The wind in December brings an awe-inspiring chill, and the capital city in December is a cold blood color.
Since the new king Avitsotl came to the throne, the situation in the alliance has changed drastically, and too many shocking news have come one after another, just like the God of War once again ascended the Snake Mountain and cut the gods into dust. Even now, the blockade in the capital has been lifted, but people's hearts cannot be calm for a long time.
For the civilians in the lake capital, the most shocking news was that on the night when the new king ascended the throne, Prince Texcoco poisoned the chief priest with the intention of treason. Immediately, the royal warriors dispatched to quell the rebellion and suppressed the nobles of the Texcoco city-state.
The priests of the community explained that the chief priest sacrificed the defeated king uncle Trol and then sent the head back to Prince Texcoco. The prince had a grudge, so he poisoned the chief priest in the cocoa, and then rebelled against the alliance to destroy the beautiful lake capital. The immortal elder understood all this and stepped forward in time to save the alliance from crisis. Then, the elders kindly and majesticly sacrificed the rebels so that they could absolve themselves of their guilt and obtain God's forgiveness.
According to rumors, the chief priest took a strange potion from the city-state of Texcoco, laughed and danced all night long, had thoughts and poems pouring out, and then died with a smile on his face. This method of death is full of beauty and poetry, which makes many residents of the capital yearn for it. They are indeed the Texcoco royal family who inherits poetry!
Even though there are turbulent undercurrents in the upper echelons of the alliance, the world of civilians remains calm and life must continue normally.
Meditating in the Snake House gave Shulot a lot to think about. The past events emerge one by one in front of my eyes, and then pass away with the wind. When he found some free time these days, he asked the old carpenter Kuaud to lead the way to visit Kusola at his home. That was the first samurai to die for himself.
Kusola's home is a bit far away, in a remote community west of the capital. The walls are made of mud and stone, and the roof is made of wooden beams and branches, with baked mud tiles on the outside. The houses here are all family units, with eight or nine neatly arranged houses inside and outside. Then dozens of people live together, and the food, clothing, housing, transportation, and work are all assigned by the family elders.
Only by joining together can a commoner's family support one or two warriors who can support the family.
Accompanied respectfully by the family elders, Shulot entered Kusola's house. His house was not big, and a plainly dressed woman was taking care of a one or two year old boy. The child giggled and pushed the wooden wheelbarrow in his hand.
Yes, the Mayans invented the wheel hundreds of years ago and made it into a compact toy. In the city-state of Mexico, there are compact unicycles, balanced two-wheeled vehicles, and astronomical tricycles, which are sold in the central square. However, the car has never been able to transform from a toy into a truly practical tool.
The most important reason is the wheels. The wheels must be made of hardwood to ensure wear resistance. At the same time, it cannot be a round wooden board, it must be a hollow ring with spokes. Wear resistance and sophistication mean complicated processing processes, and in the Stone Age, the cost of processing a wheel was horribly high, even requiring the loss of many sets of stone tools. These tools also require a lot of labor to make.
Even if it is processed into shape, another problem will be encountered, the lack of metal to strengthen the wheel. If you observe medieval wheels, you will find that there are a large number of metal nails fixed on the inside and outside of the wheel ring to ensure that the wheel is stable and will not fall apart. If there are no reinforced nails and are purely connected with wood, once the wheels bear gravity, the delicate structure will be easily damaged. Once damaged, it means repeating the high-cost production process again.
Another reason is livestock. For large livestock that have not been domesticated, even if high-cost vehicles are manufactured, it will not improve the efficiency of operations. Outside the city, there are mountains, forests and weeds everywhere. Without iron tools to build long roads, pushing a cart would not be much more efficient than walking.
In the final analysis, the lack of metal tools limited the development of Mesoamerican civilization, locking society into a long era, waiting hard for the "thrilling jump" in technological progress. And now, it’s the eve of the jump.
Seeing the simple woman and the boy playing with a unicycle, Shulot had mixed feelings. He thought of the umbilical cord buried in Kusola, and of the residual wine in the hands of the young warrior when he died. There was always a softness in the young man's heart, and this softness made him remain silent for a long time.
The family elder quickly asked the woman to take the boy to salute, but Shulot waved his hand slightly to stop him. He took another look at the simple walls and various exquisite wooden furniture in the house, then turned around and left silently, no longer disturbing the lives of the woman and boy. He waited until he was out of the house before ordering his followers.
"Provide Kusola's family according to the standards of an elite warrior. When Kunawa grows up, find him the best samurai teacher. Well. That child will be called Kunawa."
"I will make him a Jaguar warrior, a true military noble." Shulot said to himself.
