As the sun sets, the king's palace is lit with torches that never sleep, and the curtains of the gods flutter in the night wind. Gillim was led by the royal guards and went to the gorgeous hall. Within a moment, he heard the brisk flute music and bird-like singing.
The chief intelligence officer frowned slightly and looked at the escorting guard. The guard paused, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke in a low voice.
"Your Majesty was in a bad mood. He drank some refreshing mead and watched the singing and dancing of the beautiful Huasteko."
The Huastec people do not like costumes and are good at singing and dancing. Every year, they always donate some beautiful singers and dancers to replace the tribute of money and food. And at the banquets held by the great nobles in the capital, Princess Huastek was also extremely popular.
Gilliam nodded silently, thoughtfully. He walked solemnly into the hall, ignoring the many graceful women singing and dancing, and strode to the front of the king. Then, he solemnly saluted, knelt deeply on the ground without saying a word.
"Huh? Gillim, are you here?"
Avitt leaned on the throne, his face full of contentment, his eyes still clear. He raised the exquisite silver cup, took a sip of the sweet honey wine, and said to his most trusted snake girl with a smile.
"Come, get a glass of wine and drink it with me!"
Gillim looked solemn and bowed again, but still did not answer.
Avitt frowned. He glanced at the chief intelligence officer lightly and waved his hand calmly.
"Everyone get down!"
The singing and dancing stopped immediately, and the dancers, singers, and musicians saluted one after another, and then quickly left the hall. After a while, there were only rows of candles and two people facing each other in the hall.
"Your Majesty, today is not a sacred festival. Why are you drinking in the solemn hall?"
Gillim raised his head and asked in a deep voice.
"...I am in a good mood today, so I invited the dancing girl Mei Ji, who was just donated by the Huastec people, to enjoy myself. Why, my loyal advisor, do you even want to advise me on this?"
Avitt looked slightly cold and glanced at the kneeling intelligence officer, like a jaguar with its eyes open.
"Your Majesty, you are in a bad mood."
Gilliam replied solemnly. Then, he bowed respectfully and asked.
"But because of the elder's will? His Highness Shulot has come of age, and Princess Alyssa has also been looking forward to it for a long time. And for the overall situation of the kingdom, this is also necessary..."
"Ding dong!"
The sound of metal crashing was heard instantly. Avitt suddenly became angry, threw away the silver cup in his hand, and shouted angrily.
"Quiet!"
Gillim kept silent and bowed to the ground again.
After a while, the king's face returned to calm. He said calmly.
"Have all the envoys sent to the various states set off?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Where are those sent to the Kingdom in the Lake?"
"We set out as early as a month ago."
"Is the capital ready?"
"Get ready. It will be a grand ceremony for the whole city."
"Have all the royal family members been invited?"
"Everyone is invited, even the elders have to come forward..."
Avitt asked carefully for a while until he couldn't find any more problems. Finally, he sighed helplessly.
"That's all, let's wait for Shulot to come! After the grand event, we will sacrifice his blood. After the celebration is over, we will start preparations to conquer the Tlaxcala people!"
"Yes, Your Majesty. The Lord God protects the alliance, and the ancestors have given you a great responsibility! You are the eagle of the royal family and the blazing sun in summer. You are destined to rule the four directions and unify the entire world!"
Gilliam saluted again, a smile on his face. He sang in a deep voice with great confidence.
Avitt straightened his body and nodded solemnly. He lowered his eyes and asked seriously.
"Gillim, how are you doing with your investigation into the rumors about the mythical beasts in the south of the Lake Kingdom?"
"Your Majesty, the rumors about the mythical beasts from the merchants are not trustworthy. I received a report from the scouts and interrogated the southern nobles of Apatcheng State... The so-called thunder beasts should be the new weapons of the Kingdom of the Lake, cast in bronze. The artillery! It is divided into two types: large and small. The large copper cannon can shoot one to two miles, destroying wooden villages, and is suitable for siege. The small copper cannon can shoot a hundred steps, break down the shields of warriors, and is suitable for field battles..."
"Well, if these two kinds of artillery are really so powerful, they will be important military weapons!"
Avitt nodded. He pondered for a while and asked calmly.
"Are there any bronze cannons in the tribute gift from the Kingdom of the Lake this year?"
"...Not yet."
"Haha, what a stingy kid."
Avitt smiled and shook his head, a light flashing in his eyes.
"Wait until Shulot comes over and then have a good talk with him."
"As you command, Your Majesty."
Gilliam bowed his head and saluted. He thought for a moment, his expression remained unchanged, and he asked in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, the Secret Guard recently captured several Prepecha nobles who assassinated His Highness Hulot. How should we deal with them?"
