Under the same starry sky, Alyssa followed the guards and returned to the familiar and warm Montezuma Palace. When she walked through the dimly lit corridor and entered the slightly dim main hall, she saw that her father had been waiting for a long time.
Avit wears a gorgeous house robe, inlaid with exquisite gilded sun, which is a tribute from the Mixtecs. At this time, he was holding a huge old wooden board in his hand and was discussing something seriously and quietly with Gillim. The two of them pointed at the board from time to time, with solemn expressions.
Seeing Alyssa return, Avitt smiled and looked at his beloved daughter gently.
"Alyssa, are you happy today?"
"Yes, Father. I am very happy with Shulot."
Alyssa smiled from the bottom of her heart, raising the corners of her mouth cutely. She took a few steps forward, hugged her father's hand, and subconsciously looked at the board in Avitt's hand.
On the wooden board are abstract mountains, rivers, lakes and towns, which seems to be a map that has been passed down for many years. The center of the map should be the capital city in the lake. It has a huge shape with a golden sun painted on it. The map in the west has been modified and added a lot.
What is particularly eye-catching is a large red circle, marking another lake to the west of the center, separated by a continuous and towering mountain pattern in the middle, far away from the capital city in the lake. There is a long blue river in the north and south of the map, which contains both the red circle and the capital city. In the northeast and southeast of the red circle, close to the river, there are two more blue circles.
"Father, what is this?"
Alyssa tilted her head, looked at the carefully marked map, and asked curiously.
"Nothing, just some future plans."
Avitt touched his daughter's head lovingly, and then gently pinched Alyssa's face, with a rare tenderness in his eyes.
Gilliam bowed solemnly to the princess. Then, he gently pulled out the board, held it in his arms, and silently took a few steps back.
Feeling Avitt's intimacy, Alyssa leaned gently into her father's arms. A happy smile filled her face again, and she whispered.
"It's great. Father, I want to stay with you and Shulot like this."
Hearing this, Avitt paused slightly in his hands. His expression froze, then returned to gentleness, and looked at his daughter with a smile.
"Yes. As long as I'm here, you don't have to worry about anything."
Immediately, Avitt lowered his head with a smile and looked into Alyssa's pure eyes.
"My daughter, what did you and Shulot do today?"
Alyssa blinked. She thought about it and blushed slightly.
"We rowed on the lake, looked at flowers in the garden, then saw animals and fish, and finally went to the pyramids to look at the stars. Shulot told me a lot of interesting stories, and also said that he would find teachers and atlases for me to study. pharmaceutics."
According to the agreement with the boy, she did not tell the story about the starry sky. It was a secret that only belonged to the two of them.
Seeing Alyssa's blushing face, Avitt's heart sank. He held his daughter's shoulders with both hands, watching worriedly and seriously.
"Alyssa, Shulot...has he done anything strange to you?"
"Something strange?" The girl tilted her head, looking confused.
"...It's just that I'm very close to you...so close and singing..."
Avitt described it cautiously. In his heart, his daughter is still the young and innocent spirit.
Alyssa thought for a while and looked at her father with clear eyes and a pure smile.
"Father, are you talking about the joyful songs of the opposite sex? No, Shulot just hugged me and kissed my cheek. In the middle, he said he wanted to have a child with me, but he didn't seem to know how to do the joyful songs. I simply thought that I wanted to dedicate it to the gods... Well, maybe I can teach him in the future."
Avitt was relieved at first, but was inexplicably annoyed with the young man. Then, hearing his daughter's last words, the majestic king was stunned. His heart was like a garden in the February wind, with countless petals shattered to the ground.
"...Alyssa...how do you know the content of the song..."
Alyssa smiled happily, her bright smile clear and innocent.
"It's on the murals and poems of gods. This is the way we reproduce, and it's also another way of male conquest. The mural says that uncle Asaya Catal defeated the southern city-state of Chalco and was captured, using The joyous songs conquered the female chiefs there.
The uncle also left a poem with them, which recorded the process of conquest in detail. The last sentence was, 'Young man, lie down slowly and relax your mind. Ah, my lovely one, King Asaya Cartel. '..."
Hearing his daughter's recitation, the majestic king and the cold commander put their hands on their foreheads at the same time, feeling a headache. That was the eldest brother's poem... After a while, the gentle father came back to his senses and said with a helpless smile.
"Alyssa, when did you read it? I have never shown you uncle's poetry."
Without waiting for the expected praise, Alyssa puffed her cheeks. She looked at her father, a little depressed.
"Well, father, when you were away two years ago, I read all the murals here and memorized all the poems. Later, I could only look at the flowers and trees and write down their shapes... Do I remember Is it wrong? Then I’ll take a look when I get back..."
"No, no, no, Alyssa, you are right. But these poems are still far away from you, so there is no need to remember them..."
