The winter sun rises from the long lake in the east, sparkling on the vast lake, and dyeing the white stone city of Tenochtitlan golden. The cool breeze blows from the northern plateau, lifting the brightly colored curtains of the gods between the houses, and also blowing the corners of the gorgeous feathered clothes of passers-by. When the morning light fades, hundreds of priests light the sacred smoke of celebration at the same time, and a faint scent of pine fills the air.
Today is an auspicious day for the New Year Festival. The sky was just dim and bright, but the capital city in the lake had already woken up from its slumber. The noise of hundreds of thousands of people was so deafening that even the clouds in the sky dispersed! Soon, community shrines began to hold morning prayers, announcing the beginning of rituals to worship the gods. The praises of the community priests were high-pitched and clear, accompanied by the desolate bone xun, flying bamboo flutes, and heavy leather drums, and then turned into waves of cheers!
The thundering sound carried away from the eighty neighborhoods of the capital to the lake of Texcoco. The waterfowl migrating south also woke up from their slumber. They screamed loudly, spread their wings of various colors, and circled and danced in the sky over the Lake District!
With the help of his concubine, Shusoke had already finished dressing up and was standing in the courtyard of his home, looking up at the boundless blue sky. He has long been accustomed to being in charge of the house alone. After returning to the capital, he did not stay in the high priest's house, but only went to greet him regularly.
At this moment, he was wearing tight-fitting leather armor, a high-end battle suit with eagle feathers, and a gorgeous eagle helmet raised high on his head. He looked extremely majestic. After watching for a moment, the resolute warrior took out his long bow, aimed at the white wings flying above his head, and suddenly drew the bow string.
"Buzz..."
The half-opened bowstring made a heavy sound and made a low trembling sound, but there was no flying arrow. Turns out, it was just a shot.
"The white bird is flying freely in the sky, and the long bow is stored alone in the house. It is an auspicious day for the New Year and the sacrifice ceremony, but the sky is so beautiful!"
Shusoke muttered two lines of poetry, then smiled and shook his head. He put the long bow on his back, put a war stick on his waist, touched the dagger tied to his leg, and strode out of the door.
As the deputy leader of the Eagle Chapter, his duty today is to lead the legion to defend in formation under the Great Temple, which means standing there fully armed for the whole day. For a determined samurai, such a duty is not difficult, not to mention there is a festival to see.
Walking out of the courtyard, you are faced with the boiling hustle and bustle. Tens of thousands of people lined the streets, forming circles. Both nobles and commoners were dressed in the brightest and most colorful costumes, laughing, singing and dancing, praising the glory of the Lord God and celebrating the victory of the Western Expedition! This is the boundary between the aristocracy and the common people, and it is also where the procession celebrating the gods will pass.
Soon, the procession came from the temple area. Hundreds of warriors were the first to clear the way. Under the guidance of the high-ranking priests' chants, two hundred civilians marched forward slowly and steadily, with their backs bent and a broad and gorgeous wooden altar on their shoulders.
The cheers of the crowd suddenly became louder, and the praises mingled like drum beats! From time to time, nobles bowed their heads and came forward, placing fruits, flowers, gold ornaments, silver ornaments and precious stones as tribute to the gods on the edge of the altar. On the inside of the altar, there is a circle of cactus flowers symbolizing sacredness, followed by a circle of turquoise symbolizing immortality. In the center stands the symbol of the supreme god: a golden sun with a diameter of more than one meter and a weight of more than one ton!
In Europe of this era, a ton of gold was a huge wealth that made all kings salivate. But for the Mesoamerican civilizations located on gold and silver mines, a ton of gold was just a ritual vessel for worshiping the gods. Tenochtitlan, the capital city in the lake, is the center of Central America and has the most wealth in the world! Excluding silver and gems, the gold reserves alone amount to hundreds of tons, scattered in every noble manor, courtyard and tomb!
Shusok stopped and bowed his head to the leading third-level priest. The priest sat high on the shoulders of eight people, with a solemn and majestic face. It wasn't until he saw Shusok's face clearly that he changed into a full smile.
"Praise the Lord God! Captain Shusoke, the New Year Festival has begun. May the Lord God bless you!"
