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[ENG] Campaign: Montezuma #6 Broken Spears · Start the game already!

0:28
All right, my friends, the time has come.
0:30
Music. In this episode, I'm going to
0:32
tell you about the end of the Aztec campaign, the point where
0:37
the independent Aztec Empire comes to its dramatic close.
0:42
Up until now, the story of the Aztecs has actually been quite a
0:45
successful one. Most recently, they even managed
0:49
to drive the Spanish conqueror Nan Cortez out of Tenochtitlan
0:54
during the infamous Noche Triste the Sad night chasing him all
0:58
the way into the Mexican jungle east of Lake Texcoco.
1:02
The Aztecs finally caught up with the Spaniards, but then
1:06
came disaster. On July 7th, 1520, they stumbled
1:11
right into a Spanish ambush at the Battle of Ottumba.
1:14
The Aztecs were defeated, forced to retreat back to Tenochtitlan,
1:18
while the Spanish barely escaped and made it to their allies, the
1:22
TLEX Caltex, where they could recover.
1:26
Now, the relationship between the Tax Caltex and the Aztecs is
1:29
important here. These two peoples were bitter
1:32
enemies, something like sworn rivals.
1:35
So when the Tax Caltex had to choose between fighting against
1:38
the Spanish or joining forces with them, they figured better
1:43
to allow with the newcomers than to face the Aztecs alone again.
1:47
And so the Tax Caltex and the Spanish teamed up to take on the
1:50
mighty Aztec Empire. But while the Aztecs managed to
1:54
hold their enemies at Bay for a while, they were struck by a
1:58
different invisible enemy, one they didn't even know existed.
2:02
The Spanish had unknowingly brought smallpox with them, a
2:06
highly contagious virus that was completely new to the Aztecs.
2:10
Their immune system had no defence, and countless people
2:13
died because of this disease. The epidemic tore through their
2:18
population, wounding the Aztec Empire more deeply than any
2:22
battle ever could. In fact, both sides, Aztecs,
2:26
Spanish, and their allies, needed time to recover.
2:30
In Tenochtitlan, the Aztecs were fighting to contain the smallpox
2:33
outbreak, to rebuild their supplies, and to restore order
2:37
in the city. In September 1520, they
2:41
appointed a new ruler, Kwakhtemoc, who's also the
2:44
narrator of our campaign. Meanwhile, the Spanish were
2:48
healing up as well, and by the time the epidemic finally ended
2:52
in December, they had been given exactly what they needed time.
2:58
Time to regroup, time to plan, and even time to receive
3:01
reinforcements from both Cuba and Spain.
3:05
Now, piercing together the exact order of events is a little
3:09
tricky. Different sources tell different
3:11
stories. My own take is this.
3:14
During this period, Cortez sent one of his most trusted men,
3:18
Diego de Ordaz, back to Spain. His mission?
3:22
To present Cortez's story to the Spanish court and secure him the
3:26
official title of Governor of New Spain.
3:30
And here's something fascinating.
3:31
When I looked closer at Diego de Ordaz's role, I finally
3:35
understood just how deeply other indigenous people despised the
3:40
Aztecs. There are reports that, for
3:43
example, the Tlexical texts were genuinely grateful to Diordas
3:47
just because he stepped in more than once to stop acts of Aztec
3:51
abuse and violence against them. To much of Mexico, the Aztecs
3:56
weren't heroic rulers. They were seen as cruel
3:59
overlords with overwhelming power.
4:02
To some, the Spanish didn't look like invaders at all, but almost
4:06
like liberators. Of course, we need to keep in
4:09
mind that many of our sources were written by Spanish by the
4:13
Spanish themselves, so the narrative is biased.
4:16
Still, it's very likely that a lot of people in Mexico were
4:20
hoping for the Aztecs reign to finally come to an end.
4:24
And that brings us back to Cortez and his big master plan
4:28
in the safety of Tlak Scala. He ordered massive amounts of
4:32
timber to be cut for shipbuilding.
4:34
Why you may ask? Well, because his plan was to
4:38
turn Tenochtitlan's greatest strength, the fact that it was
4:42
built on an island against itself.
4:45
You see, Tenochtitlan was nearly impossible to conquer by land.
4:49
It was a city on a man made island in Lake Texcoco,
4:52
connected to the mainland only by a few causeways.
4:55
Cortez realized if he could control the waters around the
4:59
city he could cut the Aztecs off completely.
5:03
Even if the Spanish couldn't storm the city by force, the
5:06
Aztecs would eventually starve. So starting in February 1521,
5:12
Cortezanist Lex Callen allies began attacking smaller towns
5:16
around Lake Texaco to secure safe access to the water.
5:20
This also cut off Aztecs from vital tribute payments,
5:23
especially food. By mid-april they dealt another
5:27
blow by defeating Sochimilko, which at the time was the Aztecs
5:31
most important ally. Piece by piece the wood for the
5:34
ships was hauled to the lake thanks to the back breaking
5:38
labour of the Texaco attacks. By the end of April the Spanish
5:42
had built 13 large ships fully armed with cannons.
5:46
With these ships Cortez now had a secure base on Lake Texaco
5:51
from which to attack Tenochtitlan and his gamble paid
5:54
off. The naval blockade worked.
5:57
The Aztecs were isolated, unable to bring new supplies into the
6:01
city. By May 1521, the full scale
6:04
siege of Tenochtitlan had begun. And with that, we've bridged the
6:09
gap between the last mission on of our campaign and this final
6:13
one. And this mission will relive the
6:15
siege itself. Still through the eyes of the
6:18
Aztecs, of course. Passed down to you by Guo Demuk,
6:22
Emperor of Tenochtitlan. The Spanish will return soon.
