Just as the native warriors belonging to the expeditionary force discovered the Mexica army, the Mexica scouts also spotted the native warriors.

The Jaguar Warrior leading the scouts immediately ordered a subordinate warrior.

“Tell them we’ve found those who we couldn’t find all this time.”

“Yes, sir.”

Watching the subordinate warrior head toward the rear, the Jaguar Warrior lightly smacked his lips.

“To think we’d meet those who’ve been hiding so well right here… If I do well, I might rise to Eagle Warrior. I could even wash away the stigma of being ‘Cursed’.”

The face of the Jaguar Warrior, who made no effort to hide his ambition, was severely pockmarked.

This Jaguar Warrior, now eager to capture the native warriors, was a survivor of the smallpox storm that had swept through the Mexica.

***

The mortality rate of the Mexica infected with smallpox exceeded half.

This was a very high mortality rate compared to about 30% in Europe and Asia.

Unlike Asians and Europeans who had developed immunity over thousands of years of exposure to smallpox, for the Mexica and surrounding natives, this was a disease they were experiencing for the first time.

Even those who survived were not in good condition.

Some lost their hearing or sight while suffering from high fevers, and many developed intellectual disabilities.

Even those who successfully weathered these dangers were left with pockmarked bodies. The only difference was whether the pockmarks were slight or severe; everyone was pockmarked.

Those with such hideous appearances soon came to be called the “Cursed Ones.”

And they faced discrimination regardless of gender, age, or status.

Afterward, the tribes surrounding the Mexica faced even more difficult times.

Previously, the Mexica primarily targeted warriors or young children.

This was to reduce the fighting force that could threaten them and to use them as sacrifices.

But after smallpox swept through, young women with clear skin were also captured and dragged to Tenochtitlan.

“Their bodies are sacred, having escaped the curse! For the sake of future generations, we must acquire them!”

This was to bear children for the Mexica.

***

Eagle Warriors, having heard the news through the subordinate warrior, rushed forward from the rear, leading their warriors.

“Where did they go?”

“That way.”

At the Eagle Warriors’ question, the Jaguar Warrior raised his hand and pointed ahead.

The Eagle Warriors all nodded as they looked in the direction the Jaguar Warrior was pointing.

“A good omen.”

“Indeed, a good omen.”

The Eagle Warriors had been extremely tense about potentially encountering the imperial army while advancing through the jungle. For them, the news of finding a tribe that had been hiding well was enough to be considered a good omen.

“We have enough warriors, so let’s attack immediately.”

“Agreed. The faster we move in such cases, the better. If we’re not careful, those who notice us might hide even deeper.”

“I concur.”

Having reached an agreement, the Eagle Warriors placed the group of Jaguar Warriors who had first discovered the native warriors at the front and began to move through the jungle.

Hoping to get their hands on women who had escaped the curse, the Mexica warriors began breaking through the jungle with all their might.

***

As they were advancing through the jungle with all their might, the Mexica warriors suddenly halted their steps.

At some point, the jungle that had been blocking their view disappeared, and beyond the wide clearing, instead of the natives they were targeting, there were different people gathered.

Moreover, they were wearing the colors of the foreigners who had inflicted terrible fear upon them and then vanished.

“Gasp!”

“They’ve already come this far!”

The warriors who stopped in shock immediately turned around. However, they became entangled with other Mexica warriors who had been running after them.

Just then.

Tweeeet!

Tatatatatang! Tatang! Tang! Tang!

Along with the shrill sound of a whistle, the guns of the expeditionary soldiers, starting with the light battle carts, all spewed fire simultaneously.

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

The Mexica warriors, confused and mixed together with those running forward and those trying to flee backward, were showered with the expeditionary force’s bullets and fell to the ground covered in blood.

“Eek! They are few in number! Fight!”

“Fight!”

The Eagle Warriors, backed into a corner, resolved to fight to the death and pushed their warriors forward.

“Your bodies have endured even the curse! Fight!”

“Let’s fight!”

At the Eagle Warriors’ exhortation, the warriors charged at the expeditionary force with determination to fight to the death.

It was an unavoidable choice for them.

For Mexica warriors, showing one’s back to the enemy was a disgrace.

Additionally, most of the warriors present were “Cursed Ones.” Already viewed unfavorably, if they were to flee in the face of the enemy, they could lose everything they had built up so far.

Therefore, they had no choice but to desperately charge at the expeditionary force.

Among them, the most desperate were the slave soldiers who made up the majority of the lower-ranked warriors.

Slave soldiers who accumulated merits in battle could escape their slave status. If they accumulated even more merit and became Jaguar Warriors, they could receive land and slaves. However, in the opposite case, they would return to being slaves working on farms or, in the worst case, become sacrifices.

Because they were backed into such a corner, they charged at the expeditionary force like moths to a flame.

Tang! Tatang! Tang! Tatatatatang!

Bang! Kwabang!

As sharp gunshots tore through the air and grenades exploded all around, Superintendent Ahn, the commander, continued to shout until his throat was raw, directing the troops.

“The bullet curtain on the left is thin! Reinforce the left!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Don’t spare grenades and bullets! Remember, if you try to save them, you’ll be the ones to die!”

“Yes, sir!”

After encouraging his subordinates and reinforcing areas where firepower had weakened, Superintendent Ahn soon let out a long breath.

