On the shore of Texcoco Lake, under the burning sunset, Shulot looked forward calmly. Behind him, dozens of elite warriors followed, and hundreds of civilian craftsmen were busy.
The warrior commander remained motionless, guarding quietly. The old warrior Etalik looked at the young man, silently took a few steps forward, smiled and bowed his head in greeting.
"Your Highness, do you have any other instructions regarding the burning of charcoal, bricks and gems here? In compliance with your wishes, I am willing to spur the craftsmen for you and guard the rebirth of the sun until dawn covers the earth!"
Shulot was slightly surprised to hear the old warrior's honest thoughts. The young man looked at Etalik carefully and saw the same fire in his eyes. He was silent for a few seconds before speaking.
"Etalik, what do you think of this place?"
The old warrior put away the smile on his face and answered seriously and decisively.
"Your Highness, the common men are just burning charcoal, maintaining the operation of the alliance. The warriors are hard clay bricks, protecting the greatness of the alliance. And only you are the crystal clear gem, carrying the will of the Lord God, guiding the alliance Forward!"
Faced with such an answer, Shulot was surprised. He stared into the old warrior's eyes and nodded slowly after a long while.
"Very good. Etalik, you will be of great use!"
Hearing this, the old warrior lowered his head and saluted again, and the smile flashed from his face.
The lake water passed by quietly, and a few days passed by in an instant. This morning, facing the first ray of sunshine in February, Shulot dressed up and went out. Carrying the little golden eagle looking around on his back, he headed for Montezuma's palace again. Immediately, he received an unexpected news that he had been prepared for.
"What? The elder postponed the New Year's sacrifice for another two weeks? The city of Herotepec was finally captured?!" The boy's eyes widened and his tone rose.
Avitt nodded. He touched the soft feathers of the little golden eagle and flicked its little head out of habit. Then, he smiled and handed the trembling cute eagle to his expectant daughter.
Alyssa happily hugged little Avelot and pressed it against her chest with an innocent smile. Then the girl gently stroked the little golden eagle's neck, and then it comfortably stretched out its head and shouted "Yo yo" at Avitt proudly.
"This is the news that came at night. It was brought by the fastest warriors rowing day and night: Seven days ago, there was a lack of food and civil strife in Herotepeque. Hundreds of Otomi warriors opened the city gates at night and led the alliance army into the city. The important town in the north fell immediately. When the messenger set out, only the temple pyramid in the center was still resisting? It must have been pacified by this time!"
Gillim reported solemnly, his body straight. Shulot looked at the scarred wounds on his ears and then at the intelligence officer's trembling shoulders, puzzled.
"Your Highness, you have made great achievements again!" The intelligence officer smiled slightly and looked at the young man.
"It was the suggestion of Baramo, the garrison officer of the camp? Commander Ocelor sent the Otomi warriors you recruited to surrender. They secretly sneaked into the city and persuaded the civilian warrior camp stationed to launch a rebellion and surrender!"
Hearing the intelligence officer's approval, Shulot shook his head calmly.
"The second siege lasted more than four months, and Xilotepec's food and supplies have been exhausted. Even if there is no internal response? It will only last one more month... How will the alliance handle the follow-up?"
Avitt pondered for a moment. Thinking of the past, he reached out his hand and rubbed the young man's hair intimately.
"Xulot? Don't be soft-hearted! The elders have been waiting for the New Year sacrifice for a long time. The alliance needs a grand ceremony to appease the shaken nobles? To scare the vassals who need to pay tribute..."
After a moment, Shulot looked calm and nodded slightly. Time has forged ruthlessly, but after all, his heart is as hard as iron, but his softness is deeply buried.
At the same time, in the important town in the far north, the morning sun rose again. The brilliant golden color shines on the burning temple, turning the past holiness and faith into scorched earth, and also illuminates the dim central square.
More than 20,000 civilians were driven to the left side of the square, including many young militiamen. They were skinny and covered with traces of hunger. They knelt down weakly and even lost the strength to cry. On the right side of the square, there are more than three thousand Otomi warriors who have just surrendered. They were unarmed, lean, and looked good, but their faces were ashen and they had lost the faith and courage to fight.
In the center of the square, there are two to three hundred Ottomi priests of different levels. Wearing black and white priestly robes, with their hands tied with sisal ropes, they knelt down toward the burning temple and cried their last bitter cries.
In the square, tens of thousands of Otomi people were either dazed and silent, or holding their heads and crying, worrying about their next fate. On the outside, there are tens of thousands of Mexica royal warriors. With murderous looks on their faces, holding bloody war clubs and shields, they surrounded the square fully armed, waiting for the Otomi people's next choice.
