The setting sun is like blood, reflecting the palace area into the color of blood and fire, just like the royal power of the Mexica people.
In the sunset, under the royal authority, two nobles walked silently, stepping on their own shadows step by step.
"Butcher, what do you think?" After walking away in silence for a long time, the royal nobleman Iskali slowly spoke. His face was cold and stern, and he meant something.
"At the end of the month, it's too early, so don't worry."
The glorious noble Tepopolo smiled kindly and calmly. The two have long been familiar with each other and call each other by their nicknames.
"The Iscoatl family has been enfeoffed abroad for a long time, but there is still a day when they can make a comeback!"
Iskali frowned. His moods fluctuated, and there was dissatisfaction in his voice.
"So what? After all, he is a close bloodline of the royal family. From today's perspective, he is mysterious and quite extraordinary."
Tepopolo smiled gently and patted his old friend on the shoulder.
"Besides, King Avit is also a combination of the two royal families. He uses close relatives from his father's line, probably because he wants to balance your power."
Iskali was silent for a moment and replied in a deep voice.
"But his throne is inherited from the maternal line after all! You can stand on the outside and watch, but I am standing on the inside!"
"You are wrong, my old friend." Tepopolo put away his smile and responded seriously.
"The throne of the Mexica is never inherited from anyone! It is only inherited from powerful force and outstanding talents!"
"This is why I told you not to rush. The coronation war in the autumn has not yet begun. The king needs to prove himself, and the heir must also prove himself! If he is really a great commander, what's the harm in obeying?"
"What you should pay more attention to now are the new laws and reforms brought about by the priests! Our power and position are also inherited from wealth and force. But now, the priests want to take it away!"
Iskali was horrified. He looked at Tepopolo solemnly.
"I have heard about the new law. It seems that it only restricts ordinary nobles and is not aimed at us. Besides, some nobles have indeed gone too far."
Tepopolo smiled softly and shook his head.
"Now, what about in the future? The priests are becoming more and more strict. Once they develop, they will eventually devour us!"
Iskali frowned deeply. He thought for a moment, but his mind was still blurry and he couldn't see clearly.
"Then what should we do?"
"Wait, still wait, wait silently." Tepopolo smiled gently again.
"It's the elders who are behind the new law reforms. Now we can't do anything."
Speaking of the elder, the two of them looked at the magnificent temple not far away. As the sun sets, the bloody sacrifice seems to appear before our eyes again. They shuddered at the same time and fell silent.
It took a long time, until he walked past the great temple and was far away from the shadows in the nightmare, before Iskali spoke again.
"Butcher, what should we wait for?"
"At the end of the month, of course I'm waiting for the opportunity." Tepopolo arched his eyebrows, looking even more kind.
"Opportunity? You mean..." Iskali's eyes flashed with a murderous look.
Tepopolo was startled. He stopped, looked at Iskali, smiled and sighed.
"My stupid moon friend, you are forty years old and about to die, why are you still so murderous? I should really give you my name."
Iskali curled his lips.
"Come on, my clever butcher friend! When you followed the conqueror Moctezuma I in his southern expedition, you executed thousands of Zapotec prisoners at once. Why don't we use the same name? I will be the elder The first life of a young man, you will be the second life of a young man.”
Having said this, Iskali laughed and enjoyed himself.
Tepopolo sighed helplessly again. Then, he thought of something and looked serious.
"Iskali, let me ask you, will you bring the Zapotec captives back to the capital of the lake?"
Iskali pondered for a moment and shook his head.
"It's too far. It takes two months to get from the Zapotec city-state to the capital in the lake. The way is densely covered with mountains and forests, and there are no convenient rivers. Too much food will be consumed along the way. It is better to sacrifice on the spot to please the gods and gods. Legion.”
Tepopolo smiled and nodded, his eyes twinkling.
"Yes, Iskali, this is distance and time. You see, even the great Montezuma could not completely conquer the distant southern states. The vassals from various places bowed their heads and surrendered when the army arrived. After the legion left, He often refused to pay tribute and decided everything independently on the land."
"Next, if the king's conquest fails, the opportunity you have been waiting for will come! The nobles will renegotiate the future, and it will be difficult for the priests' reforms to continue. If the heir is not good enough, it will be your line of Vizili Vitel who will take action. It’s time!”
Iskali pondered. He had endless thoughts, testing his old friend's feelings.
"So, we won't really contribute in this Western Expedition?"
"No, we must go all out in the Western Expedition! As a minister of government, we must give full support to the king before he fails and gain the king's trust. King Avit will take everyone in his heart, and Gillim is his eyes. If the king really If you can lead us to conquer Tarasco, the opportunity will also come!”
Tepopolo smiled faintly. Under Iskali's confused eyes, he said slowly and deeply.
"At that time, we invited ourselves to be granted a title. We took our vassal warriors to the remote Lake Tarasco area to guard the frontier for the alliance. That is true independence, just like the military city-states on the front line of Tlaxcala in the northeast. , but you don’t have to face a powerful enemy!”
Hearing this, Iskali finally looked shocked.
"Tepopolo, are you leaving Tlatelolco, which has been passed down from generation to generation?!"
Tepopolo nodded solemnly in confirmation.
