The sun sets in the west, leaving behind a deep and secretive night. Under the darkness that covers half of the world, there are thousands of brightest bonfires on the entire American continent, a capital city in the lake that never sleeps tonight.
The grand enthronement ceremony has just ended. In the palace area of the capital, nobles lit incense, gathered for banquets, sang, danced and recited poems. Civilians in the community lit torches and gathered to pray and bless. And on the shore of the twinkling Texcoco Lake, on the swaying canoe, are young men and women having a tryst. They hugged each other, whispered, and looked at the bright Milky Way in the medieval night sky.
Starlight lights the way. Dozens of the chief minister's envoys walked through the hidden paths with solemn expressions. Soon after, like a wild beast waking up from the jungle, the entire capital gradually became quiet and the lights went out one after another. The autumn wind is full of chills and brings unknown fear.
Squadrons of warriors poured out of the Imperial armory. They were armed and armed, blocking key roads, bridges and ports, controlling small boats on the shore, and prohibiting pedestrians from leaving the city. The young men and women were frightened and driven to the nearest house. The warriors, with some doubts, were on guard against "the rebellion of Prince Texcoco."
At the Prince's Palace on the edge of the palace area, Billil was shaken awake from his deep sleep. He opened his eyes in confusion and saw the anxious face of the middle-aged warrior. After paying homage to his uncle Trol, he felt depressed and drank some wine. While remembering the glory of the past, he fell asleep in the night wind.
In his sleep, it was his father who was being watched by everyone, and then he became himself who was being watched by everyone, standing on the majestic temple, looking around at the capital city at his feet. What does such a dream portend?
"King, something bad has happened! We are surrounded by a large army! The enemies outside have broken through the door and there are only a hundred warriors in the palace. We cannot hold it! Get up, let's break out!"
The middle-aged warrior shouted anxiously, accompanied by the crisp sound of swords clashing, and a low wail before death.
Billil suddenly woke up. He jumped out of bed, staggered slightly, and pulled off the gorgeous royal clothes. Wear plain cotton armor.
"Who are the enemies? How many are there?" Billil asked calmly as he took the shield and war club handed over by the warrior.
"The enemy's equipment is very sophisticated, including copper axes and leather armor. They are extremely skilled in martial arts and are absolutely elite. They are either royal guards or temple guards! There are many of them, I don't know the details, but they are much more than us."
The middle-aged warrior's face was solemn. He was ready to die.
Billil rushed out of the gorgeous main room in one stride, followed closely by the middle-aged warrior. He climbed onto the rooftop to enjoy the shade and looked around. The enemies with leather armor and copper axes climbed over the stone wall, broke open the wooden door, and surrounded him from all directions. Wherever he looked, the guards of the palace were retreating steadily.
The other warrior's face was expressionless. They were like puppets wielding copper axes, slashing through the chests of guards with great force, mercilessly cutting the throats of the wounded, completely blocking all passages.
Billil felt sad. He remembered the middle-aged warrior's suggestion to return east at night in the evening, and the chief priest's suggestion of marriage. He roared angrily at the night sky: "Kechar, how dare you lie to me!"
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh." Dozens of sharp arrows came upon hearing the sound, and the archers equipped with Tlaxcala had been waiting for a long time.
A figure suddenly blocked the front. Billil stumbled and fell to the ground. An arrow hit each of his arms and thighs, and blood flowed from them. But he had no time to worry about his wounds, he just held up the fallen middle-aged warrior, and the real tears flowed from his eyes.
The middle-aged warrior was hit by more than a dozen arrows, most of which only penetrated the leather armor shallowly, leaving bloody wounds. Only the fatal arrow broke through the leather armor and penetrated two inches into the chest, cutting the heart and arteries, causing rapid internal bleeding.
"Texcoco..." The middle-aged warrior opened his lips and only had time to say half a weak sentence before he opened his eyes with regret and looked at Billil motionless.
In the distance, a young warrior holding a long bow nodded slightly. This kind of bow is really good. It can kill leather-armored warriors within a hundred steps.
On the rooftop, Billil was crying and angry, hiding from the rain of arrows that continued to hit. Within a quarter of an hour, all those who resisted were dead. Dozens of bronze ax warriors climbed onto the rooftop, hanging their bloody bronze axes, and surrounded him.
