The Valley of Mexico in November is peaceful and joyful, just like the flower bulbs on the Avivet tree by the water exuding the fragrance of pine and cypress in the breeze.
The fleet carried Avit's royal flag and warriors, and went south along the Tampen River. The warm sunshine rippled on the river. The boat sailed in the breeze and flowing water, and in just two or three days, we entered the prosperous and beautiful Valley of Mexico, the territory actually ruled by the empire.
The Mexican villages along the way have already completed this year's harvest and tribute, and beans are sown in the fields. In the prosperous villages, enough bean seeds are sown to restore the fertility of the soil and prepare for a more prosperous next year.
With the villagers watching and saluting along the way, the king's fleet continued southward and entered Lake Haltokan a week later. Shulot looked to the east from a distance, which was the direction of the holy city of Teotihuacan. A day away is the place where I was born and grew up.
This is already the core area of the Mexican people, and Mexican boats are constantly coming, carrying village elders along the way and offering fresh vegetables, fruits and precious light wine to the fleet.
Sweet singing surrounded the fleet all the way, which was the bold confession of the girls' love for the warriors. They were like floating lotuses in the water, wearing only a thin white dress in the autumn wind, dancing gracefully on the bow of the boat, showing their graceful figures to the warriors. Whenever night falls, from time to time a warrior slips away from the back of the fleet and has a tryst with the girls on the boat, enjoying the moon, the stars and singing songs together.
Arriving in the safe hinterland of the empire, Avitt did not restrain the warriors.
As the fleet continued south, they entered the base of the Mexican people, the Lake Texcoco area of 1.5 million people, the direct territory of the three cities of the capital, and the most prosperous and wealthy place in Central America.
There are densely populated villages along the way, with smoke rising continuously from both sides of the bank. In the autumn wind, there is a faint sound of ocarinas and low drums, accompanied by the singing of community warriors and priests. Shulot sniffed a few times and smelled the spicy aroma of roasted turkey and the fragrance of roasted corn, and suddenly felt a little hungry.
This is a banquet hosted by the village elders in the community hall, where villagers gather to perform rituals and sacrifices of food, birds, ears of corn, sage, beans, and wildflowers. The warriors and village chiefs gathered together and happily enjoyed the many festivals in autumn.
Shulot tasted it carefully again. Among the aroma of food wafting not far away, there was a special fragrance, similar to burning sandalwood, with a simple and distant charm.
"What kind of aroma is this? Are the villages in the Lake District rich enough to use expensive spices?" Shulot was a little surprised.
"Spices are not expensive items. In addition to the output of Chinampa and the collection in the forest, the Alliance also continuously receives supplies from the Mixtecs, Zapotecs in the south, and the Huastecs in the northeast. A large amount of spice tribute has been collected. In the fertile lake area, even civilians, senior warriors, and wealthy ordinary merchants can afford spices."
The noble priest Ugos replied with a proud smile. In the army, Avitt must maintain his dignity, and Gillim has always been serious about his words. Ugos, the noble son from the royal capital, became Shulot's tour guide and told him about the beauty and richness of the capital's lake area.
"This should be a blessing banquet for the elders of the village community. At the end of the banquet, priests and senior warriors will light fragrant copal resin and pray to the gods and ancestors to bless the harvest for the coming year."
The Lake District was the foundation of Alliance rule. The villages here are closely organized to form communities with clearly defined populations, Karpoli, similar to the Qin Dynasty's household system. Each community was governed by four elders, usually feudal military nobles, senior civilian warriors, and temple priests appointed by the capital.
Whenever the horn of war blows, each village community needs to provide a warrior and militia team of two hundred people. The sophistication of the warriors' equipment is directly proportional to the wealth of the village. Generally speaking, the villages closer to the capital were wealthier and had more warriors.
This is already the hometown of many warriors in the fleet. They were born here, received military training in the capital, completed the selection examination, and then joined the legion directly under the royal family and became a noble warrior.
As the fleet continued southward, the air was filled with the pleasant scents of flowers, as well as the light freshness of ripe cocoa fruits, similar to lemons. Shulot looked around, and in the lake area here, the foundation of the prosperity of the Mexica people could be seen everywhere, the floating field Chinampa in the lake.
