The expedition force’s bombardment meticulously and relentlessly tore the Mexica army camp into pieces.
Such intensive bombardment was possible because the artillery units belonging to the expedition force were directly under the Imperial Army.
In this expedition, the core forces—the artillery units and the special forces Dark Strike Unit—were not expedition troops but the Empire’s regular army.
These were Imperial artillerymen who had received proper training and been honed into masters through numerous large and small battles.
Thanks to this, they could deliver frighteningly accurate bombardment using only information from the observation balloons.
As an aside, one scholar attached to the expedition force who witnessed this scene recorded in his diary:
—The Imperial artillery’s bombardment was nothing short of divine artistry.
Of course, one might argue whether bombardment—that merciless act taking countless lives—could be called art. But that merciless act saved countless allied lives.
How could we not praise it as divine artistry?
As the scholar said, the Imperial artillery’s bombardment was close to divine artistry.
The shells fired by Imperial artillerymen first obliterated the Mexica camp directly opposite the expedition force’s vanguard.
However, it was bombardment that carefully avoided putting the advancing expedition force’s vanguard within danger close range.
After thus shredding the front portion of the Mexica camp, Imperial artillerymen methodically advanced their barrage forward.
Under such meticulous and relentless bombardment that tore apart the Mexica army, the expedition force began pulverizing them completely.
With formations and command structure collapsed by bombardment and minds stunned by the explosions and shock, Mexica warriors helplessly crumbled under the expedition force’s gunfire and grenades.
***
In this battle that could be called either an annihilation battle or massacre, the weapons showing the strongest presence were the light fire carts and grenades.
“Targets to the front!”
Hearing his comrade’s shout, the light fire cart gunner immediately pulled the trigger toward the Mexica warriors ahead.
Rata-tat-tat-tat-bang!
“Reload!”
Bang! Bang! Rat-tat-bang!
While the light fire cart gunner who had emptied his magazine in an instant swapped magazines, surrounding comrades pulled triggers on their military long guns.
With just one firefight, the thirty-odd Mexica warriors clustered before one expedition squad were completely annihilated.
“Advance!”
Confirming the enemies’ annihilation, the squad leader led his subordinates charging forward.
In such repeated hit-and-run battles, the light fire cart was the ultimate support weapon.
Though manuals specified 30 rounds, only loading 28 rounds for smooth operation was the operational method learned through jungle combat.
Compared to the military fire cart’s standard 200-round ammunition box, it had seriously insufficient ammunition capacity, and the inconvenience of having to empty and replace magazines with each trigger pull made it a frustrating weapon.
However, it was the most reliable weapon for moving with them and creating walls of bullets when needed.
And the combination of light fire carts and long guns, having completely mastered the optimal tactics written in manuals through jungle battles, meshed like gears.
If light fire carts were the saw teeth crushing enemies, grenades were the hammers smashing them.
A grenade’s greatest weapons were shock waves and shrapnel.
If the gunfire from light fire carts and long guns made ears ring, grenade shock waves completely paralyzed hearing. And grenade shrapnel turned Mexica warriors’ bodies into rags.
***
Trained by Lee Jing-ok and commanders and refined through actual combat in the jungle, the expedition force was pulverizing the Mexica army’s anvil.
“This can’t be…”
Mexica army commander Atrukutu looked at the battlefield with an unbelieving expression.
When he first boldly promised Akon, he had been confident.
Though significant losses from the curse that struck the empire, the warriors he led were undefeated warriors proud of their battle reversals.
He hadn’t relied only on soldiers.
Atrukutu had also made his own preparations and waited for the enemy.
He first gathered survivors from the previous battle at Tenochtitlan, carefully listening to what weapons the enemies used and how they slaughtered warriors.
“‘They killed nearby warriors with flames and thunder’… Hmm…”
Hearing the warriors’ words, he spaced his warriors’ formation slightly wider than usual.
After finishing warrior positioning, Atrukutu called Tenochtitlan survivors to show them the formation.
“How is it?”
At his question, survivors compared with past memories and nodded.
“This looks adequate.”
“I see.”
Hearing the survivors’ words, Atrukutu looked confidently at the jungle, imagining the expedition force steadily approaching. He steeled his resolve.
“We were caught unaware at Tenochtitlan, but this time will be different.”
However, there was something he hadn’t anticipated.
At that time, the Imperial heavy weapons that drove Mexica warriors into terror at Tenochtitlan were just military fire carts and explosive shells, and even their numbers were the bare minimum for self-defense.
In contrast, the approaching expedition force was a properly equipped unit.
True to the Imperial Army’s reputation as ‘artillery-obsessed bastards’ and ‘artillery perverts’ from Ming and Japanese evaluations, the expedition force also had sufficient artillery power.
