Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 819

819. The Battle of Tenochtitlan (5)

Mexica warriors charged, shouting.

Standing on the chariot, Yi Jingok checked the signals from Bigu and scanned the battlefield with his monocle.

“What a mess…”

Yi Jingok watched the chaotic charge of the Mexica warriors, a faint smile spreading across his face.

“That’s why it’s even better for us. Send the signal! Proceed as planned!”

“Yes!”

At Yi Jingok’s command, the staff officers relayed orders to the messengers.

Soon, the allied indigenous forces leading the advance began to split to the left and right, clearing the center.

“They’re running away!”

“Cut them off completely!”

As the allied indigenous forces began to clear the center, the Mexica warriors surged forward with even greater momentum.

The inexperienced youths, excited, recklessly dashed forward.

The problem was the experienced warriors and the enslaved warriors who were once prisoners. These were the warriors who would normally have immediately recognized such a split as a lure.

However, terrified of the expeditionary forces and driven to despair, they lost their reason and blindly followed the youths, shouting as they charged forward.

In an instant, the allied indigenous forces completely split into two, becoming walls blocking the left and right flanks of the Mexica warriors.

No, not walls, but funnels pushing the Mexica warriors into the entrance of the expeditionary forces.

And then, the defensive wall of the expeditionary forces appeared in the eyes of the frantically charging Mexica warriors.

Behind the low defensive wall, made of sandbags filled with nearby dirt and sand, the gun barrels of the Byeongshik Hwacha [a Korean multi-rocket launcher] and Byeongshik rifles awaited them.

And behind those gun barrels were the eyes of the expeditionary soldiers, aiming at the Mexica warriors.

“Fire!”

Tatatatatatang!

* * *

The defensive wall created by the expeditionary forces was concave on the inside.

Following that shape, the Mexica warriors had no choice but to push deep inside, where they were caught in the crossfire of the waiting expeditionary forces and mowed down.

However, the Mexica warriors continued their reckless charge towards the low wall in front of them.

There was another reason for their reckless charge besides desperation.

Just before the Mexica warriors charged, Ahkon cut off the causeway leading to Tenochtitlan in front of them.

“Until we defeat all the enemies! We cannot return! We cannot escape! All you can do is kill these foreigners!”

Seeing the causeway cut off before their eyes and hearing Ahkon’s words, the Mexica warriors had only one option: to kill all of those foreigners.

* * *

They made a desperate last stand and charged without regard for death, but they could not overcome the difference in firepower.

The Mexica warriors fell futilely under the rain of bullets poured out by the expeditionary forces.

The youths, who charged most passionately and recklessly, were the first to die.

Experienced warriors took advantage of the brief gap when the Byeongshik Hwacha, having used up their ammunition killing the youths, were reloading their ammunition drums.

It was a tactic that utilized what they had learned from the previous battle.

However, the expeditionary forces facing them had also transformed from clumsy volunteers into seasoned soldiers through the previous battle.

While the Byeongshik Hwacha were reloading their ammunition drums, the soldiers next to them simultaneously pulled the triggers of their Byeongshik rifles and threw impact grenades.

* * *

The Mexica warriors, who were recklessly charging in a ‘kill or be killed’ situation, began to retreat at some point.

To be precise, they were not retreating, but rather continuing to collapse under the fire of the expeditionary forces.

Yi Jingok, confirming that the morale of the Mexica warriors had been broken and that they had suffered enormous casualties, ordered his staff officer.

“Now, we need to take out those bastards’ main camp. Tell the guys who have been slacking off to earn their keep.”

“Yes, General!”

Following Yi Jingok’s order, the expeditionary forces’ artillery, which had been silent until now, began to fire all at once.

Bang! Kwakwang! Bang!

The expeditionary forces’ artillery targeted the Mexica people’s main camp in the rear.

The expeditionary forces’ artillery once again showcased ‘artistic shelling’.

The expeditionary forces’ artillery meticulously broke down the Mexica warriors’ formation.

-Splitting logs into firewood, splitting firewood into kindling. That is what the Imperial artillery does.

Like the joke circulating among the Imperial army’s artillerymen, they meticulously broke down the Mexica warriors’ formation.

* * *

As the expeditionary forces’ artillery properly earned their keep, the allied indigenous forces slowly began to move.

The allied indigenous forces, who had split to the left and right to form a defensive line, began to push upwards.

The allied indigenous forces never rushed.

-Do not rush until the charge order is given! Repeat! Do not rush!

This was the warning that the expeditionary forces had delivered before the battle began.

And as the battle unfolded, they keenly felt why the expeditionary forces had delivered such a strong warning.

The Mexica warriors, who had been the object of their fear, were dying helplessly.

The same was true of the Mexica warriors’ main camp they were heading towards.

Every time the ground shook with a loud noise and pillars of dirt soared into the sky, limbs that seemed to belong to Mexica warriors flew in all directions.

‘If we had charged without thinking…’

The indigenous people shuddered as they briefly imagined it. They would have suffered the same fate.

However, at the same time, they also felt a sense of exhilaration.

This was because the Mexica warriors, who had reigned as the object of their fear and threatened their lives until recently, were now dying powerlessly.

As the allied indigenous forces approached the Mexica people’s main camp, the expeditionary forces’ shelling stopped.

Suddenly, the battlefield became quiet, and the sounds of drums and trumpets began to ring out loudly.

The warriors leading the allied indigenous forces shouted at the sound of the trumpets, which were different from the familiar conch shell trumpets.

“Charge!”

“Kill the Mexica bastards!”

“Revenge!”

* * *

The ensuing battle was a one-sided massacre.