"Praise the Lord God! As the chief priest, can I offer gifts and pray for blessings under the sun of the Lord God?"
"Of course! The empty space under the golden sun is reserved exclusively for noble people like you."
The third-level officiant waved his hand, and the procession stopped. Shusok thanked him sincerely. Then, he took a step forward, took out two pearls from the Mickencho Lake area, carefully placed them under the golden sun, and then bowed his head and prayed silently.
"Lord God bless you! My father, may you be in good health...My son, may you spread your wings and soar..."
After a while, Shusok ended his prayer and greeted the officiant with a smile.
"Priest, thank you for your kindness. May I have the honor of knowing your name?"
"Haha, I am Yareli from the Glory Priest family in the capital city. My father Yazar is a colleague of the high priest, and is also one of the twelve priests and elders..."
Hearing this, Shusoke's eyes flashed. The root of the word "Aza" is related to war. This priest family should have an ancient heritage of serving the God of War and is deeply rooted in the capital.
"May the God of War bless you! Chief Priest Aleili, I am going to guard the Great Temple, and I will say goodbye to you now!"
"The God of War bless us! Captain Shusok, the priests and elders are all in place in the main temple. The immortal elders should appear after the sun rises... You have to hurry up!"
"Thank you for the reminder! Praise the Lord God!"
“Praise the Lord God!”
The two lowered their heads, saluted each other and said goodbye, and the procession continued to move forward.
Shusok walked as fast as the wind and quickly arrived at the entrance of the temple area. Thousands of people from the Eagle Regiment have gathered here, all fully armed and waiting for the two leaders. He looked around, but Stanley hadn't arrived yet, and only the captains of each battalion greeted him.
Shusok smiled warmly and returned the greetings one by one, then walked to the head of the team and stood still. The towering Great Pyramid Temple is right in front of you. The priests have lit the blazing sacred fire, and large groups of blue sacrifices have been escorted out from the cells of various temples. He looked at the gradually brightening sky, looked at the endless offerings of sacrifices, and thought of his elderly father preparing sacrifices in the big temple, and sighed softly.
"The New Year's Festival will last for three full days, and the high priest will personally perform the surgery... on my father's body..."
While he was thinking about it, the giant bear-like Stanley had appeared at the end of the street, his brows and eyes full of flying spirit. He roared loudly and greeted everyone, then hugged Shusok's shoulders.
"Haha, praise the Lord God! Shusok, my old friend, we meet again!"
"Praise the Lord God! Greetings to you, Captain Stanley!"
"Haha, the sun is dazzling, the clouds have dispersed, and the sacred festival is today! It is such a good day of flowers and blood. I have been looking forward to it for a long time!"
Stanley is in a high position at a young age, and he is always unrestrained in his publicity. Facing Shusoke, who has a similar status, he is quite close to him.
"I just watched a human sacrifice game on the road. There were a few wonderful shots. The opponent was hit with blood and fell to the ground with broken bones... Don't tell me, although the Tekos warriors are barbarians from the mountains, they can't play ball well. But he is really brave, much stronger than the Tarasco warriors! I watched two games in a row, both of which were when the Tarasco team lost and the whole team was sentenced to sacrifice. When they were sent to the altar, someone actually peed. My pants are off! Haha!”
Hearing the wonderful game, Shusok also smiled and nodded. Then, he asked with some confusion.
"Stanley, isn't the Human Sacrifice Stadium in the temple area? Where were you looking just now?"
"Oh, Shusok, you have only been in the capital for two or three days, and I don't know many of the arrangements. Among the captives escorted to the capital after returning from the Western Expedition, there were four thousand Tekos warriors and four Tarasco warriors. Thousands, and there are more than 2,000 noble men..."
"There are too many captives participating in the sacrifice! The priests and elders have a distinguished status and are only responsible for sacrificing the nobles of Tarasco. The remaining two warriors all devoted themselves to the human sacrifice field. The respected king is kind and generous, Four new courts have been added to the aristocratic area and the common area, so that all the people in the capital can party together!"
"Ah, what? In this big sacrifice, ten thousand people will be sacrificed?"