For the nobles and warriors in the lake capital, the most frightening news was the three-day festival that took place after the rebellion was suppressed. Thousands of noble bloodlines returned to the Kingdom of God, the Texcoco royal family was completely exterminated, and more than a dozen nobles were purged. Hundreds of minor nobles and hundreds of noble warriors are still imprisoned in prison.
The upper echelons of power in the city-state of Texcoco have since been wiped out. The elder's noble name was shrouded in bloody terror.
Of course, the nobles in the capital were also jealous of the large amounts of land and properties and thousands of vassal warriors left behind by the princes and nobles. The nobles, big and small, gathered together secretly to discuss whether there was an opportunity to obtain the rich fiefdom on the east bank of the lake, succeed the position of Lord of Texcoco, and pass it on to immortality from generation to generation.
The aspirations of ordinary samurai are much smaller. They hoped to be loyal to the royal family, dedicate their armed forces, and be granted a productive chinampa. From then on, he was able to support many children and build his own family.
Only a thoughtful person would notice the low-profile behavior of Prince Totoki of Tlacopan. Totoki surrendered the jurisdiction of six thousand direct warriors, and also handed over a large area of Chinampa on the west shore of the lake. Then he divorced his original wife, married the chief priest's grand-niece, who was only fourteen years old, and crossed the bridge to the west the next day.
When they came, they were cheered in front and behind, with great momentum, but when they left, they were quiet and gentle in the breeze.
Kepana bid farewell to her cousin on the long white bridge. The two put flowers on each other, hugged each other and cried, remembering their kind and kind grandfather, and hating Prince Texcoco, who had a human face and an animal heart. Akapu was by his side, looking at his newlywed wife tenderly. Shulot had just regained his freedom, so he joined in the fun.
Prince Totoki is about thirty years old, with a round face, a smile, and a chubby face. He looks kind-hearted. He is completely inconsistent with the samurai aesthetics admired in this era. He does not look like a king that everyone respects, but looks like a wealthy businessman.
When he saw Shulot, he enthusiastically held the boy's arm, greeted him loudly, and even had someone bring him a long crown of feathers, a costume of precious stones, and crocodile skin shoes. Then he talked excitedly about the delicious and exquisite food, the jewelry made of gold, silver and jade, and the singers from various tribes in Mexico.
Shulot silently looked at Prince Totoki for a long time. He thought to himself that he would be able to see this face for many more years.
After bidding farewell to her cousin, Kepana touched the dagger hidden in her chest with nostalgia. This was a gift given to her by her grandfather before her wedding, along with a bottle of light yellow potion. Thinking of her grandfather's last instructions, she sighed softly.
"My beloved grandfather. Acap has been very kind to me, and the king you are worried about has not harmed the family. I should never use your potion."
If she had married the king, would her grandfather also have given her the dagger and potion? There is no answer to this question, and Kpana doesn't want to know, so that's fine for now. She smiled in relief, and then happily hugged Akapu.
Acap, wearing a black high priest's uniform, also smiled and held his wife tightly.
He had changed his attire and became the youngest priest elder among the twelve men. Although many people in the chief priest's line opposed it, relying on Kepana's identity and the support of King Avit, he still convinced everyone and successfully inherited part of Kechar's power.
For the priests of the capital city in the lake, the most noteworthy news is the merger of the chief priests and the high priests. The twelve-member central body of priests and elders has become the only and highest theocratic center of the alliance, with High Priest Shuter serving as the leader of the order. At the call of the leader, the upper echelons of the high priests came in a hurry from the holy city.
The first thing the priests and elders did when they met was to sort out the fifth level of priesthood.
Everyone quickly reached a consensus that the priests and elders of the two major priest groups were equivalent to the chief priests, and the priests and elders of other city-states were divided into chief priests and accepted the direct management of the chief priests. The fifth-level coyote priest is the chief priest, the fourth and third levels are city priests, and the second and first levels are village and community priests. The five-level structure has clear upper and lower levels, with promotion levels and strict order.
Obviously, considering the area of the eleven states of Mexico, the priesthood level setting for the priests is too high. But in the early days of the Reformation, it was a time to appease priests everywhere. Once the overall situation is decided, there will be plenty of opportunities to slowly clear things up later.
Next, are the fundamental books and religious laws that the elders are most concerned about.
Since the elders granted Shulot the important position of participating in the compilation of classics, he was able to go a step further and be promoted to chief priest. Now, his most important job every day is to go to the priest's temple, teach the priests and elders the writing, and participate in discussions on new doctrines.
