Aztec Eternals

The bright moon rises far away from the east, and the red sun slowly sets towards the west. When the moon rises and sets, the sky is half cold and half red. The dark and bright changes in the morning and evening in the mountains, leaving an intoxicating scenery in my heart. This situation is like the journey of life, always reincarnated in encounters and partings again and again.

Shulot, in light clothes and simple clothes, stood on the border between the plain and the hill, looking at the wilderness in the north. Behind him is the strong Huayamo Fortress and the endless harvested farmland. It has been more than ten days since I left in early December. All the way from east to north, he inspected the farms along the way, checked the military camps in the lake area, and finally stopped here, waiting for his father who came from the south.

The sky gradually dimmed, and a line of torches appeared in the north. The torch swayed up and down between the hills and fields, like stars floating slowly. Finally, the familiar figure was faintly visible under the stars, and Xiulot couldn't hold back the excitement in his heart any longer, and strode forward.

The leading figure showed a big smile, he stretched out his arms vigorously, and gave the boy a tight hug.

"Father, you have worked hard all the way!"

"Haha, Shulot, my son. I haven't seen you for more than half a year, and you've grown taller again!"

Husoke let go of his hand, carefully looked at his son's appearance, and compared his height with his own, and laughed heartily.

"Olosh, look, his figure is as tall and straight as a green pine, and his appearance is as heroic as a golden eagle. He is exactly the same as when I was young!"

"Come on, you were thick and strong when you were young, and you looked like a cactus, but you were not so handsome. The delicate eyebrows and eyes are very similar to his mother."

Olosh joked with Xiusoke with a smile. Then, he took a step forward and patted Shulot's shoulder affectionately.

"Teacher Olosh!"

Xiulot was full of joy and gave the other party a hug.

"How do you see this road?"

"The farmland is very good. The lake area is full of post-harvest farmland. There are no robbers on the road, and the farmers stay in the village honestly, full of joy of harvest. Wild deer are also foraging in the post-harvest field. I used spear throwing yesterday I hunted one, and I will roast a deer leg for you later, and let you taste my craft!"

"Ah, my favorite roast venison leg! Well, add more paprika and herb leaves."

At this moment, the majesty and majesty of the king disappeared. In the rare warmth, he was finally able to easily remove his armor, and he became a happy boy again. Even though this time will not be too long, like the rising and setting of the bright moon, among the bright stars, it disappears like a short-lived night. However, these memories can retain a rare softness and warmth in his gradually hard and cold heart.

A group of people talked and laughed at Yan Yan like this, and walked to Huayamo Fortress together. The dinner party has already been prepared, the food is sumptuous, and the atmosphere is relaxed. It wasn't until everyone drank a cup of hot cocoa, with the smell of vanilla lingering in their noses, that Xiu Suoke sighed in satisfaction and said seriously.

"Sholot, all things are constantly changing and reincarnating. When the jaguar grows up, he will become the king of the jungle. He will occupy the forest alone and face all challenges"

"Well, father? Are you going back to the holy city?"

Hearing his father's words, Shulot was startled. He looked at the deep eyes of the other party, tasted the reluctance contained in them, and vaguely had a vague premonition.

"Yes, I will soon leave my son. You have become a brave warrior, an outstanding commander, and are becoming a great king. You have many people around you, and you have harvested them I am relieved of your surrender."

With a smile on his face, Xiu Suoke shook the palm of the young king. Then he nodded cordially to Bertard.

"Thank you for your protection!"

"it is my responsibility."

Berthard looked calm and bowed his head in return.

Xiusoke smiled and said no more. He continued to look at Shulot gently.

"The war in the east is over. The king sent a decree, asking me to set off and return as soon as possible to participate in the sacrificial ceremony in mid-January"

"I have also received the letter, and I am about to send an envoy to deliver this year's tribute."

Xiuluo nodded. He couldn't go there in person, so he planned to let the eagle warrior Balda lead the mission, presenting the latest bronze armor, bronze short sword, exquisite bronze utensils, and some precious collections of the former royal family.

"Your grandfather has sent the news in advance."

