Aztec Eternals

Outside the chief palace, there were hundreds of thousands of people cheering and celebrating. The priest's singing is accompanied by the poet's recitation, and the graceful ocarina is mixed with the thundering drum rhyme.

In the chief palace, there was a solemn and silent scene. The breeze was blowing the veil of the gods, and the rows of elder guards were expressionless, adhering to their duties for decades. They have dedicated the rest of their lives to the gods and elders.

The elder looked at Shulot calmly. This is a smart kid, and he should be able to understand the meaning of bringing him to see the ceremony. This is also an unknown child, and I hope he can express new insights that meet his wishes.

In the past ten years, he rarely changed the original plan, and rarely gave people a second chance. In other words, the tolerance for Shulot is the first time after his brother's death.

Shulot closed his eyes and meditated, and memories flashed back and forth: the grandfather's message, the murals in the corridor, the paintings in the snake house, the sacrificial ceremony, the tribute ceremony, and finally fixed on the eyes of the elders like gods.

He opened his eyes again and nodded slightly.

"Today's ceremony is full of blooming flowers. Under the flowers, there are burning flames!"

"The Mexica seem to be devout, but they are shaken. People rely on costly sacrificial ceremonies to satisfy their spiritual needs. They fear the gods, but they don't love him wholeheartedly. Once they encounter a more powerful and complete belief in gods , will submit to the alien god who is good at manipulating people's hearts."

"The city-state of Mexica seems to be obedient, but in fact it is loose. The alliance relies on the deterrence of the capital's core force to maintain a highly autonomous tributary system and maintain the unity of the tribe. Once a strong external force strikes, the capital's core force will be compromised. The alliance would collapse."

Xiulot looked solemn. He expresses his understanding of this society, and also describes the fate that will actually happen in the future.

Hearing this, the elder's expression moved, and his brows were slightly frowned. The captain of the guard behind him had been silently watching the elder's expression, and silently pulled out the copper ax from his waist.

The elder waved his hand slightly to stop it, and the captain of the guard put away the copper ax again, and everything was silent. But in an instant, the elder's face returned to calm. He turned around and walked towards the corridor of the gods. Xiulot followed behind, and could no longer see the elder's expression.

"My child, continue talking." The words of the elder came from the front.

"We need to unite the hearts of the people of Mexica and strengthen the control and integration of the city-state. We must unify the consciousness of the people and establish a centralized power!" Xiulot said firmly.

In the long and changing corridor of gods and spirits, the elder finally stood still. He stands in the dark on the inside, while Shulot is in the light. History has come to the changing border of light and dark, just like the changing gods.

"My child, what are you going to do?" The elder turned around again. He was in the dark, his eyes were calm.

"Reformation, establishment of legal codes. Monotheism and religious law." Schlott succinctly.

The elder stared into Shulot's eyes, quietly waiting for an explanation.

"The Reformation deified. The main god, Vitzilopochtli, will be promoted to the only supreme god! He will become the great and almighty creator, the master of all things and the world, and eternal and immortal.

The Lord God wants to integrate the priesthood of other gods, from wind, rain, thunder and fire, to mountains and rivers, to time and space, to revelation of fate, from life and death, to war and peace, to weddings and funerals, food, clothing, housing, and transportation. He wants to blur the concrete image and become the supreme concept in people's minds!

Other gods, including the important god of rain, were gradually demoted. They become gods in one generation and saints in subsequent generations. And our heroic ancestors and outstanding figures can also be sanctified. "

In Xiulot's perception, monotheism has a strong advantage over polytheism. Except for China, which has an extremely profound cultural background, and India, where the caste system is deeply rooted, the entire world has been transformed into the belief in a single god.

In the future, in order to resist the invasion of the cross, the nascent Mesoamerican civilization must have a theoretically complete and well-organized local monotheism to gain sufficient religious resistance.

The elder fell into a long pondering. He has already done a lot on the road to upgrade to the god of war, turning the god of war into the patron saint of the Mexica, and then upgraded to the god of the sun, giving him the mission to keep the world running. And Xiulot's idea of ​​deification is much beyond his plan.

This is the limitation of the perspective of the times. In the beliefs of ancient American civilizations, the concept of a single god never existed, and there is no history to draw upon. In this era of many gods, Xiulot's ideas are groundbreaking and beyond the thinking of ordinary people. Of course, he stands on the shoulders of the whole world.

The elder didn't say anything. He just continued to move forward slowly, and Shulot followed silently. Silent darkness enveloped the two of them. The gods have also become tools for mortals.

After such a long time, the elder asked again.

"My child, you see beyond mortals. I want to hear more details."

Xiulot thought for a while before expressing his feelings.

"In the Reformation, the Supreme God is omnipotent, and He does not need holy blood and freshness to keep the world running. Therefore, I want to abolish the sacrifice of life."

The elder stopped again. He stood in a corner without candlelight, looking at Shulot calmly. Xiulot felt a heavy pressure and a severe chill.

"Son, the Mexica need war, the Mexica want to conquer." Again, the title changed.

Shulot stared firmly at the darkness. He also explained calmly.

"We can wage a holy war. For forces that do not believe in the Supreme God, the warriors will also fight for the gods! The purpose of the war is assimilation, not sacrifice."

