power on the plateau, Huexotzinco. This city dominated much of the plateau and had also spread its influence west into the valley of Anahuac. I assumed that once I took it, most of its subordinate towns would surrender also. As we entered their territory, the scouts reported deserted villages between the city and us, but a very large army was gathering before it. Again the scouts looked in vain for a trap or any support or reserve forces. There was only the army and behind it the city. We approached the city like a malevolent dust storm across the dry treeless plain. We camped for the night in sight of the city and posted sentries. Again there was no sneak attack in the night.
The enemy formed up their ranks and waited patiently for us to get into position. Their force was half again larger than ours, so I decided on the old Mongol entrapment strategy. I left the Antelopes behind and had them split in two and withdraw to the right and left just out of sight. I sent the auxiliaries well to the rear to await my call, and then I went forward with the Cranes presenting the enemy with a force apparently only about one-third the size of their own. We stayed well away from them and set up our cannon before the largest masses of them. We kept the artillery horses at the ready to pull away the cannon quickly. The men remained mounted with bows at the ready.
Before long, the masses before us began to move forward. Huge drums roared drowning out horns and whistles and the shouts of the warriors. Masses of figures led by the most gaudily attired surged toward us with no attempt to dress lines or keep ranks. Our horses and men remained unmoved by the spectacle. As soon as they reached cannon range, the first volley ripped gaping holes in their ranks. Frenzied, they rushed on oblivious to the destruction. A second volley shuddered into their lines, but again they surged forward. I gave the signal and the cannon were quickly hitched to the horses and pulled back to the first fall back position. As soon as the enemy was in arrow range, we fired a few volleys into them and withdrew following the cannon to the rear.
We set up the cannon about two li behind our original line. We kept stopping and firing a volley of arrows into the enemy every hundred paces or so as we moved to the new line. In spite of their mounting losses, they kept coming after us. Again the cannon got off two rounds into them before withdrawing again about another two li. Once more, the men poured arrows into the now-ragged ranks. Occasionally one of their missiles (usually a stone) found our ranks. We again conducted a fighting withdrawal to the next cannon line. When we reached our third line, I held the cannon fire and had the men pick off the by now totally scattered warriors as they drew into arrow range. Eventually some of their leaders saw the problem and began holding the by now winded men back out of arrow range to reform masses. As soon as their masses were large enough, I had the cannon open up on them again. Their frenzy spent, they began to falter, and some broke to the rear, while others continued forward, and more were still coming up. To add to the confusion, the Antelopes appeared on their flanks and rear firing arrows into them.
There was a moment amid all the confusion when I could see they were defeated. It was as though there had been a short pause in the action, giving them a chance to notice the hopelessness of their situation. I could see their battle madness giving way first to surprise, then fear, and then panic. Some still stoically rushed forward only to fall to our arrows, while the rest turned and ran to the rear. But it was too late for them. A few more rounds were fired from the cannon, but then the men put away their bows and charged, hacking away at the fleeing enemy with sword, axe, or club. I sent for the auxiliaries to clean up behind us and again brought the cannon forward. Very few of the enemy reached the city walls, and they were those who had either not advanced with their fellows in our wake or had not advanced very far—in other words, the least brave. We surrounded the city and set up cannon at each gate in the wall just before dark. The funeral pyre of their dead lit up the night with an angry red glow. A lightning storm far to the north enhanced the unsettling spectacle for the people in the city.
The next morning, a delegation came out from the city. It consisted only of old men with a few guards. As we approached, they prostrated themselves before us and begged mercy for the city. They identified themselves as the former ruler’s advisors. He, the great, all conquering Xayacamachan and all the leaders of the people were dead. There were only a handful of men in the city. It could not be defended, and they were surrendering it to us. Even now they were removing all the valuables from the town to present to us. If they were not enough, perhaps we would consider taking some of them as slaves, or as sacrificial victims. I told them that we were not interested in slaves or sacrificial victims, but would take their treasure for our Khan. I appointed a governor and gave him a few hundred men and as usual took what was left of their army with me. Then I ordered the elders to go to each of the towns subordinate to theirs and urge them to surrender to us immediately. They agreed, but explained that the subordinate towns only paid them tribute and supplied warriors; they were not slaves and could refuse to submit. I told them that as long as they returned with the answer, no harm would come to them no matter what that answer was. They departed at once.
The auxiliaries remained outside the city cleaning up the battlefield under close supervision, while the Ordu went into camp just south of the city. I sent the scouts out as usual, but they reported back nothing of note. Eventually, the elders began returning from their mission. Most of them reported full and total submission to us, but a few towns wanted to think about it for a while, and Chalco wanted to know what we planned to do about the Tepaneca army that was even now fighting them. I sent them back a message that if they joined us, we would protect them, if they refused, we would destroy them before the Tepaneca had the chance. Of course, I had not yet been ordered into the Anahuac Valley, but since Chalco paid tribute to Huexotzinco and I was sure we would be ordered into the valley, I was curious as to what their response would be and couldn’t resist. Also, I wondered if they were aware of us from Tlacuectli. Significantly, the next largest city on the plateau, Cholula, surrendered immediately and invited me to take possession of “my” city. Smoking Mirror explained that the principal cult in Cholula was to Quetzalcoatl, my godly alter ego. I sent Padraig and the Antelopes to clear up all the small towns we had missed on the plateau while I took the Cranes toward Cholula, accepting the surrender of any of the still-inhabited towns between Huexotzinco and it.