Hearing this number, Shusok took a breath of air. Even though he had been on the battlefield and was used to seeing mountains of corpses and seas of blood, he was still shocked. You know, in an ordinary city-state, the total number of residents is only about ten thousand people.
"Haha, Shusoke, it turns out your math is not as good as mine!"
Stanley laughed. In his eyes, the lives of his enemies are just weeds on the roadside, and only the brave are worthy of admiration.
"Eight thousand warriors threw themselves into the human sacrifice stadium and competed for three days. Half of the losers became sacrifices on the small pyramid, and the winning half became slaves to build the king's palace. Oh, and the injured in the game were also added. The elders sacrificed The nobles who sacrificed... This festival probably happened to sacrifice one Hikipili and eight thousand people! Haha!"
Stanley smiled and patted Shusok on the shoulder. Then, his expression became solemn and his eyes were bright, showing some rare wisdom.
"Xiusoke, compared to the achievement of annihilating the Kingdom of Tarasco, this number is nothing! The Tekos barbarians are unruly and always resist and run away. It is too troublesome to manage, so it is better to send them to the stadium to please the people!
Those who were escorted to the capital were all diehard loyalists of the Kingdom of Tarasco, senior warriors and inherited nobles who controlled power and wealth. We Mexicans destroyed their country, occupied their fiefdoms, killed their relatives, took away their wives and daughters, and divided their wealth. Do we still expect them to be grateful and sincerely surrender?
...Haha, only low-level warriors and nobles are worth recruiting, because the alliance can give them more! As for the others, whether they are senior warriors, divine nobles, or the condor royal family, all of them should be brought to the altar and dedicated to the supreme god! "
Shusok thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. After a moment, he looked at Stanley with some suspicion, sizing up his broad forehead and giant bear-like body.
"Stanley, who said this? It doesn't look like something you could come up with."
"Of course it's me!..."
Under Shusock's scrutinizing gaze, Stanley shouted the first half of the sentence loudly. Then, he looked embarrassed, paused, and finished his words in a low voice.
"...Listen to the esteemed King Avit."
Shusok smiled softly, with an expression that showed he had known this for a long time. Stanley blushed slightly, turned his head and roared.
"All eagle warriors, prepare your gear! Head to the temple area and guard around the big temple! The immortal elders are coming soon. If any suspicious foreign envoys approach, they will be killed without mercy!"
"Roar!"
The Thousand Eagles roared like beasts and followed the group to set up defenses around the large temple in the temple area. As guards of the Sun God, they were only responsible for the security of the Great Temple. In the temple area, there are already three thousand royal warriors and one thousand Jaguar battle groups stationed. These five thousand most elite alliance warriors are enough to overwhelm everything!
As Shusok walked forward, the majestic temple became taller and taller. The 60-meter-high twin pyramids are like the snake mountains of the main god in mythology, casting large and magnificent shadows on the ground, making people unable to help but feel reverence in their hearts. At the top of the large temple, there are more than a dozen small dots with high feather crowns, wearing solemn high-level sacrificial robes. They were like messengers of the gods, standing high above, looking down at the entire capital city in the lake.
Shusok narrowed his eyes and looked at the solemn and old figure at the head. The figure was also casting his gaze over. After a moment, the resolute warrior lowered his head and shifted his gaze.
He glanced at the Human Sacrifice Stadium in the corner. The nobles looked relaxed, eating desserts mixed with maple syrup and honey, drinking cocoa with vanilla and chili peppers, and talking loudly about the exciting games. From time to time, defeated teams were escorted up to the surrounding small pyramids and rolled down amidst cheers, adding a bit of bright red and sweetness to the temple area.
In this cruel era, everyone turns a blind eye to this level of bloodshed and is accustomed to it. The nobles continued to talk and laugh loudly, enjoying the dried fruits of the four seasons, including sweet and sour cactus fruits, pineapples, unicorn fruits, mami fruits, custard apples, monstera fruits, as well as delicious and extremely popular fruits. dark-fleshed persimmon.
Inward of the stadium is the square of the temple area. Elegant dancers dance gracefully, dedicated musicians play divine music, and solemn singers praise the gods. From time to time, an inspired poet would come up to the stage and recite a new poem, which would elicit cheers or shakes of the head. Occasionally, a nobleman from the capital would come forward to show off his elegance in front of everyone, showing off his knowledge and magnanimity.