In other areas of the city, teams of Mexican warriors were scattered and searching. With their bulging pockets, they escorted thousands of noble men and women in gorgeous costumes. They gradually gathered from all directions to the central main road, and brought the captives who were crying softly to the outside of the city to gather. These people have lost the opportunity to choose.
Going against the flow of captives, the poet warrior Balamo pulled a young Otomi warrior with a depressed expression and whispered affectionate instructions.
"Natalie, my friend, please don't hesitate later! After killing the Otomi priests as ordered, kneel down to the Mexica priests and sing loudly the name of the Sun God! Anyway, so is the Sun God. You should also sing praises to your God of War on weekdays."
Natalie was still in a daze after hearing the poet warrior's words. He pulled his hair in pain, unwilling to look at the burning temple or the noble men and women leaving the city. Ever since he was betrayed by the city-state of Otopan, he felt despair and confusion. He did not last long before he and his brothers surrendered to the Mexica army one after another.
Afterwards, they were stationed in the mountain camps in the west, under the supervision of Mexica warriors, and received the teachings of the war priests for two full months. Then, the thousand Otomi soldiers were completely broken up and distributed into different armies. And he was assigned to the poet warrior, the garrison officer of the mountain camp, Paramo.
Paramo treated Otomi very well. He was frank and approachable, brave and good at fighting, and could recite poems fearlessly on the battlefield. He was a perfect example of a warrior and a poet, and he won everyone's hearts in a short time.
During the siege, looking at the hungry villagers, Natali took the initiative and took the initiative to sneak into Herotepec and persuaded his former partner, the civilian battalion commander stationed at the north gate, to surrender. But at this time, when the city fell as expected, he could not forgive himself. Thousands of sorrows flowed in his heart, and his thoughts were complicated and difficult to describe.
Seeing the shaken look on his new subordinate's face, Paramo shook his head inwardly.
"What a fragile flower. It can't withstand the baptism of the cold wind! But the flower is beautiful after all, and it belongs to my garden. It must be cultivated diligently to serve as a helping hand for the future!"
Thinking of this, the poet warrior smiled sadly, put his arm around Natalie's shoulders affectionately, and whispered persuasion.
"Natalie, my friend, look at these nobles passing by!"
Parramo pointed to the gorgeously dressed team.
"Besieged the city for two years, nearly half of the civilians in the city starved to death, and tens of thousands of people turned into skeletons! These nobles still have no worries about food and clothing, and their faces are rosy. They are high-ranking cocos, why have they ever put you weeds in their hearts?"
Natalie was startled when she heard this. He raised his head and looked at the long escort team, taking a closer look for the first time. Indeed, although these men and women in fine clothes looked miserable, they actually had plump cheeks and no trace of hunger. Thinking of the villagers dying of hunger and cold, starving to death everywhere, a strange anger arose in his heart, and his guilt and sorrow instantly disappeared.
The poet warrior looked at Natalie's expression, smiled slightly, and continued to speak in a low magnetic voice.
"Natalie, those noble priests have always been kind to you civilian warriors. They have been guarding the city for so long, and they have prayed for the nobles and gods day and night. How many of them have actually led the common people to the Kingdom of God?"
Each sentence pierced the heart of the young Otomi warrior like an awl, and gave him a reason to convince himself, turning his disgusted and rejected self into a confident and correct self again.
"This war was all caused by these greedy nobles and stupid priests! If the nobles hadn't refused to pay tribute, how could they have been punished by the alliance? If it hadn't been for the priests' repeated instigation, how could there have been a senseless rebellion that led to the failure of the harvest last autumn? ? If the priests and nobles had not refused to surrender, how could they have been tried and executed by the alliance?
They brought war and shed the blood of warriors. They were well fed and slept peacefully, leaving countless civilians to die of hunger and cold! Now, it’s time for them to pay back! Seeing this scene, what can you blame yourself for? The city of Xilotepec will eventually fall, and many more people will starve to death. So, Natalie, you did nothing wrong, you are the savior here! "
Paramo's persuasion suddenly flowed into Natalie's heart like a clear spring.
The young Otomi warrior stood blankly for a long time. After a moment, he murmured.
"All the deaths, all the mistakes, all the hatred are caused by these people in front of me!"
The poet warrior listened carefully, then smiled with satisfaction, and hugged Natalie's shoulders tighter.
