Bang! Bang!
“Escape as quickly as possible with all your might!”
Admiral Ahn Sang-su, having shot down an approaching Aztec warrior with his reloaded pistol, shouted loudly to his subordinates.
But contrary to the admiral’s desperate wish, the Imperial forces couldn’t increase their escape speed.
One issue was the movement of the wagons, and the other was the Aztec warriors swarming from all directions—or more precisely, the Aztec warriors who had fallen dead or wounded on the ground.
To suppress the Aztec warriors swarming in groups at the front of the escape route, concentrated fire from the mounted firearms was necessary. Each time, the Imperial forces had to turn the lead wagon sideways, and each time, the procession had to stop.
The concentrated fire from the mounted firearms slaughtered the charging Aztec warriors. The problem was that the corpses of the dead Aztec warriors and those who had collapsed from severe injuries blocked the road.
No matter how large and solid the wheels of the Imperial wagons were, no matter how strong the horses pulling the wagons were, it was nearly impossible to pass through by trampling these bodies and wounded men blocking the road.
Therefore, whenever the road became blocked, riflemen had to rush out and clear the bodies and wounded to one side.
The problem was that about half of these riflemen who rushed out were assigned to guard duty.
This was to prepare for attacks from Aztec warriors disguised as corpses, from wounded Aztecs who still had strength left, and against possible ambushes.
As this situation repeated, the Imperial forces’ escape dragged on.
“Damn it! If we get bogged down here, we’re in big trouble!”
Admiral Ahn Sang-su deeply furrowed his brow at the situation that wasn’t working out.
His subordinates felt the same way.
Rat-tat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat-tat!
The Imperial soldiers cursed as they pulled their triggers at the Aztec warriors swarming from all directions.
“Damn it! It’s not like we disturbed an ant hill!”
“No matter how many we kill, there’s no end!”
“Kill if you want to live!”
As they fought this desperate battle, the Imperial forces soon gained unexpected allies.
They were men from neighboring tribes and slaves who had been brought in to be used as sacrifices.
“@#^ #@!”
“Huh?”
The Imperial riflemen, moving here and there to clear away the Aztec warrior corpses blocking the road, all aimed their guns at the urgent cries coming from one side.
There was a pen surrounded by a sturdy wooden stockade, and people with painted bodies were shouting at the Imperial warriors with knives and shackles on their necks and legs.
The Imperial soldiers initially intended to ignore them, but they stopped in their tracks at the desperate expressions and voices.
“Fuck it! I don’t know what they’re saying!”
Finally, Moegsoe, an Imperial soldier nearby, pulled out a small hand axe from his waist and struck the thick rope binding the entrance of the pen.
For Imperial Navy soldiers, a hand axe was one of the essential tools they had to carry.
It was the most useful tool when they needed to urgently repair a ship due to a storm or other accident, or when cutting ropes thrown by desperate pirates.
The rope was cut after two or three strikes from Moegsoe’s axe, and the pen’s door swung wide open.
The prisoners and slaves who came out through the opened door extended their knives, shackles, and handcuffs that were binding their bodies to Moegsoe.
“Damn! I save them and they ask for more help! Shit!”
Moegsoe, who had opened the pen, cursed as he cut the handcuffs and shackles of the prisoner who rushed forward first. After freeing the prisoner from his handcuffs and shackles, Moegsoe handed him the axe.
“Damn it! Now do it yourselves!”
Having finished what he considered his task, Moegsoe ran to rejoin the main force.
But Aztec warriors, not missing this opening, swarmed in, and Moegsoe pulled the trigger of the rifle he was carrying.
Bang! Click! Bang! Click! Click!
“Damn it!”
Moegsoe turned pale when he saw that his magazine was empty after firing just two shots. As the Aztec warriors charged with a war cry, the prisoners he had freed picked up macuahuitls that had fallen to the ground and rushed at the Aztec warriors.
After instantly suppressing the Aztec warriors around Moegsoe, the prisoners looked at him. Seeing their expressions clearly hoping to go with him, Moegsoe barked:
“Damn it! Follow me!”
***
With the prisoners joining, the Imperial retreat actually gained speed.
This was because the prisoners who joined the Imperial formation began to play a significant role.
They cleared the corpses of Aztec warriors killed by the mounted firearms and rifles to open the road, and wielded weapons against Aztec warriors attempting ambushes.
Especially when facing Aztec warriors, the prisoners looked like savage demons.
Their fierce and desperate appearance made even Admiral Ahn Sang-su unconsciously shake his head.
“How much resentment must they have… but I understand.”
It was certain that these prisoners were the source of the human flesh served in the banquet hall. Admiral Ahn Sang-su could understand how they must have felt, knowing their comrades had been turned into food and that they would surely meet the same fate.
“I suppose it’s fortunate they know not to go too far away?”
Although the prisoners charged recklessly whenever they saw Aztec warriors, as time passed, they didn’t stray far from the Imperial formation.
They too had realized that to escape this place, they couldn’t move far from the Imperial forces.
***
After this desperate struggle, the Imperial forces and prisoners were able to break through Tenochtitlan’s gate.
Seeing the long causeway and bridges leading to where the main force was positioned, Admiral Ahn Sang-su stretched his hand forward and ordered:
“Increase speed! Join with the main force!”
