The bonfire was bright, the night breeze was warm, and the welcome dinner was simple but grand. The simple one is the food of the banquet, the grand one is the etiquette of the warrior.
Avitt sat in the main seat in the middle, and Shulot sat in the secondary seat nearby. The generals of the two armies came forward one after another, toasted to the king and His Highness, and then presented spring flowers and the most precious trophies. Avitt looked at the generals with a smile, and talked cordially with them one by one. From time to time, he praised the commanders of each department for their achievements, and then asked about the casualties of the troops. Shulot remained quiet, nodding to the generals while thinking about the follow-up plan.
After the generals finished their round of toasts and the situation of the Northern Army was almost understood, Avitt stood up from the main seat with a smile, raised his glass boldly and said to the generals.
"Very good! In this Western Expedition, the Northern Army took the lead in breaking through the border fortress of the Kingdom of Tarasco, defeated several Tarasco legions, and even captured the King of Tarasco alive! The coach is good at fighting, the warriors are effective, and they can attack without fail. Ke, invincible, the Northern Army has become famous all over the world!"
Then, King Avit patted Shulot on the shoulder and praised him kindly.
"Xulot, you have given me many surprises! You are the youngest marshal in the alliance, the most adept at fighting, and the greatest contributor to the Western Expedition. This cup is dedicated to you! Come, fill up this cup with me, generals. Let’s drink it all together!”
"Your Highness!"
After hearing the king's words, all the generals from the north and the south raised their glasses and drank to the full in greeting. Shulot quickly stood up to drink, poured another glass, and responded to Avitt. After the two drank, Avitt waved his hand and said to the generals with a smile.
"The prey is right next to you, so the jaguar can't take a nap! That's it for today's banquet. Let's all go back to camp, prepare our troops, and make full preparations for the siege!"
"Yes, follow your will!"
"Yes. Shulot, you stay!"
The generals bowed and dispersed, and the tent quickly became quiet. Avitt took off the complicated royal robes, took off the gorgeous long crown, only put on a set of comfortable plain robes, and breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he put away his smile, stroked the magic staff in his hand, and thought about it for a while before asking seriously.
"Where is Suangua?"
"He's in the back camp."
"Take me to see it!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Shulot bowed his head and saluted, then turned around and led the way. The two walked in tandem, under the new moon at the beginning of the month. The moonlight was faint, the stars twinkled, and there were singing songs of prayer in the camp. The song sounded from afar, and it seemed to be a hymn about the alternation of the four solar eras. The two kings walked quietly, listening to simple songs, and no one spoke.
"This is it."
Shulot walked to a tent, and dozens of guarding warriors saluted together. Avitt waved his hand, opened the tent door first, and strode in.
There is still an ordinary straw bed inside the tent. Su Angua's complexion looked much better than last time. He lay quietly on the bed with a strange smile on his face.
"Ah, greetings to you, High King..."
The old priest quickly bowed and saluted.
"Hahaha!... Suangua! Suangua!"
Seeing King Tarasco on the grass bed, Avitt laughed heartily, almost to tears. Amidst the wanton laughter, memories of the past came to mind one after another: the high spirits during the first Western Expedition four years ago, the hardship and exhaustion during the fierce battle in the mountains, the pain and unwillingness when the Chinese army was defeated, and the bronze ax guards. The fear and confusion during the pursuit, the torture and suffering after losing the right to inherit...until today, the feeling of revenge is as refreshing as it is!
"ha!"
Avitt laughed and walked forward, pulling up Suangua's hair and looking at the other person's face. This was the first time he had seen the king of Tarasco up close. Although, he had imagined today's scene countless times. The king laughed and looked at it wildly, as if looking at a precious treasure, with joy from the heart; while the other king was always sleeping, with a smile on his lips, as if he did not want to wake up in the cruel world. .
Avitt laughed for a while and then gradually calmed down. Then he looked at the old priest and asked sternly.
"How is he doing?"
"Ah, dear king! The sacrifice is safe and healthy. He woke up once in the afternoon and cursed His Highness angrily for a while. Since arriving outside the capital, his mood has been unstable...I fed him again A little sword water... Dear King, do you need me to wake him up?"
"good!"
Avitt nodded eagerly. The old priest then took out a jar of medicine, grabbed Suangua's chin, and tried to forcefully pour the medicine. However, Suan Gua kept pressing her lips tightly and did not speak. Sweat began to form on the old priest's forehead. He secretly glanced at the expressionless king, his heart became cold, his hands became ruthless, and he immediately strangled the king's neck.
