The rain in July lingers on the boundless fields, and the scorching sun sheds the light of life from time to time. The green seedlings are lush, the fruit trees are lush, and the land in the lake area is full of life. And when the pumpkin seedlings take shape, more rain rushes in, covering the sky. The heavy rain turns into streams and converges into a wider lake, making Lake Patzcuaro even more magnificent.
"This is the rainy season in August, dancing to the beat of drums and swallowing mountains and rivers."
Shulot stood on the top floor of the Palace of Winds, looking at the lake in the north. During the peak of the rainy season, the water level of the lake rose significantly, submerging the entire surrounding area. The gleaming water is boundless, and looking from afar, it looks a bit majestic and heroic. The young king looked at it for a moment and suddenly frowned.
"Lake Patzcuaro can actually expand so much during the rainy season! Although a lot of fertile soil along the river has been vacated, it is still submerged to the edge of the farmland. This is just an ordinary year. If there is a flood, the submerged area may be... .No wonder the villages around the lake are built on high ground...So, what needs to be done is to encircle the lake and control the water!...Lake Patzcuaro needs to be tamed, just like Lake Texcoco, which is divided and surrounded by countless dykes. Completely tame it!"
Shulot thought silently, intense pride reverberating in his chest. The pride of a king is sometimes similar to that of ordinary people, and sometimes it is very different. The difference is that there is more confidence and heroism to reshape mountains and rivers!
The long wind shook the wind chimes, and the clear ringing covered up the sound of the rain. It is windy and rainy, so it is not suitable to travel. The young king watched quietly for a moment, put the new plan in his mind, and then turned around and headed towards the main hall.
In the gorgeous hall, the guards have prepared breakfast. A soft grilled corn tortilla, a small bowl of tender grilled matsutake mushrooms, a piece of grilled fish smeared with chili sauce, two pieces of smoked venison smeared with honey, and a cup of sweet hot cocoa.
Shulot sat cross-legged at the table, eating a simple breakfast while reading the latest report.
The tense spring plowing has ended, and the feudal country is peaceful. Both the field army and the people enjoyed the rare peace and quiet in the wind and rain. Under the wind and rain, a large number of scouts have been dispatched to collect information from the southern nobles and to monitor the movements of the surrounding ministries.
"The news of the destruction of the Kingdom of Tarasco has spread far and wide. All the tribes in the four directions are shocked. In the southwest of the feudal kingdom, the noble chiefs of the Tekos people have sent envoys to express their willingness to surrender and pay tribute. The latest envoys also hope to redeem the The captured nobles and warriors.”
Seeing this, Shulot pondered for a moment. Most of the samurai prisoners of war from the Tekos people in the south have been sent to the capital in the lake, and he only left behind some guides and tribal militiamen who were incorporated into the garrison.
"Since I have been an enemy of the Alliance, I must pay the price! Sooner or later, I will personally conquer the Colima Mountains... Well, at most, it is impossible to send back a few tribal nobles, warriors and militiamen with combat effectiveness. .”
Shulot shook his head, and after giving brief instructions, he put the report aside. He continued reading to learn about the situation in the surrounding states, and also gave the diplomatic policy of the new feudal state.
"After the spring plowing, the allied Otopan city-states in the north of the feudal country immediately sent congratulatory envoys to congratulate His Highness on his victory... and at the same time seek support for the ownership of the land on the north bank of the Leman River?... Tepopolo has already sent The people demanded the land of the wooden fort on the north bank and threatened the alliance with a large army. The Otomi people garrisoned the wooden fort on the north bank and were unwilling to hand it over..."
Seeing this, Shulot fell into deep thought.
The city-state of Otopan is the ancestral city of the Otomi people and has a special status in the hearts of the Otomi people. Under the influence of the old woodchuck priest Ort, the city-state's legion commander Giowa has sworn a blood alliance with him and is willing to become his vassal. The Western Expedition was difficult, and the three thousand Otomi Legion worked extremely hard. They first looted and lured the enemy, and then lost most of them when attacking the strong river mouth fortress. The city-state of Otomi is also a strong barrier in the north of the feudal country against the Chichimec descendants.
As for the Tepopolo fiefdom in the northeast of the Lake District fiefdom... although they have the same origin and participated in the Western Expedition together, they cannot be regarded as a force of their own line... There is no affiliation between the two parties, and there is even With competition...
The young king pondered for a moment before looking at the warrior captain standing beside him.
"Bertard, General Giovar and I have sworn a blood alliance, and the glorious noble Tepopolo is fighting alongside us... I really don't want the two sides to fight each other for the fiefdom. It's just that His Majesty has demarcated the scope of the fiefdom in the Lake District. He told me personally, so I won’t be able to express my position directly on this matter.”