Simply put, the expedition force he would face carried far more cannons with longer range and greater power than the explosive shells.
***
Watching his warriors being torn apart now, Atrukutu screamed.
“This can’t be! This can’t be!”
Atrukutu violently denied his misjudgment.
But no matter how violently he denied it, reality was his defeat.
Bang! Boom-bang! Bang!
Rata-tat-tat-bang! Tat-bang! Bang!
“Aaahhh!”
Each time enemy weapons made thunderous noise, his precious subordinates either turned into mere chunks of meat or fell screaming miserably.
Finally, Atrukutu shouted to nearby subordinates.
“Retreat! Retreat! Signal the retreat!”
“Yes!”
Hearing the commander’s order, subordinates immediately began transmitting retreat orders.
Soon loud drumming and conch shell trumpet sounds echoed from the Mexica camp.
And this retreat order brought even greater disaster.
Under expedition force bombardment and gunfire, Mexica warrior formations had already collapsed, and warrior morale had hit rock bottom.
In this situation, retreat signals caused indiscriminate rout.
“Retreat! Retreat!”
“Run! Run away!”
Mexica warriors who lost reason immediately turned their backs and fled despite enemies being right before them.
“Maintain formation while retreating!”
“This is retreat, not rout! Keep order!”
Eagle Warriors and officers shouted frantically trying to prevent formation collapse, but once begun, the collapse was unstoppable.
Observation balloons monitoring the battlefield immediately reported via light signals.
—Enemy formation collapsed
***
“The enemy anvil is broken!”
At his subordinate’s report, Lee Jing-ok smiled grimly while looking around.
“A bit faster than expected. Seems their anvil was flimsier than thought.”
“Indeed!”
In the cheerful atmosphere, Lee Jing-ok issued orders.
“Order artillery to hit the fleeing bastards’ backs even harder.”
“Yes!”
“And prepare to send wagons through the secured route to load and move troops. One-third will pursue fleeing enemies, the remaining two-thirds will move to outflank their force. Remember, from now on we move faster.”
“Yes, General!”
“Ah! What are those targeting our flanks from the jungle doing?”
“They’ve almost completely stopped.”
“Huh?”
At the report that Akon’s force targeting the expedition force’s flanks had nearly stopped, Lee Jing-ok expressed puzzlement.
“What are they scheming?”
***
Lee Jing-ok wasn’t the only one questioning Akon’s movements.
Atrukutu, frantically issuing orders to prevent front-line collapse, glared at the jungle and shouted.
“Akon! Where is Akon now?”
If moving according to their original plan, Akon’s force should be striking the enemy flanks by now.
But the enemy’s movements showed no major changes.
This meant Akon’s force wasn’t yet engaging the enemy.
More puzzling was that despite continuously sending messengers, none returned.
“Where the hell is Akon…”
Bang!
Just as Atrukutu was about to vent again about Akon, a shell landed nearby.
Swept by the shock wave and rolling on the ground, Atrukutu looked around dazedly.
His proud warriors were not only fleeing with their backs turned but even throwing away weapons as they ran.
Warriors who maintained pride to the end while facing enemies were falling bloodied to the ground under enemy attacks.
Watching this scene blankly, Atrukutu turned to look at the jungle.
Seeing the triumphant expedition force continually emerging from the jungle, Atrukutu realized what had happened.
“You deceived me! Akon! You deceived me!”
Akon had met the expedition force first. Being clever, Akon would have realized their current forces couldn’t face the expedition force.
Yet Akon had presented him with this plausible operation of dividing armies to face the enemy.
And he had swallowed it whole.
Ultimately, Akon had made Atrukutu and his force sacrifices while planning his own escape.
“It was a trap…”
Realizing Akon’s plan, Atrukutu smiled bitterly.
By now Akon would have finished preparing to return—no, flee—to Tenochtitlan with his subordinates.
Even if he survived to return and called it Akon’s conspiracy, Akon would certainly answer:
“His force collapsed too quickly, forcing our retreat! It’s all his responsibility!”
Using his macuahuitl as a staff, Atrukutu struggled to his feet, muttering.
“Even if I return, I’m already dead. Then… Whew!”
Taking a deep breath, Atrukutu charged forward shouting.
“Warriors! We are Mexica warriors! Protect your pride! Charge! Follow me!”
Seeing Atrukutu charging toward the expedition force with war cries, many warriors turned to assault the expedition force.
Half to protect warrior pride, the other half in desperate resignation that escape was impossible anyway.
“Waaaahhh!”
Watching Mexica warriors charging with throat-tearing war cries, the expedition force silently pulled their triggers.
Rata-tat-tat-tat-tat-bang! Bang! Tat-bang! Bang!