Xiulot understood that the sacrifices in Central America had the effect of regulating the population. However, he believes that under his leadership, the Aztec civilization will soon enter the Bronze Age and Iron Age with great productivity development. Then came the colonization of the vast Americas. Population will become the most important resource.

Not to mention, the diseases of the Old World are coming. American civilization needs enough population to withstand the ravages of disease.

The elders were noncommittal. He thought carefully about the concept of "Holy War", and gradually put away his killing intent. After a while, he spoke lightly.

"My child, warriors need more spiritual motivation to conquer the vast world. Warriors always have to win before they can put down their sticks."

"Now, tell me, how do you unify your consciousness and unite your hearts?"

Shulot groaned. He closed his eyes again, and from the memories of the past, from the monotheism of history, he found those fragments that were in line with reality, and it took a long time before he opened his eyes again.

"We must use religion to unite people. Religion must occupy the hearts of believers and satisfy all their desires."

"Reformation, the first thing to do is to outline a beautiful afterlife and perfect the world after death. Absorb our existing red kingdom, the sun god kingdom, the land of death, and the soul of warriors turned into birds and flowers Legend. Let the faithful ascend to the kingdom of heaven, fight for the gods and have beauty for the dead, and let the sinners sink into the land of death."

In Mexica mythology, there are different realms of the dead. Brave warriors ascend to the kingdom of the sun god, the war dead and women with dystocia will also go to the peaceful red kingdom, the drowned will go to the kingdom of the god of rain, and the rest will go to the land of death Miktlan . There are nine layers of hell in Miktlan, where there is a piercing cold wind, and the first eight layers are endless darkness. Only wealth and the lives of slaves can protect the souls of the dead.

This polytheistic belief needs to be reintegrated to more effectively occupy the hearts of believers. The religious reformation should establish the desire for heaven and the fear of hell, and guide people's behavior and thinking.

The elder nodded imperceptibly. He remained silent in the dark.

"In the religious reformation, the meaning of belief is to pursue beauty. We should promote self-cultivation, combine the original precepts and customs, and lead people to yearn for beauty and kindness, just like longing for flowers. Teach people to obey one god, benevolence, righteousness, politeness, wisdom, and trust in all The character we hope for."

The elder's face was expressionless. If there is one beauty that the Mexica seek together, it is the bravery of battle and the blooming of death, and kindness obviously does not include it.

"Religious reform requires a system of repentance. Now the Mexica have a chance to repent to the God of Sin and use penance to get rid of their crimes. We need to expand the system of repentance and take back the power of liberation to the hands of the Supreme God. No longer Limit the number of confessions and reforms, so that priests can control the hearts of believers more."

Schlott thought of the most powerful confession system in the cross ceremony, and the practice of the church in history, and then added.

"The secrets of these confessions should be kept firmly by the priests. Important confession information needs to be recorded and handed over to the senior priests, so as to have a more powerful grasp of the society and the people."

The elder pondered slightly. Daily confession? There is no doubt that the power of the priests will be expanded by this. The control of theocracy will be enhanced.

"Religious reform requires a system of worship. The great temple in the capital is selected as the holy temple, and every believer is required to visit regularly. The frequency of visits is reduced according to the distance, but it is necessary to visit once to obtain the relief of future generations."

"The alliance does not have strong control over distant city-states. Because the speed of traffic limits the frequency of communication. We need an effective communication system to enhance the control of distant people and affect distant city-states."

Xiulot analyzed the function of paying homage. In an era of limited technology, if you want to enhance the centripetal force of the alliance, you cannot let the city-state itself meet all religious needs. Visiting holy temples has existed for a long time in history, and there are various religions. It has an irreplaceable role.

"Religious reform also requires daily rituals. It can be combined with the existing harvest prayers and gods' blessing rituals to simplify improvements and form a stable system. For example, three times a day, set before meals and before going to bed. Twice a month, Set for ten full days."

Daily rituals are also designed to occupy the hearts and time of believers. Due to food restrictions, ordinary people have two meals a day, plus sleep is three rituals. According to the current Mayan calendar, there are 20 days in a month, and a big ceremony can be held every ten days.

The elder finally nodded again.

"My child, you have a good idea. The alliance needs to further control the city-state and the people's hearts. Whatever you think, go ahead."

After finishing speaking, the elder stepped forward again and went underground to the palace.

Shulot followed the steps and thought again. He hesitated slightly, but said frankly.

"Religious reform, collecting taxes in the name of God. The alliance lacks control over the great nobles and city-state lords, and it is difficult to interfere with their taxes and private soldiers. We want to tax the rich nobles and merchants, and help poor civilians and Warriors. Weaken the great nobles, cultivate civilian warriors, and maintain class balance."

The elder paused. He frowned again, but didn't look back. This idea is very good, but if it is really implemented and deprived of the benefits of the great nobles, it is inevitable to swing the copper ax and kill people's heads.

"My child, have you thought about the future after all you said?"

The elder's words floated from the candlelight ahead without any fluctuation.

Shulot was slightly taken aback. He looked at the faint candlelight, looked at the blurred and tall figure of the elder, and asked himself:

"What should the future of the Reformation look like?"

Thank you very much for the chapter push in July! I wish Da Da's new book victory over the Son of Plane in July. (_)!