Chinese characters are the main carrier of the new Mexican script. In the process of combining it with Nahuatl, the first problem is pronunciation. Most of the Chinese characters are pronounced in the form and meaning of the Chinese characters and the pronunciation of the Nahuatl language. For some special Chinese characters whose corresponding concepts cannot be found in existing languages, phonetic pronunciation is adopted, that is, the sounds, shapes, and meanings of the Chinese characters are fully used.
In addition to training and reading, there is the pseudonym system that has just begun to develop. That is, borrowing the shapes of Chinese characters and giving them localized meanings and even localized pronunciations. Combined with the characteristics of Mexica graphics, an extremely simplified hiragana can be developed to allow samurai and civilians without cultural foundation to quickly master simplified writing. The phonetic notation of Hiragana is similar to the pinyin of Nahuatl.
Of course, for high-ranking priests, mastering complete Chinese characters was a symbol of status and status. They are also smart enough to learn and master Chinese characters, and even draw inferences from one example.
At this time, Shulot was wearing a black priest's uniform and sitting at the lower center of the priest's temple hall. Next to him was a pile of wooden boards with inscriptions on them. Opposite him was his grandfather with a majestic face and a divine crown on his head, surrounded by a circle of priests and elders of the same age. The feather crown is slender, sandalwood is lingering, and turquoise is wrapped around the four walls like vines. On the periphery are priests of all levels who listen respectfully.
The high priest smiled slightly and motioned for Shulot to speak.
After thinking about it for a long time, Shulot decided to start with the Thousand-Character Essay that he was familiar with. This is an enlightening book, and it is quite meaningful. After speaking a thousand words, the general writing system will come out.
So the young man straightened his back, pointed to the top wooden board, and said solemnly:
"Ilhuicatl, tlalli, tliltic, coztic; universe, ixachipul, huahcatzin."
"The sky and the earth are dark and yellow, and the universe is vast. The sky is black and the earth is yellow. The vast universe is infinitely large and infinitely far away."
Here, Xuanhuang, Huanghuang, and Huanghuang are the interpretations of Nahuat sounds. The young man carefully considered that the concept of the universe was not clear in this era, so he still used the pronunciation of Chinese characters.
The priests and elders thought about the meaning of this sentence. With their abilities, it was not difficult to learn these Chinese characters.
An old priest and elder spoke thoughtfully. He admired slightly.
"This sentence seems to have a deep meaning."
Shulot was refreshed and looked expectantly at the wise men of these times.
"Ilhuicatl is the sky and the beautiful kingdom of God. Tlalli is the earth, the farmland, and the underground of the world. Tliltic is black, which is the human figure, and also symbolizes the dead. Coztic is yellow, which is gold and brass, and can also be the underground mineral deposits. ..."
Hearing this, another energetic priest and elder clasped his hands, laughed, and spoke loudly.
"Yes! The profound meaning of this sentence is: those who obey the gods will ascend to heaven after death and enjoy infinite beauty. Those who disobey the gods will sink into the earth after death and solidify into gold and stone that will never be released. God's Its power is infinite, covering endless lands, spanning generations of time, infinitely large and infinitely far away!”
Upon hearing this, all the elders praised him together. Priest Shulot is really young and promising, and he has learned a lot.
Immediately, a middle-aged elder looked at the high priest and made a respectful and serious proposal.
"What Priest Shulot said is excellent! This sentence is consistent with the basic scriptures. It is better to write it into the first chapter of the doctrine. The sky and the earth are black and yellow, and the universe is vast. Those who obey the gods will ascend to the kingdom of heaven and enjoy eternal peace. Those who disobey the gods will sink. The abyss of the earth, turned into gold and stone, will never be liberated. You must believe in my god Huitzilopochtli, whose power is infinite and controls all existence from the past to the future until the end!"
The high priest nodded with satisfaction and smiled happily. Everyone looked at Xiulote and saw that his expression remained calm and he was neither arrogant nor impetuous. The elders praised him again.
Listening to the elders' praise, the young man's heart was racing and his face was dumbfounded. The teaching of Chinese characters and the compilation of teachings were carried out at the same time, and the ensuing discussion entered a trajectory that the young man had never imagined.
"The sun and the moon are full, and the stars and constellations are arranged."
"The sun, moon, stars, and the changes in these celestial phenomena are all due to the power of the Lord God. He gives us sunlight, uses the moon and stars to reveal the truth, and then teaches the truth to the priests."
"Yes, the Lord God brings light, and the priests listen to the will!" The energetic priests and elders shouted loudly.
"What Priest Shulot said is right, it deserves to be recorded in the doctrine." The middle-aged elder suggested again.
Hearing this, the high priest nodded with satisfaction again.
“Cold comes and summer comes, autumn harvests and winter stores.”