"Your Highness, you mean...the difference between intimacy and distance?"
Bertard's face was calm, but his eyes flickered slightly.
"Well, Bertard, the alliance has its own laws, it just depends on the specific implementation... Otopan City has made great contributions in the Western Expedition and has always been close to me. I will remain impartial... Tepopolo just said He has been granted a title and his foundation is unstable. He has very little reliable power and has not established his prestige. It is absolutely impossible to send troops to the north within this year... The main force of the southern army has returned eastward and is currently on the southeastern border, fighting with Tlaxcala. The human legions are fighting. Your Majesty, looking at the world, will not put this small north coast wasteland in his heart... Samurai Commander, send an envoy in a low-key manner and tell the old priest of Ort one by one the facts. He will know how to do it. Do it.”
The warrior commander nodded, took out a pen and paper, and wrote down what His Highness said.
Since Tepopolo arrived in the fiefdom, he has relocated his old tribe, gathered nobles, attracted warriors, and stepped up spring plowing. This series of actions showed that the transferred Glory Nobles really wanted to make a difference. Akambalo State has gone through wars and has a sparse population. Even including the Honorable Family that transferred its title and moved there, the number is less than 100,000, so there is no shortage of land for cultivation. This time, he made false threats and demanded the northern fiefdom, probably more because he wanted to establish the prestige of the new prince in the hearts of the local nobles.
"The young jaguar rules the surrounding mountains and forests. The Land of the Lake does not need another strong and ravenous wolf."
Bertard's eyes turned dark. Shulot didn't pay attention and just continued to read the report.
"In the northwest of the feudal country, Prince Feather of the Chapala Lake District led the warrior army and defeated several powerful Guamar dog tribes in succession. Other tribes raging in the Lake District received the news, and most of them brought plundered property, food and food with them. , began to retreat to Tekaikos State on the northern plateau. This time the large-scale invasion of the canines should end here."
"Congratulations to Your Highness on your glorious victory. You are like an eagle soaring in the sky, ruling the vast and magnificent mountains and rivers... The chiefs of the Guamar tribes sent people to ask the caravan if they were willing to purchase the captured Prepecha slaves? The canine descendants are not interested in gold and silver, and only ask for food, wine, salt or weapons in exchange. An adult Dingkou can exchange for about three hundred kilograms of grain, or a hundred kilograms of water and wine, or more than ten kilograms of salt, or two sets of weapons and cotton. A, you can also use cocoa beans of equivalent value instead. Half price for young and strong women, and children can be added as extras..."
"The caravan estimates that the number of captives from each tribe ranges from 10,000 to 20,000 to 20,000 to 30,000, mostly young men and women. Buying in large quantities can lower the price a lot. Please reply as soon as possible to those innocent Highnesses... Life, like flowers in the summer rain, rustles and trembles, falling at any time and buried in the soil of the rainy season... Because except for the precious craftsmen and doctors, the dog descendants have limited food and will not keep too many prisoners who consume food. ...The caravan has already purchased a batch of slaves in advance with the goods in hand. As long as they are along the Leman River, they can be transported back to the feudal country in less than a week."
Shulot's brows furrowed again. He looked at the letter in his hand. Among the common graphic texts, there were also neat Chinese characters and even rhyming verses. The young king asked doubtfully.
"Who wrote this letter? It doesn't look like the style of the samurai."
Hearing this, Bertard smiled lightly, with a bit of fun in his expression.
"Your Highness, you have forgotten. The director of the northern caravan is Páramo. He has been blowing sand on the northern plateau for a year, and it is said that he has also seen white snow. In the letters and newspapers sent back every month, there are always There will be some poetry mixed in.”
"Ah ha ha."
Shulot couldn't help but laugh after thinking about it for a moment. Shortly after the Western Expedition began, the Divine Blessing Legion arrived. He sent Paramo, the poet commander of the legions, to the north to take full charge of the caravans and scouts.
There are many considerations. To do business among the barbarians, you must first have excellent martial arts and extraordinary courage. Secondly, you must be flexible, articulate, and good at communicating with others. Some culture is better. Finally, we need to take advantage of the wind, sand and cold wave in the north to temper the temperament of the poet commander.
"How is Paramo doing in the north? Judging from this letter, he seems to be quite free-spirited."
Shulot asked with a smile.
"Paramo is a very good caravan manager. He is eloquent, has good martial arts skills, and has learned some new songs and dances. He is very popular on the northern plateau. Well, he also maintains an excellent relationship with many noble chiefs' wives. The relationship between them. The customs on the plateau are different from those in the Alliance. The tribesmen with dog origin often don’t know who their father is... Many times, it is the noble woman who has the final say... Although Paramo is a bit harder, he is also enjoying the hardships. .”
