As the sun goes to the west, it reflects the boundless magnificent sunset and emits golden light all over the sky, just like a sacred flame igniting in the sky of the Kingdom of God.
Under the sky, in the camp among the mountains and forests, the accompanying priests quickly built a simple altar. They set up a blazing sacred fire in front of the altar, and then sang simple and lofty hymns, and the camp was enveloped in a mysterious atmosphere.
Shulot put on a gorgeous sacrificial robe and stood majestically on the altar. Through the flames in front of him, he looked at the tribal hunters kneeling in awe and chanted loudly.
"Praise be to my god Huitzilopochtli! ...Offer sacrifices to Him!"
After hearing His Highness's decree, Toltec took out a freshly captured wild deer and walked respectfully to the altar. He knelt down on one knee, lowered his head, and pressed the wild deer on the altar with both hands. The priest next to him held down the head of the wild deer and placed a large pottery basin under the slender neck.
Shulot then took out the obsidian dagger he had sacrificed and prayed loudly with a solemn expression. Then, his voice suddenly stopped, and his movements suddenly became intense. The sacrificial dagger slashed hard across the wild deer's neck, breaking through the soft obstruction, allowing warm life to flow out and pour into the pottery basin. The wild deer struggled fiercely for a few moments, and was tightly controlled by the strong Toltec, and soon became motionless.
Shulot stood up and continued chanting, calling for the arrival of the Lord God. The warriors and priests were carrying out the next processing. Soon, the intact wild deer was thrown into the hot bonfire, and the smell of burning flesh and blood quickly filled the air. Then, the aroma of grilled meat turned to a pungent burn. The blood in the pottery basin was mixed into blood wine, poured into rows of pottery cups, placed next to the holy fire, and warmed by the hot flames.
Looking at the awed and obedient faces in the audience, Shulot nodded with satisfaction. This is a burnt offering that leaves no trace of meat. The complete sacrifice is presented to the Lord God through flames, and the burning "fragrance" is used to praise the sacrifice and express the inner piety. This kind of sacrifice was widely used in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties. In the early stage, humans were sacrificed, and in the later stage, cattle were sacrificed. In the teachings of cross religions, this is the best sacrifice, and sheep or birds are often used as sacrifices.
Shulot was always promoting religious reform. When he was able to make the decision, he would use animal sacrifices instead of the common human sacrifices.
The young priest stopped thinking about it. He chanted the next part loudly.
"Praise be to my god Huitzilopochtli! ...Send all your body, mind and soul to Him!"
This is the moment of swearing allegiance. The priests sprinkle sulfur powder into the bright yellow holy fire. The flame suddenly turns blue, and the pungent breath blows on the face, as if it is connected to another world.
The tribal leaders were urged to the altar by the warriors with uncontrollable fear. They faced the burning holy fire, knelt down vigorously in front of the priest, and lowered their heads deeply. Then, the priests ruthlessly shaved off their heads and threw their long hair into the fire. The flames rose high, and the black smoke carried the souls of the converts into the Kingdom of God and into the hands of the Lord God.
Shulot announced solemnly and solemnly.
"The Lord God is supreme and omnipotent... He is always watching you, giving you light, food and offspring. He controls your souls and determines your destination after death, whether you go to the Kingdom of God or the abyss of the earth... .From now on, you become believers of the Lord God and also become His warriors, fighting to spread the glory of the Lord God!”
After making promises in this world and the hereafter, Shulot took out more than twenty sun talisman necklaces and put them on the tribal leaders one by one. This is a reward for their loyalty and a sustenance for their conversion. Afterwards, the leaders drank the deer blood wine in large gulps, and then firmly held the front end of the silver necklace, the pure gold sun hummingbird. Feeling the talisman in their hands, they knelt down to sing praises to the Lord God under the guidance of the priest, chanting His name repeatedly.
In the lofty ceremony and mysterious atmosphere, the hunters came forward one after another, shaved off all their hair, drank the fishy blood wine, and then knelt down together to pray to the Lord God. They changed their bodies and kept their hair cut off to prove their piety and slightly increase their agility. They were infused with faith and have since converted to the main god, using religious concepts to maintain their loyalty to the alliance.
Shulot represents the gods and stands majestically on the altar until the end of the allegiance ceremony. He looked at the bald hunters in the audience, and then at the new-style longbow made in the shape of a bow, with the corners of his mouth raised slightly.
