The momentum of the expeditionary force heading toward Tenochtitlan was fierce and violent.

This momentum came not from morale confident in victory, but from hatred toward the Mexica.

It was because they had directly witnessed the scene of atrocity where ‘humans ate humans.’

Not only the volunteers who made up most of the expeditionary force, but even the professional soldiers commanding them considered ‘cannibalism’ a thing of ‘the distant past.’

***

The empire also had records of cannibalism.

From the Gojoseon period through the ancient Three Kingdoms period, the North-South States period of Unified Silla and Balhae, the Later Three Kingdoms period, Goryeo, to the chaotic period of the late Goryeo and early Joseon.

During famines, epidemics, civil wars, and foreign invasions that prevented people from farming, they resorted to cannibalism as a last resort.

And those who recorded these events mostly added sentences like these at the end:

—Parents ate their children, and children ate their elders—I cannot help but feel the tragedy.

Cannibalism was chosen only as the very last resort for survival, and they felt profound tragedy knowing it was a great sin.

However, for generations after the reorganization and subsequent generations, famines and foreign invasions were things that existed only in records.

Through water management projects, dams and reservoirs were properly built nationwide. Dredging projects in large and small rivers deepened them, reducing flood damage.

With systematic water resource management, the spread of waterways and water wheels, which had been unthinkable before, greatly increased.

With adequate water supply through waterways and water wheels, transplanting rice became widespread, and rice production greatly increased.

This wasn’t the end of it.

In the early years of Sejong’s reign, crop failures were frequent. However, through Hyang’s active intervention, the court’s response differed from before.

They sent envoys to Ming to seek understanding, then purchased grain in large quantities from Ming’s Jiangnan region.

The grain purchased this way wasn’t simply distributed freely.

Only those registered in government household registers were eligible to receive relief grain.

This was to prevent the emergence of displaced people.

Even those registered couldn’t simply take it. They had to work in various public works projects undertaken by the state and receive grain as payment.

Through this method, the court could rapidly advance water management projects that required much manpower.

Through this approach, stable food supply became possible, making ‘cannibalism’ exist only in records for imperial citizens.

***

United by hatred toward the Mexica, whom they considered ‘not even human, no, who shouldn’t be treated as human,’ the expeditionary force advanced relentlessly toward Tenochtitlan.

They had the momentum to crush and pass through anything that got in their way, but there were various difficulties.

Conflicts with native tribes encountered on the way to Tenochtitlan were the cause.

Native tribes that saw the advancing large expeditionary force chose one of two options:

Flee or fight.

To natives who had suffered under the Mexica, the unfamiliar expeditionary force seemed like just another group of Mexica.

“Those people will eat us too!”

Native tribes that thus misjudged either fled or attacked the expeditionary force.

To avoid unexpected conflicts, Lee Jing-ok used native surrenderees to persuade them.

However, not many native tribes believed the expeditionary force’s words.

Native people filled with distrust attacked the expeditionary force, and the expeditionary force ruthlessly suppressed them.

Before the expeditionary force’s overwhelming firepower, native warriors died meaninglessly, and surviving natives scattered and fled in all directions.

Through these fugitives, word of the expeditionary force’s fearsome power spread in all directions.

As such rumors spread, more and more tribes, especially those with considerable size and tribal alliances’ leaders, fell into deep contemplation.

—Resistance or surrender.

If the rumors were true, resistance was meaningless. But if they surrendered, they would have to suffer under yet another cannibalistic people besides the Mexica.

“What shall we do…”

While tribal leaders were pondering, envoys sent by Lee Jing-ok visited with native surrenderees.

“What is their business?”

To the leaders’ question, the surrenderees answered on behalf of the envoys.

“To join the empire in punishing the Mexica.”

“Is that all?”

“No. All human sacrifice must cease, and cannibalism must also be prohibited. You must also follow the empire’s laws and systems.”

“Stop human sacrifice and cannibalism?”

“Yes. Under no circumstances are human sacrifice and cannibalism permitted.”

“Hmm…”

At the surrenderee’s answer, the leaders looked troubled.

They too, believing in the same gods as the Mexica, couldn’t escape human sacrifice.

The only difference was that they didn’t sacrifice people on a large scale and practice cannibalism like the Mexica.

Knowing these leaders’ dilemma, the surrenderee conveyed the envoy’s words.

“The empire’s emperor said, ‘How can gods who accept humans as offerings and allow humans to eat humans be good gods?'”

“Hmm…”

“Moreover, His Majesty’s father, the Crown Prince, also said this: ‘The Mexica claimed the sun rises the next day because they offer humans as sacrifice, but in the empire, the sun rises just fine without believing in such gods.'”

“The sun rises just fine…”

Hearing Wan’s words conveyed by the surrenderee, the leaders’ worries deepened.

“When must we give an answer?”

“We’ll wait three days.”

“Understood.”