"Autumn and winter? What's the difference between these two words?" Ugel was a little confused.
"The chief priest of the Wugel Sect, it was mentioned in the inheritance sacrifice plate of the chief priest group. Winter is a divine disaster in the far north, a terrible white cold that can destroy farmland and freeze people and poultry to death." The old elder explained.
"The profound meaning of this sentence is: the Lord God controls the changes in the temperature and warmth of the heaven and the earth. He grants rich harvests to those who obey, and sends divine disasters to those who disobey, causing the earth to fail to harvest and people and animals to die. And the priests will guide the agricultural production of believers, Get a good harvest from God.”
"Then we should add to the doctrine that those who die from divine disasters will also sink into the abyss." The middle-aged elder added thoughtfully.
Shulot was at a loss again, and his grandfather smiled and patted his shoulder. "continue."
"Leap Yu is a year old, Lu Lu adjusts the Yang."
"Leap remainder? This seems to be something in the Mayan lunar calendar. It's not in our solar calendar."
A learned elder thought back.
"Then let's use the last bad day of the solar calendar instead. God will review the sins of the year on the last five bad days of each year. Let the believers come to the temple to repent and get rid of their mistakes during these five days." The elder pondered.
"Yes, Lu Lu is music. Music is loved by God. He uses music to mediate social disputes and divide levels. We need to formulate different music standards, and at the same time expand the temple's singing team to absorb outstanding civilians."
"Very good! The believers in the village community love music the most. You can write hymns to match the music to guide the believers' hearts..." the tall elder suggested loudly.
The Thousand-Character Text describes all aspects of life, and the priests and elders also extended their teachings to all aspects of society.
After listening to the praises of the elders, Shulot finished memorizing the thousand-character essay sluggishly and tiredly. In the end, he received a very high evaluation: "Excellent knowledge, not afraid of favors or disgrace. Devoted to gods, wisdom revealed."
High Priest Shuter gently pinched the boy's face. Seeing the young man's tired expression, he asked him to go down and rest with concern.
Shulot then walked to the periphery, sat next to Akapu, and watched the elders in the center continue to debate doctrines. As the youngest priest elder, Akap had not spoken much just now. He just looked at the radiant young man in the center with a smile.
Shulot looked at his friend who he had known since childhood, touched his arm, and asked in a low voice.
"Why are the priests and elders so enthusiastic?"
Akapu smiled warmly. He leaned close to the young man's ear and whispered in the same low voice.
"You were imprisoned by the elders for a week, but you were unscathed. After you came out, you compiled the classics. The chief priest was busy for a week, and finally died mysteriously, and the family was inherited by me. Then the priesthood merged, and the high priest became the leader. You said, priest What would the elders think?”
Only then did Shulot suddenly realize that this was the power of a fox pretending to be a tiger!
Throughout December, the priest's temple is the center of Shulot activity. He gets up early and comes home late every day, watching the basic classics gradually become thicker.
During this period, he did not forget to instruct the old carpenter Kuaud to continue to expand the manufacturing of longbows. The current production capacity is rapidly expanding and can produce dozens of longbows every day. Kuaud has now been promoted to the director of craftsmen in the capital, with thousands of craftsmen under his command. He was also responsible for the acquisition of copper mines and copperware to make bronze tools and improve production efficiency.
In his daily free time, Shulot would return to Montezuma Palace to accompany his beloved elf, the beautiful and pure Alyssa.
"You are a lost flower, blooming in my lonely heart." The young man held the girl's hand and moved to kiss her cheek.
The girl smiled slyly and blocked the boy's attack with her fingers. She lowered her head and blew on the boy's ears.
"The flowers haven't bloomed yet. I haven't seen your heart clearly yet! You bad brother."
After saying that, the girl drifted away like a gust of wind.
The young man looked at the leaving figure and stood for a long time, feeling as if he was lost.
It wasn't until a slight cough came that Xilot saw Gillim standing next to him. He didn't know how long he had been standing here.
Gilliam, wearing a simple brown cloth robe, smiled slightly.
"The princess is still young, so there is no need to rush, Your Highness."
Shulot's face turned red. After returning from a near-death encounter, his mood changed greatly. When it comes to the people and things you love, there is always a sense of urgency that time is waiting for us, and I am indeed a lot more impatient.
Afterwards, Gilliam saluted solemnly.
"His Royal Highness has asked about the land situation in the capital several times. I have nothing to do tomorrow, so I can take His Highness to visit."
When Shulot heard this, his face became solemn. Land is a major national issue, and it must be considered on the ground and the status of distribution can be understood before the national issue can be agreed upon.
Thinking of this, he lowered his head, bowed deeply, and returned the courtesy respectfully.