6:26
I had hoped that Cortez would continue fleeing back from
6:29
whence he came, but he had stopped to regroup at Lashkala.
6:33
I imagine that he could not stand the thought of returning
6:36
to Spain while we still had treasuries of gold hidden from
6:39
him. Still dreaming of gold and
6:42
glory, the Spanish pledged themselves to another assault on
6:45
Penultitlan. In Lashkala, Cortez constructed
6:50
many war boats on dry land. Then he had the crafts broken
6:54
down and carried through the rainforests, only to be rebuilt
6:58
on Lake Teshkoco. He knows that my Aztec warriors
7:01
can defend the bridges leading into Tenochtitlan, but we are
7:05
vulnerable from the water. I called the warriors to one
7:10
final battle. The priests attempted to
7:13
encourage the troops by calling upon the Aztecs to defend their
7:17
ancient gods and their glorious city.
7:21
They sent up smoke signals to declare that the Aztecs were
7:24
ready for war. As I climbed the steps of the
7:26
great temple and sounded the shell trumpet, Tenochtitlan
7:30
would be under siege soon, and the brave Aztecs would die
7:34
before we would see her captured.
7:36
Well then, let's try to do the impossible to stop the
7:40
inevitable and prevent the Spanish conquest of
7:43
Tenochtitlan. Our goal is clear, defeat the
7:46
Spaniards and their allies that Glaxo Tex.
7:50
This mission, the Spanish are actually split into two
7:53
opponents. On the one hand, we'll be facing
7:55
Cortez's land army, and on the other his fleet.
7:59
And of course, the third enemy on the map is the Tax Caltex.
8:03
The stage for this final battle is, naturally, Tenochtitlan and
8:07
the surrounding lands. The map is exactly the same one
8:12
we saw back in Mission 4, LA Noche Triste, only this time,
8:16
instead of trying to capture Tenochtitlan, will be defending
8:20
it against the invaders. That means it's a water map,
8:24
with Tenochtitlan itself sitting as an island right in the
8:27
center. Tenjitlan is heavily fortified.
8:31
There's towers and castles and gates guarding the three
8:34
causeways that stretch WS&E toward the mainland.
8:39
Although there's no walls, because Tenjitlan had no walls,
8:43
it is pretty much unaccessible for the enemy.
8:47
The starting situation for the Aztecs here feels very true to
8:51
history. We have no allies to call upon,
8:54
and we're trapped in Tenochtitlan, surrounded on both
8:57
land and water. Yes, there are resources in the
9:00
city, but they are limited. We're essentially playing
9:03
against a ticking clock. There's also the Aztec wander
9:07
inside Tenochtitlan, and according to the mission
9:10
description, we must defend it at all costs.
9:14
If it falls, the morale of our warriors will collapse.
9:18
Now, personally, my gut tells me that if the enemy manages to
9:22
push that deep into the city, I've probably already lost
9:26
anyway. So my plan is to never let it
9:29
get that far in the 1st place. But there's a catch.
9:32
If I'm seeing this correctly, the wonder can also be attacked.
9:36
It can be ranged from the water by enemy Canyon galleons.
9:40
That means I can't afford to ignore the Spanish fleet for too
9:44
long. Fitting for a climactic,
9:46
decisive battle. We start out already in the
9:50
Imperial age. Tenochtitlan is well built up,
9:53
with lots of structures available to produce units.
9:56
There's a major handicap. I'm limited to just 100
10:01
population. That makes this mission way
10:03
tougher. Usually in campaign missions,
10:06
low population cap just means that the game drags out longer,
10:10
but here it actually makes sense.
10:13
Remember, many Aztecs had already died, either from
10:16
smallpox or at the Battle of Otumba, so it's realistic that
10:20
we can't field huge armies anymore.
10:23
The real challenge is obvious. With only 100 units total,
10:27
including villages, I'll have to fight three different opponents
10:31
at once, one of them attacking me even from the water.
10:35
Honestly, that's too much for my taste.
10:38
So my strategy is to focus on either land or naval dominance,
10:42
but not both at once. Now, the case for going heavy on
10:46
water is a strong one. If I can beat the Spanish fleet,
10:50
my wonder should be relatively safe.
10:53
The Spanish Navy patrols the lake with galleys and cannon
10:56
galleons, and their docks are protected by some towers.
10:59
But here's what my scouts discovered.
11:02
There might be a weak point. It looks like there's a spot
11:05
where I could land unnoticed and strike the fleet from behind.
11:10
That's important because the Causeway leading to their naval
11:12
base has been destroyed. We demolished the Southern
11:15
Causeway to slow the Spanish advance.
11:18
The case for focusing on land though is also pretty strong.
11:21
For one, I can start producing those troops immediately.
11:24
I don't have any dogs. Well, I have one or two I
11:28
believe, but that's not a lot and let alone the upgrades I
11:32
need for the ships. And on top of that, the opponent
11:35
labeled Cortez Fleet doesn't only consist of ships, they've
11:39
got land forces too, which means I'd need ground units anyway.
11:44
So that's settled it. I decided to begin the fight on
11:48
land. Remember I mentioned the three
11:50
causeways leading from our city out toward the enemy positions?
11:55
Two of them are still passable. Cortez's main army is stationed
11:59
and to the northwest of Tenochtitlan.
12:01
They fortified their camp with walls and castles, and my scouts
12:05
spotted Knights, Conquistadors, missionaries, and bombard
12:09
cannons. They also have transport ships
12:11
at the ready, so if they can't breakthrough via the Causeway,
12:16
they'll probably try to land somewhere else.
