The heavy rain fell, washing the bloody leather armor and wiping the damaged boat, and then fell into the ruthless river water, creating circles of light red ripples.
The world was darkened for a moment. The low celestial phenomena caused the birds to take refuge, and the forest became silent. Only one powerful kestrel soared in the heavy rain, beating its powerful wings and enjoying the vast sky to itself. It bypassed the fighting two-legged beasts and flew to the wooden castle on the north bank to patrol its territory. By the time it flapped its wings and returned again, holding the long wind under its body, the fighting on the river had subsided, and the sound of rain could not be heard.
Hundreds of Mexica boats came in a hurry, surrounding His Highness in the center, standing solemnly in the gentle drizzle, waiting silently.
Shulot stood on the bow of the ship, his left arm tied with a bleeding bandage, watching the retreating Tarasco fleet. His eyes were bright red with restraint, and boiling murderous intent surged in his chest, filled with determination to avenge his personal guards. The young commander looked around at the number of boats, looked at Bertard who was covered in blood, and then stared at the large group of enemies in the southwest. The desire to fight and the rationality of reality were fighting fiercely in his mind, like a river beaten by wind and rain.
After a while, the wind and rain gradually became lighter. Shulot raised his head, looked at the flying kestrel, raised his head to the sky and roared heroically, then suddenly raised his hand and shot an arrow.
"Whoosh!" The war arrows pierced the sky like lightning, piercing the dark clouds and arriving suddenly. The kestrel was circling proudly, but was frightened by the roar, and its movements were slightly stagnant. Then, the war arrow flew into the sky, streaked across its gray-red wings, and wiped off a piece of slender feathers. The kestrel let out a cry of pain, "Ki!". Then, it quickly spread its wings, abandoned the territory it had occupied for many years, stayed away from this group of dangerous beasts, and fled in panic toward Lake Quetseo in the southwest.
Shulot looked at the raptor going away. This arrow was just a hair away, making him miss the title of Condor Shooter. After a while, he looked at the warriors waiting for instructions and suddenly laughed loudly.
"The kestrel's flight to the southwest is the will of the Lord God! The Tarascans will lose their fortress and panic like a bird abandoning its home! Happy, happy, this battle kills twenty warriors in a row, this is what a warrior should do! Bo Tad, you killed forty Tarasco warriors, right?!"
Shulot laughed heartily. He looked at the warrior commander whose armor was soaked with blood, and recalled the battle just a moment ago.
Bertard was startled. He originally wanted to explain that among the enemies he shot and killed, there were more than a dozen civilian rowers, and that this battle also took advantage of the shooting advantage of the pursuit. Then, the warrior captain looked into the young commander's eyes, thought for a moment, and a look of surprise appeared on his calm face.
"Your Highness, that's it! After killing forty warriors in a row, there is still some strength left in his hand! In front of the powerful Mexica eagle, the Tarascans are just hares waiting to be slaughtered. They surrender to death and are vulnerable to a blow!"
Hearing this, the young commander laughed. He looked around at the smiling warriors, looked at the loyal warrior captain again, and announced loudly.
"Bertard, you are Cuautli, the Holy Eagle under the Sun God, and the first warrior among tens of thousands of troops! In this battle, the God of War has blessed you, allowing you to have divine power when fighting against the believers of the alien gods. ! From now on, you will be the 'Holy Eagle Warrior Chief' chosen by the gods in the army. This is an identity as noble as a descendant of the gods!"
Hearing His Highness's words, the calm warrior commander looked shocked. His chest was surging, thousands of thoughts came to his mind, and he had a mixture of emotions at the moment. He knew what these words meant. If His Highness's reward is recognized by everyone and has the blessing of the Divine Chosen, he will no longer need to care about the origins of civilians and will have the qualifications to command the noble army.
After practicing martial arts for thirty years and fighting on the battlefield for twenty years, my childhood dream is now here!
Bertard's thoughts changed rapidly, and he was impressed by His Highness's ingenious choice of opportunity. Immediately, he knelt down on one knee, bowed his head and saluted deeply.
Shulot laughed again. He glanced at all the warriors present with his clear eyes, looking at the expressions of reverence, surprise, contemplation, or envy on their faces. The young commander remained calm and wrote it down secretly. Then, he looked at the fading clouds and slowly raised his long bow.
"In the name of the main god Huitzilopochtli! I, the divine bloodline of Mexica, the fourth-level chief priest of the High Priesthood, and the first heir of the king, Xiulote, on behalf of the main god, reward the most devout divine warriors, Bertad of Tenoticchilan gave him the title of 'Chief of Holy Eagle Warriors'! From now on, he will be the bravest Holy Eagle under the throne of the Lord God, fighting to the death for the glory of the Lord God!"
As the young priest shouted, the drizzle gradually stopped. The first ray of sunlight broke through the layers of clouds and fell from the dark sky, like the manifestation of the sun god, causing all the warriors to exclaim together.
Shulot looked at the bright sky and nodded secretly, timing it just right. Then, he raised the long bow above his head and let the sunlight fall on the long bow, like a blessing from the Lord God. The young priest shouted the name of God three times, and then solemnly gave the long bow to the kneeling warrior chief.
