Darkness has fallen, the night has deepened.
With Avitt's commitment and support, Shulot was very excited. He knelt down solemnly to accept the order, paid homage, and said goodbye to the king and his friends. Then, he called the warrior captain who had been waiting for a long time. Bertard picked up the simple clay pot and the group hurried to the high priest's palace.
Avitt watched the young man leave with a smile. His gaze gradually extended to the sky, and then looked up in the night, skipping the plain stars and staying on the rising moon. It is mid-January now, and the full moon is like a crystal jade plate, shining with pure light.
"The myth is gone, the Reformation. Does the moon still threaten the sun?"
Avitt stared for a long time but got no answer. Immediately, the king turned around calmly and slowly sat back on the cold throne. He once again reached out and grasped the hard staff, and fell into long thought. In the jumping fire, the light of topaz flashes, sometimes pure, sometimes deep.
At some point, Gillim silently walked out of the shadows and bowed solemnly to the ground. The king's eyes then fell.
"Your Majesty, do you really want His Highness to command the Northern Route Army?"
The intelligence officer raised his head and looked at the king with an unusually solemn expression.
Avitt nodded calmly, without hesitation or speaking. He was still thinking about something.
Gillim thought for a moment and bowed to the ground again.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for being stupid and failing to understand your thoughts. Please explain it clearly."
Avitt stared at the loyal intelligence officer again, waiting quietly without saying a word.
Gillim gritted his teeth and saluted solemnly again. This time, his forehead pressed against the cold ground, making a cold sound.
"The High Priest and his family can gather together with the Northern Route Army to completely eliminate... With the help of the Tarascans... the Holy City has long been secretly contacted by the great nobles... It's just that the High Priest's disposition needs to be reported to the elders in advance. .”
The intelligence officer only spoke sporadic short sentences, and he was already sweating. He didn't care who the target was, but he was only unsure of the king's intentions.
Hearing this, the abyss flashed across Avitt's heart. He hesitated for a moment, and then reprimanded majestically.
"I have no intention of doing so yet. Gillim, you shouldn't do this!"
The intelligence officer immediately apologized profusely, fell to the ground, and remained silent. After a moment, he raised his head again and spoke cautiously.
"Religious reform, military reform, suppression of nobles, these are all complaints... and they are all suggestions of His Highness... Maybe let the nobles know... raise group discussions and suppress them..."
The shadow flashed across the king's heart again. He was silent for a moment, then shook his head.
"The religious reform has just begun and has been undertaken by the elders. The military reform has not yet been carried out, and now it must be kept secret. Both are great undertakings and cannot be damaged due to selfishness... I am still prepared to pass on to him, and I should protect it... Geely Mum, no need to say anything more."
Gillim had no choice but to kowtow to the ground again, sweat falling to the ground. After a while, the intelligence officer still spoke firmly.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness has been out of prison for a month. He has been busy all day long and has never had a day's rest.
He first paid tribute to the fallen warriors and gathered military morale. Then he preached scriptures and propagated words in the priest's temple, and was praised as the "divine enlightener". Later, he and I investigated agriculture, studied the big and small nobles, and estimated the land and military strength. They were quite far-sighted. He also proposed reforming commercial laws, controlling strategic materials, and suppressing merchants, and the priests unanimously agreed.
Then, they secretly met with the Mayan business group, executed the big businessman of Tarasco, and sent people westward along the river to collect copper ore. Investigating various industries in the craftsman area and recruiting senior jade workers and stone workers seems to have profound meaning. In the past two days, we have inspected mines in various places, subdued salt workers, controlled large salt mines, and created strange magical objects. Today, I am asking you for miners again, intending to reform the military and form two new armies..."
Gillim has already sent people to monitor day and night. At this time, the story was told one by one. Even though he was well-informed and strong-willed, he was still shocked and worried.
"Priests, nobles, warriors, craftsmen, merchants, miners, militiamen... His Highness takes all strata of the alliance into consideration and carefully calculates and weighs them.