12:19
Meanwhile, the Clexical tax attack across the southern
12:22
Causeway. Their base is poorly defended,
12:25
which makes them the most tempting first target for me.
12:29
With that plan in mind, I kicked off the mission the way you
12:33
always should with a bit of booming.
12:35
I built up about 60 villagers and then grabbed every upgrade I
12:39
could. Elite eagle warriors, Elite
12:41
Jaguar warriors. The Garland was upgrade 4 + 4
12:45
attack on my infantry to free myself up to focus on the Plex
12:49
Caltex. I wanted my flanks as secure as
12:52
possible, so I placed castles in the southeast to hold back the
12:57
fleet and another in the northwest to slow down the
13:00
Spanish pushing in. Both enemies struggled heavily
13:04
against those castles. I I kind of feel like devs
13:07
weren't prepared for such a defensive strategy, so I was
13:11
able to stall them pretty effectively.
13:13
My first offensive in the southwest targeted a small
13:16
island where the TLEX Caltex had two barracks.
13:20
I wiped those out, then pressed further South to take them down
13:24
completely. They did have two castles and a
13:26
town centre, so I had to bring in trebuchets and keep them
13:30
protected as well. But it went well.
13:33
So well in fact, that I got a bit overconfident.
13:37
I tried to launch a simultaneous attack against the Spanish and
13:40
the West, but that failed spectacularly.
13:44
They sniped my trips one after the other and the whole push
13:48
collapsed. We have returned for the rest of
13:51
your gold. Surrender now or feel the wrath
13:54
of our bombards. Still, that was only a minor set
13:58
back. Once I had finally crushed the
14:00
Flax Caltex, I could March that same army northward to tear down
14:05
the Spanish fortifications in the West.
14:08
After that, I turned my attention to the rest of the
14:11
Spanish land army stationed further in the north.
14:15
That part wasn't too difficult, just a little slow since my
14:19
troops had to trek up there first.
14:22
When they finally reached the Causeway and charged the
14:25
invaders, it felt almost cinematic, like I was seeing a
14:28
reenactment of LA Noche Triste. My units clashed with a Spanish
14:33
head on and when the enemy finally gave up, I felt this
14:37
little wave of relief wash over me.
14:40
You are postponing the inevitable.
14:42
The time of the Aztec Empire has passed.
14:45
Look to us as your new rulers. That left only the Spanish
14:49
fleet. They were stuck with the same
14:51
problem I had with the Causeway destroyed.
14:54
They couldn't reach Tenochtitlan directly, and because I'd built
14:57
castles along the shoreline, they also couldn't just land
15:01
freely on my island. I did lose a castle or two to
15:05
their Canon galleons, but at least I bought myself enough
15:07
time to finally deal with the fleet on my own terms.
15:12
The scouts had reported that there might be a safe landing
15:15
spot across the lake, so I set out to find it while putting
15:19
together a small fleet of my own.
15:22
Of course, that meant retiring a large part of my land army to
15:25
make room in the population cap, and when I saw you retiring, I
15:30
might have. Let's just say I might have
15:35
dedicated them to the gods by pressing the delete button on my
15:39
keyboard. Well, I needed to make space, so
15:43
this was the only way since I couldn't just let them run into
15:49
the enemy. Actually, I probably could have.
15:51
I just had to build a few transport ships and sent them
15:54
over. Why didn't I think of that, that
15:57
that just came to me? I mean, even if the Spanish
16:00
fleet had sunk my transport ships, that's still the same as
16:03
me deleting them. But for some reason I felt this
16:07
would be the fastest way. Just make room for pop space and
16:10
then start building my own fleet.
16:13
Anyway, that's what I did. The problem though is that
16:18
building a fleet is quite expensive, especially in terms
16:21
of gold, which was starting to run dangerously low.
16:25
So I scouted outside of Tennant St. land for for new deposits
16:29
and I struck lucky. I found some gold on an island
16:33
in the north where I quickly sent a few villagers to mine.
16:36
Along the way I also stumbled upon 3 Spanish cannon galleons
16:40
that have been abandoned. The Spanish must have abandoned
16:43
these warships during their flight from Tenochtitlan.
16:46
Now we will use them to bring death to the Spanish by sea.
16:50
To be honest, I wouldn't know why the Spanish would abandoned
16:55
their ships that they had under very very hard labor just built
17:01
in this lake, but I'll take it. I would have loved to have those
17:06
ships earlier to be honest, but hey, better later than never.
17:10
My scouts had already warned me that the Spanish docks were
17:13
guarded by towers, so the captured galleons would
17:15
definitely come in handy. And let's be honest, it always
17:19
feels amazing to turn the enemy's own weapons against
17:22
them. Fueled by this fresh gold, I
17:25
built up a Navy focusing mainly on fast fire ships.
17:29
Against those, the Spanish galleys didn't stand a chance.
17:33
They were also kind of trapped in the lake and couldn't retreat
17:36
very far, so 1 by 1 I burnt their ships down.
17:41
But then I made a discovery that I wasn't really thrilled about.
17:46
Cortez's fleet turned out to be way more than just ships, they
17:50
had serious land support as well.
17:53
They started to convert my ships from the coastline with Spanish
17:58
missionaries, and worst of all, my 3 precious cannon galleons
18:02
were sniped so fast I didn't even realize they were gone
18:06
until I started to, you know, press my hot key.
18:09
And nothing happened. It was just too late.
18:12
And for everyone familiar with the Aztec tech tree, they get
18:17
neither cannon galleons nor dromans, so those 3 cannon
18:22
galleons were actually very important.