"Huh? Assassination?"
Avitt narrowed his eyes and looked at Gillim dangerously for a moment.
"Gillim, the Alliance Secret Guard, did you have any involvement in this?"
"Your Majesty, the Lord God is witness! The secret guards are only inquiring about the news in the Lake Kingdom and are definitely not involved!"
Gilliam clenched his fist and swore. What he said was the truth. The alliance's secret guards had been deployed for a long time, and they had never planned to attack His Highness at this time.
"His Royal Highness Hulot carried out harsh reductions and reforms in the south, which aroused the rebellion and assassination of the old nobles."
"Well. Gillim, remember your responsibility. Don't betray my trust..."
Avitt stared at Gilliam for a moment, and finally chose to believe it. He tacitly allowed the General Intelligence Officer to place many secret guards in the Lake Kingdom. Because this kind of secret supervision of the alliance also exists in the territories of the great nobles in each state. In fact, the Alliance's annual expenditure on internal and external intelligence is almost as much as the expenditure of a single legion. Then, Avitt smiled faintly.
"Reducing the seal and changing the title? Yes, very good. This is something the royal family has always wanted to do, but cannot do!"
"Your Majesty, what should be done with these captured assassins?"
"The local nobles conspired to rebel and assassinate His Highness the Alliance. This is an unpardonable crime. All of them will be executed and their heads will be erected in front of the great temple as a warning to all states!"
"Your will be obeyed, Your Majesty."
Gillim saluted calmly, and the fate of Gulamo people was decided in these two plain sentences! In the eyes of the Supreme King, they are nothing more than ants like dust, living and dying like duckweeds!
"Gillim, my confidant, get up and come here!"
Avitt waved. Then, he took out a paper map from behind the throne and unfolded it in front of the small table. It was the topographic map of the Tlaxcala Valley.
"Have the 50,000 direct warriors finished changing their uniforms?"
"Your Majesty, the bronze weapons have been replaced! Ordinary warriors use bronze spears instead of obsidian war sticks. However, senior warriors are skilled in combat skills and accustomed to the use of war sticks. The craftsman camp improved the war sticks and replaced them with obsidian sharp blades. into bronze blades. Then, warriors of level three or above are equipped with additional bronze axes..."
Gillim bowed his head respectfully and reported back the latest military intelligence.
"One thousand Jaguars and one thousand Eagles are all equipped with bronze cloth-covered heavy armor. Eight thousand royal regiments are equipped with bronze cloth-covered medium armor. Most of them have been replaced and can be completed within two months."
"Very good! Ten thousand elite armored warriors, eight thousand skilled longbowmen, and hundreds of wooden cannons. How can we resist the enemies of Tlaxcala in the east?"
Avitt laughed with satisfaction, his smile filled with cruel killing intent and boundless confidence.
As the centralization of power continued to deepen, the great nobles were gradually transferred to other places and changed their titles. The royal center had direct jurisdiction over the entire Texcoco Lake area, controlling a population of 1.6 million people and 50,000 standing warriors. Outside the lake area, the 1.5 million people in the traditional Mexican states were gradually brought under the control of the royal family.
With the support of more than three million people, the royal family has accumulated over three years to have 50,000 elite direct warriors and more than 50,000 vassal warriors. Among the direct warriors, there are 10,000 armored legions, 8,000 longbowmen, and hundreds of gunners. More than 100 wooden cannons were built, and about 100,000 kilograms of gunpowder were hoarded.
The various tribes in Mexica built their country on farming and warfare. They believed in gods and advocated killing, and they fought non-stop for fifty years. If the newly born Kingdom of the Lake is a rapidly developing new military machine, then the traditional Mexica Alliance is an old and more powerful military machine. Although there are many obstacles and constraints within the alliance, as long as it is mobilized, no one in the world can stop it!
Gillim raised his head slightly and stared at the confident and proud King Avit.
"The king is only thirty-five or sixty years old. He is still in the prime of life and can rule the country for twenty or thirty years. After the Tlaxcalans are defeated, he will attack the Mixtecs in the south and Totona in the east. The Ke people, and then the Zapotec people further south! Later, the world was peaceful, the royal family was inherited, and the little highness also grew up..."
The candlelight in the main hall shone brightly, reflecting the two people's thoughts. The king looks forward proudly to all directions, like an eagle spreading its wings, with the intention of conquering all tribes and annexing the world! The Chief Intelligence Officer stood respectfully, secretly thinking about the future of the alliance and planning the inheritance of his family, country and world.
The king is born in blood and fire, and his henchmen are hidden in intrigues and shadows. The two of them stood opposite each other, like a scroll of alternating light and shadow, silently engraved in the hall, writing the whole world.