"I am the prince of Texcoco, the son of the founder of the Three Cities Alliance! How dare you harm me for no reason?" Billil shouted at the surrounding warriors. His handsome face was already full of distortion.
"Prince Texcoco, surrender. You poisoned the chief priest and intended to rebel. Your crime is unforgivable. Only by offering sacrifices to the great gods can you wash away your boundless guilt!" the messenger solemnly pronounced.
Hearing this, Billil raised his head in disbelief and looked at the majestic messenger.
"Poisoning the Chief Priest?..."
After being shocked for more than ten seconds, Billil finally understood something. He shouted desperately in the direction of the Great Temple: "The old thief is vicious! He actually..."
The messenger waved vigorously, and the warriors rushed forward. They knocked down Prince Texcoco with the blunt blade of a copper axe, tied his hands with sisal rope, stuffed linen cloth into his mouth, and dragged him to the great temple. Only corpses were left on the ground in the palace, as well as Trol's dead head on the altar of the main hall.
The arrests of the Texcoco family were launched simultaneously across the capital. The royal family warriors broke into a gathering of nobles who were having a banquet. They mercilessly captured Texcoco's military nobles, hereditary nobles, and even honorary nobles without distinction of rank. These nobles came to attend the new king's enthronement ceremony, and the banquet was in full swing. At this time, the incident happened suddenly, and everyone was taken away in one fell swoop.
Later, the priests of the Great Temple came with the order of Uger, declaring "the crime of the Prince of Texcoco." The priests appeased the nobles of the royal capital and Tlacopan, inviting them to the priest's palace in the temple area to worship the chief priest Ketzal and bid farewell to the noble soul.
The two thousand noble battle groups in the temple area have long been under centralized control. Hundreds of warriors from Texcoco were first picked out and temporarily detained. The messenger announced the "order to attack the Texcoco rebels."
The military nobles looked uneasy and could not make any noise. Immediately, more royal officers arrived and suppressed the noise of the noble battle group. After another two hours, 5,000 capital warriors followed the order and suppressed the noble battle group before the 7,000-strong army set off one after another. They took the navy that had already been mobilized at the port and sailed overnight under the moonlight. The fleet headed to the east coast of Lake Texcoco, dozens of miles away, to the city of Texcoco.
Avitt returned to Montezuma Palace under the guidance of the messenger. He first asked the guards to bring the gifts to his daughter. Then, under the dim bonfire in the main hall, he and Gillim were speechless.
After a long while, Gillim saluted respectfully and made a solemn report.
"According to the latest intelligence, the chief priest Kechar is dead. Prince Texcoco intends to rebel. The elders mobilized troops to suppress it."
Avitt nodded slightly, and then shook his head. It was impossible for Prince Texcoco to rebel at this time.
"This thing is so strange, what exactly happened?"
Gillim pondered slightly, lowered his voice and spoke.
"The situation is under the control of the elders. The Texcoco family is unprepared. This must be the elders' plan."
Avitt was slightly surprised.
"You mean... the death of Kechar?"
Gilliam nodded cautiously.
"Why are you doing this, elder?!"
"That depends on what His Highness Shulot said to the elder."
Gilliam responded with a respectful salute, which was meaningful.
At the same time, in the dark snake house. Shulot was awakened by the sudden noise. He was a little confused, and carefully pushed away the little green snake's tail wrapped around his neck. Then he put his ear to the wall and listened carefully. There were vaguely loud shouts and cries. After about two quarters of an hour, the noise gradually subsided. In the dark night, there is deathly silence.
Shulot frowned. He was a little worried about Avitt and Alyssa, whom he hadn't seen for a long time. Then he walked to the stone door and shouted questions to the guards outside. The guards remained silent and did not respond.
Shulot leaned against the wall again, staring at the darkness in front of him. He doesn't know his fate and worries about the people he loves. The silence and darkness make people irritable, and gradually make people fall asleep. The little green snake changed its position and wrapped around his waist. It's like being surrounded by a silk quilt, it's smooth, soft and comfortable. The young man held his head in his hands and fell asleep in deep thought.
This sleep was the next morning. At this time, there are two meals a day, and breakfast is around nine o'clock. The stone door opened with a bang, and breakfast was tortillas and black bean mashed. The guard also did not communicate with Shulot, left the food and left immediately. The young man chewed the still warm noodles, his thoughts wandering into the distance.