18:25
By the time I had cleared out the Spanish ships, I wanted to
18:29
use my cannon galleons to blast their bombard towers, but, well,
18:33
I didn't have any left. That was frustrating.
18:35
It meant I'd have to cross with land units after all.
18:39
The big issue. By then I had whittled my
18:42
villagers down to about 20 and reassigned most of them to wood
18:47
and gold, assuming I'd only need resources for water combat.
18:51
On top of that, I may or may not have deleted my Igloo Jaguar
18:56
Warriors as I said, to make room for nearly 60 ships.
19:00
Let's just say when you already have total naval dominance, 60
19:04
ships is probably a little bit overkill.
19:08
With the 100 pop cap I had to rebuild from scratch.
19:12
Thankfully I kept my 5 trebuchets alive.
19:16
I wasn't about to delete those, that's for sure, because they
19:19
were hell of expensive and you never know when a trip will save
19:23
the day. I never did find the so-called
19:26
safe landing spot, so instead I gambled on something risky.
19:31
I loaded up my troops on transport ships and sailed
19:34
straight between two towers. My traps squeezed into a tiny
19:38
patch of safe ground right in between those two tile towers
19:42
while my heroic Eagle warriors threw themselves into the line
19:45
of fire to buy some time. From there I began my land
19:49
campaign. The Spanish had built up a
19:52
proper settlement here, to my surprise, complete with a strong
19:56
economy, and they fought back with everything they had.
20:00
They swam my siege with Halbedias, conquistadors, and
20:04
battering ramps, and all clearly aimed at taking out my
20:08
trebuchets, since they must have realized I had no way to handle
20:12
their castles and towers otherwise.
20:15
And sadly, they succeeded. They managed to push me back,
20:19
though they took massive losses in the process.
20:22
They hurled their entire army as me in a desperate, heroic
20:27
defence. And in the end they did win that
20:30
round. But not for long.
20:33
I regrouped, ferried over another army, and this time
20:37
brought some villagers along too.
20:39
I built barracks right on Spanish soil so I could produce
20:42
reinforcements on the spot. No way was I going to repeat my
20:46
earlier mistake with my Eagle Warriors.
20:48
I focused hard on cutting down their Rams, which endlessly
20:52
targeted my precious trips. Finally, finally, I smashed
20:56
through this last stronghold. We have done it.
21:00
Tinotchitlan stands and the armies of Cortez are defeated.
21:04
The Aztec Empire has triumphed, for now.
21:08
And so in the end, I succeeded in defending Tinotchitlan
21:12
against the Spanish and their allies in a bloody, glorious and
21:16
wildly dramatic battle. The Aztec gods received many
21:20
sacrifices that they and they smiled down upon us.
21:25
Not so long ago, some 500,000 people called the Nostitlan
21:30
home. It is difficult to recall that
21:33
this smoking ruin was once an endless city.
21:37
Yet we will rebuild. We created this island upon
21:41
which our city and temple stand, and we can do it once more.
21:48
The Aztec Empire has endured its greatest challenge yet.
21:52
The Spanish may return in the future.
21:55
I am not certain that there is a place for us in this new world.
21:58
I could ask the gods for a hint of the future, but no doubt that
22:02
would lead to more sacrifice, and I think there has been
22:05
enough death for now. My people composed a poem to
22:09
commemorate this Great War that we have survived, and yet
22:13
perhaps still not one. Broken Spears lie in the roads
22:19
we have tore in our hair in grief.
22:22
The houses are roofless now, and their walls are red with blood.
22:28
So says Guatemuk, Emperor of the Nosticlan.
22:33
It's a fitting end for the Aztec campaign, a very satisfying one.
22:38
But of course, as you all know, that's not at all how history
22:42
really turned out. So before we get into some of
22:45
the unique features of this final mission and then reflect
22:48
on the campaign as a whole, let me tell you one last time how
22:53
the story of the Aztecs actually continued.
22:56
The siege of Tenochtitlan by the Spanish and their Flax Caltech
23:00
allies began in May 1521. You already know the Spanish
23:05
strategy. They encircled the Aztecs inside
23:08
their own city, cutting them off from the outside world.
23:12
The Aztecs, however, fought back fiercely, not only for their
23:16
city, but for their very survival.
23:18
And at first they had their successes.
23:21
At the end of June, Spanish and lexical attack soldiers were
23:25
defeated on one of the causeways.
23:27
True to form, the Aztecs did what they always did with
23:30
prisoners. They sacrificed their captives
23:33
and even their horses. This was a serious blow to the
23:36
Spanish, since they lost not only men but also valuable
23:40
weapons and horses. But Cortez seemed to have
23:45
endless luck. In July, yet another group of
23:48
reinforcements arrived from Spain, a force described in the
23:51
sources as large, though the exact number isn't given.
23:57
They landed in Veracruz, bringing in with them shipments
24:00
of ammunition and new horses. This fresh wave of troops was
24:04
absolutely critical for Cortez's continued efforts to conquer
24:09
Tenochtitlan, arguably even decisive.
24:13
Remember Diego de Ordaz, the man Cortez had sent back to Spain?
24:17
It seems he had fulfilled his mission, because otherwise this
24:21
reinforcement from Spain is quite hard to explain.
24:25
According to the chronicles written by the conquistadors
24:27
themselves, the siege of Tenochtitlan lasted about 7 or 8
24:32
months, 7 long months during which the Aztecs, isolated and
24:37
starving in their own city, resisted with all their might.
24:42
That's seven months that serve as a testament not just to their
24:46
fighting spirit, but also to the sheer architectural and
24:50
logistical genius of the city of Tenochtitlan itself.