Xiu Suoke stretched out his hand and gently touched his son's cheek.

"After the sacrificial ceremony, I will join the reorganized King's Army of the Alliance and become the deputy commander of the Eagles. From then on, I will be stationed in the capital of the lake for a long time, accompanying the king."

"Ah! The deputy commander of the Eagle Chapter, who is accompanying the king?"

Shulot looked surprised. He pondered for a while, and waved his hand heavily. The surrounding warriors retreated one after another. The bonfire in the main hall flickered for a while, then stabilized, reflecting the four people left in the middle.

"Father, the Eagles are the most honorable Sun God Guard, and they are all nobles from the capital. Only a prestigious king can effectively command them. Are you the only noble who is dispatched?"

"King Avet really values ​​you. But he has great ambitions, and it's not aimed at us."

Xiusoke smiled calmly, and had expected the following things. After entering the capital this time, his treatment should not be bad, but it will be difficult to get out. Shulot was entrusted with the vast land in the lake, far away from the core of the alliance, and guarded the western ministries. As the boy's direct relative, staying by the king's side was considered a kind of guarantee.

"The king conquered the country in the west and attacked the old enemy in the east. His prestige is outstanding, and his reputation has been sung all over the world. With prestige and military achievements, he can inherit the unfinished business of the great Montezuma. The eagle battle group is about to expand, and the core city-states The honor and hereditary nobles are strictly required to send important members to join."

Shulot was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. When the king's authority is sufficient, he can recruit nobles and nobles and noble children to form the Imperial Guard around him, thereby strengthening the control over the various ministries. And such measures are often accompanied by coordinated centralization measures. Thinking of this, the young king spoke in a deep voice.

"Father, the king intends to integrate the alliance and concentrate military power? You went to the capital, what about the holy city of Teotihuacan?"

"Well. According to your grandfather's news, the priesthood and the royal family will send representatives to the core states within 200 miles of the capital. The alliance center will further weaken the number of private soldiers of all the great nobles in the Texcoco Lake area. And control part of the military power of the city-state, but also control important financial power."

Xiusoke smiled openly.

"As a condition for you to be granted the seal of the land in the lake, I will take the initiative to set an example and return the control of the holy city to the alliance center. And the sealed Tepopolo and Iscari will also hand over the fief together .This initiative, supported by both the Elders and the High Priests, is the key to further reform. Your grandfather says the time is right!"

Xiulot watched his father's smile, and there were all kinds of emotions in his heart, which turned into a slight nod.

After the Western Expedition, the king's prestige rose to the peak and established authority in the hearts of the warriors. The legions of all the states are very expensive, and the powerful nobles have been transferred to the outside world. The time for further centralization is ripe!

The power of the alliance is roughly divided into three parts: royal power, clan power and theocracy. The current direction of reform is to combine royal power with theocracy, to suppress the scattered city-state clan power, and to establish a powerful and sacred royal center. Among them, the elders are in charge of the overall situation, the king is making specific progress, and the high priests are lowering the resistance of various places, and everything is proceeding according to the centralized plan.

"After receiving your grandfather's letter, I thought about it for a long time, and then called the battalion captains of the legion to discuss. There are some changes in the follow-up arrangements."

Xiusoke's expression became solemn. He stared at the calm young king and preached earnestly.

"Nearly half of the Holy City Legion was lost during the Western Expedition. Even with the recovered wounded, there are only more than 2,200 warriors left. Most of them are the most loyal direct descendants of our team, and I don't want to treat them badly." I will transfer to the capital soon, and there will be hundreds of people with me. The rest of the samurai, I heard that you are distributing fields and conferring titles according to military merit."

"Very good! Just come here, I won't treat them badly!"

Shulot smiled sincerely. The Kingdom of the Lake is vast and has a lot of room for expansion. He is short of reliable direct warriors.

"Father, how many Holy City warriors are willing to stay here?"

"There are fifteen hundred warriors, and more than fifty of them are jaguar fighters of civilian origin."

"Okay! The jaguar fighters in the holy city are divided according to the standards of military nobles, and each person is granted 800 acres of land!"