At this time, dozens of miles away in the east, in the name of celebration, the city gate of Texcoco opened with a bang.
A large number of internal troops have been preparing for a long time to lead the alliance's army into the city. Seven thousand warriors from the royal capital entered from the west gate, and four thousand warriors from the holy city rushed from the north gate. The more than a thousand garrison warriors in Texcoco were defenseless and surrendered. Immediately, the city gates and streets were controlled. The royal capital warriors were responsible for suppressing the attack, while the holy city warriors broke in directly and captured the royal family, nobles and priests of Texcoco.
The royal family and nobles who have been passed down for hundreds of years trembled, obeyed, cried, were angry, resisted, and fought, but they could not change the fate set by the elders. Those who resisted were reduced to ashes, and those who surrendered were captured and captured. The incident happened suddenly and there was a huge disparity in strength. Crying and roaring were meaningless.
After breakfast, Shulot cheered up. He first recalled religious teachings for three hours, then thought about economic surveys for two hours, and finally thought about military reforms for two hours. At four o'clock in the afternoon, it was dinner time again. The dinner was surprisingly rich, including turkey legs, rabbit stew, corn pie, and mushroom tomato soup.
Shulot thought of the customs in his hometown and touched his head in fear. By the way, the Mexicans have similar habits. He was dazed and frightened for a moment, and then the warrior's will prevailed. He sat down and ate happily.
"Eighteen years later, I am a hero again!" The young man thought wildly, trying to be heroic, suppressing his inner uneasiness, and drank the mushroom soup in one gulp. Then he tore off a rabbit leg and gave it to the little green snake. The little green snake smelled the cooked meat in disgust and swayed away from the boy. It wants to dive into waterways and catch delicious little animals.
Meanwhile, on the east shore of Lake Texcoco. Thousands of frightened sons of the royal family and nobles were escorted by heavily armed warriors and boarded canoes. With empty stomachs, bare hands, and shivering, they headed for the capital city in the lake. They already knew about "Prince Texcoco's Rebellion", but they didn't know what their fate would be next.
It's another silent night. That night, Shulot slept very restlessly. He thought of his father, his friends, his subordinates, and his lover, of his rigorous self-training, of his sleepless nights and of his technical research, and of his grand future plans.
The dark night makes people vulnerable, and the young man couldn't help but feel sad: "He died before he left the army, and the hero who led the army burst into tears. The ancients never deceived me!" Unintentionally, he had entered the state of mind of Zhuge's military advisor.
At this time, the little green snake finally emerged from the ground. It twisted on Shulot's clothes to remove the water stains, and then unceremoniously wrapped around the boy's neck, making a comfortable "?" sign again. Shulot felt inexplicably more at ease and fell into a deep sleep again.
The night was so long and difficult that many people could not sleep.
When the stone door opened again, Shulot sat up alertly, and the little green snake disappeared again. Candlelight poured in from outside the door, illuminating the calm face of the elder and the guard captain holding the clay pot.
The elder said nothing. He looked at the young man's expression, and an invisible smile flashed away. Then he made a gesture and turned around.
Shulot followed him tragically, walked through the long ramp, passed through the corridor of the gods, and came to the window of the palace again.
Under the sudden light, Shulot tried hard to adapt and looked ahead carefully. The scene in front of me was so familiar, the gathering of nobles and warriors, the priests and elders offering sacrifices. There was solemnity between heaven and earth, but there were no celebratory songs.
A handsome young man smiled crazily and was the first to ascend the towering Temple of War. The priest's chant sounded again.
"The sinful Prince Bilil of Texcoco, goes to the kingdom of the god of war! He will sacrifice with a sacred sacrifice to wash away the guilt of offending the gods and the king!"
This is an extremely familiar voice that I haven't heard for a long time. Shulot looked around in surprise, only to realize that the priest wearing the highest priest's robes and holding an obsidian dagger high was actually his grandfather! He looked around carefully, but could not find Kechar.
Shulot looked at the elder in shock, and the elder nodded calmly.
"My son, Prince Texcoco poisoned Ketzal and your grandfather is now the new High Priest."