At Admiral Ahn Sang-su’s command, the wagons lined up in a single file and ascended the causeway.
While the horses pulling the wagons moved at a trot, Imperial riflemen and prisoners moved alongside the wagons, scanning left and right.
“Enemy!”
“Enemy!”
Bang! Rat-tat! Rat-tat-tat-tat!
As canoes carrying Aztec warriors swarmed from both sides of the causeway crossing the lake, the mounted firearms on the wagons began firing simultaneously.
“This terrain favors us! Suppress the enemy as efficiently as possible!”
Admiral Ahn Sang-su, commanding the troops, looked more at ease. As he had just said, this causeway was very advantageous terrain for them.
Although it was a single path, if one replaced the wagons running in a line and the soldiers arrayed on both sides with an Imperial warship, and the enemy’s wooden boats rushing across the lake with pirate ships or Ming warships, it resembled the naval battles the Imperial Navy had fought.
The Imperial Navy was invincible in naval battles fought on the open sea without cover to hide behind.
“If only we had ramming ships, this situation would have been over by evening! Come to think of it… armored towing vehicles would be perfect as ramming ships!”
Thinking of the armored towing vehicles used by the Imperial homeland army and looking slightly disappointed, Admiral Ahn Sang-su soon composed his expression and raised his voice:
“Think of the enemies as pirates! Our Imperial Navy has never lost to pirates! Sweep them away! We must pass through before they can sabotage this causeway! Don’t let them approach the causeway!”
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
As if responding to the admiral’s orders, the mounted firearms on the wagons furiously poured bullets at the canoes rushing from both sides.
Aztec warriors charging on canoes fell into the lake covered in blood from the gunfire. Canoes began to capsize in succession as the Aztec warriors steering them died and fell, causing the vessels to lose balance.
The tragedy for the Aztec warriors didn’t end there.
Whoosh! Boom! Crash!
Aztec warriors began to die in succession—either being torn to pieces along with their canoes by the water columns created when explosive shells fired by the Imperial forces waiting on the opposite side detonated, or falling unconscious into the water and drowning.
Amid such fierce battle, Lake Texcoco surrounding Tenochtitlan began to turn red.
***
Bang~. Rat-tat~.
“Gunfire!”
“Gunfire!”
When gunfire began to be faintly heard from the native city in the center of the lake, the Imperial main force maintaining vigilance in a circular formation was also put on alert.
Click! Click!
While the Imperial main force soldiers were urgently preparing for battle, trumpet and drum sounds could be faintly heard from the city in the center of the lake.
As soon as the trumpet and drum sounds began to be heard, the atmosphere among the Aztec warriors surrounding the area immediately changed.
“Wooooo~.”
As the Aztec warriors surrounding the area approached while raising their weapons high and shouting their warrior cry, Manho Park Su-min, in charge of commanding the main force, immediately issued orders:
“Fire!”
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
As the mounted firearms on the wagons arranged in a circular formation spewed fire in all directions, the front lines of the charging Aztec warriors began to collapse instantly.
“Fire explosive shells!”
Bang! Pop-pop!
At Manho Park’s command, the prepared launchers simultaneously fired explosive shells.
The explosive shells, fired at a high angle to deal with the approaching Aztec warriors, soared high into the sky and then fell into the middle of the Aztec warriors’ formation.
Boom! Crash!
Aztec warriors engulfed in the explosions of the shells fell to the ground without even being able to scream.
***
The area around the Imperial main force was instantly cleared by the explosions of the shells and the attacks from the mounted firearms.
The Aztec warriors, terrified by the Imperial firepower they were seeing for the first time, unconsciously retreated.
Having secured space, Manho Park ordered his soldiers:
“Change the circular formation to a crane wing formation! The entrance of the formation should face the entrance of that causeway! Secure the escape route for the admiral!”
“Yes, sir!”
Following Manho Park’s orders, the Imperial forces changed from a circular formation to a crane wing formation. After completing the formation change, the Imperial forces slowly approached the causeway.
Through this process, the Imperial main force became like a lid covering the causeway.
Seeing the Imperial forces led by Manho Park moving to secure the causeway for the admiral’s party’s escape, the Aztec warriors began to advance again.
Their goal was to surround the Imperial forces, who now had their backs to the lake in a desperate formation, from three sides.
“We might be surrounded if we’re not careful.”
To the subordinate officer’s concern, Manho Park snorted.
“What’s so scary about fellows with mere stone knives? Once the admiral arrives, we’ll immediately change to a goose formation and break through!”
Answering confidently, Manho Park ordered his subordinates:
“Fire explosive shells! Make those naked bastards piss themselves!”
“Yes, sir!”
Bang! Pop-pop-pop! Bang! Boom! Crash!
As Manho Park predicted, the explosive shells terrified the Aztec warriors.
The large objects that soared high and fell with loud noise created huge flames, smoke, and explosive sounds, turning nearby warriors into corpses.
As the brave warriors who had been terrorizing the surroundings died without even being able to fight properly, the Aztec warriors began to hesitate again.
“What kind of sorcery is this!”
“Priests! Call the priests!”
The warriors, who considered the explosions of the shells to be the result of sorcery, urgently looked for priests in the vicinity.
“Stop that sorcery!”
At the Eagle Warrior’s command, priests stepped forward holding staffs. However, these priests who stepped forward became targets for the riflemen.