Various poems describing the Western Expedition were the most popular, and even foreign envoys listened hard, asking in lowered voices from time to time, and then uttering low exclamations.
Shusok listened for a while, only to hear something like "His Royal Highness the Divine Enlightenment turned into a running black wolf, projecting lightning that exploded like thunder, and the strong fortress collapsed." "The priests prayed to the Lord God to come and destroy the God." The tree turned into a roaring tree man, throwing indestructible stones."...The resolute warrior then smiled reassuringly.
Shusok smiled and led a large group of eagle warriors through the lively crowd. Soon, he came to the steps of the great temple. A group of temple warriors in black wolf costumes lowered their heads, greeted the two group leaders, and then respectfully handed over two upright spears. This special spear is five meters long, with a large banner of the main god in the middle and a disheveled head on each top.
Shusoke sighed softly, his expression suddenly solemn. He took his spear and held it in both hands. Then, the determined warrior looked up, and it was Tepetel's fresh head above. He glanced at Stanley's spear again, but the head at the top was dry and blurry, with the same angry look.
"Who is that?"
Shusok recognized it for a moment and confirmed that he had never seen it before.
"Haha, this is the head of Prince Tarasco, Commander-in-Chief of the South Road, Kuius!"
Stanley looked at the head, laughed heartily, and then felt a little emotional.
"This guy is a very capable fighter! He made the highest main garrison on the South Road airtight and blocked us for almost a year! I personally led the team and charged several times, but was beaten back in disgrace. An arrow hit his knees. After Suangua escaped, he blocked us for more than a week. He is considered the most capable marshal in the Kingdom of Tarasco!"
"Commander of the South Route, Kuius?"
Shusok was a little surprised when he heard this familiar name.
"Didn't he escape?"
"Haha, he escaped to the Mixtecs. If the cloud people who live on the wall can be relied on, domestic turkeys can fly into the sky and climb trees!"
Stanley looked at the Mixtec envoy in the distance and smiled disdainfully. These nobles of the people in the clouds have a humble manner, never make any big movements, and even speak slowly. They were wearing gorgeous robes inlaid with gold and silver, and there were shining hollow gold rings on their wrists and ankles, which looked very unbeatable.
"No, the people of the clouds entertained Queius with good food and drinks for several months. But when the news came that the king had defeated the Tlaxcala Army, they immediately turned against him and drugged him to bewitch him, and then cut him off. His head was sent here to admit his mistake and show his loyalty to the alliance. Tsk tsk, look at the wide-eyed expression before death. How unwilling a hero must be before he dies!"
After hearing Stanley say a few more words, even Shusok felt a little emotional. He suddenly remembered a poem said by his son, which was very consistent with the Mexica people's concept of destiny and the current scene, so he chanted it in a low voice.
"When the God of Fate favors you, the divine sky and the earth will give you the power of victory! And when the God of Fate leaves, even the immortal heroes can only sigh helplessly in defeat!"
"Huh? Shusoke, this poem is really good! Who said it? It doesn't look like you can come up with it."
Stanley praised loudly, and then looked at Shusok suspiciously.
Shusoke's old face suddenly turned red. But if you copy your son's poems, you just copy them, and you can still say bad things about me.
"Of course it's me!..."
The two of them were holding spears in their hands, with their backs to the Great Pyramid Temple, and they were laughing and talking. The sun soon rose into the sky, and it was already bright.
Suddenly, a wave of fanatical cheers suddenly sounded from the square in the temple area. In a moment, it was like a thunderous thunder, shaking the whole world! Everyone in front of him, no matter the nobles, priests, warriors, or even foreign envoys, all showed sincere awe and bowed to the ground like fallen cornstalks!
The two captains suddenly became solemn. They held spears in their hands, bowed their heads, and knelt on one knee. This kind of expression of surrender by all people, both internal and external, is only possible! Soon, hundreds of priests chanted a prayer in unison. The praises rolled down from high places, which deeply shocked people's hearts.
"Praise the Lord God! The great Sivacohuatl, the immortal sun of the Mexica people, the incarnation of the sublime Lord God, the supreme elder, comes to earth!"