In front of the Temple of War, Billil stood at the top of the majestic temple, looking around at the capital city at his feet. It turned out that this was what the dream meant... He laughed miserably for a moment, and then was pressed on the sacrifice stone by the priests and elders. Then the body separated and rolled down the stone steps.
Behind Billil are the bloodlines of all the princes of Texcoco, which have been passed down for hundreds of years and number more than 500 people. Then came more than four hundred noble children, and finally dozens of minor noble family heads. They were given anesthesia, their hands and feet were sore, and their bodies were smeared with sacrificial blue. One by one, they were sent to the Temple of War. The soul returns to the Kingdom of God, and the body rolls away into dust.
This time, there was no need to ask for names. Because their names have long been part of the league's history. It once bloomed at the top, but now it withers away overnight.
There was no cheering at today's sacrifice. The nobles under the great temple looked solemn and their hearts were trembling. This is completely different from the feeling of nobles who sacrificed their enemies. These people on the stage were celebrating and drinking with themselves the day before yesterday. They were standing above everyone else. Today, they were sent to the altar. How could they not be scary!
Those glorious names are even longer than the history of the alliance. They are the real dignitaries that every Mexica noble must memorize. And now, in front of everyone, a prince, two glorious nobles, and nearly ten hereditary nobles will be extinct forever, their inheritance will be cut off, and they will disappear in front of the gods!
This is a major purge that has never been seen in league history. Although Prince Texcoco was furious and poisoned the chief priest, it was an unpardonable crime. But why bother with this!
If the capital had not been sealed off and the nobles were closely supervised by the royal warriors, the nobles would have fled long ago and returned to their fiefdoms to mobilize warriors to protect themselves.
Among them, Prince Tlacopan was especially worried. He fled in plain clothes twice, but was intercepted by the Elder Guards both times. Then he bribed Ugel with a lot of money, and then he got the advice to go see the elder. Under the cold eyes of the elders, the prince voluntarily handed over the management of six thousand Tlacopan warriors, as well as Chinampa, who supported these warriors.
The elder nodded gently and expressed comfort. The prince was given a scepter that symbolized his status, a royal talisman that expressed trust, and he was betrothed to the grandniece of the chief priest. Prince Tlacopan felt a little relieved.
Deep in the prison, hidden from everyone, dozens of Texcoco's high priests were secretly executed. Most of them have the blood of princes and nobles, and they control the divine power to hinder reforms. In the largest prison, more than a thousand children of Texcoco's minor nobles and noble fighting groups were imprisoned. These elite noble warriors are not included in the purge, and the elders keep them for other purposes.
The elder looked calmly at the red temple. His eyes reflected the color of blood, and there was no ripple in the ancient well. His eyes turned slightly. Everywhere he looked, nobles of all sizes bowed their heads solemnly and remained silent. It’s just that the reverence and obedience from the heart are no longer there.
The elder sighed in his heart. These days, there have been constant requests from big nobles to see him, asking the elders to pardon Prince Texcoco and not to implicate him too widely. Although under the power of the elders, the nobles of all sizes once again obeyed, the hearts of the people were exhausted.
In the entire Lake Texcoco area, there are only two princes, twenty honorary nobles, and more than a hundred hereditary nobles. This purge completely eradicated the Texcoco line, annihilated some of the most religiously conservative nobles and priests, and recovered a large amount of land and property. At the same time, it intimidated the great nobles and cleared the way for the religious reform.
But his prestige has been exhausted. The nobles were pinned to the brink of rebellion and could no longer be deprived of their interests, at least for several years. In fact, the alliance must prepare for the next war as soon as possible, use the victory of the war to improve the prestige of the center, and feed the loyalty of the nobles with the flesh and blood of the enemy.
At this time, Shulot finally calmed down. He looked at the elder with a serious expression, not knowing how to speak.
The elder's face was calm. He said slowly.
"My child, the first nest of rats has been eliminated. You have to help Shuter compile religious classics and clarify the code. You have to organize the text and teach the priest apprentices. You have to be prepared to make more longbows. After the harvest next year , the alliance will send troops again."
Shulot lowered his head. The autumn wind blew his long hair, bringing with it a hint of blood. The development of the times requires the fuel of life and a driver to steer the course toward a more powerful future.
Facing the elder, he saluted sincerely and took orders in a solemn voice.