24:55
Some sources even claim the siege dragged on so long because
24:58
Cortez wanted to present the city as intact as possible to
25:03
his king. Allegedly, he even tried
25:05
diplomacy to persuade the Aztecs to surrender.
25:09
But honestly, I don't really buy that.
25:11
For one, Cortez knew full well that the Aztecs would fight
25:15
bitterly to the death. And second, after they finally
25:20
won, the Spanish still went on to almost completely destroy the
25:23
city when there was no need for that.
25:26
That hardly lines up with the idea that he ever truly wanted
25:29
to preserve it. As the siege stretched on, of
25:33
course, other cities in the region took notice.
25:37
Many of them had suffered under Aztec rule, and so they decided
25:41
to join the Spanish and bolster their forces.
25:45
One source even reports that Cortez sent soldiers throughout
25:48
the countryside to announce the siege of Tenor Jitlan and the
25:52
restoration of peace under his leadership.
25:56
If that's true, it was a clever move.
25:59
At best it could bring more fighters to his cause, and at
26:02
worst it still boosted the Spaniards reputation.
26:06
And for those of you who care deeply about historical
26:08
accuracy, let me add a little technical detail.
26:12
It is documented that Cortez equipped the ships he used on
26:16
Lake Texcoco with mounted arbalists.
26:20
In Age of Empires 2. The Spanish actually have the
26:22
weakest arches in the entire game.
26:26
They can't even upgrade their arches to crossbowmen, let alone
26:29
arbalists. Historically though, Cortez's
26:32
army included 84 horsemen, 194 arbalists and hand Gunners, hand
26:39
cannoneers, and 650 infantry. So yes, he pushed that
26:44
population cap way up. But even more impressive were
26:48
his allies. Over 20,000 native warriors
26:52
fought alongside him. And here's something that often
26:55
gets swept under the rug in the history books.
26:58
Things weren't always so rosy for the Spaniards allies.
27:02
In fact, the Spaniards were heavily involved in slave trade,
27:06
reportedly holding multiple auctions to ship enslaved people
27:11
from Mexico overseas. So it's not really a surprise
27:15
that this eventually led to an assassination plot against
27:19
Cortez. He found out in time, though,
27:22
and afterwards it's said he never went anywhere without a
27:26
sizeable personal guard. So what did the fighting
27:30
actually look like? Let's start with an early
27:33
example, the Battle of Clacopan, which took place fairly early on
27:37
in the siege. The Spanish tried to push
27:40
forward across one of the causeways, but the Aztecs
27:44
managed to drive them back by attacking from both sides.
27:48
Get this? With their canoes.
27:50
Now you might be thinking, wait a second, canoes.
27:54
How on earth are canoes supposed to stand up against warships?
28:00
And the short answer is, they can't, at least not if the
28:03
warships are actually engaged in the fighting.
28:06
But here's the cat Cortez's fleet consisted of 13 large
28:11
sailing ships, and of course, they could only move when the
28:15
wind was favorable. In the long run, yes, the
28:18
Spaniards managed to secure naval dominance, but in the
28:21
meantime, the Aztecs thousands of canoes gave them much greater
28:26
mobility. The Aztecs also had an advantage
28:30
of fighting on home turf. They knew the terrain far better
28:34
than the Spanish, and they filled it with traps.
28:38
For example, they dug deep pits in the shallow waters so that
28:42
heavily armored Spaniards would fall in and drown.
28:46
But once the Spanish gained control over the water, they
28:50
could use their ships to land in areas the Aztecs hadn't
28:53
fortified, simply because no one expected the Spanish ships to
28:58
get there in the first place. This made Kwak Temak's defence
29:02
strategy far more complicated than he anticipated.
29:06
Still, the Aztecs weren't just on the defensive, especially at
29:10
night. They launched surprise raids
29:12
against their enemies, sometimes simultaneously at different
29:16
camps. In these well coordinated
29:18
attacks they killed some of their opponents and also raided
29:22
them for food and then retreated back to Tenochtitlan for safety.
29:28
By this point the Spanish had made hardly any progress in
29:32
their siege and were growing increasingly nervous.
29:36
Which brings us to the second key example of the fights, the
29:40
Battle of Colguacatorn Kor on June 30th in 1521.
29:46
This one was a major victory for the Aztecs, and honestly, I have
29:51
good reason to believe that in this campaign mission, this is
29:55
the battle we're actually replaying.
29:57
Not the very end of the war, but this exact moment.
30:01
Here's what happened. After enduring constant Aztec
30:05
raids, Cortez felt compelled to launch a full scale assault.
30:11
His advisors were split. Some urged him to go for it.
30:14
Others warned that it might stretch their lines too thin and
30:19
leave occupied areas vulnerable to counter attacks by the
30:22
Aztecs. In the end, however, Cortez went
30:26
ahead with the attack. He ordered his forces split into
30:29
three groups to advance along the three main streets leading
30:32
to the Templo Mayor. Which in the game is the wonder
30:36
of the the Aztecs and the Great Marketplace.
30:40
That division meant that each group was effectively fighting
30:44
in isolation, unable to quickly share information about how
30:48
things were going elsewhere. Pretty much exactly like what
30:52
happened in the campaign mission.
30:54
Even if the in game factions don't map perfectly to the real
30:58
ones, this similarity is quite astounding.
31:03
Cortez himself led the largest continent and at first things
31:07
went surprisingly well for the Spanish.
31:10
The Aztec defenders retreated deeper into the city, which of
31:14
course felt like a victory to the Spanish.
31:16
But it also meant that they had to leave behind their horses,
31:21
because going deeper into the city meant that the streets
31:24
streets got some more narrow and twisting.