"Blessings from the Lord God! Bertard, you are already the warrior chosen by God to fight for the Sun God!"
Shulot said so.
"Dedicate everything to the Lord God! Your Majesty, I will protect the spirit in my heart, let the sun rise to the center, and shine on the world forever!"
Bertard replied.
The sun fell, illuminating their faces and outlining the smiles on their lips. The second salute of loyalty between the young king and the old warrior took place on this small boat on the banks of the Leman River.
The oath is taken and certain ceremonies are skipped. Shulot took a step forward, raised the warrior's right hand holding the bow, and faced the many warriors and officers.
"My brave warriors, the Lord God blesses the brave! The divine battle will surely win! The Mexica people are destined to conquer the world!"
Encouraged by the young commander, the warriors present saw the miracle in their eyes, their morale was renewed, and they cheered together. They faced the clear sunshine and once again let out a soul-stirring and unified shout.
"God's war, conquer! God's war, conquer!..."
With a smile on his face, Shulot listened to the passionate shouts of the warriors and nodded slightly.
He kept thinking about the suitable candidate. How to spread Bertard's peerless achievements and the celestial manifestations of the Sun God among the army... After a while, he thought of the leader of the temple guard, the experienced old warrior, Etalik .
The sun shone over the boat, creating a sacred halo. Xiulote nodded and gave a few instructions in a low voice. A dozen small boats were separated from the fleet and headed to the vicinity of the river mouth fortress to carefully search and rescue possible survivors. Then, the young commander raised his hand and pointed in the northeast direction, and the warriors responded with a bang. The fleet set off again, heading for the wooden castle stronghold on the north shore.
Before leaving, Shulot took one last look at the direction of the river mouth fortress and secretly made up his mind. He remembered the height of the bluestone city wall and the width and shape of the water gate, and certain ideas became clearer. Then, he recalled the round-faced nobleman who was chasing after him on the great boat of Tarasco, and his anger rose again. The young warrior suddenly waved his war stick and made a silent oath.
Nearly a hundred small boats were speeding along, leaving the battlefield of desperate fighting behind them and sailing towards the commander's wooden castle camp. Bertard stood beside His Highness, his face complex and his heart turbulent. He pondered for a long time and then spoke softly.
"Your Highness, it's as you said. When warriors fight, blood spatters three feet and five steps. Although they are passionate and have experienced life and death, the decision is only one place and dozens of people at a time. Even with Totec The general's bravery was powerless.
And the commander-in-chief's battle is hundreds of miles away, looking between heaven and earth. Capturing a city in one battle, destroying a country in ten battles, and commanding thousands of armies to fight can be regarded as heroic actions.
As for the battle between kings, their eyes are on thousands of miles, and their hearts are filled with hundreds of years. Every word and deed becomes the law of the country, and every plan establishes the general trend of the world. Like the earth that embraces everything, like the sun hanging high in the sky, this is your true destination! "
After hearing Bertard's admonition, Shulot paused for a moment and carefully looked at the vicissitudes of the warrior commander's face. After a moment, he laughed heartily, grabbed the warrior commander's arm, and spoke kindly.
"Bertard, you are always by my side, but you make me admire you with admiration! Today, I was saved by you. I finally know your talents and can entrust you with great things... I admire your bravery, but I love you even more. Your wisdom!
An eagle flying high and displaying its ambitions needs full and powerful wings, and it also needs eyes to see everything clearly. Between you and me, there is harmony between the king and his ministers, the wind, the tiger, the cloud and the dragon! "
Bertard looked into Shulot's eyes, as if he wanted to see into the young king's heart. Although he didn't understand the meaning of the last sentence, he could feel the sincerity and respect in the words. He was silent for a moment, knelt on his knees, offered his hair again, completing the last step of the allegiance ceremony.
Shulot looked solemn. He took out the dagger he carried with him, held the warrior's long hair, gently cut off a bunch, and threw it into the roaring river.
"Bertard, I already know your advice! I am now the commander-in-chief of the army, and I will no longer be an ordinary man. The warrior Xuelot has gone with the river!"
Having said this, Shulot suddenly swung his dagger, cut off half of his hair, and threw it into the mighty Leman River. The raging river flows all the way west, taking away the symbol of the young warrior and heading to the endless Pacific Ocean. It will also return to its distant motherland one day.
Then, facing the westward river, the young commander raised his right hand high and swore an oath to the sky.
"Bertard, I swear in the name of my ancestors! One day, if I am the king, you will be the marshal! The Leman River will never end, and the friendship between kings and ministers will never end. In this life, we will fight each other with gall and sincerity, and we will not bear each other down!"
Hearing this, Bertard stood stunned, and his eyes were actually a little moist. He suddenly remembered Totec's appearance when he died, so he stretched out his hand and took the king's dagger. Then, the warrior commander was on the river, slowly cutting off the black hair on his head, deeply scratching the cheeks on both sides, and then calmly handed back the blood dagger, all the while silently.
This is a Mexican tradition. Cut off your allegiance, cut your face and swear an oath, serve the God King, that's all!