Cholula was southeast of Huexotzinco, and there was quite a scattering of towns between and around them. A lone snow-capped volcano marked the eastern border of the plateau while two very high and also snow-capped volcanoes formed a very stark western border. The locals called the north one Iztaccihuatl and the south one Popocatepetl (“White Lady and Smoking Mountain”). The latter was indeed smoking but not erupting. As we approached Cholula, we could see what looked like a mountain in its midst. It proved to be the temple mound. It was by far the highest such mound I ever saw in all my travels. I cannot imagine how long it took them to build it, or, for that matter, why they built it. The city was ruled by two priests, and they prevailed upon me to climb up to the temple and see “my” representation. It was a nicely worked image, but not much of a likeness. From the look and smell of the place, it was obvious that human sacrifice was quite common here in spite of Smoking Mirror’s contention that Quetzalcoatl did not approve of it. I asked the ruler-priests why they did such things to “honor” a god who opposed the practice. They insisted that they had been guided by a vision to take up the practice and, indeed, the victims were honored to be sacrificed, but, of course, they would do as I wished. I wished the practice abandoned and told them to clean up the stinking temple, and henceforth only sacrifice fruits of the soil. Smoking Mirror never said a word but wore an irritating smirk most of the day.
While we were still in Cholula, a courier came from Kuyuk. The message confirmed all our suspicions. The Oxen, Osprey, Otters, Wildcats, and Beavers would soon join us. We were to send back the Cranes, then proceed into the Valley of Anahuac and take all the cities. Only Chalco was not to be attacked if it resisted. The others, especially those on the western side of the large lake in the valley, were to be shown no mercy. I was instructed to be particularly leery of the ruler of Azcapotzalco, Tezozomoc. I shared the note with Padraig, who had just rejoined us, and with Smoking Mirror. The latter explained that the Tepanecas, whose leader was Tezozomoc and whose principal city was Azcapotzalco, ruled the cities on the western side of the lake. It was he and his allies that were trying to take over Chalco. They would prove to be the strongest foe in the valley and perhaps should be an early target.
It was in Cholula that I found out what Kuyuk was doing with silk. Some of the highest classes were draped in it when they presented themselves to us. I asked where they got it, and they said it was a very costly material spun by the gods in the western sea. A Chalco merchant had acquired it only after a long and perilous journey. They had paid dearly for it, but mostly with gold, which seemed to be all that these sea gods wanted. Smoking Mirror blanched at his father’s pitch, while Padraig rolled his eyes in disbelief. I managed to keep a straight face and thanked them for the information, adding that I had seen the material before. They offered it to me, but I declined. More silk turned up in the plunder from Huexotzinco, and we continued to see it occasionally (only draped upon the wealthy) as we went along. Meanwhile word reached me from the coast that Tlacuectli had passed through on his way southeast to trade with the Olmeca and the Maya. He was carrying silk and making no secret of it.
The tumen began to arrive in late summer. They were quite spent from their long trip, and I gave them a few days to rest. Meanwhile, I sent back the Cranes and gave the Antelopes the garrison duty on the plateau. Padraig set up his main garrison in Huexotzinco since it was most centrally located. Word of the surrender of all the remaining towns once subject to Huexotzinco came in while the troops were resting. Even Chalco responded to what proved to be my empty threat and invited us to accept them into the Khanate, and coincidentally help drive away the Tepanecas.
Just before we started to move west, we received a curious caller. He was named Acamapichtli and was the Cihuacoatl (a sort of religious leader, although the word meant “snake woman”) of the Tenocha, a group that served the Tepaneca. He had been sent, bearing gifts, by Tezozomoc to greet us and thank us for destroying the might of the Huexotzinco once and for all. The One World was a better place now. Having accomplished this worthwhile task, would we consider allying with him to remove similarly unpleasant groups from the Valley of Anahuac? He suggested we could sweep the eastern and northern shores of the central lake while he finished off the south. Then, he would be honored to help us administrate the valley while we went on to greater things. Of course, he would like to have a look at our marvelous weapons whose reputation had reached him and perhaps we would give him some as a present to cement our eternal friendship. He was also prepared to offer me one of Tezozomoc’s daughters for a wife. One had to admit, this one could have ruled in the old land.
Acamapichtli seemed to be much less equipped with guile, and I pried a few bits of information out of him. His town’s service to Tezozomoc was necessitated by their position on one of two adjacent islands in the shallow waters off the western shore of the lake. The other island was also in Tezozomoc’s service. The people on both islands were from a tribe called the Mexica, not related to the Tepaneca, and although the tribute they paid Tezozomoc was harsh, they had proven to be valuable mercenaries for him. Tezozomoc had named his son, Cuacuauhtzin, to be Tlatoani (ruler, although the word meant “speaker”) of all the Mexica and had allowed them to conquer and receive tribute from Xochimilco, a town on the southern shore of the lake, as well as three towns on a peninsula that extended into the