Hearing the leaders’ answer, the envoy and surrenderees returned to the expeditionary force’s main camp.

After the expeditionary force’s envoy left, the leaders engaged in fierce debate.

The greatest justification of those advocating resistance to the expeditionary force was the empire’s demands for ‘prohibition of cannibalism and human sacrifice’ and ‘questioning the gods.’

“Does it make sense for those who don’t properly know the gods we believe in to discuss good and bad gods!”

“It’s because we offered humans as sacrifice that we’ve lived peacefully until now!”

Those opposing this used what they called the ‘curse’—smallpox—as their justification.

“We offered sacrifice so earnestly, yet couldn’t lift the curse! How can gods that can neither lift nor prevent the curse be good gods!”

“To insult the gods—such impiety!”

The fierce confrontation between both sides often led to bloodshed.

When such confrontations were severe, things the expeditionary force didn’t expect sometimes occurred.

“What is this…”

The expeditionary force’s envoy and surrenderees who visited the tribe on the promised date were dumbfounded.

The tribal settlement was overflowing with corpses. Most were warriors, who could be considered the core of their fighting strength.

Most survivors were only small children, women, and elderly people.

The reactions of warriors who survived the bloody struggle were twofold.

“We will accept your proposal.”

One was to accept the expeditionary force’s proposal with weary faces, and the other was:

“We will not accept your proposal. But we won’t fight either!”

Shouting this with hatred-filled faces and leading surviving tribespeople away.

The worst case was promising surrender and cooperation, then approaching to launch surprise attacks.

However, such surprise attacks ended with annihilation under concentrated fire from prepared Byeoksik machine guns.

***

Native forces began joining the attack on Tenochtitlan in earnest after the expeditionary force made contact with the natives of Tlaxcala.

When first hearing rumors of foreigners approaching, Tlaxcalan leaders’ reactions were similar to other native tribes.

“They’re coming to eat us! Let’s fight!”

“If we just surrender they’ll eat us, and if we’re defeated they’ll eat us! Let’s die fighting!”

Such hardline reactions began to waver as new rumors about the expeditionary force spread over time.

“They prohibit cannibalism?”

“They also prohibit human sacrifice?”

“They came to punish the Mexica?”

What caught the Tlaxcalan leaders’ attention was the last rumor:

—They came to punish the Mexica.

The Tlaxcalans had suffered the most damage from the Mexica who nested in Tenochtitlan. Therefore, their hatred toward the Mexica was beyond imagination.

“It might be good to join hands with the foreigners…”

“But…”

The reason they hesitated to ally with the expeditionary force was also the religious issue.

Though they suffered the most damage from Mexica human sacrifice, they too offered humans as sacrifice. There was only a difference in scale and frequency.

While Tlaxcalan leaders were pondering, the expeditionary force’s envoy sought them out.

The requirements conveyed by the envoy and surrenderees were much the same as what they had heard through rumors.

As the deadline proposed by the expeditionary force approached, the leaders couldn’t easily reach a conclusion.

At this, young warriors rose up.

“We must join hands with the foreigners!”

“We can’t miss this opportunity for revenge against the Mexica!”

“Is there anything wrong with what they said? How can gods that can neither prevent nor lift the curse be gods!”

The young warriors were losing faith in the gods they had believed in.

It was because of the curse that had swept the area starting from Tenochtitlan.

As the curse spread, the Mexica of Tenochtitlan offered incomparably more people as sacrifice than before, but couldn’t stop the curse.

And in Tlaxcala, which couldn’t escape the spreading curse, many lost their lives or were transformed into hideous forms.

Young warriors who had lost family or friends to this oncoming curse began doubting the gods they believed in.

The rumors about the expeditionary force also stimulated them.

If they joined hands with the expeditionary force that had defeated the Mexica—the strongest in this region—they could surely resolve their grievances.

These factors accumulated, causing the young warriors to rise up.

Under pressure from young warriors, the leaders finally decided to ally with the expeditionary force.

One of the leaders who made the decision smiled bitterly and muttered.

“‘How can gods that can’t prevent the curse be gods?’… It’s not wrong…”

***

With the leaders’ decision to ally, about 10,000 Tlaxcalan warriors joined the expeditionary force.

And they were just the beginning.

—Tlaxcala has joined hands with the foreigners!

As rumors of Tlaxcala’s choice spread, many surrounding tribes made similar decisions.

“This is our chance for revenge!”

“Those foreigners might make it possible!”

Tribes that sensed an opportunity for revenge had come quickly decided to ally with the expeditionary force and sent warriors.

As native tribal alliances accelerated, the expeditionary force grew ever larger.

Confirming the situation, Lee Jing-ok looked at his aide and joked.

“This is why they say not to live committing sins.”

At Lee Jing-ok’s words, the aide nodded.

“Indeed.”

The expeditionary force soldiers felt the same.

“Just how many crazy things must they have done for this to happen…”

“Well, considering what we saw along the way…”