These floating fields are fastened with fences around the outside, and the bottom is made of soil mixed with wooden piles. Even though it’s autumn, farmers are still busy planting on the floating fields. In addition to corn, beans, and pumpkins, Shulot also saw cocoa trees being harvested, avocados beginning to bear fruit, and various carefully tended herbs, all of which were food for the nobles.
Chinampa on the lake can be farmed all year round. Lake Texcoco ensures the moisture for crop growth, and the silt in the lake provides sufficient nutrients. There is no low temperature and snow in Mexico in autumn and winter.
It is the dry season now, and the water channels are shallowly flowing through the neatly arranged chinampas. The water surface is no more than one person deep. From time to time, a wealthy farmer in white would hold a boat and fish with a fishing net to scoop up the mud from the lake bottom and canals, and then spread it evenly on the floating fields.
There are also straw and leaves submerged in fermentation around the floating fields, and fish can be seen swimming on the lake surface, chasing the scattered grains. From time to time, boats loaded with manure came from the southern capital and were added to Chinampa. This may be the earliest ecological agriculture.
The captain continued southward for one day and finally arrived at the northern gate of Tenochtitlan, the village of Tepiiaga, where ten thousand warriors disembarked. Next, Shulot will walk along the miles-long bridge to the capital city in the lake.
Shulot walked out of the wealthy North Shore village and came to Lake Texcoco. He stopped unconsciously and saw a beautiful long white stone bridge, accompanied by a dark mud embankment, crossing an endless rainbow, connecting to the majestic stone capital not far away. Pedestrians on the long bridge came and went like a colony of ants. From time to time, priests and nobles wearing feathers passed by, creating gaps in the ant colony.
He estimated in his mind that the stone bridge under his feet was about ten meters wide. Along with the embankments of the same width on both sides, there was a full thirty-meter road that could accommodate sixty people walking parallelly, extending for five or six kilometers. And when he looked around, more long bridges and embankments spread in the distance, dividing Lake Texcoco like the paintbrush of the gods.
Under the sun, the lake surface is filled with sparkling waves, and the long white bridge shines with the lake water, like a kingdom in the sky. Thousands of small boats carrying goods and people came from all directions and nimbly passed between the stone bridges. Xiuluo took a closer look and discovered that the stone bridge and embankment were exquisitely designed, leaving special arc-shaped holes at regular intervals, so that boats could follow the lake water and shuttle under the feet of pedestrians.
"If there is a long bridge lying on the waves, what is the dragon if there is no cloud? If the road is restored and the sky is empty, what will be the rainbow if there is no sky?"
Shulot's eyes were filled with the color of the lake, the pedestrians on the long bridge, the white stone palace at the end, and the red-roofed temple. This is so magnificent that he has never imagined!
"Priest Xilot, what are you talking to yourself about?" Ugos looked at Xilot with a smile. Every city dweller is happy to see the shock and confusion of foreigners when they see the capital for the first time.
"I'm counting how many long bridges there are." Shulot smiled slightly and quickly regained consciousness.
"There are two main bridges in the north, leading to the villages on the north bank. There are two main bridges in the west and four branch bridges. From north to south, one leads to Azga Pozark, the old capital of the Tepanek people, and two leads to Tlacopan in the middle, and one to Chapultepec in the south.
There are two long canals in the west! From the foot of the Prepecha Highlands in the west, all the way over the mountains and ridges, to divert water to the capital, it was a huge project! Usually only one channel is opened to transport fresh water and one channel is closed for cleaning. In the south, there is a main bridge and two branch bridges, leading to the city-states on the south bank respectively.
To the east of the capital, there is a long embankment that extends across the entire lake, like the embrace of a goddess, protecting the majestic water capital from floods and saltwater depressions in the rainy season.
This is the abode of the gods on earth. It is the immortal sun, Trakaeler listens to the will of the gods and builds the Kingdom of God on earth! "
Ugos described the magnificence of the capital city in the lake with emotion. Unknowingly, he started singing priestly praises in a gorgeous capital accent.
"This is the island surrounded by eight bridges and causeways, the place where the eagle falls, the white stone in the lake, the home of the cactus in full bloom, Mexica-Tenochtitlan!"
Shulot admired in his heart, and then he chanted in the low tone of the Holy City, Qingyue.
As far as he could see, bridges and long embankments divided the lake, criss-crossing the lake with floating fields dotted all the way. Hundreds of canoes flowed through the river, bringing wealth and tribute from all over the world. At the end are endless stone houses, bustling crowds, and the unusually tall Twin Pyramids.
