The sun rose to its zenith, while the smoke from cooking fires never ceased. A thousand Tlaxcalan archers sat and squatted outside the post station, messily having their lunch. They had just formed up and trekked from the southern counties, their military bearing and discipline at the level of the kingdom's trained militia.
However, after enduring the exceptionally brutal eastern expeditions, the strict obedience at the garrison in Water Valley City, the long and uneasy migration of thousands of miles, and the arduous southern garrison and road-building within the kingdom… these Tlaxcalan archers, who had struggled to stand out, had completely erased any notion of tribal resistance and had become obedient and compliant, turning into a usable kingdom army.
"Hmm!... They understand reverence, follow orders, they're a good bunch of eagle hatchlings!..."