31:27
By the time they reached the marketplace in the city center,
31:31
Cortez claims he already suspected something was off.
31:35
It seemed far too easy to advance this far into the city.
31:40
And he was right. For the second time, Cortez had
31:43
been lured into the city, and this time the Aztecs had
31:47
prepared an enormous ambush. And once again the Aztecs showed
31:52
up with canoes. These canoes were filled with
31:55
warriors searched through the canals of the city, cutting off
32:00
the invaders escape. The ground also had been
32:03
deliberately turned into thick mud, causing the heavily
32:07
armoured Spanish to slip and struggle to defend themselves.
32:11
And that wasn't all. The Aztecs had lined the shores
32:15
with wooden stakes, preventing Spanish reinforcements from
32:18
landing. The ships literally ran aground
32:22
on these barriers. Absolute genius warfare in my
32:26
opinion, and it ties in perfectly once again with what I
32:31
experienced in this campaign mission.
32:33
Cortez's fleet would never manage to land on Tenochtitlan
32:37
either, although that may have been because of the castles that
32:41
I built along the shore. When it became clear the battle
32:45
was lost, Cortez tried to order a retreat.
32:48
But here's where the flaw in his plan really showed.
32:52
With the three divisions separated, communication was a
32:55
nightmare. While one of the groups was
32:58
already set in the trap, the others were still approaching
33:02
the trap, unknowing what was ahead of them.
33:05
The Aztecs even managed to capture Cortez himself, but his
33:10
men fought desperately to free him, suffering huge losses in
33:14
the process. Some of his best men had to die
33:17
in order to save Cortez from the Aztecs.
33:21
In the end, the surviving Spanish and Lex Caltex were
33:24
forced to flee the city under heavy losses.
33:28
And according to the sources, all of this unfolded within just
33:32
a few hours. A gigantic trap set by the
33:35
Aztecs. Well knowing how the Spanish
33:39
would approach an all in assault on Tenochtitlan.
33:43
Cortez almost lost his life that day, quite possibly being
33:47
sacrificed like so many of the countless captives the Aztecs
33:51
took during that battle. Eventually the Aztecs decided to
33:55
launch a massive counter offensive against the Spanish
33:58
and their tax calen allies. If it had worked, the political
34:02
fallout could have been enormous.
34:04
The Allies might have abandoned Cortez entirely if he couldn't
34:08
prove he was able to protect them from the Aztec attacks.
34:12
For nearly two weeks, the Spanish held out under constant
34:17
pressure, and in the end they managed to survive, not through
34:21
superior planning, but once again thanks to Cortez's absurd
34:26
good luck. By mid-july, when their
34:29
gunpowder supplies were running dangerously low, a Spanish ship
34:34
landed in Veracruz, the Spanish space on Mexico's East Coast
34:39
that had been founded back in 1519.
34:42
According to the American historian Prescott, this ship
34:46
actually came from the expedition of Juan Ponte de
34:49
Leon, who had just wrapped up his ventures in Florida.
34:53
On board were exactly what Cortez needed, barrels of
34:57
precious gunpowder, crossbows and fresh soldiers.
35:02
I mean, Can you believe his luck?
35:05
These reinforcements were then quickly brought inland to
35:08
Spanish camps in the valley, and suddenly Cortez was able to
35:12
mount larger offensives than ever before.
35:15
Quachtemoc, the Aztec ruler, rejected multiple peace offers
35:19
from Cortez, probably because he still remembered all too well
35:24
what happened the last time Montezuma agreed to a peace,
35:28
only to end up under house arrest.
35:31
But by early August, with food supplies finally running out,
35:35
the Aztecs were forced into one last desperate attack.
35:39
Severely weakened, they faced not only fresh Spanish troops,
35:44
but also Cortez's relentless luck, and the offensive
35:48
collapsed. And here's a fascinating side
35:51
note. According to Wikipedia sighting,
35:53
a source I wasn't able to track down.
35:55
Sadly, during the final days of the fighting, a tornado actually
36:00
swept through the region. This is said to be the very
36:03
first recorded sighting of a tornado by Europeans, but
36:08
honestly, just imagine that. A storm raging above the last
36:13
stand of the Aztecs. That's some bad luck.
36:18
On August 13th, 1521, Tenochtitlan finally fell.
36:22
Quartemark was captured while trying to escape the city, and
36:26
from that day on, Mexico came under Spanish rule.
36:30
The colony of New Spain was proclaimed with the Cortez as
36:33
its commander and governor. After tempting fate more times
36:37
than anyone deserved, after riding on sheer luck and leaving
36:41
millions dead, whether by Canon or by smallpox, Cortez's dream
36:46
of being a conqueror had finally come true.
36:49
By November, rebuilding had already begun, though not as
36:53
touched. Itlan.
36:54
The city was renamed Mexico City, just as it is named today.
36:59
Just two years later, Spain launched A sweeping missionary
37:03
campaign to, in quotes, spiritually conquer the
37:07
population through Christianity. But what about Koktimok, the man
37:12
who had fought so cleverly and stubbornly against the invaders?
37:16
Well, no surprises there. After his capture, Cortez kept
37:20
him on as a sort of puppet administrator of Tenochtitlan,
37:24
much like he had done once with Moctezuma.
37:27
Under torture, Koktimok was pressured to reveal where the
37:31
Aztecs had hidden their gold in Lake Texkoco.
37:34
But according to tradition, though he never gave anything
37:38
away, the NASDAQ warrior would never fold under torture.
37:42
And how could they? They were expecting and readily
37:46
happy to let their heart be ripped out when they were still
37:51
alive. What can you do to these people
37:54
to get information out of them? Eventually he was baptized,
37:58
forced, probably under the name Fernando Quatemotzin.