Avitt decisively changed the subject, keeping his tone gentle.
"My daughter, you just said you wanted to find a teacher. Do you want to study pharmacy? Why?"
Alyssa nodded vigorously, her eyes brightening again.
"Yes, Father. I like pharmacy and want to make both you and Shulot happy."
Avitt pondered for a moment, smiled slowly and nodded.
"Okay. Actually, father, I am also good at potions, but I haven't had time to prepare them for a long time. When I have time, I will tell you about the basic medicinal properties of plants. You don't have to go to the priest... From now on, all the potions I take will be handed over to you. It’s up to you, my dear daughter, you alone can make me fully believe it.”
Hearing her father's permission, Alyssa's face burst into a bright smile.
"Father, I will study hard! I will take good care of you and Shulot in the future..."
Avitt smiled and nodded, gently pinching his daughter's cheek again. In the corner, Gillim's expression changed slightly, and he wanted to say something, but did not speak.
The bonfire glowed, filling the main hall with warm light. After a while, Alyssa said goodbye to her father, walked briskly to rest, and sang a happy song softly.
Avitt smiled and listened until the singing completely disappeared, and then he slowly returned to seriousness.
Gillim stood silently beside the throne. He pondered for a moment before making a careful suggestion.
"Your Majesty, there is no queen in charge of the affairs in the palace, and the princess has no one to teach the affairs of men and women. After all, it is not easy for you to talk about these things... Everything about the alliance has been decided, and it is time to establish another queen."
Hearing this, Avitt's eyes narrowed. He thought for a moment, his expression changed slightly, and finally he whispered.
"The war is urgent. After this Western Expedition is over, find a stepmother for Alyssa! Remember to ask the ladies of the royal family to come over when they have nothing to do and talk to Alyssa. I will see which one is right for her. most..."
Gilliam bowed solemnly and accepted the order. Then he took out the wooden map again and laid it flat in front of the king.
"Look, Your Majesty. The area of the eight states of the Tarasco people is actually no less than that of the Alliance. To the north of the Kingdom of Tarasco is the state of Akambaro. They are bounded by the Leman River, and they have always been connected with Otto. The Mi people face each other across the river. However, the alliance's crusade in the past two years caused heavy losses to the Otomi people, and both the Otopan and Guamare states on the north bank were shrinking.
In the past few months, the Tarascans took the opportunity to expand northward and gradually controlled both sides of the Leman River. If it weren't for our food peace treaty with Otopan and the threat of the alliance's navy, I'm afraid the Tarascans would have sent troops north to surround the city of Otopan. "
Avitt nodded slightly, as if the Battle of the Leman River was still before his eyes. He thought for a moment and asked.
"Herotepec has surrendered. How has the food peace treaty between us and Otopan been fulfilled?"
"For the last time, food for 34,000 people has been delivered for one month. Your Majesty, do you want to..."
Gilliam responded seriously, ready to admonish at any time.
"No, of course the peace treaty must continue, but some additional terms must be added. We can provide more food to the Otomi people. But they must mobilize to counterattack the Tarasco strongholds on both sides of the Leman River. The spring plowing has not yet begun At first, during these two months, the warriors and militiamen of Otomi did not need to farm.
The alliance needed them to quickly raid the northern border of the Tarascans, and even dispatched naval forces to support them across the Leman River and south to plunder the towns and villages of Akanbarro State. Such plundering would also be profitable for them. "
Avitt ordered in a deep voice. In the national war, there are only goals that need to be achieved, and there are no permanent enemies or friends. The alliance must mobilize all available forces to strengthen itself and weaken its opponents to the greatest extent possible.
"What if the Otomi don't want to agree?"
"Then, the Alliance will cut off this food payment, return to a state of war with Otomi, and destroy their spring plowing in the spring." A ruthless voice came, deciding the life and death of hundreds of thousands of people.
Gilliam nodded. The king was always wise and decisive as long as there was no fragile emotion.
"The king has only one weakness, and I need to make up for it..." the intelligence officer thought to himself.
"Your Majesty, continue westward along the Leman River, and you will reach the Chapala Lake area in a dozen days. Here are the two northwest states of the Tarascans, Zaportan and Tizapan. The population here is extremely dense, with only Second to the Patzcuaro Lake District, the population should be more than 600,000, and it is estimated that 20,000 warriors can be mobilized.
However, these two states are dozens of days away from the capital Qin Congcan, and King Tarasco cannot effectively control this place. Should we send an emissary to try to contact the local tribal leaders? "
Gilliam's serious proposal.
Avitt thought for a moment. He was not familiar with the place and only had some impressions.