Seeing all this, Avitt's expression gradually solidified. He watched the old priest strangle Su'angua's neck. His face was purple, but he still didn't open his mouth, as if he would rather suffocate to death.
"Stop! Stop, stand down!"
Avitt ordered coldly.
"He is the noble divine king after all!"
Hearing this, the old priest Nono let go of his hand and stepped aside.
Avitt stepped forward. This time, he just leaned down and stared at the other person's face.
"Su'angua, Su'angua. My old friend, my old rival, you are indeed a qualified eagle! Because of you, I lost my throne! Because of you, I suffered the biggest setback in my life! ...However, I finally stood up again and stood in front of you!...
In the eyes of the eagle, there are only distant mountains! Tisoke is the first one, and you are the second one under my feet! After flying over the mountain peak, everything in the past is boring, and people can no longer be interested in thinking about it... Ah, the world is vast after all, and the eagle is destined to conquer it! ...It’s just that you’ll never have the chance to see it again! ..."
Having said this, Avitt reached out and gently patted Suangua's cheek. He stared at the sleeping face of his "old friend", then his eyes flashed and he showed a faint smile.
"Xulot, let's go! Next, we must capture Qincongcan City as soon as possible!"
Avitt turned around and walked out of the tent without looking back. Xiulote thought for a moment, glanced at the sleeping Suangua, and then left closely with Avitt.
The old priest tied his hands and bowed his waist, respectfully sent the king and His Highness away, and then he breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he cursed a few words in a low voice, raised his hand and slapped the sleeping Suangua twice, and then went to mix the potion.
The camp became quiet again, and King Tarasco was still sleeping. But unconsciously, tears overflowed from the corners of his eyes.
The stars were still bright, but the camp began to become quiet. Avitt stopped, found an empty flat area, and sat cross-legged on the grass. He waved his hand to signal the guards to disperse, and then waved for Shulot to sit next to him.
The two looked up at the night sky, silent again. After a while, Avitt said with a smile.
"Xulot, do you remember the first time we looked at the stars?"
Shulot thought for a while and asked hesitantly.
"There seemed to be no stars that day, and you asked me what is the human heart?"
Avitt was stunned for a moment, then laughed.
"That was the second time! The first time you were drunk and talked a lot to me. What about equality, what about life... I always remember it very clearly!"
"Huh?...I don't remember. But it does sound like something I would say before!"
Shulot thought for a long time, but his mind went blank, so he could only shake his head with a wry smile.
"Haha, actually that time, I added some potion to the wine...Xulot, my student, do you still believe this now?"
"Well... I believed it once. Then I didn't believe it. Now I believe it a little bit."
"Oh? Why do you believe it now?"
"Because I can change the world!"
Shulot said with a confident smile.
Avitt was silent for a while, and a sincere smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
"How fast! In just three years, you have grown to where you are today! When I see you, I will feel that I am the best teacher in the world!"
"Haha, then I am also the best student in the world!"
The two kings laughed at the same time. The hearty laughter echoed under the night sky, as if it wanted to conquer the night sky as well.
"Well, Shulot, my child."
After a while, Avitt stopped laughing. He turned his head, looked into the boy's eyes, and said seriously.
"The young eagle has grown up! It can't stay in its mother's nest. It needs to spread its wings and fly high, and it also needs its own territory and sky!"
After hearing the teacher's words, Shulot realized something. He was silent for a moment and nodded.
"The high priest must have told you about the enfeoffment plan."
Shulot nodded again.
Avitt touched the boy's head and continued to speak calmly.
"Now that we have reached Qin Congcan's city and the two armies have successfully joined forces, the victory of the Western Expedition is almost certain, and the enfeoffment is just around the corner. It's time to talk to you personally about this matter."
"Gillim gave me some advice. Some I agree with, some I don't agree with. I have been fighting in the field for a year, and I am used to seeing bloodshed. You have grown up a lot, and I myself have changed a lot. Now it seems that many people in the world Matters must not be hidden away, they must be brought out directly and made clear!"
Hearing this, Shulot was stunned. He had a premonition of something... The young man looked into Avitt's eyes and listened carefully.
"Xulot, my ambition is to conquer the world! You are my best helper. With the enfeoffment coming soon, it will be difficult to meet again in the future. There must not be any bad feelings between us!"
"You were born in a branch of the royal family, and you also have a deep foundation. My youngest son is still young, and my favorite eldest daughter is your fiancée... Today, I have sworn to the gods in front of all the generals: The heir of the alliance will be You, this will not change! You are also capable enough to take charge of the alliance and protect the world I will conquer!"