He practices martial arts diligently every day and tempers his will. He doesn't like fancy clothes, doesn't play with pearls and jade, doesn't like beauty, and doesn't like feasting. Being pure and self-sufficient, caring about the world, always pushing yourself, like chasing a tiger...
In thirty years, I have never seen young people with such a psyche. Even though he was born with Su Hui, his will is really extraordinary, like a god. What is your highness planning? If this is the case this month, what will happen in a year? "
The intelligence officer's words were true, and they shot into Avitt's heart like a sharp arrow. The king closed his eyes again. This time, he was silent for a long time before speaking with difficulty.
"I believe in him."
Gillim kowtowed hard, hitting the ground with a clearly audible sound, and called out in a low and earnest voice.
"Your Majesty! How can the great affairs of the country be pinned on the word trust?! Your Highness's grandfather is a high priest, and his father is a city-state lord. He has hundreds of warriors who follow him, and he is about to form a new army. He is capable of both civil and military affairs, and he lives in poverty. Shou, Su Hui invented it, and his reputation is getting far away. He is of royal blood, heir to the alliance, and he can be close to your most beloved princess..."
Hearing this, the king suddenly opened his eyes and shouted angrily.
"shut up!"
Gillim violated the king's order for the first time. He risked everything and continued to exhort.
"Even the elder, when assisting his brother Montezuma I, gave up the position of marshal and did not take over the military power. You once said that a great ruler must not have weaknesses! But now, your feelings have become a weakness .
The maintenance of a country depends on the balance of power, so how can it rely on the word trust. Can you trust His Highness and the High Priest? Everything is changing. Even if it is like this now, what will happen in the future? "
After saying that, Gillim kowtowed heavily again, blood already seeping from his forehead.
Avitt's breathing rose and fell sharply. He opened his eyes and looked at the intelligence officer whose face was covered with blood, his eyes showing struggle. Then, the king tightened his grip on the staff and slowly closed his eyes.
"Go down! Accept your punishment and sacrifice your blood."
Gillim nodded silently, saluted and accepted the order.
He ignored the blood on his face and took out the roasted hardened agave spikes. According to the ritual of the ascetic priest, the intelligence officer first pierced both ears without hesitation and let the bright red drops fall down. Then, he took out two small sharp awls and inserted them into the shoulder sockets of both shoulders. The pain was so intense that they were nearly an inch deep.
Then, Gillim suppressed the continuing pain and breathed heavily through his nose. With absolute will, he slowly stood up and staggered back from the hall. Behind him, a long and blood-red trail was left.
After a while, the king opened his eyes again. There was no one in the hall, except for the lonely king. He stared blankly at the blood stains stretching on the ground, as if he had walked through a long journey in his heart. The faces of the boy and the girl flashed away, which was his last weakness and softness.
After a long time, Avitt let out a long sigh.
"My child, don't push me. Let me see if I can have both."
The bonfire grew smaller and darkness seeped in. Finally, when the warmth burned out and the light went out, the king's true face disappeared into the cold darkness and could no longer be found.
Stepping on the starlight under his feet, Shulot returned to the high priest's house happily.
In the main hall, the torches burned warmly, and everything was bright. Grandfather sat alone at the stone table, looking at the papyrus document in his hand. He had already received the message and had been waiting patiently for a long time. Seeing the young man return, the old man finally breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled kindly and waved the young man to sit next to him.
Shulot then recounted what he had seen in the past few days, the craftsmen and miners, the mines and saltpeter, until today's conversation with the king.
"What!" The high priest stood up in shock and looked at the young man.
"You asked the king to organize a new army? The king agreed very much, gave you a quota of 10,000 people, and promised you the position of commander-in-chief of the Northern Route Army?!"
Shulot looked at his grandfather's unusually serious expression and was slightly startled.
