Aztec Eternals

Maybe it was because of bringing captives, maybe meeting creditors, or maybe hearing some news from the military nobles of the city-state. Early the next morning, Olosh’s roar urged everyone to get up and walk along the flat river. The dirt road goes south.

Since entering the Mexican plateau, the road down south is comfortable and safe.

The end of Mexico's dry season is still cool and dry, the sky is clear, there is no annoying rain in the lowland jungle, and the roads are smooth enough. The villages along the way are densely populated and shaded by fruit trees, and cacti and yucca are unique crops in the highlands.

On both sides of the river are innumerable high-yield floating fields of Chinanpa, and there are canoes on the river, and business travelers are constantly coming and going.

This is the actual control area of ​​the Aztec city-state alliance, the core of the empire composed of more than a dozen Mexica city-states, including the essence of the Valley of Mexico. After entering here, Olosh's mood is obviously much better, and he will tell the story of the "Great City-State Alliance" with Shulot when he has time.

According to Schlott's understanding, Lake Texcoco is the "heart of the alliance", quickly communicating with the city-states along the lake.

The center of the empire is the Holy Three Cities, Tenochtitlan is in Lake Texcoco, Texcoco is on the east side of the lake, and Tracopan is on the west side of the lake. The co-ruling monarchs, according to the words of Xiulot's hometown, are the big bosses, the second bosses and the third bosses. As for who has a higher status, of course it depends on the strength of the troops that the three cities can mobilize.

For the convenience of memory, Xiuluote added a label to the three cities in his mind according to the geographical location and current situation: Tenochtitlan, Xianyang, the heart of the empire, and the unparalleled stone city. Texcoco, Anyi, a prosperous cultural center with independent heritage. Tlacopan, the city of Yong, is firmly held, near the former capital of the Tepaneks.

A circle from the three cities, a dozen or twenty Mexica city-states within two weeks of communication from Tenochtitlan are the core of the empire and can be actually controlled.

According to Olosh's description, the northeast is roughly bounded by the city of Metzitlan just passed by, and further to the northeast is the "loyal subordinate" Vastecs who have surrendered for more than ten years, with an average population. From there, the empire collected large amounts of grain, hides and feathers every year.

Xiu Luote drew a circle in his heart, and wrote down the words "similar to the Yan Kingdom, located in the northeast, with a strong military force, and diplomatic tribute".

To the west and north is the "hyena and coyote" Otomi people who are constantly driven away by conquests.

In the past hundred years, the Otomi people were expelled from the rich Mexico Valley by the conquests of the Mexica and Nahua people, scattered in the north, but they were able to establish new city-states on the frontier every now and then. They have a large population, and their frontal force is not too strong, but they are tenacious and tolerant enough, and they intermarry with the Chichimek dog descendants who hunt further north. Xiulot drew another circle in the northwest, and wrote down "similar to the Huns, located in the north, with medium strength, and diplomatic hostility."

The southwest is bounded by the city of Lazico, and further west is the tough enemy "hard stone" Tarasco, who possesses "incredibly hard" bronze weapons and is also a rare copper mine in the known world.

The only disastrous defeat of the empire occurred in the war with Tarasco two years ago. In several consecutive bloody battles, at least three 8,000-man legions were killed.

Tenochtitlan once issued an order to mobilize the city-state, with one person per household, forming a large army of 100,000 people. The Tarasco City-State Alliance was also shocked by the empire's terrifying war potential, withdrew from the empire's territory, turned its head west and north, and went to clean up the small city-states of the Tekos.

A tacit and stable peace was maintained between the two countries. Xiulot drew a big circle in the west, and wrote down "similar to Chu, with a western location, a large number of troops, and diplomatic neutrality."

And a little further south are the "weeds in the wind" Chuntal people, distributed on both sides of the Balthas River, with a sparse population and surrendered to the empire for many years, some small immigrant cities of the Mexica have begun to rise in this area.

Xiulot's label is "similar to Rongdi, located in the south, with few troops, and foreign ministers follow".

Further south, until the Pacific coast is the "weak" southern city-states, from west to east are the Trapaniks, Miztecs, and Zapotecs. These city-states are close to each other by blood. Under the conquest of "the great Montezuma I", they were forced to submit tribute to the empire, but they formed alliances with each other to jointly resist the pressure of the empire.