"Further west in Lake Chapala, where the Leman River flows into the endless West Lake, is the Jalisco area? I remember there was still war going on there? Also, north of Lake Chapala are Chichimecs? "
"Yes, Your Majesty. By the endless lake, the Tecos of Halixco state are still fighting against the Kingdom of Tarasco. Unlike their compatriots in the south, they have never surrendered to the Kingdom of Tarasco. And in North of Lake Chapala are the canine descendants of the high forest.”
Avitt nodded and solemnly ordered.
"Send three groups of envoys. On the one hand, they try to win over the Lake Chapala region and divide the power of the Tarascans. On the other hand, they contact the Halixco State to support their resistance. Finally, they bribe the Chichimec descendants in the north. Instigate them to go south to plunder!
The Chapala Lake area has a high degree of autonomy. As long as they are actually threatened, there will not be many troops that can support the core area of the Kingdom of Tarasco. "
Gilliam nodded in understanding and continued to tell.
"The goal of this western expedition is the core area of the Kingdom of Tarasco, the Lake Patzcuaro area. There are three states here, Qincongcan, Sacapu, and Apacingan. There are about 800,000 people in the three states. It can mobilize 25,000 warriors and several times the militia. Among the three states in the lake area, there are three large cities, Chinconcan, Ivacchio and Patzquali. Among them, the capital, Chinconcan, is the largest. , the city’s defenses are the tightest.”
Avitt remained silent. The mountains and rivers in the core area of Tarasco have long been imprinted in his mind.
"As long as Qin Cong Can City is captured and the descendants of the Ability God are executed, the Kingdom of Tarasco will fall apart. The city-states in the west and south will be like a pack of wolves without their leaders, and will no longer be under each other's control, and can be easily surrendered or defeated by the alliance. .If you want to attack Qinchongcan City, you have two routes, the north and the south.
The southern route army's route is closest to the capital city in the lake. The army dispatched troops from the capital and arrived in the southwestmost part of the alliance, Lachiko State, within ten days. From there, troops were sent to the west, and they only had to cross the buffering mountains and forests to conquer the mountainous Sitacuaro State. After being driven west for more than ten days, they would reach the rich and flat Lake Patzcuaro area.
The prosperous copper capital Qin Cong Can City was built on the shores of Lake Patzcuaro. Of course, in front of it, there is the sheltered and supported city of Ivacchio. "
At this point, Gillim paused slightly and looked at the king.
Avitt nodded calmly.
"I went on an expedition on this route several years ago. The mountainous forest land is extremely difficult to navigate. There are many small rivers and streams that are easy to walk on. The army needs to follow these small rivers to collect water and march.
Along the river to Sitacuaro State, there are nearly ten stone fortresses of different sizes, as well as dense wooden camps. The Tarascans used bronze tools to build here for more than ten years, occupying every advantageous terrain and making it easy to defend but difficult to attack. Although the south road is shorter, if we really want to completely open it up, we still have to mobilize a large army and make a lot of efforts. "
Gilliam bowed solemnly again.
"Your Majesty, if the navy can gain the upper hand, we can divide ten thousand people and go west along the Tarsus River, through the land of Jontar, ignoring the mountainous Wetamobang on the south bank of the river, and directly on the north bank. Landing in the Patzcuaro Lake area in the hinterland. There will be a bypass of Sitacuaro State and a fatal blow to the Tarascans."
Avitt nodded slightly. He thought for a moment, made some plans in his mind, and then spoke.
"Remember to send another group of envoys to Huetamo State, the southernmost mountainous area of the Kingdom of Tarasco, to also win over the local tribal leaders and divide the power of the Tarasco people. The Huitamo area only has 70,000 to 80,000 talas. The Sko tribe lives together with the savage tribe. They don't have many warriors, and they are not very willing to support the center. However, the terrain here is complex, the tribes are poor and brave, and it is difficult to conquer by force, and they can't spare the army for conquest at the moment.
I remember that Shulot once sent a caravan there to buy copper mines? "
Gillim nodded respectfully and responded in detail.
"Yes, Your Majesty. His Highness once sent a caravan. The leader was a Mayan merchant who seemed to have trade relations with the local chief. The deputy was Kuruka. They have opened up trade channels with the local people. The first batch of copper ore has just been shipped back, and there should be more to follow.”
Avitt showed some satisfaction and ordered in a deep voice.
"Gillim, go and establish contact with the local nobles and instigate rebellion. Just say that the Kingdom of Tarasco promised them, the Alliance can also promise them, as well as double the cotton cloth, salt, gold and silver. In addition, as long as Submit to the Alliance, we will fully support them in digging local copper mines and making lucrative copperware!
And when the Western Expedition is over and the Alliance slows down its action, no matter what, the royal family will directly control the copper mines here. Relying on the Tarsus River, these ores can also be quickly transported to the capital in the lake and turned into solid bronze tools and weapons! "
Gillim paid homage again and respectfully accepted the order. As he lowered his head, the intelligence officer smiled meaningfully.