“Whew… With this, we’ve more or less secured the upper hand.”

“Indeed. Congratulations, sir. This is the expeditionary force’s first victory.”

At his subordinate sergeant’s words, Superintendent Ahn shook his head.

“The battle isn’t over yet. We shouldn’t be prematurely optimistic. Is the reserve force ready?”

“Yes, sir.”

“To properly put the finishing touch on this battle, the reserve force is most important. Let’s check once more.”

“Yes, sir.”

At Superintendent Ahn’s order, the sergeant turned to assess the status of the reserve force.

Superintendent Ahn, sitting in the driver’s seat of the covered wagon used as a temporary command post, looked over the battlefield and muttered quietly.

“It would be best not to mobilize the reserve force… but it might be possible if done well.”

Superintendent Ahn was beginning to feel the temptation of the honor of being “the commander who won the expeditionary force’s first battle.”

Imagining his name appearing in reports that would go up to Emperor Wan and even Hyang, the Sovereign, Superintendent Ahn smiled slightly before leaping to his feet and shouting.

“Where are the fools who empty the right side when told to reinforce the left? Right! Reinforce the right side again!”

“Y-yes, sir!”

While Superintendent Ahn was rushing about dreaming of victory, on the opposite side, the Eagle Warriors commanding the Mexica warriors wore expressions of despair.

“We were too hasty…”

“Greed clouded our judgment…”

“We shouldn’t have rushed…”

The Eagle Warriors commanding the battlefield were now regretting their hasty decision.

“We should have notified the rear and waited for support.”

***

As soon as they received the report of discovering natives, the Eagle Warriors had sent messengers to the rear to report this and immediately moved forward.

Then, in their eagerness to capture the natives, they immediately decided to attack.

This was their critical mistake.

The Mexica were also aware of the expeditionary force’s arrival and had judged that the expeditionary force would move after the rainy season ended.

And they had gathered soldiers to intercept this expeditionary force.

Due to the mountain range in the middle, the routes were extremely limited. Added to this, since many soldiers had to move, it was possible to predict which path the expeditionary force would take.

Therefore, the Mexica army chose to move along the expected route of the expeditionary force.

Up to this point, it was an excellent choice. In fact, the expeditionary force did move along the route the Mexica had predicted.

However, their critical mistake was overlooking the speed at which the expeditionary force moved.

The Mexica pioneered through the jungle with dull stone or bronze tools, and transported most supplies, including food, using human power.

But the expeditionary force used cutting tools made of high-quality steel to pioneer the jungle. They also used carts pulled by horses and donkeys for transporting supplies.

Additionally, unlike the Mexica’s expectations, the expeditionary force had departed from the beachhead before the end of the rainy season, bringing them much closer than the Mexica had anticipated.

Unable to anticipate this, the Eagle Warriors made a fatal error.

Belated regret would not change the desperate situation.

Finally, the Eagle Warriors summoned nearby warriors with hand gestures and ordered.

“Go to the main force immediately and inform them of their arrival. Also tell them to prepare thoroughly.”

“Yes, sir.”

The lower-ranked warriors who heard the Eagle Warriors’ orders immediately disappeared into the jungle.

Having sent the messengers, the Eagle Warriors grabbed their weapons and plunged into the battlefield.

***

Tweet! Tweetweet!

“Cease fire!”

“Cease fire!”

Hearing Superintendent Ahn’s whistle, the soldiers removed their fingers from the triggers at the “cease fire” command.

“Clean up the battlefield!”

“Search for enemy survivors!”

At the orders of Superintendent Ahn and the commanders, the expeditionary soldiers searched the battlefield in pairs.

The soldiers poked the fallen Mexica soldiers with the bayonets attached to their muskets, searching for survivors.

To be precise, it wasn’t a search but rather finishing off any wounded Mexica who still had breath in them.

It was a very cruel action, but the expeditionary soldiers had no qualms about it. This was because they had volunteered for the expeditionary force to punish the Mexica who practiced the universally condemned acts of human sacrifice and cannibalism.

Watching the soldiers’ actions with a slightly furrowed brow, Superintendent Ahn ordered the lieutenant standing behind him.

“If I were the enemy commander, I would definitely have sent a messenger to the rear. Tell the native warriors to go out again and observe the enemy’s movements.”

“Yes, sir.”

Following Superintendent Ahn’s order, the native warriors began to move, holding their machetes.

“Cough… Ptui!”

After spitting on the corpse of a fallen Mexica warrior nearby, the native warriors slipped into the jungle, muffling their footsteps.

***

At the same time, Lee Jing-ok, who was in the rear, received a report from a messenger sent by the vanguard unit.

“So, we won?”

“Yes, sir.”

“That’s fortunate. How many casualties did we suffer?”

“Just a few with minor injuries, sir.”

“That’s good news. Is there anything else to add?”

“There’s a high possibility of a full-scale attack by the enemy, so fire support is needed.”

“That’s highly likely.”

Nodding in agreement, Lee Jing-ok ordered the messenger.

“Tell them that support will be prepared and sent immediately. You may go.”

“Yes, General!”

The messenger who heard Lee Jing-ok’s order saluted and then dashed back toward the vanguard.

“So it finally begins.”

After briefly looking toward where the vanguard was positioned, Lee Jing-ok soon gathered his staff officers.