"Avit was hesitant at first and seemed suspicious. I convinced him sincerely. Then he chose to believe me and had high hopes for me."
The young man responded truthfully. He also believed in his friends and was delighted with Avitt's support.
The high priest put his hands behind his back and walked around anxiously. The old man looked at the changing gods on the mural and kept mumbling to himself.
"Too urgent, too urgent! It's not time yet, we should wait for many years... The family hasn't taken root yet... I haven't fully controlled the priesthood yet... The elders are still there... You Too young...not even married..."
After a while, grandfather sighed quietly. He looked at his beloved grandson with a wry smile.
"My child, didn't I ask you to relax and have a rest and visit the capital and surrounding areas? Why did you start doing business again and stay busy all night? Then you didn't discuss it with me and rashly asked the king to form a new army. ?”
Shulot lowered his head slightly. He understood his grandfather's concerns, but still insisted.
"This Western Expedition is a crucial battle. It not only affects the reform, but also involves the metal ore in the west. We must make complete preparations, accumulate the maximum strength, and must not fail! The king believes in me, and I believe in him. We We will always stand together and do our best for the future of the Mexican people!"
Thulot thought of the copper mines of Tarasco and the iron mines of Colima further west. These are the future of the times, and we must not lose anything in our western expedition to Tarasco! Thinking of this, the young man no longer hesitated and had no regrets. He decided to personally participate in the Western Expedition to mobilize all forces and seize the opportunity to change history!
Looking at the young man with a resolute face, the high priest sighed again, with helplessness and appreciation.
"My child, you are too hasty! Power is always sensitive, and the seeds of doubt will sprout and grow. The king will choose to believe the same thing today. When he thinks about it tomorrow, he may be full of suspicion.
Shulot, at your age, your peers are learning to travel, singing poetry, socializing and feasting. Many young nobles will even go through the joyful songs of the opposite sex, enjoy life wantonly, and pursue happiness to their heart's content... My child, I am not advising you to indulge, but I think you are stretching yourself too tight. Life is only a few decades long, so why bother yourself?
Just follow the steps and I will pave the way for you. The drizzle moistens everything silently, and the young eagle flies high waiting to grow up. It will take a few years for the cactus to take root in every corner, penetrate into the hearts of the nobles and warriors, and gradually take control of the military power of the warriors, and then everything will fall into place.
My child, you are different from me, you have plenty of time to wait!
Wait until five years later, your wings will be full and your foundation will be solid; wait until ten years later, you will have tied the knot and merged with the royal family; wait until fifteen years later, the eagle will grow old, the red sun will set in the west, and the general trend will be determined from now on. Next... I just need to win a few battles in the middle, wait until the elder falls, and then take over my position as high priest...
At that time, you were the most dazzling sun of the Mexica people, hanging high above all the priests and nobles, looking down on the people of the world! This is the path I designed for you! "
The high priest finally opened his heart and told his plan. He advised the young man that it was the safest path and that it would take time to pave everything.
Shulot remained silent, his heart heaving. The long river of history flows in my mind, and memories come to mind one after another. He thought of the patient Tokugawa Ieyasu and the burning Oda Nobunaga a hundred years later. Then he thought of the Spaniards thirty years later, the destructive flames and germs, and finally sighed softly.
"Grandpa, I have fifty years of life, and I only seize the day!"
The young man looked calm and stared at his grandfather firmly without any wavering.
The high priest looked blankly at his grandson who had been raised since childhood. He suddenly realized that the boy had grown up and was almost as tall as himself. Looking at that resolute face, he looked like the most outstanding eldest son.
After a long time, the high priest smiled with emotion and relief. This time, he touched the young man's shoulder and nodded slowly.
"My child, leave it to me. Let me think about how to fight for your future!"
The bonfire burned brightly, making the main hall even brighter. The fire dispelled all the darkness and illuminated the old man and the young man. Warmth comes with the light, it is so real and silently penetrates the heart.