38:02
Spanish authorities replaced every Aztec religious image with
38:07
Christian symbols, and they began the long process of
38:11
draining Lake Texcoco. In 1525, Cortez dragged
38:15
Quoctevoc along on his expedition to Honduras, likely
38:19
because he feared leaving him behind would mean rebellion.
38:23
But while they were travelling, Cortez accused him of plotting
38:27
an assassination. Whether that was true or a
38:31
fabrication is unclear. But Cortez had him executed,
38:36
sadly by hanging him, denying him a warrior's death.
38:40
And that, tragically, is the end of Kwoktimok's story.
38:45
For me, it leaves no doubt. I despise Cortez.
38:49
I assume the worst of him without hesitation, so I go
38:54
along and say that was all made-up.
38:56
Quack them or had never plotted an assassination, though I
39:01
really don't know because there's no reliable sources to
39:04
that. This then, is the true story of
39:07
the fall of the Aztecs. From the Spanish perspective.
39:10
It's at the tale of a man desperate to join the ranks of
39:13
the high and mighty who became a conqueror to get there.
39:17
A man willing to betray his governor in Cuba, deceive his
39:21
own king, even fight against his fellow countrymen.
39:25
He promised his soldiers endless riches, but in the end he barely
39:29
recovered a fraction of the gold the Aztecs had sunk beneath the
39:33
lake. So his soldiers probably never
39:36
got to see the riches that they had been promised.
39:40
But Cortez wasn't just a ruthless schemer.
39:43
He was also one of the luckiest man in history.
39:47
Again and again he narrowly escaped death.
39:50
He could never have defeated the Aztecs on his own strength.
39:53
Every time it was reinforcements that tipped the scales.
39:57
And in the end, the Aztecs only fell because starvation and
40:01
disease crippled them. And for good measure, probably
40:06
even a tornado was thrown in there.
40:09
From the perspective of the Aztecs, it must have felt as if
40:12
their gods had turned against them.
40:14
They fought with what must have been superhuman effort to push
40:19
Cortez back. And yet they weren't just
40:21
fighting with the Spanish, they were also up against the
40:25
countless allies the Spanish had that they themselves had once
40:29
tyrannized from so many. And from my well so-called
40:35
neutral position as a 21st century Age of Empires two
40:39
player, I honestly don't know what to think.
40:43
The Aztecs must have been cruel rulers, otherwise the rest of
40:47
Mexico wouldn't have so willingly sided with the
40:49
Spanish. But the Spanish weren't any
40:52
better. Their greed for gold and their
40:54
mission to Christianize the world left just as much
40:57
destruction. In this story, there really are
41:00
no good guys, only villains. And as in every war, it was the
41:06
civilians who suffered most, the millions who were murdered,
41:09
enslaved or wiped out by deceased.
41:13
And that brings me to my final verdict on this campaign.
41:17
Did it succeed in telling the story of the Aztecs?
41:21
Not really. What it told was the fabricated
41:24
Spanish version of the conquest of Mexico.
41:27
The Aztecs didn't come across as nearly cruel enough in my
41:30
opinion, considering how much hatred must have been directed
41:34
at them by their neighbors. Instead, the campaign made them
41:38
and the other Mesoamerican people look, well, almost simple
41:42
minded, even naive, when in reality they were as clever and
41:47
brave as they were brutal. It's a shame really that so many
41:52
events were left out or changed. The biggest example of course is
41:56
the final mission, which basically implies that the
41:59
Aztecs managed to defeat the Spanish.
42:02
But now that I know more about the siege of Tenochtitlan, I
42:05
don't actually mind it too much. After all, up until the Battle
42:11
of Colguacatonko that victory was almost possible.
42:16
So when I finished that last mission, I just imagine the
42:19
ending credits rolling on the evening after that battle when
42:23
Kwak Timoc still had hope. Still, I wish the campaign had
42:27
acknowledged this somehow so it wouldn't leave the players with
42:31
the sense that it was completely rewriting history.
42:34
But putting historical accuracy aside, was the campaign fun to
42:38
play? Well, that depends on what
42:41
you're looking for. Personally, I love the fact that
42:44
you get to fight Nintendo Tiglan twice, and the geography of the
42:48
maps felt surprisingly fitting, at least within the limits of
42:52
what the game can represent. I really enjoyed battling
42:55
through the jungles and taking advantage of the rich resources
42:59
scattered across the maps. It always felt great when I
43:02
could outsmart the Spanish or even capture some of their
43:05
units. The campaign does start off a
43:09
little slow, but in my opinion that's forgivable.
43:12
Probably just a marketing choice more than anything else.
43:17
The difficulty is marked with a single sword, which feels fair.
43:21
In a year I'll probably only remember the battles in
43:24
Tenochtitlan. Nothing else was especially
43:27
memorable to me. That wasn't the case when I was
43:30
a kid, though I know it left a big impression back then.
43:35
For me now, the enjoyment didn't really come from the challenge,
43:38
but more from the setting, the Aztec empire and the nostalgia.
43:43
Playing this campaign really brought back some childhood
43:46
memories, and in a way I think I've now put those memories to
43:50
rest for probably the next decade or so.
43:54
As a campaign, I'd say it's perfect.
43:56
For newcomers to the game, it'll feel like a solid challenge
44:00
probably for them, but anyone going in should know.