When Bertard said this, the two laughed together. After a while, the young king stopped smiling and said seriously.
"The feudal country lacks young people. The proposal to purchase prisoners is feasible. All young men, women, and children are required! Among the various supplies purchased, salt is used first, then wine, then coarse grains, and finally the weapons that were damaged during the Western Expedition. Equipment. Let Paramo lower the price, and try to trade on the Leman River. I will ask Anatri's navy to transport it. In addition, add a group of priests to the northern caravan to bring the glory of the Lord God as soon as possible. Spread it!"
The warrior commander quickly recorded it, and then saluted Shulot.
"Your Highness, be merciful!"
Shulot nodded. After the war was first established, the population of the feudal country was more scarce than materials, and all methods needed to be used to fill it. As for the poet commander's future arrangements... Some new thoughts emerged in his mind, and they were quickly pushed into his heart... The young king continued to look at the trends in all directions.
"In the south of the feudal country, the Trapanic Tribal Alliance sent envoys. They expressed their surrender to the alliance and were willing to pay tribute to the southern rainforest specialties and trade feathers, spices, gems and salt. They requested His Majesty to continue the negotiations with the Tower. The copper trade of the Kingdom of Lascaux, and the same desire for obsidian, which is roughly monopolized by the Alliance.”
After reading this, Shulot shook his head.
The Trapanic tribes formed a loose alliance south of the Huetamo Mountains. They are scattered between the east-west mountains and the sea in the west, and live in the rainforests and coastal plains of the lowlands. The Trapanic tribe has a small population and not much arable land, but they are good at commerce and mostly engaged in resale trade. To their east was the Mixtec and Zapotec alliance.
"No! The Alliance prohibits luxury. Bronze and obsidian are strategic materials and are centrally controlled by the kingdom. Lords or merchants are not allowed to sell them outside..."
Shulot ordered without mercy. The formal vassalage of the Trapanic people would not be beneficial to the alliance. They are located far away and live in lowland rain forests with complex terrain. Their land is of little value and they are difficult to be threatened by the alliance's military.
"...send a team of warriors to ban Trapanic merchants and monitor the private trade of southern nobles. If found, we only need to collect incriminating evidence and leave it for a while."
The young king thought for a while and then wrote down the specific handling method.
He used a jade seal to put a red seal on the document, then handed the document and the talisman to the warrior commander, leaving a concise record for himself. The warrior commander immediately summoned several personal guards, selected the person in charge, and then delivered the documents and letters. Then, the responsible bodyguard collected the documents and immediately took the letter and talisman to mobilize troops in the camp to directly implement His Highness's will.
Although the implementation process of this series of policies is somewhat rough, it is simple and efficient, and only the orders of the authority are followed.
As Shulot's authority increased, a lot of information and power at home and abroad were completely gathered to him. Generally speaking, he is the reviewer of information and the highest decision-maker; the generals and cronies around him are the decision-making circle that participates in political affairs; the personal guards, heads of departments, and officers at all levels of the corps who are trained are the specific Executor. Attached to the execution circle are thousands of servant craftsmen, tens of thousands of Mexican legions, and hundreds of thousands of community civilians who have been effectively integrated.
This kind of governance system does not rely on a mature and systematic grammatical system, but on the authoritative control of the king himself. Compared with the mature civil service system of the Celestial Empire, the alliance's political form is more similar to the nomadic tribes on the northern grasslands, with powerful "Khans" or "Great Chiefs" deciding major events.
"In the southeast of the feudal kingdom, the Mixtecs sent envoys to congratulate the pilgrims, presenting dyes, gold, silver, gems, pearls and maidens. Your Highness, they are seeking trade with the newborn kingdom, and they also hope to form an alliance with you. A closer cooperative relationship. At the same time, the supervisory scouts discovered that they were also constantly inquiring about the details of the Western Expedition, and were very interested in the newly emerged weapons of the gods... In addition, according to uncertain news from distant merchants, the tower Prince Cuius, the southern commander of the Kingdom of Lascaux, may have fled to Mixtec along the Tarsus River..."
"Exquisite craftsmen of precious metals, People of the Clouds, Mixtecs...Gunpowder Secrets...Quius..."
Shulot fell into thinking. The vassal state already had nominal control over the Apacingan state and was able to move up the Tarsus River, through the surrendered Chontar tribe, and engage in large-scale exchanges with the Mixtecs to the southeast.
Unlike the Trapanic tribes, which were sparsely populated and politically loose, the Mixtec alliance had a rudimentary state with a population of about eight to nine million people. Under the pressure of the alliance, it advanced and retreated together with the Zapotecs. They have a prosperous population, have at least 20,000 warriors, occupy the rich southern land, produce many luxury goods, and have a large number of skilled craftsmen... Thinking of this, the young king picked up his pen again.