The Mexica warriors, whose command structure, including Ahkon, had been wiped out by the expeditionary forces’ relentless shelling, did not receive proper command.

The Mexica warriors, whose command system had been destroyed and who were in a state of panic due to the Imperial army’s shelling, lost their lives futilely to the advancing allied indigenous forces.

Here and there, surviving Mexica officers gathered Mexica warriors to resist. However, it was impossible to gather a sufficient number of warriors in a situation where they had been fragmented by the expeditionary forces’ shelling, and they were individually defeated by the allied indigenous forces, who were attacking with several times their numbers.

The allied indigenous forces, confident of their victory, mercilessly slaughtered the Mexica warriors.

Occasionally, Mexica warriors who begged for mercy and surrendered appeared, but the indigenous warriors mercilessly cut off their heads.

The resentment that had accumulated over the years was too deep to show mercy to the Mexica warriors.

That day, as the sun set, the Mexica warriors who had taken part in the defense were defeated.

There were no surviving Mexica warriors.

* * *

The expeditionary forces and the allied indigenous forces, who had won the battle, busily made their next moves.

Yi Jingok released the expeditionary forces and allied indigenous forces, who had been waiting as reserves, around Tenochtitlan.

The mission they received was to cut off the causeways connecting Tenochtitlan to the outside and to cut off the aqueducts supplying water to Tenochtitlan.

The troops who received Yi Jingok’s orders moved quickly.

Among these separate detachments, the detachment with the largest number of troops was the detachment heading to Chapultepec.

This was because Chapultepec was home to the aqueducts supplying water to Tenochtitlan and the best-built transportation routes.

Thanks to this background, Chapultepec was the Mexica’s most reliable ally and protectorate.

However, the rumors spread faster than the expeditionary forces had anticipated, and the leaders of Chapultepec immediately surrendered to the separate detachment.

The allied forces, who had captured Chapultepec faster than expected, cut off the aqueducts and transportation routes leading into Tenochtitlan as planned.

And before long, the transportation routes created on the west and north sides of Tenochtitlan were cut off.

The expeditionary forces were diligently cutting off transportation routes on one side, while on the other side, they were connecting the transportation routes that the Mexica people had cut off and began to build a large number of ships and rafts.

It was preparation for a full-scale attack on Tenochtitlan.

* * *

Meanwhile, news of the defeat also reached Tenochtitlan.

The leaders of Tenochtitlan gathered with Montesuma [Montezuma II, the Aztec ruler] to discuss how to respond.

-Surrender or resist.

While a heated debate was taking place over the opposite approaches, new news continued to reach them.

-Chapultepec has sided with the foreigners.

-The transportation routes and aqueducts in the Chapultepec direction have been cut off.

-The causeway north of Tenochtitlan has been cut off.

Montesuma and the leaders had grim expressions on their faces as they continued to hear the bleak news.

“It seems that surrender is the only answer.”

“Is surrender the only option?”

Just as Montesuma and the leaders were leaning towards surrender, other news arrived.

-The bastards who sided with the foreigners have killed all of our warriors!

-The troops still remaining in the north have begun to march south!

Montesuma and the leaders put their heads together again with the newly arrived information.

“If we are going to die even if we surrender…”

“The army is coming down again from the north, and the foreigners’ main force is in the south…”

The measure chosen by Montesuma and the leaders was ‘resistance’.

“We will hold out until the army from the north arrives!”

“If we hold out, we will win!”

* * *

The ‘southward march of the Mexica army’s remaining forces’ also reached the ears of the allied forces.

“That’s the last card those bastards have to hold out.”

Yi Jingok, who received the report, smirked and assessed the situation.

Since the victory in the last battle, the size of the allied indigenous forces had easily exceeded 100,000.

This was thanks to the surrounding indigenous tribes and cities, which had been watching carefully, quickly joining the allied forces.

This was because they now knew for sure who the new ruler of this region was.

“If so…”

“Now is the chance for revenge!”

They had joined the allied forces to curry favor with the new ruler and to avenge the damage they had suffered at the hands of the Mexica people over the past time.

Yi Jingok, who was analyzing the situation, smirked and ordered his staff officer.

“Tell all the indigenous chieftains to gather.”

“Yes, General!”

* * *

Yi Jingok, who had gathered all the indigenous leaders, starting with the leaders of Tlaxcala [an indigenous city-state allied with the Spanish], explained the situation and concluded as follows.

“… Therefore, if we only deal with these Mexica people marching south, our victory is certain. So, we will send troops to intercept them. First, we will select 10,000 from our expeditionary forces. What will you do?”

The indigenous leaders, who heard the story through the interpreters of the defectors, raised their hands in a hurry.

“We will join our warriors!”

“We will do the same!”

“Give our warriors a chance! Our warriors are excellent warriors no less than the Mexica warriors!”

The indigenous leaders desperately tried to get their warriors to join.

This was the result of political calculations.

Tribes who joined first, starting with Tlaxcala, wanted to protect their political interests as early movers, and latecomers wanted to appeal to themselves through this battle.

In the end, an allied force of about 50,000, including 10,000 expeditionary forces, set out to intercept the Mexica’s last force marching south.

Author’s words

How do you do?

I am Gukbbong, writing ‘Black Company Joseon’.

Yesterday, the results of my mother’s tissue examination revealed that it was a simple ulcer.

I think it’s all thanks to the readers.

Thank you.

I couldn’t sleep a wink the day before yesterday because I was worried about yesterday’s results, so today’s manuscript was late.

It’s not like it used to be…ㅠㅠ.

I will do my best in the future.

I sincerely hope that you will continue to love me a lot in the future.

Gukbbong Dream.

Globen Corporation