This is the center of civilization with bridges, boats, temples, palaces, warriors, and priests. It is the largest city in America, a capital city in a lake covering an area of 14 square kilometers!
Shulot once asked Avitt, what is the population of the capital city in the lake? Avitt smiled and told him that the capital city in the lake had eighty Calpoli communities with an unparalleled population of 250,000.
When the Spaniards first came to the lake capital, they were shocked by the majestic stone city and praised it as the "Venice of the New World." However, according to Shulot, this is just a narrow metaphor.
In this era, Venice's urban area was only eight square kilometers, with a maximum population of 120,000, less than half of the capital city on the lake, and the causeway and aqueduct facilities were completely incomparable. Venice can instead be called the "Tenochtitlan of Europe"!
If Xiulote makes a metaphor, the capital city in the lake should be the Han Dynasty Chang'an City with an area of 36 square kilometers and a population of 300,000, or the Imperial Roman City with an area of 15 square kilometers and a population estimated to be one million people. In any case, this is undoubtedly the center of the empire and the most glorious place of Mesoamerican civilization!
Under the royal flag held high, ten thousand elite warriors lined up in neat formation, heading south along the long bridge. Where Wang Qi passed, pedestrians on the bridge retreated to the depths of the embankments on both sides, kneeling in the lake water up to their calves.
Avit carried the majestic posture of a king, and Shlott accompanied him. The two of them walked forward as if they were in a deserted land.
He carefully observed both sides, and found that 70% were civilians wearing single-color linen or cotton clothes without hats, lying prostrate in the water; 20% were craftsmen and businessmen kneeling on their knees in dyed cotton clothes and cotton hats; and half were kneeling craftsmen and businessmen. There were warriors and military nobles of all levels who knelt down on one knee, wearing bright battle clothes and simple feathers; there were also a very small number of high-ranking priests and nobles who wore richly decorated robes, high-flying feather crowns, and bowed their heads in salute.
Wherever the king's flag passed, there were all the subjects of the empire who had surrendered.
"The sun is shining brightly when it first rises, and thousands of mountains are like fire. It rises to the sky in an instant and drives away the stars and the waning moon."
Shulot had mixed feelings in his heart. Thousands of armies gathered around and all the people knelt down. This is the hierarchical Mexica society. This is the taste of power at the top!
The young man under the king's banner was slightly drunk, but then he woke up and regained the clarity in his eyes. Then he poked his head slightly and looked at the majestic Avitt. The other person's face was calm as usual, and his eyes were full of energy, so he nodded inwardly.
With thousands of people retreating and saluting along the way, the army crossed the long bridge. In front of them was the northern city of the lake capital, the former city-state of Tlatelolco. This city-state is one of the twin cities originally established by the Mexica on the island in the middle of the lake. Its area is about a quarter of the main city of Tenochtitlan in the south.
With the expansion of the Mexica people, the capital city in the lake developed rapidly, and the two cities gradually merged into one. Only an arc-shaped canal is left at the junction to provide the most important fresh water to the cities on both sides.
As Shulot walked forward, he saw intertwined bridges and waterways in front of him. In the northern city of Tlatelolco, most of the houses are built on small pieces of land in the water, many of which are new islands that were later filled in. These houses were the residences of commoners or ordinary warriors, neatly arranged according to the plan.
The interlaced waterways are like a chessboard with straight sides, and between the chessboards are the buildings gathered one after another, like the chess pieces dropped by the gods. The foundation of each house is a stone platform to prevent flooding. The wall base of the house is made of white granite or red volcanic rock, the ceiling is made of wooden beams and sticks, and the outside is covered with a layer of plaster. The premises of the house are equally straight and roughly divided into bedrooms, kitchen, warehouse and slave quarters.
Whenever a certain number of houses were clustered into a block, a small community market and an entirely stone community temple would appear in the center. The community in the city is similar to the Lifang in Chang'an City in the Tang Dynasty, with a population of about 3,000. It not only has economic functions, but also has military functions.
This kind of temple is the lowest root system of the empire's sacred tree rule, the tentacles that penetrate into the grassroots, and the basis of the Mexica people's mobilization ability. The same four elders were responsible for a community, paying tribute in peacetime, supervising young people of school age to join the military academy, and recruiting 100 to 200 warriors during wartime.