"Tlatelolco has long been incorporated into the lake capital. The princes have either died or gone into hiding, and I have become the highest-ranking honorable noble. With the general trend, the entire Texcoco Lake area will become a territory completely directly under the king. The power of the priests will also increase during the reform. If I still stay here, the end will be bad. It is better to invite foreign vassals, jump out of this cage, and watch the king and priests in the center."
Speaking of which, Tepopolo meant something profound.
"I'm afraid we still don't know what the future holds. Now we just have to wait."
Iskali frowned deeply. His vision seemed clearer, but the future was still murky, like changing tequila. Even though he was an outstanding warrior, his wisdom and vision still limited him. After a while, he hesitated and spoke.
"Will the elders and the king allow me to invite a foreign vassal?"
Tepopolo smiled confidently, gently and powerfully.
"Of course. Changing the title must be the plan of the elders and the king. The elders have been detaining thousands of low-level nobles and warriors in Texcoco, polishing their character, and sending priests to teach them day and night. They must be waiting for Xilotepe The fall of Kecheng.
When the time comes, clean out the upper echelons of the Otomi people and seal them all away. The alliance will be able to firmly control this important town by the northern river and eliminate the hidden dangers of the capital. In the territory of the Otomi people, these renamed nobles could only move closer to the alliance.
The core of Western Tarasco is the Lake Patzcuaro area, which is also one or two months away from the capital and cannot be directly managed by the royal family. Since it is a divine war to destroy a country, there must be a noble vassal king to guard and rule the newly conquered land! Who is more suitable for this position than us? "
Thinking of this, Tepopolo became energetic again. His thoughts drifted away, and hidden ambitions rose in his heart. The Lake Patzcuaro area is also the inheritance of kings, so why can Mexicans only have one king?
Iskali lowered his head and said nothing. As an old man in the royal family, he has never endured the pressure brought by the royal family to the great nobles. In fact, he is not interested in sealing off distant lands. But what his old friend said made sense, and he finally understood some of the thoughts of the elder and the king.
As a result, Iskali's expression was cold and stern again, with a fierce glint in his eyes.
"Butcher, you are right. In this divine war, none of the great nobles and priests of the Tarascans can stay. The weeds of Tarasco must be cleared and planted with Mexican corn!"
"The great nobles will definitely pull it out! But the priests of Tarasco...well, too."
Tepopolo responded in agreement, paused for a moment between words, and then continued to nod as if nothing had happened.
The conversation continues, and hearts change. With their backs to the bloody sunset, the two of them walked steadily forward in the shadows, waiting silently. And on their periphery are elite private warriors who are loyal guards.
In the main hall, Shulot waited quietly for a long time. After the outsiders left, he sat cross-legged next to Avitt and closely watched the work of his friend the king, watching him record and organize the pictures in writing and process the wooden boards. From time to time, the young man asked for advice on how to deal with government affairs and put forward novel suggestions.
During the chat at work, Avitt also smiled a little. He returned from divinity, his expression became relaxed, and he occasionally touched the boy's head and mentioned his favorite daughter. Gillim sat quietly in the shadow of the throne, watching silently, occasionally adding some details.
Busy time always passes quickly. When Avitt finally raised his head, the sun was sinking into the earth and it was pitch black outside the window. The distant moonlight falls from the window, reflecting the bonfire in the hall, bringing a peaceful warmth. So, he smiled gently at the young man.
"Xulot, just stop here today. Come early for the New Year's ceremony next week. Alyssa misses you a little, and I don't have time to spend time with her on weekdays.
After the elders and we have finished patrolling the city, you will take Alyssa to go boating on the lake, and then go to the royal garden to relax at noon and look at the flowers, plants and butterflies. Wait until there are fewer people in the evening, then go to the zoo and aquarium lake to play with the deer and patterned fish. In the evening, go to the priest's high platform to watch the moon and the stars... I will ask people to prepare snacks, snacks and drinks, but no alcohol... .”
Listening to Avitt's detailed arrangements and specific plans, Shulot wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. He felt stressed. The young man felt Avitt's true emotions, and felt warm in his heart. He listened quietly with slight joy.
Soon, Avitt finished his instructions. The two looked at each other silently. This atmosphere had not existed for a long time.
"Okay. Avitt, I will take Avelot to find Alyssa. The little golden eagle has grown up a lot and has new gray feathers. Of course, it still feels very soft to the touch. It has always been very courageous. Small, I can stay with Alyssa for a long time.”
Shulot responded with a sincere smile. Avitt was in a daze, thinking of the little golden eagle that had been trained, and couldn't help but smile.
The two laughed again for a while. The young man looked at his friend seriously and made the long-awaited proposal.
"Avit, when we were fighting on the Leman River, I was thinking of forming a well-trained spear militia to supplement the warriors and maintain the frontal battle line."
"Now, we have enough copper ore to make copper spears. Recently I went to the surrounding mines and found many excellent sources of miners... Can you allocate thousands of miners to me and let me form a new army? ? They should be able to use it during the western expedition to Tarasco."
Shulot had a frank look on his face. After talking about his proposal to form a new army, he looked at Avitt expectantly and sincerely.
Hearing this, King Avit looked at the young man beside him. His smile gradually solidified, another thought gradually emerged, and the ruthless divinity came to him again.