"Go, Natalie, my friend. Use the weapons in your hands to execute the real sinners! Pray sincerely to the Sun God, and the Lord God will forgive all your sins and lead the departed soul to heaven. "
"I'm not wrong, it's them who are wrong! The God of War will illuminate everything!"
Natalie chanted repeatedly. When he thought of this explanation, he felt as if he had grabbed a piece of driftwood in the deep Tampon River and suddenly felt strength in his hands. The more he thought in this direction, the more settled he became, until he reached the square in the center.
Seeing the arriving Ottomi soldiers, the Mexica army priests stepped into the square. They built a altar to the Sun God, lit a blazing sacred fire, and sang in unison under the flames. Soon, the surrounding Mexica warriors also began to sing praises. They hit their shields with war sticks, and the sound of the mountains roared and the tsunami roared in unison, and the chanting sound contained the terrifying roar of tigers and the cries of eagles.
Seeing the sacrifice begin, the Otomi civilians crept to the ground in fear, and the Otomi warriors on the other side also looked pale and shocked. Only the Otomi priests in the middle were suddenly angry, roaring and shouting loudly, and were immediately drowned in the roar.
In the middle of the crowd of Mexica warriors, Commander Ocelot listened with satisfaction for a moment. Then he waved his big hand forward powerfully, and the low drum beat sounded. In the Nahua language, Ocelot means jaguar, agile beast, and elite warrior. This noble name is also only spread among the royal family of Mexico.
Hearing the sudden sound of drums, Baramo quickly patted Natalie on the shoulder, gave him a long obsidian dagger, and then pushed him forward violently.
Natali staggered two steps and was the first to rush out of the Ottomi troops. Under the gaze of tens of thousands of civilians and warriors, he staggered towards the priests in the center.
At this moment, the young Otomi warrior seemed to be walking on the clouds, and as if he was in a dream. For more than twenty years, the fear of gods suddenly came to my mind. Looking at the holy and supreme priest, his steps hesitated slightly. Immediately, Paramo's low words flowed into his heart again, as if they had strange magic power.
"They...guilty...kill...I...guilty...save..."
Muttering in a low voice, Natalie finally walked to the leader of the priests at the front. The other person's god-like face was looking at him angrily and roaring.
"The sinner who betrayed the original God! You will forever fall into... uh... ah..."
With a pop, Natalie stabbed out the dagger with force and penetrated the chest of the priest leader. His hands were trembling, and he missed the vital point of his heart, causing the other party to fall over with a scream. He stabbed again, but still not fatally. In the end, the young Otomi warrior's eyes were red. He crossed his long dagger and cut the neck above the chest, finally giving the other party relief.
This powerful slash broke through the skin and flesh, and also cut through the last obstacle in Natalie's heart, blooming blood, and taking away all the guilt in his heart. He finally got a new life.
Natalie's face was twisted, and she swept across the square fiercely until she saw the Mexica priest next to the holy fire. He woke up slightly, dropped the dagger tremblingly, ran a few steps toward the light in his heart, and knelt down in front of the priest.
"Huitzilopochtli, Huitzilopochtli! Huitzilopochtli!!!"
Natalie shouted piously, then fell to the ground, her face pressed to the ground, and murmured the last three words.
"...save me..."
"Good, very good!" Commander Ocelot suddenly waved his war stick, causing a roaring wind. He looked at Natalie with great satisfaction. This Otomi soldier was the first to rush out. In front of tens of thousands of Otomi people, he killed the priest leader in the city without hesitation, completely breaking with the past. He is fierce and decisive in his methods and has a firm will, and he also believes in the Sun God so devoutly!
"Remember the name of this Otomi warrior! I will promote him to a new hereditary noble, betroth him to a Mexican noble daughter, and give him a thousand Otomi warrior camps!"
Ocelor ordered the guards majestically. This will be a model for all Otomi people and the most loyal servants of the Alliance.
Not far away, the poet warrior Paramo looked at the scene in front of him in stunned silence.
"God, this...this...flower in the garden has just been planted, and it has grown into a big tree in the blink of an eye. Am I blinded, or is the world blinded?"
The holy fire burned brightly, and the thousand Otomi warriors who had surrendered for a long time were inspired and no longer had any scruples. They howled and rushed forward, and soon, the sound of the Otomi priests chanting sutras was like their blood, sinking into the deep soil.
At the front, Natalie is still kneeling devoutly in front of the holy fire. He murmured silently, feeling the complete light and warmth. Behind him, more Otomi warriors quickly knelt down, dozens, hundreds, thousands...so many that the future was decided.