Shulot looked into Avitt's sincere eyes, and memories of the past flooded into his mind. He pursed his lips and nodded solemnly.
"Avit, you can trust me at any time, and I will never betray you!"
Hearing this, Avitt raised his head and laughed. He hugged the young man's shoulders affectionately and said gently.
"From the day you rescued me from Totec, I made an oath to my ancestors: Throughout my life, as long as you don't betray me, I will make you a beautiful jade that will be passed down to the world! The status of my ancestors is higher than God. In my heart, Alyssa and you are the only two people I can completely trust!"
Having said this, Avitt reached into his arms and took out a roll of fine cotton and a cyan sachet.
"Here, this is the letter Alyssa sent you, and this little sachet. Don't open it now, read it when you get back. Alas, when my daughter grows up, she can no longer keep her thoughts. In her heart, I'm afraid you are heavier than me. She has never written me such a long letter..."
Shulot carefully put the letter and sachet into his arms and kept them close to his body. Here, there is also his long-awaited longing.
Avitt sighed, looked at the stars in the sky for a while, and then said with a smile.
"Continue to talk about enfeoffment. After conquering the Kingdom of Tarasco, I plan to roughly divide the land in the lake into three parts."
Shulot stood up and listened carefully to Avitt's arrangements.
"First is your fiefdom. To the north is the long Leman River, to the east is the mountains of Apatchingam State, and to the south is the wide Tulsas River. The prosperous Patzcuaro Lake District, the important southern copper mines of the Lake District , the majestic Qincongcan City, and the wealthy Ivacio City...I will leave all these places to you! As long as you can effectively control the situation, most of the kingdom will be your fiefdom!"
"Xulot, my student, I should be able to live for a long time! It will take a long time for you to return to the capital. Such a long time must leave you with the opportunity to start a war. Therefore, I will No more. This time the Western Expedition will end at Qinchongcan City, and the next focus will be on the Tlaxcala people. The Chapala Lake area further west, the Colima Mountains in the southwest, the Guamar Dogs in the northwest, and even I’ll leave it to you to conquer the distant Northern Tekos people slowly!”
Hearing such candid words, Shulot's forehead was sweating slightly, and his heart was filled with emotion. He didn't know what to say, so he could only bow and salute.
"Your Majesty...Avit...I..."
"Don't worry! As a king, you must have the necessary arrangements to avoid anyone inciting you to do stupid things and embarrass me."
Avitt smiled heartily and patted Shulot on the shoulder again.
"Then came the glorious noble Tepopolo. He handed over the nominal fiefdom of Tlatelolco and asked to be transferred to a foreign country. His fiefdom was on both sides of the Leman River. A circle of wooden castles on the north bank, Akambalo State and the river mouth fortress in the west were all assigned to his family. These places are densely forested and sparsely populated. They are all fortresses and the land is very barren. They are military territories mainly for defense. He doesn't care about you. What threats could there be?"
Hearing this, Shulot was stunned. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he didn't know how to speak.
"Finally, there is Iskali, who was born in the royal family. His fiefdom is in Apachingan State. This fiefdom is even smaller. It is also focused on defense and is a completely militarized fortress group. In addition, he is also responsible for supervising the new The territory directly under the royal family, Weitamo State south of the Talsas River, there are many copper mountains there. The copper mine south of Ivacchio City is given to you, and this copper mine must be directly under the royal family!"
Shulot recalled the map of the land in the lake in his mind, and Avitt's arrangements became clearer and clearer. Akanbaro State on the northern border has a solid fortress defense line, and the terrain of Apatchengan State on the southern border is even more dangerous. This division is actually to separate the key points of the northern and southern barriers of the Kingdom of Tarasco along the offensive routes of the northern and southern armies, as separate military territories, and then hand over the most essential hinterland of the kingdom to itself.
In this way, the Texcoco Lake District, the core of the alliance, will maintain its commanding geographical advantage. Even if the Patzcuaro Lake District becomes prosperous and powerful again, or even rebels independently, it will be difficult to threaten the security of the core of the alliance.
After thinking about this clearly, Shulot opened his mouth again and was speechless.
"Avit, was this... this plan... designed by Gilliam?"
"Well, it's the intelligence officer's second plan. What, Shulot, are you not satisfied?"
Avitt's gentle eyes suddenly became sharp. He looked into Shulot's eyes and said with a slight smile.
"Xulot, my student. I have tried my best to give you the most! According to the intelligence officer's first plan, the Kingdom of Tarasco will be divided into dozens of fragmented small towns, and the nobles from various places will check and balance each other. ...My student, do you want anything more?”