"They should be given another cotton robe and a long scarf to wrap their heads." The young man thought of the classic monk soldier style, smiled softly in his heart, and nodded solemnly.
When the long ceremony ended, the sunset had fallen into the earth, and the sky was filled with stars. In the school grounds, more bonfires were set up and the aroma of food began to fill the air. This was the beginning of the night banquet.
Beside the bonfire in the center, Shulot changed into a relaxed warrior robe and, surrounded by his followers, drank and ate meat happily. After half the wine, the newly converted tribal leaders came respectfully and joined hands. They want to perform dances to the noble and sacred "big chief".
Shulot readily agreed. He sat cross-legged in the middle and accepted the gifts from everyone. Thousands of tribal people sang ancient mountain songs together, praising heroes and ancestors, and their desolate voices floated into the distance. The old hunter played the bamboo flute and bone xun. The flute sound was melodious and the xun sound was sincere, accompanying it like the sounds of nature.
Then, the leaders wearing feather crowns appeared. They stepped alternately, shook the bells on their hands and feet, waved the wooden sticks with holes, and made a low whistle like the wind. After dancing for several moments, from time to time someone came forward respectfully, knelt down in front of His Highness, and held up in his hands the venison, bird meat, rabbit meat, wild geese, and even the black vulture that symbolized death.
Shulot nodded with a smile. He signaled to Bertard that it was okay, and then took the food with his own hands, taking a small symbolic taste of each item. Whenever he tasted one of the offerings, a group of tribesmen cheered and danced. When all the gifts were finished, the camp was filled with joy and shouting.
"Great Chief! Great Chief! Great Chief!..."
Shulot carefully identified the dialects of these tribes, and then laughed. With a wave of his hand, the warriors surrounding him also stood up. They sang poems about flowers and death, beat low war drums, blew heavy conch trumpets, and presented warrior war dances to His Highness!
The exciting dance echoed the thunderous music, and the cheers all over the sky accompanied the loudly sung poems, just like the smooth wine, making Shulot feel extremely relaxed and refreshed! He drank the tequila in his hand, forgetting all the troubles in the capital, recalling the banquets he had had before, and laughed and sang loudly.
No one can hear His Highness's song clearly, even the samurai commander who has been accompanying him for many years can only guess. He felt the young man's pride, looked at his soaring spirit, and tasted the deep nostalgia from that unbridled joy.
Unconsciously, the night gradually darkened. The bright moon rose to the top of the sky amid the singing, and then floated silently to the west. The moonlight fades away, illuminating the extinguishing bonfire on the ground, taking away distant dreams.
When the first ray of dawn illuminates the sky, the rhythm of the body wakes up Shulot from the hangover on time.
In the largest wooden house, the boy opened his eyes suddenly. He looked at the faint dawn, pressed his forehead hard, and moaned softly, feeling a little reluctant for a moment.
"When I came back from my dream last night, the fragrance of flowers filled my clothes. My motherland was only in my old dream~~"
The next two days were still busy. After the ceremony and feast, the loyalty of the tribal hunters was finally maintained at an acceptable level, and slowly improved with the teachings of the accompanying priests.
Shulot personally presided over the next training. The training of longbow hunters is not complicated. In terms of martial arts, they only need to practice bow and arrow repeatedly, and practice the dagger they carry when unstringing the bow.
In terms of tactics, as militiamen, they do not need to practice formations, as long as they can understand the orders of drums and conch shells, and understand the flags indicating the direction of attack. Specific to the battalion, they only need to practice simple and effective tactical actions such as gathering, dispersing, attacking, retreating, extending the wings, and shooting at fixed points according to the tribe.
Shulot stayed for two more days. Under his supervision, more than two thousand Tlaxcala bows were finally shipped from the armory, and the tribal hunters were initially redressed. There are also seven to eight hundred new longbows, with priority given to veteran hunters with superb bow skills. The remaining longbows are still being mobilized. Of course, such a costly military weapon requires repeated pressure from His Highness before the armory will reluctantly deliver it.
In his spare time during training, Shulot would always summon the officers in the camp and tell them his understanding of the Longbow Militia. It wasn't until the April sunshine shone on the earth and there was some moisture in the air that he summoned Toltec and gave the final instructions.
"Toltec, my black wolf. The battlefield positioning of the longbow militia is to provide continuous and powerful assistance, and to carry out effective shooting when occupying a powerful position. Their most important ability is mobility, and they must outrun all warriors. Quick!