Xiulote calculated in his mind that there were about a dozen communities in the northern city of Tlatelolco, far less than the eighty communities in the four major districts of the main city. Therefore, it was finally integrated into the main city, accepted the direct management of the royal family, and had the position of Lord of Tlatelolco. In this era, population and force always determine everything.
The army walked for nearly an hour and finally arrived at the center of Beicheng. The centers of Mesoamerican cities were similar to Roman city-states, always with towering temples and broad central squares. After looking at the nearly 40-meter-high twin pyramids and the Temple of Tlatelolco, Hulot turned his attention to the central square of the Grand Market.
Because, in the main city in the south that he could see visually, there was the truly magnificent Temple of Mexica.
The North City is far away from the religious and political center of the main city, and far away from the huge villas occupied by the nobles, so there is enough space to gather a large-scale market. The big market here is twice the size of the main city market, and about 60,000 people trade here every day!
The Grand Bazaar is a flat open space surrounded by connected waterways and edged by rows of arch bridges. Merchants from all over the world came by boat and transported goods to the arch bridge. The frugal merchants slept under the arched bridge with their goods.
The market is divided into different blocks according to different commodities. On the edge are the most common staple foods of fruits and vegetables, various stone tools and pottery containers, wooden furniture, firewood and pine strips, single-color cotton linen clothes and blankets, as well as ordinary obsidian knives, bone knives, bone needles and textiles awl. This is the daily needs of civilians and is also the largest area.
Further inside, there are brightly woven feather cloaks, gorgeous patterned cloth blankets, exquisite warrior uniforms, obsidian war clubs and wooden shields, herbal medicines from witch doctors and priests, various dried meats and fish, tigers, and deer. Deer, coyote, and otter skins, finished cold cocoa and tequila, honey and maple candy. Seeing this, Shulot carefully noted the location and prepared to come over later when he was free.
Between the center and the periphery was a vast slave market of various origins. Most slaves had their hands tied with ropes and a loop of rope around their necks tied to a long pole to prevent escape. A few were slaves who were sold by themselves, and these people were likely to be arranged in the human sacrifice stadium. Of course, there are exceptions. The big slave merchants have enough warriors to guard them, so they let go of the hands of young female slaves, allowing them to display freely.
The young man took a few glances, estimated his age in his mind, and then turned back silently.
Further inside, there is a high-end market with samurai guards stationed on guard. As expected here, Shulot once again saw the slender divine heads of the Mayans. Their shops always carry intoxicating divine smoke. Then he saw copper axes and copper needles from the West at a glance. The price of these small copper objects was very high, almost close to gold and silver jewelry. He also noted the location of the store.
Not far away is a pavilion of gold, silver and jade, especially the people of the clouds, the Mixtecs, who have the most exquisite craftsmanship. Various finely crafted gold and silver jewelry, bracelets, rings inlaid with gemstones, and the most precious jade necklace. There are also some Huastec and Totonac merchants from the seaside. They are selling shell decorations with shimmering colors. High-grade rose and light red seashells can even be equivalent to gold and silver, while pearls are often just accessories of the shells. Giveaway.
Another area of the high-end market favored by the nobility were luxury shops selling dyes, spices and brightly colored plants. Tropical flowers bloom, the air is filled with the scent of Totonac's favorite vanilla, the magnificent carmine is presented in a delicate silver bowl, and there are pungent earthenberries, Mexican oregano and taco seasoning.
Shulot walked to the edge of the marching warriors and walked beside the market, looking at everything in the big market in amazement. In front of him were businessmen of all nationalities from all over the world, in his ears were the enthusiastic hawking dialects, in his nose was the fragrance of unknown flowers and rouge, and in his hands was the cool touch of gold, silver and gems. He was dazzled for a moment.
It wasn't until his ears fell silent and he saw businessmen and civilians from all ethnic groups kneeling respectfully to the royal flag that he smiled slightly and walked back to the mighty marching team and the majestic and solemn royal flag.
"The hubs of the carriages hit each other, people's shoulders rub against each other, the folds form a curtain, the arms and shoulders are raised into a curtain, and the sweat turns into rain." The young man sighed with a smile. What a wonderful place where people are populating, bustling markets, prosperous Henan Province, and a peaceful world!
The army did not stop. The elite noble battle group just glanced at the rich market, their eyes full of confidence that could determine the life and death of the merchants. Then they followed the king's flag, full of honor and reverence, and headed south boldly, where they found the magnificent main city and the towering temple.