Xiulot readily agreed. No matter where they are, jaguar fighters are rare elites with their own land and family. There are more than 150 jaguar fighters left in the Quds Legion, and only one third choose to stay.

"Fifty more senior warriors will be promoted, and a total of 100 military nobles will be awarded. Among the remaining warriors, 400 senior warriors will be awarded 240 acres of land each; 1,000 third-level warriors will be awarded 100 acres of land each. .As for the second-level hereditary nobles, all three warrior battalion commanders will be promoted, and each will be granted 2,400 acres of land!"

The young king generously promised. This enfeoffment amounted to nearly 300,000 mu of land, and the shortage of servants increased by another 15,000. Afterwards, he thought for a while and looked at the strong jaguar warrior Olosh.

"Mr. Olosh, where are you going?"

"Why!"

Olosh has always been bold, but at this time he sighed rarely.

"I originally planned to be with your father. This is an old brother of more than 20 years! But your father insisted on persuading me to stay, but he was alone, and he was not very good at martial arts. Back then, someone broke his ribs and lay down. for several months."

Xiusoke looked embarrassed, and coughed in a low voice.

"Hey, it's been a few years since a peerless general like Tepac has been around. In the 50 or 60 years since the alliance was established, this is the only one out there. Besides, when I came to the capital this time, I guess it was to enjoy the blessing. I just wanted to go to the battlefield later. , it is difficult to encounter danger!

Olosh, what's the use of staying by my side with your martial arts talent? It's better to stay with Shulot, and I can relax a little bit. Isn't this what we said earlier? .”

Olosh sighed again and nodded helplessly.

"Everything I said to you is right. It's all up to you!"

Shulot lowered his eyes slightly, his heart was full of emotion.

What is a dear father? This is called dear father! Xizheng served as logistics along the way, arranged food routes, and took care of wounded soldiers. Don't show the mountains and don't show the water, and arrange everything properly; lead four thousand legions, go through the most difficult battles along the way, and die half of them. Then he persuaded the remaining warriors to stay and entrusted them to the most trusted general; for the sake of his son's establishment and distribution, he was willing to surrender his rights and go to the capital in the middle of the lake to be idle and hostage. This is a rare treatment for a son. !

Thinking of this, the king opened his eyes. He first held Olosh's arm and promised affirmatively.

"Teacher Olosh, Fengguo needs you. You will be the second honored nobleman of the kingdom!"

Then, Shulot pressed his father's hands and asked sincerely.

"Father, what else do you want? I will listen to you."

Hearing this, Xiusoke's eyes lit up. He held his son's palm with his backhand, admonishing him earnestly.

"Sholot, my son! You are my eldest son, and you have Su Hui, and you have always matured precociously. Cough, you have three half-brothers and a younger sister. I know, you couldn't play with them since childhood, I seldom communicate and are not close. But you are a family after all!.

The great former king Montezuma and the elder were brothers. The elder assisted the former king for decades and supported the former king's son. Your younger brothers and sisters can also assist you in the future! .Well, your youngest brother is only five years old, and he is still being raised by his mother at home. The other three, I will leave to you. Elder brothers are like fathers, you can represent me and punish them freely! "

"Ah? Two younger brothers in their teens and one younger sister under ten, are they all handed over to me?"

Shulot froze. After a while, he looked at his father's expectant eyes and nodded heavily.

"Then leave it to me!"

The next topic began to become easier. Everyone chatted about the daily life, and also talked about the arrangements for Hekou County in the north.

"The human trade along the Leman River has been completed. After the Guamal dogs plundered the Chapala lake area, a total of 20,000 young men and women and 10,000 children were delivered to the trade. Most of them were Prepecha people , and some are Otomi people. There are a total of 20,000 mountain tribes from the Longbow militia, and all of them migrated from the holy city. I have arranged these 50,000 people in various villages in Hekou County. There will probably be more than 2,000 family members of Holy City warriors in the future. You need to add at least 100 priests."

"The group of priests supported by the alliance has arrived in Chin Cong Can City, and the priests of Preepecha have also trained some. I will fill the gap in the priests in the north as soon as possible."