Longbow militiamen are to avoid all forms of melee combat and always keep their distance from the enemy. Before the battle, they had to go out to harass and move quickly when the battle was intense, looking for opportunities to shoot from the flank. The most important thing is to keep an orderly retreat when being pursued! You need to use samurai to practice pursuit and retreat with them.
Outside of fierce battles, mountain people can be active in the mountains and forests, taking advantage of the range of their bows and arrows to continuously attack enemy camps and food routes... just like the Otomi militia once did! "
Toltec nodded seriously. He took out a pen and paper, drew moving figures on it, and then wrote down one, two, three, and four.
Shulot took the young warrior's notebook, looked through the records of the previous pictures, and nodded with relief and helplessness. He held Toltec's shoulders again.
"Toltec, when I go to war at the end of the month, I will take away all the longbow warriors, but I will give you a group of warrior guards as the core force to control the longbow militia... I have never worried about your outstanding bravery, nor I believe in your flexible wisdom. However, I have higher expectations for you. To be an excellent commander, you need to learn more! There is no one else here, and I want to issue a new military order to you.
There are 180 days until October, and you have to remember three words every day. When you lead the longbow militia and see me again, you must master at least five hundred words! If you cannot complete this task, you will hand over the militia to the adjutant during the Western Expedition and come to my camp to write every day! "
Toltec's confident face suddenly became bitter. He thought for a moment and tried to argue.
"Your Highness, you can't do that! I remember three words every day and forget two the next day. In fact, there is only one every day..."
Shulot had strode out of the camp, leaving a majestic order in the wind.
"Then remember five words every day!"
Bertard smiled slightly, patted Toltec on the shoulder, and then left with a smile.
Shulot bid farewell to his adoring followers and left the camp in the mountains. He had no time to explore the sights of the Sacred Mountains, but instead made a quick trip to busy Lake Texcoco.
Although he did not return for a month, he always maintained close contact with the capital. The high priests dispatched priests to accompany the army. Envoys from the Apocalypse reported the latest developments from time to time. Avit also sent people to inquire about the new army and new weapons. The Mexican war machine continues to operate, and important spring plowing is also being prepared.
Shulot was lightly dressed and running along with his escorting warriors. He has received the latest notification that gunpowder weapons on Tianhuo Island have made new progress. Not long after, the young man was rafting on Lake Texcoco, bypassing the magnificent capital city in the lake, and came to Tianhuo Island on the south side of the lake.
Seeing His Highness's flag from a distance, Esco had been waiting on the dock for a long time. He saluted respectfully, and then, under His Highness's inquiry, reported the latest soil salt inventory. Shulot calculated the amount of gunpowder that could be produced in his mind, and nodded with slight satisfaction.
Next, Esco announced to His Highness respectfully and contentedly.
"Your Highness, Tianhuo Island's soil saltpeter production has reached two hundred kilograms per day! With the reduction of saltpeter collection and the abundant manpower of salt workers, the soil saltpeter production will further increase!"
Shulot looked at the twenty or thirty new heads on the fence not far away, and nodded calmly and slowly. April has arrived, the weather has become warmer and the rainy season is about to arrive. The collection of saline-alkali nitrate soil is beginning to become difficult and will soon cease altogether.
"Esco, you did a great job! As I said before, the boiled saltpeter should be sealed and canned, and stored separately. Be careful when handling it... How long can the remaining saltpeter be consumed? Has there been any progress in the development of nitrate?"
Esko replied with a smile.
"Your Highness, don't worry, the stored saltpeter is piled up like a mountain! According to the current consumption rate, it can be maintained until the cold season at the end of the year. Then the saltpeter can be collected again."
Then, Esco paused slightly and spoke in a low voice.
"As for the development of urine salt... I will double the supervision of the salt worker leader Moreno, and also add this task to other salt worker teams!"
Shulot glanced at Esko's fierce expression and ordered in a deep voice.
"Okay. Esco, you decide what's right, I just want the result!"
After saying that, Shulot patted Esco's shoulder affectionately. He thought for a moment, then took out the sun necklace with a pure gold amulet, put it on the excited salt steward with his own hands, and then whispered.
"The salt workers need devout faith to maintain their enthusiasm for work. I will send several priests to stay here, and they will further control the salt workers."
After giving the instructions, Shulot kept his face serious. He turned around and looked at Talea, who was waiting quietly with spring in her eyes, and slowly approached majestically. Then, looking at the expectant look on the potter girl's face, he hesitated for a moment and finally smiled.