"Accept the Mixtecs' request for trade, but restrict the transaction of strategic materials. Do not accept the Mixtecs' request for intermarriage, and betroth the tribute girls to the soldiers of the Mexica Legion. Control the gunpowder craftsmen, and the gunpowder formula must be Keep it strictly confidential. Clean the battlefield of the war again and strictly prohibit the leakage of new weapons! In addition, test the Mixtec envoys to see if they are willing to exchange nobles from Tarasco for a batch of weapons and leather armor..."
After a pause, Shulot wrote again.
"If the Mixtecs are willing to sell slaves on a large scale, the Alliance is willing to sell sufficient copper, grain, salt and armaments."
The young king handed the document to the warrior captain, and then picked up the last letter on the table. He read the words on the letter carefully and finally smiled on his face.
"The Supreme King Avite led the Southern Legion and fought several battles with the Tlaxcalans in the state of Huactepec in the southeast of the alliance. The Mexican Legion relied on the range advantage of the longbows and crossbows to suppress the Tlaxcalans. People's bows and arrows, and won two field battles! Including the militia, the Tlaxcala Army lost nearly 10,000 people and retreated to the east of the Vacitepec State. It currently occupies several border forts to defend. Now it is During the height of the rainy season, the fighting between the two sides has temporarily stopped, and they are facing each other across half the country..."
"Except for the two states that were invaded by the Tlaxcalans, the Union's spring plowing this year is going well. After the application of mature fertilizers, the crops in the Texcoco Lake area are growing well, and this year's grain output should increase a lot. ..."
"The news of the victory of the Western Expedition reached the capital. The high priest personally led a group of twelve priests and held a grand sacrificial ceremony in front of the great temple to celebrate the victory of the Western Expedition! The elder personally came forward to sacrifice the supreme god and the The ancestors of past generations. The sound of celebration in the capital is like thunder in the rainy season, and there are shouts boiling all night long!
The names of the King and His Highness, like the great ancestor Montezuma, were prayed in unison by the warriors of the alliance during the sacrifice! Now, the people of the capital city in the lake are just waiting for the king to return victoriously and hold a grand victory sacrifice! The victory sacrifice after the war is likely to be arranged on the New Year's celebration day... By then, it will be an unparalleled sacrifice, with the largest and most sacred divine sacrifices! ..."
Xiulote was slightly absent-minded, and the sleeping face of King Suangua appeared in his mind.
In the past three months, the alliance's search team has successively arrested several escaped princes of Tarasco. The king, royal family and many nobles of Tarasco have been handed over to Avitt's returning legion. Their fate is like a high pyre, already chosen by the flame of the Lord God, destined to turn into smoke drifting in the wind amidst the excited cheers of hundreds of thousands of people.
The young king has already become as stone-hearted. He just stared for a moment and then looked at the last words.
"The high priest and the priests and elders have decided to establish the Archdiocese of Tarasco. His Highness the Chief Priest was promoted to the youngest fifth-level patriarch, fully responsible for all affairs of the Archdiocese of Tarasco! At the same time, the Capital Priests Council A large team of priests was mobilized, led by the newly promoted fourth-level patriarch Ugos. They arrived at the Mikancho Lake Kingdom before the autumn harvest to assist in the affairs of the new diocese...
At the request of His Highness, the Divine Inspiration Institute in the capital city will also dispatch a large number of senior craftsmen to rush to Qincongcan City to form a second Divine Inspiration Institute. His Highness entrusted the land in the lake. After consultation between the elders and the high priest, the temple of revelation in the capital is now taken over by the priests and elders. As for the newly-built Second Divine Enlightenment Institute, His Highness will be solely responsible for it..."
"Well... the newly promoted fourth-level sect priest, the son of Elder Ugel... Ugos... the Archdiocese of Tarasco... the youngest fifth-level sect priest... a large group of supporting priests ...Build a new Divine Inspiration Institute...in exchange for the old Divine Inspiration Institute...Well, of course, I am short of capable manpower, so it is a good deal..."
Shulot stood up and paced thoughtfully. Behind a few simple lines of text, there is a series of political transactions and power games. Fortunately, as the high priest, my grandfather was at the top of the central power, so the results of the transaction would be satisfactory.
Time passed gently in the king's thoughts, accompanied by the sound of dripping rain. I don't know how long it took before a guard entered the hall. He knelt down respectfully and responded loudly, startling the meditating king.
"Your Highness! At your invitation, the original epic master in the Palace of Winds, the knowledgeable elder of the Prepecha people, Sage Jatiri has arrived. He is outside the palace, requesting an audience with the respected king!"