44:03
As history, it's kind of weak, as atmosphere, though, it does
44:08
deliver. Before we wrap up this campaign,
44:11
let's end, like always, with a few fun little details about
44:16
this last mission. So first question, what actually
44:20
happens if you lose the Wonder? At the start, the game tells you
44:24
that your unit's morale would drop, but honestly, nothing
44:28
really happens to your troops. Instead, something way weirder
44:32
kicks in. The Plex Caltex instantly gets 2
44:35
technologies for free, fabric Shields and El Dorado.
44:40
That's just wild. Because in this mission the tax
44:43
Cal techs are well represented by the Aztecs.
44:46
They play as the Aztecs, so suddenly they're unlocking the
44:50
Imperial age unique technology of both the Incas and the
44:54
Mayans. And if they get their own Aztec
44:57
unique techs, that's a lot of technologies.
45:00
The Eagle Warriors turn absolutely busted.
45:03
Fabric Shields gives them extra armour, Eldorado adds extra
45:07
bonus hit points, and if you throw in the the Garland wars,
45:12
the actual Aztecs unique technology, they'd also get
45:15
bonus attack on top of that. Total chaos.
45:19
But that's not all. No reason to stop there.
45:22
The Spanish get their own free power ups too.
45:25
Cortez land army suddenly gains Kataparuto.
45:28
Yep and the Japanese unique technology in the imperial age
45:32
so their trebuchets fire faster and can pack up and unpack
45:37
quicker. Meanwhile Cortez's Navy gets
45:40
artillery, the Turks imperial tech which gives their cannon
45:44
galleons 2 additional range and on top of that they get Karak,
45:50
the Portuguese castle age unique technology so all their ships
45:55
gain extra armor. The sheer amount of free
45:58
upgrades is overwhelming, but to be fair, it also makes sense.
46:04
It's the game's way of signalling that once the Aztec
46:07
wonder falls, the Spanish invasion becomes truly
46:11
unstoppable. It might seem a lot, but I love
46:15
little touches like this. The only shame is that in
46:18
practice, the wonder never really felt threatened.
46:21
With the 100 population cap, it was simply too easy to hold off
46:26
3 enemies at once. Oh, and let's not forget the
46:29
three cannon galleons we found up north.
46:32
Those only exist in the Definitive edition.
46:35
Before that, in the original campaign you'd find 3 turtle
46:39
ships instead, which let's be honest, were way less useful
46:43
than cannon galleons, even if I managed to lose mine
46:47
embarrassingly fast. So why on earth there were
46:51
turtle ships on Lake Texcoco is still a mystery to me, but it
46:56
came across a theory on the official Age of Empires forum
46:59
from the lower expert Tomo Chocolate, and it made me laugh
47:03
so much that I've just accepted it as cannon.
47:06
So the theory goes like this. Orlu the wolf, yes, the same one
47:10
from the Mongol campaign who also pops up in the Aztec one,
47:14
somehow escaped to Korea, stole 3 turtle ships and sailed them
47:19
all the way back to Lake Texaco over the course of 315 years.
47:25
When the Definitive edition came out, they actually patched this
47:28
lower detail because historically turtle ships hadn't
47:31
even been invented yet at that point, so the developers swapped
47:35
them out for Canon galleons. And to make it all consistent,
47:38
they even added Canon galleons as a Korean unit in the update
47:43
that that came along, the Lords of the West DLC.
47:46
Yeah, honestly, Tomo Chocolate, that was a piece of brilliant
47:50
theory crafting, although it's probably not true, and it's
47:56
probably more of a fanservice or fun fact to promote another
48:00
civilization. The Koreans, who also were put
48:04
in the game with the conquerors, add on with this very campaign.
48:09
And now, to end this campaign season on a more poetic note,
48:13
we're closing the series with the poem of the Broken Spears,
48:17
the same one Kwak Temak referenced earlier.
48:20
But before I read it to you, thank you all so much for
48:23
listening to this series. It's been a pleasure to have you
48:26
along our journey through the rise and fall of the Aztecs,
48:29
their battles, their strategies, and the legacy they left behind.
48:35
If you enjoyed walking in the footsteps of Kwok Timok, hearing
48:38
about the relentless conquest of Cortez and the gruesome Aztec
48:42
religion, and learning the stories behind each mission, you
48:46
can help keep this podcast alive by supporting me on
48:51
patreonthatspatreon.com/start the Game Already
48:55
patreon.com/start the Game Already You're not just funding
49:01
more episodes, you're helping bring history and gameplay to
49:05
life. Your support allows me to dig
49:08
deeper into the campaigns, explore more civilizations, and
49:11
share the rich, often overlooked details of history that the
49:15
textbooks and the games leave out.
49:18
So if you've enjoyed the season, consider become a Patreon.
49:22
Just choose the tier that is right for you, because just like
49:25
the Aztecs fought to preserve their empire, you can help
49:29
preserve these stories for the community.
49:32
Every contribution makes a difference, and I thank you for
49:35
being part of this adventure. I'm closing this episode as
49:39
promised, with a poem, Broken Spears, written by an unknown
49:43
Aztec poet after their defeat in Tenochtitlan.
49:48
Broken Spears lie in the roads. We have torn our hair in grief.
49:53
The houses are roofless now, and their walls are reddened with
49:57
blood. Worms are swarming in the
50:00
streets and plazas, and the walls are splattered with gore.
50:04
The water has turned red as if it were dyed, and when we drink
50:08
it, it has the taste of brine. We have pounded our hands in
50:13
despair against the Adobe walls for our inheritance.
50:17
Our city is lost and dead. The Shields of our warriors were
50:22
its defence, but they could not save it.
50:26
We have chewed dry twigs and salt grasses.
50:29
We have filled our mouths with dust and bits of Adobe.
50:33
We have eaten lizards, rats and worms.