Shulot was silent for a while, gritted his teeth, looked into Avitt's eyes, and spoke frankly.
"Avit, I want the Bayou Fortress! The conquest of Lake Chapala and the Guamar Dogs requires the waterway of the Leman River. The Bayou Fortress is the best naval base and an excellent shipbuilding center! In addition, I have a Distant idea: Let the navy follow the Leman River to the large lake in the west, and then go all the way north to the many small islands in the lake. There are countless natural fertilizers there... I can hand over part of the lake area. ..”
Avitt said nothing. He looked into Shulot's sincere eyes and nodded slowly.
"Okay! You conquered the river mouth fortress, so I'll give it to you! Since you want to build a ship, I'll give you another group of shipwrights!"
Shulot's face showed genuine joy. He thought about it and promised seriously.
"The copper technology of the Prepecha people is unparalleled in the world. They not only have simple red copper technology, but also have skilled bronze technology! The spearheads of the royal army's spears are made of solid bronze, and the battle axes of the copper ax guards are also bronze Weapons, Suangua even had a bulky pair of bronze armor!
These bronze weapons had huge advantages. The reason why the Kingdom of Tarasco was able to centralize power and become the only kingdom was because of the central bronze technology. Qinchong Cancheng has always strictly managed bronze technology and regarded it as the top secret. The bronzes for foreign trade are only softer red copper...
I captured a group of coppersmiths in the city of Ivacchio, and I have a general understanding of bronze manufacturing. As long as you try for a while, you can figure out a large copper-smelting shaft furnace. After Qinchongcan City is captured, I will sort out these technologies as soon as possible and hand them over to you. As long as it can smelt large quantities of bronze, the Alliance can effectively reform the mining industry, manufacture large quantities of bronze agricultural tools and tools, build roads in the wild, and connect the Alliance into a kingdom! "
Avitt listened quietly to Shlott's story. Although he did not understand the craftsmanship of these metals, he could discern the excitement in the young man's words and analyze the new future. After a while, Avitt answered with a smile.
"Haha, Shulot, you are His Highness God Qi. I will leave all these technological inventions to you!"
Then, Avitt's expression became slightly solemn.
"The Tlaxcalans in the east mobilized 30,000 warriors and 30,000 militiamen. They have invaded the southeast of the alliance and captured half of the Huaztepec state. The Huaztepecs in the northeast are also unstable. They are fighting along the way. , the enemies of Appachingam State have run out of food and surrendered, and the commander Kuius is missing. In total, there are more than 30,000 warriors and 20,000 militiamen left in the Southern Route Army. Most of them have returned to support, and the rest have followed me. Here. I won’t stay in Qincongcan City for too long.”
"Thirty thousand warriors, thirty thousand militiamen? Are the Tlaxcalans really invading in a big way?! Acap is on a mission to the holy city of Cholula. Are you okay now?"
Shulot looked surprised. He had been fighting in the hinterland of Tarasco and didn't know much about news from far away.
"Ha, Acapu is very popular among the elders in the religious city-state. With its sacred smoke, holy water, singing and dancing beauties, life is much better than ours. As for the feuding people of Tlaxcala, I will personally lead the army to fight, and there will always be a fight! ...Xulot, do you have any plans to attack the majestic city of Qincongcan?"
"Well, I do have some plans for attacking the city. In the past few days, some nobles in the city have secretly sent envoys to contact me. They are willing to surrender collectively, on condition that the alliance protects their fiefdoms."
Having said this, a faint smile appeared on Shulot's face.
"Guaranteeing the fiefdom... Well, although the king is a proud eagle, sometimes, he can be like a smart fox and deal with the stupid turkey flexibly."
Avitt chuckled.
Shulot also smiled. He narrowed his eyes and smiled like a little fox.
"That's not necessary. I actually have another way. Over the past few days, the legion has been slowly building earthen platforms and equipment to paralyze the defenders in the city, and secretly they have almost made contact. I have been waiting for your reinforcements to arrive, so that I can work hard. Suppress Qincong Cancheng!...Well, that's it...that's it."
"Oh? Very good! Since you have already made a plan, in addition to the noble battle group, the eight thousand warriors in my hands will also be temporarily handed over to you for deployment!"
"Ah, thank you, Your Majesty!...Thank you, teacher!"
Shulot bowed to the ground and Avitt accepted it calmly. The night was dark and stars were scattered on the earth, and the two kings sat facing each other like this. A few words determine national affairs; a smile determines the rise and fall of the world. The night is long with talk and the stars shine brightly until dawn approaches. The Purple Star disappears from the north, the Taibai Star rises from the east and west, and a new day is coming!