Shulot nodded affirmatively.

"Father, do you estimate the population of Hekou County now, and how many of them are young?"

"According to the estimates of the local villages, there are about 150,000 people, about 30,000 people. In the north, there are only warriors from the Quds Legion and the militia from Prepecha. There are Otomi and dog descendants in the north, and there are people in the west. For the remnants of Tarasco, it is best to send some legions over to defend. Olosh is familiar with the situation in the north, and after I leave, I can hand over Hekou County to him."

"Okay. I will reorganize the legions around the country soon and redistribute the garrisons."

Xiulot thought for a while, then added.

"Gyeonggi is the most important thing. I am most at ease in Olosh. I will stay in Qincong Cancheng and take charge of the military command of the core lake area of ​​Patzcuaro. I will hand over the Hekou County in the north to the monkey Kuluka, and let him take it with him. Half of the Spear Legion. The Holy City Warriors were entrusted in the north. As for the Zicao County in the south, I have sent the veteran Etalik to manage it and prepare for the follow-up operations. He has rich experience and is good at dealing with nobles. In this way When I lead the army to go south"

After listening, Xiu Suoke nodded affirmatively.

"You are really thoughtful!. However, my son, you probably need to solve the problem in the north first. Before I came, the city of Ottopan sent an envoy. They said that the Chichimecs in the northeast are preparing to go south in a big way , I hope you can support a legion and go to the north to fight together. The old priest of Otomi still has a private message, saying that there are important matters related to the two clans to discuss. Please take time no matter what, go to the north Talk to him once."

"The dog-born is going south, asking for support from the legion? The old priest has something important to discuss with me personally?"

Shulot pondered for a moment, and had some vague guesses.

"Okay, I will send another envoy to communicate!"

The conversation between the four lasted all night, planning the future of the kingdom and discussing the situation of the alliance. From time to time, there are two warm greetings. It was not until the bright moon sank into the mountains in the west and the sun rose over the peaks in the east that they stopped talking.

Husok lay down in his son's living room, and soon fell asleep soundly, snoring tiredly. Xiulot listened to his father's snoring and quietly accompanied him. He carefully looked at the resolute face of Hui's father, and deeply remembered it in his mind. Then, he stretched out his hand again, and gently pulled out a conspicuous white hair. Then my father turned over, hummed a few times in a daze, and continued to fall asleep.

"Father is indeed tired after traveling all the way. I'd better go out."

Shulot shook his head with a smile, then turned and went out silently. Behind him, at an unknown time, Xiusoke turned around again, facing the direction in which his son was leaving. After a long time, a soft sigh sounded from the stone house.

Parting is an eternal melody, meeting is just a short song. When the sun was slanting westward, Xiu Suoke took a dozen personal guards and prepared for the return journey to the north.

".Father, I won't say much else. Take care of yourself and be careful all the way!"

Shulot held his father's arm tightly, and it took a long while before he slowly let go. Then, he whispered a few instructions to the rear. The guards behind them held several pairs of brand-new bronze middle armor and handed them over to the guards opposite.

"What a good armor!"

Xiu Suoke touched the solid bronze armor under the cloth, and praised. Then, he handed the armor to the personal guard, and smiled gently.

"Son, don't worry! Father has gone to the capital to enjoy his fortune, and there is no chance to go to the battlefield again. I will tell your grandfather about your greetings. I will also bring your letter to Princess Alyssa. Well, don't worry. , I will not peek on the road."

Shulot nodded vigorously. He lowered his eyes slightly, concealing the slight moisture in his eye sockets. Olosh stepped forward and gave a final sigh.

"Hey, Xiusock. I don't know when I will see you again after today's farewell. I have nothing to say. You can eat and drink in the capital, sleep a few more women, and give Xiulot more money." Give birth to a few younger brothers and sisters!."

".the same as you."

"Ha ha!"

"Ha ha!"

Xiu Suoke laughed, gave the two of them a strong hug, then turned and left without looking back. Behind him, the warm sunset slowly set, while the cold moon rose again. The road ahead is long and far away, and it all goes away in time.