The label written down by the young man is "similar to Song Wei Zhongshan, located in the south, with a medium force, and diplomatic tribute".

Across the mountains in the eastern part of the Valley of Mexico, and further east, is the "enemy of life and death" of the empire, the Tlaxcalans who have been fighting for decades.

Both Tlaxcala and Aztec are descendants of the Chichimec-Nahua people. The two sides have similar languages, cultures, and blood, but after countless wars, their hatred is as deep as sea. Similar to the Aztec League, the Tlaxcalans also formed a city-state alliance, the core of which was the four cities of Tezatlán, Ocotelolco, Tepeticpaque and Chia Westlan.

Tlaxcala has a similar military system and can mobilize an army of more than 100,000 at the limit. It is the most dangerous enemy of the empire.

In fact, it was the Tlaxcalans who introduced the Spaniards to land in Mexico in the end, providing the Spaniards with a foothold, detailed information, sufficient food, and even cannon fodder for 100,000 servants. In the end, taking advantage of the Aztec civil strife, the Tlaxcalans and Spaniards were actively invited by Montezuma II to enter the capital, and the smallpox intentionally spread by the colonists destroyed the city of Tenochtitlan in the lake. Disease killed the Aztec civilization and the Tlaxcalans themselves.

After ten years of bloody fire, it was the Tlaxcalans who stained the throne of the governor of New Spain with their own blood and the blood of the Central American tribes!

Thinking of the future in history, Xiu Luote felt palpitated, drew a circle on the east side, and wrote down "similar to Zhao Guo, located in the east, with a large number of troops, never stop fighting", after thinking about it, he wrote down the four words "the threat is the highest" .

In the east, connected to the Tlaxcala Union, is the "high status" religious city-state Cholula. Cholula is the center of the Nahuatl religion, a city of temples, beautiful and rich. There are not many warriors, but they enjoy a special status among city-states. Hearing this, Xiu Luote posted a label "similar to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, located in the east, with few troops, and a detached position".

Further east, from Tlaxcala and Cholula, to the Gulf Coast, is another relative of the Mexica, the "most Maya-like" Nahua-Totonac people.

The Nahua-Totonaks once expelled the Otomi people with the Mexica, and then settled down on the coast, almost exclusively enjoying the trade with the Mayans, and then re-sold them to the inland. Their little boats were said to have been to "the Great Isle of the Far Lake."

The geographical environment has affected the direction of politics. Decades of coastal trade have brought prosperity and prosperity to the Nahua city-states, and they have also lost the characteristics of their relatives who are martial and belligerent. They sold strategic goods such as salt, feathers, and leather to the Tlaxcalans in exchange for peace, standing aloof from the disputes in Mesoamerica.

Xiulot happened to have a suitable label "similar to Qi State, located in the east, with medium strength, and diplomatic neutrality".

As for the more distant Mayan city-states, they are somewhat distant and elusive. Olosh has only vaguely heard the names of important city-states such as "Mayapan", "Chichen Itza", and "Chaktemar", or heard it from the mouth of a Mayan profiteer who did not want to think of it.

The temperament of the Mayan city-state is much more peaceful than that of the various ministries of Mexico, and the scale of wars and sacrifices is smaller, and it is located in the depths of the rainforest in the southeast that is difficult to reach. Xiu Luote randomly found a label "similar to Baiyue, located in the southeast, specific unknown".

A few days passed in the chatter. After listening to the story along the way, and memorizing a circle of tags silently, Shulot almost emptied the ink in Olosh's stomach, and then slowly digested it contentedly. The pleasant journey is always very short, and it seems that one day, he will be able to return to his home in this life, the ancient city of Teotihuacan in the Mexico Valley.

This trip is real and vivid. For Shulot, this world is no longer a completely unknown strangeness and fog, nor will it be a cold number and result. There are some real emotions in his memories, a touch of softness, some persistence, a little curiosity, and a kind of pursuit and desire.

"Maybe there is still a sense of optimism." He thought, drew a circle in the center of the Mexico Valley, and wrote down the last label: "Zhuang, Daqin"!